Winning session, losing session.

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Good poker, bad poker.

Its stupid how sometimes we play like the best poker of our lives. Its like you can see your opponents hole cards. Then other times when I allow my emotions to take over, which has been way to often lately, we suck. Here are two hands to show you what I mean.

Good: Villain was a 30/8/1 On the surface this hand looks self explanatory. I have AA bet all the way when in actuality I think many players check either the turn or river here. Villain tanked the turn call which told me there was no way in hell he had a flush and most likely had a medium strength Q. Also I knew if he C/R the turn I could fold without questioning if I was beat or not. On the river I make sure to bet the right amount to get value from his weak Q.

Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Hero ($216)SB ($349.35)BB ($206.52)UTG ($93.50)MP ($309.17)

Preflop: Hero is Button with As, Ac. 2 folds, Hero raises to $8, 1 fold, BB calls $6.
Flop: ($17) 8d, 4h, Qd (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $14, BB calls $14.

Turn: ($45) 2d (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $28, BB calls $28.

River: ($101) 9s (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $54, BB calls $54.
Final Pot: $209

Results below: Hero has As Ac (one pair, aces). BB doesn't show. Outcome: Hero wins $209.


Bad: Villain in this hand is actually a good friend a memeber of the UF2B. He has been playing 10 tables at a time so his numbers are quite nitty. 18/12/2. In this spot I hate seeing the flop with so many players but I have to bet when it is checked to me. The sickest thing about this spot is before I bet I said something in chat to Jason about how sick he makes me. It was like I knew he out flopped me instinctually. Then he raises. If I put him on a CC range which raises my cbet on this board with 3 villains left to act this is the easiest fold in the book. I chose to jam my chips in the middle and hope for a miracle instead. HOW? WTF? That is letting my emotions play a roll in my decision making. Whenever I do this I go on a downswing and that is fact.


Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Button ($305.55)SB ($192.80)BB ($76)UTG ($100.70)MP ($154.10)Hero ($203.30)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Ad, Ac. UTG calls $2, MP calls $2, Hero raises to $12, Button calls $12, SB calls $11, 1 fold, UTG calls $10, MP calls $10.

Flop: ($62) 4s, 8h, 5h (5 players)SB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets $38, Button raises to $116, SB folds, UTG folds, MP folds, Hero raises to $191.3 (All-In), Button calls $75.30.

Turn: ($444.60) Ks (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($444.60) Qd (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $444.60
Results below: Button has 4c 4h (three of a kind, fours). Hero has Ad Ac (one pair, aces). Outcome: Button wins $444.60.

Why?

Why havent I been posting in here more? I just noticed that August was the month I posted the most and coincidentally that was my best month ever. With that said I will try and review every session the morning after and post my big winners and losers. Mostly the losers unless I feel I really played a winner unorthodoxed. With that said I am currently having another rocky month with a graph that is insane. I will try and post it at the end of the month. Hopefully it will end with a sharp upward slope.

1: Villain was a mega fish and the reason I am on the table. This was actually the last hand of my session as I had to quit after this one. I had been check min raised by him before and he showed a bluff. Then this hand.

Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($483.45)SB ($15.15)BB ($451.24)UTG ($662.34)Hero ($269.55)
Preflop: Hero is MP with As, Ah. UTG posts a blind of $2. Hero raises to $10, 2 folds, UTG (poster) calls $8.
Flop: ($21) 8c, Qh, 8h (3 players)UTG checks, Hero bets $16, UTG calls $16.

Standard up to this point and I felt villain could have a Q here alot maybe an 8.

Turn: ($53) 8d (3 players)UTG checks, Hero bets $46, UTG raises to $92, Hero calls $46.

Now I think an 8 is almost impossible and I am hoping to get it in. I felt his line might be a bluff and I didnt want to blow him off it with what I felt was the nuts.

River: ($237) Ks (3 players)UTG bets $112, Hero raises to $151.55 (All-In), UTG calls $39.55.
Final Pot: $540.10
Results below: UTG has 9s 8s (four of a kind, eights). Hero has As Ah (full house, eights full of aces). Outcome: UTG wins $540.10.

Guess he had the 8.

2: Villain was something like 28/8/5. I hate calling a raise OOP here but it is min. I felt his range wasnt that wide so if I could hit a flop hard I would be able to stack him.

Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($344.10)SB ($702.85)BB ($326.35)UTG ($139.08)Hero ($231.05)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Jd, Qh. 1 fold, Hero raises to $8, Button raises to $16, 2 folds, Hero calls $8.
Flop: ($35) Td, 9c, 3c (2 players)Hero checks, Button bets $24, Hero raises to $80, Button raises to $272, Hero calls $135.05 (All-In).

Ok so I pretty much hate this line here. I felt villain had an over pair here like JJ+ and with that said I made this play thinking I really had no fold equity. In retrospect I like a C/F here. Honestly when I put in my raise I said to myself is this a good play if I have no FE?

Turn: ($522.05) 2s (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($522.05) 5c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $522.05
Results below: Button has Jc Ac (flush, ace high). Hero has Jd Qh (high card, queen). Outcome: Button wins $522.04.

WOW I was shocked to see his hand.

3: Same villain as the last hand on a different table. Basically I felt he was capable of playing draws fast.

Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($433.95)SB ($76)BB ($321)UTG ($102.45)Hero ($222.90)CO ($531.25)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Ks, Kd. 1 fold, Hero raises to $8, CO calls $8, 1 fold, SB calls $7, 1 fold.
Flop: ($26) 7d, Jd, 6d (3 players)SB checks, Hero bets $20, CO raises to $48, SB folds, Hero calls $28.

With the K of diamonds in my hand I dont hate calling the flop but seeing that I thinik he playsd his draws fast isnt that more reason to eithert jam or fold? I basically at the time called to reeval the turn looking for a blank.

Turn: ($122) 7s (2 players)Hero checks, CO bets $45, Hero raises to $166.9 (All-In), CO calls $121.90.

Is this a blank? Whats with his bet size? Is that weakness? Or is he trying to suck me in? I jammed here against my gut knowing I was going to be shown better.

River: ($455.80) 3h (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $455.80
Results below: Hero has Ks Kd (two pair, kings and sevens). CO has 6c 6s (full house, sixes full of sevens). Outcome: CO wins $455.80.

It was him trying to suck me in. It worked.

4: So this guy is like a 40/20/3 Honestly I think some of these guys can be winners if they use good pot control. There stats and style allow them to get payed off by all types of players.

Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Hero ($215.45)SB ($160.50)BB ($140.70)UTG ($249.05)MP ($649)CO ($355.55)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Jc, Js. UTG raises to $8, 2 folds, Hero raises to $30, 2 folds, UTG raises to $60, Hero calls $30.

Min 4 bet? Are you serious? I think this is a huge hand or a complete bluff. Witht that said I think my line is horrible.

Flop: ($123) 2d, 8d, 7d (2 players)UTG checks, Hero calls $155.45 (All-In), UTG calls $155.45.

I think I should probably try and just check this hand down at this point. Shoving allows better to call and worse to fold. I dont know though.

Turn: ($433.90) 9c (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($433.90) Ah (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $433.90
Results below: Hero has Jc Js (one pair, jacks). UTG has Qc Qs (one pair, queens). Outcome: UTG wins $433.90.

Pretty sick!

5: Villain is a CR memeber running at 23/15/2 Honestly I think this p0lay is never made if I dont know that.

Absolute Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter, Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Hero ($200)SB ($255.55)BB ($234.30)UTG ($113.05)MP ($172.85)CO ($366)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Qh, As. 3 folds, Hero raises to $8, SB calls $7, BB raises to $38, Hero raises to $200 (All-In), SB folds, BB calls $162.

I felt villain could be squeezing here often. The only thing is I dont think that is the case as much as I would like to believe. It can be very frustrating though when you havent been running good and hands like AQ keep getting 3 bet. This was actually the start of my session and this was the 1st time I had been 3 bet. This shove is stupid though. If you think about the range that calls a 4 bet shove AQ has shit equity against it.
Flop: ($408) 7c, 5d, 8s (2 players, 1 all-in)
Turn: ($408) 2d (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($408) Ks (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $408
Results below: Hero has Qh As (high card, ace). BB has Ad Kh (one pair, kings). Outcome: BB wins $408.

To sum it all up I played pretty bad in big pots. This isnt how we win money at poker. Hopefully in the following days there will be less losers to post and some nifty winners to show off. Stay tuned.

My thinking on the game of poker

Poker by street

To really get in depth on the game of poker you have to start to think about your action on every street and why you take it. I don’t think many consider pre-flop to be a street but is the driveway leading to the streets. This is where you decide what car you will take out of the garage and drive down the street. Certain vehicles will serve you better on certain days. OK enough with the metaphorical thinking.

Pre-flop

Pre-flop: This is a loose guideline to pre-flop play. The biggest thing to consider pre-flop is your position and next your hand strength. The hands I outline are strictly for being 1st in as well as isolating weak limpers. Your 3 betting range whether it be 3 betting or calling a 3bet will be drastically different. All discussions from here on out pertain to 6-max strategy. I don’t feel a lot needs to be said about pre-flop strategy but I will touch upon the most important. Position is number one. Everyone knows this yet few utilize it to its fullest potential.

UTG and UTG+1: In order to get action and loosen up your image from these two spots opening all PP’s is quite effective. It is nice to mix in a random SC as well but not entirely necessary. Yet I think I rather raise 87s here then QJs because it is easier to play post flop OOP. As for non pairs Ajo+ and Kqs+ work well for me. If my table is tight and my image is well I will expand upon this range.

CO: This is when my range begins to open up as I will more times then not end up with position post flop and will be able to play my hand profitably against my opponent. Our range is all of the UTG & UTG+1 range plus SC down to 65 and off suit connectors down to 89. Also A9o+ and Kto+. This is where we can begin to utilize HUD number as well. If the BTN and blinds are tight we can open our range up more.

BTN: This is the whore of position. She spreads her legs for any two cards. Due to your position sometimes your cards are irrelevant. This is where good hand reading skills and shear aggression will win you the pot 9 times out of 10. You can raise a lot of suited junk here as well as any Ace as long as the blinds arent 3 betting you often.

3 betting: This is by no means the know all end all on 3 betting but rather some observations of my own. If you look at the range of hands I just said we should be raising from the CO and BTN position it is obvious that the majority of them cannot withstand a raise. Therefore I think 3 betting from the blinds is something that isn’t being done enough by the average player, including myself. The toughest thing about 3 betting from the blinds is it goes against the idea of position. This is again a spot where we can use are HUD numbers. If the PFR has a high attempt to steal which I believe is 20+ then we should be 3 betting lighter from the blinds. The majority of the time we should take the pot down pre-flop. Also if called we can C-bet and show a profit as well but I do believe our c-betting frequency should decrease in 3 bet pots when OOP.

When 3 betting IP I think we can stick to a pretty tight range depending upon our villains numbers. If villain looks tight then we shouldn’t be 3 betting light. If villain is loose then we should. Also you should be more apt to 3 bet a CO raiser light then a UTG or UTG+1 raiser due to the ranges we have discussed. With hands that flop well I tend to call IP against tight players rather then raise and open the door up for them to blow me off my hand. Calling IP also allows you to make moves post flop. Again HUD should show you villains c-bet number and if it 70+ we know that this villain is betting with air here often enough that a float or raise will show profit.

My goals up close

1. Play my A game at all times.

Obviously easier said then done and something everyone talks about. How do I achieve this goal? I need to create a routine and stick to it I believe. Not necessarily a set time I play and such but rather a ritual that I practice before every session so to get in the right frame of mind. I have written out a list which I will read before every session and I will as of today post to 3 CR posts in either Low or mid stakes prior to playing.

2. All decisions should be made for a reason.

This is something I struggle with sometimes. Making a decision to bet/check/fold without really thinking through it. I will make an attempt to conciously know why I am making the choice I am on every street.

3. 40K hands @ 5BB/100

This will require the above 2 as well as a solid work ethic. I must play 2k hands or more on days I play. I must no longer allow for tilt to be a part of my game. Last month I believe I could have played at a win rate of 5BB/100 but I allowed myself to tilt off several BI in diffwerent situations.

4. Take a shot at 400NL this month when the games look good.

Basically I will be datamining a few tables and keeping an eye out for some soft spots on the weekends. If my 200 game continues to improve I will have a solid roll and will take my stabs when I feel comfortable.

5. Use my time efficientluy to study the game if I am not playing.

No longer will I surf the net aimlessly. If I am infront of m,y computer I will be either studying or playing poker. I will only allow myself 1 hour a day for non poker related things. I strongly believe those who have success at this game didnt get there easy. It takes alot of hard work and dedication and the ability to never be satisfied.

A fresh start

Finally, I got a new computer. Therefore i will be starting my PT database fresh. I datamined all weekend while I was gone and got 60K hands. Also my numbers will be starting from scratch. Should be interesting to see how i do.

It is a new month so I should write up some goals real quick.

1. Play my A game at all times.
2. All decisions should be made for a reason.
3. 40K hands @ 5BB/100
4. Take a shot at 400NL this month when the games look good.
5. Use my time efficientluy to study the game if I am not playing.

I will go into more depth on these later.