WARNING!!! Going pro... If you don't like hard work then GTFO!!!

One day of terrible focus at the poker tables turned out to be the lesson I needed to get back on top of things and put some effort back into making sure I give myself the best possible chance of being able to focus and play my A-game.

My focus on my new training regime has been excellent and, as you will see, it is going well… So far!

Results (3 days)

Profit = +$1
Hands played = 1958

Graph

Poker Summary

Focus

When I had finished playing my first session (-$14) I suddenly realised how terrible my focus had been. Furthermore I could not remember much about the session other then I seemed to be clicking FOLD rather a lot! Some of the reason for this (I think) is that I have been so busy on the houses (on top of work and organising days out drinking) and this was causing me to play poker more in relaxation mode than in “I am going to play my best” mode. Although that seems a fair excuse I should not let this happen. It would be better to not play at all than to play without focus so from now on that is what I will do!

The next two sessions I made sure to work on getting prepared for my session (meditate, read goals, watch video, FOCUS) and then I set an alarm for every 15 minutes to sit out from the tables, re-read my goals, take a drink, relax and then re-focus again. It definitely seemed to help me.

Alertness

The other thing I will work on is alertness. It is important that I remain alert to these occasions where the mind wanders and concentration drifts. In fact that is one of the secrets to life in general so I am on it immediately!!!

(Hands are at the bottom of post today…)

The Perfect Body (or mind?)

A week has passed since I started my training in earnest. I have made a short video to talk about my 7 days of doing push ups every morning here…

It is very much “baby steps” at the moment which I think is reasonable given my age (and weakness!) but I am sure it will progress quite rapidly so long as I stick to the plan and KEEP TURNING UP. This should be easy now as I know my PURPOSE and I am definite in my reasons WHY.

Other than that not much to report other than I went to two Wing Chun Kung Fu classes. While I was working on the houses I only trained once per week (and it showed) but it feels great to be back into it and progressing that journey again too.

Hand 1 – Advice on lines please?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.10
SB: $4.50
BB: $10.61
UTG: $16.92
MP: $17.11
CO: $11.03

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♠ A♥

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.75, 2 players) 3♥ 4♦ Q♣
CO bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40

Turn: ($1.55, 2 players) T♣
CO bets $0.74, Hero calls $0.74

River: ($3.03, 2 players) 5♥
CO checks, Hero ???

Preflop pretty standard. Flop I call, I have the best hand sometimes and have outs if not. Turn I have a gutshot and an over card, it seems close but his sizing and the fact he may have picked up a draw lets me call. River I am not sure whether to bet or not. I actually think I should go to showdown as I do beat some turned draws and I am not sure of much (better) that he can fold other than AK.

=================================================

Hand 2 – What the hell is this!!!?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $12.06
SB: $9.22
BB: $9.84
Hero (UTG): $10.70
MP: $14.08
CO: $10.45

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♠ J♦

Hero raises to $0.30, fold, CO raises to $1.00, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.70

Flop: ($2.15, 2 players) 7♥ J♣ 7♦
Hero checks, CO bets $9.45 and is all-in, Hero calls $9.45

Turn: ($21.05, 2 players) 2♥

River: ($21.05, 2 players) 2♣

Hero shows J♠ J♦ (Full House, Jacks full of Sevens)
(Pre 57%, Flop 99%, Turn 100%)
CO shows A♥ K♦ (Two Pair, Sevens and Twos)
(Pre 43%, Flop 1%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins $20.10

=============================================

Hand 3 – Help! Is donking okay here?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $5.46
SB: $13.80
Hero (BB): $11.38
UTG: $39.71
MP: $10.28
CO: $11.67

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 8♣ J♣

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.20, 4 players) 9♥ T♥ Q♠
SB checks, Hero bets $1.03, CO calls $1.03, BTN raises to $5.16 and is all-in, fold, Hero raises to $11.08 and is all-in, fold

Turn: ($12.55, 2 players) 3♥

River: ($12.55, 2 players) Q♥

Hero shows 8♣ J♣ (Straight, Queen High)
(Pre 34%, Flop 81%, Turn 91%)
BTN shows T♣ Q♣ (Full House, Queens full of Tens)
(Pre 66%, Flop 19%, Turn 9%)
BTN wins $11.99

So I decided to lead the flop here because the flop is so wet I don’t want it to check through and my belief is that people cbet way less here because it is multi-way AND a super wet flop. On the other hand the preflop raiser has got a potential fish behind him so I could trap more money in the pot by checking and hoping the PFR cbets and the fish calls. Thoughts?

==========================================

Hand 4 – My brain hurts!

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $13.64
SB: $18.91
Hero (BB): $10.00
UTG: $10.00
MP: $10.77
CO: $6.16

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q♠ A♣

fold, fold, fold, fold, SB calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.40, SB calls $0.30

Flop: ($0.80, 2 players) 6♦ 6♠ 6♥
SB bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40

Turn: ($1.60, 2 players) 6♣
SB bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50

River: ($2.60, 2 players) T♦
SB bets $0.30, Hero raises to $1.30, SB calls $1.00

Hero shows Q♠ A♣ (Four of a Kind, Sixes)
(Pre 60%, Flop 72%, Turn 97%)
SB mucks 8♥ T♥ (Four of a Kind, Sixes)
(Pre 40%, Flop 28%, Turn 3%)
Hero wins $4.97

What do you think here amigos? I thought we were splitting on the river so raised really small because of rake. I just don’t think going bigger is gonna get called very often by worse but… “Fish do stupid things”!!!!!!

==========================================

I would like to finish by quoting a thought I had to myself whilst meditating this morning…

“What if everything is an illusion? What if it’s all a dream?
If life is just a dream who’s would you rather be living?
Someone’s whose are full of fear and lacking in passion? Or your own?
Follow your passion! You are perfect!!!”

Have a great few days my friends.

Chris.

Originally posted by Schrader69
Good read as always, good luck on your training journey...

Hey! Thanks for posting and being so kind!

It definitely is/was a little boring you are right - I have added some things in so hopefully boredom won't be an issue.

Really appreciate all of your advice and have added your quote to my list of things to consider.

Much love to you also! Thanks again.

Originally posted by Eatyourpeas
Hand 3 – Help! Is donking okay here?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $5.46
SB: $13.80
Hero (BB): $11.38
UTG: $39.71
MP: $10.28
CO: $11.67

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 8♣ J♣

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.20, 4 players) 9♥ T♥ Q♠
SB checks, Hero bets $1.03, CO calls $1.03, BTN raises to $5.16 and is all-in, fold, Hero raises to $11.08 and is all-in, fold

Turn: ($12.55, 2 players) 3♥

River: ($12.55, 2 players) Q♥

Hero shows 8♣ J♣ (Straight, Queen High)
(Pre 34%, Flop 81%, Turn 91%)
BTN shows T♣ Q♣ (Full House, Queens full of Tens)
(Pre 66%, Flop 19%, Turn 9%)
BTN wins $11.99

So I decided to lead the flop here because the flop is so wet I don’t want it to check through and my belief is that people cbet way less here because it is multi-way AND a super wet flop. On the other hand the preflop raiser has got a potential fish behind him so I could trap more money in the pot by checking and hoping the PFR cbets and the fish calls. Thoughts?

I like donking for the reasons you stated and like your sizing. I like donking even more with the fish in the pot because openraiser won't cbet as much as he would heads-up which means that fish will have less opportunities to call. When we have a fish in the pot and a monster hand like that, we want to bet big, no need to set traps, especially when we don't have the absolute nuts and our hand is vulnerable.

Hand 1 - Call river?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.87
SB: $10.40
BB: $22.64
UTG: $12.19
Hero (MP): $13.20
CO: $10.00

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♠ T♠

fold, Hero raises to $0.30, CO raises to $0.90, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.60

Flop: ($1.95, 2 players) 9♥ J♥ 4♠
Hero checks, CO bets $1.22, Hero calls $1.22

Turn: ($4.39, 2 players) 6♣
Hero checks, CO bets $2.65, Hero calls $2.65

River: ($9.69, 2 players) 2♣
Hero checks, CO bets $5.23 and is all-in, Hero ???

What do you think about calling river here? I think it is too thin but only just. Worst I should call is probably AJ I think.

==============================

Hand 2 - Can I value bet river?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.15
SB: $15.34
Hero (BB): $10.15
UTG: $8.51
MP: $10.66
CO: $9.87

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T♠ J♠

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.30, fold, Hero calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.65, 2 players) Q♠ 9♠ 8♥
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.41, Hero raises to $1.32, BTN calls $0.91

Turn: ($3.29, 2 players) 4♦
Hero bets $2.09, BTN calls $2.09

River: ($7.47, 2 players) 4♠
Hero ???

I should have bet bigger turn and then jamming river is easier. I think it is still okay to bet river here but only just. I think if I just had a straight (with JTo etc) I should check river.

Hand 1: I think we shouldn't call river, but also entire hand looks a bit too loose to me. Firstly, I would muck it preflop vs a 3bet, but I guess it's a matter of how you construct the ranges. I believe it's not necessary to defend this hand vs a 3bet when we are MP and OOP. As played, I would check/fold the turn.

Hand 2: I expect sets to 3bet the flop or at least raise the turn, so I wouldn't be so scared of fullhouses OTR. Agree with constructing sizes a bit better to set the river jam better, but it's easier to say than to think about it and do it in the hand (at least for me). But we can still jam imo.

Just saw your push ups video. Your form is pretty solid but the push ups are not complete. As you lower down, make sure your chest touches the floor before you go up again. It is more difficult but correct push up.
GL!

These past few days I have chosen to relax a little! Take the pressure off so to speak! I am playing extremely focused still but my preparation is much more thorough and also less rushed. Before I was always in a little bit of a rush to get playing and get on with it as time is short for me at the tables. And no, I am not being results orientated! Yes, I did show a small profit these few days but more importantly I am finding it easier to make decisions in game, easier to mark hands and make notes and I just feel way better and more confident at the tables. Profit!

Results (3 days)

Profit = +$21
Hands Played = 3056

Graph

(I have no idea why graph shows I made $6 more profit! Cashier says not!!!)

Hand 1 - Line check.

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $15.22
Hero (SB): $10.15
BB: $10.00
UTG: $14.63
MP: $10.00
CO: $11.07

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A♥ Q♠

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.20, Hero raises to $0.75, fold, BTN calls $0.55

Flop: ($1.60, 2 players) Q♥ 3♣ 2♠
Hero bets $0.84, BTN raises to $1.68, Hero calls $0.84

Turn: ($4.96, 2 players) 6♥
Hero checks, BTN bets $2.70, Hero calls $2.70

River: ($10.36, 2 players) A♦
Hero checks, BTN bets $5.63, Hero calls $5.02 and is all-in

I think there is no getting away from this. Of course I expect to be beaten often here but only need to be good 1 in 4 times on the river and if I fold this I will be folding way too much. Thoughts please?

============================================

Hand 2 - Check raise turn or barrel?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.47
SB: $10.00
BB: $10.25
Hero (UTG): $11.04
MP: $11.49
CO: $10.35

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 3♦ 3♠

Hero raises to $0.30, MP raises to $0.90, CO calls $0.90, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.85, 3 players) J♠ 9♠ 3♣
Hero checks, MP bets $1.36, fold, Hero raises to $4.02, MP calls $2.66

Turn: ($10.89, 2 players) 9♣
Hero checks, MP bets $1.75, Hero raises to $6.12 and is all-in, MP calls $4.37

I go for check raise (or check call) on the turn to let him bluff and also people seem to protection bet too much. I think barrelling is fine also. Which do you prefer and why?

===========================================

Poker Summary

So I made a small profit these last few days but the biggest win for me is seeing how much better I have played by preparing better and being more relaxed about things. Maybe this has always been a problem for me? For instance when I was doing Coaching For Profits before, it was so important for me to get my 50 hours in per week ON TOP OF being out at work over 50 hours per week AND spending time with my family that when I came to play it was under too much pressure and I did not give myself a chance to 1. Enjoy playing, 2. Learn in game and improve and 3. Perform well.

I am looking forward to seeing what this new approach brings. The main thing I am noticing so far is how it is helping me to learn while I am actually playing! That can surely only lead to more profit! More please!!!

Training and Fitness

Training is going well. I have done my push ups workout every day (13 days now) and have done 2 circuit workouts since my last post. I made a short video here to explain how my circuit workout works…

It’s okay you can laugh at me, I don’t mind!!! That was my first attempt at the circuit workout and although it was not very good I was a little surprised I managed to do those sets and get down to the last set without snapping in half! As long as I keep going and keep turning up I will get better and better and things will improve! Hopefully!!!

Family Time

On Sunday we went out for a lovely walk together. We are lucky that we live by the countryside and we only have to walk for 3 or 4 minutes and we are in fields that stretch for miles and miles. The four of us walked through fields of corn with horses, sheep and cows all around and also saw the fantastic view of Kenilworth Castle which is near our house. I have never seen it from this angle even after living here 45 years. Was an awesome view...

Property

All of the properties we have owned for a while are now finished and students are moving in gradually. There will always be the odd call out for new people as they pick up on new things (and break things too!). We have one newer property that we have almost finished renovating so the letting agent is coming to see it next week with a view to advertising it immediately. Hopefully there will still be some students seeking accommodation for this academic year lurking around!!!

Have a good few days amigos!

Chris.

Originally posted by Alleen86
Hand 1: I think we shouldn't call river, but also entire hand looks a bit too loose to me. Firstly, I would muck it preflop vs a 3bet, but I guess it's a matter of how you construct the ranges. I believe it's not necessary to defend this hand vs a 3bet when we are MP and OOP. As played, I would check/fold the turn.

Hand 2: I expect sets to 3bet the flop or at least raise the turn, so I wouldn't be so scared of fullhouses OTR. Agree with constructing sizes a bit better to set the river jam better, but it's easier to say than to think about it and do it in the hand (at least for me). But we can still jam imo.

Hi mate, thanks for the input, appreciate it.

Originally posted by IvicaIliev77
Just saw your push ups video. Your form is pretty solid but the push ups are not complete. As you lower down, make sure your chest touches the floor before you go up again. It is more difficult but correct push up.
GL!

Brilliant, thanks for the help, just what I need. I did them lower this morning as you said and it was a bit tougher for sure! But yes, I want to do it correct so thank you very much!

Training daily is starting to become a habit for me now, of course I appreciate it will be a while before I can say it is an automatic part of my life but small steps all count! At the poker tables the more intense focus, which is a result of my better preparation and more relaxed approach, seems like it is starting to show some decent results…

Results (3 days)

Profit = +$42
Hands played = 1828

Graph (3 days)

Ooh, that’s pretty!

Hand 1 - Line check bluffing fish

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $7.21
SB: $11.91
Hero (BB): $10.28
UTG: $10.01
MP: $7.26
CO: $14.33

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 5♠ 7♠

fold, MP raises to $0.20, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.10

Flop: ($0.45, 2 players) 6♠ 3♥ 2♣
Hero checks, MP bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40

Turn: ($1.25, 2 players) Q♥
Hero checks, MP checks

River: ($1.25, 2 players) A♥
Hero bets $0.79

Slightly loose call preflop but pot odds and fish so I take a flop… Considered check/raise on the flop but fish bets big and they don’t like folding so much so check call with lots of equity. Turn the fish checks back so on the Ace river I think it is a great card to make him (hopefully) fold 77-JJ, 6x.

Thoughts?

======================================

Hand 2 - Standard bluff?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $11.70
SB: $10.15
Hero (BB): $10.20
UTG: $10.00
MP: $39.32
CO: $3.82

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T♦ 8♠

fold, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.60, 2 players) A♣ J♦ 7♦
SB bets $0.30, Hero calls $0.30

Turn: ($1.20, 2 players) Q♠
SB checks, Hero bets $0.76, SB calls $0.76

River: ($2.72, 2 players) 2♦
SB checks, Hero bets $1.95...

Flop I was not sure about raising. I have J7s and A7 here but I think call is fine in position. Turn is easy bet with double gutter and river seems standard to me as way more likely I have a flush than him.

Thoughts?

=============================================

Hand 3 - Bluff flop or river?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.05
SB: $38.55
BB: $2.52
UTG: $19.78
MP: $12.86
CO: $12.51

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♣ T♣

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.22, SB raises to $0.76, fold, Hero calls $0.54

Flop: ($1.62, 2 players) 2♣ K♦ A♦
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($1.62, 2 players) 6♣
SB bets $1.00, Hero calls $1.00

River: ($3.62, 2 players) K♠
SB checks, Hero ???

Not sure about this one at all. Bluffing flop is not good as I think I get called too often and my equity is not good enough to double barrel… Turn is easy call with flush draw and gutter… River I desperately WANT to bluff $2.40 I just can’t see him calling often here.

Thoughts?

===============================================

Hand 4 - What the hell is this???

===============================================

Poker Summary

It’s still going nicely with taking breaks every 10 to 15 minutes and just reading something non poker related for a couple of minutes. Then, I just re-read my motivation notes, set the timer again and jump back into the tables. Seems to be helping me tremendously. Training myself to take this relaxed approach is not easy as I still have this impulse to fire those tables up and just slog it out!!!

Training

The push ups workout training is going well! I have turned up 14 days consecutively now so am going to try and keep that up. I am still not too convinced that doing them daily AND trying to do a circuit training workout three times per week is going to work well longer term but while I am still a beginner (understatement of the year award) I am happy to continue like this.

Here is a video of this week’s training “efforts”!

Ivicalliev77 pointed out that my chest needs to go a bit lower so on the last two days I did try to get that better. Anything else anyone notices about bad form please let me know.

Also went to Wing Chun training last night (I love this so much) but had to miss out on Monday due to finishing off jobs at one of the houses.

Anniversary!

Today is our wedding anniversary! Four years of wedded bliss!!! We are going away to Sheffield this weekend to celebrate. Not the most obvious place for a romantic weekend but Helen went to University there and we are owed a free weekend by one of the big hotel chains and we love going there! Cannot wait!

Have a great weekend amigos!

Chris.

God of endurance! :f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup:

This weekend Helen and I went to Sheffield for the weekend to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary! It was FANTASTIC! We also got scared to death by our son collapsing at school! I just about managed to squeeze some bodyweight training in and a tiny bit of poker but this was mostly a weekend to kick back and have some fun!

Results (3 days)

Profit/loss = -$20 (includes $10 rakeback)
Hands played = 2851

Graph (3 days)

Hand 1 - Anything Different?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.05
Hero (SB): $10.74
BB: $13.03
UTG: $10.25
MP: $10.11
CO: $12.17

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K♦ A♥

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.30, Hero raises to $1.05, fold, BTN calls $0.75

Flop: ($2.20, 2 players) 2♥ J♠ 7♠
Hero checks, BTN checks

Turn: ($2.20, 2 players) 3♦
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($2.20, 2 players) 2♦
Hero checks, BTN bets $1.05, Hero calls $1.05

This feels like a standard bluff catch on the river to me???

==============================

Hand 2 - Played okay?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $9.85
SB: $11.81
BB: $27.83
UTG: $12.52
MP: $13.48
Hero (CO): $10.86

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 8♥ 9♥

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.30, fold, SB raises to $1.00, fold, Hero calls $0.70

Flop: ($2.10, 2 players) 5♠ K♥ 6♥
SB bets $1.40, Hero calls $1.40

Turn: ($4.90, 2 players) A♣
SB bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50

River: ($9.90, 2 players) T♠
SB bets $6.51, fold

SB wins $9.45

I could get it in on the flop with flush draw plus gutshot but I feel that using position and calling is more EV+ as I can bluff him later or hit.

==============================

Hand 3 - Too Loose?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.07
SB: $11.63
BB: $11.80
UTG: $13.45
MP: $12.34
CO: $9.47

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♠ A♥

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.22, fold, BB raises to $0.70, Hero calls $0.48

Flop: ($1.45, 2 players) 4♠ A♠ 6♥
BB bets $1.30, Hero calls $1.30

Turn: ($4.05, 2 players) 9♥
BB bets $3.70, Hero calls $3.70

River: ($11.45, 2 players) 9♦
BB bets $6.10 and is all-in, Hero calls $4.37 and is all-in

His sizing makes it hard for me to find a fold here. I cannot fold the turn in my opinion and then river the odds are just too good. This is my bottom calling hand though.

=====================================

Hand 4 - Fun - Nice Run Out!

Desperately wanted to lead river there!

=======================================================

Poker Summary

Feels like I played well these last few sessions but I spent a lot of time in the check/fold part of my ranges! Most importantly my focus seemed good and I think I kept mistakes to a minimum.

Over the next couple of days I will look at my overall performance at NL10 since I moved back to 6 max and see if I am able to play some NL25 again yet…

Hospital Again!

Having young kids seems to mean you have to go to hospital a lot more than you would like! I had a big scare on Thursday whilst at work but all seems to be good in the end…

I got a call from my son’s school (age 5) at 9.30am to tell me that he had had some sort of seizure. He had passed out in the club he goes to before school but instead of his body going floppy it had gone rigid and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head! They told me he is in an ambulance on his way to hospital right now but had regained consciousness so “try not to worry”!

Of course I jumped straight in my car and sped off to the hospital but it is a 50 minute drive away from work. I had a panic going on I can tell you but I kept telling myself that he will be fine and that nature will take good care of him. I managed to get a text from Helen (wife) and she said that he seemed okay in himself so that was a bit of a relief!

When I finally got the hospital I ran in to see him and he was playing with the toys in the waiting area. He looked very pale but did seem okay - he was more concerned with playing with me than being ill so that was promising!!!

To cut a very long story short he saw four different medics in the end and they were mainly trying to discount epilepsy and find out whether it was a seizure or some sort of fainting episode.

In between his tests we were having fun making the hospital bed go higher and lower. He was really frightened about the tests they were doing but he did a great job in the end and let the medics do their work.

This was us having some fun…

Here he was having 10 (yes ten!) wires attached to him for an ECG test (heart rates). He had to have a few of these because the poor fellow has got a heart murmur as well so I think it was distorting the readings!

Anyway, after all the testing and lots of working things out with mathematical formulas the consultant paediatrician said he is okay to go home and they think it is a type of fainting caused by the brain shutting down when talking about injury or losing blood types of things and just something to keep an eye on. They said to not let him lock himself in the toilet or anything like that in case it happens again - no peace!!!

The most important thing was that after it all he really seemed fine and was keen to go back to school the next morning and was back up to his usual mischief in no time at all!!!

Anniversary Weekend!

After having been married to me for four years it is only fair to treat Helen to a nice weekend away! We went to the Hilton Hotel in Sheffield and had a wonderful time just the two of us.

The food was great…

(A big fry up English Breakfast - yummy!!!)

(Excellent Chinese meal - Sizzling fillet steak in black bean sauce, sweet & sour chicken and all the trimmings!)

On the Saturday we drove out to the Peak District and did a hill climb up Mam Tor (The Mother Hill). It is not that hard to walk up it but Helen was convinced she would not make it to the top. In fact she did it easily - it was your standard case of lack of self belief! Amazingly she even found the strength to walk around the shops afterwards too - but that is women for you I guess!!!!!!!!!!

(The view from the top)

(Selfie at the “summit”)

We also found time to use the leisure/spa facilities at the hotel and went for a swim and lazed around in the jacuzzi for an hour or so! Heaven! On the way back to the room we shared the lift with the hotel manageress… I told her it is our wedding anniversary and as a result she gave us a voucher for a free round of drinks! It doesn’t get any better than that eh!!!?

Have a good few days amigos!

Chris.

Originally posted by LoBrue
God of endurance! :f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup::f_thumbsup:

Haha! Thanks!!! I knew I am the God of something after all!!!

Regarding hand 1:

yes, it does - buuuuut: on the low limits players have no big clue about showdown value. So here I also sometimes see people with 55 bluffing the river, valuetowning yourself...

For the last week or so it has felt like I am constantly in the bottom part of my range! It is a battle to not get over excited when I actually do make a hand if I am honest! I am searching hard to find leaks in my game at the moment because it looks like I am folding too much somewhere. Of course I have tonnes of leaks but hopefully this is pointing me in the right direction to help me find them. Lots of activity with my properties this week and a manic weekend coming up with the new one to look forward too!

Results (2 days)

Profit/loss = -$18
Hands played = 1859

Graph (2 days)

Hand 1 - Top two versus flop raise and barrel

Did I play this okay? I was happy to call the flop raise and the turn barrel and on this river it seems an easy fold to me. What if river was a brick though? Should I still fold then?

-----------------------------------------------

Hand 2 - Bluffing Fish

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $8.70
SB: $5.91
BB: $11.01
UTG: $11.89
Hero (MP): $10.00
CO: $10.00

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 5♠ 6♠

fold, Hero raises to $0.30, fold, fold, SB calls $0.25, fold

Flop: ($0.70, 2 players) K♥ K♣ 2♦
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.70, 2 players) 4♦
SB checks, Hero bets $0.44, SB calls $0.44

River: ($1.58, 2 players) T♦
SB checks, Hero bets $1.00, SB calls $1.00

Hero shows 5♠ 6♠ (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 21%, Flop 2%, Turn 9%)
SB shows 8♦ 8♣ (Two Pair, Kings and Eights)
(Pre 80%, Flop 98%, Turn 91%)
SB wins $3.42

Okay, momma told me never to bluff fish. That aside do you think a) I played this okay and b) villain’s call is too loose?

==========================================

Hand 3 - Floating in 3bet pot

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.51
SB: $14.42
BB: $10.02
UTG: $11.26
MP: $11.36
CO: $10.20

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T♦ A♦

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.22, SB raises to $0.76, fold, Hero calls $0.54

Flop: ($1.62, 2 players) 9♠ 4♦ J♣
SB bets $0.77, Hero calls $0.77

Turn: ($3.16, 2 players) 8♠
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($3.16, 2 players) 5♠
SB bets $2.89, fold

SB wins $3.02

Here I floated the flop with Ace high, BDNFD and BDSD which I think is just about okay. Turn I considered bluffing with my open ender but with some SDV I think checking back is okay (I also don’t want to see a check/raise). River easy fold.

=============================

Plugging Leaks

When I consider that I have still not moved up from NL10 Zoom it is super obvious that my game is still full of leaks, in fact hundreds of leaks I guess!!! In order to find them I am trying to watch as many videos of respected players as I possibly can (not easy to find this time for me of course). Furthermore I am reading as many hand histories with comments on from professional players as I can too. The thing that interests me the most is seeing how the top players construct their ranges on different board textures so I am watching that carefully. Admittedly that is not likely the best way for me to beat NL10 Zoom as it is not playing exploitatively but I am not exactly here to get rich from poker (although of course one day I will ) so I am not too bothered.

This way of learning is what I enjoy so I will continue to do it this way. Hopefully soon I will plug more of my leaks and the results will come for me and I will breeze through the micro stakes and beyond! All I have to do is keep enjoying my playing, enjoying my learning and being patient. After all, someone just christened me The God of Endurance so that I will be!!!

Poker Summary

Tough days lately as I seem to be folding constantly. I don’t think I am running too well either but that’s fine. I have made nutted hands 3 or 4 times this last few days and villain has held the same hand for a split. Of course it could be worse!

Study, play, study, play, plug leaks, study play. Rinse and repeat. It is all good!

Training

Here is a short video of my training for this last week…

I turned up for my push ups EVERY day again so that is 21 days consecutively now. Still on some days I am struggling on the last couple of reps but mainly when I have done Wing Chun or a circuit workout the day/night before. Strangely, last night I did my push ups about an hour after Wing Chun class and found them easier than all of the other days! Must be something to do with being warmed up really well!?

I only did two circuit training workouts this week due to our weekend away (lame excuse if honest) but did get some swimming in and of course our walk up Mam Tor!

Property

There was a nice big juicy payment into our bank account this week so I think all of the students have moved in! No doubt there will be some teething trouble as new students find issues but hopefully nothing major - I prefer to have leaks in my poker game than leaks in my houses!

The new property is very nearly finished. We had the letting agents go and take a look at it on Monday in readiness to advertise it and by Tuesday night it was let out!!! The students want to move in already so of course we have let them but they are without curtains, oven, fridge, freezer, microwave, sofa and a few other small things!!! So that is my weekend covered I guess! All good though, it is nice to get it rented out so quickly.

This weekend I have got a mini pub crawl planned with some mates. That is exactly what I need to have to look forward to after working up a sweat on that house!

Have a great weekend amigos! And remember - until you dream there isn’t a mould!

Chris.

Originally posted by SvenBe
Regarding hand 1:

yes, it does - buuuuut: on the low limits players have no big clue about showdown value. So here I also sometimes see people with 55 bluffing the river, valuetowning yourself...

This is so true regarding SDV! Thanks man.

Yet again that was a manic few days! Our last property purchase got rented out much quicker than expected which meant a lot of rushing around to get it finished (but it got done)! Had a good beer session with amigos Saturday night and a relaxing (well, recovering) day on Sunday (you know the ones where you think you are going to die!?). Poker took a back seat again but I got some hands in. Only two problems with poker at the moment… 1. I am running bad and 2. I am obviously not very good. Both of those problems can and WILL die!!!

Results (2 days)

Profit/loss = -$19
Hands played = 1750

Graph (2 days)

Hand 1 - Straight facing river donk paired board

What you guys doing here? I am not expecting a boat too often here as I think he will raise TT and 77 earlier and KK probably 3bet preflop.

=================================

Hand 2 - AK in 3bet pot weak tight!!!

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $14.33
SB: $14.62
Hero (BB): $10.75
UTG: $11.18
MP: $13.19
CO: $13.61

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K♠ A♥

fold, MP raises to $0.30, fold, fold, SB calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.34, fold, SB calls $1.04

Flop: ($2.98, 2 players) J♣ 6♠ 3♠
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($2.98, 2 players) 3♦
SB bets $1.70, Hero ???

This is a spot where I think I play badly. I think cbetting the flop might be better here with a BDFD and two overs? I could barrel A, K, Q, T and spades. It is another of my weak tight spots I think. As played on the turn I have (possibly) 6 outs when behind and sometimes the best hand so think calling is okay and fold missed rivers. Help please!!?

==========================================

Hand 3 - Trying to be aggressive!

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $12.40
SB: $10.57
Hero (BB): $10.25
UTG: $10.07
MP: $10.05
CO: $10.05

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T♣ 9♠

fold, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to $0.25, Hero calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.50, 2 players) 8♦ 5♦ Q♣
SB bets $0.32, Hero raises to $0.99, SB calls $0.67

Turn: ($2.48, 2 players) 6♦
SB checks, Hero bets $1.57, SB calls $1.57

River: ($5.62, 2 players) 7♦
SB checks, Hero checks

SB shows J♦ T♦ (Flush, Jack High)
(Pre 74%, Flop 88%, Turn 100%)
Hero mucks T♣ 9♠ (Straight, Ten High)
(Pre 26%, Flop 12%, Turn 0%)
SB wins $5.37

I am trying to up my aggression… Is my flop raise okay in principle? I think the size is too small and should go more like $1.15. Turn I pick up a double gutter and it is a scare card (if he hasn’t got a diamond). I bet again which I think is okay and I am going to jam most rivers. When this particular river hits I stop betting with some showdown value but nothing worse calls. Help me!!!!!!!!!! Please xxx.

=============================

Poker Summary

I have been studying hard again as I simply WILL NOT LAY DOWN AND DIE!!!. I have been looking at lots of flops and trying to make my ranges up for different positions. I was giving up too easily so it is hard for me to continue and I seem to look for excuses to fold rather than look for reasons to be aggressive and continue. A lot of it is mental I believe so for me it is good to work with the maths. Once I can prove to myself something is a “mistake” I can get over the problem so that is what I am working on.

In addition to this I read, on average, 10 hands per day where a respected pro has given his opinions in the hope that I will pick up more correct plays. This soft, weak, tight, pathetic play has to DIE - and I will make it DIE I tell you!!!!!!!!

I also watch a poker video for 5 to 10 minutes before each session and I am often taking the same lines as the video pro but I think when I get to the tables I freeze up a lot.

Property

Incredibly the last house got rented out in a matter of four days! We had quite a lot of work to do to finish it off for the students to move in on Saturday morning but other than a couple of small jobs it was ready for them! I got home around 11.00 Friday night feeling ready to die! My body was aching and I was feeling way older than 45 I can tell you!!! To add insult to injury I had to go to work at 7.15 on Saturday morning too!

Actually it was just a great feeling to get it all done and it means the money is rolling in to cover the mortgage so it is all great.

Here’s me assembling a wardrobe for one of the student bedrooms…

Beers

After all that work it was great to have a beer session to look forward to. We did a six pub pub crawl although the staff were extremely unwelcoming in the sixth so we went right back to the beginning again! Ended up out for over 7 hours - walking home seemed to take me hours!!! Great night!

This was pub number 3…

And I think was was pub number 4…

(But if I am honest, I cannot remember and I don’t recognise it!!!!! )

Summary

Super chuffed to get the last house rented out and now all the work on houses is as good as completed. Need to work hard on my poker game and getting out of my comfort zone (weak tight play will DIE!). Also need a week off the beers!!!

Have a good couple of days amigos!!!

Chris.

STOP! I know what you are going to say!

“Chris, just because you ran good at the poker tables for a couple of days it does not mean you are getting better!”

Was I right!?

Well actually the title of this post does not really refer to my results getting better (which of course they did). What I am in fact referring to, is how I am getting better at studying, better at accepting failure, better at embracing mistakes and better at loving what is…

Results (3 days)

Profit = +$40
Hands played = 3166

Graph (3 days)

Hand 1 - AJo Squeeze

Is a preflop squeeze okay here (I would call if it was suited)? Do you think it is worth bluffing river (I would value bet TT, QQ and probably JJ and AT here) to fold out pocket pairs and AQ?

============================

Hand 2 - JJ over pair in 4 bet pot

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $9.50
SB: $5.94
Hero (BB): $10.74
UTG: $16.30
MP: $10.00
CO: $5.23

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♥ J♣

fold, MP raises to $0.30, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $1.00, MP raises to $2.00, Hero calls $1.00

Flop: ($4.05, 2 players) 9♦ 2♦ 6♠
Hero checks, MP bets $2.24, Hero calls $2.24

Turn: ($8.53, 2 players) 5♣
Hero checks, MP bets $5.76 and is all-in, Hero ???

Typical weak tight situation for me here… Call preflop 4 bet is okay (in a vacuum)? Call flop and turn or do you fold somewhere?

=================================

Hand 3 - QQ Cold 4 bet?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $9.82
SB: $18.31
Hero (BB): $10.00
UTG: $7.69
MP: $16.21
CO: $12.30

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q♥ Q♦

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.30, fold, SB raises to $1.00, Hero ???

Not sure whether to cold 4bet or call preflop. I think it should be a 4bet. If that is the case then I assume I call a jam right?

================================================

Poker Summary

Nice results for the last few days and I definitely ran better at last! My work away from the tables is paying off in the respect that when I make some of my decisions I am confident in them (as I can see how the hand fits into my range at that point) and when I lose I am able to see that I played the hand well. Previously I was much more likely to react as though I had done something wrong which leads to errors and tilt in future hands.

A good friend spotted a bet sizing leak for me which looks like it is costing me a lot of money so I will look at working on that too. Due to brain overload (this is a problem as my brain is the size of a pea) I cannot expect to work on too many things at once but I will try to keep an eye on it.

Over the last few days I have marked up a lot of preflop spots that I think I play badly. If anyone would be prepared to watch a video of them for me and help me get better I would be eternally grateful please!?

Training

Here is a short video of my training for this last week…

Due to working on my properties and then drinking tonnes of beer it was a bit tough to turn up each day for my push ups but let’s be real, it is only a few so anyone can do it really! Wing Chun has been excellent this week and I will catch up on a circuit workout tonight!

I have not been concerned about my weight lately as it is one of those goals that I dismissed due to not really knowing WHY I was doing it! I have still logged my weight most weeks though so here is the graph to date…

Weekend...

This weekend looks like it is going to be another busy one! We have got “Bat Night” at my kids’ (and wife’s) school on Friday night where we will be out in the dark detecting bats! Also over the weekend the school has got a “Scarecrow Hunt” going on. This is where people in our community make a scarecrow in their front yard and people have a map and go around finding them and writing down who the scarecrow is or what theme it is based on.

In addition to that my father-in-law is over from Macedonia for the weekend and our mutual love for pubs and beer will almost certainly lead to a beer or two (or ten)!

Have a great weekend amigos!

Oh by the way… Little secret to happiness to share with you…

If you can get it into your head that you GET by GIVING rather than the current way of thinking (general) that you GET by TAKING then heaven is in your hands.

Much love,

Chris.

Everything is going so well at the moment and I am really embracing life! Okay, I am not winning as I would like at the poker tables but I am really happy with how I am playing and how I am studying and I am developing really good study habits again so I can only see good things in the near future. Training is going really well too and I think this is another area where I am forming habits that can only lead to great rewards in the long term.

As the amazing Tony Robbins says “Most people overestimate what they can achieve in 1 year and totally underestimate what they can achieve in 3, 5 or 10 years”. Of course, this is no excuse for being so bad in the short term but we’re talking about long term success and how to achieve it right!?

Results (3 days)

Profit = +$19 (includes $10 RB and $7 bonus)
Hands Played = 2604

Graph

Hand 1 - Owned

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.33
SB: $12.99
BB: $8.63
UTG: $4.65
Hero (MP): $10.15
CO: $34.67

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 6♥ 6♣

fold, Hero raises to $0.30, fold, BTN calls $0.30, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.75, 2 players) T♦ Q♣ 8♥
Hero checks, BTN checks

Turn: ($0.75, 2 players) Q♠
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($0.75, 2 players) 8♠
Hero bets $0.54, BTN calls $0.54

Hero shows 6♥ 6♣ (Two Pair, Queens and Eights)
(Pre 53%, Flop 45%, Turn 55%)
BTN shows K♦ J♣ (Two Pair, Queens and Eights)
(Pre 47%, Flop 55%, Turn 45%)
BTN wins $1.75

Cheeky river stab to get him off the split and fold out Kx (maybe)!

====================================

Hand 2 - Run It Twice!? (Bad Beat Alert!)

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $30.94
SB: $10.35
BB: $13.10
UTG: $12.82
MP: $13.00
CO: $13.64

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A♥ 3♥

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.75, 2 players) 6♥ 2♥ 7♥
CO checks, Hero bets $0.54, CO raises to $1.50, Hero calls $0.96

Turn: ($3.75, 2 players) K♣
CO bets $3.40, Hero raises to $13.60, CO calls $8.44 and is all-in

River: ($27.43, 2 players) K♠
Players agreed to run it twice.

River #2: ($27.43, 2 players) K♦

CO shows 7♦ 7♣ (Full House, Sevens full of Kings)
Board #1 (Pre 66%, Flop 34%, Turn 23%)
(Full House, Sevens full of Kings)
Board #2 (Pre 65%, Flop 35%, Turn 21%)

Hero shows A♥ 3♥ (Flush, Ace High)
Board #1 (Pre 34%, Flop 66%, Turn 77%)
(Flush, Ace High)
Board #2 (Pre 35%, Flop 65%, Turn 79%)

CO wins $13.10
CO wins $13.10

Beautiful game - I love it!!!

======================================

Hand 3 - Do What!? (Cooler Alert!)

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $32.39
SB: $14.70
BB: $21.35
UTG: $9.02
Hero (MP): $10.77
CO: $34.24

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♦ J♣

UTG raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, CO raises to $1.35, fold, fold, BB calls $1.25, UTG calls $1.05, Hero calls $1.05

Flop: ($5.45, 4 players) T♦ J♥ 4♣
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks, CO bets $2.50, fold, fold, Hero calls $2.50

Turn: ($10.45, 2 players) Q♠
Hero checks, CO checks

River: ($10.45, 2 players) T♥
Hero bets $6.92 and is all-in, CO calls $6.92

Hero shows J♦ J♣ (Full House, Jacks full of Tens)
(Pre 82%, Flop 96%, Turn 98%)
CO shows T♣ T♠ (Four of a Kind, Tens)
(Pre 18%, Flop 4%, Turn 2%)
CO wins $23.20

(XR flop prolly higher EV)

==================================================

Hand 4 - Whoops! Show Me Your Cash! (Idiot Alert!)

No, not me being an idiot this time!

==================================================

Poker Summary

I feel great at the tables this last week or so. My study habits are improving my understanding of the game consistently and my execution habits are helping me to play with less fear and with more appreciation for the nuances of the game (short term luck factor [both ways] etc). It really feels like the most exciting time of my poker journey so far!

The thought process at the moment is just keep studying + keep working on mindset issues (ignoring short term results and defeating fear) + keep enjoying myself = high stakes coming!

Bat Night!

What a great evening that was! Massive congratulations to my wife, Helen, and all of the other parents and teachers who put a lot of effort into organising a really fun evening. The weather could have been slightly better (but could have been worse too right!?) but overall it just all went really well and the kids seemed to all be having a great time.

I haven’t got any photos I am afraid because i) it was dark and ii) I didn’t see any bats!!! Lots of people did though (thank goodness!) but I just really enjoyed spending some time with my kids and their friends.

Furthermore, I topped the evening off with loads of beers with my father-in-law and some mates - finally rolling in around 1.00 in the morning!

Scarecrow Hunt!

This was great fun too! There were 19 scarecrows at various locations in our community all made by the local families and all based on the theme of Roald Dahl. Basically we had to go around and find them all and write down which character they were.

Here are some of my favourites…

(Ours! James And The Giant Peach!)

(Charlie And The Chocolate Factory!)

(Matilda!)

(The Twits! - My Winner!)

Got to be honest here, I hardly knew any of the characters (showing my lack of culture) but really admired the efforts people had put in. Great stuff! Only downside was my 5 year old boy only lasted the first 500 metres then I had to carry him around for a few miles! Good exercise I guess!?!?!?

Winning Habits

A few weeks ago I set myself some new goals and, more importantly, worked on my purpose in life and my WHYs. As a result of doing this I have developed a more laser like focus on achieving my targets. This has now developed further and I am now working on making sure my habits are taking me in the right direction and are making me as efficient as possible.

This week I listened to some interviews with Charles Duhigg (author of The Power Of Habits) and also Tim Ferriss (author of The 4 Hour Work Week). These guys have some fantastic information on habits and are especially helpful if you are looking to increase efficiency and productivity.

At the moment I am looking to supercharge my morning routine because I think cultivating good habits when getting up help set up for a productive day which is a massive way to boost results. I have done my push up workout for 34 days continuously now (although admittedly not always in the morning) which I am finding a great way to start the day as it gets my heart pumping and gives me a feeling that I have achieved something before I have even had my breakfast! Next things I am thinking about adding are a morning meditation and journalling (both of these I already do but later in the day).

Of course, I will keep you updated…

I repeat… “Most people overestimate what they can achieve in 1 year and totally underestimate what they can achieve in 3, 5 or 10 years” - Tony Robbins.

Life is perfect!

Have a good couple of days amigos!

Chris.

Boom! Really great couple of days (ignoring the big downswing!) as I started to tweak my morning routine and spent some time listening to some of the world’s peak performers. If you’re interested in going BIG in life then you can’t do much better than spending some time listening to the big guys like Peter Diamandis, Josh Waitzkin & Tony Robbins. Just listening to these guys talk is enough to make me feel like I have wasted so much time in my life. However, I am not the guy to reflect on past times wasted - I am the guy to take account of myself, make change, keep improving and then LET’S HIT THE BIG TIME!!!

Confronting Fear

Over the past few sessions/weeks I have become acutely aware that I have some big issues with fear when I play. Mostly I think it is risk aversion and some of it is also fear of failure. I would say that in general one of my biggest leaks is folding too much and probably not bluffing enough either. I used to blame most of this on instruction that I received which was always along the lines of “tight is right” and “only fish call too much” but I now believe that in fact these snippets of advice were the opposite of what I needed to learn as my mental or cognitive biases already cause me to fold too much anyway!

As you will see I have had a relatively big downswing these last few days (in terms of amount of hands it took anyway). One really good thing about this is that it has not bothered me in the slightest and I have been able to embrace it logically. For a start I am making a lot of changes both mentally and strategically so this is bound to happen. Some of it will also be variance which I am becoming more and more aware of and able to handle. Most of all, I need to change my approach. If the result of that is losing some buy-ins than that is a result I am happy to take - for there is no progress without some failure. One step back to take two steps forward is exactly what I am looking for here.

To help me out I have posted a video below of some of the biggest pots I lost these past few days. It would be super helpful if you guys could comment on my play please. A lot of the situations I called down when previously I would have found folds - mostly due to my risk aversion instinct/problem. It would be great to hear some opinions.

Results

Profit/loss = -$92 (9.2 buy-ins)
Hands played = 2020

Graph

That is a fairly big downswing for that amount of hands but I know that in the big picture it is fairly standard.

Hands

Video of 8 hands where I lost a medium to big pot. It is at higher speed so hopefully you might just browse through and point out big errors please? Again, I am here to learn not complain… These hands mostly look okay to me.

Hand History

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.80
SB: $4.03
BB: $33.49
UTG: $10.00
MP: $14.37
Hero (CO): $10.15

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 9♦ 8♦

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.27, fold, SB calls $0.22, BB calls $0.17

Flop: ($0.81, 3 players) 7♦ 4♦ Q♥
SB bets $0.38, fold, Hero calls $0.38

Turn: ($1.57, 2 players) K♥
SB bets $0.75, Hero calls $0.75

River: ($3.07, 2 players) 7♣
SB checks, Hero bets $1.61

Okay? Too small? Give up???

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Poker Summary

After years of being extremely average at this game (let’s be honest here I only played HUNL100 by playing only against super fish) it feels like I am finally finding some answers. Furthermore I am enjoying finding out all these personal weaknesses that I have because it is crossing over into my “real" life! Only big things coming for me in life, I know it!!!

Self Improvement

Today I have a short video I made talking about some of the things I am listening to and reading right now and where my life seems to be heading. My daily push up workouts are running in the background which is mostly a self accountability thing but as usual, if anybody sees anything wrong with form etc, please let me know…

Training

Very pleased to report that I again did my push ups every single day so that is 35 consecutive days now!!! At the beginning of this week I had to do a test to see how many I could do WITH GOOD FORM and managed 20 (so feeble!). Now doing 60% of that (12) for 7 days then adding one-a-day until I hit 20 again then will do another “test”. I WILL DO ONE HUNDRED!!!

Also I did 3 circuit training workouts this week. My preferred workout of doing decreasing reps per set is working well for me mostly because I am enjoying it. Now I am doing 6 reps in my first sets (lunges, leg raises, pull ups, dips) then 5 then 4 etc down to 1. Can’t wait to be able to do these pull ups better… Might help if I lost another stone!!!???

Trained at Wing Chun Kung Fu twice this week and love that so much. Would like to join the Master Class for more training but not sure I can fit it in just yet. Major sigh on that one.

Going Big

For me the biggest take away from the past few days is that I don’t think BIG enough (other than the fact that I am definitely a yellow bellied, pathetic little chicken). Conditioning, cognitive bias, comfort zone, fear, call it what you will. The point is I certainly do not want to be the type of person who sits back and takes the easy life or settles for mediocrity. Life is for living. It is time to thrive! Yes, I have come a long way in self improvement (man, I was such a loser!) but this is just the beginning and I AM NOT GOING TO STOP!!!

Stay tuned for more amigos. Much more…

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible. Then they seem improbable. Then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable” - Christopher Reeve (what an amazing human being that man is!).

Have a great weekend amigos… And go BIG or go home!!!

Chris.

Ola amigos! This week I hit the podcasts HARD! I have been listening to Tim Ferriss, Tony Robbins, Sam Harris, Josh Waitzkin and then yesterday I discovered Jocko Willink. I have learned a lot and hope to put it all into practice in order to become even more fulfilled than I already am!!!

The blog might take a little twist for a while. I am going to attempt to do some vlogs. I will post once per week (instead of twice) and I am going to put all my self improvement and real life stuff at the top and put the poker update at the end.

Vlog

This week I have made a short video talking about what success means to me. I also open up a little bit about my past and how I have come to be at this point in my life.

Let me know what you think of the video and of this format please? I can’t decide whether I prefer writing or talking! Probably the videos are more fun and interesting but I still feel a bit awkward! Comfort Zone be gone!!!

Self Improvement

I have just started reading Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (audiobook here). This is another one of those amazing life coincidences (Law of Attraction?) because on Monday I was thinking about some of the things that have contributed to my fear of failure and risk aversion and I was getting concerned that I was starting to “blame” situations from my past etc. That is not how I usually think - I am thankful for every single thing that has gotten me to this point in life, including all the things that some people might label as “bad”.

Anyway, in my journal, I was reminding myself how important it is for me to OWN my situation and OWN these fears as that is the best way to drive through them and somehow this book turns up on my computer monitor and the name just grabs me! I am loving it so far and will finish it this week and report back!

Training Plan

Do push ups every day and three circuit workouts. No excuses!!! Train at Wing Chun Kung Fu class x 2.

Vlog Plan

Make another vlog (unless I get 100 haters!!!). No idea what about! Any ideas!?

Have a great weekend amigos! Go get fulfilled!

Chris.

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Results (Week)

Profit = +$80 (includes $10RB)
Hands played = 6875

Graph (Week)

Summary

Well it is an extremely small sample BUT the lowest point of that graph (-$29) coincides almost exactly with the point where I decided to stop playing my hand and my range and to start exploiting again. It is worth repeating that the sample size is way too small to draw any conclusions.

Since starting to use the HUD again I have been surprised to see how loose people are playing in general. My impression was that it is a nitfest but maybe that assumption was taken when people were talking about higher stakes. Anyway, the way I was playing was burning money in a lot of spots as people are not folding as much as I thought. Add on the high rake and some of the situations I was getting into were marginal at best.

The plan at the moment is to use the HUD again and play a bit tighter preflop against unknowns. Value betting thinner is going to be more profitable than bluffing in these games so that is the way forward. Hopefully I can win some more buy-ins and “move up to where they respect my raises”!!!

I will continue to study maths based play as that is what I enjoy and monitor the results closely for the exploitative play. Another thing I found from playing a bit tighter is that I am happy to play 3 Zoom tables. I had dropped down to 2 during the downswing as sometimes I am just so tired by the evenings that 3 was too many. Actually not so much “tired” but just unable to play anywhere near my best.

Hand

Here is an example of a hand that I should probably not play like this at these games…

I guess the trouble with checking the flop here against fish is that they don’t bluff enough (in general) and I lose value from 77-TT/JJ, A6s, 76s on so many turns. Still, it all worked out nicely on this occasion but the money was going in anyway!

See you next week grinders! Run good at the tables!

Chris.

Another great week of self discovery and self improvement. I managed to uncover more weaknesses in my make up that I can work on eliminating and found more new skills on how to achieve even more growth and fulfilment!

Self Improvement

This week in my Self Improvement Vlog I talk about self belief (or lack of it), discipline, goal setting and my continued drive for growth...

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Training

My Training Vlog this week (Week 7) covers my push up challenge, body weight circuit training and my martial arts training...

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Summary

I finished reading Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (audiobook here) earlier in the week and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to level up in life. I learned a lot from these guys and it is a really easy read/listen. "Discipline is Freedom" and many other fantastic quotes/mantras to be found in there.

I also listened to Tim Ferriss's podcast interview with Jocko Willink (co-author of book above) and the guy is just hardcore excellence, really inspiring stuff.

Of course I also got my regular Tony Robbins fix in this week too, never stop learning from that guy!

I am hard on the meditation trail so meditating daily and lots of positive self talk...

Never - Stop - Growing.

Have a great week!!!

Chris.

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Results (Week)

Profit/loss = +$15 (includes $10RB + bonuses)
Hands played = 6478

Graph (Week)

Poker Summary

Struggled at times to keep out of the marginal situations (where rake makes it EV-) which I think is a form of tilt to being mostly card dead. Just one of those weeks where I got folds when I had KK+ and got calls and 3 bets when I had J8o. Will keep an eye on this tilt.

Still feel good with the keep it simple approach (ABC) and just exploiting people. Value bet thin. Value bet big. Bluff known folding machines...

Biggest Winner & Biggest Loser Video

So bad!

Hand - A Rare Triple Barrel...

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.50
SB: $11.59
BB: $10.00
UTG: $17.65
MP: $20.47
CO: $10.23

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 5♥ 6♥

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.22, fold, BB calls $0.12

Flop: ($0.49, 2 players) 4♣ Q♣ 7♠
BB checks, Hero bets $0.35, BB calls $0.35

Turn: ($1.19, 2 players) 9♠
BB checks, Hero bets $0.75, BB calls $0.75

River: ($2.69, 2 players) A♦
BB checks, Hero bets $2.00...

Not getting to fire many of these off at the moment as I am playing more straight forward! ♦

Have a good week amigos and run good like me!!!

Chris.

Awesome dude! Like the vlog and definitely looking out for more stuff on your blog!

Great week! Really good self improvement work and can feel progress in life immediately. Unstoppable...

Self Improvement

I have made a new Self Improvement Vlog and this week I talk about how I have been using positive affirmations and expressing gratitude to good effect! I have also been studying the life and teachings of Coach John Wooden, a remarkable gentleman...

Hit my webpage here for links to related useful articles and webpages (and a link to Podcast of the Year which is AMAZING!).

Training

Doh! I am a bit late making my training Vlog this week but short version is...

I passed 50 consecutive days of doing push ups which feels good! 56 days done now!

Took my 3rd grading at Wing Chun which went well AND I really enjoyed it. Wife thinks I am a bit bonkers.

Did 3 circuit workouts and definitely feeling some benefits, might up it to 7 sets next week!

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Results (Week)

Profit = +$17
Hands Played = 7148

Graph (Week)

Summary

Had a nasty little session in there where I lost 3 buy ins in about 20 hands which put the wind up me! Then in the next session the opposite happened and reminded me that I am actually God's Gift to Poker!!! ;)

Still playing very tight (but aggressive), not calling three barrels down light and not bluffing fish if I can help it.

Here is the profit graph since I unceremoniously dumped Heads Up...

It includes two (failed) NL25 Zoom shots (-$182). Once I get to +$200 profit I will take another 3 buy in shot at NL25 Zoom.

Fun Hands

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.32
SB: $10.05
BB: $9.42
UTG: $14.69
MP: $13.97
CO: $10.71

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A♥ A♠

fold, MP raises to $0.30, fold, Hero raises to $0.90, fold, fold, MP calls $0.60

Flop: ($1.95, 2 players) T♦ T♥ T♠
MP checks, Hero bets $1.02, MP raises to $2.04, Hero calls $1.02

Turn: ($6.03, 2 players) 8♠
MP bets $3.83, Hero calls $3.83

River: ($13.69, 2 players) 8♦
MP bets $7.20 and is all-in, Hero calls $3.55 and is all-in

MP shows K♦ Q♦ (Full House, Tens full of Eights)
(Pre 18%, Flop 1%, Turn 0%)
Hero shows A♥ A♠ (Full House, Tens full of Aces)
(Pre 82%, Flop 99%, Turn 100%)
Hero wins $19.85

Okay, I was wrong SOME people do bluff too much!

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PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.10
SB: $19.32
BB: $9.13
UTG: $22.00
MP: $12.89
CO: $16.03

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 9♥ A♥

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.22, SB raises to $0.85, fold, Hero calls $0.63

Flop: ($1.80, 2 players) Q♥ 2♠ 4♥
SB bets $1.14, Hero calls $1.14

Turn: ($4.08, 2 players) J♥
SB bets $2.00, Hero raises to $8.11 and is all-in, SB calls $6.11

River: ($20.30, 2 players) 6♥

SB shows J♣ A♠ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 68%, Flop 51%, Turn 0%)
Hero shows 9♥ A♥ (Flush, Ace High)
(Pre 32%, Flop 49%, Turn 100%)
Hero wins $19.39

They call too much!

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PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $11.40
Hero (SB): $10.79
BB: $10.00
UTG: $13.29
MP: $12.18
CO: $10.00

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A♠ A♥

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.30, Hero raises to $1.00, BB calls $0.90, fold

Flop: ($2.30, 2 players) 5♥ T♠ 7♥
Hero bets $1.55, BB raises to $9.00 and is all-in, Hero calls $7.45

Turn: ($20.30, 2 players) J♣

River: ($20.30, 2 players) K♠

Hero shows A♠ A♥ (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 80%, Flop 13%, Turn 5%)
BB shows 7♠ 7♣ (Three of a Kind, Sevens)
(Pre 20%, Flop 87%, Turn 95%)
BB wins $19.39

Okay, you got me!

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PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.39
SB: $19.37
BB: $3.42
UTG: $5.24
Hero (MP): $10.86
CO: $19.15

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q♥ Q♠

UTG calls $0.10, Hero raises to $0.50, fold, fold, fold, fold, UTG raises to $5.24 and is all-in, Hero calls $4.74

Flop: ($10.63, 2 players) 4♣ 7♥ A♥

Turn: ($10.63, 2 players) 9♠

River: ($10.63, 2 players) 9♣

UTG shows 4♥ A♠ (Two Pair, Aces and Nines)
(Pre 29%, Flop 88%, Turn 95%)
Hero shows Q♥ Q♠ (Two Pair, Queens and Nines)
(Pre 71%, Flop 12%, Turn 5%)
UTG wins $10.15

Limp/jam is often BS (Limp/min3b is KK+ ). Gutted! ♦

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See you next week amigos, run good!!!

Chris.

Originally posted by Hesticus
Awesome dude! Like the vlog and definitely looking out for more stuff on your blog!

Thanks for the positive feedback amigo! Love your work too!

Quickie...

Taking my third shot at NL25 Zoom tonight!

Ran good for 24k hands...

Wish me some luck please amigos!!??