no money in ZOOM poker in current year, everyone is solid

stars is throwing me a bone here no cashout.

easy money

PokerStars - $0.25 Ante $0.03 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 146.4 BB
SB: 111.92 BB
Hero (BB): 104.92 BB
UTG: 102.08 BB
MP: 107.56 BB
CO: 100 BB

6 players post ante of 0.12 BB, SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.12 BB) Hero has 3♦ 3♠

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 2.48 BB, SB raises to 3.96 BB, Hero calls 2.96 BB, BTN calls 1.48 BB

Flop: (12.6 BB, 3 players) Q♠ J♦ 3♣
SB checks, Hero bets 9.6 BB, fold, SB calls 9.6 BB

Turn: (31.8 BB, 2 players) 9♣
SB checks, Hero bets 22.4 BB, SB calls 22.4 BB

River: (76.6 BB, 2 players) Q♥
SB checks, Hero bets 68.84 BB and is all-in, SB calls 68.84 BB

Hero shows 3♦ 3♠ (Full House, Threes full of Queens)
(Pre 49%, Flop 91%, Turn 91%)
SB shows Q♦ 9♦ (Full House, Queens full of Nines)
(Pre 51%, Flop 9%, Turn 9%)
SB wins 206.28 BB

difficult money. villain is a reg and this isn't one of our best hands to do this with, but i felt like testing him.

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 111.13 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 69.25 BB
MP: 47.69 BB
Hero (CO): 100 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 7♥ 8♥

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.56 BB, BTN raises to 7 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 4.44 BB

Flop: (16.25 BB, 2 players) J♣ 3♥ 8♠
Hero checks, BTN bets 5.13 BB, Hero calls 5.13 BB

Turn: (26.5 BB, 2 players) 4♠
Hero checks, BTN bets 8.38 BB, Hero calls 8.38 BB

River: (43.25 BB, 2 players) 9♠
Hero checks, BTN bets 13.63 BB, Hero raises to 79.38 BB and is all-in, BTN requests TIME, BTN calls 65.75 BB

Hero shows 7♥ 8♥ (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 40%, Flop 24%, Turn 11%)
BTN shows J♠ A♥ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 60%, Flop 76%, Turn 89%)
BTN wins 192.94 BB

reg

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 100 BB
SB: 99.88 BB
BB: 196.25 BB
UTG: 123.44 BB
MP: 127.25 BB
CO: 104.63 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 9♥ 9♣

UTG raises to 2.44 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 2.44 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (7.13 BB, 2 players) 9♠ 5♣ K♦
UTG checks, Hero bets 3.5 BB, UTG calls 3.5 BB

Turn: (14.13 BB, 2 players) 7♣
UTG checks, Hero bets 10 BB, UTG calls 10 BB

River: (34.13 BB, 2 players) 7♦
UTG checks, Hero bets 32.56 BB, UTG calls 32.56 BB

Hero shows 9♥ 9♣ (Full House, Nines full of Sevens)
(Pre 55%, Flop 97%, Turn 100%)
UTG mucks T♦ K♣ (Two Pair, Kings and Sevens)
(Pre 45%, Flop 3%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins 94.81 BB

i didn't know what to do on the flop, check/calling or check/give-up didn't feel quite right.
the runout is interesting, everyone are calling stations, so bet/fold is mostly better in these spots.

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 106 BB
SB: 141.06 BB
BB: 112.5 BB
UTG: 174.13 BB
Hero (MP): 116.69 BB
CO: 100 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has K♥ 9♥

fold, Hero raises to 2.56 BB, CO calls 2.56 BB, BTN calls 2.56 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (9.94 BB, 3 players) J♠ 9♠ 7♥
Hero bets 4.88 BB, CO calls 4.88 BB, BTN calls 4.88 BB

Turn: (24.56 BB, 3 players) 9♣
Hero bets 16 BB, fold, BTN calls 16 BB

River: (56.56 BB, 2 players) 8♣
Hero bets 20 BB, BTN calls 20 BB

Hero shows K♥ 9♥ (Three of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 57%, Flop 25%, Turn 95%)
BTN mucks Q♣ J♣ (Two Pair, Jacks and Nines)
(Pre 43%, Flop 75%, Turn 5%)
Hero wins 92.19 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has K♥ 9♥

fold, Hero raises to 2.56 BB, CO calls 2.56 BB, BTN calls 2.56 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (9.94 BB, 3 players) J♠ 9♠ 7♥
Hero bets 4.88 BB, CO calls 4.88 BB, BTN calls 4.88 BB

Turn: (24.56 BB, 3 players) 9♣
Hero bets 16 BB, fold, BTN calls 16 BB

River: (56.56 BB, 2 players) 8♣
Hero bets 20 BB, BTN calls 20 BB

Hero shows K♥ 9♥ (Three of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 57%, Flop 25%, Turn 95%)
BTN mucks Q♣ J♣ (Two Pair, Jacks and Nines)
(Pre 43%, Flop 75%, Turn 5%)
Hero wins 92.19 BB

My standard play would be check give up even against calling stations, board has too much draws, and fits BU range very well, and being OOP sucks in general in multiway pots.
But I can't see why bet / fold can't be good too.
but I believe check / fold is the best play

looks if run solver to infinite solution the optimal play has been agreed upon, check/fold that is

how about real life scenarios where people can't afford computing power plants to run sims till end of times

rake per 100 hands

ante (small sample): 13.8 BB/100 (VPIP 30)
no ante: 8.1 BB/100 (VPIP 24)

people are really bad though, so actual winrates still seem to be at least similar.

sick upswing. playing little, but winning a lot

Originally posted by Tomaloc
sick upswing. playing little, but winning a lot

Nice to know such things are still possible!

graph since last one

Congrats! Do you attribute your success to people not adjusting to antes/your skill/your run/a mix of these?

Originally posted by Swish29
Congrats! Do you attribute your success to people not adjusting to antes/your skill/your run/a mix of these?

thanks! that's a hot run for sure, but most people aren't adjusting well to antes, if at all.
almost everyone is too tight, especially from the BB... plenty of autoprofit exploits seem to be available in late position.

Originally posted by Tomaloc

Originally posted by Swish29
Congrats! Do you attribute your success to people not adjusting to antes/your skill/your run/a mix of these?

thanks! that's a hot run for sure, but most people aren't adjusting well to antes, if at all.
almost everyone is too tight, especially from the BB... plenty of autoprofit exploits seem to be available in late position.

I think I'm one of them...
When I played NLHE zoom, I played the BB and BTN a lot, and tightened up more than normal in the other seats.
It seemed to work up to NL 5

Cheers,
VS

some hands from the sample:

awkward

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 103.75 BB
Hero (SB): 116.31 BB
BB: 124.06 BB
UTG: 104.31 BB
MP: 62.88 BB
CO: 143.81 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 7♠ 8♠

fold, MP calls 1 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 0.5 BB, BB raises to 3 BB, MP calls 2 BB, Hero calls 2 BB

Flop: (9.75 BB, 3 players) T♣ 9♥ J♣
Hero checks, BB checks, MP bets 4.69 BB, Hero raises to 20 BB, BB calls 20 BB, MP raises to 59.75 BB and is all-in, fold, BB calls 39.75 BB

Turn: (149.25 BB, 2 players) 6♠

River: (149.25 BB, 2 players) 4♥

BB cashed out 14.19 BB for a fee of 0.13 BB, MP cashed out 126.94 BB for a fee of 1.31 BB

BB shows Q♦ A♦ (High Card, Ace)
(Pre 70%, Flop 10%, Turn 7%)
MP shows K♣ Q♣ (Straight, King High)
(Pre 30%, Flop 90%, Turn 93%)

it felt right, but folding preflop might be more right

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 52.31 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 166.5 BB
UTG: 55 BB
Hero (MP): 106.13 BB
CO: 124.25 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has K♠ T♠

fold, Hero raises to 2.56 BB, fold, fold, SB raises to 10.5 BB, fold, Hero calls 7.94 BB

Flop: (22.75 BB, 2 players) 2♠ J♥ 8♥
SB bets 8.5 BB, Hero calls 8.5 BB

Turn: (39.75 BB, 2 players) 7♠
SB checks, Hero bets 20 BB, SB calls 20 BB

River: (79.75 BB, 2 players) T♣
SB checks, Hero bets 67 BB and is all-in, fold

Hero wins 76.19 BB

spewing. he's repping polar so when he folds i was probably already ahead

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 114.25 BB
SB: 42.5 BB
BB: 212.63 BB
Hero (UTG): 100.94 BB
MP: 120.31 BB
CO: 100 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 5♠ A♠

Hero raises to 2.56 BB, fold, fold, BTN calls 2.56 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (7.38 BB, 2 players) 5♥ 4♣ Q♣
Hero bets 2.19 BB, BTN calls 2.19 BB

Turn: (11.75 BB, 2 players) T♦
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (11.75 BB, 2 players) 7♦
Hero checks, BTN bets 11 BB, Hero raises to 28.13 BB, fold

Hero wins 32.25 BB

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 58.75 BB
SB: 90.94 BB
BB: 189.13 BB
UTG: 108.31 BB
Hero (MP): 104.94 BB
CO: 125.19 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has J♣ A♦

fold, Hero raises to 2.56 BB, fold, fold, SB raises to 4.13 BB, fold, Hero calls 1.56 BB

Flop: (10 BB, 2 players) 5♣ 8♣ 9♥
SB bets 1 BB, Hero calls 1 BB

Turn: (12 BB, 2 players) 8♥
SB bets 5.69 BB, Hero calls 5.69 BB

River: (23.38 BB, 2 players) 3♥
SB checks, Hero checks

SB shows 7♣ Q♥ (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 35%, Flop 34%, Turn 23%)
Hero shows J♣ A♦ (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 65%, Flop 66%, Turn 77%)
Hero wins 22.31 BB

when regs check/raise and barrel a board that's supposed to be good for the preflop raiser (such as AK7ss), what does it mean? it seems that they're very strong more often than not.

for entertainment purposes only. don't copy this

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 100.5 BB
SB: 266.56 BB
BB: 122.63 BB
UTG: 64 BB
MP: 184.63 BB
CO: 86.94 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 4♥ 3♥

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.56 BB, fold, BB calls 1.56 BB

Flop: (6.38 BB, 2 players) 3♠ 3♦ 9♦
BB checks, Hero bets 7.44 BB, BB raises to 14.88 BB, Hero calls 7.44 BB

Turn: (36.13 BB, 2 players) 6♣
BB checks, Hero bets 26.56 BB, BB raises to 53.13 BB, Hero calls 26.56 BB

River: (142.38 BB, 2 players) T♥
BB checks, Hero checks

BB shows 8♥ J♦ (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 62%, Flop 7%, Turn 0%)
Hero shows 4♥ 3♥ (Three of a Kind, Threes)
(Pre 38%, Flop 93%, Turn 100%)
Hero wins 135.94 BB

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 100 BB
SB: 105.88 BB
BB: 52.06 BB
UTG: 124.5 BB
MP: 15.06 BB
CO: 94.69 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has K♥ K♠

fold, fold, CO raises to 2 BB, Hero raises to 8.25 BB, fold, fold, CO calls 6.25 BB

Flop: (18.75 BB, 2 players) J♥ 6♥ 5♦
CO checks, Hero bets 9.5 BB, CO calls 9.5 BB

Turn: (37.75 BB, 2 players) 7♠
CO bets 1 BB, Hero raises to 20.63 BB, CO calls 19.63 BB

River: (79 BB, 2 players) 3♦
CO bets 1 BB, Hero raises to 61.5 BB and is all-in, CO calls 55.19 BB and is all-in

Hero shows K♥ K♠ (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 68%, Flop 81%, Turn 89%)
CO shows J♣ A♣ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 32%, Flop 19%, Turn 11%)
Hero wins 182.75 BB

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 136.5 BB
Hero (SB): 100 BB
BB: 79 BB
UTG: 145.81 BB
MP: 100 BB
CO: 129.56 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 5♦ 7♦

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.06 BB, BB raises to 4 BB, Hero calls 1.94 BB

Flop: (8.75 BB, 2 players) 4♦ 2♠ 3♦
Hero checks, BB bets 8.38 BB, Hero calls 8.38 BB

Turn: (25.5 BB, 2 players) T♠
Hero checks, BB bets 12.19 BB, Hero calls 12.19 BB

River: (49.88 BB, 2 players) Q♦
Hero bets 47.63 BB, BB requests TIME, BB calls 47.63 BB

Hero shows 5♦ 7♦ (Flush, Queen High)
(Pre 46%, Flop 59%, Turn 39%)
BB mucks 4♣ A♥ (One Pair, Fours)
(Pre 54%, Flop 41%, Turn 61%)
Hero wins 138.63 BB

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 206.13 BB
Hero (SB): 112.38 BB
BB: 87.06 BB
UTG: 163.75 BB
MP: 134.31 BB
CO: 41.81 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has 3♥ A♦

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.06 BB, BB raises to 3.13 BB, Hero calls 1.06 BB

Flop: (7 BB, 2 players) 8♥ 2♠ 5♦
Hero checks, BB bets 3.31 BB, Hero calls 3.31 BB

Turn: (13.63 BB, 2 players) A♥
Hero checks, BB bets 13 BB, Hero calls 13 BB

River: (39.63 BB, 2 players) A♠
Hero checks, BB bets 37.81 BB, Hero calls 37.81 BB

BB shows Q♣ J♦ (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 43%, Flop 23%, Turn 0%)
Hero shows 3♥ A♦ (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 57%, Flop 77%, Turn 100%)
Hero wins 110.06 BB

PokerStars - $0.16 Ante $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 99.44 BB
SB: 43.25 BB
BB: 100 BB
Hero (UTG): 101.44 BB
MP: 158.38 BB
CO: 82.5 BB

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.25 BB) Hero has A♥ Q♠

Hero raises to 2.56 BB, MP calls 2.56 BB, CO calls 2.56 BB, BTN calls 2.56 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (12.5 BB, 4 players) K♦ T♥ 6♣
Hero bets 4 BB, fold, CO calls 4 BB, fold

Turn: (20.5 BB, 2 players) 7♣
Hero checks, CO checks

River: (20.5 BB, 2 players) 5♥
Hero checks, CO bets 8.75 BB, Hero calls 8.75 BB

CO shows 9♥ Q♥ (High Card, King)
(Pre 28%, Flop 17%, Turn 16%)
Hero shows A♥ Q♠ (High Card, Ace)
(Pre 72%, Flop 83%, Turn 84%)
Hero wins 36.31 BB

Well, like the title of your blog says, "no money in ZOOM..."

nicely done!

Poker is not dead. You just gotta work for it a little bit more

first hand. big wins, or big losses?

PokerStars - $0.25 Ante $0.03 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 82.16 BB
SB: 229.12 BB
Hero (BB): 100 BB
UTG: 605.36 BB
MP: 128.88 BB
CO: 100 BB

6 players post ante of 0.12 BB, SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.12 BB) Hero has Q♠ Q♣

UTG raises to 3 BB, MP raises to 8 BB, CO calls 8 BB, BTN calls 8 BB, fold, ...

Hero raises to 99.88 BB and is all-in, fold, fold, fold, BTN calls 74.04 BB and is all-in

Flop: (184.2 BB, 2 players) 7♦ 4♣ 9♣

Turn: (184.2 BB, 2 players) A♦

River: (184.2 BB, 2 players) 6♦

Hero shows Q♠ Q♣ (One Pair, Queens)
(Pre 82%, Flop 89%, Turn 95%)
BTN shows T♦ T♠ (One Pair, Tens)
(Pre 18%, Flop 11%, Turn 5%)
Hero wins 176.2 BB

standard

PokerStars - $0.25 Ante $0.03 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 233.24 BB
Hero (SB): 100 BB
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 88.16 BB
MP: 102.36 BB
CO: 118.8 BB

6 players post ante of 0.12 BB, Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.12 BB) Hero has T♣ T♥

fold, MP raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 12.48 BB, fold, MP calls 9.48 BB

Flop: (26.68 BB, 2 players) K♣ 2♠ 2♦
Hero bets 7.2 BB, MP calls 7.2 BB

Turn: (41.08 BB, 2 players) 3♠
Hero checks, MP bets 15.56 BB, Hero calls 15.56 BB

River: (72.2 BB, 2 players) J♥
Hero checks, MP checks

Hero shows T♣ T♥ (Two Pair, Tens and Twos)
(Pre 57%, Flop 76%, Turn 86%)
MP mucks Q♦ A♠ (One Pair, Twos)
(Pre 43%, Flop 24%, Turn 14%)
Hero wins 68.96 BB

Nice couple of hands!
Is TT a standard 3Bet from SB vs MP for you -- or did you know that this guy was rather loose?

I see a lot of comments in the forums by people who do fine at standard tables, but struggle at zoom.
What's the secret to zoom?

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
Nice couple of hands!
Is TT a standard 3Bet from SB vs MP for you -- or did you know that this guy was rather loose?

I see a lot of comments in the forums by people who do fine at standard tables, but struggle at zoom.
What's the secret to zoom?

as a default, i'm playing a depolarized 3bet-or-fold strategy from the SB, and thus this is "standard" (should be higher EV than folding, also 3-betting 99 most of the time). from BB i'd tend to call.
one advantage of the small cbet range strategy is that allows us to bet these flops and not just isolate against better.

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
I see a lot of comments in the forums by people who do fine at standard tables, but struggle at zoom.
What's the secret to zoom?

i haven't played "not zoom" in a really long time, so i don't know.
if the rumors are to be believed, i could probably be playing much higher stakes at reg tables, but i just don't want to. i am also "supposed to" be playing at least NL50 with this bankroll...

Why don't you play higher then? Is it because it's more comfortable to have a big edge vs the field?

Also, do you know why there are not many players at NL16? For instance atm the pool is 118 players, at NL25/50 it is 289/229. From an outsider point of view it looks like because recs don't want to play these weird stake so regs don't join that stake but idk. Have you found NL16 to be softer than NL25 (as it should be, in theory) or not really?

Originally posted by Swish29
Why don't you play higher then? Is it because it's more comfortable to have a big edge vs the field?

yeah, something like that, it allows me to never "run bad" ♦
i also have a standard income, and it feels a bit weird to play for something close to "real money".

Originally posted by Swish29
Also, do you know why there are not many players at NL16? For instance atm the pool is 118 players, at NL25/50 it is 289/229. From an outsider point of view it looks like because recs don't want to play these weird stake so regs don't join that stake but idk. Have you found NL16 to be softer than NL25 (as it should be, in theory) or not really?

i think it's indeed the weirdness of the numbers.
sometimes it's softer, sometimes not - the pool is small, so the proportion of recreational players can change quickly.