[Poker Brothers] caltabiano's grinding + farming FTW!

It's so sick how confident you are after all this. Much respect!

25th/December/09. Dandycal

Last night we had dinner with our family as it was Christmas Eve, but Î didn't really take the whole day off. I still grinded some in the morning, starting with NL200 SSS: the session had such a bad start that I didn't go past the 40th hand I think. I lost my first AI pre flop with TT vs AT then I ran into AA, then into KK and then I quit. It's just that my patience is really worn off as the last months have been quite terrible. But then I decided to play some NL10 SH and it was pretty productive, not really result-wise as I think I just broke even, but it's good to start getting more experience with it. I had also done a sweat session of SH NL10 with RahXephon on Wednesday - really funny, two SSS players who are big fish when playing BSS trying to figure out the best moves, haha. But anyway, we're learning.

This morning I already opened my HUD and reviewed some SH hands with my brother, very enlightening. I'm starting to get more confident about the most basic concepts of the game. Soon I hope to stop timing out while thinking about post flop situations ♦

Alright, now let's face my December graphic:

As you can see, I've had a nice recovery on the last 15k hands but plunged down into negative yet again in my last sessions. No problem though, variance is sick but it's not eternal.

You know how sword makers have to plunge the hot steel into water from time to time to make it more solid? That's what variance does to us, by running hot and cold alternately it shapes us into really solid pros. ♠_cool:

I wish a very pleasant Christmas to the entire community of PS. And let's keep an eye on that 3X1 Gibraltar promotion, cause I really liked that idea ♦ haha

Peace!

Happy Christmass for you too!

I want poker brothers in Gibraltar so I can come to visit!

Originally posted by RahXephon1
I want poker brothers in Gibraltar so I can come to visit!

Yeah, that would be awsesome! We'd surely organize some lockdowns in the flat ♦

So how are my sessions going? I'm still incredibly stuck. It's been cruel, believe me. As a Christmas gift Fortune made me run 5 times against AA only yesterday after about 2k hands.

I've counted my JJ-KK, AK ran into AA 26 times this month so far (55k hands). Which doesn't beat the 57 times that it happened in November (90k hands).
In August, which was a regular winning month, that same range ran into AA only 23 times over 67k hands, you can tell the difference. It is interesting to notice that my dowswing doesn't consist of running below EV, but just of running into the top of opponents' ranges.

As a result I'm hardly being able to play a long session anymore. I'm losing my focus really early in the game during losing sessions, and I've been having a lot more losing sessions than winning ones. So I'm forced to take breaks more oftern and I'm putting in less volume than I wanted.

Besides this my brother somehow manages to run even worse than I, so this is more or less how our dialogue ran during this morning session:

D - Man, this session didn't start so well, just ran into AA with my first re-steal.
C - That's crap.
D - Yeah, but I'm just starting, it'll get better.
C - Aaaargh! (shouts with a pillow covering his mouth)
D - What happened?
C - 2 outered. Bloody fish! But fine, fine! It happens.
D - OMG, I just got 2 outered as well! How can we run so bad? Does that even happen to other people?
C - I guess so.
D - But regularly?
C - I don't think so. See? The fish just turned a set on me. That's great, now I'm 5 stacks down.
D - Really? Damn, I just lost what I had made yesteday. One good session, 3 bad ones.
C - Yep, me too, but that's how we run.
D - Is this ever gonna end? I mean, how long has this been, 250k hands?
C - I don't know but we'll be heroes if it does end, haha.
D - Oh hell, I just ran into AA again. And against the loosest fish ever. That's it for me, I can't focus anymore, I'm taking a break
C - Yeah man, take a break, best thing you can do. I'm going to keep playing for a while, I'm feeling ok still.. Aaaargh! (shouts with a pillow covering his mouth again).
D - What now?
C - He backdoored a gusthot on me! I've never even heard of this, who the hell backdoors a gutshot?! that's it, I'm taking a break as well.

♦ at least we manage to keep a good humour throughout this in between our fits of anger.

Peace y'all. We'll be back with more updates later on.

Good news: Yesterday I had a good session and I ended up almost 6BI up ♦ So I just needed about 3 or 4 more to move back to NL100

Bad News: I lost everything and a bit more today ♦

Epic.

(yeah, i know i shouldnt laugh cuz you are running so cold atm, but your blog is rly great to read. pls keep up the funny stuff when the heater starts)

Yeah - I'm loving it too. One of the best blogs on the site. And I always think, if you can't take any comfort from how bad you run, take some comfort from cheering up others and brightening their day with you ice-cold-pro attitude.

11 stacks down FTW? ♦

I made a semi - tilt 1/2 stack call to be completely honest though. Other than that I think I kept my game up pretty ok.

I 2 outered someone for 200bb ♦

and I just had a 2k hands +12 BI NL100 session 24 tabling. ♦

Also signed up for the 1mi turbo take down in Poker Stars this afternoon, maybe I can get lucky there also.

WTF MOTHERFUCKER BALLS SHIT CUUUUUUUUUUNT!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

No worries, I'm ok

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.50(BB) IPoker
SB ($13.40)
BB ($16.59)
UTG ($51.39)
UTG+1 ($130)
CO ($11.21)
Hero ($50)

Dealt to Hero 5♣ 5♥

UTG raises to $2, UTG+1 calls $2, fold, Hero calls $2, fold, fold

FLOP ($6.75) 2♣ 5♦ Q♣

UTG bets $4, UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to $11, UTG calls $7

TURN ($28.75) 2♣ 5♦ Q♣ K♥

UTG bets $15.50, Hero raises to $37 (AI), UTG calls $21.50

RIVER ($102) 2♣ 5♦ Q♣ K♥ 7♥

UTG shows 7♠ 7♦
(Pre 81%, Flop 8.0%, Turn 4.5%)

Hero shows 5♣ 5♥
(Pre 19%, Flop 92.0%, Turn 95.5%)

UTG wins $99.75

This summarizes my session today

Alright this is already beyond my comprehension, my brother is the supreme champion of running under EV. I sit here and watch him narrate his "2 outered from Turn to River" or "He turned a set on me" all day long in between his cries of pain. I often look to my side only to see him hiding his head on the cushions to muffle his anger.

It's funny, it is. He is keeping it cool in an awesome way though. I am finding it hard to put in much volume lately, because I'm really tired of unproductive sessions and I'm not running as bad as he is imo. I'm going for sick 24-table grinding NL100, and I had hoped make-8k hands/day cause I wanna get that 4k bonus soon, but I don't seem to get anywhere with the session and I feel total lack of motivation to keep grinding. The first couple of days were an amazing series of KK, QQ vs AA, and underdog restealing attempts. One time I counted 6 times that I ran into AA with my top pairs, in a single 1.5hour session. c-r-a-z-y.

Seeing Timothy's 2009 graphic did help me put things into a better perspective though, he had some pretty rough times in the past 500k hands.
Hopefully the tides will change in the new year.

I guess we'll be posting a review for our challenge tomorrow. Peace!

Ok, latest updates on my brother's session:

I think variance is finally making him mad, or schizo. A few minutes ago he was trying to manipulate the results by shouting "Set!", "Flush!" etc as the cards were being dealt, followed by "Shit, didn't work"... "shit, didn't work again".

Then he comes to his senses and begins analyzing his own situation:
C - I'm seven stacks under EV just today
D - How do you do that? I mean, you are like 80million stacks under Ev for life, man.
C - I know. I had one good session where I ran 8 stacks above EV, but it was the only good session in the last 2 months, the only one!

As a perfect ending, he starts narrating a huge pot that he got into with 3 very fishy callers. He wonders what to do, he's got top pair. Well, he suddenly gets up from the couch hiding his face in his hands, the fish called him with the worse kicker and made his 2pair in the end.

I can't help but laugh out loud, you guys are totally missing it. Now I'm off to the supermarket to buy some cookies cause we both need some motivation to grind again> cookies!

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.50(BB) Replayer
Hero ($126)
BB ($80.62)
UTG ($50)
UTG+1 ($55.39)
CO ($68.66)
BTN ($93.82)

Dealt to Hero 9♥ 9♣

fold, fold, CO raises to $2.50, BTN calls $2.50, Hero calls $2.25, fold

FLOP ($8) T♣ 9♠ 7♣

Hero checks, CO bets $2, BTN calls $2, Hero raises to $18, CO calls $16, BTN folds

TURN ($46) T♣ 9♠ 7♣ T♠

Hero bets $15, CO calls $15

RIVER ($76) T♣ 9♠ 7♣ T♠ 5♦

Hero bets $34, CO calls $33.16 (AI)

CO shows T♦ T♥
(Pre 82%, Flop 89.6%, Turn 100.0%)

Hero shows 9♥ 9♣
(Pre 18%, Flop 10.4%, Turn 0.0%)

CO wins $139

... Please? ♠_cry:

o.O auw bro!

do you want to do a sweat session or sth like that? I also am curious to your cachacha skillzz ♦

caltabiano - Final update - 2009

What's up people!! I'd like to begin this post with the last hand I played this year:

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.50(BB) Replayer
SB ($14.09)
BB ($50)
Hero ($50)
UTG+1 ($49.33)
CO ($22.41)
BTN ($47.25)

Dealt to Hero 2♥ 9♣

Hero raises to $1.50, UTG+1 calls $1.50, CO calls $1.50, BTN raises to $8.25, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold

BTN wins $6.75

If I hadn't lost so much money the last couple of months I'd have definitely pushed over his squeeze, but I chickened out this time Maybe next year, hehe.

Now I'd like to continue with my graphic for the challenge:

Did I run bad? YES!
Did I play my A-game all the time? NO!
Did I improve my game? YES!
Did I tilt? YES!
Is there still a lot to improve? YES!
Am I awesome? YES!

♦

I can't make a really long post right now, although I'd like to. But I have to get ready for New Year's Party So, I'll owe you guys a long one. But I promise I will deliver.

For now, I just wanted to say that even though our challenge fail, we're feeling pretty good. Of course it's very tiresome to be in this situation, but it all happens for a reason. There's certainly a lot I still have to improve and my brother too. We're just gonna keep up the good work and results will follow ♠_cool:

I'd like to wish everybody a Happy New Year! Maybe 2010 be awesome poker-wise, but most importantly, life-wise. Let us all do our part, be the best players and the best men we can possibly be. Let's live life fully and strive for happiness and peace!

All the best to all of you, fellow pokerstrategists!

Cheers!!

dandycal - 2010k Challenge final review

Hi everyone,

I'm a couple of days late, but here goes my graphic for the 2010k Challenge:

Pretty sick swings imo. It was torture at times to be very honest, but there were many good sides to it as I have mentioned previously.

My part in the challenge was to make $5k by the end of december and didn't even make it to $100. FINE! I have a whole new year ahead of me to make money.

2009 was a great year poker-wise anyway, with very decent achievements:

1 - Becoming a poker pro! This comes first of all, definitely. I don't consider myself a real pro in the sense that I'm a total newbie and have very limited skill. But circumstances were favourable and now I've been successfully living off poker for over 6 months. High five!
2 - Making it from NL10 to NL200 SSSing. - I admit at times I was a little disappointed with this, as I had expected to go far beyond NL200 in 12 months. But considering I was constantly withdrawing from my BR to support myself and my sick downsing in the last couple of months I am actually really satisfied.
3 - Taking my BSS initiation - This will play a very important part in my career for sure, it was a necessary step.
4 - Improved mind-set - I now have a much better idea of the type of mind-set that it takes for being a pro at this. And I believe I have managed to improve myself in that area quite decently, especially with the rough times in the last couple of months.

Predictions for 2010

I sense SSS might be near its end for good. Poker platforms are starting to take action againts these types of player. In all honesty I must say I completely understand it.

Playing with 20bb allows for players with very limited skill to neutralise many important areas of the game, thus lowering any edge that better players might have on them in an attempt to benefit from rakeback alone.Of course this is not the case for every shortstack player, but nonetheless it is a practice that has been abusive in general and it is starting to hurt the game as a whole, apparently.

So I feel some urgency in developing a good BSS game, after all this is my source of income, and it would be quite troublesome if I was suddenly restricted to playing Full stacked without having the skill for it.

I'll be grinding heavily this month to get a hold of the 4k bonus in stars - probably 24 tabling NL100. I'm 50k FPP away from purchasing it, and then I still have to play a lot to release it. With this bonus I can support myself for 3 months at the very least, which gives me plenty of time to work on BSS. And of course if Poker Stars maintains the 20bb BI I'll continue grinding SSS on the side for some $ ♦

The Poker Brothers might soon come up with a new challenge for this year to keep things on the move. All in all we'll be working on being awesome! ♠_cool:
Very long post already, but that's all. I wish everyone a great year! Peace!