Diary of a Micro Warrior – Page 3

bennisboy · 2011-05-14T09:24:02Z

In my last week of NL5, I've played just over 1000 hands Before the start of the week, i was playing awfully, and had never really put time in to study the articles on this site properly, I just assumed I was good at poker cos I'd turned a decent profit in a few live games with friends. I found this site, passed the quiz, got my capital delivered to FTP, and topped up with $35 of my own money to get a first deposit bonus. The first few days went well, I was up $30 dollars in less than 3 days and under 1000 hands at NL5. Little did I realise I was playing bad poker, i was getting lucky, and was way above my all-in EV. Soon though, my luck changed, I started leaking money at the tables, and began dropping like a stone, until luck was no longer a factor, and my results were what I deserved. In my desperation, I stepped up to NL10 from NL5 and saw a brief resurgence in my poker 'effectiveness' (rather than skill or play), but that quickly dropped away again due to my inability to stop myself making plays that I knew were bad or desperate, but hoped would pay off. After 5500 hands, I was down nearly $90 from my starting $85, but had managed to avoid going bust due to winning $20 in the first-deposit freeroll, and $20 from the FTP bonus everyone got a short while ago. I was left with just over $40 in my account. BUT I had 3 NL2 rush tickets, which I promptly wasted, treating them as freeroll, instead of a chance to turn myself around and kick-start my bankroll. This was a turning point for me. It was after this that I sat down and thought to myself "what the hell are you doing? If you're not gonna take it seriously, and waste chances to make some money, why the hell are you still playing poker?" I called it a day, not from poker, but from playing poker. I'd been tilting badly for days, playing desperate poker in a last ditch attempt to claw back dollars that I'd been pissing away. I spent the next day chilling out, and planning in the back of my head how I should go about attempting to turn my poker career around. I started delving into my HEM stats, and began to realise that I hadn't got worse at playing poker, I'd never been very good in the first place. I started looking at my stats and played with different filters, trying to figure out where I'd been going wrong. For starters, the only reason I hadn't lost all my money was decent non-showdown winnings, but my showdown winnings were terribad. What the hell was I playing at? I was going to showdown with hands no better than a couple of top-trump cards. I would have wasted less money by using it to wipe my arse. I knew things were bad, I knew things had to change, but I was clueless about changing them; it was then that I remembered PS's strategy guides. I'd always thought I knew more than anything the bronze or silver guides would tell me. I mean, I'd made $30 profit in 3 days and 1000 hands of NL5, I was just going through an unlucky downswing, I was the next big poker star, I was god's gift to poker... I was ignorant. Then came the little voice in the back of my head, the one that we all hate, the one that makes us doubt ourself, the one that makes us insecure, the one that (this time) was right. For once I listened to that little voice in my head, telling me that I wasn't good enough, and that I should give up. But I reacted to it in the same way as always, by being determined to prove it wrong, but how could I prove it wrong, when I knew this time it was right? I knew what I had to do, I would prove that bastard little self-doubting voice in the back of my head that it was wrong, by admitting it was right, and improving until I could go back, look it in it's beady little eyes and say "you were right for once, but you're not any more" I began reading the No-limit BSS guides on this site. I forced myself to start from the very first basic articles, forcing myself to acknowledge that I had to forget everything I thought I knew about poker, and start to actually learn how to play poker. I worked my way up through all the articles I could, putting them into practice one article at a time. I took everything I read and used it to start turning myself around at the poker tables. I was still playing NL5, which was currently out of BRM, but I felt more comfortable there than the lunatic asylum of NL2. I began to play less trash, I began thinking to myself twice before playing hands that would lead me into trouble, asking myself what I could realistically expect to catch with hands like them. I began trying to cut stupid plays out my game, saving myself from throwing away money and being the table fish. I began protecting my hands, and maximising value from hands that didn't need protection. Every article I read, I added to my game, each day I read one more article, and each day I'd try to get myself into situations where that article was relevant, ...

bennisboy

Joined: 11.04.2011

Posts: 711

15.11.2011, 04:06 0

So I half stuck to my schedule today.
I didn't go to the gym because I seem to have put my back out at my rugby sevens training yesterday, and we're playing in one of the country's biggest amateur tournaments in just under two weeks time, so I might have to take a bit of a rest!

BUT I did stick to my poker part of the schedule. I decided to stick to two tables, and really try to focus. I only actually managed 100 hands because I was in a shit-ton of pain from my back, and I'm actually shattered from the weekend and a crap night sleep!

For that time I actually feel like I played better than I have done.

I'm going to some up my progress by giving examples of hands, and writing out my thought process.

1. Remember how to fold, giving away money is not playing poker

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.10(BB) Replayer
SB ($15.76)
BB ($3.49)
UTG ($10.17)
UTG+1 ($10.21)
CO ($19.22)
Hero ($9.74)

Dealt to Hero 7♥ 7♠

UTG calls $0.10, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, BB calls $0.30, UTG calls $0.30

FLOP ($1.25) 2♠ 9♥ K♦

BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $0.80, BB folds, UTG calls $0.80

TURN ($2.85) 2♠ 9♥ K♦ A♠

UTG checks, Hero checks

RIVER ($2.85) 2♠ 9♥ K♦ A♠ 4♣

UTG bets $1.42, Hero folds

UTG wins $2.66

Pre-flop
Raise to try to isolate the fish UTG, who had quite high Limp percentage and very little aggression. I end up taking two with me to the flop, the BB being a shortstack who I think will be playing shove or fold on the flop.

Flop
I c-bet just under 2/3 pot because it is quite a dry flop, but two overcards on the board mean I'm pretty much playing bet/fold here. BB folds and passive fish calls. I'm thinking I can probably get to a cheap showdown because of how passive he is.

Turn
As per flop plan check-check to see if i can get the cheap showdown
Do you guys think this was the right play? Should I fire another barrel here?

River
Villain leads out here, from a passive villain, and me with a bluff catcher at most, I decide my best option is to fold

2. Get back to analysing the board texture and villains range, I'm too focused on my own cards at the moment
Feel i did this a bit better today.

The hand below, the villain didnt give me the immediate odds to call, and I felt connecting with the flush would mean no more money in the pot due to his large bet and repping of a strong hand but one that needed protection

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.10(BB) Replayer
SB ($19.08)
Hero ($10.19)
UTG ($13.70)
UTG+1 ($17.99)
CO ($3.30)
BTN ($11.86)

Dealt to Hero 7♦ 9♦

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.20, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.10

FLOP ($0.45) J♣ 3♦ A♦

Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $0.45, Hero folds

UTG+1 wins $0.42

3. While doing the above, I'm going to bring my VPIP down, and the spread between VPIP and PFR needs to be reduced, I'm not taking the pre-flop initiative enough. So I want to play less hands, but play them more focused and more aggressively.

Only dealt 100 hands, played probably 25 of them, and felt like I didnt make any huge mistakes. Ended the session even, only collected one big hand (AA) which villain folded to a 4-bet.

So day 1 is done. I feel like if I can keep going with this, and concentrating on these goals, I can get back to a decent standard that I was playing before.

I have class tomorrow evening, so I may not have time to play

♦ Follow my progress in my blog ♦
♠ Back to the Beginning ♠

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bennisboy

Joined: 11.04.2011

Posts: 711

17.11.2011, 01:59 0

Again skipped the gym because of my back, but decided to put in some work on the tables instead. Definitely playing slightly better from focusing and listening to my reads, but sometimes the cards don't fall your way:

AA vs KK, his AA held up.

But hey coolers happen. I managed to stack a different guy a few hands later, so the session could have a much higher result so far. Having a break now, then will play for another 60 or 90 minutes maybe if I can get my concentration back. Will also have a loook at some hands I was confused with.

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♠ Back to the Beginning ♠

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bennisboy

Joined: 11.04.2011

Posts: 711

18.11.2011, 03:41 0

Well today I was playing quite well. I was up just under 1BI after 100 or so hands. My c-bets were successful, I was taking the pots down where I knew I could and not losing too much money through pointless bets/calls.

All went wrong when I got some guy all in on the turn when he was drawing to a flush with very bad pot odds, and he hit. I then blew another BI trying to bluff someone when tilted. Was so stupid because I'd been playing well.

That will probably be my lot for the week until monday because I'm going away for the weekend again (3rd out of the last... 4 baller!)

♦ Follow my progress in my blog ♦
♠ Back to the Beginning ♠

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