Ramble's Ramblings

Hotkeys
I got my hotkeys working in PokerStars - it was an issue with HM2 as I suspected, but pretty simple fix. I really liked the hotkeys, but my forearm is killing me now, and I ended the session using the mouse exclusively. I think for now I am just going to use the hotkeys for folding, checking and calling. I am going to use the mouse for all betting and raising. I think this hybrid will work well for now.

The only thing I noticed is that it seemed like sometimes PokerStars got confused and would forget to bring up the active table. This happened almost every time I busted someone and collected a bounty (I think because I still have the bounty pop-up message - what can I say - I like it). It was also happening other times though and I didn't determine why... it was annoying as I had to manually find and pop-up the table.

Had a session with about 35 games tonight - was pretty much break-even (-$1.36)... sooo many bubbles did not go the right way... I think my play is still fairly solid, but I did catch myself a couple of times acting before using the stats, and if I had, I would have taken a different action. I need to re-focus on this prior to my next session.

Posts!
This is my 1000th post! Hopefully most of them have been interesting, funny, or helpful. I've gotten a lot from this community and hopefully I've given back a little too. Poker and PokerStrategy.com have been a great hobby for me. I've met some great people on here and look forward to more.

400-Game Update

This is a good news / bad news update.

On the good news side - I've got myself running 14 tables pretty comfortably thanks to the use of sharky, running my tables stacked, and most recently using PokerStars built-in hotkeys for some actions (fold, check, call). Still having some issues with some tables timing out every now and then as they don't come up to the top of the stack. I think I may have figured it out though and will know for sure after next session. I think it is a matter of turning off ALL pop-up notifications - registration, bounties, etc...

On the bad news side - I've been having a lot of break-even / losing sessions and am not sure at this point if it is variance or my play suffering from increased volume. I need to get a good study session in and really go through hands and whole tournaments to see what is happening. I've been a bit distracted lately with a bunch of poker-related and non-poker related activities (...and oh yeah, this thing called Christmas that is coming up), and my study has suffered.

Ok, on to the update...
Games Played: 393
ROI: 0.80%
ITM: 36.9% (48.1% adjusted for bounties)

Motivation to Study

I hinted in the previous post that my motivation to study has waned a bit over the past little while due to a lot of distractions. So I decided to mix my session review up a bit tonight and start by just looking at all early stage decisions. I'm happy to say that with the exception of 3 hands, I was pretty happy with my play overall. The 3 hands I wasn't happy with cost me some chips but nothing too serious.

One thing I find about studying is that the more I do it, the more motivated I get. It feels good when I see that my play is ok, and it also feels good when I see where I made a mistake and can correct it. Now I'm pumped again to hit the tables... tomorrow.

The next part of my review will be looking at middle stage hands - I suspect I'll be less happy with what I find there, but we'll see.

No games today, but did get in part 2 of my study session (middle stage) of my 40-games from Sunday. Really happy with my play overall except for 4 hands on the bubble where I made huge mistakes in my calling ranges and took an unnecessary risk. These were significant deviations from my normal level of play - mistakes I would have made about 4-5 months ago. I think it may be a result of trying to make decisions too quickly with the increased number of tables. I'm very much aware of it now, so I'm not likely to make same mistake again anytime soon - but time will tell.

I had one hand that I really wasn't sure what I should be trying to do:

Poker Stars, $6.45 Buy-in (100/200 blinds, 25 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 4 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: 4,376 (21.9 bb)
BB: 3,090 (15.5 bb)
Hero (CO): 3,952 (19.8 bb)
BTN: 2,082 (10.4 bb) (only 20 hands but he's VPIP: 71, PFR: 0)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 3 A
Hero raises to 430, BTN calls 430, 2 folds

Flop: (1,260) 2 9 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

Turn: (1,260) 6 (2 players)

What do I want to do here? Some things that are confusing me - it's the bubble, he's really short-stacked, his VPIP is 70%, I've got a couple of draws...

Wow, really tough spot.
Easiest way would be to shove and put the decision on him, but since he's 71/0 there's absolutely no fold equity.
And personally, I think you are ahead most of the time here (against all kinds of broadways), so maybe just bet like 260 for protection (might also induce him to bluff allin ); or just check call for pot control, and check fold if he puts allin on the river (this kind of fish almost never bluffs two streets).

If you bet here then you have to call his shove as you potentially have the equity with 15 outs (potentially )

I think I'd check and hope for a check behind. I suspect a guy playing 71/0 will continue to play the hand passively. If he shoves I probably fold and move onto the next one. I suppose there are valid arguments for all three actions here.

No need to check the flop
You have lots of bd's on flop so just lead out, if you get shoved on it is easiest fold in the world.
When you check, the turn now you are repping way less things. What did you really check there? Over pairs? 9x?
Wouldn't you bet 9x combos for value and protection and with over pairs also bet to extract value from overs and FDs?
So checking flop is not good in my opinion.
Since you did check it and it is bubble, I would play turn more passively especially against someone who is a fish and most likely doesn't know much about risk aversion in those spots (ex. would stack of lighter post flop)
Ideal line would be bet flop, shove turn as we can expect fold equity with this line a lot (you are repping sets, over pairs, TPTK and some overs) and opponent will have to fold hands that you do beat (random K,Q,Jx) but will also fold hands that beat you (low to mid pps that are ahead of us of course).

I don't play your format so I am not aware of bubble factor in play, just sharing my thinking process taking into account post flop.

Thanks guys - appreciate all comments.

I remember when the flop hit thinking that it didn't have anything that hit my perceived range. I may have been giving this player too much credit in that area... I think the best line is as Ivica suggests - C-bet flop and shove turn. As played though, check-fold is probably fine as I'm sure I will get a better spot vs him later.

Thanks again for your input all.

Leak Found - New Study Area

Just completed Part 3 / 3 of my session review from Sunday's games. It turns out mixing up my usual study method has paid off, as I have found a big leak in my game. This final review was looking at just late stage ITM play - something that I had identified to look at months ago. At the time though, I was looking at much smaller samples and the consistency of my mistake didn't strike me as hard as it did tonight.

My 3-handed play has been way off the mark and I've been playing way too tight in the majority of cases. I've identified a few scenarios and even have a good start on proper ranges for these scenarios based on what I learned tonight. A detailed analysis and study will occur over the next few days.

I'm really excited about this and think it will make a huge difference in my ROI. If I can convert more 3rd place finishes to get myself HU, I think my HU game is strong enough to convert a good percentage of those 3rd's to 1st.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Just remember though...

Thoughts on 2015 Poker/Life Goals

Originally posted by Ramble
Did a lot of thinking about my goals for 2015 today - all still in planning stages, but firming up the specifics.

• A volume challenge (nothing exciting compared to other players, but it will be a challenge for me - still bouncing the right number around in my head.)
• A blog challenge that will keep me motivated and learning (and hopefully you will find it interesting and helpful as well).
• A couple of stakes-related challenges/goals - I did some quick math today and think I'm ready to start the first one right away.
• A physical health challenge tied to poker to force me to stick with it.
• Finally, one other goal that I'm working on that I think will help with all the above goals.

I've really been thinking about my poker goals a lot this month - more than I ever have before. Up-to-now I have really just been floating along and letting the currents guide me. I guess from a study point of view, I've been doing a lot of paddling, but really just going with the current and not really setting my own course.

The past few weeks I've been very focused on the poker goals above and trying to figure out how I would find the right balance between them and with my other life goals / commitments... I'll be honest - it's been a struggle. I've always viewed poker as a hobby, and yet I spend more time thinking about my hobby and my goals with it, then I do with many other aspects of my life.

Then last night I started to read Schnitzelfisch's The Quick Guide to Skyrocketing Your Poker and Life Productivity. I'm only about a quarter of the way through it (it's taking a while because I am doing the exercises he says to do - when he says to do them!), but it has really got me looking at things in a different way so far.

It's not about finding time to do the things you enjoy and want to accomplish, it's about spending time doing the things you enjoy and will accomplish.

That's a subtle difference but an important one for me. I really like my downtime because I need to recharge after dealing with work and family issues, but I think my ways to recharge are not that energizing, satisfying, or healthy for that matter. Watching television, surfing the internet, eating too many unhealthy snacks, playing video-games - I spend too much time on these things and then wonder where I will find the time and energy to do the things I want.

If I approach it in reverse and spend my time on better exercise, sleep and diet - I'll have more energy and accomplish more of my goals doing the things I truly enjoy (i.e. quality time with family, friends, and hobbies). Then it won't be finding the time and energy, it'll be finding the things to spend my time and energy on!

More to come...

Originally posted by Ramble
I think my ways to recharge are not that energizing, satisfying, or healthy for that matter. Watching television, surfing the internet, eating too many unhealthy snacks, playing video-games - I spend too much time on these things and then wonder where I will find the time and energy to do the things I want.

Couldn't agree more, have exactly the same issue. Keep those updates coming, I need motivation from you

Originally posted by webhunky

Originally posted by Ramble
I think my ways to recharge are not that energizing, satisfying, or healthy for that matter. Watching television, surfing the internet, eating too many unhealthy snacks, playing video-games - I spend too much time on these things and then wonder where I will find the time and energy to do the things I want.

Couldn't agree more, have exactly the same issue. Keep those updates coming, I need motivation from you

Thanks web - I think we're probably members of a very large group in that regard.

2015 Poker/Life Goals

A quick recap:
In my previous posts I talked about the struggle I was having with setting my Poker goals and making them fit in with my Life goals/commitments. Then I read Schnitzelfisch's https://forums.pokerstrategy.com/forum/thread.php?threadid=181760&page=1 and started to think about things differently. It helped me realize that I need to look at how I spend my time and why a lot of my time is spent "recharging" in very poor ways that is actually draining me and keeping me from my goals and what is truly important to me.

The new stuff:
I finished reading his guide this morning and then gave a lot more thought to my goals.

What I realized is that I couldn't set worthwhile poker goals and achieve them if I don't also set worthwhile life goals and achieve those as well. I can't keep them separate - they are linked. My life has many moving parts and poker is just one of them, it doesn't make sense to only focus on one part of the machine if I want the whole thing to run smoothly.

So here are my 2015 Poker/Life Goals:

• Sleep: 7 hours every night... Have been running on about 6 for past few months and it's not enough.
• Exercise: 30 minutes of treadmill 5 days a week... I was doing this about a year ago and it felt great... I need to improve my cardio, burn some calories and lose weight.
• Breakfast: Eat Breakfast on weekdays... On weekdays I currently usually don't eat until lunch time, this is so bad for so many reasons. This will give me more energy, actually help me lose weight and reduce my odds of getting diabetes (as an example).
• Work: Get to work 15 minutes early (not just on time)... I want to get in to work early, not to do work, but to socialize with my co-workers a bit more and build closer personal relationships with them.
• Friends: Meet with friends once a week... Tons of excuses why spending time with friends became a rare thing, but they are excuses - not reasons. When I look at what is truly important in my life, being a good friend is at the top of the list and I haven't put the time in to maintain that reputation.
• Family: This is the one area that I worked very hard on in 2014 and will keep the momentum going to become even stronger and more supportive.

  and yes... it is finally time for some poker-related goals...

• Volume: 5000 games - 100 games a week will be a challenge for me given the focus I will put towards introducing and being successful with my other goals
• Study: 150 hours - 3 hours of study a week - this includes session reviews, concept reviews, coaching and/or study-group, etc...
• Stakes: Currently playing $7 KO 9-max Turbo's with 5.8% ROI pre-RB - Will be winning player on $15 games by end of year
• Games: Possibility of adding a 2nd game/format mid-year - this is based on advice of my coach Alex and from IvicaIlliev's blog - both of whom I have a ton of respect for - not only because they are successful players, but because they understand the importance of thinking ahead and being flexible.
• Blog: Introduce a new weekly feature to my blog - I am still working on the details of this one - more to come...
• Forums: Give back to the PokerStrategy Community by maintaining a high level of positive and supportive activity in the forums

I've mapped out how to achieve these goals on a daily basis - I believe they are not only achievable but worthwhile. On a weekly basis, I will report here how I am doing with each goal to keep myself accountable.

Thoughts or comments on my goals? I welcome any suggestions or criticisms.

Late-Night Coaching

Last night I had a late-night coaching with Alex... (after midnight for me, 530 in the morning for him ).
We talked for about an hour and didn't review a single hand or concept - IT WAS GREAT!!!

I had given him a heads up a few days ago that I wanted to have more of a general discussion about some poker-related things and get his perspective based on his experience and knowledge. In that hour I wrote 2 full pages of notes and had many "Ahaa!" moments based on some things he said... I think I have 6 notes with Big Stars marked next to them! I've listed a few of the topics below - more for my reference than anything...

Discussion Points

• My recent use of SharkyStrator and PokerStars Hotkeys
• My goal to move to the $15's - what it is going to take to be successful at that level
• My volume goal - Great suggestions on expanding game selection
• My mindset when tables are slow to fill up - This is an opportunity!!!
• My motivation - Approaches to raise it / Approaches to keep it from falling
• My goal of adding a 2nd game - Great advice on how to pick the game and learn it
• My time-management for all things poker-related in 2015 - this is a big one...

This was definitely one of the best coaching sessions I've ever had - I got so much out of it. I may even make some minor tweaks to a couple of my goals based on it - but need to take a day or two to really think about it some more.

awesome really pleased you got value out of your last coaching session of 2014.

good luck man for 2015!!

Good luck bro, Even though im a CashGamer i like your blogging momentum

cya in 2015

Originally posted by iSoOwnYou
awesome really pleased you got value out of your last coaching session of 2014.

good luck man for 2015!!

Thanks man - good luck to you to in the New Year and keep being crazy-active in the forums!

Originally posted by krasops
Good luck bro, Even though im a CashGamer i like your blogging momentum

cya in 2015

Thanks krasops - Have a great 2015!