sublime
09-16-2004, 05:31 PM
I have been thinking about my game this week and what I need to improve on. I feel my game is decent and I can beat mid-limit live games and 3/6 on-line with confidence. However I also know that I have "leaks" that are not going to get better by doing nothing but thinking about them. I have them, and I need to do enough legwork to correct them.
So that is the point of this thread. I am going to post what I feel are some issues that are affecting my bottom line and the actions I will take to correct them.
#1 Focus- This is a tough one for me. My mind wanders a lot, and to be honest even though I am aware of it, I don't do too much to prevent it. I can get away with this to a certain degree with the aid of PokerTracker, but I could take such better notes on my opponents if I just paid better attention to each and EVERY hand that is played at my table.
Possible solutions:
A) Count the size of EVERY pot when I play live(stole this one from Sfer I think) not just the ones I am in and count the amount of players in the pot when I am online. Of course this is not easy, as most of us multi-table, but just the conscience effort of doing so should yield results.
B) Stop reading/posting on the forums while I am playing. I shouldn't mix practice with play. I mean how would it look if NFL teams were running wind sprints during breaks in the action? Not only that but I have two tables going, and I am reading and posting advice/thoughts at the same time? How much focus can I give to either of these activities if I am doing both at the same time?
#2 Overplaying overcards- Yes I am an official member of this club. It is not a frequent occurrence, but something I am still guilty of occasionally (mostly when I am running cold). My main issue with this is when I raise out of the blinds with AK/AQ, whiff the flop and yet proceed to bet into a field of loose/passive players.
Possible solutions-
A) Don't do it anymore. Yeah it actually is that simple. I feel my main issue with overcards is a mental one (pride/ego) Just because I may hold a substantial equity edge preflop, does not mean I am going to hold one postflop. I KNOW this, yet let the "this is MY pot" thinking get in the way when a session is not running the way I would like it. Yeah, there is a word for this: TILT!
#3 Using the "image" excuse to make loose calls on the flop. Nate pointed this out to me last week, and the hand in which he was responding to was one that happens frequently. You know, when you hold 88/99, raise preflop, and A/K/Q falls on the flop. You bet, get raised, there is a coldcaller and you justify calling because you don't want to "look" weak. This is chip donation. PERIOD.
Solution-
A) Again, an easy one. Stop doing it. Analyze the board, my opponent(s) and the pot and if I don't have the odds/ and or draw, FOLD. Image? If we had an "image" these fish wouldn't be calling our preflop raise with K8o in the first place.
Well this is the stuff I need/want to work on. Anybody have any additional thoughts? Anybody want to share what they will be working on in the next month or so
So that is the point of this thread. I am going to post what I feel are some issues that are affecting my bottom line and the actions I will take to correct them.
#1 Focus- This is a tough one for me. My mind wanders a lot, and to be honest even though I am aware of it, I don't do too much to prevent it. I can get away with this to a certain degree with the aid of PokerTracker, but I could take such better notes on my opponents if I just paid better attention to each and EVERY hand that is played at my table.
Possible solutions:
A) Count the size of EVERY pot when I play live(stole this one from Sfer I think) not just the ones I am in and count the amount of players in the pot when I am online. Of course this is not easy, as most of us multi-table, but just the conscience effort of doing so should yield results.
B) Stop reading/posting on the forums while I am playing. I shouldn't mix practice with play. I mean how would it look if NFL teams were running wind sprints during breaks in the action? Not only that but I have two tables going, and I am reading and posting advice/thoughts at the same time? How much focus can I give to either of these activities if I am doing both at the same time?
#2 Overplaying overcards- Yes I am an official member of this club. It is not a frequent occurrence, but something I am still guilty of occasionally (mostly when I am running cold). My main issue with this is when I raise out of the blinds with AK/AQ, whiff the flop and yet proceed to bet into a field of loose/passive players.
Possible solutions-
A) Don't do it anymore. Yeah it actually is that simple. I feel my main issue with overcards is a mental one (pride/ego) Just because I may hold a substantial equity edge preflop, does not mean I am going to hold one postflop. I KNOW this, yet let the "this is MY pot" thinking get in the way when a session is not running the way I would like it. Yeah, there is a word for this: TILT!
#3 Using the "image" excuse to make loose calls on the flop. Nate pointed this out to me last week, and the hand in which he was responding to was one that happens frequently. You know, when you hold 88/99, raise preflop, and A/K/Q falls on the flop. You bet, get raised, there is a coldcaller and you justify calling because you don't want to "look" weak. This is chip donation. PERIOD.
Solution-
A) Again, an easy one. Stop doing it. Analyze the board, my opponent(s) and the pot and if I don't have the odds/ and or draw, FOLD. Image? If we had an "image" these fish wouldn't be calling our preflop raise with K8o in the first place.
Well this is the stuff I need/want to work on. Anybody have any additional thoughts? Anybody want to share what they will be working on in the next month or so