durron597
10-07-2004, 11:07 PM
Wow. 1000 posts. What a ride it's been. I remember my first post, I think it was something on the Home Poker forum about "what should I limp with in a home game that's a preflop limp-fest". This was before I was even playing for play money online! I asked if K8o was a good limp hand, and I asked if my strategy of raising small pairs big was a good one. Ahh.... so much learned since then - in particular that I would have gotten better advice on this forum than in the Home Poker forum; where people are more concerned about "what kind of poker chips/table" should I buy than poker strategy. Which is fine, that's what that forum is for, but I was (hopefully understandably) misled at first.
Anyway, I had hoped that I had learned a lot by this point. At one point I was posting a 40% ROI with an under 40% ITM (a whole ton of firsts), and I was ecstatic. I had built a $200 bankroll into a $600 one, after cashing out the initial deposit, part of which was a second place in an $5+1 MTT with 350 entrants (approx. $255 payday, $100 profit after you subtract other MTT losses). But I was not to be seeing such blue skies for long.
A few days ago, Irieguy posted a thread (Delete the Spreadsheet... (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=singletable&Number=1087507 &Forum=f22&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Main=10875 07&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=15228&daterange= 1&newerval=3&newertype=w&olderval=&oldertype=&body prev=#Post1087507)) that rang very true to me. Basically, my story is that I hit a peak in my SnG ability, and then got to the point where I expected to win every single one. So I started to play with Hellmuthian (ok maybe not that extreme) scared money. I played one SnG where I pushed A5o from the SB three handed (big blinds, tightish player in BB), got called by AQ, and then lived when after a QTx board came with running broadway cards for the split. Next orbit I pushed A8o from the SB, and he called with AK and I was out. So I started doubting whether pushing medium Aces 3 handed with huge blinds is a good idea, or a hand like KTo from the button, etc. etc. and that inspired like a 9 game out of the money streak. I went from playing for first to playing for fourth/fifth; and the number of 5th place finishes reflects that.
But the biggest lesson that I cannot emphasize enough is: PATIENCE
In the description column I have for every SnG a brief description of the
hand that crippled me or busted me. While I have ones like:
"A guy called me with a gutshot, AA vs. A5."
(10th place finish; and trust me I raised enough preflop), much more
frequently it's:
Why do I tangle with the big stack??? AJ vs. JJ.
I made a bad decision for all my chips
I am making too many bad decisions for all my chips
(Three in a row, 5, 5, 6). In the first one, He had 5000 chips, I had 3000
chips in second, he was a pretty tight player, he miniraises to 800, I move
in. (PokerRoom 15000 chips on the table). I don't remember the second one,
but in the third one I was stealing constantly since the big stack on my
left was too tight, but I steal two hands in a row SB - weak ace - and then
button, Q7o, because the BB was sitting out, and I felt that the BB wasn't going to call me without a decent Ace or a PP, maybe KQ, KJ. He called me with A8 and held up.
Sometimes I manage to do it right, though:
No-limit Texas Hold'em $10+$1 (real money), hand #365,091,055
Perth Single Table Tournament, 3 Oct 2004 10:33 PM
View <previous | next> hand for this table
Seat 3: chcorigs ($3,085 in chips)
Seat 4: spade2468 ($2,215 in chips)
Seat 5: hozer79 ($1,400 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ 5/images/graemlins/club.gif,J/images/graemlins/spade.gif ] ($2,835 in chips)
Seat 7: rantis21 ($4,040 in chips)
Seat 10: cheese xx ($1,425 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDShozer79 posts blind ($25), durron597 posts blind ($50).
PRE-FLOPrantis21 calls $50, cheese xx calls $50, chcorigs calls $50, spade2468 calls $50, hozer79 calls $25, durron597 checks.
FLOP [board cards J/images/graemlins/heart.gif,J/images/graemlins/club.gif,3/images/graemlins/club.gif ]
hozer79 checks, durron597 checks, rantis21 checks, cheese xx checks, chcorigs bets $200, spade2468 calls $200, hozer79 folds, durron597 bets $700, rantis21 calls $700, cheese xx folds, chcorigs bets $1,000, spade2468 folds, durron597 folds, rantis21 calls $500.
TURN [board cards J/images/graemlins/heart.gif,J/images/graemlins/club.gif,3/images/graemlins/club.gif,7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ]
rantis21 checks, chcorigs bets $650, rantis21 calls $650.
RIVER [board cards J/images/graemlins/heart.gif,J/images/graemlins/club.gif,3/images/graemlins/club.gif,7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif,3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ]
rantis21 checks, chcorigs bets $1,185 and is all-in, rantis21 calls $1,185.
SHOWDOWN
chcorigs shows [ 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif,3/images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
rantis21 shows [ 10/images/graemlins/club.gif,J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ]
chcorigs wins $7,270.
But the problem is that the skill I have gained at this game to be able to make folds like this, I have diminished my ability to play aggressively at the right times, and then I overcompensate (back to the patience thing I was talking about) where I make a play like: I have AQo UTG 8 handed and 20xBB, I limp, BB raises to 475 (he's been doing that a lot, but not egregiously so), and I call. Flop comes J high, he checks, I move in for about 1.8xPot, he calls with AA and I'm out. Another case of me tangling with the big stack for too many chips when I don't have to. P.S. The play may have had something to do with KK being cracked on the previous hand by a shortstack with JJ. So this leads me to make the mistake in the next SnG: AKo in the BB, 10xBB (2300 chips). Big stack completes (4500 chips). I raise to 500 instead of pushing. He calls. Flop is 997. He checks, I bet 800, he miniraises to 1600, so if I fold I will only have 5xBB left. I think "If he doesn't have AA, KK, or a 9, I have pot odds to stay in this hand (3.5:1)." What a horribly played hand, feel free to comment on it if you want to, but I know what I did wrong so it will be for the benefit of the other posters more than for me.
So right now I'm looking to find the right balance between patience and avoiding weak/tight play. I had it before, I just need to find it again.
So, without further ado; the numbers:
SnG's played: 200. PokerRoom: 182, Party: 18.
ROI: 24.1%
ITM: 40.0%
1st 31
2nd 20
3rd 29
4th 20
5th 32
6th 22
7th 20
8th 12
9th 6
10th 8
Initial buyin: $200
Cashouts: $200
Current online bankroll on PokerRoom: $577.95
Maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to move about 30 of the 4th - 7th finishes to money finishes. Any comments on anything I've said here appreciated. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
Anyway, I had hoped that I had learned a lot by this point. At one point I was posting a 40% ROI with an under 40% ITM (a whole ton of firsts), and I was ecstatic. I had built a $200 bankroll into a $600 one, after cashing out the initial deposit, part of which was a second place in an $5+1 MTT with 350 entrants (approx. $255 payday, $100 profit after you subtract other MTT losses). But I was not to be seeing such blue skies for long.
A few days ago, Irieguy posted a thread (Delete the Spreadsheet... (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=singletable&Number=1087507 &Forum=f22&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Main=10875 07&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=15228&daterange= 1&newerval=3&newertype=w&olderval=&oldertype=&body prev=#Post1087507)) that rang very true to me. Basically, my story is that I hit a peak in my SnG ability, and then got to the point where I expected to win every single one. So I started to play with Hellmuthian (ok maybe not that extreme) scared money. I played one SnG where I pushed A5o from the SB three handed (big blinds, tightish player in BB), got called by AQ, and then lived when after a QTx board came with running broadway cards for the split. Next orbit I pushed A8o from the SB, and he called with AK and I was out. So I started doubting whether pushing medium Aces 3 handed with huge blinds is a good idea, or a hand like KTo from the button, etc. etc. and that inspired like a 9 game out of the money streak. I went from playing for first to playing for fourth/fifth; and the number of 5th place finishes reflects that.
But the biggest lesson that I cannot emphasize enough is: PATIENCE
In the description column I have for every SnG a brief description of the
hand that crippled me or busted me. While I have ones like:
"A guy called me with a gutshot, AA vs. A5."
(10th place finish; and trust me I raised enough preflop), much more
frequently it's:
Why do I tangle with the big stack??? AJ vs. JJ.
I made a bad decision for all my chips
I am making too many bad decisions for all my chips
(Three in a row, 5, 5, 6). In the first one, He had 5000 chips, I had 3000
chips in second, he was a pretty tight player, he miniraises to 800, I move
in. (PokerRoom 15000 chips on the table). I don't remember the second one,
but in the third one I was stealing constantly since the big stack on my
left was too tight, but I steal two hands in a row SB - weak ace - and then
button, Q7o, because the BB was sitting out, and I felt that the BB wasn't going to call me without a decent Ace or a PP, maybe KQ, KJ. He called me with A8 and held up.
Sometimes I manage to do it right, though:
No-limit Texas Hold'em $10+$1 (real money), hand #365,091,055
Perth Single Table Tournament, 3 Oct 2004 10:33 PM
View <previous | next> hand for this table
Seat 3: chcorigs ($3,085 in chips)
Seat 4: spade2468 ($2,215 in chips)
Seat 5: hozer79 ($1,400 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ 5/images/graemlins/club.gif,J/images/graemlins/spade.gif ] ($2,835 in chips)
Seat 7: rantis21 ($4,040 in chips)
Seat 10: cheese xx ($1,425 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDShozer79 posts blind ($25), durron597 posts blind ($50).
PRE-FLOPrantis21 calls $50, cheese xx calls $50, chcorigs calls $50, spade2468 calls $50, hozer79 calls $25, durron597 checks.
FLOP [board cards J/images/graemlins/heart.gif,J/images/graemlins/club.gif,3/images/graemlins/club.gif ]
hozer79 checks, durron597 checks, rantis21 checks, cheese xx checks, chcorigs bets $200, spade2468 calls $200, hozer79 folds, durron597 bets $700, rantis21 calls $700, cheese xx folds, chcorigs bets $1,000, spade2468 folds, durron597 folds, rantis21 calls $500.
TURN [board cards J/images/graemlins/heart.gif,J/images/graemlins/club.gif,3/images/graemlins/club.gif,7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ]
rantis21 checks, chcorigs bets $650, rantis21 calls $650.
RIVER [board cards J/images/graemlins/heart.gif,J/images/graemlins/club.gif,3/images/graemlins/club.gif,7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif,3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ]
rantis21 checks, chcorigs bets $1,185 and is all-in, rantis21 calls $1,185.
SHOWDOWN
chcorigs shows [ 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif,3/images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
rantis21 shows [ 10/images/graemlins/club.gif,J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ]
chcorigs wins $7,270.
But the problem is that the skill I have gained at this game to be able to make folds like this, I have diminished my ability to play aggressively at the right times, and then I overcompensate (back to the patience thing I was talking about) where I make a play like: I have AQo UTG 8 handed and 20xBB, I limp, BB raises to 475 (he's been doing that a lot, but not egregiously so), and I call. Flop comes J high, he checks, I move in for about 1.8xPot, he calls with AA and I'm out. Another case of me tangling with the big stack for too many chips when I don't have to. P.S. The play may have had something to do with KK being cracked on the previous hand by a shortstack with JJ. So this leads me to make the mistake in the next SnG: AKo in the BB, 10xBB (2300 chips). Big stack completes (4500 chips). I raise to 500 instead of pushing. He calls. Flop is 997. He checks, I bet 800, he miniraises to 1600, so if I fold I will only have 5xBB left. I think "If he doesn't have AA, KK, or a 9, I have pot odds to stay in this hand (3.5:1)." What a horribly played hand, feel free to comment on it if you want to, but I know what I did wrong so it will be for the benefit of the other posters more than for me.
So right now I'm looking to find the right balance between patience and avoiding weak/tight play. I had it before, I just need to find it again.
So, without further ado; the numbers:
SnG's played: 200. PokerRoom: 182, Party: 18.
ROI: 24.1%
ITM: 40.0%
1st 31
2nd 20
3rd 29
4th 20
5th 32
6th 22
7th 20
8th 12
9th 6
10th 8
Initial buyin: $200
Cashouts: $200
Current online bankroll on PokerRoom: $577.95
Maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to move about 30 of the 4th - 7th finishes to money finishes. Any comments on anything I've said here appreciated. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.