I need advice... 20K check up and I don't know what to do

[Delzek15]

I need advice cause I'm not sure what I should do after I crossed the 20k hand mark. I'm basically breaking even (see below) and I don't know where to go from here. I have a 4k bankroll right now and I'm STILL PLAYING 1/2. I started limit with about a 2 thousand dollar bankroll from my live NL days but those are long gone. Since then I've made most of my money through bonus chasing on all different sites.

I've read SSHE and I'm in the middle of re-reading it now. I read the book when I was about 12k hands into this so since then I've started to pfr more which is still about only 6.5%. I think its crazy when I see people on here with 11% pfr I guess I need to learn how to do that. My VPIP is still a little low. It's increasing as well since SSHE through the last 8k hands its been at about 16.5... Is this ok or should I try to push it a little higher? It seems when I add weaker hands I'm always getting out kicked like with Q/Jo and Q/10. Same with K/10.

What limits does the zoo think I should play? Should I continue to grind out 1/2? I hear posters talk bad about 1/2 and how it is a rock garden and you should move from it as soon as you have the BR. I do have a thousand bb for 2/4. Should I move up there? When I'm playing 1/2 it seems that I'm always having about 35 bb swings. I've only had one swing that was -100bb and that was probably at the 5k hand mark.

I have alot of time this summer for studying and playing and I would really like to improve to make about 20-25/hr while playing when I get back to school in late August. I'm looking for any advice that anyone can give me. Should I stay at 1/2? Move down? Move up? Read more books? Should I keep reading SSHE till I'm beating 1/2 for 3bb/100 like I see of you doing which I'm still trying to figure out how yall accomplish that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I'm sitting here confused on where to go from here.

PT Stats (http://img140.echo.cx/my.php?image=pt14ju.png)

***Edit... I've been trying to find a place that will let me post a screenshot of the "more detail" but I just can't find a place that will upload it properly... I want to post this now but I'll try to keep looking.

[Quercus]

If you are not beating the limit you are at, you should consider moving down - not up.

[dozer]

convert your image to a JPG file and it should work with image shack.

heres a link for raising your PFR% PFR% (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1884106&page=1&view=colla psed&sb=7&o=14&fpart=1&vc=1)

and 2 about loosening your vpip you play too tight (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=holdem&Number=1767198&fpar t=1&PHPSESSID=)

training wheels (http://archiveserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=&Number=495010&page=&v iew=&sb=5&o=&fpart=)

[milesdyson]

You are incredibly tight. Your VPIP is 14%, you fold your SB to a steal 92% of the time and your BB 88% of the time to steals. This means you're folding hands like ATs, KQs, and AJ to steals! You only attempt to steal the blinds 10% of the time, meaning you're probably not raising A9o, KTo, Q9s when folded to you on the CO/Button.

Even given how amazingly tight you are, you're still getting to showdown less than 30% of the time. See more flops, raise more preflop, 3-bet out of the SB against steals, and call steals in the BB with like 30% - 35% of your hands. You have a lot of work to do. Why did you wait until you had 20k hands? Have you ever seen anyone else's 'good' stats?

[droolie]

You're too tight. You don't protect your blinds, you don't go to showdown enough and you really need to be more aggressive pf. At 1/2 you can steal the blinds a lot from MP+3 and CO you just need to seize those opportunities.

I would drop down to .50/1. Loosening up is easier at a lower limit.

You should definitely keep reading SSHE all summer if need be but just as importantly contribute to these forums religiously. Ask questions, give opinions, be open-minded. SSHE is a great read but these forums are all about putting those concepts to use.

There isn't enough info to be sure but I suspect you're a weak tight rock and your game needs a lot of work. Don't worry though as help is here and if you spend as much time here as you do playing poker you will be where you want to be in no time. (I spend more time here than at the tables and it isn't even close.)

[ZBTHorton]

Derek -

Most of the advice in these threads I agree with. More importantly...why not stick to 1/2 6 max? :-)

[siccjay]

Lucky run at 6max. Hes not agressive enough to beat 6 max for that much per 100.

[stlip]

I don't think someone with these stats needs to move down to refine his game. He's playing only with the strongest hands and breaking even. There's not anything "wrong" per se that he has to unlearn.

The fix is to play a bit more aggressively with those hands he already plays and be alert to the opportunities one gets with good pot odds in LP or the blinds (even in raised pots as long as there are two other limpers) and play a few more hands from those positions.

[scotty34]

What he said.

[scotty34]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think someone with these stats needs to move down to refine his game. He's playing only with the strongest hands and breaking even. There's not anything "wrong" per se that he has to unlearn.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would take a guess that he plays too weak-tight, which he must "unlearn." He folds too many winners, and actually just folds way too much in general. The reason for moving down is that the very loose and usually passive .5/1 game provides an excellent place to learn how to play more hands and be aggressive. Also, it won't be as mentally strenuous to play (or raise) hands like Q9s after a couple limpers, or playing 68o in the SB after a bunch of limpers. The higher you go up, the more adverse you are to putting money in the pot, at least to start with. I'm at 17.5 at 2/4 (which I still think is a little low) and when I moved up to 3/6 I dropped down to 15.

[DocMartin]

Like others have said, you aren't playing enough hands to maximize your profit at this level. Those 6max stats look really close to my 1/2 full stats except I raised more.

So there you go. Play 1/2 full like you play 6max and raise more(this would be a silly plan for most but in your case it just may work). I imagine the vpip will drop a little naturally which is ok. Stay at 1/2 until you are comfortable with your improvements and then hit the 2/4 tables.

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]
I need advice cause I'm not sure what I should do after I crossed the 20k hand mark. I'm basically breaking even (see below) and I don't know where to go from here. I have a 4k bankroll right now and I'm STILL PLAYING 1/2.


[/ QUOTE ]



I got twice your bankroll, 5k more hands and I play .5/1.


Having a bankroll suited for a particular limit doesnt mean one has the skill for that limit.


Others have skipped 1/2 though and been just fine, maybe you can also. Take $800 and test out 2/4 for a couple of thousand hands.