Just Reward? Probably Not (Week and Weak)

[Styles]

Well, this week has been terrible, but, a good learning experience. At one point was into my buy-in at True but now I'm up again. I'm only winning 1BB/125Hands at the moment. I was at 1BB/27Hands at the start of the week. Can we call that break even? Be nice /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Yesterday, I actually placed 3rd in the Wed $200 NHLE Freeroll and won $22 and then gave about $75 back in the Rings within a couple hours.

My Stats are starting to get interesting and maybe usable. I was winning about 12% of my hands and had a 51% showdown rate when I was up. After getting totally killed all week my stats are 10% and 49%. Any guidance on these number would be appreciated. The first thing I thought was what a small difference between winning and losing really is.

I'm having a hard time with my flop % ... TruePoker has both $1 small and big blinds at $1/$2 so you're seeing 20% almost every orbit since there is hardly any Pre-Flop Raising. Thus, I'm having a hard time staying around shouting distance of 30%. I'm sticking to pretty strict starting hand requirements like Group3 in EP and Group4 if the table is flopping more than 50% as a group. If I can maintain 31-37% is that still gonna kill me in this blind structure? I'm whittling it down little by little from 42-43% (amazingly when I was winning more). Mostly in MP where I was playing good hands but with too few callers.

Here's how my session ended tonite - which was the first GOOD NEWS since Geico lowered my car insurance /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I am UTG and get A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif A /images/graemlins/club.gif I've been watching the table slowly drop to 40% flop and I've been playing super-tight so I figure an open-raise will win me $2 and limp in 3 callers + blinds and me = 6sb

Flop comes 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif K /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif "RUH ROH"

Blinds check, I bet and +1 guy calls instantly - suspiciously instantly "FIGURES" BB and one other fold the rest call

Turn 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif (9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif K /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif)

SB checks, I check, +1 Bets, 1 call from MP who seems loose and crazy lots of bluffs but she's winning and mucking, SB folds, I think "BUT I HAVE ACES" one last time and fold

River K /images/graemlins/heart.gif (7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif K /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif)

He bets, she calls, he shows T /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif for 9's full of Kings and she mucks 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif

I try to feel good about the whole thing and tell myself "if you love something, set it free" /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I end up in the BB with J /images/graemlins/club.gif 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif

UTG and +1 Fold, the Crazy chic is in the next seat and open raises. 3 Callers before it comes back to me. I think for a long time and honestly consider folding before calling.

BOOM!!! 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif "NOT SO BAD" my mantra has been "have two ways to win" and I certainly have that yet I still check and we all call her bet 5 people in the pot.

Turn 5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif (7 /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif) "STILL GOING"

Of course She bets and we all call like the lambs that we are ... as I start to repeat Nine or Club, Nine or Club to myself ...

River 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif (5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif)

Frankly, it took me a second to figure it out too /images/graemlins/grin.gif 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif J /images/graemlins/club.gif

I finally Bet, and She raises me, one other calls and so I re-raise and they both call.

She showed K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif K /images/graemlins/heart.gif and the caller shows A /images/graemlins/club.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif I win $43

The very next hand I'm dealt J4 and flop 4's full of J's and get $38 worth of action!

I played until the next BB and got nothing of interest, but, I quit way ahead for the first time all week ~40BBs

Somehow inspite of my stupidity, and my weak-tight play, I'm surviving and hopefully learning something that will keep me progressing in this game past baby steps.

Couldn't have made it this far without S&M and 2+2 - hopefully I survive this dangerous time. I feel like I did when I started my small business knowing 90% fail in the first 5 years. Of course that was 11 years ago so I have that going for me.

I am still struggling with mid- small- pairs at this point. I raise to thin the field and everyone calls, I limp and everyone folds, either way I lose. I had JJ like 5 times lastnite and lost to AA or KK everytime, even when I flopped trips they would too. I think if I had just folded every pair other than AA KK and QQ, I'd be way ahead. Perhaps TrueCEO is mad at me? /images/graemlins/confused.gif J/K

[Robk]

It takes a lot more to convince me my aces are no good in hand one. Your opponents will turn over a king, or ace high, a gutshot, or a pair of twos or some other nonsense way too often for a fold to be right here.

[Styles]

[ QUOTE ]
It takes a lot more to convince me my aces are no good in hand one. Your opponents will turn over a king, or ace high, a gutshot, or a pair of twos or some other nonsense way too often for a fold to be right here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I believe you. I'm just getting killed playing pairs. I can't figure out why. Well I know why, I suck, but, I can't fix it. Even if I raise, the SB and BB will call and the SB hits an amazing amount of trash on the flop with stuff like 63o. My J4 FH was out of the Small Blind. It's sort of 'odd'.

[Styles]

Here's an example of things not working out.

I'm in the CO and dealt A /images/graemlins/heart.gif J /images/graemlins/heart.gif

All fold except the player on my right who limps. I raise. Button folds. Both blinds Call. Limper Calls. Just the 4 of us see the Flop.

2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif 8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

blinds check, limper bets out, we 3 call

J /images/graemlins/spade.gif

blinds check, he bets out again, I call, blinds fold

T /images/graemlins/spade.gif

he bets again, I call

Of course, I'm shown 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Still for this short session, my Win Rate was 13%, Showdown 67% and I left a winner. It's weird coz I feel like I have terrible luck and play poorly post-flop, but, somehow still have my money. Maybe it's just the starting hand selection saving me at this point? When I start raising the good hands pre-flop with position, is when I get toasted. For example, I have AJs in the CO I'm supposed to raise according to the book. It never works out. People assume you have AA and so they play against that and then if you don't have AA you are just hung out to dry. Not that it would have saved me here. But then if I fold AA you guys get on me for that. It's like I can't find the balance between tunnel-visioned maniac and weak-knee.

[DarkKnight]

Consider yourself lucky - you should have lost more.
Your opponent was very passive on the hand.

Check the river - too many ways to lose. I suppose
you can bet and fold to a raise.

[Styles]

[ QUOTE ]
Consider yourself lucky - you should have lost more.
Your opponent was very passive on the hand.

Check the river - too many ways to lose. I suppose
you can bet and fold to a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, I think maybe I confused you by my wording of the action. Check the edited version. He was betting in front of me. Thankfully, the blinds didn't check-raise. I would have definitely lost even more, as you noted.

[Festus22]

"I am still struggling with mid- small- pairs at this point. I raise to thin the field and everyone calls, I limp and everyone folds, either way I lose."

For small and mid pairs, you want as many callers as possible. Your money is made when you flop a set, not having 8-8 hold up unimproved. I think the hands that need the field thinned are J-J, T-T amd maybe Q-Q which are all vulerable to overcards. FWIW.

[TruePoker CEO]

"Perhaps TrueCEO is mad at me?"

No, actually, I am very happy you like our site and are posting about oyur experience in this forum. (It is tough to make small pairs stand up when the % seeing the flop is quite high.)

In a related note, small stakes players might note htat Truepoker rakes ZERO in pots below $12.00 in the $1-2 games we spread. This makes our games a much better value than those where the rake starts at $.50 in a $5.00 pot.

Thanks for the interesting post.

Truepoker CEO

[Styles]

[ QUOTE ]
"Perhaps TrueCEO is mad at me?"

No, actually, I am very happy you like our site and are posting about oyur experience in this forum.


[/ QUOTE ]

YW, you deserve the good Publicity.

I got dumped on my head in the $200 Freeroll today finishing 36th or something. I went to the Rings and cleared 26BBs in the next hour. There's a lesson there somewhere ...

I've rebounded quite a bit the last 2 days and re-corrected to 1BB/38hands ... I guess I weathered the first "little storm".

YAY!

The site is great! And the $5,000 Guarantee is good too!