Cosimo
06-25-2004, 08:15 PM
Turning Amateur Journal, Issue #1
I enjoy reading other people's journals, and I've wanted to start one of my own. However I don't have any lofty goals or my poker play right now--nothing like a big dollar win, or a strong month, or whatever. I'm playing at the micro limits, so $60,000 in 60 days is way out of my league. Even 3 BB/100h means $9 a day. $9! I could pick up a side job doing anything and make more money than that.
Yet I enjoy poker. I played penny ante as a kid, and got into poker a few years ago. I only started playing seriously about a year ago, partly because there were B&M casinos near the town that I moved to. We had a home game than ran every other week or so for a while, but it's just not the same thing. I'm getting in more hands a day than I would in a couple months of that home game.
Early this month, I started playing daily. I've averaged about three hours a day. In the past, I've had a hard time getting back to the tables after an especially big loss. I start playing scared; I always saw monsters under the bed. Playing daily means I see more bad beats--and that numbs my sensitivity to them; lets me look at the long term. In other words, my tolerance for bat beats has improved from playing every day.
My goal isn't to make a lot of money this month; it's to get better at poker. Right now my win rate is hovering around 1 BB per hundred hands, which is pretty low for these micro-limit games. I play at UB; the 25c-50c tables sometimes get loose, but from what I've seen they're still tighter than other sites. As with any site, identifying your players is key, so I try to take notes as I can.
I think I've plugged a few big holes this month. I just ran across NPAEM's Folding Too Much post, which helped my play. Other leaks included playing KJo and QTo too much, too many suited connectors (especially out of position), too few suited aces, and not enough pairs. I've added more of the last two to middle position, and the stronger ones to early position in very passive games. I've probably over-corrected, though, but that's actually one of the main reasons why I decided to start this journal.
My two goals are: (1) to give myself another incentive to play more often, and (2) to get a chance to post hands. That said, here's a couple recent hands:
HAND #1
SB is a tight, aggressive player. We've gone back and forth a bit, usually both with strong hands. UTG is typical low-limit fish: suffers from Tricky Play Syndrome, loose, bluffy.
Ultimate Bet 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG calls, <font color="666666">5 folds</font>, Hero calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, SB completes, BB checks,
Flop: (4 SB) 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 3/images/graemlins/club.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB bets, BB folds, UTG raises, Hero 3-bets, SB caps, UTG calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (8 BB) 8/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB bets, UTG calls, Hero calls.
River: (11 BB) 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB bets, UTG raises, Hero calls, SB calls.
Final Pot: 17 BB
Results in white below: <font color="white">
SB shows Ad 3s (two pair, aces and threes).
UTG shows Ks Ah (one pair, aces).
Hero shows 6s 6h (three of a kind, sixes).
Outcome: Hero wins 17 BB. </font>
I think the preflop call was weak--just one caller in front of me is bad news. I also need a few people to yell at me for not raising the turn or river.
HAND #2
No reads on these guys; I hadn't been at the table long.
Ultimate Bet 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (8 handed)
Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="666666">3 folds</font>, MP2 calls, CO raises, Button calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, MP2 calls.
Flop: (8.40 SB) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, MP2 checks, CO bets, Button calls, Hero raises, MP2 folds, CO 3-bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (8.70 BB) T/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, CO bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
River: (11.70 BB) Q/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero bets, CO calls, Button calls.
Final Pot: 14.70 BB
Results in white below: <font color="white">
Hero shows As Qd (three of a kind, queens).
CO shows Kc Ks (two pair, kings and queens).
Button shows Ah Ad (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: Hero wins 14.70 BB. </font>
I never know what to do with AQo. Again, can someone yell at me please?
My session average is just over 3 hours; that's the cutoff that I give myself. I force myself to sit at the table, no matter how much I want to run from suckouts, or lock up a winning session, or whatever it is. Usually I'll get into a groove and keep playing. Over these past 17 sessions, my flop % (total, note that this is not VP$IP) ranged from 20.8% up to 27.6%, and my win% ranges from 4.5% (-57BB that session) up to 8.2% (-21BB that session). Almost all of my winning sessions are around 6-7% win.
+122.3BB so far this month, about 158 table-hours (i.e. 52 hours spent three-tabling), 9816 hands, +1.25BB/100h. Note that, at this win rate, a few bad days will wipe out all of my profit, while a few good days in a row will double it.
I plan to post weekly installments; the next one coming at the end of the month. I avoided posting this journal earlier in the month, or even in previous months, because I wanted a good, consistent run of play behind me before I started posting.
I enjoy reading other people's journals, and I've wanted to start one of my own. However I don't have any lofty goals or my poker play right now--nothing like a big dollar win, or a strong month, or whatever. I'm playing at the micro limits, so $60,000 in 60 days is way out of my league. Even 3 BB/100h means $9 a day. $9! I could pick up a side job doing anything and make more money than that.
Yet I enjoy poker. I played penny ante as a kid, and got into poker a few years ago. I only started playing seriously about a year ago, partly because there were B&M casinos near the town that I moved to. We had a home game than ran every other week or so for a while, but it's just not the same thing. I'm getting in more hands a day than I would in a couple months of that home game.
Early this month, I started playing daily. I've averaged about three hours a day. In the past, I've had a hard time getting back to the tables after an especially big loss. I start playing scared; I always saw monsters under the bed. Playing daily means I see more bad beats--and that numbs my sensitivity to them; lets me look at the long term. In other words, my tolerance for bat beats has improved from playing every day.
My goal isn't to make a lot of money this month; it's to get better at poker. Right now my win rate is hovering around 1 BB per hundred hands, which is pretty low for these micro-limit games. I play at UB; the 25c-50c tables sometimes get loose, but from what I've seen they're still tighter than other sites. As with any site, identifying your players is key, so I try to take notes as I can.
I think I've plugged a few big holes this month. I just ran across NPAEM's Folding Too Much post, which helped my play. Other leaks included playing KJo and QTo too much, too many suited connectors (especially out of position), too few suited aces, and not enough pairs. I've added more of the last two to middle position, and the stronger ones to early position in very passive games. I've probably over-corrected, though, but that's actually one of the main reasons why I decided to start this journal.
My two goals are: (1) to give myself another incentive to play more often, and (2) to get a chance to post hands. That said, here's a couple recent hands:
HAND #1
SB is a tight, aggressive player. We've gone back and forth a bit, usually both with strong hands. UTG is typical low-limit fish: suffers from Tricky Play Syndrome, loose, bluffy.
Ultimate Bet 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG calls, <font color="666666">5 folds</font>, Hero calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, SB completes, BB checks,
Flop: (4 SB) 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 3/images/graemlins/club.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB bets, BB folds, UTG raises, Hero 3-bets, SB caps, UTG calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (8 BB) 8/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB bets, UTG calls, Hero calls.
River: (11 BB) 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB bets, UTG raises, Hero calls, SB calls.
Final Pot: 17 BB
Results in white below: <font color="white">
SB shows Ad 3s (two pair, aces and threes).
UTG shows Ks Ah (one pair, aces).
Hero shows 6s 6h (three of a kind, sixes).
Outcome: Hero wins 17 BB. </font>
I think the preflop call was weak--just one caller in front of me is bad news. I also need a few people to yell at me for not raising the turn or river.
HAND #2
No reads on these guys; I hadn't been at the table long.
Ultimate Bet 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (8 handed)
Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="666666">3 folds</font>, MP2 calls, CO raises, Button calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, MP2 calls.
Flop: (8.40 SB) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, MP2 checks, CO bets, Button calls, Hero raises, MP2 folds, CO 3-bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (8.70 BB) T/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, CO bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
River: (11.70 BB) Q/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero bets, CO calls, Button calls.
Final Pot: 14.70 BB
Results in white below: <font color="white">
Hero shows As Qd (three of a kind, queens).
CO shows Kc Ks (two pair, kings and queens).
Button shows Ah Ad (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: Hero wins 14.70 BB. </font>
I never know what to do with AQo. Again, can someone yell at me please?
My session average is just over 3 hours; that's the cutoff that I give myself. I force myself to sit at the table, no matter how much I want to run from suckouts, or lock up a winning session, or whatever it is. Usually I'll get into a groove and keep playing. Over these past 17 sessions, my flop % (total, note that this is not VP$IP) ranged from 20.8% up to 27.6%, and my win% ranges from 4.5% (-57BB that session) up to 8.2% (-21BB that session). Almost all of my winning sessions are around 6-7% win.
+122.3BB so far this month, about 158 table-hours (i.e. 52 hours spent three-tabling), 9816 hands, +1.25BB/100h. Note that, at this win rate, a few bad days will wipe out all of my profit, while a few good days in a row will double it.
I plan to post weekly installments; the next one coming at the end of the month. I avoided posting this journal earlier in the month, or even in previous months, because I wanted a good, consistent run of play behind me before I started posting.