A Month of Limit Poker

[BugSplatt]

The first post I ever wrote on 2+2, I talked about turning $6 into $800 plus. Often, I read about suckouts in the NL games, and that is what happened to me three times in fifteen minutes that left me with $6 to work with. I stopped playing for six months, and decided to come back and see what I could do with what little money I had left.

I basically started to flat-line at the $25 NL tables once I reached $800, so I ventured back into limit holdem for the first time in a year and a half, starting at 2/4. Soon I moved up to 3/6 and 5/10 (although I realize my BR is not quite big enough for 5/10).

Everything was working out great. Hit a high of $2,598 a week and a half ago, after only three weeks of playing the limit tables. Then, of course, I started to flat-line again (a win here, a loss there) before the bomb dropped on me yesterday big time. I lost 80 BB playing 5/10. No bad beat stories here, except to say almost everything went wrong (aside from the fact I got a royal flush one hand). These were my stats from that session:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 617 hands and saw flop:
- 44 out of 71 times while in big blind (61%)
- 21 out of 72 times while in small blind (29%)
- 75 out of 474 times in other positions (15%)
- a total of 140 out of 617 (22%)
Pots won at showdown - 15 of 35 (42%)
Pots won without showdown - 22

While I feel I was playing my starting hands tight and aggressively, obviously, given my pathetic showdown rating, I was making too many bad calls on the river. I probably could have saved myself 15 BB just by admitting to myself I was beat. I finally left the three tables I was playing at before I lost any more money.

At any rate, my girlfriend - who has always been very supportive of me with respect to poker - gave me the big pep talk last night, and told me to get my ass back in the game. Well, you gotta love a woman like that. I sat in three games, and although I didn’t recover everything from the previous session, I did well enough . I won 69 BB playing 3/6.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 823 hands and saw flop:
- 63 out of 95 times while in big blind (66%)
- 40 out of 95 times while in small blind (42%)
- 92 out of 633 times in other positions (14%)
- a total of 195 out of 823 (23%)
Pots won at showdown - 31 of 54 (57%)
Pots won without showdown - 54


And, I played again this morning and won another $115.

Funny thing is, even after that horrible session, I didn’t lose confidence in myself. I recall reading a post from BisonBison where he had said he’s had a 300 BB downswing, so mentally, I was somewhat prepared for what could happen. I wasn’t expecting something quite THAT bad, of course. I expected I might lose 80 BB over four or five sessions, not in one fell swoop like that.

I don’t have PokerTracker, so I can’t even say what I have been doing on the various tables I play. However, even with yesterday’s downswing, I am still up $1275 in the four weeks since I returned to limit holdem. My overall stats at limit (2/4, 3/6, and 5/10 all inclusive):

BB 753 1235 60.97%
SB 368 1237 29.75%
OTHER 1194 8221 14.52%
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TOTAL 2315 10693 21.65%
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Without mentioning names, many of the posters here are very helpful and I probably spend more time reading posts than I actually do playing poker.

Later,

Bug

[BusterStacks]

I don't think poker is the game for you.

[bdk3clash]

You seem really obsessed with short-term results. Read this.

[eagletmr]

I'm not going to discourage you and say "Poker is not the game for you." However, from your stats it looks like you could improve, especially with both of your showdown percentages. I recommend buying Small Stakes Hold Em, and read it about a gazillion times till the concepts become second nature. THEN you will consistently beat low limit games, and will understand your downswings and your upswings and the long term nature of the game.

[BugSplatt]

The short-term results were posted to show that my hand selection during my losing session yesterday was relatively equal to the historic percentages of the 10,600 or so hands that I played, which would mean, to some extent anyways, that I wasn't on tilt with my starting cards during the 80 BB downswing. I did, however, admit that I made some long calls on the river - tilt is tilt is tilt.

I appreciate fluctuations are part of poker. I've been through them many times - you don't have to play 1,000 or more hands a day to experience that one way or another.

Also, I had started writing this post on Thursday, prior to the downswing yesterday; however, things changed and I am not afraid to admit to a bad session or even a bad number of sessions. 10,000 hands isn't a lot, I realize, but that is all the data I have at the present time for limit holdem.

In response to BusterStacks, you are entitled to your opinion., but I think I'll keep playing.

bdk3slash, the John Feeney essay was great.

Eagletmr, a stat I cannot possibly keep track of right now is what happened during showdowns. Many are checked through on the river, so it is statistically a showdown loss, but maybe should not count in showdown data. All I have to work with are the stats the site provides. As well, two things have been on my shopping list for the past while, one being PokerTracker, the other being Small Stakes Holdem. If there is any negative feedback on the book, I have yet to see it. You are among the many that think it’s a great book, and I look forward to reading it.

Bug