Another cry for help

[davidross]

hey guys,

I'm looking for help here. After running bad (3 months of break-even poker) at 15/30 I decided to play some 5/10 6 max and try and find my game again. I had a number of people review some hands for me and it became clear that most of my problems were to do with post-flop aggression or rather my lack of it.

SO I've been playing at 5/10 for 2 weeks now (32K hands) and it started real well, posting wins for 6 straight days (I haven't had 3 winning days in a row in 3 months so this was a miracle) and winning slightly over 2 BB/100 hands. THen the bottom fell out again, and I've had losses in 6 of the last 8 days again, including 2 huge losses ($1600 and $1300) in the last 3 days, bringing my win rate back down to 0.25. I've had so many huge losses ( > 100 BB's in one session) lately that I know I'm getting cold decked, but the overall long term results indicate that I'm probably losing more than I should in the bad runs, and winning less than I should on the days where I run well. I'm perplexed as to how I could go from a 2BB winner to break even so suddenly, if the games are getting that much tougher why hasn't everyone taken a dive?

Anyway, I'd like to post some stats, and then some hands for review and hope that people can help me try and find my leaks. It just seems like every decision I make lately is the wrong one. If I check when the scare card rivers, I find out I missed a bet, and if I bet it I get raised.

I don't know how to copy an image from PT so I'll just post in my stats here. THey are virtually identical to my stats from a year ago when I played 5/10 regularly.

VPIP - 24.3
VPSB - 31.68
SFAH - 30.19
FldSB - 78.41
FldBB - 48.41
W$wsf - 37.68
bb/100 - 0.25
WSD - 33.93
W$SD - 52.10
PFR% - 12.9

Aggression PF - 0.92 flop 2.16 turn 1.79 river 1.37 total 1.4

ANy other stats I should be posting?

Thanks for any help

[Lost Wages]

David,

You aren't getting to showdown enough, your PFR is too low and your postflop aggression is too low. Based on your stats I would classify you as slightly weak tight. Sorry for the brutal honesty, just trying to help. Hope things turn around for you.

Lost Wages

[krishanleong]

Do the analysis suggested in this post. Post the results. Alternatively you can post a screenshot of your misc tab. One with "show only showdown hands" checked and one without. It also helps to see positional stats. General info tab is mostly useless.

The obvious item is your PFR is way low. Should be 16+.



link
Krishan

[ISF]

It looks like you may be overlimping a bit much your pfr is a bit low especially considering your vpip is 24. As well your agression factors do look a little low this may explain your low WSF, but you may just be running badly. What is your attempt to steal blind number?

[tolbiny]

David-
like the others have siad- your preflop raise is too low, your postflop aggression is also to low, looks like you lack confidence in your hands. When your postflop aggression is increased it will lead to a higher wtsd as you will end up with position and checking behind on the river.

Now for some random speculation
I have been playing 5-10 since jan, so i don't know what the games were like for you, but lately i have noticed an increase in the frequency of "Donkbetting"- that is betting into someone who has show aggression- ie you raise preflop from the cutoff, bb calls- and calls your flop bet, and then bets into you on the turn. This sort of situations will screw you if you aren't aggressive- how you respond with PP's with one or two overcards, overcards, or tp/ medium/weak kicker- you will end up calling two bets when behind but only getting that one bet when ahead if you are just calling these bets with you med/weak made hands.

[Alobar]

is your comment about how you can go from a 2BB winner to a break even player, a serious one? I've read critisisms many times before from other posters about your lack of poker understanding, that statement sure rings alarm bells for me.

As for the stats, You are defending your blinds a tad to much. You also arent near aggresive enough, and need to raise more PF. In combination with being looser than normal out of the blinds, thats a sure fire way to bleed chips. Your WtSD and W$SD ratio is pretty bad, this could be from bad beats, but I suspect you prolly just arent going to showdown enough.

anyway, my .02.

[driller]

What should the ratio of WtSd and W$SD be?

[Packerfan1]

Hey DR,

You and I are in the same spot. So maybe we can help each other along with the input from our friends here at 2+2.

After beating the 5/10 and 10/20 6max consistently for 15 months, I also am just getting killed in 2005 - actually LOSING .25BB/100 on the year so far. I hate to leave these games (especially because it seems that there are 10X as many SH tables online vs full games nowadays), but I'm seriously wondering if I have enough LAG in me to beat the 10/20 anymore. My stats are similar to yours me(you):

VPIP - 23.07 (24.3)
VPSB - 37.43 (31.68)
SFAH - 29.73 (30.19)
FldSB - 85.71 (78.41)
FldBB - 53.94 (48.41)
W$wsf - 34.09 (37.68)
bb/100 - -0.25 (0.25)
WSD - 32.58 (33.93)
W$SD - 55.98 (52.10)
PFR% - 13.41 (12.9)
Aggression - PF 1.13 (.92), F 2.97(2.16), T 2.75(1.79), R 1.37(1.37)

Compounding the problem is frankly I just don't know where I should be playing right now. This means I'm hardly playing at all! My goal for 2005 was 150,000 hands at 2BB/100 ($40) for $60K on the year. I'm so freakin gun-shy right now, (even tho my bankroll is fine) I have played less than 13,000 hands over the first 4 months - almost 36,000 hands behind schedule. This of course makes a few bad days seem worse.

I've just got to get back at it, but I just don't know where I should be playing. Seems like every 2+2er plays in the Party 15 games - how can that be any good? I'm apprarently too "weak tight" to continue in the 6max 10/20 game. Well where the heck else can I make $40/100? Im actually considering working on my tournament game (again, I usually don't have enough gamble in me to do well in tournaments) for the rest of the year since the money is so huge there if you can get lucky and pop a decent sized event you'll make your year... but I've always considered poker to be just another daily job, grinding out the money on a consistent monthly basis.

[img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] This all being said, I'm don't feel I'm in a position to offer much help... except to let you know that I'm in that depressing place too right now (and so are many other "good" players).

So here's a shoulder for your latest cry and a "Keep your chin up". Keep playing your best, keep examining your play, and the cards will even out (for both of us) over the year - they always do. Stick around. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Pack

[IlliniRyRy]

"If the games are getting that much tougher why hasn't everyone taken a dive?"

It seems like there are a lot of winning players right now that are going through bad losing streaks, but I don't think it's because the games are getting tougher. On the contrary actually, I think the caliber of players these days (especially in the 5/10 6max) is near the lowest that it's ever been, and with good reason given the sick popularity of hold 'em. You're just going through some huge variance right now David, everyone knows you're capable of beating the game. Plug the minor leaks that you do have and I'm sure things will turn around. I guess the only leak I can see for sure is your play in the BB, looks like you're too loose. Call less and fold/raise more. FWIW, I'm in these games too, I'm sure we've crossed paths a few times. What's your screen name?

[naphand]

Escape from Party.

Play on other sites, the change of scenery and different player mix will freshen you up, force you to concentrate and help you sharpen your game.

Tournament play at least once a week is what the Doctor recommends (if I had a Doctor who played poker, I am sure he would prescribe this). You get to precisely limit what you lose, and are forced to read players and boards very well and take some sizeable risks with your stack.

I have always (except once) found moving to another site to be beneficial when getting stale/cold-decked.