50,000 hand update, stats checkup (long).

[OrianasDaad]

All my hands so far this year, combined 1/2 and .5/1 full ring at Party. None of this is counting the 25K hands I played at Prima last year.

The basics:
VPIP: 16.38
PFR: 7.92
AGG: 2.47/2.30/2.17 = 2.34
WtSD: 32.91
W$SD: 52.23
BB/100: 2.05
SD: 15.3BB/100
Cold calls: .2% (twice every 1000 hands)

Possible leaks:
W$SD when calling on river: 24.97%
Winning Sessions %: 46.52
High Card: -$40.91 (my only loser).

Miscellany:
Top 10 hands by Win%: AA, KK, AKs, QQ, JJ, AQs, AQo, KQs, TT.
Two biggest cash losers:
77: -$120
A6s: -$64

There are 28 hands that I have never VPIPed with - they are all offsuit hands.
Most popular hand: 63o
Least popular hand: 64s

My top limping hands: 33, A7s, 66, 77, A5s, A3s, QTs, 44, A4s.

History:
After leaving Prima at the end of last year, I have been playing solely at Party and skins, albeit a little haphazardly and without a clear plan for the future. For those that don't know, I'm a stay-at-home Dad, and am going to give this poker thing a stab full time starting tomorrow.

I played .5/1 for most of the first month, and made a couple stabs at 1/2 during US daytime hours towards the end of the month with poor results. I dropped back down to .5/1 until early March, where I played about a week of 1/2. A withdrawal forced me back down to .5/1 for about a day before I decided to take a stab at the 2/4 game. As an aside, I had the 300BB for the 2/4 game, but was uncomfortable with it. My foray into 2/4 lasted a single day, only losing $32. From that point on, I played a mix of 1/2 and .5/1. The beginning of May saw a "permanent" switch to 1/2 after a couple of weeks of playing Omaha Limit High. What a game! This next bit marks an important step in my development.

Playerview goes commercial right about the same time I decide to play HE again, leaving Omaha for another time. At the same time I move up to 1/2 limit. What I found was that I was playing exceptionally well. The weak-tight play that is generally correct in Omaha High was helping me in the tighter 1/2 HE game. I also didn't have the benefit of playerview, so I had to rely on reads and player study again. Someone once laughed at me when I mentioned the "rock-fest" at 1/2. Now I know why.

I played 1/2 until I tried out a program that someone posted over in the software forums. MTH. Very nice. With the addition of this program, I decided to move back down to .5/1 to learn how to play eight tables. After a week of 8-tabling this limit with no PlayerView, I decided to spring for it. Another +EV buy, I think.

My play up to this point from a planning standpoint has not been good. I play sporadically, sometimes not at all for three or four days. If I want to become a "pro", I need a better plan. Here's what I've got.

Week #1: 5000 hands, 1000 hands per day, 5 days.
Week #2: 6000 hands, 1200 hands per day, 5 days.
Week #3: 7000 hands, 1400 hands...

You get the picture. I figure with my home schedule I can work up to about 1500 hands a day. The slowly increasing schedule will allow me to play an amount that is comfortable for me. Mabye it will be 1500 hands/day, mabye it will be less, mabye more, but I have to do something to find out what I am capable of on a consistant basis. I'll be tracking this, along with how I felt about the day in a log for future study.

I'm also moving back up to the 1/2 limit, but I'm only going to be playing six tables until I get a little more confident.

Once I get a static bankroll of $2400, I'll be moving up to 2/4 on a "permanent" basis. I figure that this is the lowest limit I'll be able to play and be able to make a signifigant contribution to the funding of my household.

Any comments are welcome.

[Quercus]

If you are relatively confident in your postflop play, it might be time to consider adding a few more starting hands to your preflop play.

[zuluking]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are relatively confident in your postflop play, it might be time to consider adding a few more starting hands to your preflop play.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good answer. I would add that the PFR% can come up a bit too.

[OrianasDaad]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are relatively confident in your postflop play, it might be time to consider adding a few more starting hands to your preflop play.

[/ QUOTE ]

I gave up playing from any sort of chart months ago. Now, every pre-flop decision I make is based on the situation at the table. I'm sure that when I move up to 2/4 that I'll open up a little more, since that limit is known to be "less tough" than 1/2.

[DeathDonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
I gave up playing from any sort of chart months ago. Now, every pre-flop decision I make is based on the situation at the table.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you should be more generous in your evaluation of the situations so that the net result is you playing more starting hands and raising more frequently preflop. This isn't about charts, this is about comfort playing lesser quality starting hands profitably.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure that when I move up to 2/4 that I'll open up a little more, since that limit is known to be "less tough" than 1/2.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everyone persists in saying this and yet it is not true. There is more aggression at every level, therefore it will be difficult for you to find more spots to play since the chance that the pot is raised in front of you increases. It is easy to actually tighten up which you really don't want to do with your already tight stats.

-DeathDonkey

[mithong]

amen. if you can't beat 1/2, you ARE not gonna beat 2/4...

[OrianasDaad]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I gave up playing from any sort of chart months ago. Now, every pre-flop decision I make is based on the situation at the table.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you should be more generous in your evaluation of the situations so that the net result is you playing more starting hands and raising more frequently preflop. This isn't about charts, this is about comfort playing lesser quality starting hands profitably.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure that when I move up to 2/4 that I'll open up a little more, since that limit is known to be "less tough" than 1/2.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everyone persists in saying this and yet it is not true. There is more aggression at every level, therefore it will be difficult for you to find more spots to play since the chance that the pot is raised in front of you increases. It is easy to actually tighten up which you really don't want to do with your already tight stats.

-DeathDonkey

[/ QUOTE ]

You are absolutely right about pre-flop play. It is an area that I am working on by reading and studying hands posted here, along with evaluation of my own play. I know I'm too tight pre-flop.

As far as 2/4 goes, we will see. I've heard that 2/4 full is a softer game than 1/2. If that is the case, I'll have to re-evaluate some portions of my game.

Right now, I pass on some marginally +EV decisions pre-flop. Mostly small and medium PP, offsuit broadway and suited aces in early to middle position are what I pass on. I'll try opening up my game a little bit, and see where that goes in the next 15,000 hands or so (two weeks).

Thanks for your constructive comments.

[Isura]

You probably will need to play more hands/day to make a decent earning at 2/4. If you are 8-tabling, 4 hours of play will be atleast 1800/day. Also, make sure you have a rakeback setup, and don't neglect good bonuses. Pokerrrom, Stars, and Crypto have very good bonuses when cleared at 2/4 and higher. I am playing semi-pro for the summer just to support myself until I start grad school in the fall, and there's a few things I've experienced:
- Setting hourly goals is less stressful than hand goals for myself. If I can play 4-5 hours of my best poker, I am happy for the day
- Bonuses seem insignicant and a grind sometimes, but they really effect the bottom line. It's additional variance-free income, that should not be passed up at the lower limits.
- Setup rakeback at a few sites. But always prefer a good bonus (10x or less clearance rates) before rakeback.
- Consider learning another game besides limit hold'em in your off hours. I can make more 8-tabling the 22s SNG's on Party than 8-tabling the 2/4, and I'm still a complete noob at SNG's (I think I'm a much better limit player). \

Good luck to you, I wish you the best.

[OrianasDaad]

[ QUOTE ]
You probably will need to play more hands/day to make a decent earning at 2/4. If you are 8-tabling, 4 hours of play will be atleast 1800/day. Also, make sure you have a rakeback setup, and don't neglect good bonuses. Pokerrrom, Stars, and Crypto have very good bonuses when cleared at 2/4 and higher. I am playing semi-pro for the summer just to support myself until I start grad school in the fall, and there's a few things I've experienced:
- Setting hourly goals is less stressful than hand goals for myself. If I can play 4-5 hours of my best poker, I am happy for the day
- Bonuses seem insignicant and a grind sometimes, but they really effect the bottom line. It's additional variance-free income, that should not be passed up at the lower limits.
- Setup rakeback at a few sites. But always prefer a good bonus (10x or less clearance rates) before rakeback.
- Consider learning another game besides limit hold'em in your off hours. I can make more 8-tabling the 22s SNG's on Party than 8-tabling the 2/4, and I'm still a complete noob at SNG's (I think I'm a much better limit player). \

Good luck to you, I wish you the best.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've got rakeback at one Party Skin, and at another site I signed up for but haven't played on yet.

Bonuses have been very important to my bankroll growth thus far, but I'm looking to get away from that crutch with time. That's not to say that I won't take advantage when it is profitable to do so.

I'll be adding more games and betting structures in the future. Next on my plate is single-table tournaments.

Thanks for the good advice!

[kapw7]

[ QUOTE ]
I figure that this is the lowest limit I'll be able to play and be able to make a signifigant contribution to the funding of my household.

Any comments are welcome.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you serious? Get a real job.