Things I never do

[vetman81]

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[donger]

Don't most people pick up VP$IP points for opening up their blind defense standards? How are you in those areas?

[Stack]

[ QUOTE ]
while that's not to imply we shouldn't try to indentify and improve our weakness, the margin betwen excellent and mediocre poker is slim, and it only takes one hand per 100 that you screw up to really cut into that thin margin.


[/ QUOTE ]

wow! My lesson of the day. Thanks

[Michael Davis]

"the margin betwen excellent and mediocre poker is slim, and it only takes one hand per 100 that you screw up to really cut into that thin margin."

Okay, true, but you really have to be making a major error on that 1 hand to make this claim. Because few bad calls cost more than a small fraction, especially from half-decent players.

-Michael

[Stack]

[ QUOTE ]
"the margin betwen excellent and mediocre poker is slim, and it only takes one hand per 100 that you screw up to really cut into that thin margin."

Okay, true, but you really have to be making a major error on that 1 hand to make this claim. Because few bad calls cost more than a small fraction, especially from half-decent players.

-Michael

[/ QUOTE ]

He said "one hand per hundred that you screw up".

I took "screw up" as losing a pot that we would have won if played correctly, as opposed to missing a value bet here and there or paying off one extra BB here and there.

[Cerril]

That's a great point. A lot of that has to do with whether I have a read on my opponent. I'm pretty (actually, very) tight in the SB in most cases, since it's uncommon I'm directly to the right of a tight BB and the left of a loose steal (usually it's the loose BB and a loose-ish steal).

In the BB against steals the default has become A5+, sort of a floating K6-K8 (sometimes I'll fold, sometimes I won't), Q9+, and 44+ for reraises. I'll also call with suited connectors in a floating band from 54s through 87s and 86s through T8s as my lower bound. I really don't feel like I have a great handle on my plays against steals in the blinds.

Incidentally, to the rest of you, I'm not claiming that somehow I'm not capable of playing good poker with a 22% VP$IP. I know I can be profitable here and that if I'm not making any terrible preflop mistakes I'm not leaving huge wads of cash on the table either. But the thing is, if it's possible to play a wider range of hands profitably (and all indications say it is, with better reads and reading ability), then I'd like to work on getting the skills necessary.

Still, as Victor said (and I still use his 21%-base screenshots to gauge some things now and then), it's more important not to be making any huge -EV mistakes than to try to squeeze every last dime from the table. And I'm pretty sure with a lot of hands I'd end up folding when I'm ahead or calling when I'm behind far too often, cutting into the profitability of current winning hands.

So I'm not really stressing over this, but I am interested in improving my play and in having an idea of what direction my game's going in both the near and distant future.