Party NL25 and variance...

[Snoogins47]

Hey there, I'm fairly green to Party NL (played a lot of similar stakes home games, and some among other sites)

I'm in the typical "wtf, I keep getting sucked out on" mode that many people seem... and I know, keep the faith, long session etc. I've been confident in my plays every time, etc. I'm not here to rant, to pray for advice, etc..

My question is simple... what kind of variance and swings do you consistent winners see at Party NL25 and NL50, specifically when four-tabling?

I hear a lot of stories about people who talk about how soft the game is and how they rarely have a losing session...

And obviously, I've got a losing session in the makings right now ;P Just a curiousity, to see what kind of swings are "normal," and if anybody could post stats about these things or whatnot... Thanks all, appreciate the help.

[Fnord]

The full table game used to be far softer before the 6 max tables came. I clearly remember 3 and 4 way all-ins against full stacks with crap not being uncommon.

That being said, a -10 buy-in swing isn't uncommon.

[RPatterson]

[ QUOTE ]
The full table game used to be far softer before the 6 max tables came. I clearly remember 3 and 4 way all-ins against full stacks with crap not being uncommon.

That being said, a -10 buy-in swing isn't uncommon.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do the fishier players swim at the 6 max now?

[GimmeDaWatch]

Ya, I think the full tables are less soft now, though still very beatable. I remember when I began playing them last year being in a state of shock at how terrible and crazy alot of the players were. Anyway, I won mostly, but of course its incredibly easy to lose your stack at those tables, and I recall losing my stack 5 times in one day once. The reality of having very bad often aggressive players is that they're gonna suck out on you sometimes. But yes, I did have a downswing once of a little over 10 buy-ins.

[Snoogins47]

I needed some reassurance, I think ;P

Downswings are one thing... but dropping money left and right on your first attempt at a new game/limit/etc... that can be disheartening. It's kinda ironic: at games I play often, I'm almost zenlike, almost TOO comfortable with suckouts, etc. Very longterm.

But whenever I try something new, I have to fight my brain's urges, and those urges are to be horribly results oriented.

Note: The play at the six max tables is ridiculous. Average table had one or two tighter players, 3 maniacs, and myself.

I couldn't believe the action floating around those tables. Sad that middle handed games like that are by far my weakpoint, and always have been
(I can handle myself well heads up or three way, and when there's nine+ people around the table, I excel... when a few people get up though, is when I start floundering... can't quite get the hang of re-valuing hands, etc. etc.)

Maybe I'll dedicate some time to getting the hang of this six max nonsense, as these would just HAVE to be intensely profitable.

[GimmeDaWatch]

A "new game" meaning you always used to play the full ring games? Ive played the 6 max tables a little, and it does take some getting used to. For one thing, b/c alot of hands are heads up or 3 way, youre going to get bluffed at an swful lot, and that fact coupled with the blinds coming around more often is going to grind away at your stack alot quicker than playing 9 or 10 handed. I still play Stars alot, and the Party players are FAR more inclined to try and push you out of pots and make closer to pot sized bets when they bluff alot of the time, but that also makes them easier to trap. Also, the 50 BB buy-in makes you pot-committed far easier, and its the decent/not great hands I have that give me some trouble, as I dont want to get pot-committed calling largish bets with a pair of Kings/jack kicker and the like. Definitely takes some getting used to, but I think if you hang in there in 10-20K hands you should see things turn around. You using Pokertracker, by the way?

[TerraUbrett]

"I still play Stars alot, and the Party players are FAR more inclined to try and push you out of pots and make closer to pot sized bets when they bluff alot of the time, but that also makes them easier to trap."

Why play Stars at all? Everyone who plays at stars is so tight it's like pulling teeth to get money out of them, Party is a cash cow. Correct me if i'm wrong, but don't you want the players trying to push you out of pots and get paid out? I think the players at Stars are actually attempting to learn the ins and outs of poker, whereas a lot of party players are crazy and "gambling for fun".

[SpiderMnkE]

I play 6 max... and have yet to see greater than a 4 buyin downswing.

This has been 4 tabling for a few weeks. about 44 hours... 175 table hours I think.

This isn't a lot of data... but a 10 buyin downswing sounds insane!

[GimmeDaWatch]

Ya, obviously Stars is far tighter, but their tournies and software are vastly superior, so I jump around. To the monkey_man, when I was playin on the Party full tables last year alot, I went up about 60 buy-ins pretty steadily, then hit a string of awful beats, and losing 10 buy-ins WILL happen if you play long enough (at Stars, it would be faaaaar less likely). It may seem insane if its never happened to you, but when the play is real aggressive and you happened to be getting sucked out on, the buy-ins can vaporize pretty quickly. As I said before, I've lost my stack 5 times in the space of a few hours.

[GimmeDaWatch]

Out of curiosity Snoogins, how many buy-ins are you down?