Microlimits Progress Quest: Post plans/updates/setbacks here.

[dfscott]

Congratulations, bison!

I'm really glad that you've been so successful, especially considering all that you've done for the 2+2 community.

Following your example, I've set similar goals myself, as have many others. Considering that we have several benefits that you didn't (SSH, the influx of fish, and who knows what else), I'm hoping that I'll be able to accomplish them as well.

You already answered my next question: "what's next?" I've always wondered if the increased concentration required at the higher limits would prevent (or limit) multi-tabling to the point where it would be less beneficial to move up. From what you're saying, that's not the case, so I guess I'll be girding my loins for a long climb.

I started playing .05/.10 in March of this year and took my first tentative stabs at 2/4 last night. At the risk of sounding mauldlin, I don't think I would've been doing that without the help of you, your hand history poster, and the rest of the experienced 2+2'ers.

Thanks again and good luck!

Edit: Reformatted in paragraphs since something ate them the first time. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[what]

I started less then a month ago with $40 at Pokerroom. I turned it into 250ish playing at .25-.5 then moved to party and started playing .5-1.

The Stats (4 tables, .5-1)
HANDS: 14,929
VP$IP: 21.33
PFR: 7.58
TOTAL AGGRESSION: 1.23
BB/100: 2.16

Some of your stats trouble me. Should I be making more at such a low level?
My total agression is probably too low, but I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong to improve it? Anyone have any advice?

[Entity]

This place has been great for me. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Prior to August 1st (just beginning to read 2+2, and hadn't read SSHE yet):

VPIP: 27.74
BB/100: 2.43
WtSD: 42.07
W$SD: 46.38
PFR: 8.17
Tot-A: 1.00

After SSHE, reading lots of posts here on 2+2, and learning a lot:

VPIP: 20.45%
BB/100: 8.18
WtSD: 35.77%
W$SD: 51.7%
PFR: 9.31
Tot-A: 1.29

Still working on that Tot-A.

I've got a few hands that seem to be a bit leaky (TT is my biggest loser), but I don't think my sample size is large enough to tell yet.

Small sample sizes, I know (only around 5-6k hands total), but I'm moving in the direction I want.

Rob

[bisonbison]

You already answered my next question: "what's next?" I've always wondered if the increased concentration required at the higher limits would prevent (or limit) multi-tabling to the point where it would be less beneficial to move up. From what you're saying, that's not the case, so I guess I'll be girding my loins for a long climb.

Multitabling has become more difficult as I've moved up, there's no doubt about that, but since I've been multitabling the entire time, my learning curve has automatically accounted for that. It's not for everyone, though, and you're basically exchanging more money for slower progress. In some cases, I think it can be counterproductive to your ability to move up.

I think my next step will be fortifying my bankroll to at least 600BB for 5/10. That ought to take a while, since I currently have only 200BB for 5/10. Then I'll either take a stab at 5/10, or start learning how to play short-handed by moving to Party 1/2 and moving up in the SH games from there. Probably, I'll go the latter route, since I feel like it's pretty profitable and it's something that's still a clear shortcoming in my game.

[chesspain]

Mazel 'Tov! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[AncientPC]

Before August 2004 (and thus before reading 2+2):
1/2 SH:
<ul type="square">[*]1170 hands[*]44.1% VPIP[*]0.11 BB/100[*]31.77% WtSD[*]52.79% W$SD[*]9.57% PFR[/list]
0.50/1:
<ul type="square">[*]1939 hands[*]46.78% VPIP[*]-3.18 BB/100[*]34.59% WtSD[*]47.21% W$SD[*]5.62% PFR[/list]
For August 2004 so far:
1/2:
<ul type="square">[*]500 hands[*]28.00% VPIP[*]-9.75 BB/100[*]29.61% WtSD[*]37.74% W$SD[*]3.40% PFR[/list]
0.50/1:
<ul type="square">[*]8221 hands[*]23.94 VPIP[*]2.90 BB/100[*]31.83% WtSD[*]51.59% W$SD[*]4.49% PFR[/list]
NL 25:
<ul type="square">[*]1585 hands[*]33.56% VPIP[*]-2.47 BB/100[*]28.42% WtSD[*]45.55% W$SD[*]9.09% PFR[/list]
I take occasional stabs at NL 25, but can't handle the variance (mentally). I'm net +200, then I'm net -40 in the same weekend.

I also have a tendency to go on tilt after bad beats in NL. In limit I'm multitabling and I kinda get used to the beats since people call with everything so I shrug it off, but it's when I go all in with monster hands only to be beaten by marginally better monster hands (or crap hands in some cases) a few times that throws me on tilt.

I'm in the middle of reading WLLH (my first book) and it's helped my pre-flop play, but I think it's making me weaker post flop as now I tend to see all the monster hands that can beat me as opposed to playing more aggressively with good hands.

5400 hands in .50/1 pre-WLLH and I'm 3.8 BB/100 with 25% VPIP, but post-WLLH with 2900 hands and I'm 1.3 BB/100 with 20.6% VPIP. Then again it could just be a bad stretch of cards . . .

I just need to dicipline myself and stick with 0.50/1 instead of blowing all my money at the 1/2, NL 25, or SNGs like I'm doing right now (I placed 2nd once out of 5 $10+1's).

[Aviston]

Well, I might as well join the bandwagon and tell my story as well [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. A couple of months ago I deposited $240 into UB to start my online poker career. I'm not sure why $240, nor am I sure why I chose UB but meh, whatever. I joined 2+2 around the same time, and immediately saw all of the 'WE LOVE PARTYPOKER' posts. I was stubborn, however, and stayed at UB.

I had never played limit Hold 'Em before (I played NL ring home games). In the first 2 days I went down 100 BB at .25/.50 and felt pretty rotten. Looking back, my play was mediocre at best, but it didn't help that I was running so awful. At one point, I flopped a set three times in twenty hands (not twenty hands I played, mind you, but twenty hands I was dealt) and lost every single one of them. I dropped down to the nano-limits at UB just to make sure I wasn't a terrible player.

About this time a friend of mine from my home games wanted to play online poker as well. Unfortunately, he didn't have internet, nor did he have an account at UB, so I let him use mine to play SnGs. He'd pay me in cash for the entry fees, and then proceed to lose [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. I also played SnGs for a couple of weeks and managed to win back the money I had lost at .25/.50.

Unfortunately, my friend was down $190 so my account had $50 in it (although I had the $190 in cash). Rather than redepositing the money, I figured I'd move back to .25/.50 and see how far I could take my current $50. I got off to a great start, and after two weeks, had the BR requirement of $150 (my first milestone). It took me another two weeks (this is one week ago) to reach 300 BBs for .5/1 and my first true move up.

I tried the .5/1 games at UB, but they were absolutely horrendous. Two players to every flop, yadda yadda. I cashed out of UB and moved to PP this past week. I've been suffering some internet problems, and so I haven't gotten in very many hands at PP but I have been running well and making decent progress. Here's my stats for UB .25/.50 and PP .5/1:

UB .25/.50
VP$IP: 16.94%
PFR: 6.64%
Aggro: 1.90
BB/100: 7.40

PP .5/1
VP$IP: 14.54%
PFR: 5.3%
Aggro: 3.08
BB/100: 9.59
Currently up: +70 BB

Granted, PP is a very small sample size, so those numbers don't mean much at all.

As for goals, I'd like to continue to improve and hopefully reach 2/4 by the end of this year. Looking further, I certainly would be thrilled if I could reach the 5/10 limit by next summer, but we'll just have to see how things go. Good luck all!

[Trix]

Hi Bison

Congrats. You sure have played many hands [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] ..

It´s been long since I have updated in this thread and I probably will in 1500 hands or so when I reach 10K 3/6 in PT. Have around 10K before aswell. Started at University, so cant play/post as much as I used to anymore.

It has been good and enlightening to discuss hands with you. It will be exiting to see where we are at the end of this year.

[skirtus]

I've been playing online for about 3 months. Started with $30 at Paradise in June. I spend about 50% of my time at the .50-1.00 tables and the rest of my time playing No Limit SnG's and MTT's. My wife is now hooked on online poker and I started her on the .05-.10 at Paradise. She is now playing .50-1.00 after reading several poker books. We both have accounts at Party, Empire, and Pacific. Plan to expand to at least one more site in September. I discovered 2+2 forum in July. This site was a real eye opener. Here are my stats so far. We just started multi-tabling and I expect the number of hands we play to increase dramatically over the next few months.


Hands 5994
VP$IP 16.22
Preflop Raise% 6.92
Postflop Agro 2.82
BB/100 5.78

Our combined bankroll is $1600 now. We are working our way through SSH and will be making the jump to $1-2 when we feel confident in our play. Our combined bankroll is $1600 and our longterm goal is to generate 2-3K in monthly income. This site has been a great source of info and I would never have been this successful without it.

[BellyBuster7]

[ QUOTE ]

Some background: At the beginning of this year I was a slightly profitable .5/1 player. In 2003, with 5000 hands in .5/1, I was winning 1.5BB/100. Okay, but not anywhere near the kind of rates people were posting for the party micros. I wanted those kind of inflated rates, and setting some concrete goals let me measure my progress and stay motivated throughout the micro grind...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is almost exactly where I'm starting at right now. I've been playing for a few months at .5/1, and by some miracle, have been slightly profitable. I'm reading Ed Miller's book and reading this forum just about every day, and I hope to achieve results similar to Operation Boondoggle. I totally suck at multitabling, so that is a severe handicap of mine right now. I'd be very happy if I could make it to 2/4 or 3/6 at this point, and who knows what from there.

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration.