Another poker blog? from a beginning mid stakes player?

thwang99 · #1 08-25-2004, 06:09 AM

Let me know if you guys are interested in me posting this on a weekly or so basis. I think it will really help me to write my thoughts down on a regular basis. It's nice to get feedback from others, and hopefully writing this will be therapeutic for me in the sense that I'd be getting an audience and "support group" for my poker forays. Hopefully this will also help other beginning mid-limit players. So, a little bit of background, I recently took the jump to 15/30 HE, been doing ok, played 20 hours and am up about $4.1k. Feel like I'm on top of the world. Been playing for a few years, and just moved up to 15/30 for a month or so and have an, after 20 hours, a $200/hour win rate. Man, if that was my true rate, I'd be quite happy. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Here's today's "entry":

for some reason tables were really semitight-agg tonight, I shoulda left, but considering I played...

this situation came up a lot.

I'd post or was in BB with a hand like 9To, or K7s.

A EP limper or something raise, and 3 callers. Call, of course, right?

Then someone to my left would 3-bet (assume raisers, etc, positions, are so that this is possible). I have odds to call again.

How do you avoid this situation? Fold knowing PF it might be 3-bet? Something I need to work on.

Anyways, just had my win rate reduced by proabbly 75%. Lost about $3k the past 2 sessions! Didn't hit any set (not uncommon, I admit), didn't hit anything with AK AQ, and lost all my high pairs QQ, JJ, TT, etc...

Went almost an hour without winning one hand. Tables were semi-tight-agg, with 1 or 2 fish but otherwise solid players.

I was probably playing -EV maybe?

Anyways, I knew a $224/hour win rate was not my true win rate. One can dream, right? I'd be satisfied with a $100/hour win rate. Oh, I usually 3 or 4 table online 15/30.

My first plan of attack is to play enough hours to get a sense of my hourly rate. Going to try and play the hours, not go for a goal like $10k in 3 months, etc.

Great article I found yesterday:
http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/cpar...s.php?id=00002

IlliniRyRy · #2 08-26-2004, 10:38 AM

Yeah the blog is cool, keep it up. I recently moved to 15-30 as well so I'd like to hear more from you. Calling the raise with K7s and 109o, I wouldn't do that but that's me.

1800GAMBLER · #3 08-26-2004, 11:43 AM

I think these blogs are usually pointless [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] all of them just focus on results and for nearly every poker player they understand swings, see UlyQuest. Yet being a 15/30 and posting results is probably exciting for lower stakes players, yet you are just advertising the game for them and giving them determination to get there.

thwang99 · #4 08-26-2004, 07:14 PM

Reading other poster's blogs does give me incentive to improve my game, that's a good point. As for posting results, maybe I should reconsider that. If I do keep up a blog, I won't post hourly win rates or overall results anymore. I think posting a blog would help me more than anything, as it has benefits like keeping a diary.

tom · #5 08-26-2004, 08:26 PM

twang99,

i would love to see you post your win rates. being new to this forum and mid-stakes in general, it would help me see if i can improve mine (that would be if i was diligent enough to record my results).

anyway, i may be speaking from the lurker mentality in me, but i would think that it would help other newbies also.

t

rigoletto · #6 08-26-2004, 10:09 PM

Tony, dude. You don't have time for this. I am still waiting for my Party Pokerstat version [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

P.S. Glad you seem to be doing good though!

thwang99 · #7 10-08-2004, 04:56 AM

Hey Rig,

I've gotten to the point where I have something that's at least runnable. Let me know if you want to try it out!

As for something REALLY frustrating, Party seems to include SIDE POTS when someone bets, and there's a caller all-in! The side pot CAN ONLY BE WON by the better! There shouldn't be a side pot. At every other site there's no side pot in this situation except on Party.

What is the "right" thing to do here? If I count that as a valid side pot, then Party's stats for final pots will be skewed compared to the stats from other sites. Anyone have any suggestions?

- Tony

thwang99 · #8 10-08-2004, 05:01 AM

Here's an example. There's a side pot in this hand, where there shouldn't be:

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (6 max, 6 handed)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
UTG folds, MP raises, Hero folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls.

Flop: (4.40 SB) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB bets, MP raises, BB calls $3 (All-In).

Turn: (4 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (4 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: 4 BB
Main Pot: 3.80 BB, between BB and MP. > Pot won by BB (3.80 BB).
Pot 2: 0.20 BB, returned to MP.

Results in white below: 
BB has 3d 5d (flush, nine high).
MP has Js Kd (one pair, kings).
Outcome: BB wins 3.80 BB. MP wins 0.20 BB.

etizzle · #9 10-08-2004, 05:23 AM

illini how has the 15 been for you? I've played with you at the 5-10 fulls a decent amount.

scrub · #10 10-08-2004, 03:07 PM

Remaining agnostic on whether or not a blog would be worth reading, I'd rather not see it posted in this forum.

Blogs usually find a home in the General Hold Em forum.

scrub