The PP 1/2 blood, sweat and tears thread

[dfscott]

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Now that the PP hand histories seem to be fixed, I might give the weekend a shot before bailing since it's usually softer.

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Are they fixed?

Last two nights playing 2 tables, I would request a hand history and one table would show up fine and the other would not.

If I played one table only, history was fine.

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I didn't work for me last night, but I went in this morning and it seemed to work. I was only playing 1 table, but I've heard people speculate that it might be table dependent.

[dfscott]

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Over the last couple of weeks, breaking and staying above the $1,000 barrier has been a huge psychological hurdle for me. My high point has been $1,051, but I have never actually finished a session above $1,000. I have wanted to simply shut the computer down a few times after breaking the $1,000 mark, but I know that is no real reason to leave a table, so I have resisted the temptation.

The last week or so has been incredibly frustrating, as I have dropped about 100BB. It's not a huge amount, and I know bad swings happen, but it has been difficult to deal with. The last 3 days in particular have been tough. I have been in a pattern where I will sit down for a session and promptly go at least 50 hands without winning a pot. Yesterday afternoon, I only won 1 pot in the first 225 hands I played. Lots of sets over sets, KK v. AA, flush beats at the river, etc. I am usually good at managing my emotions, but trying to stay about $1,000 has been a hard barrier for me to get over, and for some reason it is really bothering me mentally. Maybe because I could see the proverbial light at the end of the 1/2 tunnel and was looking forward to making a run at 2/4.

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That's interesting because I ran into the exact same thing when I was trying to move from .05/.10 to .25/.50. I decided that I needed $100 to move, and as I closed in on it, it seemed like an asymptotic limit:

27-May $92.59
28-May $95.97
29-May $92.77
30-May $90.13
30-May $89.18
30-May $93.01
31-May $91.55
1-Jun $94.76
1-Jun $92.93
2-Jun $97.13
3-Jun $98.43
5-Jun $100.48

I remember that I used to hit the "add chips" button over and over to see how close I was. I finally decided that it was counterproductive and forbade myself from looking at my totals until after a session. Maybe I need to do the same thing again so I can focus on my play, not my progress.

[dfscott]

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I started out pretty rough at 1/2 as well, with a 120 BB downswing (blech).

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[img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] That's one helluva 1/2 swing. I probably would have dropped back to .5/1

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I was thinking the same thing. Now I don't feel so bad about my measly 30BB drop. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

You know, now that I think about it, 30BB wouldn't bother me at all if I was playing .5/1. I think the fact that I'm starting a new limit and not seeing any progress after 2 weeks is what's getting to me -- I want to see positive results.

At the end of the day, my BR is fine, it's just my confidence that's shaken. As so many other posters have said, 1500 hands is nothing. If I'm still here at 5000, maybe I'll reconsider.

[SomethingClever]

I moved to 1/2 a couple weeks ago, but it's not a fulltime switch yet.

I started playing one table of 1/2 and one .5/1.

When I got more comfortable, I added another .5/1 table just to keep things interesting.

At first, 1/2 seemed impossible. But it has actually been a lot more profitable (in terms of BB/100) than .5/1 over my last 2K hands.

I think it's a combination of running well and paying more attention to table texture.

My VP$IP is around 13 at 1/2, versus 16 at .5/1, because I tend to never open limp (unless I'm UTG or +1) in 1/2. I do it all the time with small pairs, medium suited connectors and Axs in .5/1, because I can usually count on limpers behind me (and no raises). Although I think if I paid more attention at .5/1, I could identify table situations in which I shouldn't be doing this.

I really think that TAG play is more important at 1/2 than .5/1, with an emphasis on the AG part of that acronym. If you're not raising hands like AJo, KQo and ATs (when nobody else has raised), you're giving up a lot at this level.

Of course, I've had a small taste of 2/4, and I can't wait to get there. As soon as I get my rakeback for the last month, I will have the BR for it [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[prayformojo]

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You know, now that I think about it, 30BB wouldn't bother me at all if I was playing .5/1.

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That's what pulled me through too. It was especially frustrating because I started very strong (and lucky) in .5/1. At the new limit I had to remind myself that I wouldn't have quit if I'd lost $100 at .5/1, so why does losing the same number of bets hurt me now? In the same vein, I don't hyperventilate now when I'm at a good table and up $100 or more. It's all just big bets.

[akira]

Played my first 1/2 session at PP last night. I definitely noticed the difference. Cards were hitting me right on the head though, so I was up 32BB. Seemed a lot tighter pf, with a lot more raising going on. On the flop seemed more aggressive, with people bluff raising more.. The first hand I got was AK and it was 2 bet before it even got to me, and then everyone ended up folding to my bet in the river.. My semibluffs seemed to work more also (raising on a draw, etc)..

I've been playing Pacific 1/2 so far and doing pretty well, although I'm sure I'll need some work on my PP 1/2 game.. Pacific doesn't have any hand histories, so I don't feel like I've been improving much.. Hopefully PP histories now work, so I can get back to posting hands..

[burntazure]

I've yet to play PP 1/2 Full for a long period of time. However, I've played a small number of hands at 1/2 SH. For some reason, I think skill dominates in this format and there are times where I can double my buy in. Have you tried these tables?

Perhaps it is better to play 1/2 full, but I think I will keep playing SH unless I can see myself losing in the longterm.

[JDErickson]

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Scott you gotta accept that bad beats and bad luck are part of the game, you must not let it get to you.
For me a "pyschologically devastating" session is when I play badly, not when the cards are unfavorable.

Try and develop a hard shell which will allow you to stay confident and aggressive through thick and thin.
Be an emotionless mouse-clicking machine.


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I agree with your thoughts but wanted to add that saying and doing are 2 seperate things. I still find nights where I end up tilting due to numerous suck outs. Strive to improve thats all we can do. I also have learned to recognise when this occurs so I can do something about it.

Jim

[dfscott]

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I've yet to play PP 1/2 Full for a long period of time. However, I've played a small number of hands at 1/2 SH. For some reason, I think skill dominates in this format and there are times where I can double my buy in. Have you tried these tables?

Perhaps it is better to play 1/2 full, but I think I will keep playing SH unless I can see myself losing in the longterm.

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I really suck at SH play. Other than the SH section of HPFAP (which talks more conceptually than practically), do you know of any good places to learn (other than the school of hard knocks [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img])?

[burntazure]

Hi. HPFAP only speaks of headsup/3-way play, I think. Usually I try to join a 5 person table so that I can be the sixth to complete the full 6man table. And in this way the transition will be smoother. I am sure you've played at a ten man table when it got slow; the 6-man tables are slightly like that, but they differ in one important point: you know the game format will cap the number of players so play quickly evolves into a more chaotic form.

As far as learning to play there, I mostly read some common beginner's threads in the SH forum to check stats, strategies, and things of that nature... in short, the same thing before I played longhand, just to see what you may be up against.

And then, I think the only solution is just to jump right in and throw chips at them when yr strategy dictates. To assuage some of your fears, I can say that anecdotally my swings in terms of actual dollars when playing at 1/2SH are very close to those that I've had when at .5/1, but in terms of big bets. Of course, there were occasions where I've lost quite a bit at one table and then went to another table in one long sit-down session to do better there and end nearly even or positive. But, I think, the general idea is to play with people long enough so that you can predict their actions even before they make them. If you find that you're right a fair amount this gives you a nice advantage.

One other thing. I might be crazy and just lucky at the moment so it's best to keep yr guard up. I will play 1/2 longhand too, but it's fun to play shorthanded; I guess it's commonly accepted among poker gurus that having a good SH game can help yr LH game. Adios.