Poker tracker & Pacific microlimits

[JustDerek]

I've been looking to improve my play using Mangatang's recommended method, i.e., starting in the .10-.20 tables at Pacific and poring over WLLH as I go. I do feel like I've definitely gained some knowledge, but after about 11 hours of play my BR has declined at a rate of about .80/hour. What I'm wondering is, am I mistaken that Poker Tracker doesn't work with the Pacific interface? Is there some other tracking app I should be using?

I feel like I've been patient and waited for playable hands but been dealt 95% trash (Q4o, 83, 95, etc.), but gotten money in the pot when I did get cards... but as might be expected I've begun to second-guess myself. Not that I've changed my standards of hands to play - just wondering what's up, you know.

I recognize the silly looseness of the players around me at those tables, and yet I almost never seem to have the tools I need to make them pay. I don't know if maybe I'm letting playable opportunities go by, or laying down hands too readily on the turn or the river or something, who knows.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

[dgoldsmith]

You are correct that PokerTracker does not support Pacific Poker.

I read Mangatang's post as well and wanted to start by following it ideas but I also wanted to be able to use PokerTracker.

I started on PokerStars in the $0.05/$0.10 limit game with $30 and after doubling to $60, I moved over to Paradise Poker which has a $0.10/$0.20 limit game. Both of these sites are supported by PokerTracker.

[Mangatang]

Yeah, Pacific is not supported by Poker Tracker (I sure wish it was). To keep track of my Pacific play, I keep a session log (done in an Excel spreadsheet), just to keep track of the stakes, time played, and amount won/lost for each session.

I'll start off by saying that 11 hours is not even a drop in the bucket of time you need at the table before the stats have any meaning. Just for starters, I wouldn't give any weight to any stats until you've played at least 100 hours (even that is not a big enough sample to determine your win rate, but it's a start).

If you're following my method of learning, you will notice that you will only practice one section of WLLH at a time (to help focus on each point in the book). That means at first, you will not really have any clear idea how to play most post-flop situations. So, at first, you will probably start out slow, or even lose for a while. As you progress through the book, you will gradually add more and more weapons to your arsenal, and you will know what to do in most situations. This will only come with time at the table and practice.

Don't get discouraged if you don't start out a winner (no one does). The reason I suggest starting out at the .05/.10 limit, is so that you won't lose much money as you're learning.

Another thing is that at these low micro-limits, you'll be playing against some very loose players, which means your good hands will hold up less often (because you're up against more people who stay to the end who can draw to a better hand). The key is that the pots you do win, will be much bigger than normal, so in the long run, you should have a nice win rate (big bets per hour) at these level.

Every player goes through bad streaks where the cards just don't fall right. The variance at the micro-limits is even greater because of the lose players, but the payoff is when you DO start making some good hands.

So, just stay patient and know that playing correctly will get you the money in the long run. It's not going to come easy, so just give it some time, and keep up the hard work. Believe me, it will turn around if you stick to the advice in the book and stay disciplined.

Good luck.

[ewile]

post hands in the micro-limit forum!

[JustDerek]

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it. I have indeed been keeping a log in Excel of my minutes/hours played, starting and ending BR, etc.

I do feel like I'm going to have more success now that I'm absorbing the stuff in the later chapters of WLLH, i.e., post-flop play.

Ewile: I will post hands in the microlimit forum as soon as I have a good way of recording them accurately. I want to devise my own means of accurately recording hands (is there already some app that I can use for this as I play at Pacific?). I often can't recall a hand with complete accuracy, even if I sit out the next hand and try to do it right away - I find myself stopping to think, "wait, was MP1 sitting out or did he fold," or, "was it CO or the Button who made it 3 bets," and once I stop to do that, I confuse myself and it's all over. Is this normal, or am I going senile?

Senile at 33... that would suck.

[JPNet]

I believe that the only way to get an accurate hand history on Pacific is to make note of the starting 2 cards and the time. You can then go back through their hand history after your session and replay the hand, making notes.

When you post the hand, mention the fact that it is Pacific and therefore the hh was done manually. It might ward off a few of the replies telling you to use the converter.