My Goal for Poker- To use it as a way to practice… where I can be aware of my emotions, unattached from outcomes, and present while I play and as a result accumulate $100,000.  Poker is a lab experiment of sorts.

So, I decided to switch from PLO HU to NL HU and have been happy with the decision.  I took a few things into consideration while deciding to make this jump.

1. Much more content- More content is available right now for NL HU and I feel at my level it gives me a much bigger edge.  I can now learn at a steadier pace and apply new concepts to my game on a weekly basis.  There is little PLO HU content on DC or CR and I was feeling like I did not have a clear, simple plan for learning HU strategy.  I also think that by learning NL HU really well, it will provide a base for me to improve faster with other games in the future.  Ansky once said:

” When you play HU poker, you learn the difficult aspects of Poker really well because you are forced to hand read every hand.”

2. Less Variance- The Variance at PLO HU is more than my bankroll can handle and I am really ready to move up to HU $50.  I can do this with a smaller bankroll by playing NL.  The faster I move up the better because I am paying a very high rake at $25 HU. 

3. Better Game selection – There is a bigger player pool at NL HU, so I can game select better and find players I have a big edge on.

4. I really enjoy it – I enjoy being an 80-20 favorite on the flop rather than a 60-40.  My opponents are just as bad but have less of a chance to suck out.  There are also more opportunities to Bluff, which I am really loving!

So in recap a shorter learning curve, less variance, easier opponents (bc more to choose from), the potential to move up quicker and pay less rake, and a game I am really enjoying = NL HU

I have made some bad decisions as far as bankroll management and entered some MTT that I should not have and thus have suffered a hit in my bankroll.  I have my head on straight now though as far BR and I know that I must protect it at all costs, so any MTT’s that I enter will now come out of my own pocket not my bankroll’s.

My NL HU stats from 11/28 through 12/15:

Hands: 2466 (mainly @ NL25)

$ Earned: $88.27

BB/100: 12.98

So I’m very happy with this start and I will continue to play and learn more.  I am excited about Christmas and spending time with my friends and family.  I also came across a new Meditation book today called Meditation in a New York Minute and I really, really enjoyed the clear, simple structure.  I feel great.  So until, next time…

I feel really great about my game right now as I have begun to really focus on simply learning and recognizing and correcting mistakes when I am playing.  I have been in control of my emotions and have done well to remain present while playing.  This has lead to little to no tilt, which has been a huge help.  I think in the past, tilt (and playing drunk which is another form of tilt) have been the biggest bankroll killers for me.

I have started a new note taking system that has made watching videos more enjoyable and also begun recording my own play and reviewing it in order to uncover “hidden” leaks.  I have also started to make HU videos with other players and then review them.  I plan on trading them with others as well and getting some feedback.  So all in all, I feel great about how poker is going.  Life is pretty good as well.  So I will keep this post short and sweet and just post some results.

10/28 -11/6

Hands: 1964 all HU ( Definitely not Grinding the hell out of it, but really enjoying it)

Hours: 10.36 – Alternating between 1 and 2 tables, but feeling much more comfortable with 2 then previously.

$ Won: $217.05

bb/100: 44.21 ( obv. running below expectation)

Totals

FT- $149

UB- $885.75

Total – $1034.75 ( Only $49K to go)
P.S. I also have started to watch some PLO MTT videos and believe that I am going to give some a shot.  I willing to bet the play is pretty bad and a nice BR boost would be great.  Until the next time…

I have taken this past week off from poker (besides 35 hands @ 4 max which I won 2 BI today).  From time to time, I think it is good to just string together some days where Poker seldomly crosses my mind.  I think it definitely refreshes me.

I have been playing poker for some time and I have really come to the realization that I love it and will probably play some form of it for years to come.  Poker has become less and less important in my life while the things that really matter to me have become more of a focus in my life.  I feel that I have grown a lot as a person and am continuing to grow day by day.  I have wondered from time to time whether knocking poker down on the priority list of life would cause me to want to quit the game altogether and use the time to do other things.  But I realize how much fun I have when I play and how much I can relate poker to life.

I now approach poker by intentionally avoiding the total in my cashier besides when I make my weekly recap.  I try to be completely non results oriented.  I focus on remaining present while I play and following through with my game plan (position, put players on ranges, play solid, etc.)  I also try to recognize mistakes and find the superior play either by thinking it through or posting/asking others.  Poker is a way to build concentration and be aware of and “in control” of my emotions, which are skills that are hugely beneficial to life.  Coming to this realization was actually a huge relief for me because it gave poker a higher purpose for me other than just trying to win money from other people.  Playing HU PLO in particular gives me numerous opportunities to control my emotions!  I feel that I could go on forever about the skills that translate from Poker to life (patience, decision making) , but these will do for now.  The money is a by product.

So, I will be back at it next week and hopefully today if I get a chance, which I think I will because I got the itch.  Til next time…

Goal- To Attain $50K and become a $2/4 PLO reg.  To use Poker as mental exercise to recognize and correct my mistakes and manage my emotions (ie STAY OFF TILT).

So far Poker has been going good.  I have gotten in this pattern where I don’t play much at the beginning of the week, but pick up steam as the week goes on.  I basically just play when I feel like it, which is great because I am really into it when I play. 

I am writing this on Friday because I have friends coming into town and won’t be playing at all this weekend.  Just writing about poker and my results has been really fun and if anyone is reading this, I would suggest that they start a blog.

Ok, so I will post results and then some leaks that I have identified this week:

Hands:1851 (about 1400 @ HU, the rest @ 4max)

Hours: 9.13

Total: $80.75

BB/100: 17.45

Leaks:

1. Trying to make big call downs vs. opponents with “small pot hands.”  In 4 max games I don’t feel that I have to do that, I can sit back and wait for good spots to put in my money.  Two hands that I butchered this week, trying to make a hero call.  Generally, in PLO 4 Max if players are trying to put $ into the pot, they are strong.  Goes for the same in HU, when you are facing a player with AF of <2.

2. 3 betting Aggro opponents HU with a wide range.  My biggest aha of the week is that I should be 3 betting aggro and calling stations with a tighter, stronger range and 3 betting straightford players with a wider range.  Also Cbetting straightforward players more and Cbetting for the most part with either very strong or very weak hands.

3. Asking myself how does my hand rate vs. his range when making a call. 

4. Not making huge bluffs vs. the stations, But Value betting them harder.  I had this in reverse in some cases this week.

5. Raising (CR when I will only be called by worse) ex. set on a straight board.

6. My biggest Leak: Is not reviewing before the session enough.  This week, I am going to review for a minimum of 20 minutes before I play and I will see how this affects my bottomline and the mistakes that I make.

I can review- Marked hands, Previous sessions hands,  Posted hands, a DC or CR vid and then make notes.  Remember Recipricality.

I also need to find someone to review HU vids with to spot leaks.

BankRoll

UB- $730.15

FT- $160

Total – $890.15

Goal- To attain $50K and become a $2/4 PLO regular.  Using poker to maintain mindfullness and become aware of my emotions. 

The past three days I have been playing a lot of HU PLO.  The gf is out of town and it left me with some evenings to grind.  I played well for the most part and am really enjoying HU.  Tonight, I played some 4 max and ran into a huge fish who was going nuts.  He got me out of the red and into the green for the night. 

Things I have been trying to keep in mind while I play

1. What Kind of pot do I want to play?

2. What is the best way to play that vs. my opponent?

3. What is my opponents most likely holding?  Use betting pattern and timing tells.

So, here are my HU results from Sept. 27- Oct. 8

Hands: 3,025 (most of which were played in the last 3 days and about 2,500 HU),  I switched over to 2 tabling HU just recently.

Hours: 15. 74

bb/100: 3.79 (HU only- 6.62)

Total- $28.63

So nothing ground breaking, but I feel I played well.  I am sure there are a ton of leaks that I can work on and I will begin to strictly review my last session before the next session.  I will hold myself to that and that will be my prep, because I rarely feel like reviewing anymore.  Then I can mix in the occasional video whenever I feel like it.

Totals

UB – $650.01

FT- $163.99

Total – $814

So moving in the right direction, gonna watch some of a video now.  Til next time…

My Goal- To attain $50K  and become a $2/4 Reg.  I will mindfully use poker as mental exercise to practice concentration.  I will strive to learn and improve at the game and be aware and control my emotions.

So week 2 ended kinda bad, I had a solid beginning to the week but ended up drinking at the bar after the Redskins game and then decided to come home and play Poker.  Of course, it was a bad idea.  I dropped a little over $100 (4 BI) playing HU and 4 max.  In my drunken defense, I got sucked out on in 2 or 3 big pots.  But if my goal is to improve and learn from my play, then I have no chance achieving it if I play drunk. 

This past week, I did not play much.  Sometimes I just don’t touch poker for 2 or 3 days and then when I come back to it, it becomes really exciting again.  Other times I will play 2 weeks straight.  I find that my results are much better if I play when I am really into it.  Although, I did not play many hands this week, I recouped my losses from my drunk session and then a little more. 

I feel great about HU right now.  I found a couple of other forum members to trade hands with, which I think will be  a huge help.  I enjoy studying HU hands so much more than 6 max.  I think hands are just more interesting.  I also got camtasia, which I feel like a dork being so excited about.  But I really am excited about recording some HU and reviewing and trading.  I think recording your own vids helps you to uncover little leaks that you can not correct by posting hands.

A couple of things that attributed to some successful HU sessions this week:

1. Preparing before I play…I have gotten away from this recently, but spending just 20 minutes reviewing notes or watching a vid really puts my in the right mindframe.  I think that preparing is even more crucial in HU bc you jump right into the action and have to be ready to make the right decisions.  I also find that if I don’t feel like preparing, but I “feel” like playing (ie. wanna drag some pots), then I probably should just do something else bc my mind is not completely into it.

2. 3 betting.  I have been playing some aggro players who 3 bet often.  I have found that almost all players at my level do not play very well in 3 bet pots.  I think 3 betting with solid rundowns is a great way to put a player on his heels.

3. Floating.  I have also been playing aggros who c bet almost all flops, but will usually only continue on the turn with a hand.  I then can take more pots away on the turn.

4. Position.  This is hammered home in every video and book that you read about PLO, but you cannot underestimate the importance of hammering the button and just folding some junky hands OOP vs. a Preflop raise.

My HEM has been fucking up bc of lack of memory on my comp.  But is now fixed.  So starting next week, I will start posting number of hands, BB/100, etc.  But for now, the weekly summary is:

UB: $643.47

FT: $163.99

Total: $807.46

Until next week, GL.

Goal- To attain $50K and become a $2/4 PLO reg.  I can visualize the money in my account and I presently view poker as a mental exercise.  I am getting better every week.
So it’s sunday and the first week of football, so it will be a short post.  We are having people over for the Redskins game and I wanted to put in the weekly update before the game.  Slightly hungover from last night, but definitely ready to hang out and watch some football.

I transfered money into my UltimateBet account from FullTilt and I believe I will grind UB for awhile.  The players are softer and it also gives me the opportunity to play PLO HU$25 and 4 max.  I have an edge over the majority of these players and playing shorthanded allows me to play more hands with weaker players, which is always a good thing.  4Max and HU is also a lot more fun. 

My HEM stopped working and I need to re-install it.  The funny thing is that I started playing better when I was not using a HUD.  I think it made me play more ABC (which on UB at this level is a great approach) and get away from looking at stats.  I might use the HUD to just get an initial read on certain players and then take it down, so I’m not to heavily influenced by the stats.  I have a feeling that HEM is making me call rivers that I really shouldn’t be calling.  For example just because a player is 80/25/4, he still could have hit his straight on the river. 

I started the week down and was losing on FT, but finished the week up.  I played really well on UB the latter part of the week.

Results:
UB: $598.57

FT:$149.66

Overall:$748.23

I will probably transfer the rest of my FT over to UB.  I won’t take shots at HU 50 until probably about $2.5K or $3K. Overall I feel great about the week and know that more great things are still to come in poker and life.

Goal- To attain $50K and become a $2/4 PLO reg.  I can visualize the money in my account and feel as though I already have it.  I know I am complete right now and money plays no role in my true happiness.

I will prelude every post with this.

I listen to Mediocre Poker every week and really enjoy the show.  I heard EB saying that no one takes advantage of the blogs and I thought I would go ahead and sign up and begin tracking my progress in this great game called poker and also some life milestones.

I play PLO and have been for about 6 or 7 months.  I currently play $25 and have watched my bankroll fluctuate.  I go back and forth on how “serious” I take the game.  But I am going to change that and begin holding myself accountable for my results.  I feel that this blog will help tremendously.

I am a member of Deucescracked and feel that I am a solid player, but lately have come to the realization that overall I might not be a winning player.  I will play solid for periods of time, but then do serious damage to my roll by donking off BI’s in spots where in retrospect I was so obviously beat.

So, I will have some goals/targets every week.  I no longer have x amount of hand goals, as this used to force me to play when I was not on my A Game. 

So, I will:

1. Only Play and Learn on My A Game (which is when I am completely mentally clear, undistracted and and really into Poker)

2. Post once a week my results for the week along with my major hands, both good and bad, and leaks that have been costing me $.

3.  I will take Ansky’s advice and review thoroughly every session that I play. 

4.  I have a group of fellow micro PLO players that I talk with and I will begin to compile hands on  a weekly basis that I will trade with them, in order to get some insight.  I will also post on 2 + 2 and DC.

5. I will play 3-4 tables and play for no longer than an hour and a half wo a break.  Ideally I will take a break after an hour to go for a walk or clear my head.  I will also ideally do approximately 20 minutes of prep before each session in order to get into my A game.                                                                         

6.  And finally I will approach this game as I am exercising my mind and allow the $ to be the by-product.  The goal of this game is to make the right decision on every single street, not to make money.  Money is simply the by-product.  If I continue to learn a and analyze my play, then the $50K will be the by-product.

Current $:

FT:$628.94                                 

UB:$65.61 

Total:$694.55

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