Fuck micro stakes

Little late getting to my year end results, mainly because I didnt even bother looking. But after deciding to do so, I think I actually have something to be proud about.

2009 earnings:


I made monies! But whats so great about this, is compared to my 2008 losses, which is when I first took up ye ole game of poker.



And hey, look at that, only -8BB/100, so not like I was a total donk out of the gate!

So, I have improved! This is great! It means I am learning something afterall! I'm still waiting for my next real landmark, the $0 point. As sad as that sounds, I actually dont feel depressed looking forward to the day I break even. But I do think I'll get there, and much much further.

That is all. Happy new year you smelly bastards.

P.S. This does not reflect live earnings, of which I added up from my ATM deposits to be roughly $500.

P.P.S. We are also considering moving to vegas. More on that later.

0 votes

Comments (1)

So b/c I'm financially crippled, I decided my best shot at building a bankroll would be to play an assortment of SNG's, just to get the maximum ROI with my buyin's, and the equity advantages of playing a limited player pool by just sitting out until late game play when possible. A friend of mine challenged me to some HU matches and I instantly became hooked. After we called a truce at 5-7 him, I continued the $2 HU games thinking maybe I found my niche, a game where I can justifiably play loose and fancy as fuck vs fish and not be as variance heavy when 5 of them call me in a ring game.



Now I dont know much about the statistics of HU play, but I tilted my brains out towards the end when I started getting 3 outered by their bottom pairs making trips on the river, or players just stacking off all in preflop for 1200 chips at level 1 with K7o vs my AK, and hitting their 7 on the turn. Other things I noticed were fish just doing the same typical fishy things they do, calling multiple streets with a single overcard only to bink on the river, calling 3bets with air, and calling every preflop raise with literally any two cards. I'm reeeaaaallllly finding it hard to differentiate between the skill vs luck factor these days.

Since I have $20 left, I'm gonna try the ole stacked table thing. I ran up a small roll doing this once, playing about a 7/4 game. I'll have to remember how this is done.

If none of this works, then I'm just gonna write off penny stakes as genuinely unbeatable over a large sample, and those that make it through simply ran good enough that they could move up. My next move will be to simply deposit an amount I can comfortably play NL200 for, because I cant seem to win at anything below this.

0 votes

Comments (8)

I havent played any hands online this november. I focused entirely on the various live games in my city ranging from NL50-NL1000, but NL200 was my cutoff. Sadly I failed, playing a hyper aggressive game vs a bunch of live tards trying to push every edge I had. Honestly I feel I just got sucked out on 100% but I'd need HEM to be the judge for sure. So I am absolutely 100% officially done with live play. My style just does not fit it.

Sadly, my style doesnt fit online either. In all reality my style probably sucks, but I think I know what I'm doing, it just only works at higher limits, you know the ones where people fold T8o in the small blind to a 6x BB raise. But then again I probably dont have to make it 6xBB to get into a favorable spot. I've always done well at higher limits. My HEM graphs is all positive from NL200-NL400. It's the micros that kill me. I probably know how to beat them, but I dont have the time to nut peddle all night across 20 tables and win 1 buyin per day before I can move up, and thats not even counting when variance sets you back 10 BI's. Micros are like this horrible slow grind, up and up and up, and then BOOM, you go way down when some fish gets his money in bad. Then you repeat the process, and if you have enough patience, eventually you come out the victor.

So where can I play to maximize fish's mistakes and remove them from the equation at micro limits. I have deemed this to be possible in SNG's. You see, in an SNG, some retard mother fucker can only fuck up so many times before his ass is gone. The way I see it, if I play a 1 table SNG, im not playing vs 9 fish, im only playing vs 3 or 4. The rest will knock themselves out, all the while giving me equity for nothing. Now theres still variance in SNG's. But as long as I can capitalize on my superior poker playing skill vs these 3 or 4 fish I encounter, it should be a cake walk. The other fish self-destruct, and I get to play for payouts vs hardly anyone at the table.

So where does this leave me? Well b/c I cant afford to play NL200 online right now, which I would do with about $1000 bankroll or more, I need to work that shit up. Hopefully I can grind my way through the SNG circuit to about a $200 bankroll or so and then take shots at NL50, the first limit that isnt completely filled with total idiots. It'll still be a struggle b/c theres still plenty of fish also taking shots, but the bulk of NL50 players and up consist of new grinders, people who have read a few articles, seen a few forum posts, and maybe even read a book. As a result, they are trying to curtail their game to a more profitable style, and that includes folding dumb fucking garbage that stacks players like me when we hit TPGK.

My goal is to quickly get into NL100 and above, where I can play my 40/30 style and actually do some range finding postflop.

See it's funny, everyone says the higher the limits, the bigger the bankroll you need, because the players are better. But I see it as the opposite. The higher the limits, the less likely you are to be busting your ass because you know and respect these players, so you arent getting it all in every 2 fucking seconds, because that would be stupid because they arent either without a really good hand. At micro limits, you have to just run with your hands so often because there is zero range finding vs idiots, and then you find yourself getting rivered so often that you need a huge 50 BI bankroll to recover from the suckouts.

Thats my theory and im sticking to it.

0 votes

Comments (12)

Help plz.

edit: done, thx edzwoo!

0 votes

Comments (1)

Yet-another-lol-graph. I present to you, OCTOBER.



You see, my style of play lends itself to.... well it's kinda like... if you look at my raising frequency... I guess what im trying to say is, I have no fucking clue what im doing lol.. but this game is amusing nonetheless.

0 votes

Comments (6)

So after messing around with the only live game in town I know of. I finally made enough connections to be invited to a few more. I now have 4 live NL200 games of my choosing to attend every single night of the week. Kinda neat driving around my city going from one game to another. All games have dealers + free food & drinks paid for by their 10% rake structure. So far I have not met anyone above NL50 level. Most people here who have played live in a casino or wherever know the typical adage, NL200 live plays like NL2 online. Nothing new there, they all limp garbage pre, chase any 4 outer draw, and call off 2 streets minimum with any pair. And a few think theyre hot shit buying in for $500 and bluffing 5x your bet with air.

Ran into 2 brutal coolers tonight. Family pot gave me an excuse to limp in with A2s, I flop the wheel and some cunt has 67 for the nut straight. Another hand I turn a flush with QJs and get rivered by a boat from A2o, but I managed to recover by simply having the best hand over and over lol. Few idiots tried to slowplay me with flopped sets checking even the river just to see me muck AK high etc.

I made some pretty proud laydowns, like folding TP on dry boards like T85 to severe counter-aggression, and everyone was nice enough to show me their aces every single time. Guess they were just so thrilled they had to let everyone know what they had. When donks werent slowplaying the nuts they were overplaying it, check-raising players with quads on random boards who were doing all the betting for them and just shutting them down, then being like "LOLZ I HAVE QUADS WHAT!!"

All in all pretty fun shit. Hard to keep track how much im up, since the last few times I just stopped by the ATM and deposited my earnings. Think im up like $400 maybe, so nothin much, but enough of a live roll to be able to play for a few weeks. I hate sacrificing my edge by not having enough to reload when I get coolered like in the aforementioned hands, but I can rebound with 50BB's and still have a good time.

0 votes

Comments (2)

So I tried playing at work today (im so gonna get fired) without a HUD and constant phone calls and having to sitout randomly between hands to walk to other peoples desk's.




LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL. Man. I didnt even realize I was playing like this. The worst part, I copied the HH's to a thumb drive and loaded them up here at home, everyone I paid off was like fuckin 14/12 uber nits lol. Im like "jesus christ how could I not see that".

HUD = for me.

So bad, so so bad.... Guess the only logical thing to do is install HEM at work.

0 votes

Comments (6)

Aw fuck nah, redemption?



Came back totally calm after my morning spew. Really just doing what mayzerg suggested, chilling the fuck out. I still wasnt happy with my tables, lot of 60vp's on my left, but I just didnt let it get to me and laid it down when I didnt have it, and bet it when I did. Or least when I thought for sure their range is focused enough that they simply have to fold this board.

Only one hand of interest the entire session. Villain was 27/7/2, overall mostly passive. He suddenly started snap calling a lot of my opening raises.

Submitted by : NewbSaibot

Full Tilt Poker Game #15012414882: Table Soul (6 max) - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 12:49:09 ET - 2009/09/29
Seat 1: Hero ($34.31)
Seat 2: Pinch99 ($27.75)
Seat 3: stupid me ($20.42)
Seat 4: - Tilted Rag3 - ($26.64), is sitting out
Seat 5: kingchaching ($25)
Seat 6: DollarsAreSweet ($29.48)
kingchaching posts the small blind of $0.10
DollarsAreSweet posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #3

Holecards
Dealt to Hero
Hero raises to $0.85
Pinch99 calls $0.85
stupid me folds
kingchaching has 15 seconds left to act
kingchaching folds
kingchaching adds $0.10
DollarsAreSweet folds

Flop (Pot : $2.05)

   
Hero bets $1.75
Pinch99 has 15 seconds left to act
Pinch99 calls $1.75

Turn (Pot : $2.05)

   
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $3
Pinch99 calls $3

River (Pot : $2.05)

   
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $4.50
Pinch99 has 15 seconds left to act
Pinch99 folds
Pinch99 adds $2.85
Uncalled bet of $4.50 returned to Hero
Hero mucks
Hero wins the pot ($10.98)

Summary
Total pot $11.55 | Rake $0.57
Board:
Seat 1: Hero collected ($10.98), mucked
Seat 2: Pinch99 folded on the River
Seat 3: stupid me (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: - Tilted Rag3 - is sitting out
Seat 5: kingchaching (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: DollarsAreSweet (big blind) folded before the Flop

0 votes

Massive traffic accident shutting down entire freeway to work, so I just stayed home for an hour this morning. Decided might as well see what early mornin poker is like.



Looks like I need to move back to NL200 soon, dont know how much longer my bankroll can survive at NL25.

Jammed a couple of FD's vs check-minraising fish who hit their sets. Got outplayed by one fish who checked QQ to the river then overbets my value bet on the river.

I thought this hand was *kinda* interesting, least not for the fact that he was running a standard 26/18 at the tbale.

Submitted by : NewbSaibot

Full Tilt Poker Game #15009586431: Table Vehicle (6 max) - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 9:02:21 ET - 2009/09/29
Seat 1: sabine87 ($23.01)
Seat 2: GorillaOwner ($29.34)
Seat 3: warro24 ($55.16)
Seat 4: Sai Yang ($25.35)
Seat 5: Hero ($45.32)
Seat 6: xPunkInDrublicx ($44.70)
sabine87 posts the small blind of $0.10
GorillaOwner posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #6

Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero
warro24 folds
Sai Yang folds
Hero raises to $0.85
xPunkInDrublicx folds
sabine87 folds
GorillaOwner calls $0.60

Flop(Odds) (Pot : $1.80)

   
GorillaOwner checks
Hero bets $1
GorillaOwner raises to $3
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero raises to $7
GorillaOwner calls $4

Turn(Odds) (Pot : $15.80)

   
GorillaOwner checks
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $8
GorillaOwner calls $8

River (Pot : $15.80)

   
GorillaOwner checks
Hero checks

Showdown
Hero shows two pair, Eights and Fives
GorillaOwner shows two pair, Jacks and Fives
GorillaOwner wins the pot ($30.21) with two pair, Jacks and Fives

Summary
Total pot $31.80 | Rake $1.59
Board:
Seat 1: sabine87 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: GorillaOwner (big blind) showed and won ($30.21) with two pair, Jacks and Fives
Seat 3: warro24 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: Sai Yang didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Hero showed and lost with two pair, Eights and Fives
Seat 6: xPunkInDrublicx (button) didn't bet (folded)

0 votes

I wrote earlier about finally playing properly, having learned a few things about trying to put people on ranges and shit, rather than just seeing how they react to my bet sizing and "find out where im at" in every hand.

Well my fuckin job makes it impossible to get any quality poker time in during the week, so I had to abandon my table selecting rules and just find overall loose tables with high $$$ pots. The result? A session in absolute faggotry.



Just too many fucking stations on my left. I must have table selected for over an hour, meaning I just kept constantly joining and leaving tables within 15 hands because every fucking table I sat at had 2-3 fuckin homo's running 50+ vpip on on my left with 0% fold cbet. Nothing I could do would shake em. I ended up raising $2 preflop with hands like KQo just because I got tired of them calling with rags and pairing up, no dice. They still call with rags. Then came the tilt, as I started getting check-minraised on totally random fuck flops and just all sorts of other tilt inducing shit fish love to do like overbet jam, check-raise allin with Ace high and hit, etc etc.

I try to find tables where all the fags are on my right so I can iso, unfortunately every single table just kept ending up the exact opposite. Maybe thats why those seats were available, other nits/tags jumping ship due to shitty ass position.

Just gotta table select better. Or find a way to play retards OOP every single hand. I guess nitting it up to like 10/8 oughta do it.

0 votes

Comments (8)