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Fixed limit FTW! =D

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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

So why fixed limit?
Cause No limit strikes me as a really good way to loose my precious bankroll when learning.
In fixed limit when you make a mistake you lose some, in no limit you very often go all in
and loose everything you brought to the table. I know the feeling from play money
and can only imagine when your hard won money disappears on the river to some
maniac noob who played crap and finishes a set or gutshot straight.
Against all odds and better wisdom.
Your knowledge that you did the right thing in the long run don't really help much then.
So I play fixed limit, to preserve my sanity. :f_cool:

Anyway so I've joined this here forum.
I have one account on pokerstars and the bonus $10 at 770.
Not sure what to do with the bonus yet.

On pokerstars I've got play going on at 2c/4c to get going again after a poker hiatus.
I put in $35 and promised myself that I would go up one limit after earning $5.
I'm on my way but still lack about half of it.

I use the starting hands chart from this site as that was the closest I could find
after finding the one I had a backup on from before a bit rudimentary.
I also use the first in chart, though that I adopted later and it gave me a bit of a downswing
adopting it.

This chart tells the whole story. First in started at 28th session.

I also use an odds chart that I made myself long time ago.
It basically summarizes how much must be in the pot for being able to bet/call a pot
with such and such amount of outs for such and such amount of bet being made
on the turn and river.
It is invaluable to me and is responsible for a sizeable amount of my successes so far.

I manage my bankroll in a spreadsheat and have full control over what goes in and out
and why that happened.

I'm not very good, but I'm no noob either.
I try to take notes and label my opponents wisely, but off course there is much information
to choose from and one have to learn to discern one piece at a time.

I guess this stands as a good summary of my poker playing at this time.
I will probably add some more tidbits
about what I'm doing and thinking about this learning process.
See ya! :f_biggrin:


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88 replies
roopopper
Joined: 31.12.2010

Good luck :f_thumbsup:


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Originally posted by roopopper
Good luck :f_thumbsup:

Thanks! :f_grin:


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Boomer2k10
Joined: 22.09.2010

Best of luck and great to see another FL player :f_biggrin:


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Avataren
Joined: 28.04.2010

gl.. im quite sad that the link doesnt work :(


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Thanks Boomer2k10 and Avataren. =)

The link doesn't work?
Hmm strange.
It opens when I click it.

Better now?


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Okay lets start adding some value onto this blog! :f_cool:

I'll start with my initial thoughts on each of the 30 beginners tips.

http://www.pokerstrategy.com/strategy/others/1888/1/
http://www.pokerstrategy.com/strategy/others/1889/1/

1. Tight is right

I agree totally, when I play loose I lose! :f_cry:

2. Don't overestimate yourself

This is hard to face, but yes it is easy to believe that one is better then one is.
Especially when you get lucky and win several pots in a row with lots of action.
You start to loosen up and bluff cause you think you are invincible.

3. Theory

That's why I'm here to get better theory and get it down solid.

4. Think

I probably need to hear this as I often just follow the spreadsheet or method
many times when I should reason more deeply.

5. Be aggressive

Heh I remember being a loose passive, player then a tight passive player
and only grudgingly accepting that tight aggressive was the way.

6. Don't tilt

Anger management is a good thing.
The more I know myself the less I tilt.
Tilting is stupid, but you only realize that after your money is gone.

7. Patience

I'm maybe too patient. I may be too slow and hold back more than I should
based on some feedback I've gotten lately.

8. Downswing?

You should track your development so that you can easily spot a down swing.
A good commented spreadsheet with a graph, should tell you if bad luck
or lack of skill is the main culprit. You need to be real honest after finishing a losing session.
Did luck or skill determine this outcome?

9. Variance

To me this comes down to tracking too.
If your down swing go outside of anything that has happened before you need to take a step
back and find out why. Similarly you should find out why a upswing is going on too.
So you can emulate it in the future.

10. The sample size

Yes I have a tendency to compartmentalize the sessions.
I would say that objectively it is one big session, but subjectively they are not
since when you sit down the next day you are in a totally different state and
that influences your decisions. As far as the cards is concerned it is one session.
As far as your actions are concerned it is not.

11. Table selection

This is always on my mind. I've labelled a substantial amount of the players
that play regularly to get heads up what awaits at the table.
I don't sit at tables who have players of too high a calibre sitting down.
It is not fool proof. But spare me a lot of difficult situations.

12. Nobody is perfect

Yeah you will never have a perfect kick.
Lucky me who can draw on martial arts parallels. :f_cool:
Generally you can work on something for years and still someone else will beat you.

13. Have fun

Fun oh yea that is easily lost when you try too hard.
Dunno how many times I've found myself doing something that used to be fun,
but are now reduced to a frustrating grind.

14. Don't worry about mistakes

Yeah sometimes I get too worried about them and have to remind myself
that every mistake is another brick in my castle.

15. Concentration

Oh have I sinned against this many times.
I generally try to minimize my distractions though.

16. Summarise

I do this in short comments in my spreadsheet. On why I think it went the way it went.
Then I try to fix whatever issues that reoccur. I could probably be more focused in this aspect.

17. Think independently of the results

I think I understand this in the way that good results don't necessarily come from good play.
And bad results don't come from bad play. So you have to evaluate yourself every single time.

18. Don't overestimate the stats

You don't have the full picture so don't act like you do and go to town on a single anomaly.
An unknown TAG with several good hands in a row isn't a maniac even though he may seem
that way to you, since he knowingly flashed his only bluff crap hand to get even more action
on his good hands.

19. Bankroll management

It is important to stick with what you do, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm being too careful
in this area. The bankroll management advised on this site is way more liberal than
the one I use. And I'm basically playing with "candy money", so no big issue if I loose it all.
I think I need to re-evaluate my bankroll management.

20. Straight forward

Do what you know is good play. Follow the stuff that is supposed to work.
Don't try to be fancy to get even more than what is your share.
Unless you know it will work that is... but then it isn't fancy any more is it?

21. Alternative lines

Test out new plays if you believe that they may help you.
Be willing to try things that may fail. Learn by doing.

22. Bet types

I always know if I'm bluffing, drawing or betting what I believe to be a good hand.
I feel I have a good idea of what warrants a that.
However many times by bluffs fail. I'm not as skilled as I wish I'd been in this department.
Still I win some hands I shouldn't have too. Need to think about this more.

24. Odds
I feel that my odds/pots chart give me an advantage as I always know if there is enough
in the pot to play on in any draw. Still I'm not thinking about implied odds very often.

25. Drawing hands

Implied odds is a weak spot of mine.
I'll guess I should link these articles here just to have them easily on hand.

http://www.pokerstrategy.com/strategy/bss/1564/1/
http://www.pokerstrategy.com/strategy/bss/1589/1/

26. Plan the theory

So true I definitely know that I need to revisit each article several times.
I've still on the FIXED limit basic articles and have only briefly visited some
of the bronze ones. To go into those now would just entail an information overload.
I feel that the starting hands chart should maybe be memorized so that I always
just know what hands should be played and the space on my wall that holds it
can be freed up for some other more advanced info.

27. Accept aggression

Yes sometimes I don't want accept that someone else has a hand.
I'm like trying to justify that my mediocre hand should be played.
Look for reasons to fold, not reasons to play.
Still you shouldn't be a pushover when you have something worth playing.

28. Find peers

Hmm I've unconsciously been trying to do just this.
I will make it a more conscious priority.
It should be someone who can help and not detract though.
I know many a wannabe poker apprentice, that would be a drain on my energy.

29. Be satisfied with your progress

Keep that cognitive dissonance in check. You don't want to have too far to the next milestone.
And you don't want your end goal to be too high up. You need to feel it can be done.
You can always set new goals once you get there that seem just as plausible then
as this does now.

30. The Peter Principle

Oh this rule I've broken so much it is a joke.
I think I will just move up to the next limit right away as after going trough this little
personal update, I feel kinda silly playing 2c/4c.
Still it was probably good for me getting new concepts in without too much variance up or down.
I do have $37+ in my bankroll as of now and adding similar amounts is trivial as I have a job
that always gives me a surplus.

Well that was an interesting journey.
I definitely got some new thoughts going about my play from commenting on these tips.


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

I played my first session 5c/10c and ended up losing.
It was a psychological hit to have my biggest loss ever since I started to play again.
Still I had to remind myself that my chart wasn't calibrated to this kind of variance.
And that I ended the session since I dipped under 12 BB.
That have happened several times at 2c/4c and have not been an issue.
I've made a new spreadsheet calibrated to this level only so that it don't look
so terrible visually. I don't need the added pressure of comparing variances visually.

Anyway I felt the play was very loose and aggressive at the table I played
and it didn't exactly help. Still I did what I could with the skills I had and will have
to test myself some more now after posting this. Getting a bloody nose in the beginning
is probably only healthy for me.

I will keep you posted on how this works out. ;)


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Haha! _biggrin:

Sat down and recalibrated my expectations on every level for switching limit,
ended with an $2.06 win after getting a $0.69 loss at the first session.

It was all in my head!
If I keep this up I will pass that artificial $40 barrier I put up for myself earlier,
in a fear of not messing up. Telling myself that I was out of poker shape and whatnot.

Getting back in there now to get some more hopefully easy money! _cool:


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Played some today, and didn't really go my way after the first win.
Basically there is a lot more tricky play and some of my strategies from 2c/4c
is being exploited at this level. People limping with KK to spring the news on the river and such.

I've entered my first hand for analysis.
Just for the hell of it and cause it kinda annoyed me at the end of a session.
So I thought what the hell I will enter it on this site and maybe I'll learn something.
Besides from that this day have been a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

I've a bit down from starting levels.
I will probably play some more to just get a feel for this.
If I lose it all I can just use "candy money" to buy a new stack.
It's not that I have much better use for it anyway.

My family is bugging me about the poker playing and the fact that I work 60%.
They think it outrageous that I don't accept a 100% position in my low pay job.
Like that will get me anywhere.
Most probably a stomach ulcer from stress and a bad mood.
Still their stupid comments are having an effect on my play to some degree.
Their words somehow echo in my head when I lose, no matter how ignorant they are.
So I play worse, it is like this damn self fulfilling prophesy.
I don't think happy thoughts about the family members in question that is for sure... _mad:


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Today I discovered an math mistake I made several years ago in my odds spread sheath.
Seems like I've accidentally shifted some cells the wrong way when I made it and gave
myself crap odds on the turn. The river had correct odds though.

So I've taken the odds I found here on PS and entered it in my chart just to be sure.
I've also given myself a bit stricter odds. Like if PS said 2.5 I've put 3.
Just so I have some small margins that work towards countering the rake.

Other than that I've had my first hand analysed, a quite enlightening experience,
both in terms of jargon and how I play my big pairs. :f_biggrin:

So now I'm off to try out my revised odds chart, in a new and improved format.
Looks the same on the surface, but it is far better organized behind the scenes math wise. :f_cool:


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gadget51
Joined: 23.06.2008

Hi ListenAces, good start to your blog, will be visiting. :)

1. Let's hope this 'New and Improved ListenAces Spreadsheet' helps bring in those BBs!

2. Here's a thread from an awesome guy who can easily help with all those tilty, negative thoughts when playing etc., stuff for you:

Self-development study group

He is the nuts by the way. _cool:

Regards and have fun,

Mal.


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Originally posted by gadget51
Hi ListenAces, good start to your blog, will be visiting. :)

1. Let's hope this 'New and Improved ListenAces Spreadsheet' helps bring in those BBs!

2. Here's a thread from an awesome guy who can easily help with all those tilty, negative thoughts when playing etc., stuff for you:

Self-development study group

He is the nuts by the way. _cool:

Regards and have fun,

Mal.

I wouldn't have started it if you hadn't suggested it.
It might have taken me a while to realize the possibility.
I will look into the skype study group thing later.

It feels a bit messed up having made crap descisions on the turn, so I hope it boost things.
Giving myself 23:1 with one out, 15:1 with two and so on... :f_cry:


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

So I've continued playing on the 5c/10c and in terms of variance things have stayed pretty steady.
No overly crazy jumps up or down.
I find the play on that level to be okay once I select a table without too many sharks.
I know who you are... :f_p:

Anyway here are my graph for playing 9 small sessions.

Nothing too exciting, except for the fact that I seem to be good enough for that level,
now that I've gotten acclimatized it feels pretty much like playing 2c/4c.

I've noticed that I'm forced to lay down several draws that I've happily played before,
due to my odds chart fix.
I've earned a lot of blind steals with the first in chart.
In fact one table broke up after I stole maybe 7 blinds pretty close in time.
Can't say for sure that they left because of me, but it sure felt like it. _cool:


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Played my first session on 770.
Was just a 2c/4c with 9 players.
It went well until I hit KK and someone had an ace with ace in board.
Still I left the table with 12c more than I sat down with.
At that table it was very loose play... _love:

In the beginning I found 770 weird compared to pokerstars.
But I quickly got used to the layout of the table.
one big plus is that the sound works always, stars sound bugs out in Linux more often than not.
To stars credit that is the only part that is buggy.

I missed written hand status in chat like stars, all you get in one statement,
but it is more easy to look up handhistory in 770 so that balances out.

One thing I sorely missed was the colour labels of stars.
It is much easier to pick a table when you can spot potential sharks from afar.
To have to write notes on everyone is a hassle, labelling with colour code is priceless.
Notes should be spared for special cases that warrant extra attention.
So I guess I have to go without for now.

As a test I would say it was good.
I have decided to play FL at 770 too, as I see no reason to dilute my attention to
different types right now. It will only confuse me. ?(


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Learn this lesson!

DON'T MULTI-TASK WHILE PLAYING!!!!

Lost some cash to not paying attention....
Fortunately I'm doing well when I do pay attention, so I don't lose too much. :f_grin:

I've multitasking over different virtual screens and stars have a bug in Linux I forgot to add.
When I multi-task to another screen the table window gets contaminated when I return.
Sometimes it works to make the table window big, other times not.
Not fun to have a hand folded cause you can't see what is going on.
But why to I go to neighbouring screen?
To multi-task of course...
Bad bad me.... _mad:

Anyway I've started to wonder if listening to music counts as a distraction... :f_confused:

I'm also started to wonder how the tracking and points work between 770 and PS.
Hopefully I will find that out.


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Baluuu111
Joined: 08.02.2010

Hi ListenAces,
nice to read from another FL players here, good luck to your blog, and your wonderful (but sometimes painful) limit adventure!


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Originally posted by Baluuu111
Hi ListenAces,
nice to read from another FL players here, good luck to your blog, and your wonderful (but sometimes painful) limit adventure!

Thanks! :f_grin:
Without pain there would be no meaning. ;)

Got some pain dealt on 770 just now.
Crap cards and no go flops.
Down 2c from my initial $10... :f_cry:

Hehe wondering if when I get a point there, if it will translate to one point here. :f_confused:

The table felt more sharky this session.
Hard to say since I have notes on nobody. :f_mad:
I need to sit down and emulate my colour scheme from stars in the notes on 770.
Since there are much fewer players there and only a fraction plays FL it should be doable
to get a who's who of 770 FL. _cool:


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Avataren
Joined: 28.04.2010

Originally posted by ListenAces
Thanks Boomer2k10 and Avataren. =)

The link doesn't work?
Hmm strange.
It opens when I click it.

Better now?

Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator

and no sadly the link dont work :( can you upload it to imgur.com ?

and you shouldn't be so result orientated .. lets talk about that on skype as soon as possible :)


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ListenAces
Joined: 12.03.2013

Hmm strange I'll find another way I guess. :f_confused:


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