My way up to HSNL

Originally posted by IronPumper
Lol, that is how Im running regards to my Zoom500-volume from the beginning:

Poker Stars $2.50/$5 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 2124401
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

BTN: $954.60
Hero (SB): $500.00
BB: $552.50
UTG: $600.67
MP: $1457.06
CO: $529.70

Pre Flop: ($7.50) Hero is SB with A K
UTG raises to $15, 3 folds, Hero raises to $50, 1 fold, UTG calls $35

Flop: ($105.00) 5 A K (2 players)
Hero bets $54.85, UTG calls $54.85

Turn: ($214.70) A (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($214.70) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $162.50, UTG raises to $495.82 all in, Hero calls $232.65 all in

Final Pot: $1005.00
Hero mucks A K
UTG shows 5 5 (four of a kind, Fives)
UTG wins $1002.20

(Rake: $2.80)

22/19; or UTG: 19%
Fold to 3b: 59%

I had of course no clu that he is so bad to call with those posis my 3b with 55.
Like his play psotflop, tough - I think his turncheck is correct cause the turncard is imo a bad card to continue bluffing for me
-> hence I should also check my toprange that (what I have done) and hence he can also delay his action to the river and valuebet/call/in this case am, lol)/ bluff delayed (when I check again) there.

What you think bout those thought-process?

For the riverplay, I was not sure bout my sizeing:
I thought bou overamming, but I think that most ppl at zoom500 should be able to fold then Ax?
So I was not sure if I bet small or big - have thought finally thatI have to bet on the bigger side to rep at best a bluff which takes the bet-check-bet-line as a bluff... - what you think?

Once he jammed, honestly I already anticipated that he has this one fucking combos which beats me - is this paranoid, huh?
reason that I have anticipated it is, that
a.) he should imo not jam there an Ax-hands cause either he perceived
a call from splits or from the few combos which beats him
b.) it would be imo suicidal to bluff here ever

But I guess I stillcannot fold or am I crazy now cause given my both mentioned logical assumptions it kinda seemsd to me like a fucking Herofold, maybe one of the biggest folds I would ever make?

edit:
Have realized now that there are 2 combos left of AK - when he has only 1 of those 2 combos in his range, I already have to call cause I would have 25% and I need only 23% eq... so it is a B/C here - but imo it is with any other Ax a B/F is my thoughts are correct?

Mental-game:
I play daily the 1st ~50% of my volume regular games (NL 6max and FR) mixing limits between NL200 and NL600.
In the 2nd half of my volume I am playing the one half NL500 Zoom and the 2nd half NL200 Zoom (but hrere I do not mix tbls cause the palyerpool at both limits is ust sooo different, skillwise - while NL200 zoom feels to me pretty easy and smooth, NL500 zoom often feels to me kinda tough and uncomfortable).

But somehow I rly run pretty bad at NL500 zoom (certainly also not playing there my Agame as often due to unconfidence....), while everywhere else am running pretty well.

So it will be not a big surprise that atm I hate playing NL500 Zoom and I would love to push it out from my overall volume.
But I think this would be longterm a mistake:
-> I think atm NL500 zoom is no so ggod for my profit and I have a bigger hourly at my other game-types...
But I think that having some regular NL500 zoom in my volume will benefit me longterm cause
- I put myself out of my comfortzone - this also seems lead to that I feel even more comfortabel at all my other gametypes I play than I am already anyways feeling

- the playerpool there is imo kinda tough (way tougher than most NL400 and NL600 games at regular tbls), so given that I have to perform at a tougher environment,
I think I will get better quicker myself....

- I am challenging, stretching and pushing myself.

What you think about all of this?

Anyways,
cause I feel so unconfident with NL500 zoom atm I have set 3 days ago some ridicolous rules:
1.) 1 Buyin- Stoploss per Sessio (this is lol cause it can cause that my session is lasting only 3 minutes, like this session right now has lasted^^) - plus usually I do not use a static stoploss cause I do not need it anymore (usually I anyways quit and make a short break once I have lost like 3-4 stacks or just feel bad...)
But given that I feel anyways unhappy at 500 zoom, I thought I can go with this somewhat ridic rule

2.) When I happen to run 2 following days bad at zoom500, then I will not paly the next day zoom 500 and maybe even not the day after the next day (this is optional).

So for instance I have ran yesterday and today bad and so I will remove 500zoom for at least tomorrow from my volume...

(What you think of this somewhat ridicolous guideline? Is is too pussylike?)

The disadvantage of this guideline is that I will benefit from all the metnioned advantages of palying zoom500 less freuqntly and will develop slower.

The advantage is that I will not suffer too much from the disadvantages, which I have not already mentioned - disadvantages for me playing zoom500 are:

- increased mental pressure
- no stable emotional state (had always trouble with moving up in limits)
- hourly decreases due to likely not solid WR there + the fact that I simply play less when I run bad. the reason for the latter aspect is that due to the fact that i feel so uncomfortable at zoom500 even obvious variance titls me there and I need to do for instance meditation or writing exercises off the tbls to be able to continue grinding.
Also I cannot overcome the urge to post some hands at my studygroups or somewhere else in order to get confirmation.
Hands which I would never post when they would occur at NL200 or NL400 for isntance.
And as said, at NL500 zoom Im very titlprone, so that I have to do more mental work off the tbls which I would never need to do by playing NL 200 or NL400 cause there Im not so tiltprone...
Like now - Im writing this blogpost and it feels better and better and this is good - but the negative factor is that I could not play the last 30 minutes which I would have been done if I would not paly zoom500 inthe first place, so it cuts my hourly - I think you get what I mean....

Ok, let`s stop here - if you guys have any comments/input at my blogpost (does not matter if you wanna refer to the hand or to the mental game-topic), than feel free to post here:)

V nice post.

Why so big pre flop though?

Originally posted by pleno1

Originally posted by IronPumper
Lol, that is how Im running regards to my Zoom500-volume from the beginning:

Poker Stars $2.50/$5 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 2124401
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

BTN: $954.60
Hero (SB): $500.00
BB: $552.50
UTG: $600.67
MP: $1457.06
CO: $529.70

Pre Flop: ($7.50) Hero is SB with A K
UTG raises to $15, 3 folds, Hero raises to $50, 1 fold, UTG calls $35

Flop: ($105.00) 5 A K (2 players)
Hero bets $54.85, UTG calls $54.85

Turn: ($214.70) A (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($214.70) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $162.50, UTG raises to $495.82 all in, Hero calls $232.65 all in

Final Pot: $1005.00
Hero mucks A K
UTG shows 5 5 (four of a kind, Fives)
UTG wins $1002.20

(Rake: $2.80)

22/19; or UTG: 19%
Fold to 3b: 59%

I had of course no clu that he is so bad to call with those posis my 3b with 55.
Like his play psotflop, tough - I think his turncheck is correct cause the turncard is imo a bad card to continue bluffing for me
-> hence I should also check my toprange that (what I have done) and hence he can also delay his action to the river and valuebet/call/in this case am, lol)/ bluff delayed (when I check again) there.

What you think bout those thought-process?

For the riverplay, I was not sure bout my sizeing:
I thought bou overamming, but I think that most ppl at zoom500 should be able to fold then Ax?
So I was not sure if I bet small or big - have thought finally thatI have to bet on the bigger side to rep at best a bluff which takes the bet-check-bet-line as a bluff... - what you think?

Once he jammed, honestly I already anticipated that he has this one fucking combos which beats me - is this paranoid, huh?
reason that I have anticipated it is, that
a.) he should imo not jam there an Ax-hands cause either he perceived
a call from splits or from the few combos which beats him
b.) it would be imo suicidal to bluff here ever

But I guess I stillcannot fold or am I crazy now cause given my both mentioned logical assumptions it kinda seemsd to me like a fucking Herofold, maybe one of the biggest folds I would ever make?

edit:
Have realized now that there are 2 combos left of AK - when he has only 1 of those 2 combos in his range, I already have to call cause I would have 25% and I need only 23% eq... so it is a B/C here - but imo it is with any other Ax a B/F is my thoughts are correct?

Mental-game:
I play daily the 1st ~50% of my volume regular games (NL 6max and FR) mixing limits between NL200 and NL600.
In the 2nd half of my volume I am playing the one half NL500 Zoom and the 2nd half NL200 Zoom (but hrere I do not mix tbls cause the palyerpool at both limits is ust sooo different, skillwise - while NL200 zoom feels to me pretty easy and smooth, NL500 zoom often feels to me kinda tough and uncomfortable).

But somehow I rly run pretty bad at NL500 zoom (certainly also not playing there my Agame as often due to unconfidence....), while everywhere else am running pretty well.

So it will be not a big surprise that atm I hate playing NL500 Zoom and I would love to push it out from my overall volume.
But I think this would be longterm a mistake:
-> I think atm NL500 zoom is no so ggod for my profit and I have a bigger hourly at my other game-types...
But I think that having some regular NL500 zoom in my volume will benefit me longterm cause
- I put myself out of my comfortzone - this also seems lead to that I feel even more comfortabel at all my other gametypes I play than I am already anyways feeling

- the playerpool there is imo kinda tough (way tougher than most NL400 and NL600 games at regular tbls), so given that I have to perform at a tougher environment,
I think I will get better quicker myself....

- I am challenging, stretching and pushing myself.

What you think about all of this?

Anyways,
cause I feel so unconfident with NL500 zoom atm I have set 3 days ago some ridicolous rules:
1.) 1 Buyin- Stoploss per Sessio (this is lol cause it can cause that my session is lasting only 3 minutes, like this session right now has lasted^^) - plus usually I do not use a static stoploss cause I do not need it anymore (usually I anyways quit and make a short break once I have lost like 3-4 stacks or just feel bad...)
But given that I feel anyways unhappy at 500 zoom, I thought I can go with this somewhat ridic rule

2.) When I happen to run 2 following days bad at zoom500, then I will not paly the next day zoom 500 and maybe even not the day after the next day (this is optional).

So for instance I have ran yesterday and today bad and so I will remove 500zoom for at least tomorrow from my volume...

(What you think of this somewhat ridicolous guideline? Is is too pussylike?)

The disadvantage of this guideline is that I will benefit from all the metnioned advantages of palying zoom500 less freuqntly and will develop slower.

The advantage is that I will not suffer too much from the disadvantages, which I have not already mentioned - disadvantages for me playing zoom500 are:

- increased mental pressure
- no stable emotional state (had always trouble with moving up in limits)
- hourly decreases due to likely not solid WR there + the fact that I simply play less when I run bad. the reason for the latter aspect is that due to the fact that i feel so uncomfortable at zoom500 even obvious variance titls me there and I need to do for instance meditation or writing exercises off the tbls to be able to continue grinding.
Also I cannot overcome the urge to post some hands at my studygroups or somewhere else in order to get confirmation.
Hands which I would never post when they would occur at NL200 or NL400 for isntance.
And as said, at NL500 zoom Im very titlprone, so that I have to do more mental work off the tbls which I would never need to do by playing NL 200 or NL400 cause there Im not so tiltprone...
Like now - Im writing this blogpost and it feels better and better and this is good - but the negative factor is that I could not play the last 30 minutes which I would have been done if I would not paly zoom500 inthe first place, so it cuts my hourly - I think you get what I mean....

Ok, let`s stop here - if you guys have any comments/input at my blogpost (does not matter if you wanna refer to the hand or to the mental game-topic), than feel free to post here:)

V nice post.

Why so big pre flop though?

+1

I think the AK hand is player well, I also think river should be a b/c with AK but not sure. It's pretty crazy crazy he even has 55 in his range here.

@ pleno, size seems standard to me, why do you think its too big?

Thx for visiting my blog^^

@your questions:
I think uncertainty is still a problem to me.
There are just many areas in poker, you are not sure in game bout the right play and also many areas you even cannot find a 100% solution offgame.
For sure I deal with it way way better than before my work with jared Tendler....
Before this, a big leak forr m was strivin towards perfection without realizing that imperfections are basically not only not something bad, but in fact absolutely important and crucial to even be able to progress further.
So here my approach changes a bit.
But still, uncertainty sucks pretty often.

Also when I started to commit to poker fulltime, the first 1,5 years, I have imbalanced my whole life a ton:
- less and less social life
- spent too less time with family and close friends
- stopped completey with working out regularly and and in combination with this, with a solid nutrition...

and so on...

I just defined myself almost exlusively after striving towards my glao (masterin this high-competitiv discipline and laso becoming financialwise independent and successful).

Have worked a ton lik 13h/day and hardly free days...
So that finally i even got some psychcomatic stress-symptoms like "earpressure", sometiems muscl trmebling in addition to having my mood dependent too much on how I do pokerwise...

After startin like >6 months with some meditation, personal development exercises, taking 1 20-minute nap per day (can only recommend this one) + getting my life back, everythin improved.

Getting my life back means:
Planning a little more free-time (Im taking now every 3 months 1 week off, try to do 1 day free/week, work now more normalish like 8-10h/day), started with doin sports again and having again more social life...

Due to this changes, i rly feel atm towards poker less worries, lss pressure and it is just not everything for me, but still important cause there are goals connected with it, but that`s ok.

The funny thing is:
That even when I had bout 1,5 years an unhealthy lifestyle with lots of renouncements,
it was realistically speaken likelynot ba for my career to bring my from NL100 to MSNL as a winningplayer..
But at this point of my career Im sure that it is best for m to continu workin hard and a lot, but in a more blaanced and healthy way in oreder to not burn out while also paying enough attention to other areas o my life...

What do you think is bothering you so much about the uncertainty and "not knowing?

Just want you to elaborate a bit more so I better understand what is going on in the certain spots

Cheers!

Sweet line with 99, think with 12% 3bet he will have enough bluffs for you to jam for value here for sure. Although I'm curious on what your thoughts are on just x/r flop?

2nd hand, I think AQ is strong enough to call there from CO unless he has a ridiculously tight open, or ridiculous amount of sqzers or something but I prefer calling to 3betting pre. I just check back river as played, but might be too nitty. I just don't know what he can call with there that's worse after the x/r on the flop.

Hey^^
@99-hand: Yeah, Flop_C/R would be also an option here I think.

@AQo-hand:
behind have been only Regs and imo AQo is then not such a good coldcall-hand then in CovsMP - but when you wanna have it in your coldcallrange, then it might be fine.
I know strong palyers who do the one or the other...

Originally posted by BC1989RF
aq hand : as played i just bet 50 to make him spew.

with what hands he could spew here given the spot and the posis?

Originally posted by pleno1

Why so big pre flop though?

Hi^^

I do it OOP vs. 3x always 3,15and IP vs. 3x 2,67...
What`s your 3b-sizeing vs. 3x OOP?

Originally posted by serverm07

I think the AK hand is player well, I also think river should be a b/c with AK but not sure. It's pretty crazy crazy he even has 55 in his range here.

yeah should be a B/C, cause even qwhen he has only 1 combo of AK himself, then I have already an oddscall - but imo you could not call w <AK here.

Originally posted by ErikStenqvist

Thx for visiting my blog^^

@your questions:
I think uncertainty is still a problem to me.
There are just many areas in poker, you are not sure in game bout the right play and also many areas you even cannot find a 100% solution offgame.
For sure I deal with it way way better than before my work with jared Tendler....
Before this, a big leak forr m was strivin towards perfection without realizing that imperfections are basically not only not something bad, but in fact absolutely important and crucial to even be able to progress further.
So here my approach changes a bit.
But still, uncertainty sucks pretty often.

Also when I started to commit to poker fulltime, the first 1,5 years, I have imbalanced my whole life a ton:
- less and less social life
- spent too less time with family and close friends
- stopped completey with working out regularly and and in combination with this, with a solid nutrition...

and so on...

I just defined myself almost exlusively after striving towards my glao (masterin this high-competitiv discipline and laso becoming financialwise independent and successful).

Have worked a ton lik 13h/day and hardly free days...
So that finally i even got some psychcomatic stress-symptoms like "earpressure", sometiems muscl trmebling in addition to having my mood dependent too much on how I do pokerwise...

After startin like >6 months with some meditation, personal development exercises, taking 1 20-minute nap per day (can only recommend this one) + getting my life back, everythin improved.

Getting my life back means:
Planning a little more free-time (Im taking now every 3 months 1 week off, try to do 1 day free/week, work now more normalish like 8-10h/day), started with doin sports again and having again more social life...

Due to this changes, i rly feel atm towards poker less worries, lss pressure and it is just not everything for me, but still important cause there are goals connected with it, but that`s ok.

The funny thing is:
That even when I had bout 1,5 years an unhealthy lifestyle with lots of renouncements,
it was realistically speaken likelynot ba for my career to bring my from NL100 to MSNL as a winningplayer..
But at this point of my career Im sure that it is best for m to continu workin hard and a lot, but in a more blaanced and healthy way in oreder to not burn out while also paying enough attention to other areas o my life...

What do you think is bothering you so much about the uncertainty and "not knowing?

Just want you to elaborate a bit more so I better understand what is going on in the certain spots

Cheers!

Hi!

Intuitively it just feels if when something is not complete or can be completed/solved.
In theory I know that uncertainty in poker is part of poker and when you are not certain bout s special situation, then you cannot even desire it from your own cause it is just a fact that you simply just know too less bout this situation orthe skills regards to this situation are far away of being trained at the unconscious competence-level.
Butin practice I still feel that those uncertainty is biting on my confidence...

But also this got a lot off better than like for instance 1 year ago...

Originally posted by IronPumper

Originally posted by BC1989RF
aq hand : as played i just bet 50 to make him spew.

with what hands he could spew here given the spot and the posis?

just cant think of a value hand that would c/r the flop with so small spr's. so its more with what hands could he call a shove otr? specially since you b/c'ing+cback the turn rep Ax so hard
mb he spiked a K or a T somehow. mb he goes crazy.

Hi, wanted to ask if it was ok to add you on skype? I respect your posts and game and wanted to have one more person to discuss hands with.

Intuitively it just feels if when something is not complete or can be completed/solved.
In theory I know that uncertainty in poker is part of poker and when you are not certain bout s special situation, then you cannot even desire it from your own cause it is just a fact that you simply just know too less bout this situation orthe skills regards to this situation are far away of being trained at the unconscious competence-level.
Butin practice I still feel that those uncertainty is biting on my confidence...

But also this got a lot off better than like for instance 1 year ago...

Well you are right in a way that it can be tricky to solve. Especially if the underlying mechanics aren't fully understood. If I tell you that this is a subtle form of results orientation. What is your first though about it?

And if that was to be true how would that change the way you approach the problem?

Originally posted by serverm07
Hi, wanted to ask if it was ok to add you on skype? I respect your posts and game and wanted to have one more person to discuss hands with.

Hey, first of all thx or the nice words!

Its of course ok that you have added me on skype, but even when this now sounds pretty asshole-like and hence I actually do not wanna write this, I still wanna be honest with you:

I just have a problem with the day having only 24hours like you can figure out from my posts at Schnitzelfish`s thread and besides of grinding, Im also coachin and am very active member in 3 studygroups where ppl play from NL200 up to HSNL... so I worry that I will have less time to discuss hands via skype with even more ppl, even though I would like to ...:(

Originally posted by ErikStenqvist

Intuitively it just feels if when something is not complete or can be completed/solved.
In theory I know that uncertainty in poker is part of poker and when you are not certain bout s special situation, then you cannot even desire it from your own cause it is just a fact that you simply just know too less bout this situation orthe skills regards to this situation are far away of being trained at the unconscious competence-level.
Butin practice I still feel that those uncertainty is biting on my confidence...

But also this got a lot off better than like for instance 1 year ago...

If I tell you that this is a subtle form of results orientation. What is your first though about it?

And if that was to be true how would that change the way you approach the problem?

@1.) might be true cause I just focus on the situations with uncertainty (the occurence of such a situation would be the result) and not on all the situations where I am already certain (other results).

2.) I could start spottingin my mind all the situations where I am already certain or have becom certain during the last year... this would show me that focusing on only the situations where I lack ceertainty just do not provide to me the whole truth and a real picture...
Idk,
if Im here on the right track but it feels that this view and the resulting strategy (spotting also all the situations where I am confident and certain) could already help me a a lot...
Will try it immidiatelly during my next session out^^

when I read what you think about and how you feel its almost scary, its as if I had written a lot of it myself

will follow the thread, gl

Originally posted by IronPumper

Originally posted by ErikStenqvist

Intuitively it just feels if when something is not complete or can be completed/solved.
In theory I know that uncertainty in poker is part of poker and when you are not certain bout s special situation, then you cannot even desire it from your own cause it is just a fact that you simply just know too less bout this situation orthe skills regards to this situation are far away of being trained at the unconscious competence-level.
Butin practice I still feel that those uncertainty is biting on my confidence...

But also this got a lot off better than like for instance 1 year ago...

If I tell you that this is a subtle form of results orientation. What is your first though about it?

And if that was to be true how would that change the way you approach the problem?

@1.) might be true cause I just focus on the situations with uncertainty (the occurence of such a situation would be the result) and not on all the situations where I am already certain (other results).

2.) I could start spottingin my mind all the situations where I am already certain or have becom certain during the last year... this would show me that focusing on only the situations where I lack ceertainty just do not provide to me the whole truth and a real picture...
Idk,
if Im here on the right track but it feels that this view and the resulting strategy (spotting also all the situations where I am confident and certain) could already help me a a lot...
Will try it immidiatelly during my next session out^^

Try to anticipate the situations that you tend to feel this way before they happen. If you can do that you can early in the hand start talking your thought process out loud. This will slow time down for you, you also are more aware of your thought process and bring more awareness into the situation. Try to relax and breathe as calmly as you can. Feel the pressure and tension building and actively try to relax. See how that goes and let me know

You can also write out a note on th side of the screen that reminds you what you need to do..