aspbackens BR challenge

WEEK 3

hands 3692
last week $196
win/loss $24
BR $221
goal $1 800
completed 12,26%

I play 2-3 5max tables at SvenskaSpel (SvS) on nl50 Skr(~NL$6)
Cons. No RB and No bonus
Benefits. Rake 2,5% and extremely soft

Poker at levels up to NL5 does not require so much tactics!
I fold or value-bet, play ABC poker and no FP!
The most important thing is to AVOID TILT!

Perhaps I take a shot at nl100 Skr (~NL12) this week! Maybe or maybe not!?

If playing ~NL12 I wiłl start to learn more about EQ, combos, card remowal, Ranges and fold EQ.
And like NL5: I fold or value-bet, play mostley ABC poker and no FP! And as always try to AVOID TILT!
Levels above that!? I am not ready for them yet!

This is the graf for the 7 weeks I have playd on SvS! Including 3 weeks before I started my BR Callange!

My red line is a potential problem!
I have some ideas on whay it is dipping down!
🔴Bad! I call to loos pre flop and often have to fold when I miss flop!
🔴Bad! I bluff 3-bet to much pre flop, and have to fold to a 4-bet!
🔴Bad! I donk to much post flop, get raised and fold on turn or river!
🔴Bad! Building to big pot (semi bluff) when I have week draws, miss my card and check/fold river!
🔲Good! I often fold to aggressive play!
Micro players dont bluff!

Green and blue line
🔲 Good! I value bet quite big!
Micro players dont fold, they call!

This week I will focus on ( same as last week)
My VPIP/PFR; 27/17 need som attention
and my AF; 2,16/43 chould be higher

🔳 playing TAG and to be attentive and present in the game!
🔳 playing more aggressive yet controled and
bet/raise instead of calling!
🔴 not bluffing! It is foolish trying to bluff players that never fold!
🔳 thinking of what my odds are when I play draws!

Swim safe and watch out for bigger sharks, and Tilt!

WEEK 4
hands 4003
total hands 17281
last week BR $221
win/loss $25
RB
bonus
BR $245
goal $1 800
completed 13,63%

I am not yet comfortable whit this new level and most of the players are new to me!

I have played on 2 NLSH 5 max tables at SvenskaSpel (SvS) on nl50 Skr(~NL$6) 303 hands and nl100 Skr (~NL12)3700 hands this week!

Now when Playing at ~NL12 I must think more about Ranges, combos, card remowal, EQ and fold EQ. 
And like on~NL6: I fold or value-bet,
play mostly ABC poker and no FP!
(But yet, still I bluff or call to much!)
And as always try to AVOID TILT!

Monday
I get sometimes to focused on my own cards and forgett to think about if the board in any way can be dangerus!
🔳I thinks for a moment on how strong my hand really is and what cards oponents can have when they become aggressive !? What they can call my raise with? (What is there range!)
If I can focus more on that part of my guidelines, I am sure that my variance would be less dramatic!

Tuesday
There is variance and there is bad play!
I have a tendency to just look on my cards, and go on autopilot mode, without thinking at all why I raise, bet, call or fold.
It results sometimes in big wins, but also in big losses! So far I have managed to win more than I have lost. But it is not good poker at all!

Wednesday
🔳"I thinks for a moment on how strong my hand really is!"
I forgott all about that in this session!
And start by overvalue JJ and QQ against aggression from good regs! After that I play bad! I'm down 212BB after onley 50 hands!
I play better and, in about 200 hands, I take back more then half of my loss!
But it's once again a bad playd hand (I think) that save the session! The session ended +35BB!
Thank you poker goods!!!

Thursday
Big Problem!!!
I loos to many big pots when I have second best hand! This often happens in the beginning of my sessions. After that I usually play good and end the sessions with a small win!
Without that initial loss my win-rate would be much better!
Solution!!
I prepare mentaly before sitting down! When I start up the sessions I play more like a Nit for some rounds (as a warm up and to get to know who the other players are)!
🔲Now I'm on to something, I finely played with some control over what I'm doing!

Friday
I think I must take a very good look at my big money hands! My feeling is that my good win-rate is to much dependent of Lady Luck!
I hope I'm wrong about this feeling!
But regardles of what, if I dont know what I'm doing wrong (or good), it's probably just Lady Luck who favor me!
I should also take a good look on the hands before the big hand, some of them may be the reason to my bad (or good) play!

Saturday
This was absolutely a total (f-word) bad session in all possible ways! Bad beat, bad play and no help from Lady Luck!
But mostly, as always! I am playing second, third or even fourth best hand to fast and, oops, I am all-in. How did I get here?
If I can't control these tendencies of being to trigger happy I am doomed to be a looser in the long run. And poker is all about the long run!
Solution to this problem?
I need a more tought true game plan for my post flop play.

Sunday
First session I manage to win almost 2BI!
Second session I lost it all rather early!
I played a little better than yesterday but the day was down by 1 buy in!
A little more bad beats than usual made most of the loss this time. And some bad river cards that completed villains flush, forcing me to fold against big river bets.
I play to many hands pre. and get in trouble post flop against both calling stations and "aggromaniacs".
My VPIP/PFR28/20 stats is way to high for these micro games and my AF2/45 is to low for any level.
And as I often play against lose calling stations and maniacs, playing lose passive is not a good tactic against those kind of players.
Next week is, tighten up and bully them, week!

Swim safe and watch out for bigger sharks, and Tilt!

WEEK 5
hands 3840
total hands 21121
last week BR $245
win/loss $1
RB
bonus
BR $247
goal $1 800
completed 13,70%

Summery of the week
Monday
Notes before session.
I play to many hands pre. and get in trouble post flop against both calling stations and "aggromaniacs".
My VPIP/PFR stats is way to high for these micro games and my AF is to low for any level.
Notes after the session.
I play to many hands pre. and get in trouble post flop against both calling stations and "aggromaniacs".
My VPIP/PFR stats is way to high for these micro games and my AF is to low for any level.
I know what to do! I just dont do it!
Make sense? No not at all!

Tuesday
I move down to nl 50Skr "NL$6"!
:f_confused:There is something fundamentaly wrong whit my play! I lost 4 sessions in a row, playing bad!
My BR cant take more now, neither can my EGO!
I move down to build up my BR and mend my broken EGO!

Wednesday
First session after I moved down to "NL6" is not good!
:(I'm on "tilt" sort of!
Not that kind of tilt when you lose your mind after coolers or bad beats.
I am on constant "tilt" from first hand!
Like I noted earlier this week, about my play:
Notes after the session.
I play to many hands pre. and get in trouble post flop against both calling stations and "aggromaniacs".
My VPIP/PFR stats is way to high for these micro games and my AF is to low for any level."
It is still no change and thats my "tilt", not being able to change that bad habit.
I can and I will fix this leak a.s.p.!

Thursday
I have listed, what I think, is my worst mental problems, and biggest leaks.
Finally admitting this is big leaks is a first step taken!
I'm sometimes looking for excuses not to fold!
"He's probably bluffing".
Thinking opponent may be bluffing and call with a marginal hand into a very strong bet.
 "I must bet". 
I have to much invested in the hand to give it up!
A check or call look to weak, a bet may bluff a better hand off.
"I can't fold now". I'm already stuck a lot".
So I call on the river knowing I'm beat!
 "I'll just stay until I'm back to even".
Bad thinking because, often I'm just playing bad, is on tilt or tired after playing to long and should already have left the game!

Friday
My leak fixing are on the go!
"I'm sometimes looking for excuses not to fold!"
:f_biggrin:And therefore I have started to think about if it's really necessary to call a big bet, just to make sure I have the best hand or not!
:f_biggrin:I have for a long time now resisted the urge to move up one or two limits to "quickly take back a big loss"!

Saturday
"Finally admitting this is big leaks is a first step taken!"
"I'm sometimes looking for excuses not to fold!"
I have stopped looking for excuses not to fold uncertain hands!
To bare this in mind when making a decision is my new mantra.
And it worked very well, :f_drink:up ~150BB in 400 hands and no deep dips in the graf!

Sunday
:f_drink:Up 280BB in 430 hands and no deep dips in the graf
"I have stopped looking for excuses not to fold uncertain hands!"
This is one of the "easiest" and most profitable changes I have implemented to my game!
With easiest I mean, it's not a change that need skill and experience!
A mental problem is "easy" to correct, but only if you can see it as a problem! If you don't see a problem there is no problem (even if it's in reality is a big problem)!

A mental problem in poker is "easy" to correct, right?
No it's not!!!!
:f_confused:I'm frustrated! I thought I was clear of this type of play !
"I'm sometimes looking for excuses not to fold!"
Bad habits are hard to overcome!
:f_biggrin:And therefore I have started to think about if it's really necessary to call a big bet, just to make sure I have the best hand or not!
:f_frown:But then there is also times when I don't "listen" to what I think! Like in this hand!
I was thinking, he/she have hit a set! Every thing indicated that, call pre. and raise this way on flop.
I know what to do! Fold flop!!!!!!!!!!
:f_mad:So why the did I call all the way here!

GTECH G2 (Boss) - kr0.50 NL (5 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 439.44 BB (VPIP: 28.57, PFR: 22.86, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 35)
UTG: 194.14 BB (VPIP: 17.05, PFR: 14.20, 3Bet Preflop: 5.19, Hands: 725)
Hero (CO): 210.08 BB
BTN: 166.24 BB (VPIP: 53.85, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
SB: 70.64 BB (VPIP: 46.15, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K♣ K♠

fold, Hero raises to 3.5 BB, fold, SB calls 3 BB, BB calls 2.5 BB

Flop: (10.5 BB, 3 players) 3♣ 6♠ 9♣
SB checks, BB bets 8 BB, Hero raises to 21.24 BB, fold, BB raises to 60.96 BB, Hero calls 39.72 BB

Turn: (132.42 BB, 2 players) 4♠
BB bets 66.2 BB, Hero calls 66.2 BB

River: (264.82 BB, 2 players) 9♠
BB bets 308.78 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 79.42 BB and is all-in

I feel that this is important for me to focus on right now!

My VPIP/PFR/AF stats is slowly getting closer to look more as TAG stats.
But it's not that easy to make a quick change as I thought it should be!

⏩I was sometimes looking for excuses not to fold!
1"He/she is probably bluffing".
2"I must bet". 
3"I can't fold now". I'm already in to deep".
4"I'll just stay until I'm back to even".
⏩Now I think more like this!
1"What can this player have when bet/raise here?"
2"Can I bet here in this situation?"
3"Should I fold here or not?"
4"Poker is all about long therm! I stop playing now and come back another day"!
⏩I have known all of this before!
But by printing it here I think it will be a good reminder!

Originally posted by aspbacken
Flop: (10.5 BB, 3 players) 3♣ 6♠ 9♣
SB checks, BB bets 8 BB, Hero raises to 21.24 BB, fold, BB raises to 60.96 BB, Hero calls 39.72 BB
====>
BB shows 6♦ 6♣ (Full House, Sixes full of Nines)
(Pre 20%, Flop 87%, Turn 95%)

Do the following things:
1. ingame: make note "donks good hands vs PFA flop"
2. out of game: consider what usually villains donkbets mean
3. make assumptions about best possible action, based on 1.+2. =>act on it

WEEK 6
After a poor start of week 6 but, last 700 hands on sunday saved the week!
every week but the first one, is now green in PT4.

WEEK 8
hands 4259
total hands 31815
last week BR $359
win/loss $167
RB
bonus
BR $525
goal $1 800
completed 29,18%

I have not posted here in a couple weeks, just inserted graf's of my results! Why? I was just lacy I think! But if I don't write down what my play is, (good or bad), I miss out a lot of information!

So what have happened so far?
I started the challenge on nl50kr~(NL$6) on Svenska Spels poker and NL4 at Party Poker 8 weeks ago. My start roll was $180!
First weeks was a real rollercoaster! I played very bad, and as a result get on tilt, messing up my game completely!
Lost some BI, tilted and tried to take back the loss with very aggressive play, (tilted some more) and lost more.
Bought in on higher levels and won back my losses and more! This was absolutely not because I was playing better poker on these levels! Poker Lady Luck favored me! Thank you Lady! This was on SvS!
I lost the whole BR at PP and now play only at SvS!

I then set up some Guidelines to end this rollercoaster play!
Fold or value-bet! Play ABC poker, no bluff, no FP!
The most important thing is to AVOID TILT!
I started to win again and mowed up to nl100kr~(NL$12)
But it's not that easy to make a quick change as I thought it should be!
I made some terrible sessions and moved down again!
Started all over again from nl50kr to nl100kr

Graf of NL50kr (NL$6)

Graf of NL100kr

But this is now history!
I have climbed upp from the very lowest micros!

Now I play nl200(NL$25), still on SvS! If I win I continue at this stake, but need to improve my game a lot to win here in the long run!

graf of NL200kr

I try to post some hands and thoughts more regulary, just so I can learn from history! May it be good or bad!
And maby in the future make it moore interesting to read for others!

Nice and steady now. Just hang in there and continue improving your game.

GLHF

Ty
I vill try to!
But first I will take a brake for a while now!

PokerStrategy BR Chalange
I would like to start the challenge again!
Continuing from where I left. ("Took a brake")
Starting BR: $525
new goal $3000

This time I will try playing on PS/FTP!
The first week is a mix of regular NLH 6max,
Rush poker, Jackpot SnG and SnG DoN!

I really suck at Rush poker!
(I will eventually try it again later on, but not now!)
SnG micro is not lucrative enough!
So I will stick to regular 6max in week 2!

WEEK 1
FullTiltPoker
Hands: ~6500
Result: $40
BR: $565
The result include $4 from completing 3 PYRAMIDS!

This week's sessions have been both up and down.

The game on PS / FTP is very different to SvS!
I find it hard to switch the game to the new environment.
But to adapt is an important part of playing poker!
SvS Poker is extremely loose and many more hands go to showdown!
I played NLH 5max there!
The pots are usually much larger than the PS / FTP.
Player pool at SVS is so small that I meet the same players all the time. When I log on to PS / FTP it's usually "only" new players that I don't have any stats on!
I think Table hunting is an even more important on a room this big!
I suppose that if I dont have stats on my oponents I have to change tables more often, sometimes I stay to long on bad tables!?

WEEK 2
FullTiltPoker
Hands: 2519
Result: $60
last week BR: $565
New BR: $505

I like My BB Graf more then My USD Graf

Only played Tuesday and Thursday!

Tuesday session was a complete disaster!
Mega Tilt on all levels !!!!
I was too tired and distracted, given that those last three days have been very busy .
I have also had a rough time with my allergies, you get tired of the medicine, and the allergy too!
Therefore, I should not have played at all, or left the tables when it went bad!
But oh no, not this aspbacken. He just continue to play, can't leave with a loss!
I manage to turn a loss of ~ 200bb to a small plus ~ 30bb up!
Now is the right time to take a brake, but I don't!
The Tilt devil is in total control, "just a little more profit before you quit"! Then, of course, I loos those 30bb and more !
And the Tilt Devil whisper, "just a little more to get back". Of course I can't win when on tilt and the day ends with a loss of ~ 6BI (NL10)

Old rules to be more strickt with!
Prepare myself mentally for a session!
Don't play when to tired or stressed!
(I don't have to, I'm not playing to pay the rent)
Don't play beyond Stop loss limits!
(-3 BI= take a break, -5BI= end the day)
Play only tables with fish on it.
Don't go to war with regulars
Leave tables that doesn't have any fish
Take a brake now and then

Thursday
I start from the beginning and play NL2 for a while.
I need to get back into the game
Focus should be to get back into the flow I felt before the break in April. What did I do to win so big then?
Priority one will be, not let the Tilt devil get his claws into me!
If I'm the fish at the table, I'll leave it!
I don't try to convince my self that I have just been unlucky. Maby I am, but it's a losing table anyway!
I have played two 4-table sessions on NL2 6max. Both went well +5BI total.

Hi aspbacken,

how is it going with the grind? You posted so many rules, about your game - don't forget about the fun involved in Poker: THE GAME!
Can you let us know for our BR challenge how it is going for you? Nevertheless, in August we know that it is the holiday month - so we won't issue any cards if you miss it!

CU,SvenBe

Update pls. gl

Hi aspbacken,

how is it going with the grind? We haven't heard from you for some time!
The summer holidays are kind of over but our MS Bankrollchallenge is bound for it's next cruise - so please come on board!

SvenBe

Hi SvenBe!

I have had some problems whit my poker (endless loosing sessions) and thinking that I should quit the chalange, but couldent deside what to do.
After some time to recover from these knock downs. And a lot of time look back on "what is the problem".
Conclosion: I Tilt, enough said!!

I report 12 Weeks in a chunk, if thats ok, and report weekley from next week september 19-25.

Week 3-11 FTP

Week 12-14 SvS

WEEK3-14 FullTiltPoker, SvS
Hands: 17325
Result: -$220
week 2 BR: $505
New BR: $285

WEEK 15
Hands: 2913
Result: -$63
week 14 BR: $285
New BR: $222

Another week has ended and nothing have changed, same, same but (not) different.
Looser is my new middle name:f_cry:
But it ends here, from now on I make every week a winning week:s_thumbsup:
I sort out some hands from week gone and display them here for other`s to comment!
some :wtf:bad beats, :sorry:good beats, :f_mad:bad play, ♠_biggrin:good play and some ♠_confused: ??? hands

this is how my last loosing graf looks like! Next week my graf will be going up and up and up:profit:

WEEK 16
Hands: 2085
Result: -$38
New BR: $184

This week is allmost a replay af last week!

Another week has ended and nothing have changed, same, same but (not) different.
Looser is still my middle name
But it ends here, from now on I make every week a winning week
Next week my graf will be going up and up and up, no kidding this time

And now a bad played hand
Turn is not a god call I know that, still I cant resist.
But is my call on the flop ok or not?
GTECH G2 (Boss) - kr0.50 NL (5 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 41.3 BB (VPIP: 61.54, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 14)
SB: 85.98 BB (VPIP: 24.49, PFR: 15.71, 3Bet Preflop: 2.21, Hands: 499)
BB: 159.1 BB (VPIP: 20.60, PFR: 17.88, 3Bet Preflop: 7.43, Hands: 3,748)
UTG: 189.94 BB (VPIP: 51.76, PFR: 5.88, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 87)
Hero (CO): 147.28 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q♦ Q♠

fold, Hero raises to 3.5 BB, fold, SB raises to 15 BB, fold, Hero calls 11.5 BB

Flop: (31 BB, 2 players) 6♥ 4♥ 3♦
SB bets 31 BB, Hero calls 31 BB

Turn: (93 BB, 2 players) A♦
SB bets 39.98 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 39.98 BB

River: (172.96 BB, 2 players) 6♠

And now a ♠_biggrin:good played hand
I think its a good call PRE
OTF he have a set or QQ+ Maby two pair
I dont think I have to protect against a draw when he 3bet
I have two streets to raise all-in so 1/2 pot I think is good OTT
And my goal here is to go Brooke so his 3-bet is very good for me
he cant have anything but a set or QQ+

GTECH G2 (Boss) - kr0.50 NL (5 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 111.02 BB (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
BTN: 310.24 BB (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
Hero (SB): 102 BB
BB: 137.1 BB (VPIP: 41.18, PFR: 35.29, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 18)
UTG: 208.98 BB (VPIP: 31.89, PFR: 17.67, 3Bet Preflop: 3.64, Hands: 2,290)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♦ J♥

UTG raises to 3.5 BB, CO calls 3.5 BB, fold, Hero calls 3 BB, fold

Flop: (11.5 BB, 3 players) 6♣ J♣ 8♦
Hero bets 11.5 BB, UTG raises to 28.74 BB, fold, Hero calls 17.24 BB

Turn: (68.98 BB, 2 players) 2♥
Hero bets 34.48 BB, UTG raises to 72.96 BB, Hero calls 35.28 BB and is all-in

River: (208.5 BB, 2 players) 2♣

Week 17
Hands: 0
Result: 0
New BR: $184

I have not played any poker this week because, I think I have to do some trouble shooting first.
This week I have taken time out from all poker related activities.

Next week I will try to find out what is wrong.
First I will learn more about session reviews and filtering stats.

My problem is that I don't do "good quality" session reviews I "think" I "know" what the problem is and how to play instead.

But in reality I just continues playing the "same" as always.
If I don't really know what I do wrong it will be just guesses.
It might as well be that I instead just change the marginal faults or even change right to wrong.