Beat NL2 Challenge AMA

My overall graphs.
Still 9 Buy-ins down, but it is going better on the regular tables ATM.
It bothers me that it seems I can't beat fast fold tables though. But I will stick to the games that I feel comfortable with.

You can always switch back when your beating reg tables and feel more comfortable with your game.

Here is the current month so far.

Looking good!

I had to use page magnifier to read the chart. In case anyone is wondering how I could read the 10bb/100 win rate. Small sample but looks promising. Playing a straight forward ABC exploitative strategy should produce a 10bb+ win rate long term.

As of yesterday I am slightly above break even in my overall results. 🎉

firstly, super cool blog. Keep it up!

Originally posted by monteCarlol
As of yesterday I am slightly above break even in my overall results. 🎉

what would you say you are doing differently ?

Originally posted by nutural
firstly, super cool blog. Keep it up!

Originally posted by monteCarlol
As of yesterday I am slightly above break even in my overall results. 🎉

what would you say you are doing differently ?

Thanks! 🙏🏻

This is a very good question. I do not have a good answer.
I don't think that it is one particular thing that I have implemented that turned my win-rate around.
So I think for the most part it is variance. This is also supported by the fact that I was running ~10 stacks under All-In-EV. And ever since it went up again my All-In Adj BB/100 more or less matched my win-rate.

However here are a few things I did (some of them differently):
- Sticked to the process (for the most part played very focussed, reviewed hands)
- Mainly regular tables (little fast-fold tables)
- Took more notes (inspired by the latest coaching stream from PS coach Lemmon)
- Steal a bit more from LP and SB
- Defend BB a bit more (here my notes from the video from W34s3l's 6max micro course helped a lot)
- Started reading a book (No-Limit Hold 'em For Advanced Players: Emphasis on Tough Games, which is not directly applicable to NL2 but good for understand some of the underlying math/principles and brain food)
- Played some Spin & Gos (for the fun of it, also gives a different perspective and maybe helps a bit with heads up situations or blind vs blind)
- Keeping up a positive mindset

Originally posted by monteCarlol
I do not have a good answer.

this is actually a very very good answer. :f_cool::f_drink::f_biggrin:
mindset and consistency but also adjustment to leaks and bad tendencies.

Keep it up!

Real quick update:
Here are the last 15.5k hands that I played (since August 22nd).
It went well except for the last 2k hands.
kthxbye

Originally posted by monteCarlol
Here are the last 15.5k hands that I played (since August 22nd).
It went well except for the last 2k hands.

It would be interesting to see your "went to showdown" and "won $ at showdown" and "won without showdown" stats
For me it is rare that my red and blue lines diverge so much -- and even more rare that my green line climbs so beautifully

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
It would be interesting to see your "went to showdown" and "won $ at showdown" and "won without showdown" stats
For me it is rare that my red and blue lines diverge so much -- and even more rare that my green line climbs so beautifully

Went to SD           = 26.10%
Hands won total      = 17.37%
Hands won with SD    = 56.12%
Hands won without SD = 15.19%

If you get any insights from these stats, I'd appreciate it if you'd share them. 🙏🏻

I asked because both my blue line and read line are much less steep.
My green line too unfortunately.

My "went to SD" is much higher than yours, which is very likely a leak on my part.

Current bankroll: $46.66

And here is my overall graph:

3-4k hands ago I thought I was finally on the right track, but after all that was just an upswing.

Decided to play a little less and to really put some effort into studying. My current plan is to buy gold status and work through all of w34s3l's recent videos, because all the material I have seen from him so far was superb.

Something that keeps my confidence/spirits up is that I am running very well at a regular private home game.

I watched the first part of the W34z3l's Preflop Powerup series.
I took a lot of notes. The most notable thing is that he suggests depolarized 3betting ranges as default to exploit population tendencies. Mainly because players are calling too much on the micros when facing a 3bet.
I found it also interesting that he says that RFI sizing doesn't really matter, and neither does being balanced when it comes to sizing. Maybe we sometimes pay too much attention to irrelevant details?
What I haven't done, yet, is to transcribe all the ranges. Any suggestions for how to do this best? Thinking about Google Sheets, or FreeBetRange. I can't use Equilab on MacOS 😢.

At 2nl which I have plenty of experience of, you should be playing an ABC exploitative game. 2NL isn't the place to be balanced because 95% of the population (including me) don't play a balanced game. If a nit 3/bets preflop and you have AQ - fold 100% of the time. If a passive calling station re-raises on the turn or river while you hold top pair top kicker - fold.

The game is very simple. Value town when ahead and fold to aggression from passive players. Don't bluff calling stations. Check fold if you don't improve by the turn if c/bet bluffing against stations.

You can bluff tight players if they are capable of folding. Identifying playing styles is an essential skill. identifying which players are tight or loose, aggressive and passive. Preflop and postflop. For example, some players are loose aggressive preflop and passive post flop. These LAG/PASSIVES can't be bluffed with light 3/bets but post flop they fold if they brick. That's how you beat 2nl by identifying the playing styles of the various players and exploiting their tendencies.

Originally posted by arthurbentley
At 2nl which I have plenty of experience of, you should be playing an ABC exploitative game. 2NL isn't the place to be balanced because 95% of the population (including me) don't play a balanced game. If a nit 3/bets preflop and you have AQ - fold 100% of the time. If a passive calling station re-raises on the turn or river while you hold top pair top kicker - fold.

The game is very simple. Value town when ahead and fold to aggression from passive players. Don't bluff calling stations. Check fold if you don't improve by the turn if c/bet bluffing against stations.

You can bluff tight players if they are capable of folding. Identifying playing styles is an essential skill. identifying which players are tight or loose, aggressive and passive. Preflop and postflop. For example, some players are loose aggressive preflop and passive post flop. These LAG/PASSIVES can't be bluffed with light 3/bets but post flop they fold if they brick. That's how you beat 2nl by identifying the playing styles of the various players and exploiting their tendencies.

Thanks for the reminder. Maybe I am overthinking things.
I think where I lack the most is to actively identify player types constantly. I do it a little but not enough. Always keeping up the discipline is key, I guess.
It sounds simple the way you put it, and I am sure it is for you and for anyone that has made this their second nature.
But it takes some effort and discipline, at least for me.

Originally posted by arthurbentley
That's how you beat 2nl by identifying the playing styles of the various players and exploiting their tendencies.

I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to work on improving the skills to identify player types and how to adjust accordingly?
Any good videos/articles/material recommendations?
🙏🏻

Originally posted by monteCarlol

Originally posted by arthurbentley
That's how you beat 2nl by identifying the playing styles of the various players and exploiting their tendencies.

I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to work on improving the skills to identify player types and how to adjust accordingly?
Any good videos/articles/material recommendations?
🙏🏻

I assume you have a HUD?

Here is a list of the various player types I tag and make a note of.

1. TAG

2. Weak Tight

3. LAG

4. Loose Passive

5. Slight Loose Passive

6. Loose recreational/unskilled

7. Maniac

Preflop / post flop playing styles:

8. Loose Passive / Aggressive

9. LAG / Passive

10. Maniac / Passive