[Closed] My Trip among the Stars; a 12 month chronicle through SnGs, now concluded

Still on the swingy bar. Variance is quite big and it's hard to get used to it. I've been playing a solid game, I make very few mistakes and the majority of those I do make I chose to make (because of player reads). I've pretty much met my weekly goal and am only a few more VPPs from guaranteeing my gold VIP status.

I've also decided to make a small cashout. I've done this partly for RL purposes and partly to make sure I stay away from the 27$Turbos until I come back from my last summer vacation (which could mean I won't move up from the 16$turbos till late september). The reasoning behind this is simple, I will be playing poker on and off for the next two months or so and I want to be present on the next level with an even better game I have now. I'm not saying I'm a perfect player or that I expect a big decline in my game (I'll be studying a book I've recently got in exchange for FPPs) but confidence might be an issue. Also I want to come back to the game hungry to achieve more as I have to admit, I feel a tiny wee bit burnt out. I've been playing poker pretty much every day for the past year and a half or so (with the occasional day or at most four days off). So it will be interesting to see how I will do without poker lol. I am sure to make the most of my break(s) tho, spending time with my girl and later on with my friends as well is a guarantee for some great fun and memories

Recently I've been trying to get into hand judgement. Problem is my ICM game is very read dependant which is important when a player finds himself in marginal spots. ICM and Nash are all good and well but the truly perfect play depends on who u are playing against. While this may not be all that true for the micro or even low limits, it becomes increasingly more important on the high low and medium limits (for me this became of real importance on the 16$s). I don't use a HUD but I do collect tells in the note section. So I've been looking at the bronze sections of the forums, dropping my reviews but I can't bring myself to speculate about plays on higher limits. I say speculate because of the way I've built up my play.

So much for now. It's a sunday which means weekend players are out in full force ♦ Bigger edge ftw lol. I wonder tho how much the holliday season is affecting traffic rates ... oh well ... BR stands at 2920$ (I will be ignoring amounts I cash out in the blog).
Cya and have a great sunday!

Hey folx

Things have been quite tough the past two days. I've had a moderately bad run which has seen me lose over 20BI. There's been some pretty sick cards coming on all streets but ... watcha gonna do Instead of tilting my money away on the 16$ SnGs I decided to play some micro buy in MTTs (nothing bigger then 3.30$s). Basically what I did was build up a stack and then tried to make it even bigger really fast. It worked a couple of times but then when I was trying to play the smallball tactic (taking down small pots) people seemed to hit their cards magically all over the place again and ... yeah I made a few ... overkill moves that cost me my tournament life. It's been educational, relaxing and most off all CHEAP! I think it helped me blow off some steam and vent some of the frustration.

But to be completely honest, I think this is the best possible time imaginable for me to get a few bad deals. Simply because in a few hours I'm leaving for my vacation ♦ My girlfriend, the nearby spa, the peace and quiet of the are and (hopefully) awesome weather should help me deal with this small and short slump. When I come back I have over 100 SnGs that need analyzing and that is the first thing that will get done. Only after this will be done will I sit down at the tables again and continue earning money ♦

The analysis will be extensive and I expect immediate results from it. I will work on my calling ranges in certain spots and also pushing ranges. I've also played quite a lot of SnGs on the current level as well so I expect to pick up a few extra tells on the opposition as well. While I will be away I will also study a poker book and take a few tactics from there as well. To conclude I will present a visual breakdown of playing SnGs on PokerStars so far in the form of a Hold'em Manager graph (I will use the trial for this).

I wrote all of this down so I don't forget what I HAVE TO DO when I come back. No excuses, no rushing things, simply do a solid check over this downswing and see what could be improved. Downswings are the best time to learn (at least for me) because they give u that extra desire to improve compared to when u are doing good. When everything is well u just enjoy the good times pretty much ♦

Bankroll (not sure if it's the right term anymore since there I've made a cashout) stands at 2708.24$. A few days ago I peaked at just over 3150$. So yeah ... considerable change. But then I've had a good 7 weeks and I'm sure the results will improve shortly after I return from my first summer vacation this year
GL to everyone and cya when I get back!

Hey folx,

well I've been back since sunday now. The trip was great, the most relaxed I've felt in months if not years. If we could've stayed longer we would have ... sadly my GF had some stuff to do that couldn't be postponed so yeah ... came back sunday evening :\ But still 11 days of quality R&R were awesome!

Since I've returned I've been feeling a bit lazy, however I did do the analysis I promised to do. I've noticed I've been playing with some scared money against a specific oponnent but apart from that nothing bad. Mostly just the rough end of variance which continued for the first three sets I've played. The fourth (which I just finished) went a lot better (yes I've only played 36SnGs ). The reasons I'm not more active at poker right now are:
-the focus shattering heat
-the fact I'm going on another trip in earlyish august
-poker hunger not entirely back yet
-didn't come up with quality goals for my future poker career
-varius other minor things
All of these reasons put together could seriously inhibt my A game so I just play whenever I really felt like it. Which has not been very often these past few days.

I've also read through Kill Everyone. The book didn't show me any super-shortcuts or ways to put my ROI on steriods for prolonged periods of time however it did clarify a few important issues. I would warmly recommend Kill Everyone to all SnG players who have firmly grasped the basics of the game but have issues figuring out why to push or call in certain spots (if u don't know why u would fold then u have critical flaws in ur understanding of the game). The book also gives some useful tips for live and online MTTs but don't expect any earth-shattering revelations. The NL SH part is rather inadequate considering the levels at which the game is nowadays. But I have to say for 2k FPP on PokerStars it's very good purchase, a must read for up and coming SnG players!

I've also promised a graph of my Stars adventure till this point. Thing is the trial version of HEM is giving me the finger and the numbers are all messed up for some reason (incorrect values of tournaments played and the levels I've supposedly played on). I will see if there's a newer update available and try work something out again but for now no graphs :\ I really wish Elephant would support SnGs ... that would make it all a lot easier.

On the poker played since I came back ... the dirty end of variance is still hanging around, had some pretty interesting suckouts most of which made me mildly depressed for very short periods of time. However I feel confident I can bring my A game (which has improved since reading Kill Everyone!) to the tables whenever I feel the desire to play so I will continue to 9table and do my best to raise my enjoyment of the game (should be pretty easy to do once variance settles down). Apart from that I won't be setting any other goals till I come back from my second trip. It also seems there are a few more multitabling regulars on the 16$Turbos these days ... some good most average, very few bad. Too bad HEM isn't working properly for me, I'd love to find out how I'm doing against these players overall...

So to conclude, I'm back, I'm a bit lazy, I've improved and the hunger is starting to come back. Come september I should be back in full force ready to succeed at higher levels! Bankroll atm stands at: 2672$ (over 30BI down ... yikes ♠_cry: )
Cya folx

Just a quick update, since words can not adequately describe the kind of run I've had today throught the games I have played I will only post one hand which should sum it up more than adequately:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $5.00+$0.50 Tournament, 10/20 Blinds (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO (t1560)
Button (t3340)
SB (t2840)
BB (t3000)
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1390)
Hero (MP1) (t2990)
MP2 (t1440)
MP3 (t5250)

Hero's M: 99.67

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 9, 10
UTG calls t20, 1 fold, Hero calls t20, MP2 calls t20, 1 fold, CO bets t80, Button calls t80, SB calls t70, 1 fold, UTG calls t60, Hero calls t60, MP2 calls t60

Flop: (t500) 9, 8, 10 (6 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets t350, 1 fold, CO raises to t1480 (All-In), 1 fold, SB calls t1480, UTG calls t1420 (All-In), Hero raises to t2910 (All-In), SB calls t1280 (All-In)

Turn: (t8920) K (4 players, 4 all-in)

River: (t8920) 7 (4 players, 4 all-in)

Total pot: t8920

CO held 8c9c
UTG held Ah7d
BB held Ks7s

I understand it's a multiway pot and the things that go along with multiway pots but I only had to win against BB to pretty much have the same stack I had before this hand. I could've posted upward of 30 similar hands today but I feel that one should be enough to make a point. After playing 42 16$Turbo SnGs today I switched to varius micro and low buyin MTTs in the hope that this would help me lose less money. It has been a horrible horrible day. But at least it can't get any worse then this so ... should start wining again soon ♠_cool: BR stands at 2450$ (almost 40BI down in relation to the 16$ SnGs ........................)

Howdy peeps,

I thought I'd make another update seeing as this is the first time in this blog that I am facing serious negative growth. As any other time it's been hard to take this time as well. But I can happily say that I'm taking it a whole lot better and I'm very pleased that I'm not erupting curse words or smashing my fist on the table like I used to last year. It's not the worst I've ever had but that doesn't mean it's not frustrating. I think the most important effect on dealing with downswings is knowledge and experience. Knowledge because the better u educate urself in whatever style of poker u play the better ur game is the more u understand why this is happening and the easier it is for u to accept it. Experience is obvius, the more negative periods u have the easier it is for u to deal with them (hopefully).

Practically I've done two things to prevent me from tilting. One, I've switched to MTTs in order to get more hands for the same money (it might not make much sense but as long as it makes me feel good it doesn't really matter huh :P). MTTs also interest me greatly and I've had a few nice runs into the money while playing solid poker (tho far from perfect, there's much to learn!) so as a result I had far more fun then I would dreading the next suckout playing SnGs. Second I've switched down to the 6.50$Turbos. I've decided to push my bankroll up to 2600$ and then go back to playing 16$s. This should give me a sense of achievement calmness and maybe even greater faith in my game. Don't be affraid to move down if u find urself in a long bad run! It can be argued if it makes sense or not but psychologicaly it deffinately does. Also the road back up is shorter the sooner u go down or long if u postpone moving down to ur absolute limit.

Other small things I've done are playing less, listening to my favourite music for added sense of relaxation, doing more physical excercise and various other things. Remember, that with poker comfort is VERY important, not just at the table but away from it as well. So many times we get to read it's not wise to play drunk or stoned, but it can be equally dangerous to play while stressed out because of poker related or unrelated stuff. Make a cosy enviroment for urself to play in, preferably one with as few distractions as possible.

I hope these little tidbits help those of u reading. Downswings are hard to take and not just money wise. Not only are the things mentioned above important, u should also believe in urself and ur game (if u have objective proof it is solid!), be prepared to look for possible leaks (these will only make a painful period even more painful so such times are best for eliminating leaks!), swallow ur pride (moving down is not a bad thing! in fact sometimes that is all it takes for u to regain faith in what u are doing) and of course keep a cool head. Nothing good can come if u make too many rash decisions in the heat of the moment while ur pissed at some guy having beat ur two pair to a better runner runner two pair.

Stay frosty guys cya next time!

oh btw, BR is at: 2457$ (hey it's up but it's been lower then that too! :P)

Nice blog!

I started 3 days ago a SnG challenge with a BR of 250$ on FullTilt and 50$ new capital on PartyPoker and now i'm grinding $5 +.5 SnG's at FullTilt and 3$ on PartyPoker with a combined roll of about 450$ .

GL at the tables and keep analyzing your play. I do that by recording videos of some sessions and look at them to see mistakes.

nice posts!!

good luck and be patient! It will pay off!

You definitely seem to be a winning player, don't worry.
If you can turn 300$ into 2500 in 2 months, that's already very good...
I'll follow you, since I have to rebuild a BR with SnGs as well.

If you'd like to do sessions together, skype : L2Chill

Thanks for the replies, they are much appreciated

@ steIIstuI: I analyze my play as soon as I'm done with a set, not every set tho. I use the popop (not really sure how it's spelled atm, at GFs) replayer. Then I look for any interesting hands in SnGWizard and also do the math in the ICM calculator. I analyse this way because most of my decisions are oponnent related (reads not stats). While the articles provided by PokerStrategy are good to start out with, the higher up u get the more u have to adapt to ur oponnents. Also I will fold now and then simply to gain more fold equity for later (but only if I have a solid stack or if I have reasons to believe my edge will be bigger later). This is why I analyse my game as soon as possible after I finish playing

@ Flows: I know mate and thanks for listening to my rants, those are an important way of dealing with a bad run as well Thanks for the luck as well, hope ur work is going well too!

@ LtoC: What type of SnGs do u play and where? I'm interested in sweat sessions with people who play on a similar level and are experienced in SnG play. I also have something in mind for players that want to get into SnGs more but more on that once I come back from my 2nd vacation in mid-August.

Today is a day off for me, spending it with my special someone I'll be back in action tomorrow evening when I will hopefully also meet my goal of reaching 2600$ and then hopefully play two hundred more 16$s before I leave next monday. Atm I'm about 100$ away from the goal.

More on everything next week. Thanks for the replies again and I hope u keep on following my progress Have a great weekend everyone!

ATM, 2,25 on full tilt. Obviously, I'm looking forward to get back to 22 regular FR and SH I used to play.

I'm also interested into 18/27/45 players SnG but I never played higher that 5,5 in those.

@ LtoC: Cool, I think I will give u a shout after I come home from my vacation in mid august. GL to u and I hope u climb through the limits fast

While I haven't played as much as I would have liked to this weekend I did play some interesting hands, some of which might be a bit questionable. Like this one for example:

hand #37) Stacks:
TheDawn561 with 2677
BTN with 2130
SB with 1995
BB with 1515
UTG with 515
MP with 4668

Blinds: 75/150
Site: Pokerstars
Dealt to BB:Q♥ Q♠

Preflop:
UTG raises 365 to 515 [ all-in ]
MP calls [515]
thedawn561 calls [515]
1 players fold.
SB raises 1480 to 1995 [ all-in ] Hero calls [1365] [ all-in ]
MP calls [1480]
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 2
Potsize: 6535
Flop: 8♠ 4♣ J♠
Potsize: 6535
Turn: 7♥
Potsize: 6535
River: 9♠
Results:
SB shows high card Ace: A♣ K♥
MP shows a pair of Fours: A♦ 4♠
MP collected 960 from side pot-2
Hero shows a pair of Queens: Q♥ Q♠ Hero collected 3000 from side pot-1
UTG shows a pair of Nines: K♠ 9♥ Hero collected 2575 from main pot

The shortstack goes all in and after the call everyone else gets great pot odds to move in. Someone could even have slowplayed AA or KK here. I almost timed out in this hand ultimately deciding to call because this was the 6.5$ level and I expected at least one of the early callers to fold after SB and I went all in. It turned out OK but it might be an interesting hand to discuss

38) This is another interesting hand, even more so because it all happens on one of the most misplayed streets in SnGs, the flop:

Stacks:
UTG+1 with 1520
MP1 with 1095
MP2 with 2145
CO with 1815
BTN with 1350
SB with 2105
BB with 2065
UTG with 1405

Blinds: 50/100
Site: Pokerstars
Dealt to MP2:Q♦ A♠

Preflop:
2 players fold.
MP1 calls [100]
Hero raises 250 to 350
3 players fold.
BB calls [250]
MP1 calls [250]
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 1100
Flop:
10♥ 10♠ Q♠
BB bets [400]
1 players fold.
Hero raises 1395 to 1795 [ all-in ]
1 players fold.
Uncalled bet (1395) returned to Hero
Hero collected 1900 from pot Hero: doesn't show hand
Total folds this street: 2

This is not an easy spot to find urself in. The BB could call with a wide range of hands (I see him calling with 66+, A9s+ ATo+ KTs+ KTo+ QTs+ QTo+ and maybe JTs; range assigned according with my experience on this blind level, not specific oponnent reads). Considering the ranges I was not able to discard overpairs, trips or even a made full house and poker! But the more I thought about it the more I realized that the average player on this level would slowplay any strong made hand and likely bet out with a flush draw. But even agaist certain flushdraws (AsKs also have straight and straight flush outs) I'm not that far ahead. Still considering the basic reads I had on an average oponnent on the 6.5$ turbo level I decided that moving in is the best option. Comments welcome

39.) This is one of those spots where I find it hard to look at the board, yet the push is obvious:

Stacks:
SB with 3240
BB with 1870
UTG with 3220
MP1 with 1745
MP2 with 1975
CO with 610
BTN with 840

Blinds: 100/200
Site: Pokerstars
Dealt to BTN:A♣ A♦

Preflop:
1 players fold.
MP1 raises 1520 to 1720 [ all-in ]
MP2 raises 230 to 1950 [ all-in ]
CO calls [585] [ all-in ]
Hero calls [815] [ all-in ]
2 players fold.
Uncalled bet (230) returned to MP2
Total folds this street: 3
Potsize: 5370
Flop:
6♠ 5♥ 5♠
Potsize: 5370
Turn:
9♠
Potsize: 5370
River:
4♥
Results:
MP1 shows two pair, Sevens and Fives:
7♥ 7♠
MP2 shows a pair of Fives:
Q♣ K♣
MP1 collected 1810 from side pot-2
Hero shows two pair, Aces and Fives:
A♣ A♦
Hero collected 690 from side pot-1
CO shows a pair of Fives:
A♠ 7♦
Hero collected 2815 from main pot

Thankfully AA held up but don't be too shocked if u lose in multiway pots like this (tho the numbers are a bit better in this spot because there are three sevens out so the KQs hand is actually second best here in terms of equity). If we change the 77 hand into 88 AA has only 58% equity left! Considering my chipstack I'd push QQ+ here but If I had over 8BB I would consider folding KK in this spot (KK has 45% equity if the pocket pair is 88 and 52% equity if the pocket pair would be 77)!

40.) This hand converted wierdly but I am the Hero and villain is Hero+1. Name of the game is slowplaying:

Stacks:
BB with 1610
UTG with 1445
UTG+1 with 1830
MP1 with 1105
MP2 with 2220
MP3 with 1535
CO with 1275
BTN with 1395
SB with 1085

Blinds: 25/50
Site: Pokerstars
Dealt to UTG:A♦ A♠

Preflop:
Hero raises 100 to 150
Hero+1 calls [150]
3 players fold.
CO calls [150]
3 players folded.
Total folds this street: 6
Potsize: 525
Flop:
2♦ K♠ A♣
Hero: checks
Hero+1 bets [200]
4 players fold.
Hero calls [200]
Total folds this street: 1
Potsize: 925
Turn:
9♠
Hero: checks
Hero+1 bets [300]
Hero raises 795 to 1095 [ all-in ]
Hero+1 calls [795]
Potsize: 3115
River:
10♥
Results:
Hero shows three of a kind, Aces:
A♦ A♠ Hero+1 shows three of a kind, Kings:
K♣ K♥
Hero collected 3115 from pot

Hero+1 makes a low bet after I checked the board. I wasn't sure what hand I could put him on but the closest I would go was TPGK (ATo-AQo), I didn't see him betting any Kx type hands (because of the skill level on these SnGs). I also didn't see him holding pocket22 as I expect player to slowplay such hands here. Calling is the obvius action because his bet is not big enough to make an all in reraise optimal play as reraising all in on the flop would be a massive overbet and any TP or even 2ndP would insta fold. On the turn I was thinking about calling and donk shoving river but I noticed the 9s gave possible flushdraws and given my recent bad run I decided to move in and possibly protect my trips a bit. The move in is also a lot better because here he is completely pot commited and can't consider folding any hands, tho some players might ignore the pot odds they'r getting and fold many made hands here. I very much missed setup hands like this during the recent downswing.

41) The bread and butter of SnG players are hands of this type:

Stacks:
SB with 1670
BB with 2665
UTG with 1590
MP1 with 2045
MP2 with 2485
CO with 1300
BTN with 1745

Blinds: 75/150
Site: Pokerstars
Dealt to BB:8♠ 8♦

Preflop:
3 players fold.
CO raises 600 to 750
2 players fold.
Hero raises 1915 to 2665 [ all-in ]
CO calls [550] [ all-in ] Uncalled bet (1365) returned to Hero
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 4040
Flop:
Q♥ 6♠ 6♦
Potsize: 4040
Turn:
2♣
Potsize: 4040
River:
J♥
Results:
Hero shows two pair, Eights and Sixes:
8♠ 8♦
CO shows a pair of Sixes:
A♥ 9♠
Hero collected 2675 from pot

Coinflips will often make or break ur game yet in spots like this u can't shy away from a push. Restealing COs raise holding 88 behind him is very much unexploitable so don't be affraid to get ur chips in when u find urselves in spots like this (unless u have very strong reads that oponnent is quite tight). I've also missed wining hands like this recently, was very happy when 88 held up here

I've had a good run these past two days. I've pushed my BR up to 2575$ meaning I've almost met my mini goal. But I won't be moving to the 16$s this week because I got an offer I could not refuse. A friend asked me to go sailing with him from thursday to monday and since I'm leaving to another friends place on the beach on monday poker time got drastically reduced for the next 2 weeks ♦ So hopefully I can put together a good string of results and collect some free money from the battle of the planets!

Thanks for staying tuned in, there will be more to come!

first: the converter sucks!! there are better ones!

hand 38: flop-play is good! especially with your reasoning. but i'm not sure if i like raising AQo with a 20bb stack, mp1 with 10bb can only push or fold (if he calls the only hands that make sense are AA and KK)! If he pushes you'll have to fold and if he folds you won't win a dime because those chips are worthless.
so imo raising is -EV.

PS: raising may be good, but it is very bad until you give me some good arguments!

Greetz

Originally posted by Flows
first: the converter sucks!! there are better ones!

hand 38: flop-play is good! especially with your reasoning. but i'm not sure if i like raising AQo with a 20bb stack, mp1 with 10bb can only push or fold (if he calls the only hands that make sense are AA and KK)! If he pushes you'll have to fold and if he folds you won't win a dime because those chips are worthless.
so imo raising is -EV.

PS: raising may be good, but it is very bad until you give me some good arguments!

Greetz

I really disliked the flopturnriver hand converter because when I used that one I maxed out the images very fast. This one isn't perfect but still the best I could find so far without having to register somewhere (cba to do that :P).

In hand 38 I agree with what u say about MP1 and I did kind of ignore him because I didn't expect him to complete (his range for me can't be anything else but low or mid pocket pair, if he was stronger he would indeed push me preflop). Again I used my reads about the average limit player when deciding how to play it out and while it would've been a painful fold for me if he pushed after my raise, I made the conclusion that often enough he will simply fold his PP after he won't get to see a cheap flop. I'm sure that if the BB would not call my raise the MP1 player wouldn't have called either. With that in mind I think my steal becomes even more profitable because I'm no longer trying to pick up 1.5BB but 2.5BB. Basically my raise comes into play because I know the average 6.5$ player is a fish and will always try to hit a set on a cheap flop regardless the blind limits Another important fact is I would have positional advantage over both players so even on the flop I could get away from my hand if the action became too hot.

I would not have made this play often on a higher limit then 6.5$ because as u said open-limping more often means a strong hand then a speculative hand. But if u would be the SB in this hand and MP1 limps and the player behind him raises u wouldn't put the raiser on anything less then QQ-AA hand either would u? My hand strenght to them is a lot bigger then it actually is. The fact I connected with the flop only made my resteal push a lot easier. My raise was more of a steal then it was an attempt to play out the hand on all streets. That's also why I had to push on the flop. But this is indeed marginal play at best and not recommended for begginers

I still like it tho, I'm sure this play is more +EV than -EV, simply because good players will never open limp and against a raise before me my AQo is an easy fold. Also this play should boost overall EV because the next time I have a monster and get reraised I will easily call and gain even more respect. This isn't standard play by any means and I would have a very tough time playing this on higher limits where there are likely to be more good players left to act behind me unless I was absolutely sure of the table, but I think this play is still good for a good player with an above average stack who can also get away from a made hand on the flop. Even if I was forced to fold in this hand I would not have crippled myself and I believe the most of my edge in this game is still to come once we get into the push or fold phase.

I think I've covered everything about this play now If u have other questions, please post them, this is deffinately a hand worth discussing

Hey everyone!

I've returned from my awesome awesome vacation early monday morning. I've had a really great time partying and drinking with some of the closest friends I have. We didn't really go anywhere fancy but it doesn't really matter where u are as long as u've got good company there

So after having a hard time resting monday and tuesday I've inevitably returned to playing poker. I've also spent a few more hrs studying some of the concepts in Kill Everyone and I've managed to implement some really useful stuff into my game. Basically it's not too different from what PS.com teaches, however it is a different perspective to the same angle(s). I realized that the book helped me in one very important way - figuring out when to call and what to call with. I no longer have any problems folding AK or even QQ preflop while I'm also a lot more confident in folding other seemingly strong holdings in certain situations. Basically, I understand many situations and the math behind them even better now!

The book will still bring the best advice and knowledge to MTT players, but SnGers can take a lot from the theories as well. So if u get a chance, don't shy away from studying Kill Everyone, it really is a solid book!
Armed with my new knowledge I decided to first get back into shape at the 6.5$Turbos. Didn't take me long to realize my edge was even bigger now so I moved to the 16$s. It proved to be a bit more challanging there but going over the last few sessions I've made only 1 big mistake in the past 100 SnGs! This has to be a record for me lol. I've mainly ignored minor mistakes (Diff in SnGWiz under 0.33%) because I usually choose to make those, while there have been a few medium mistakes (Diff in SnGWiz 0.75% - 0.33%) but the problem there are mainly stack sizes (F.E.: SB 2nd stack, BB (me) 3rd stack, less then 1BB difference between our stacks).

Here's the bad news for new SnG players who aren't too keen on math: higher poker math skill = better ROI. Master the math and the reasons why the math is the way it is in certain spots and u will beat the micro sngs with ease! I'm not saying u should do complex equations in the 30seconds u've got to make ur move but if u won't have a solid feeling about where u are in terms of math u stand a very good chance of passing up on a lot of $EV and $EV is way more important than chipEV.

This blog will also change a bit. From now on I won't post accurate value of my BR anymore. Instead I will try to focus more on my own personal goals and helping up and coming SnG players by explaining my views to certain key elements of SnG play. I also hope that this way of blogging will help me figure out any remaining leaks. I feel that I've managed to master the basics however that does not mean I am a perfect player yet. I wish to expand my understanding of SnG play and the only way that can happen is through debating and discussing. Also what I will write down I will not forget and if others see it they can fix it too All that and more in the next update

I've been doing fairly well since my return from vacation, however I still have a substantial void to fill due to my last downswing. I wish to maintain the current set of good results and good play.
Goals for the rest of the month:
-reach gold status for the month of september
-modify the blog so that it becomes even more begginer friendly
-watch at least 3 videos to see what's new in ube-rSnGer-land
-find another partner for sweat sessions

This much for now, cya next time folx!

P.S.: playing with colors if fun ♦

Very nice blog, keep it up!

I'm also playing the $16s, but only once in a while, since I don't have 100 BI for it yet and I can't really mentally stand $200 swings yet, so I still play $6.50s as well.

'lo peeps

My downswing is still not over. I thought I was beyond it but the last few sessions showed I was not. Times like this are the most trying for anyone who wants to make it big in poker. No matter how good ur reads are, how solid ur play is, how well u understand the game, the board had turned up against u. It's difficult because u see so many other players in similar spots and they made their hands. Or u see a donkey at the table putting his chips in with almost any2 and even against him and his range u couldn't pick up a pot. Then there are all those times u just get shit hands one after the other, always attacking with the purest of air and not being able to defend ur BBs. Yes my dear readers, these are the most testing of times.

U see, every now and then u will lose the nuts, it's a given. Not much u can do against math, as long as ur oponnent really isn't drawing completely dead. That is why poker is gambling. While u can decide when u will put ur money in the middle it is very rarely absolutely certain that u will win the pot(s). But that really isn't the problem is it? As long as u get ur money in with the best hand in the best spot outplaying the other guy in the proces it's all good. For me the biggest problem is trying to pick a fight when I'm not equiped for it. It's like that saying: I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight. And there's nothing I can do about it.

Yesterday after so many times being confronted with shoving or calling in marginal spots I actually shouted out a few times. I even tried to resteal from a guy in EP while I was on the BU with AQs. And while every time I went in with QQ against AQ or weaker the other guys ace poped up, my over cards never showed up. It's not hard to keep a cool head but sometimes I wanted not to and once or twice I actually made a move out of pure anger. Thankfully it wasn't the worst moves I could've made (tho I did face 99 when I was holding 88 on a 679 board, the only hand I was really in serious trouble against). Thing is, I have an edge over many other players out there when they face difficult spells like this. I have a very solid bankroll and I've been in such situations before.

And the last sentence of the above text is where the solution to these problems lie. Tough luck is nothing new at poker, not least at gambling. So many times every poker player was faced with a sure call/bet and so many times it all flew apart. But as long as u do not risk to much of ur poker money and as long as u can take it on the chin and chew through these dark periods... that's how long u will be a good poker player. That is what sepparates the good from the bad - dealing with the worst poker has to offer. The better u will react to dry spells, the less money u will lose, the sooner u will rebound back and move on up again.
Remember: The money u do not lose is like the money gained. So for the love of god or whoever don't go losing money just because ur on some emotional rollecoaster!

Till next time, good luck to ya'll and me too ♦

Nice blog. Iam a sng player too. Nice to have some pokerstrategy players who are winning a nice amount of money, meaning that it is possible to reach a good profit on the higher limits.

One thing that i dont understarstand. Page 2 your BR was $1750, than suddenly its $2800. Hows that possible?

Are you playing 9man? I was playing the $6,50 18Man till last week, now i made a cash out and im back to the microlimits. How did you managed to cash out without affecting too much of your bankroll?

Hey Alverine, thanks for the nice review

Yeah I'm playing the 9man SnGs. I like them because it is easier to put more volume in while also the tables quickly become shorthanded which I believe gives me another edge since I used to be a full time NL SH player. Page two of this blog is basically the dream of every poker player, things went well and it reflected on the bankroll It is proof that consistant good play will get rewarded handsomely. It didn't come easy tho and I get the feeling I'm paying for that updraft with my recent fortunes, but more on that later.

I cashed out on the peak of that upswing. I decided to cash out mainly so I wouldn't be forced to play the 27$s as soon as I came back from my vacation a week ago. I feared I would lack confidence to succeed at a higher level so I artificially made sure it doesn't happen Little did I know the pokerstars dealer had a far more sinister plan than cashouts to prevent me from going to the 27$s lol. Also cashouts at SnGs aren't as crippling as with cash games (IMHO!). The reason I feel this way is because of the payout structure of SnGs. There is a sort of inversion at SnGs that I don't yet fully understand but it goes something like this (copyrighted ):
When deciding if u want to go all in for all of ur chips or not u should be aware of the fact that the chips u would gain are worth less than the chips u would lose. This is due to several factors. But on the other hand if u win u still have a shot at the 50% prize pool which is about five times what u bought in for. Granted u will not win every time but still, wining SnGs is where u make profit. At cash games whenever u go in for all of ur chips u are in for their exact value. That means u can either win 100$ with AA or lose 100$ with AA (if u play BSS NL100 ). This is one of the reasons why SnGs are more poker player friendly (from my personal experience!). Of course on the other hand SnG downswings last longer because it is not that easy to win on a regular basis (by wining I mean actually finishing first). So it is good to try and find a rakeback deal when playing SnGs because that will make a huge difference in ur overall winrate

But to return to cashouts again, I don't think anyone should cashout before they reach 1500$ minimum and even then they should cashout 500$max. This way they don't have to go back down too far and u also get to enjoy a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction while not losing too much enjoyment of the game. Avoid cashouts unless absolutely needed tho. It will be hard to make a comeback, especially if u run into a downswing (and there is a good chance u will because u've probably just ran really well if u managed to cashout and what goes up must go down ). Basically for me the rule of thumb with cashouts is this: Don't cripple myself, make them big enough to actually have something from it, if either of these rules are broken don't bother cashing out!

The weekend was nice. Went to a friends party, had a great time again (this time I actually managed not to drown my brain in liquor :P), ate some good food and enjoyed the company of my friends Summers are great that way, I just wish it wouldn't be so damn hot lol. Generally life is great atm. But there is some ... interesting yet retarded development on the poker front. U see I've been playing a few MTTs on sunday, managed to build up an above average stack and then lost the key hands that would put me close to or into the top10. All to suckouts and setups. Which is ok, nothing u can do about that. Problem is the same thing has been happening on the 16$Turbo SnGs. Hand after hand gets beat on the bubble and I'm lucky to get two 3rd places in a 9TableSnG set! So yeah, I was still runing sadly awful when it came to interesting but not big amounts of money.

On the other hand I've been destroying the field at the 6.50$Turbos. Yesterday alone I've managed to pick up over 20buyins of profit. The difference there is I can not lose a hand. Which is nice but I seriously seriously wish to transform such form into the 16$ and the 27$ SnGs plus it'd be great to get a nice run in a few MTTs. Also I've been 16Tabling the 6.50s because that's the only way I feel challanged and motivated to play. It's kind of intense to play 10 or more bubble situations at once ♦ Like it loads, hope to try it on higher limits as well ♦

Sundays are now going to be MTT days, tho depending on how well I will do I will possibly add SnG sets as well. I'm also going to step up the search for a SnGer from whom I can learn while I could also help him. I feel I got a lot to offer but I'd like some knowledge experience come my way as well. Goal wise I'm making progress but still nowhere near completion of any. There's work to be done and I best get to it ♦ Good luck at the table folx cya next time

Hey Atoks...

A lot of good points made... agree with you 100%... I am always open to discussing theory etc... so let me know...

Originally posted by NickParkes
Hey Atoks...

A lot of good points made... agree with you 100%... I am always open to discussing theory etc... so let me know...

Yeah I'd be very much interested in discussing SnG and MTT stuff with u Nick! Look me up on skype: grebrod

Hope to hear from u soon!