[Closed] Three Makes A Pattern

65.15 BB / 100 Hands

Here's the graph...

This is actually the third time I've tried Step 2. The first time I did 500 hands on FT and then 500 or so hands on Aced (Merge).

Now, even when I'm 9 tabling I always have a accurate sense of approximately how much I am up or down. When I played on Aced I noticed that there was a large discrepancy between how I was doing and what HEM showed. I discovered that HEM did not pick up a crucial hand that was worth a BI.

So I fooled around a bit with it but decided that it was early on in Step 2, I can just delete the database, start a new one and hopefully it was just a one time thing. I just would not feel comfortable knowing that HEM is not picking up crucial hands.

So I started again, and the EXACT same thing happened after a session on Aced. This never happened on FT. I poked around some more and even when I looked for the hand on Aced, it had all my other hands but not that one. It was truly weird.

Now, again, I am NOT cool with playing and knowing that my stats may be skewed so I started a new database and I decided that for Step 2 I will only play on FT. I'll decide what to do with Aced at the end of this goal. I just don't have the energy right now to contact HEM support to iron out this problem. It's too bad because I have a bonus on Aced and 35% rakeback. Perhaps it isn't HEM.

I'd love to say that my recent success was due to my "great poker skill" :f_wink:, but it was largely due to opponents like this...

Worst bluff of all time?

Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.01/$0.02 No-Limit Hold'em (5 handed)

Known players:
[tg]MP3$1.93:///////;CO$2.04:///////;BU$1.42:///////;SB (Hero)$2.00:///////;BB$3.30:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is SB with A:s, A:c.
2 folds, BU calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.08, BB folds, BU calls $0.06.

Flop: ($0.18) A:h, 2:c, 9:s (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $0.06, Hero calls $0.06.

Turn: ($0.3) 3:s (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $0.16, Hero calls $0.16.

River: ($0.62) A:d (2 players)
Hero bets $0.20, BU raises to $1.12, Hero calls $0.92.

Final Pot: $2.86.
Results follow:

Hero shows four of a kind, aces(A:s A:c).
BU shows a pair of aces(J:d 7:s).

Hero wins with four of a kind, aces(A:s A:c).

A classic performance of a classic song at a classic concert.

30.72 BB / 100 hands

El Grapho...

So things are going well so far. Ever since overhauling my game in Step 1, I have felt very relaxed while playing. I've made a few mistakes etc, but nothing so huge, or no hole so deep that I couldn't get out of it eventually by staying true to my game. I feel very confident so I have yet to feel the come on of tilt... I am quite happy to be over that.

I cannot stress enough how much better I am getting at selecting my tables. If, after I sit down, I don't feel I can really profit at the table I quit it a lot faster than usual. I don't feel that male pride kick in. I don't hear the voice say, "Wimp... You can't handle a tough table?" I don't think it's autopilot or a lack of emotion but a gradual release of ego.

Here's an interesting hand...

Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.01/$0.02 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Known players:
[tg]MP3$0.82:///////;CO (Hero)$2.61:///////;BU$1.16:///////;SB$1.83:///////;BB$2.22:///////;MP2$1.71:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is CO with 9:h, T:h.
MP2 folds, MP3 calls $0.02, Hero calls $0.02, BU folds, SB calls $0.01, BB raises to $0.12, MP3 folds, Hero calls $0.10, SB folds.

Flop: ($0.28) 6:c, 7:h, 4:h (2 players)
BB bets $0.18, Hero calls $0.18.

Turn: ($0.64) K:d (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.20, BB raises to $0.48, Hero calls $0.28.

River: ($1.6) 5:c (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.83, BB folds, Hero gets uncalled bet back.

Final Pot: $1.6.

Explanation...

So, I limped on the button with suited connectors. When the villain raised, I called because I was on the button.

When he made his conti bet, it was less than pot so I felt I had odds to call with a flush draw, a gutshot and two overcards.

On the turn, when the king showed up I got check-raised. This puzzled me. On the one hand I thought trips and that he wanted to play for stacks but on the other hand I was asking myself why he wanted me to fold. I figured he had a weak king, maybe king / jack. If he truly had something big I felt he would have value bet and not check-raised. I remember feeling that his checkraise did not feel strong. I know, it's silly to go by "feel" but I did not "feel" strength on his part. I felt he was scared, like maybe with AQ or AJ.

I almost folded regardless. But, I still had outs and the board was not paired so if I hit my hand it would be good. I called.

When the five hit and he checked, I knew he was scared and was hoping for me to check. If he had the three or the eight for the straight he would have value bet. So I shoved because I felt that if he had the King he might call a smallish bet. He folded and I was happy. This hand took a long time to play, all my other tables timed out!

I still don't think I played this hand terribly well. I have an uneasy feeling that I got lucky on the flop even though I didn't hit anything. It was a scary board for his hand.

Now this is authenticity...

6.94 BB / 100 hands

Poker is a great cause / effect game that is becoming VERY reliable for me.

It does not fail.

If I play my old game (playing for stacks with TP good kick with no reads, too much value bet calling, not the best preflop raise selection, etc) I WILL lose money. My graph is proof. I hit a stretch where I was playing my old game and I went back to zero.

I guess that when facing an opponent that wants to play for stacks when I am holding top pair, I got a feeling like over time, this would lose me money. I did not have faith in my new, reworked way of playing. So I hit bottom and once again resolved to only play my new game, and have faith in it. After all, the numbers told me that my biggest money loser was TP good kick.

And just like clockwork, I began to win again. The root of my inconsistency is looking at a hand and playing it like it is my last hand where I MUST win it, instead of sticking to my game and having faith in my new strategy.

Confidence in the long term. I have it now. I hope I don't lose it again! I've only had 1 losing session out of 11 since then.

Here's the graph...

Some other things have happened...

I have limited myself to 1000 hands per day. 99% of my losing sessions are over 1000 hands. I have to say, I should have done this sooner.

Also, I am now 16 tabling comfortably. I am aware that lots of tables may cause one to lose a bit of edge, so I am not usually playing 16 all through the session. I start at 9 and then go by how I feel that day. If I notice that I am not bet sizing the way I want to I reduce tables until I feel good about it. Bet sizing incorrectly is a big red flag for inferior play.

Finally, I have decided to use the other poker site, Aced, for SNG play as a change of pace... In other words, for FUN! So I will not count Aced or the money in it as part of my goal. When Onepark starts to play again I want to watch him play more so I can learn about SNG seriously. After all, he DID go $100 to $1000!

Here's an interesting hand...

Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.01/$0.02 No-Limit Hold'em (3 handed)

Known players:
[tg]SB$2.18:///////;BB$2.13:///////;BU (Hero)$2.00:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is BU with 3:c, 3:s.
Hero raises to $0.07, SB raises to $0.12, BB folds, Hero calls $0.05.

Flop: ($0.26) 5:s, 2:s, T:s (2 players)
SB bets $0.19, Hero calls $0.19.

Turn: ($0.64) 7:s (2 players)
SB bets $0.38, Hero calls $0.38.

River: ($1.4) 8:d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.31(All-In), SB calls $1.31.

Final Pot: $4.02.
Results follow:

Hero shows a flush, ten high(3:c 3:s).
SB shows a pair of tens(J:h T:h).

Hero wins with a flush, ten high(3:c 3:s).

1) I called the reraise preflop to set mine, also, I was on the button and the less than min-raise seemed like a fish play.

2) I was expecting a cont bet and the board was not scary because I thought he had Jack + cards. In my mind, he did not hit this board and he had no pair because he was trying to scare me into folding. If he had a high spade he would have bet smaller, or check raised etc. I feared a check more than a cont bet with this flop.

3) With the turn spade, now the game is trying to figure out if he had a spade. Again, the fact that he led out told me he did not hit the board.

4) When he checked the river, I knew I had him beat. I have no idea why he called!

Words do not do this woman justice... Listen to the whole song and I challenge you to find a singer with more soul than Diamanda Galas.

So I'm halfway there.

9.64 BB / 100 hands

El Graph...

So things are going really well.

I am sticking to my strategy. Also, I do not play more than 1000 hands a night for this challenge. I play between 9 and 16 tables. I'm getting a nice rakeback. The Take 2 promotion will get me another $25 in a few days. Things are humming along.

I know I have improved considerably, especially if you compare where I am now to the same spot in Step 1.

Also, if I have played 1000 hands but I still feel like playing, I go to the other site, Aced, and I play other poker games for fun. I play SNG, 7 Card Stud, Draw and FL. In fact, I've doubled my roll over there! But that roll does not count towards THIS goal.

I'm having lots of fun.

I also bought a $10 ring game ticket. Why? I don't know! What else am I going to spend my FTPs on? I think I may use it later if I decide to take a shot at the next level.

Zappa!

just saw the topic, here's a 4 pattern one :

Awesome!

Totally unrelated but still cool...

So I cashed out $140, left about $12 and my $10 cash game ticket.

I'm going to pull a Rush marathon and try to clear that ticket, make $50 total and cash out the rest. I also got two days until Take 2 is done so with a little luck I could possibly cash out everything early next morning.

I didn't think when I cashed out at first. I should have left myself $30-$35 so after clearing the ticket it would not be so difficult to cash out because to cash out via credit card is minimum $50.

Here's goes!

So I raised the $12 I left in FT to $26. I did not manage to clear my $10 cash game ticket but I did manage to get a few bucks out of it. I finished Take 2 and according to the site I will be paid $25 when the promotion ends. So that will give me $51 total.

I think after the Take 2 payout I will withdraw the rest of my money and then wait and see.

The $190 total that I would be withdrawing is not a lot of money, especially considering that I have a very good job and I make what would be considered in Canada to be a very comfortable living. If FT crashes and I lose my money it really isn't a big loss. $190 is a week's worth of groceries for my family. But it is the principle of it all.

I have been trying to achieve a poker goal for ages. I tried $100 - $1000 and failed. I tried to get my own table via Ironman and failed. So I made a concerted effort to really work on my game and began "Three Makes A Pattern". I managed to just barely achieve my first goal but in the process I think I improved immensely. So for Step 2 of "Three Makes A Pattern" I felt very confident in my improving game and later I will show where I stand as of now. I feel like I am so close to being able to say that I am a winning player.

The money in my FT account is the tangible symbol of that success. $190 can be replaced easily. But THAT PARTICULAR $190 that I worked for, and that started as $50 in my FT account cannot be replaced. I hate to sound all soft but the prospect of losing that money makes me a little sad. So it may be an overreaction but I don't want to take the chance of losing something that means quite a bit to me.

It isn't the money, it's the work that money represents. The hours spent in front of the computer, looking at numbers, riding the emotional rollercoaster, gutting some fishes, getting sucked out on, getting owned, owning others, etc etc etc. I feel particularly bad for American players because they are more likely to be hurt by all this. Again, it isn't the money. It's the struggle that the money represents. In many ways, the fact that the news is focusing on the money is too bad. It takes the individual struggles that we are involved in, the battles that we participate in, and render them meaningless, like they don't even matter.

So I will put my Step 2 on hold until FT is totally safe. Then I will redeposit the exact amount of money I withdrew and continue.

Here's where I stand in Step 2...

Hands - 27392

9.20 BB / 100 Hands

Withdrawn - $140
Still In The Account - $26 + $25 coming (will ALL be withdrawn soon)
Total BR - $191
Starting BR For Step 2 - $85

Graph...

Pre-Rakeback / Bonus Winnings - $52.46

The Goals...

My new goal will be to play the exact same stakes as before for 50,000 hands. This time, however, my goal will be to have improved stats by the end of those hands. How much more improved? That is hard to say. I guess I'd like to see a significant improvement. 1) I need to win at more than 1 BB / 100 hands. 2) I need to end up with a pre-rakeback profit of more than 3 cents. 3) I need to increase my bankroll by more than $45 with rakeback and bonuses included.

So, as you can see, I was well on my way to achieving all those goals by a nice margin...

Goal 1 - I am winning at around 9 BB / 100 hands... My goal about 2 BB / 100 hands or more.

Goal 2 - My Pre-Rakeback / Bonus profit is over $50... My goal was more than 3 cents.

Goal 3 - My bankroll has increased by $106... My goal was more than $45.

I am very disappointed with this FT crisis. I hope I can continue soon.

My son loves it, maybe it will cheer me up?

So I moved my roll to Betfair. I will continue Step 2 of my goal over there.

After fees, my $190 Step 2 roll is now $187.

I've left a few bucks in FT just because...

Man, losing FT really sucks.

9.15 BB / 100 hands

Now, this post is really about the last 700 or so hands because 25000 - 27500 were covered in the *FT Crisis*.

This post is about my first session on Betfair (Ongame).

First... I think it is going to take me 500 years to clear my bonus and to make their incentive programs worthwhile, especially at their lowest stakes (2/4 cent). Oh well. I guess I'll just have to increase my roll the old fashioned way... By not sucking!

Second... While the software is okay if you are playing one table, it is a nightmare to play multitables. I am playing 4 right now, but I think it will take me a while to get used to it before I attempt to play more. The display is just too busy, even with avatars and animations shut off.

Third... My HEM does not display the HUD. This is really annoying. It will get more annoying as I build stats and have to flip back and forth to the "active player details window" in order to get any info. And that window does not always have the info I may want. I really don't have the time to fix the problem right now but I need to get around to it soon.

Fourth... I don't think I even want my HUD to show up because that would make the display even worse. I can just imagine what a clusterfuck it would be to put even 3 or 4 lines of HUD stats on a 4 table tiled interface as difficult to navigate as this one.

Fifth... Either I'm a moron and haven't found them, or there is a serious lack of customization options here. I think it is geared more towards casual players than daily players.

I REALLY miss FT. I always liked the software. I did not really APPRECIATE it until now. It really is geared to multitabling, online players. FT just makes everyone else look second rate.

3.95 BB / 100 hands

So...

I made the switch from FT to Betfair (which in hindsight I think was an over-reaction to Black Friday). I was over-rolled for their lowest stakes (2/4 cent). I had some trouble with my HEM and the HUD but I fixed that.

I have been getting destroyed.

Last night, I allowed tilt to rear its ugly head and I spewed off one and a half BI. So, I realized it was time to do something. I withdrew some of my roll from Betfair, deposited it back into FT, and I am going to drop down in stakes on FT for a while to regain some confidence.

I have an idea, however, of what Step 3 will be if I manage to complete Step 2.

Wow... What a difference.

I had me a great session (3 BI over 1000 hands). I got to 12-16 table, which I could not do on Betfair. The game felt fluid, responsive, intuitive and quick.

Why did I ever leave?

But, hindsight is 20/20. Perhaps, however, I over-reacted to Black Friday?

No, it was still worth it because at the time the fear was that the site might shut down and we would lose our funds. Also, it is still worth it because I got my brains bashed in on Betfair. It hurts, but I feel like I got taught a lesson.

Maybe my recent success on the lowest stakes on FT isn't all that much!

It was worth it, finally, because I really appreciate FT more now. It is truly the best site out there.

Here is a truly awful misclick. On the river, my intention was to value bet about 50 cents. Sigh.

Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.01/$0.02 No-Limit Hold'em (5 handed)

Known players:
[tg]BU$2.00:///////;SB$2.85:///////;BB$1.29:///////;MP3 (Hero)$2.00:///////;CO$2.53:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q:h, Q:c.
Hero raises to $0.07, CO calls $0.07, BU folds, SB calls $0.06, BB calls $0.05.

Flop: ($0.28) 6:c, 7:s, Q:d (4 players)
SB bets $0.02, BB calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.36, CO folds, SB calls $0.34, BB folds.

Turn: ($1.02) 3:s (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.40, SB calls $0.40.

River: ($1.82) 4:h (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.02, SB calls $0.02.

Final Pot: $1.86.
Results follow:

Hero shows three of a kind, queens(Q:h Q:c).
SB shows a pair of kings(K:c K:h).

Hero wins with three of a kind, queens(Q:h Q:c).

I failed Step 2...

I had the worst session in recent memory. I'm completely tilted. I did not step away when things were going bad. I knew what I was doing when I shoved practically any playable hand on Rush for the last 10 minutes.

I enjoy writing, but I think I'm done with poker blogs. You can only fail so many times before you have to read the writing on the wall. And it says...

"You are not mentally strong enough to be a winning player."

Before today, I was 1500 hands away from accomplishing my goal. I was THAT close. In my rush to get it done, I played bad, took bad beats, tilted and then tilted some more because I wanted to tilt. So I blew it when I was almost there.

I'm such a loser.

Before the last 1500 hands...

BR - $165
BB / 100 hands - 3.90
Profit (excluding rakeback, bonus) - $20 profit

Final stats...

BR - $130
BB / 100 hands - 1.17
Losses (excluding rakeback, bonus) - $15 loss

Someday I'll figure it out.