Journey Through The Micros

Hello zolaman,

Welcome to the 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' bankroll challenge. we will be looking forward to your first update which you should post by Monday of each week in Get Rich or Die Tryin' - The Bankroll Challenge - Reporting thread.

Good start so far and don't worry to much if you can't put lots of volume in. I look forward to reading future posts and good luck in reaching your goal. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

My regards

Matt

Good luck with your bankroll challenge!!

It could definitely be wise to hold off with your deposit bonus until you have more time to clear it!

Quick update. Site would not let me post a few hours ago.

Results of the day :

Hands played : 808
Result : $6.27
Bankroll : $37.45

Nice increase to the bankroll!

Thanks for your support vonki!!

Mini update:

Placed ITM Twitter freeroll. Unfortunately just missed out on the next pay ladder and finished with $0.88. Better than nothing!

Tournament Played: Freeroll x 2
Result: $0.88
Bankroll: $38.33

Some interesting observations/leaks I want to make note of to fix or looking for suggestions.

Recently noticed my most losing position is... BTN (!?!?). C Won is currently -$3.81. Ironically, my 2nd and 4th most profitable positions are: SB (+$3.94) and BB (+$2.66) respectively. Sample size is small (3600 hands) but after noticing this and since my last session I have been deliberately playing these positions with more attentiveness. ...Just as I am writing this single tabling I doubled up in SB with pocket Kings to skew my stats even further.

However, since yesterday BTN was my most profitable position and I hope I can remedy this over time. Just need to FOCUS more.

Also, the topic of POKER BOOKS. I love reading and have always been very interested in studying since I got into this game in the early 2000s.

I own and have read (1-3 times) or currently reading the following:
Doyle Brunson's Super System Paperback by Doyle Brunson (Classic but quite outdated by today's standards)
Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play by Daniel Harrington (Read this thoroughly when I was more into MTTs)
The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (Always enjoy reading sections from this time to time for new revelations)
Small Stakes Hold'em by Edward Miller, David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth (Just started but unsure if this should be high on my priority list)
Crushing The Microstakes by Nathan Williams (BlackRain79) (Thought this was the perfect book and like the simplicity but might be too simple? Another question of priority.)

Might read:
Easy Game: Making Sense of No Limit Hold'Em by Andrew Seidman (Any suggestions or comments on this book would be great!)

Want to read:
The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler and Barry Carter (Always wanted to get this book but I noticed the price has really gone up in Canada at least. Is this a must buy like I always hear it is?)

My plan is to really sit down, take notes, and specifically focus on particular parts of my game as I read these books. I really would really appreciate a suggestion for that ONE book that helped someone's game immensely!

Had a few nice pots come my way towards the end of my session.

Results of the day:

Hands played: 472
Result: +$4.15
Bankroll: $42.48

Much like you I never end up playing much volume but I enjoy playing winning strategies and reading about winning strategies.

Random opinions of an old guy who started online poker during the boom:

Deposit Bonus: This was always a trap for me personally. I always increased my volume beyond my skill level and either broke even after the bonus or lost slightly after it.

Doyle Brunson's Super System Paperback: Outdated, but good entertainment. It was written for live play and even live play is different now. If you are going to read it skip the sections on games you are playing and read about formats you don't play like stud.

Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: I am not much of a tournament guy, but I really enjoyed his this and his cash game books when they were new because he's such a good writer. For what it's worth PokerStratey still recommends the cash books.

The Theory of Poker: This is timeless. I have no idea why he doesn't rewrite it or revise it or whatever.

Small Stakes Hold'em (2005): This book is completely outdated and written for live fixed-limit Hold'em. Please don't read it as there are significant betting differences between limit and no-limit.

Crushing the Microstakes: This book, along with the video series he did, was really helpful for me. This video series is now available for free and was updated in 2014.

Easy Game: Making Sense of No Limit Hold'Em: I didn't get much out of this. His writing style didn't appeal to me and I felt it was hard to understand how he arrived at his conclusions. Maybe I just wasn't ready.

The Mental Game of Poker: This is an amazing book but probably more helpful if you find yourself in a downswing.

Finally I have one recommendation that might be up your alley.

Building a Bankroll Full Ring Edition by Pawel "Verneer" Nazarewicz: This is another take on beating the microstakes and moving up into small stakes. Worth the $10 USD cost of the Kindle version but not necessarily the full price of the paperback.

I haven't read anything new since 2012 so there might be better, more modern stuff now. Blackrain put out a second book that sounds interesting but a bit pricey for us low volume guys.

I will leave you with the one tip that sort of saved me as a low volume player. Spend a bit of time table selecting even at the micros. If you are only playing a few hundred hands a day you want to make sure you have at least one fish at the table.

Finally, $2 to $30 is amazing work. You have done better than at least 90% of all poker players if not more. ♠_thumbsup:

Originally posted by tokyoaces
Much like you I never end up playing much volume but I enjoy playing winning strategies and reading about winning strategies.

Random opinions of an old guy who started online poker during the boom:

Deposit Bonus: This was always a trap for me personally. I always increased my volume beyond my skill level and either broke even after the bonus or lost slightly after it.

Doyle Brunson's Super System Paperback: Outdated, but good entertainment. It was written for live play and even live play is different now. If you are going to read it skip the sections on games you are playing and read about formats you don't play like stud.

Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: I am not much of a tournament guy, but I really enjoyed his this and his cash game books when they were new because he's such a good writer. For what it's worth PokerStratey still recommends the cash books.

The Theory of Poker: This is timeless. I have no idea why he doesn't rewrite it or revise it or whatever.

Small Stakes Hold'em (2005): This book is completely outdated and written for live fixed-limit Hold'em. Please don't read it as there are significant betting differences between limit and no-limit.

Crushing the Microstakes: This book, along with the video series he did, was really helpful for me. This video series is now available for free and was updated in 2014.

Easy Game: Making Sense of No Limit Hold'Em: I didn't get much out of this. His writing style didn't appeal to me and I felt it was hard to understand how he arrived at his conclusions. Maybe I just wasn't ready.

The Mental Game of Poker: This is an amazing book but probably more helpful if you find yourself in a downswing.

Finally I have one recommendation that might be up your alley.

Building a Bankroll Full Ring Edition by Pawel "Verneer" Nazarewicz: This is another take on beating the microstakes and moving up into small stakes. Worth the $10 USD cost of the Kindle version but not necessarily the full price of the paperback.

I haven't read anything new since 2012 so there might be better, more modern stuff now. Blackrain put out a second book that sounds interesting but a bit pricey for us low volume guys.

I will leave you with the one tip that sort of saved me as a low volume player. Spend a bit of time table selecting even at the micros. If you are only playing a few hundred hands a day you want to make sure you have at least one fish at the table.

Finally, $2 to $30 is amazing work. You have done better than at least 90% of all poker players if not more. ♠_thumbsup:

Wow, thank you so much for your detailed post! I truly appreciate it. I too was into poker during the boom and did some wacky things to deplete my bankroll in a couple of poker rooms. I also did very well initially back then but usually went up stakes too quickly and played very, very poorly. I am determined now to play smarter/better and also deposit only if I need it or can take advantage of the bonus.

Thank you for sharing your comments on every title. Love how much knowledge you have on these books and I do share many of the feelings you have towards the ones I have read.

I can't believe I forgot about verneers! I remember I did read a lot about his accomplishments back when I was really getting into poker. Must have been around 2009-2010. I will definitely check out his book if he has one!

Thank you again and really appreciate your advice and words of encouragement!

Played my worst session last night. Was feeling sick and not in the proper mindset but felt like I needed to play after missing 2 days. I was actually studying a lot during that time and taking notes as well.

Initially I was doing pretty great only after a few hundred hands but started playing impatiently and lost a couple of buy-ins (my limit for a day is 3). I quickly brought it back up to break even then immediately lost even more. I had a few bad run-ins but ultimately the poor decision-making was my fault.

Mentally I was not in it and playing impatiently. It was a good lesson and reminded me of how I would play like years before. I will post the results of yesterday as soon as I can and also provide my weekly update which was why I was playing in the first place!

EDIT:

Results of the day:

Hands played: 1,229
Result: -$5.45
Bankroll: $37.00

Originally posted by zolaman
Thank you for sharing your comments on every title. Love how much knowledge you have on these books and I do share many of the feelings you have towards the ones I have read.

In hindsight I think I loved reading about poker more than I enjoyed playing online!

Originally posted by zolaman
Initially I was doing pretty great only after a few hundred hands but started playing impatiently and lost a couple of buy-ins (my limit for a day is 3). I quickly brought it back up to break even then immediately lost even more.

I put on certain kinds of really upbeat, happy music when I go through a bad hand. I feel like music has some really excellent NLP-like effects and putting on some bouncy music about love and happiness and rainbows and unicorns keeps the tilt at bay. Please be aware that I cannot take any responsibility for combing high-energy music and fast-fold poker games. If you ever want a variance roller-coaster try EDM and PLO Zoom.

Results of the week:

Hands played: 3,318
Result: +$2.45
Bankroll: $37.00

Graph:

All it took was one day to ruin my progress! Hopefully I can turn things around this week.

Originally posted by tokyoaces

Originally posted by zolaman
Thank you for sharing your comments on every title. Love how much knowledge you have on these books and I do share many of the feelings you have towards the ones I have read.

In hindsight I think I loved reading about poker more than I enjoyed playing online!

Originally posted by zolaman
Initially I was doing pretty great only after a few hundred hands but started playing impatiently and lost a couple of buy-ins (my limit for a day is 3). I quickly brought it back up to break even then immediately lost even more.

I put on certain kinds of really upbeat, happy music when I go through a bad hand. I feel like music has some really excellent NLP-like effects and putting on some bouncy music about love and happiness and rainbows and unicorns keeps the tilt at bay. Please be aware that I cannot take any responsibility for combing high-energy music and fast-fold poker games. If you ever want a variance roller-coaster try EDM and PLO Zoom.

I definitely enjoy studying a game more than playing it at times. That goes for a lot of sports and video games as well!

Music is definitely something I am missing when playing poker. I listen to it for other games but I find with poker I turn on a show/movie in the background. I know this is highly not recommended as a distraction but I am willing to take the -EV to put on something to watch than not. I really need something else to keep my mind busy during dead time but I think I will try a week without any distraction and see how I perform! Sounds like an interesting idea.

I actually like EDM so if I do listen to music I think that's what I will be listening to! Thanks for the tip and it really helped remind me I might need it to keep me in a lighter mood! During my losing session I was actually not listening to or watching anything when I was really getting smashed. If you look at my previous graph that was towards the end of my session.

Bounced back in a big way today. Didn't start that way though and was down over 2 buy-ins in the very beginning and was looking like back-to-back losing sessions. I also accidentally went all in on a 74s hand and got called by QQ which didn't really make things better until I really got into focus and started to play solid ABC poker.

Played a $1 MTT and was doing well but didn't realize how long it was going to be so lost patience and busted out.

Results of the day:

Hands played: 1,285
Result: +$10.28 - $1.00
Bankroll: $46.28

---

Also, wanted to post an interesting hand that happened relatively early on:

$0.02 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: $2.00
UTG: $2.10
UTG+1: $0.50
MP: $2.00
CO: $3.02
BTN: $1.10
Hero (SB): $3.06

Hero posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has A♠ A♣

UTG calls $0.02, UTG+1 calls $0.02, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.10, BB calls $0.08, UTG calls $0.08, UTG+1 calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.40, 4 players) A♥ 5♠ 6♦
Hero bets $0.20, BB raises to $1.90 and is all-in, UTG calls $1.90, UTG+1 calls $0.40 and is all-in, Hero raises to $2.96 and is all-in, UTG calls $0.10 and is all-in

Turn: ($6.70, 4 players) 6♠

River: ($6.70, 4 players) Q♥

Results:

Was pretty tired today and didn't think I would be able to play but began to feel focused enough to get some hands in.

Started off very good but spewed about 2.5 buyins towards the end of the night against a couple of fish but could've easily lost more if I wasn't more careful. Still a good night overall and took note of a few hands to study tomorrow.

Results of the day:

Hands played: 487
Result: +$6.82
Bankroll: $53.10

Good results again today with another small amount of hands played. Have been trying to improve my hand reading skills and putting villains on ranges. Also, keeping Equilab open and using it way more often to get a better idea of equity in certain situations which I'm learning a lot from.

RESULTS OF THE DAY

HANDS PLAYED: 395
PROFIT/LOSS: + $5.23
BANKROLL: $58.33

Very short session since I play hockey on Wednesdays. Started off missing every flop and barreling too much.

RESULTS OF THE DAY

HANDS PLAYED: 239
PROFIT/LOSS: + $0.32
BANKROLL: $58.65

Not disappointed in my play tonight but had some serious bad beats and once again running way below EV. Was actually doing quite well before I started getting really unlucky.

RESULTS OF THE DAY

HANDS PLAYED: 560
PROFIT/LOSS: - $2.04
BANKROLL: $56.61

Knew I wouldn't get much time to play today and suffered another run of bad beats. Also registered for a tournament with a free ticket and missed out on it as well. Not a good day.

RESULTS OF THE DAY

HANDS PLAYED: 237
PROFIT/LOSS: - $1.98
BANKROLL: $54.63