The rise of Sol4r

Hi ... yeah sucks that we don't even have Pokerstars over here! Good luck at the GG tables!

And welcome to the fishies ... you should shoot for platinum fish if you're goldfish now! That rank doesn't expire ... 20% rakeback no matter how often you play once you have it.

GL Sol4r!:f_thumbsup:

Originally posted by Sol4r
I year later my bankroll was up to $140,

Wow, so nice! I also play at GG so I'm looking forward to read your blog post!:f_grin:

Originally posted by Stackoffski

And welcome to the fishies ... you should shoot for platinum fish if you're goldfish now! That rank doesn't expire ... 20% rakeback no matter how often you play once you have it.

Oh, thanks for the tip.
I didn't even realize that. I'm back to plankton again, but, this week I've got a lot of time to aim for the platinum fish.
Just back from a week vacation, so didn't find much time to grind.

My goal was this week to get the Platinum Goldfish status (thanks for the tip Stackoffski), but it was very hard with 4-tables NL5.
So I added two more tables and played 6 tables. It took me a short while to get used to it, but after 100 hands I was already used to it.
Goldfish was easy, but Platinum Goldfish was still far away.
When I logged in last Wednesday I noticed that I had won a substantial price (8 buy-ins) in the Daily $100.000 #Thanks GG Flipout. This is an invitational tournament which you can enter with points acquired by bad beats, suck-outs, quads, etc.
I kept playing 6-table NL5, but could not really make profit. Just some ups but also downs.
Saturday I decided to give the NL10 a shot. I was seated at a couple of weak tables and started to make more profit (and volume) now. I ended up with 3 buy-ins profit and...

...I'm finally Platinum Goldfish

Originally posted by Sol4r
...I'm finally Platinum Goldfish
Congratulations Sol4r!:f_thumbsup:
Is there something different between 10NL and 5NL?

GL,

Yes! nice. I'm sorry if I put you up to that haha, I don't remember how long it took me to get platinum gf. But didn't you have another week to complete it? (15 days). Well, good luck on the felt

Originally posted by VisionBoard

Originally posted by Sol4r
...I'm finally Platinum Goldfish
Congratulations Sol4r!:f_thumbsup:
Is there something different between 10NL and 5NL?

GL,

One of the things I really like at GGPoker is that you can display the stacks and bets etc. in BB instead of $. This doesn't only help with my decisions (I don't have to calculate every time anymore), but it also avoids getting intimidated by the value of money when I play at a higher stake.
The playing level is a little bit higher at NL10, especially post-flop.

Originally posted by Stackoffski
Yes! nice. I'm sorry if I put you up to that haha, I don't remember how long it took me to get platinum gf. But didn't you have another week to complete it? (15 days). Well, good luck on the felt

Yes, I had more time, but once I have something in my head, I want to achieve it as soon as possible.
My Strategy Points are also significantly higher and I think that there is a realistic change to reach the gold status this month, so that will be the next challenge. There is some really good strategy content on this site that and I want to have access to all of it.

Originally posted by Sol4r
The playing level is a little bit higher at NL10, especially post-flop.

I see, thanks!:f_thumbsup:
BB view is a good to play and calculate.

I've familiarized NL10 by now and feel comfortable playing 6 tables simultaneously.
Still learning a lot along the way. Biggest leak was calling big bets on the river with TPTK. They always beet me
I've changed my mindset from "I'm losing my invested 30 bb's when I fold now" to "I save myself 50 bb's by folding". That helped.
Anyway, lots of hands, lots of PS points and I seriously think I will achieve the gold status this month.

Today it was like Christmas Day.

I noted that I had $150,- won here at PS with the Blogger Raffle!
Thank you very much Poker Strategy!
In needed to open a Skrill account to cash it in, so another new world opened to me. I'm a skriller now according to their website.

When I opened GGPoker I also noted that I've won $47 C$ in the ThanksGG Flipout. Was losing my stack with trips against a full house still a good move

Finally awarded the gold status at Poker Strategy!

I'm running break-even in my NL10 sessions, but it's profitable because of the extra's that I find along the way.

I'm still leaking with calling big river bets with top pair and trips hands, while it's obvious that a flush must have hit. It must be something psychological that I just want to believe that my hand is still good.
I'm reading Harrington on Cash Games, Volume II: How to Win at No Limit Hold'em Money Games at the moment (after I've finished volume 1). I know that the micro stakes are different, but apparently the river-play is yet so valid!

Hi Sol4r!

Looks like you got a good start to your game, let's hope the good run continues and you get the leaks plugged.

Hello Sol4r!

How do you feel not to have any huds on GG?

For me it took a while to get use to it and now when I play Stars the hud feels annoying

Where did you find your Harrington books by the way? Are they real real books or in your tablet?

Originally posted by smice12
Hello Sol4r!

How do you feel not to have any huds on GG?

For me it took a while to get use to it and now when I play Stars the hud feels annoying

Where did you find your Harrington books by the way? Are they real real books or in your tablet?

It's awful at GGPoker. There is an inbuilt HUD, but only showing preflop stats. Unfortunately the Dutch government has regulated the online poker market and there is not much choice left. I still have PockerTracker4, but I can only use it to import hands and analyze (when GGPoker is not running).

I bought the books many years ago. I think because they were here on this site in the books-area.
It's just paper books. Ideal for oldsters like me.

Originally posted by Sol4r
It's awful at GGPoker. There is an inbuilt HUD, but only showing preflop stats.

You will get used to it. At baby stakes difference are so massive there really is no need for hud, nd on higher stakes people play kinda same and you notice fishes so all good...
To be honest with you - it might even be better for improving game, since you wont make mistakes because of low samplesize

Originally posted by Sol4r
I still have PockerTracker4, but I can only use it to import hands and analyze (when GGPoker is not running).

This is what I do too. I take a lot of notes on players ingame also

Originally posted by Sol4r
...
It's awful at GGPoker. There is an inbuilt HUD, but only showing preflop stats. Unfortunately the Dutch government has regulated the online poker market and there is not much choice left. I still have PockerTracker4, but I can only use it to import hands and analyze (when GGPoker is not running).
...

I did get used to a lot of things at GG in time, but the overlay-HUD is one of those things that keeps sucking ... especially with rush where the players change every hand. At Unibet also no hud allowed, and players can change their name every time they play or something haha ...

I read Harrington's MTT books a long time ago .. they where very good for the basics! Also did the workbook.

Inspired by the excellent 2024 BEGINNER'S GUIDE that I've read in the Poker Strategy forum, I have improved my pre-flop chart.
First of all, I liked the many colors, and instead of having an Excel file with 6 tabs (for each position a separate tab), I have now just 6 tables which fit in one screen and that saves me a lot of clicking (read time).
Secondly I liked the OOP bluffs. It's better to 4-bet hands that don't play well OOP at the flop instead of calling.
Thirdly I liked the additional isolation range and call steal range.

I've tweaked it slightly, but I have a great cheat sheet at my 2nd display now to support my pre-flop play.

The post-flop play I keep doing that my own way.

To test this I went back to NL5 and it turned out to be slightly more profitable.
Yesterday I've played a session at NL10 and I've won 4 buy-ins. Might be an upswing, but I'm happy and the new direction feels good.