[Closed] The End.

Maybe I could be as "dumb" as you someday.

Dumb might be a perquisite for a poker player.

I'm playing fl50 fr, just hoping to survive another week. I started a blog a couple days ago too, helps I think, I try not to worry about the readers too much and keep it useful too myself.

I may play SH someday, if I do I'll know where to look for some "dumb" advice ♦
gl

Hey Harold1

Don't worry mate, easy to be as dumb as me... start with drinking kitchen bleach... that should kill off close to the required number of brain cells. ♦

Then just make sure you don't get creative and follow the articles and charts as closely as you can, that helps a heck of a lot! Any other advice you want feel free, there are always loads of folks who actually know what they're talking about to correct whatever I tell ya.

GL with the $.25/$.50 - I had an 8k hand b/e stretch which was tough having been caning that level for 4k hands prior. Moral is don't worry too much about your results, only on whether your play on each hand is optimal. Here endeth the lesson.

Short update prior to attempting to kill off a couple of million more brain cells myself (HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!):

This SH thing great! I take it 22BB/100 is the standard win rate - only over 330 hands so I guess it only goes up from there, huh?

Should've listened to opal99 and gone SH AGES AGO.

Happy New Year everyone!!

Wow... first couple of hundred hands over playing SH and its been a bit of a whirlwind.

It takes a little getting used to SH with actually playing more hands because there haven't been 3 limpers before MP2! Now its just 2 limpers before CO

Well so far I've played a couple of sessions of SH and added about 30% to my bank roll over the last 36 hours or so and that has been a real rush.

Fortunately I've been reading some of the other FL blogs and seen players that have been doing this thing using PS strategy longer than me, and with loads more experience getting pwnd at this and slightly higher limits. That really has helped keep me grounded and again I can't thank those folks enough for sharing their experiences.

I tend to think that there are just lots of drunk fish around at the moment and that has lead to a pretty decent win rate through 700 hands of 12BB/100. So really early days and I guess the grinding will start soon - we'll see where we are after 10k hands!

Stay safe folks.

Status:

BR $590

Thought I'd better post a hand to demonstrate just what a tough time I've been having.

Known players:
[tg]Position:hands/vp$ip/RaisePreflop/AF/WTS/ORL/BBvsSteal/W$SD;SB:46/48 /0 /0.2/74 /0 /0 /29 ;[/tg]
0.5/1 Fixed-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Hand recorder used for this poker hand: PokerStrategy Elephant 0.67 by www.pokerstrategy.com.

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7♥, 6♥
4 folds, SB calls, Hero raises, SB calls.

Flop: (4.00 SB) 5♦, 4♠, A♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB calls.

Turn: (3.00 BB) 5♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB calls.

River: (5.00 BB) K♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB calls.

Final Pot: 7.00 BB

Results follow (highlight to see):
Hero shows a flush, ace high (7h 6h)
SB shows a pair of fives (9d 7s)

Hero wins with a flush, ace high (7h 6h)

Now, I think my play here is okay, but that's not really the point of this post. What does villian think they are beating on the river here? He is PWNING 62, 63, 96, 86 and 67 (obviously not suited ), splitting with 97. Is this river call THE definition of optimism?

Another blog to add to my favourites Nice read already, you're a funny guy ♦
Happy new year!

First things first tho:

Originally posted by Ka0s
Another blog to add to my favourites :)Nice read already, you're a funny guy ♦
Happy new year!

Too kind Ka0s.

Hope you have a good one! Don't forget to add playing FL again to your New Years resolutions.

1 hour session today, more fishes donating to the Waiboy Poker Charity. Up $20 at 11BB/100.

If I remain true to form when moving up limits I'm about to hit an 8-10k hand b/e stretch so REALLY looking forward to that grind.

So, I promised some bio details - in length (you've been warned!):

I'm 3x years old (actually 1 month older than Daniel Negreanu so I've just found out) father of two. I was born and raised in the Waikato province of New Zealand, and I've been living in Auckland, New Zealand (via London, UK) for about 10 of the last 14 years.

I started playing poker online about 3ish years ago after seeing Greg Raymer win the WSOP main event on telly. I've gone pretty slowly from there though as I've promised never to put any of my own money into an online poker account. So far, so good!

On the down side I had no idea that sites like PS existed so I spent ages fiddling around on various poker sites, picking up snippets of info here and there. After about a year stuffing around at one poker school site, hoping to win enough to play in their poker school I lost all of the bonus points I had carefully built up in a short period of tilt.

That lead me to search around where I found VC poker giving away $35 free, which I managed to turn into $150ish playing micro FLHE and using snippets of info from sites like 2+2. I used some of that to make a first deposit on PokerStars (dammit, because now I'm not getting PS points ), where I played mostly SnGs and low limit MTTs using the Harrington on Hold'em series for strategy, with varying success.

Anywhom (he said tired of tiring any poor sap still reading this), a mate of mine finally turned me on to PS.com around September 2008 and its been all good since then!

Highlights to date:

Won a couple of freeroll MTTs, some satellites, some like the Full Tilt country freerolls.

Biggest MTT cash to date: First place in a PokerStars $1 Razz tournament for $45. (I know - I'd be jealous too if I were you ). Something about trying to get the worst possible hand really appeals to me...:(

Finding PS.com and making it to a bankroll to play FLHE SH - I feel like I'm actually starting to get somewhere.

Weird to think not long ago a cash in an MTT for $20 would be a major coup, and now I'm winning occassional pots for that much.

Really liking these smilies too ♦:P:):evil::tongue:X(:baby::rolleyes:;):(:O- ummm.... alright, time for bed I think

Status:

BR ~ $610

Not "tiring" at all.

I look forward to more and only wish you were playing FR, so I could troll here a little more effectively.

"Two thumbs up"

Nice blog! ♦ (you got 10/10 from me)

Don't expect the worst: I had +7.77 BB/100 hands at 2/4 after 4.7 k hands, so everything is possible in SH...

That posted hand was amazing, but I wouldn't expect to see something similar too often, if I were you ;). And now few questions:

- What charts do you use?
- How many tables do you play at usually?
- How many hands per day?
- When are you going to move up? (standard 500BB BRM or anything else?)
- more will come

Post some graph, because I really like them ♦ (+ some stats would be fine too)

@ Harold1 - hmmm... two possibilities for FR:

1. Toying with the idea of $1/$2 FR at least a little because I often see tables at Titan at this level with 40% - 50% players seeing each flop. Must be some value there?

2. I've had $130 drops before which would put me close to playing FR again at $.50/$1

In either case I'll let ya know. On the plus side, you'll no doubt be playing SH soon too - hopefully you'll get some value at that point

Originally posted by opal99
Nice blog! ♦(you got 10/10 from me)

Don't expect the worst: I had +7.77 BB/100 hands at 2/4 after 4.7 k hands, so everything is possible in SH...

That posted hand was amazing, but I wouldn't expect to see something similar too often, if I were you ;). And now few questions:

- What charts do you use?
- How many tables do you play at usually?
- How many hands per day?
- When are you going to move up? (standard 500BB BRM or anything else?)
- more will come

Post some graph, because I really like them ♦(+ some stats would be fine too)

Cheers opal99 - thanks for the kind words! I guess this means I'm not getting blocked / censored - at least to this point?

As for my fishy friends hand; are you trying to tell me villians won't always call me down with 9 high? How am I supposed to win anything!?! I 'spose your telling me I'm gonna have to stop calling down with T high now, huh? X(... ♦

In response to your questions:

1. Currently using the Silver Charts as I'm still finding my feet playing SH and there is a little difference between these and the Bronze FR charts.

I've got and am studing the approx. charts but have found them a little intimidating to be honest. I need to re-read the equity article a couple of times I think before I can get more comfortable with the approx charts. Will slowly introduce them into my game and completely switch over at some point.

2. I've started just 2 tabling with SH after playing 4-6 tables FR. I want to have a really good feel for situations before I increase - although I have found myself drifting to read articles between hands so I might go to three tables shortly.

3. Well, I was up to between 400-800 hands FR per day, usually over two sessions of around an hour or so. This was a pretty solid commitment for me time wise and may be hard to keep up. I'm not 100% sure yet how this will translate to SH. It will depend too on how my day is dividing up and whether I think I'm too tired to play optimally. Likely to reduce over the next month or so as work commitments may start to intrude on my poker playing - dammit.

4. I'm probably gonna move up as I have to this date. Which is to say I won't fully commit to a new level until I've got at least the SH 500BB recommendation. Having said that, I may add one $1/$2 table to my multitabling as I get close - say $850 / $900. It really depends on how much I feel I need to concentrate on the action at a table as to whether that will work for me, and whether I feel I'm coping alright with the level of play.

Probably at higher limits I'm contemplating just single tabling at a new limit till I get a feel for any differences in the strength of play. Although, even contemplating playing higher than $1/$2 SH feels a bit weird at this point - hopefully I can get there reletively unscathed!

I'm pretty happy at the 500BB recommendation, as I'm pretty comfortable with moving up or down limits as required. At least at the moment, I don't attach any negative connotations to dropping down limits, I'm trying to see that as just a function of my play and natural variance.

5. More will come? BRING IT!

As for graphs, yeah, I guess I should. Would have already but I'm still a little vague on how you actually do this (I am such an illiterate ).

I searched the forums once before for info on how to post charts (but in my usual half arsed kind of way) without success. I guess you need to find some sort of web site host and upload images to there? Any suggestions?

Anyway, time to try and get an hours or so in - as a bumper sticker I once saw said "Women love me, fish fear me". FEAR ME, FISH!!!

- You know the rules, so why should anyone want to block/censore you?

- Look, you can call down with T-high (I'd go for J-high+ just to reduce variance) or you can make player transfer after each session for about 1 BB/ played hand to my account - it's all up to you... If you believe my opinion, go for 2nd option and I will (maybe) buy you something nice from time to time ;)... PM me for username if interested

- approx's chart is the best you can find, so it's worth some time to study it deeply... take your time to establish yourself on SH, but dont stick to beginners charts for too long

- dont do shots at higher limit without at least 500 BB.. Wait for $1k and then add one 1/2 table, or switch completely (like I use to do) at once and don't play lower limit anymore.. Don't forget to reduce tables to not more than 2 of course

- you can move up one limit in less than 1 month, so why shouldn't you think about higher and higher limits?

- the easiest way to share your graphs is Paint + imageshack.us. Printscreen Elephant/HEM/PT graph, past it into the Paint, cut not important parts, upload it on imageshack.us and then just c/p link into the forum in [img ]link[/img ] format.

I'm too tired to think about other questions (in fact I'm too tired to update my own blog...)

Good luck!

Originally posted by opal99
- You know the rules, so why should anyone want to block/censore you?

Actually, I don't know the rules.. I guess I'd better read them! :PI was only worried about extreme blandness before, now I'm worried about over smilie use.

- Look, you can call down with T-high (I'd go for J-high+ just to reduce variance) or you can make player transfer after each session for about 1 BB/ played hand to my account - it's all up to you... If you believe my opinion, go for 2nd option and I will (maybe) buy you something nice from time to time ;)... PM me for username if interested

Thanks for the advice... J-high+ it is - fortunately (or unfortunately) I don't know how to PM (or exactly what PM means) so you'll have to wait for the 1BB.

- approx's chart is the best you can find, so it's worth some time to study it deeply... take your time to establish yourself on SH, but dont stick to beginners charts for too long

Yeah, just on the learning curve. I'll get there.

- dont do shots at higher limit without at least 500 BB.. Wait for $1k and then add one 1/2 table, or switch completely (like I use to do) at once and don't play lower limit anymore.. Don't forget to reduce tables to not more than 2 of course

Yeah, I know what you mean, although as I say, I don't mind dropping back if things go badly. Plus its a nice little way to experience a higher level and get used to things like pot size, BR movement, without completely moving one way or other. I'm comfortable enough to put stop losses on tables if its not working out and put the experiment aside.

Having said this, it all depends how this first SH foray goes, and how many hands I have under the belt when the decision needs to be made.

- you can move up one limit in less than 1 month, so why shouldn't you think about higher and higher limits?

True. Still feels a little weird contemplating it tho... remember I've been doing this thing for 3 years or so, so an increase like this over a month is a bit of a paradigm shift for me.

- the easiest way to share your graphs is Paint + imageshack.us. Printscreen Elephant/HEM/PT graph, past it into the Paint, cut not important parts, upload it on i mageshack.us and then just c/p link into the forum in [img ]link[/img ] format.

AWESOME - Thanks ♦. Too many graphs (no doubt) to follow (umm- unless I find this is against the rules, will know shortly ).

Fishes didn't bite. B/E session (well +$2) over 227 hands, two tables.

BR ~ $610

ARRGGGHHHHH. I hate being a techno illiterate. I'm just lucky I've got pushing fold/raise/call buttons down otherwise poker would be a complete impossibility.

Consequently graphs will have to wait till another day.

In the interim had another 30min or so session and fishies were were playing the game this time. ♦

BR ~ $630

nice blog, I like the way you write

I'll read from time to time, although you obviously play the sailor-variant of poker (limit).

gg

@ viewer88, thanks for your kind words... although have a sneaking suspicion the "sailor- variant" words may not be all that kind. ♦

One final 45min blat for the day, and its one for the fishes - down $30 odd on the session. Funnily enough I felt like this was my best session for the day. I didn't feel like I was making any obvious mistakes - which is a little unusual for me.

Lost a chunk over 3 or 4 hands where I had top pair / set and was outdrawn by runner, runner flushes, like this one:

Known players:
[tg]Position:hands/vp$ip/RaisePreflop/AF/WTS/ORL/BBvsSteal/W$SD;SB:124/44 /8 /1.2/39 /10 /0 /70 ;BB:53/58 /36 /2.0/40 /70 /-/21 ;MP2:33/70 /0 /0.4/59 /0 /-/63 ;MP3:72/31 /0 /2.1/28 /0 /0 /57 ;[/tg]
0.5/1 Fixed-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Hand recorder used for this poker hand: PokerStrategy Elephant 0.67 by www.pokerstrategy.com.

Preflop: Hero is CO with 2♣, 2♦
MP2 calls, MP3 calls, Hero calls, BU folds, SB calls, BB checks.

Flop: (5.00 SB) 3♣, 5♥, 2♠ (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP2 checks, MP3 bets, Hero raises, 2 folds, MP2 calls, MP3 calls.

Turn: (5.50 BB) Q♠ (3 players)
MP2 checks, MP3 checks, Hero bets, MP2 calls, MP3 calls.

River: (8.50 BB) J♠ (3 players)
MP2 checks, MP3 checks, Hero bets, MP2 raises, MP3 folds, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 12.50 BB

Results follow (highlight to see):
Hero shows three of a kind, deuces (2c 2d)
MP2 shows a flush, king high (Ks 3s)

MP2 wins with a flush, king high (Ks 3s)

So okay, I can understand villians line here, and serves me right for incorrectly calling with the ducks. This one, though, hurt a little:

Known players:
[tg]Position:hands/vp$ip/RaisePreflop/AF/WTS/ORL/BBvsSteal/W$SD;BB:408/21 /3 /1.2/35 /2 /83 /69 ;MP2:32/81 /19 /1.3/44 /20 /0 /55 ;[/tg]
0.5/1 Fixed-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Hand recorder used for this poker hand: PokerStrategy Elephant 0.67 by www.pokerstrategy.com.

Preflop: Hero is BU with K♦, J♣
MP2 calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, SB folds, BB calls, MP2 calls.

Flop: (6.50 SB) 8♦, K♣, 3♠ (3 players)
BB checks, MP2 checks, Hero bets, BB folds, MP2 calls.

Turn: (4.25 BB) T♦ (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero bets, MP2 calls.

River: (6.25 BB) Q♦ (2 players)
MP2 bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 8.25 BB

Results follow (highlight to see):
Hero shows a pair of kings (Kd Jc)
MP2 shows a flush, queen high (4d 2d)

MP2 wins with a flush, queen high (4d 2d)

Check out those stats (over 32 hands of course) for MP2. 81% VPIP, WTS with 44% of those hands and W$SD fricking 55% of the time!!! That's entertainment for your poker buck! I shoulda realised I was beat and just chucked my raggy top pair on the river.

I'll try to work out how to post charts over the next couple of days and satisfy all you chart hungry folks out there. 'Till then I'm off to snoozy sleepy night night land dreaming of sucking out from flops with back door straight and flush draws to save me.

Ended the day running -2.2BB/100 through 500 or so hands, so back to reality!

BR ~ $600

OMG!!! OMG!!! I feel just like a silly school girl learning how to post graphs in a blog for the VERY FIRST TIME!

So, first graph is my FLHE FR graph since 1 November 2008, which is the date I started using Elephant. Probably logged another 5 or 6k of hands prior to this since registering in September which were all pretty reasonably positive.

Most of the b/e stretch is thanks to a long losing streak in $.25/$.5, mixed in with some $.10/$.20 winnings. I started mixing in some $.5/$1 FR at around the 12k hand mark and completely moved to $.50/$1 FR at around the 20k hand mark, and a little $.50/$1 SH right at the end.

This is my FLHE FR SH $.50/$1 graph to date and includes hands from the few times I dropped below 7 players at full ring (about the first 300 hands). Started playing SH 30 December 2008.

And now, through the limits to date. Please bear in mind there is some overlapping of play between the two limits - I have to date (rightly or wrongly) occassionally mixed in higher limit tables to my current limit :

$.25/$.50 FR - the first 8k hands were an absolute blast.

I do remember at one point feeling like if I didn't go to showdown with close on the nuts that I wasn't going to win... Not to say I was down on myself, it just felt like that was just how it was. When that changed it was like a bit of revelation. No wonder people talk about 50k+ hands being needed to show true win rates.

Most notable leaks in this limit were HU lines (which I still occassionally balls up) and playing overcards that miss (which I still often balls up). I improved about the same time I realised that these were leaks, which may or may not be co-incidence.

$.50/$1 FR + 1k hands of SH at the end (sorry but I can't be stuffed redoing chart for the too manyth time).

This limit was such a roller coaster ride and lead to me taking my first poker break after 90 or so days of more or less solidly playing. I took an 8 day break pre-post Christmas and hit a big heater getting me to SH. I like. ♦

Enough graphs for one day. Any questions feel free to ask. :)Just be prepared to get the dumb answers you might be hoping you weren't going to get.

Originally posted by Waiboy
Plus the world needs more Fixed Limit blogs ♦

#2 ♦

Hey, nice blog you have here. I like your graphs and keep hoping mine will look like those.

See you soon playing 1/2 SH at Titan.

Originally posted by Amirapuato

Originally posted by Waiboy
Plus the world needs more Fixed Limit blogs ♦

#2 ♦

#3 ♦

Originally posted by Amirapuato
Hey, nice blog you have here. I like your graphs and keep hoping mine will look like those.

See you soon playing 1/2 SH at Titan.

Thanks fella... I'm sure you'll get those graphs looking like the back end of mine at some point. If I could just get rid of the first 2/3 of each one I'd be much happier!

Update:

Couple of short sessions today to date, and AA won 2 - 1 on aggregate! Losing to a better full house when action is capped by villian PF with 77 is just nasty - and expensive.

Known players:
[tg]Position:hands/vp$ip/RaisePreflop/AF/WTS/ORL/BBvsSteal/W$SD;SB:35/51 /23 /1.1/37 /33 /-/57 ;BB:45/62 /16 /0.7/61 /25 /-/53 ;MP2:02/100 /100 /-/50 /-/-/100 ;[/tg]
0.5/1 Fixed-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Hand recorder used for this poker hand: PokerStrategy Elephant 0.67 by www.pokerstrategy.com.

Preflop: Hero is CO with A♣, A♥
MP2 raises, MP3 folds, Hero 3-bets, BU folds, SB calls, BB caps, MP2 calls, Hero calls, SB calls.

Flop: (16.00 SB) 7♣, 6♠, 6♦ (4 players)
SB bets, BB raises, MP2 folds, Hero calls, SB calls.

Turn: (11.00 BB) 6♥ (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets, Hero raises, SB folds, BB 3-bets, Hero caps, BB calls.

River: (19.00 BB) J♠ (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.

Final Pot: 21.00 BB

Results follow:
Hero shows a full-house, sixes full of aces (Ac Ah)
BB shows a full-house, sevens full of sixes (7s 7h)

BB wins with a full-house, sevens full of sixes (7s 7h)

I didn't even consider villian might cap with a pair as low as 77. Live and learn I guess!

Ended day up ~$30 at 19BB/100 over 160 hands.

Status:

BR ~ $630

Update:

I'd post a graph but I hate these really wide images distorting the width of the screen, so I'll try to work out how to resize image so I don't lose resolution but improve readability.

I've had multiple sessions over last few days. Can't work out exactly where sessions start and end because my days and Elephant's days are working on a differnt basis, and play over a couple of days merges. I will adjust filter later so this doesn't happen and I can report more accurately.

In any case, the big update is I'm not moving up limits anytime soon - these sessions have been of varied quality.

Some sessions I feel I'm playing actually pretty well, and some I've gone all feral and played some hands abominably (and I mean bad.. horrible, horrible PF raise - bet - bet - c/c on river with A high (holding AK) on a 3 suited board with made straights possible v passive player - just don't know what I was thinking).

Irrespective of whether it was a decent session or a nasty one the bank roll has tended downward - but that's cool because I've picked up on a few things:

1. For some reason I haven't been applying the proper HU line in an unraised pot - I haven't always bet - even though I KNOW we should because of the value in having villian fold just 1 in 3 times.

2. I've learned to pay more attention to when I feel tired. I don't always notice I'm getting mentally lazy when tired, and this lead to some of the losses over the last day or so. Once I noticed I was able to refocus and my game improved substantially. Sounds obvious, but in the heat of the game I had missed this!

So to update:

Played something like 1000 hands since last update down ~$50 (a reasonable amount due to natural variance, a substantial amount due to play that needs work!)

BR ~$580

Hey Waiboy

Really nice blog you got going here. Watch out. Mine is coming soon too. Also as you said the world needs more FL blogs. ♦

1 little question/recommendation I have:
The little disk-sign above your graph in Elephant (like the save-sign in Word), I believe is used to save your graph as an image of the graph. Then just upload that file to the site Opal99 said. Tell me if this is true. I don't use elephant anymore.

Cheers and all the best,
Kimber88