So 1 month into my PokerStrategy sponsorship, how's it going?
Have I still got my origional $50 sponsorship? Some of it maybe. I'm still in there with a bankroll of $84.36. I've received $45 in bonuses so far and about $7 rakeback. In pure playing terms I'm $20 or so down.
I'm not too unhappy with this situation as I'm starting from scratch and learning the game. So to still be cash positive is nice.
I've mainly played $0.05/0.10 and $0.10/.20 Full Ring Fixed Limit Holdem. No particular reason, just seemed a good basic type of Poker to start off with.
I'm still playing the PokerStrategy Basic Starting Hands Chart. I really want to be totally comfortable with my post flop play before moving on. Getting my Aggression balanced, tuning in more to opponents ranges, 3 bet responses and probably stacks of other stuff.
I played the first 10k or so hands at $0.05/0.10 then moved up to $0.10/0.20.
Shortly after moving up I hit my second and humdinger of a downswing, something like 250BB. Amazing, I had read people referencing how unfair downswings can be and well, I have to say downswings can be not only cruel but truely vicious.
Full Houses beaten by Fours or higher Full Houses
Straights beaten by Flushes
Trips by higher Trips
Pairs by Higher Pairs
Everybody making their hands on the River
No playable hands for what seems like hours, then when one does arrive it's always second best.
Even on the rare occurance of winning a hand it would be something like AA in the BB and everone folding! Whoopee I get to keep my Blind for another hand or so.
But having read relavent posts in the forum you just have to take this stuff on the chin, Sh*t happens.
Playing long sessions when on a downswing only seemed to make things worse, so I started playing shorter sessions, an hour here and there over the day/evening. Accepting small losses, trying not to help out the tilt and lose more than is necessary by overplaying hands. Stick to the Strategy Charts, it's all numbers and probabilities so at some time it's going to balance itself out (well this is what I'm banking on!).
I am using PokerTracker3 and reviewing all the hands where I've taken some action. This I've found incredibly helpful. At the Table it's funny how you keep getting run over by the train and it's a surprise every time. In hindsight it's so obvious that you are standing in its tracks!
I'll get round to posting hands for review but at the moment I'm not sure I'm knowlegable enough to understand the advice.
Anyway, for now it looks like the downswing has bottomed out and hopefully the experience gained will help get that line moving upward into profit.
Here's the chart if you're interested, let's hope the recovery isn't "a dead cat bounce".
So thanks to the PokerStrategy team and various contributors, I'm still in there and getting plenty of enjoyment out of my Poker and the learning experience.
I'm not including the downswing bit when I say enjoyment, but you do learn from it.
See you all arround.
