[Closed] Welcome to my corner

So why the hell would you waste your time reading this? Simple answer is because i don't want you to read it, i want you to contribute to it, to post ideas and comment mine.

This isn't a SNG blog (for some reason i hate the world blog). It's a poker one. And that means i may switch back to NL or FL or even omaha.

Short term goals: beat 5$ SnG's (iPoker). I think i don't need to do anything for that.

Medium term goals: beat 10$SNG, increase the number of tables (currently 5)

Long term goals: beat 20$, beat NL50, FL400, reach 2k$ and have sex on the Moon.

The current goal of this discussion is increasing profitability in SnG's and playing a mathematically good game. SO let's get this finally started...

NOT! I'm 5tabling after a beer so i'm not quite in the mood for it.
I hope you enjoyed it so far!

Good morning. I see there is no action around, but that's ok, i bet there will be.

Anyway, so coming back home on a super crappy weather after going to the univ and waking up the professor is not coming, i was thinking about going pro... Yes, i'm currently playing 2$ SNGs and i'm thinking about that. Kind of strange, but let's see the math.

First of all, i live in Romania, EU, and the average monthly salary must be around 450$-500$. In a month i'm spending about 250-300$ and i'm marginally confortable with it for going out and little daily expenses (no clothes, holidays, etc..) Anyway,

5$ SnG's. 20 a day, 5 tabling -> 2 hours of play (turbo), 5% ROI. 0.25$*600=150$ per month. Not much but it would be something. 8 tabling for 3 hours a day and you get more than 300$, which is also more than i would get for a part time job as a student for 20h/week. Sweet!

10$ SnG's. 20 a day, 5 tabling again 2h/day with 5%ROI. 300$! BOO YA!. With 8 tabling for 3-4h/day we're starting to talk about 600$, and with a stretch to play like 6h it goes around 1k.

20$ SnG's. same story, you get 600$ without stretching. 5 tabling for about 4h/day you go past 1k. I don't know any of my colleagues that make more than 1k/month. With a big stretch it goes to 2k which is about how much both my parents combined make.

And nobody says 20$+ BI are not beatable...

If you take a suggestion, might want to look into the formatting; the posting seems like a wall of text and is hard to read, spacing a bit and widening the text should ease the thing

No problem, better?

Next on the line are the differences between turbo and regular sng's. When i was playing the normal ones i felt like the push/fold charts are well fit for them. On turbo's it's another story...

The players are much more loose. Let's take for example a hand like Q7s or 56s. Charts say push for 5BB from MP. If i do that i very often get called by a better hand (or maybe more than 1 hand). I really have doubts if it isn't better to push tighter than the charts from MP. Opinions?

Another big dilema for me is would it be more profitable if you play looser? In the early stage players raise rather rare, most prefer to limp and overlimp, at least at these stakes. In this case isn't it profitable to limp also?

Let's take some examples. You're MP1 one guy limps in EP. Blinds are 20/40, your stack is 1500. You have KQ. Do you limp? Same for AJ. From MP2, MP3 KJs, ATs? From CO and BU with 2-3 limpers with the above + let's say AT A9s QJs?

The basic idea is you avoid limping because you'll get raised and you lose folding equity. But what do you do since it's unlikely to face a raise and you have what i consider decent odds ? These guys limp with hands like 74s without hesitation..

Cool mate! Keep up with the good work!

Tiny update: i am playing the 5$ again. Watch this hand, i have never seen anything like it (played it yesterday):

http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=3wzmilgemdz&thumb=5

Way to go,

Set over set over and another nutflush draw om the flop. What an action flop.. well there is nothing you can do there. It is just ab ig cooler!!!

September results: +70$
October results: +85$

I learned a lot of things this month... first of all, turbo sng's are nice, but not that fascinating and productive.

The best BRM is probably the one recommended here on ps.com and not some wicked idea of mine.

Poker is more about playing good than making money. If you play good you will inevitably make money, if you make money it's not necesary because you play good.

You need to have a looooooot of patience and results will come.

I should play more MTT's.

PS. I used my points to buy Moshman's book, i think it will be here in around 2 weeks. Good luck!

I'm a little concerned that i catched a big upswing. I made 17BI profit for playing 20SNG's. And the last time i felt i should go down in flames, i did! How do you handle this?

Originally posted by andreibalintPoker is more about playing good than making money. If you play good you will inevitably make money, if you make money it's not necesary because you play good.

Well I'll drink to that. If only the majority of PS members would think similarly..

Originally posted by andreibalintI'm a little concerned that i catched a big upswing. I made 17BI profit for playing 20SNG's. And the last time i felt i should go down in flames, i did! How do you handle this?

It's kind of occasional thing to go down after hitting high. The higher you jump, the more distance there is for you to drop. I'm getting used to it.. my sample is very small, but my graph is like a roller coaster - up and down, up and down I do not want to destroy your blog by posting an image so I just you you the link - /

as you see, the last jump was 12BI from 7 games, and then the other day half of it went down in flames as well. It felt good to be up but I kind of almost knew that poker gods might be looking the opposite way other day, leaving me to look at their bottoms.

Just keep going and dont think that it is something horrible to go down in flames like that. It happends and that's just bout it.

And congratulations on the book! I envy you. Several times I went though all major books stores in the city looking for some poker books, but all that to no avail.. Lucky you! I'm affarid I have to double my FPP at pokerstars in order to afford a decent book from them.

Thanks MrEnig for your contribution. I know it's not nice to say, but you can find most poker books on the internet (yeah, it's basically stealing them) if you know where to look.

November result: 657$
Bankroll: 972$

I think i ran way above EV since i played 5$ and 10$, about 10sng's a day. Anyway, i'm happy with my results.

I managed to do this because i respected the money management technique written here at ps.com. I strongly recommend everyone not to deviate from it.

I'll move to fulltilt or pokerstars shortly for some bonus whoring, even if the accounts are not tracked, but i figured it would be a nice boost.

Any opinions which one of the 2 is best? Are there major changes in player behaviour/competence from iPoker to fulltilt/pokerstars?

I'll try to find the best room for me, hope it also helps somebody:
20$BI SNG, 10 a day
Options: Mansion, Titan, Bet365, Fulltilt, Pokerstars, PartyPoker
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1. MansionPoker. Monthly: 10*30*40p= 12.000p
ProMember (150%boost)
Total points=30.000p
Rake: 2$*10*30=600$
Cash reward: 60.000p = 100$; 2months; 1200$rake --> RB= 8,33%
in 6 months:
loyality bonus: 60000px2=120.000p
played: 180.000p
total: 300.000p
rake: 3000$
500$ cash bonus ---> RB= 16%+
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2. TitanPoker. In 6 months with their calculator 98.000points
800$ for 80.000points
150$ for 20.000points
Rake: 3000$
RB: 31% !!!
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3. Bet365. 15p per 1$ rake. Monthly points: 9000points.
For 20.000p 150$. 666SNGs (2months). Rake=1333$
RB=11%
For 50.000p 600$. 1666sng(5 1/2 months) Rake=3332$
RB= 18%
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4. Fulltilt (no rakeback)
Here i have no clue, you can't buy cash. But let's try anyway.
7points for 1$rake -> monthly 14*30*10=4200p
6000p sng ~ 28$ entry to a sng.
for 6000p: 428sngs -> 857$ rake
Rakeback: 3%
+27% will go to 30%
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5. Pokerstars
Monthly VPP Total: 1780.
Monthly FPP Total: 2070. (added 3hours of MTT every week)
50$ bonus for 5000pFPP->2 1/2 months 750sng's 1500$ rake. Lol. Have i done something wrong?
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6. PartyPoker
4p per SNG -> 300*4=1200p monthly. RB 5%
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Please correct me if i'm wrong. I don't understand the rakeback at FTP and PS, it can't be so small...

Happy New Year people! I wish you a great abundence of fish.

First of all i have to say the rakeback calculations above are total crap, i think they're correct only for iPoker rooms.

Things were ok this month, moved 600$ to Party where i had a nice "first deposit" downswing of about 20BI and then went back up, i'm in Top20 Romania so i should get 50$.

My plans:
- go to 30$ BI and stay there;
- achieve 3k bankroll;
- increase the number of tables until it becomes less profitable;
- challenge: make 3.5k by 1'st of March.
- post some interesting hands to animate the atmosphere around here.

Party Bankroll: 900$
Mansion Bankroll: 805$

I'll probably move only to Party sometime soon.

Monthly profit: 722$ (around 500$ whitout bonuses)

January was my sickest month yet. My estimated 50BI downswing was not helped by the fact i couldn't play for most of the month because i had to take some exams.

So here it is:
Pokerstars: 1100$ (570$ bonus to be released)
Pacific: 64$ (for Pokertracker licence) - will not be refunded into poker when i finish making 60 points.

Lost: 605$

Hello guys, i'm aproaching 1000 20$ SNG's played an my results are terrible. I want you to give any possible opinions/criticism regarding my play.

My ROI is around -10%, composed of around 550 games where i'm marginaly profitable at Mansion and Party, and about 400 games with -17% ROI at Stars.

Regarding my luck, i've definately had a severe lack of it. I'm not starting to tell you about my bad beats, just believe me i can't remember last time where i won a flip, a hand where i dominated and i won, or didn't ran into monsters.

But over 1k games it should be clear i'm losing money there. Another thing is that it's the first level where i'm losing.
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How do i play?

Generally very agressive in the later stage, going to insanely agressive.
But let's start with the beginning:

I. Early phase.
I raise 99+ AQs+ from any position; KQ and 88 from MP3; AQo from MP;
I may raise with 55+ from late position, lower then that i just call even if i'm first in;
I limp small pairs in EP;
I sometimes call with when there's just one limper with hands like KQ, ATs, AJ from MP or late;
With 2 limpers i call suited connectors, face cards, suited aces, small pockets (considering call20 rule);
With 3 limpers i call 1 gapped suited and 2-3 gapped suited higher cards: J9s, Q9s;
If i have OESD or Flushdraw 3-4players i usually bet if the pot is small.

If i don't have call 20 but let's say something like call 15 and another player called the initial raise, i consider i have call 30 and go ahead and call - especially if i close the action;

I conti-bet most flops, except super draw heavy ones. I am playing cautiously when a player calls and then the turn completes a flushdraw, straight draw (less cautiosly here), pairs the middle card;

I generally bet with nothing in unraised pots if i'm heads up and it's checked to me once or twice, and with middle pair-garbage kicker with 2 players besides me if the board is dry;

Sometimes i raise a conti-bet on a paired board with nothing. Less often i raise a conti-bet on flops with low cards or very dry ones.

There's no way i can make it shorter, sorry for that!

II. Middle phase.
Pretty much same idea, with some exceptions:
I reraise all in preflop with AK and QQ+ (i know, there should be JJ there, i always forget);
Any pair late is a steal;
I am generally stealing according to charts, except raising with weaker Ax from SB; maybe something like QJ from CO with tight players behind.

!!! If there's more then 30% down preflop and i have something decent i go insane. Example:
60/35 guy limps, 2 MP players call, blinds are 50/100, i have 1200 and i'm not in the blinds. Hands like QTs, JTs, any pair ---> i go all in.

I steal loose when 3 handed and i have 15-20BB. If my opponents like folding, i can raise from BU with hands like Ax, Q7o+.
I am re-stealing with A9+, and hands like pairs, KJ+ when they are loose.

III. Late phase.
I think my push/fold is decent (over 90% in ICM), but i sometimes push with more then 13BB, especially if i know i have to fold to a raise. Same with middle phase when there is what i consider to be "dead money" down.

I love bubble abusing, i also re-steal with weak hands the second chip leader (not always but i generally do and not with total garbage);
I re-steal a little looser then charts when i'm facing a raise from late, especially 2.5BB raises or less.
Less then 5BB and i'm UTG = all in any 2;
More then 5BB but the blinds will increase before hitting me and i'll have less then 5BB -> push anything that looks like a hand or push almost anything in a very tight/same stack opponent.

So, anything bad here?