[Closed] A Wish For More :D

You see, my aim currently isn't just to beat my limit and move up to the next one.

That a very unique goal you have there ♦

Just kidding, goodluck with your blog and poker!

17/05 - 23/05
2009 hands
-$9.90 (BR: $590.10)

Well, considering showdown and non-showdown winnings, I think it is fair to say that at least the aggression seems to be in there somewhere ;). I really ran bad in my all-ins, so the blue line should be quite a bit higher, so overall, it should have been a profitable week - but not very much so. As a general observation, I think that I definitely need to work on my showdown part of the game, be it all-ins (which might affect the non-showdown winnings) or - which I think affects it most of all - passive call-downs. Ideally, I would like to have the blue line about break-even or slightly positive while the majority of the profit would come from my non-showdown winnings.

First session coming up :>.

Session 1
419 hands
+$3.50

Hand 1
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)

Known players:
[tg]UTG1$9.05:///////;UTG2$8.70:///////;MP1$10.45:///////;MP2$19.55:///////;MP3 (Hero)$12.60:///////;CO$5.65:///////;BU$10.90:///////;SB$5.70:///////;BB$12.90:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q:d, A:d.
2 folds, MP1 raises to $0.40, MP2 folds, Hero calls $0.40, CO calls $0.40, BU calls $0.40, 2 folds.

Flop: ($1.75) 4:d, 2:s, 3:d (4 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $1.20, CO folds, BU raises to $3.00, MP1 folds, Hero raises to $12.20, BU calls $7.50(All-In).

Turn: ($24.45) 7:d (2 players)

River: ($24.45) A:h (2 players)

Final Pot: $24.45.

Results follow:

Hero shows a flush, ace high(Qd Ad).
BU shows a pair of tens(Td Th).

Hero wins with a flush, ace high(Qd Ad).

In general, I started cold-calling more often pre-flop in position against typical TAG regulars on NL10 with hands like these which should be somewhere around the middle of his open-raising range, especially if they are suited. There are two reason for this: I don't like 3-betting it because most regulars will either 4-bet or fold; I thus don't need a value hand for a 3-bet. Second, I get into lots of good spots to float or bluff-raise the turn because they fold way too much. I generally give myself a post-flop edge on this limit, so my position should make this more +EV than 3-betting.

After his check, I don't want to give out any free cards with all the equity I have, so I bet out. Here is a good example where my aggressive image came into play to my advantage. I had a lot of hands with that opponent and he knew I was very aggressive. He would definitely have 3-bet any pair of QQ+, so I can limit his range to JJ- overpairs, two-pairs and sets. Due to his small raise and the way he played so far, I pretty much considered two-pairs and sets very unlikely and I didn't expect to be able to extract much value oop if I just call and hit my flush, so I decided to get it in with fold equity.

In hindsight, I think this was the right decision in that spot, because he really thought for a long time before calling. I think he would have easily folded against a nitty reg TAG here, but he probably thought I might be able to do that with 99- or just gutshot + 2 overcards. I got it in as favourite, so all is good ;).

Hand 2
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)

Known players:
[tg]CO$10.30:///////;BU (Hero)$10.00:///////;SB$13.25:///////;BB$10.00:///////;UTG1$11.75:///////;UTG2$14.40:///////;MP1$10.00:///////;MP2$15.00:///////;MP3$10.00:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is BU with K:h, Q:c.
UTG1 folds, UTG2 calls $0.10, MP1 folds, MP2 raises to $0.30, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.30, 2 folds, UTG2 calls $0.20.

Flop: ($1.05) 2:d, 8:c, 6:h (3 players)
UTG2 checks, MP2 bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, UTG2 folds.

Turn: ($2.05) K:s (2 players)
MP2 bets $1.00, Hero calls $1.00.

River: ($4.05) 4:c (2 players)
MP2 bets $3.00, Hero calls $3.00.

Final Pot: $10.05.

Results follow:

Hero shows a pair of kings(Kh Qc).
MP2 shows high card king(Ts Js).

Hero wins with a pair of kings(Kh Qc).

This hand is another spot where I decided to cold-call. The open-raiser was a bit more loose than a typical TAG and the BB was a total calling station. Usually I would fold this, but I decided to play it here.

The flop was a perfect floating spot. There are hardly any draws, so he usually puts me on a pocket or a set. If I hadn't hit the turn, I would have raised him due to his very high aggression values on all streets. He would usually have a hard time even continuing with his overpairs there and with his aggression, there are a lot of overcards he has to fold.

On the river, the decision gets a bit tougher. Does he think I would peel twice with a pocket pair and he can get better hands out with his overcards? Does he think I could call three times with a pocket against his overpair or AK hit on turn? I took quite a bit of my timebank, but in the end, I decided to call because he had taken so long to bet the river. Again, I think it was the right decision because of his extreme aggression values, but it was definitely a close one.

Hand 3
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (7 handed)

Known players:
[tg]BB$17.95:///////;MP1$10.00:///////;MP2$6.35:///////;MP3$8.80:///////;CO$10.00:///////;BU$10.80:///////;SB (Hero)$10.30:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is SB with 8:s, 8:c.
3 folds, CO raises to $0.40, BU folds, Hero calls $0.35, BB folds.

Flop: ($0.9) 4:d, 5:c, 7:s (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.60, Hero calls $0.60.

Turn: ($2.1) A:c (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $1.40, Hero calls $1.40.

River: ($4.9) 4:h (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks.

Final Pot: $4.9.

Results follow:

CO shows two pairs, fours and threes(3s 3d).
Hero shows two pairs, eights and fours(8s 8c).

Hero wins with two pairs, eights and fours(8s 8c).

In this hand, the open-raiser is a normal TAG with quite a wide opening range. I have a low overpair on flop plus gutshot and he is conti-betting around 80%.

The turn brings the perfect card for him to barrel again, but I think his range is wide enough that the ace didn't hit him often enough for me to fold.

I think the main point of argument is the river. Obviously, he checked behind, but what if he bets? At the moment I played, I was calling again on the river. My reasoning here was that he would hardly bet anything that was an overpair again on the river due to the ace. Even if he had an ace himself, he would have a hard time betting again on this river unless he assumes I am capable of calling twice with a pocket.

I'm wondering now, though, whether he would even think that far - I now think that he would probably bet AJ+ again on the river, while he would probably not 3-barrel often enough for me to call against air. I fold would thus have been the better choice.

Hand 4
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)

Known players:
[tg]MP2$10.95:///////;MP3 (Hero)$18.30:///////;CO$5.15:///////;BU$16.05:///////;SB$9.00:///////;BB$10.10:///////;UTG1$11.30:///////;UTG2$11.85:///////;MP1$11.25:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 7:h, A:h.
4 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, CO folds, BU raises to $1.20, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.80.

Flop: ($2.55) J:s, K:c, 5:d (2 players)
Hero checks, BU checks.

Turn: ($2.55) 7:c (2 players)
Hero bets $1.50, BU calls $1.50.

River: ($5.55) T:c (2 players)
Hero bets $3.30, BU calls $3.30.

Final Pot: $12.15.

Results follow:

Hero shows a pair of sevens(7h Ah).
BU shows a pair of kings(Ac Kd).

BU wins with a pair of kings(Ac Kd).

Analysis here is really fast. The guy had a 3betting value of over 10%, he had 3bet me before quite a few times and I decided to make a stand. I however didn't take into account that his cbetting was close to 0. So, after betting on the turn once, I should just have given up the river.

The fact that he actually had AK this time doesn't mean much, but I'm still very insecure about calling 3bets oop (which is where you find yourself most of the time) against frequent 3betters. I don't like 4bet-bluffing too much, especially in late vs late position where my hand might actually still be good. Any advise here is definitely welcome.

Hand 5
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)

Known players:
[tg]BB$9.05:///////;UTG1$8.70:///////;UTG2$10.05:///////;MP1$19.55:///////;MP2 (Hero)$23.35:///////;MP3$5.25:///////;CO$10.00:///////;BU$5.65:///////;SB$12.80:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 8:h, 8:d.
2 folds, MP1 raises to $0.40, Hero calls $0.40, 5 folds.

Flop: ($0.95) 3:d, 5:s, 5:c (2 players)
MP1 bets $0.60, Hero calls $0.60.

Turn: ($2.15) 7:d (2 players)
MP1 bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.50.

River: ($5.15) 6:s (2 players)
MP1 bets $2.00, Hero calls $2.00.

Final Pot: $9.15.

Results follow:

MP1 shows two pairs, jacks and fives(Js Jc).
Hero shows two pairs, eights and fives(8h 8d).

MP1 wins with two pairs, jacks and fives(Js Jc).

This is a hand where my call-down went wrong and this is probably the kind of spot that costs me most money. We are in heads-up, so the call on the flop is standard I guess. Raising doesn't really make sense on this board because it looks too bluffy and I do have showdown value.

On the turn, my overpair is still an overpair, but I think it already gets close. He raised early, but even if he just puts me on a pair, I don't think he would fire twice very often because I probably wouldn't fold any overpair to that turn card.

On the river, his bet just SCREAMS give me value with your pair. Considering the opponent type (nitty, no moves at all), I should probably have folded this already on the turn. The argument that his river bet polarizes his range to bluffs and monsters doesn't really hold merit here, even though I level myself into thinking that too often, because this opponent is just on a level too low to realize that.

Hand 6
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)

Known players:
[tg]MP2$12.20:///////;MP3$8.40:///////;CO$11.90:///////;BU$20.70:///////;SB (Hero)$10.00:///////;BB$7.95:///////;UTG1$6.65:///////;UTG2$10.05:///////;MP1$12.75:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is SB with T:s, T:h.
UTG1 calls $0.10, 5 folds, BU raises to $0.50, Hero calls $0.45, BB calls $0.40, UTG1 calls $0.40.

Flop: ($2) 3:h, 3:d, J:h (4 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG1 checks, BU checks.

Turn: ($2) 7:d (4 players)
Hero bets $1.20, BB folds, UTG1 calls $1.20, BU folds.

River: ($4.4) K:h (2 players)
Hero bets $2.20, UTG1 calls $2.20.

Final Pot: $8.8.

Results follow:

Hero shows two pairs, tens and threes(Ts Th).
UTG1 shows two pairs, jacks and sevens(7h Js).

UTG1 wins with two pairs, jacks and sevens(7h Js).

I kindof have to bet this turn to protect my hand and I bet the river small in the hope of getting paid by this calling station with a 7. But considering it now, the river is a very easy check/fold - he will sometimes call with worse, obviously, but he will have me beat so much more often and he will hardly ever bet on his own, so if he does, I'm crushed. It might be better to 3bet this pre-flop, but I think I had been 3betting a lot the last few hands and that's why I decided to just flat it this time.

Hand 7
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (8 handed)

Known players:
[tg]MP3$11.95:///////;CO$12.00:///////;BU$20.80:///////;SB (Hero)$10.00:///////;BB$6.85:///////;UTG2$10.10:///////;MP1$11.25:///////;MP2$12.75:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is SB with J:s, J:d.
6 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, BB calls $0.30.

Flop: ($0.8) 9:h, 9:d, K:d (2 players)
Hero bets $0.50, BB raises to $1.00, Hero calls $0.50.

Turn: ($2.8) 2:c (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.

River: ($2.8) 3:s (2 players)
Hero bets $1.20, BB calls $1.20.

Final Pot: $5.2.

Results follow:

BB shows two pairs, kings and nines(As Ks).
Hero shows two pairs, jacks and nines(Js Jd).

BB wins with two pairs, kings and nines(As Ks).

This was another blunder by me. I think his turn conti-bet percentage was very low, so it was very probable for him to be in check/call mode. I don't think he will call often enough with a lower pair to have a value bet here.

Hand 8
Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)

Known players:
[tg]MP2$11.45:///////;MP3$10.60:///////;CO (Hero)$10.00:///////;BU$10.15:///////;SB$10.00:///////;BB$9.40:///////;UTG1$8.15:///////;UTG2$26.00:///////;MP1$10.00:///////;[/tg]

Preflop: Hero is CO with K:d, A:h.
5 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, BU calls $0.40, 2 folds.

Flop: ($0.95) 5:d, 3:h, 2:c (2 players)
Hero bets $0.60, BU calls $0.60.

Turn: ($2.15) T:d (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $1.40, Hero calls $1.40.

River: ($4.95) Q:h (2 players)
Hero checks, BU checks.

Final Pot: $4.95.

Results follow:

Hero shows high card ace(Kd Ah).
BU shows a pair of sevens(7h 7d).

BU wins with a pair of sevens(7h 7d).

In this hand, I was playing against a typical reg TAG, and I think it's a good example for a move I want to start using more often: check/raise turn with initiative. He will often be on a pocket pair here; of course sets are possible, too. He might even sometimes have a weaker Ax (which is why I called the turn). But he will have a very hard time continuing with his pockets to a turn check/raise, and even if he does, I have loads of outs. This would allow me to balance my turn check/raises with monsters (which i already do sporadically) and will become much harder to float me. I however have to be careful to only do this against opponents who do float from time to time, otherwise I might run into sets too often.

Well, that's it for the first session. Second session to follow after lunch :).

Hi there mate!

Nice to see you started new blog. Will follow it obviously

I like the analysis of your hands that you do.. I should start doing smthing similar..

Good luck on ur tables

Session 2
691 hands
-$15.10

Hand 1
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP: $16.20
MP+1: $10.00
Hero (CO): $11.80
BTN: $4.45
SB: $17.80
BB: $8.60
UTG: $11.90
UTG+1: $10.85

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A♦ A♥

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, fold, BB raises to $1.20, Hero calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.45, 2 players) T♥ 5♦ Q♥
BB checks, Hero bets $1.60, BB raises to $4.70, Hero raises to $10.60 and is all-in, BB calls $2.70 and is all-in

Turn: ($17.25, 2 players) 6♥

River: ($17.25, 2 players) 4♣

BB shows T♣ T♦ (Three of a Kind, Tens)
Hero shows A♦ A♥ (One Pair, Aces)
BB wins $16.40

I'm not really sure about this one. I try to think more about alternative lines with monsters pre-flop now, and this guy was 3betting small a lot from the blinds, so I was thinking about getting a bit more value out of my aces.

It was already strange that he checked the flop, but he wasn't exactly the most reasonable player, so I bet out anyway. I thought that it should be an easy lay-down after the check/raise in my first review, but then I took a closer look.
I have no idea whether he would go broke with AQ here, but he will definitely with KK, QQ and TT, against which range I already have a flip, so I guess it's an easy ship? If I add AhKh and 55 to his range, I'm at 43.57, so it's close I guess, and if I add AQ, I'm at 60%. So easy broke then? It somehow still doesn't feel right...

I think his check/raise gives away way too much strength here. I think he would just bet KK/AQ here, so I'm down to sets and monster draws and crushed at 15% - which would make it a very easy fold. What do you think?

Hand 2
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

UTG+1: $10.85
MP: $11.75
MP+1: $17.70
CO: $10.50
Hero (BTN): $10.95
SB: $10.45
BB: $4.20
UTG: $8.55

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♥ T♥

UTG calls $0.10, fold, MP calls $0.10, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.60, fold, fold, UTG calls $0.50, MP calls $0.50

Flop: ($1.95, 3 players) J♣ 3♦ 8♣
UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets $1.20, fold, MP calls $1.20

Turn: ($4.35, 2 players) 7♠
MP bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50

River: ($5.35, 2 players) 3♣
MP bets $1.60, Hero calls $1.60

MP shows 9♣ A♣ (Flush, Ace High)
Hero mucks J♥ T♥ (Two Pair, Jacks and Threes)
MP wins $8.15

Considering this hand now, I should probably have raised the turn. His bet doesn't make any sense here and fish often play draws like that. They probably never heard about the concept of block betting, but they somehow intuitively do it anyway (badly). I wanted to play wa/wb, but I think the decision has to be made on the turn on such a drawy board now. Especially since I still have the gutshot redraw in case he hit anything better. If he turns over a monster, I'll make a note ;).

Hand 3
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

Hero (CO): $10.00
BTN: $3.40
SB: $11.95
BB: $4.10
UTG: $10.00
UTG+1: $9.45
MP: $11.35

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 3♥ 3♣

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, SB raises to $1.20, fold, Hero calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.50, 2 players) 6♣ 6♥ K♦
SB bets $1.70, Hero calls $1.70

Turn: ($5.90, 2 players) Q♠
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($5.90, 2 players) J♣
SB checks, Hero checks

SB shows Q♣ A♦ (Two Pair, Queens and Sixes)
Hero mucks 3♥ 3♣ (Two Pair, Sixes and Threes)
SB wins $5.65

I definitely want to play small pockets more often in position against regular 3betters LP vs blinds. Their 3betting range is often just high cards who don't hit that often. I think it's a close call on the flop, but he wasn't overly aggressive so I thought I could check it down against overcards. The turn and river are of course ugly, because almost his entire overcard range has now hit, but I don't think he would lay anything down except for the turn, and at that point I would be turning my hand into a bluff. If no overcards hit, I think I could call again on the turn to take it down on the river. Am I too loose in these spots? Will I pay big hands too often while checking down against overcards? Will have to keep an eye on these spots.

Overall, this session didn't have many hard spots, I played rather solid and ran into a lot of setups ;).

Session 3
175 hands
-$2.75

Hand 1
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

CO: $23.90
BTN: $10.00
SB: $4.25
BB: $10.00
UTG: $10.00
UTG+1: $15.80
Hero (MP): $10.15
MP+1: $5.75

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K♣ J♥

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, CO raises to $1.20, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.55, 2 players) 8♠ K♠ 8♣
Hero checks, CO bets $2.10, Hero calls $2.10

Turn: ($6.75, 2 players) 4♦
Hero checks, CO bets $2.80, Hero calls $2.80

River: ($12.35, 2 players) 4♣
Hero checks, CO bets $3.20, Hero calls $3.20

CO shows A♣ A♠ (Two Pair, Aces and Eights)
Hero mucks K♣ J♥ (Two Pair, Kings and Eights)
CO wins $17.85

This hand obviously involves a lot of history. I think his 3betting was at about 12% and he had certainly been 3betting me every other raise. He was also ultra-aggressive and would always barrel until the river. I decided to look him up this time simply because I had to sooner or later.

I think, however, that I made a mistake on the turn. When he suddenly bets small, it somehow betrays his motivation. He was always firing really big on the turn in the previous hands and he was never called down, so a small bet somehow gives away that he actually wants value this time. Bad timing coupled with a disregard for subtleties cost me that stack I guess.

Well it was a rather short session with few interesting hands. Next one will be much bigger ;).

Session 4
648 hands
+$14.85

Hand 1
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP+1: $10.00
Hero (LP): $17.75
CO: $12.00
BTN: $11.70
SB: $10.00
BB: $10.00
UTG: $18.50
UTG+1: $10.00
MP: $10.00

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♥ A♣

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, CO calls $0.40, fold, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.95, 2 players) 4♥ J♠ 8♣
Hero bets $0.60, CO calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.15, 2 players) 7♠
Hero checks, CO bets $1.20, Hero raises to $5.00, fold

Hero wins $4.35

This is one of the hands where I experimented with the check/raise turn with initiative. It's a perfect board to do it - I had a certain read on the opponent and he liked calling pockets to float on boards with a few low cards which could easily miss a MP/LP opening range. Additionally, the board turned really wet on the turn, so this move also offers additional protection while exploiting Villain's float. Do you think this is too risky because of sets?

Hand 2
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

SB: $10.00
BB: $21.65
UTG: $11.00
Hero (UTG+1): $10.00
MP: $7.95
MP+1: $12.15
LP: $3.85
CO: $9.85
BTN: $4.05

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♣ A♣

fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN calls $0.40, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.95, 2 players) 4♣ 8♥ 8♦
Hero bets $0.60, BTN calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.15, 2 players) 6♦
Hero checks, BTN bets $1.00, Hero raises to $6.90, fold

Hero wins $3.95

Another example of c/r turn with init. This time, it's a totally different story, though. The guy was a total calling station (60-80% vpip, not exactly sure anymore, but a lot :P) and almost never folded to cbets (20% both flop AND turn) and he had been spewing off most of his money by that time. I was sure he would take the bait if I checked to him, get him to fold most times and even in case he called a pocket, I was sure to have at least 6 outs.

Hand 3:
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP: $10.25
MP+1: $4.85
Hero (LP): $11.55
CO: $10.05
BTN: $8.05
SB: $13.40
BB: $12.55
UTG: $10.00
UTG+1: $11.05

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 5♦ 5♣

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.40, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.40, fold, fold, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.95, 2 players) Q♦ 4♠ 2♣
UTG+1 bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50

Turn: ($1.95, 2 players) 8♦
UTG+1 bets $0.90, Hero calls $0.90

River: ($3.75, 2 players) 9♥
UTG+1 checks, Hero checks

UTG+1 shows A♥ K♣ (High Card, Ace)
Hero shows 5♦ 5♣ (One Pair, Fives)
Hero wins $3.60

Do you think the second peel on the turn is too loose? Maybe even the one on the flop? Should I turn aggressive instead? Is his range too tight to attempt this shit? I'm wondering that stuff because I think I made some very bad call down later.

Hand 4
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP+1: $10.00
CO: $20.65
BTN: $10.10
Hero (SB): $12.15
BB: $7.70
UTG: $3.80
UTG+1: $10.20
MP: $10.35

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J♠ Q♠

fold, fold, fold, fold, CO calls $0.10, BTN raises to $0.50, Hero calls $0.45, fold, fold

Flop: ($1.20, 2 players) 9♣ A♥ Q♦
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70

Turn: ($2.60, 2 players) 5♥
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($2.60, 2 players) 6♦
Hero checks, BTN bets $1.10, Hero calls $1.10

BTN shows A♦ T♣ (One Pair, Aces)
Hero mucks J♠ Q♠ (One Pair, Queens)
BTN wins $4.60

This is one of the hands where I think I make call-downs that are way too loose. He had a VERY low cbet turn, so it was obvious he liked to check behind turn for value, yet I paid him off on the river. I think he is very unlikely to check turn and bet river with air because it will be obvious I'm probably in check/call mode. I think he would be much more likely to fire a 2nd barrel if I have him beat. I'm debating whether it's a good idea to start cold-calling with medium hands in the blinds against LP steals? OOP it's hard to extract additional value, so maybe 3betting is always the better choice, even though you kindof turn some hands into a bluff.

Hand 5
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

BB: $10.00
UTG: $21.65
UTG+1: $11.00
Hero (MP): $10.85
MP+1: $7.95
LP: $10.00
CO: $3.85
BTN: $9.85
SB: $4.10

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A♠ T♠

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, LP calls $0.40, fold, fold, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.95, 2 players) Q♣ 7♥ 2♠
Hero bets $0.60, LP calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.15, 2 players) 6♥
Hero bets $1.20, LP calls $1.20

River: ($4.55, 2 players) T♦
Hero checks, LP bets $3.30, fold

LP wins $4.35

This was a hand that annoyed me, like really. I was sure he would raise a set on the turn, so I checked to take it against his pocket pairs and then suddenly I'm faced with that big bet. In the end, I'm sure he did have a set and wanted to be paid of by a check/calling AQ, but the board was so dry that I didn't see any busted draws in his range. The real question is: is he capable of turning a pocket pair into a bluff? I think that is much too far-fetched for this limit, so I ended up laying it down, but it's a thought that I should keep in mind for some time in the future. Oh, and I also think it was a good spot for a 2nd barrel against his pockets.

Session 5
78 hands
-$10.55

Hand 1
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

UTG: $12.00
UTG+1: $10.15
MP: $8.90
MP+1: $7.45
LP: $10.40
CO: $5.75
BTN: $10.00
Hero (SB): $10.05
BB: $9.10

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 9♣ T♣

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.40, MP calls $0.40, MP+1 calls $0.40, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.35, fold

Flop: ($1.70, 4 players) A♣ 6♠ 6♣
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP checks, MP+1 bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40, fold, fold

Turn: ($2.50, 2 players) J♠
Hero checks, MP+1 bets $0.50, Hero raises to $2.70, MP+1 calls $2.20

River: ($7.90, 2 players) T♥
Hero bets $6.55 and is all-in, MP+1 calls $3.95 and is all-in

Hero shows 9♣ T♣ (Two Pair, Tens and Sixes)
MP+1 shows A♠ 7♠ (Two Pair, Aces and Sixes)
MP+1 wins $15.05

I really spazzed out in this one. I think it's a very nice turn raise, especially because his bets so far indicated a rather weak hand and he will lay down a lot. The river shove is just dumb, though. This kind of player will never ever lay down any ace here, so I should just check it and hope for a busted draw. I don't think I could make the raise on the turn much smaller without losing too much fold equity.

Well, that was it for today. Time for another session! Let's see how much writing my thoughts down and reflecting about all my sessions helped me ♦. I hope the few of you who actually took the time to read it got something out of it and see you next week when it's time for the next weekly review!

Sup Max!

Nice to see u blogging.

GL with ur goals n inventing super aggro style

Good luck, and nice session reviews

Hi mate!really like those blogs with a lot of hands and thinking module in them!what i think its that u play to agresivly...peopls at that limit ,most of them ,dont have imagination and top pair 4 them its enough to go broke...wait 4 big hand then play for big dont have big one keep pot smaller...my 2 cents:D gl
Ps:i also play nl 10 but sh and also saw tons of no brain guys paying me of!

the man who never sleeps is in tha blogging house i like

hope u are doing fine! gl with your goals sir!

Thanks for all the good wishes so far :P.

It's interesting to see how such almost standard hands already spark quite some discussion on Skype - I'm very conscious that I don't always choose the line that's traditionally considered the best/safest/+evest (♦), but you have to keep in mind the meta-game I guess.

If you have comments on any hand anyway, feel free to share, feedback is a valuable asset :).

gl Max with your goals
Just keep that aggresion up!

they should integrate hand history replayer in starcraft2 so that we can discuss hands while we play. imo.

Originally posted by erptech
they should integrate hand history replayer in starcraft2 so that we can discuss hands while we play. imo.

true dat

Short intermittent update

Hey there.

Sunday 2 weeks ago, I hadn't really played much and last Sunday I had 2 concerts where I had to sing. During the last 2 weeks, there was a lot of rehearsing and other concerts, too, so I didn't really have the time to do my hand reviews. I will do all of them on next Sunday, so you can expect about a million posts then ;). I however wanted to post some of my thought processes about my game before I forget about it.

First of all, my mind-game as far as tilting is concerned. One of my biggest problems was that bad beats would tilt me really hard really fast during the past few weeks. This was that much more concerning because I was always a very calm and relaxed person. I took this game issue to the meta-game and kept asking myself why bad beats would possibly tilt me so much...but I couldn't figure anything out on how to stop it. Until recently, where I took the issue even more out of focus to the meta-meta-game (also called life
:P). I hadn't been working out or doing sports for ages, and it affected me a lot. I'm back to working out for three weeks now and I slowly see this part of my game going back to normal. Yesterday, I stayed 100% calm and focused after losing 4 stacks in like 10 seconds to bad beats, so I think I finally solved the problem :).

Also, I seem to have gotten down the basics of my aggressive style. During the current week, I went up about 5 stacks while being almost 10 stacks under EV. This is really encouraging, especially since both non-showdown and even showdown winnings remain positive.

In view of these positive developments, I started thinking about setting myself goals for the future months. After some reflection, I decided that my first goal will be to get to $1500 during the next month. Once I reach that bankroll, I will move to NL25 (sick BRM, eh? :P) and I will start cashing out half my winnings every month. My first goal here will be to pay for my flat every month, which would be around $450, so I would need to win $900 every month. Once I overshoot this target regularly, the next goal would be to pay for a really good bike, followed by a new car, but those things are still a bit further in the future. Still, setting these goals step by step will definitely help me keep focused.

All in all, I feel like I'm really crushing NL10 now, even on nitty tables, and I think it wouldn't be too far off to aim for a 20bb/100 winning rate. My next focus will be to improve the volume. Seeing how I don't want to increase the amount of tables to more than 6, this means I simply have to play a lot more. This shouldn't be a problem now that SC2 Beta is over, though ;).

One more thing to add is that I finally found a good use for my note colours. Previously, I had always used it as indication of the opponent style, but that was always kindof redundant as the stats would tell me this anyway. When I was in Prague with TwiceT, he told me he used colours to indicate the amount of edge he gives himself over his opponents; though the idea seemed nice, it turned out to be too vague for me in practice. It was also a bit redundant on the limits I play on, because I can read it from the stats most of the time.

I did find the perfect usage now, though. I use the colours to indicate the extent that opponents adjust to me and how they do it. Red colour range means they react aggressively by rebluffing in several increasing degrees. Blue colour range is the opposite where the start calling down more loosely. Green colour range means they are situated somewhere in-between, either because they don't adjust at all or because they are good regs and adjust well. This in turn allows me to readjust my style to their adjustements ;). What do you think?

Greetz, Max.

23/05 - 13/06
6913 hands
+$107.53 (BR: $680.50)

Sooooooo yeah. I've been really busy with music lately, as I've already mentioned, so I wasn't able to play much or review much until this week. So I'll just do all three weeks together now.

As you can see from my graph, the past week I've really been able to get my showdown and non-showdown winnings going in the right direction. I think I definitely have the solid base that I wanted now.

While I build my BR up to the 1.5k I want for NL25, I will be working on some special lines that I haven't used before. I tried implementing some strange lines like limp/raise and check/call - donk turn with initiative into my game, especially against regulars. It confuses the hell out of them and they get much more likely to commit mistakes against you.

Overall, I'm very happy with my progress and can't wait to get to the next limit :P.

Session 1
1213 hands
-$2.85

Hand 1

PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP+1: $26.10
LP: $4.85
CO: $10.15
BTN: $13.70
SB: $11.90
Hero (BB): $11.05
UTG: $15.30
UTG+1: $11.25
MP: $6.15

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 5♣ Q♦

fold, fold, fold, MP+1 calls $0.10, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.25, 2 players) 4♣ Q♠ 5♠
Hero bets $0.20, MP+1 raises to $0.50, Hero raises to $1.60, MP+1 calls $1.10

Turn: ($3.45, 2 players) 4♦
Hero bets $2.20, MP+1 calls $2.20

River: ($7.85, 2 players) 2♥
Hero bets $7.15 and is all-in, MP+1 calls $7.15

Hero shows 5♣ Q♦ (Two Pair, Queens and Fives)
MP+1 shows A♥ A♠ (Two Pair, Aces and Fours)
MP+1 wins $21.10

I'm not too sure about this hand. The opponent had pretty normal TAG stats, so when he limp/calls I usually give him a small-middle pocket pair or stuff like AQ/KQ. I though he could easily raise the flop with that stuff against one overcard to his pair or with top pair, as well as some draws, so I 3bet right on the flop to protect. When the second 4 hits, a set becomes less likely and I tend more towards AQ/KQ or possibly JJ/TT. On the river, most reasonable draws have missed, but some straight draws have hit. I want to put him to a difficult decision with his single pair hands here as I don't see too many draws in his range and I can't really check/fold here either imo. I never ever expected to see AA/KK which counterfeited my two-pair here...should I?

Hand 2
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

UTG+1: $7.45
MP: $10.30
MP+1: $11.45
LP: $10.20
CO: $10.00
BTN: $10.00
Hero (SB): $26.75
BB: $17.90
UTG: $10.00

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 3♥ 3♦

fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.40, Hero calls $0.35, fold

Flop: ($0.90, 2 players) 2♦ 4♥ J♠
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70

Turn: ($2.30, 2 players) 6♥
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($2.30, 2 players) 9♦
Hero checks, BTN bets $1.30, Hero calls $1.30

BTN shows 7♣ 5♣ (High Card, Jack)
Hero shows 3♥ 3♦ (One Pair, Threes)
Hero wins $4.70

A lot of players on my limit cbet the flop and then check behind on the turn in position when they have nothing. If you check to them on the river, they think you want to get to the showdown cheaply and will bet again very often. The question here is if I can really call here profitably? Will he check behind with a pair? There are hardly any draws on the flop, will he check behind on the turn for value? I would sometimes...in this case, I was sure that he would have bet the turn with any J and that he would definitely check behind with any kind of showdown value; however, that was based on pure intuition and feel of that guy's play...should I rely on that stuff in cases like this?

Hand 3
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

UTG: $7.50
UTG+1: $10.45
MP: $10.90
MP+1: $8.00
CO: $10.00
Hero (BTN): $24.80
SB: $10.35
BB: $9.70

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T♠ T♥

fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, SB calls $0.35, fold

Flop: ($0.90, 2 players) 9♥ J♥ 8♦
SB bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50

Turn: ($1.90, 2 players) K♥
SB bets $1.00, Hero calls $1.00

River: ($3.90, 2 players) 3♣
SB checks, Hero checks

SB shows A♥ T♣ (High Card, Ace)
Hero shows T♠ T♥ (One Pair, Tens)
Hero wins $3.75

In this hand, it's all about the turn call and the bet sizing. Villain played pretty reasonable and I was stealing a lot. If he had made a big bet on the flop (protection) and a small bet on the turn (kindof block and not losing too much against raising draws), I would have folded. If he had made a small bet on the flop (block) and a big bet on the turn (hit), I would have folded. I however felt that this way, his betting pattern just didn't represent anything real, except for draws that still hadn't hit. Do I read too much into that stuff?

Hand 4

PokerStars - $0.10 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

UTG: $5.00
UTG+1: $14.70
MP: $3.55
MP+1: $9.85
LP: $15.60
CO: $4.00
Hero (BTN): $16.70
SB: $9.90
BB: $10.90

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 6♥ T♥

fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, fold, BB raises to $1.20, Hero calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.45, 2 players) 9♥ 5♥ A♠
BB bets $1.70, Hero calls $1.70

Turn: ($5.85, 2 players) 6♠
BB checks, Hero bets $3.10, fold

Hero wins $5.60

Another addition to my arsenal: float in 3bet pots. This should work especially well in BU vs blinds situations as this one. It's very unlikely he will bet twice without ace and it's also unlikely he will check/call the turn. Even if he does, I have a lot of outs to the river. The only line I have to be afraid of is a check/raise on the turn, which quite a few players like to do with AA/KK in these spots. He however had a really low turn aggression, so I thought it was safe to attempt this move.