MicroZooming - From MicroNoob to Unlimited

Update #1

Had rough 3k hands yesterday. Was playing pretty confident in the beginning with the way I played and then I made some mistakes, costly mistakes and lost all my confidence again. I haven't had a winning day since forever and that demotivates me even more. Hard times.

Spoiler

Gonna go and work on my schedule and goals which I will review and update here as well. I will have to make some adjustments on my objectives in general.

Checklist

[ ] Run good
[ ] Motivation

Hey Rihard4a,

First of all, congrats on the marriage!

I believe I've seen you at the NL10 zoom tables a few times. I'm trying to actually put in at least some half decent volume in this month myself, so we might meet at the tables more often from now on.

Will be following, might be able to pick up a thing or two in here since we are about the same age and play the same stakes

Kind regards,
Tino

Update #1 part 2

I decided not to worry much about the hands per day. But rather focus on the peak times.

• Beat NL10
  - Play Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays 7pm to 11pm. (These days I am available all day actually, so during the day I will try to do everything else non-poker stuff, and then study poker and at the play!)
  - Wednesdays and Fridays 10 to 12. (In these days I am all day in University, and to get back takes a lot of time for me, therefore I won't be able to play as much in those days.)
  - Saturdays and Sundays 9-11 (Weekends I am working part-time job, and usually I am at home about at 6-7pm. Therefore I will take some rest before starting to play.)

So lets do some calculations then.

(Mon+Tue+Thu)+(Wed+Fri)+(Sat+Sun)=22h per week of playing.

If I am willing to follow Dusty's advice in his book "Treat your poker like a business" then my Play/Study ratio should be 80/20.

x = 22 * 20%
x = 4.4h

So I hope I calculated this properly. Haven't done any calculations for a loooooong time. But I think it is how it should be done. So basically my weekly target to is play 22h of poker and study 4.4h (I guess me can round this to 4h 30m).

So when to study?

Obviously Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Because those are the days I'm free most of the time.

So if to round up the study time to 4.5h then it leaves me with 1.5 (1h 30m) study time during those three days which is very acceptable?

Well okay, gonna finish this part of the update as it is and get on to watching some video and studying it. Gonna watch on playing SB. (Blinds are my biggest leak )

Originally posted by TinoLaan
Hey Rihard4a,

First of all, congrats on the marriage!

I believe I've seen you at the NL10 zoom tables a few times. I'm trying to actually put in at least some half decent volume in this month myself, so we might meet at the tables more often from now on.

Will be following, might be able to pick up a thing or two in here since we are about the same age and play the same stakes

Kind regards,
Tino

Thanks Tino,

Yeah I have seen you couple of times at the tables. But we haven't got into any hands as much as I remember. It was only like this - "Oh it's Tino from PS.com... FAST FOLD." LOL!

Me can hook up on skype if you wish some strategy talk etc. Maybe we could organise some sweats as well.

Regards,

Rihard

It was only like this - "Oh it's Tino from PS.com... FAST FOLD." LOL!

♦

I don't really remember any big hands between us either. In fact I don't think I have that many hands on you to begin with, maybe 150 or so?

Yeah sure, just add me in the community tool and we can exchange skype addresses.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a lot of sweats since I also have another guy I do sweat sessions with, and I have coaching as well. And on top of that I'm just really busy

But I'm always up for strategy talk and other random things! And if there's ever an opportunity to do a sweat session, I'd certainly be up for it and I'll let you know

Added you in the community tool. Just send me a message whenever you feel like it

Sent you my Skype name.

Update #2

Hey guys!

Yesterday was playing really good, though did run so well with the cards. Anyway I was really glad with my performance, even though I had to drop to NL5 at some point because of BRM. ♦ But I'm back to NL10 again.

Here is the graph combined NL5/NL10.

Basically why I had to move down was because I lost 3 big flips as a favourite to win. I can't post hands right now because I am in University, but I got the graph on my USB. (Below)

Spoiler

I have improved a lot on my stealing in BU and SB, which let's me lose less at non-showdown, however now I am working on my cbetting which I think will improve my non-showdown winning even more in near future. I just need to do the homework at the tables.

I have improved my HUD so that I get the necessary stats I need to make best EV decisions, however some stats could be added on, but I don't want to focus on those just yet while I am getting used to read well the current settings and use it in my advantage. I can share my HUD setup if anyone interested.

So as I said I am very comfortable with stealing right now, and I need to focus on the cbetting postflop and this should increase my w/r eventually. Once I will sort it I will move on to next steps. Slow and steady.

NL50 by 2014!!!

Regards,

Rihard

Once I get home, I might make a post on what I think on stealing the blinds from SB and BU. I will post some hands which YOU guys might not steal with when in SB and BU and why I think so. This could build a potential discuss if anyone will be interested.

If enough people will join the discussion I might continue with other aspects of the game as well. In my opinion such discussions might help everyone improving their thought process of the game, basically everyone benefits of it. You know poker is not all about playing the game, watching vids or reading articles... you need to be able to THINK, so a discussion is a great way how to verify if your thought process is legit in my opinion.

Long story short... Lets see how it goes.

Hey Rihard4a!

I also play NL10 Zoom(struggling with it), but I guess you play SH and we won't cross each other cause I play Fullring. I follow all Zoom players just to see how they crush. Hope you will crush the limits too, so GL & HF! ♠_biggrin:

I waved at you at NL5 last night!

Originally posted by JJWic3
Hey Rihard4a!

I also play NL10 Zoom(struggling with it), but I guess you play SH and we won't cross each other cause I play Fullring. I follow all Zoom players just to see how they crush. Hope you will crush the limits too, so GL & HF! ♠_biggrin:

Yes, that is the case actually. I prefer SH to FR. SH I find more dynamic and fun to play. Yep definitely gonna crush! Working hard on improving.

Originally posted by HollyMichelle
I waved at you at NL5 last night!

Sorry, I didn't notice it. I play 3 tables and I have that HUD settings things placed over chatbox, so I rarely notice any messages appearing in there. Anyway *waves back*! If you are struggling on NL5 right now, I would suggest you to stick with my blog for a bit, you might find something useful. I'm gonna start some strategy talk here more often, something useful to pick up if you want to beat NL5.

Regards,

Rihard

Just moved up to NL25SH Zoom after a while on NL10 so I'll sub as well, gl mate

Nox

Hi everyone,

Strategy post as promised.

Stealing in SB/BU

I would like to dedicate this post to stealing the blinds. In such game as poker blind stealing is very important on every stake level you play. However a lot of people, especially on the micros, don't pay attention to it that much or even at all.

Why is blind stealing really important?

Well if you steal a lot and are successful enough you win money without seeing the showdown or even the flop which is ultra EV+. People who have those really awful red-lines declining and declining most of the times are not really stealing properly. Mind that I am not really an expert in this, and I got the ah-ha moment just recently in terms of blind stealing and therefore I cannot provide you with amazing graph with super-duper results just yet. However I will still my time in writing this post, and maybe it might help someone out there who is struggling the micros and this could change your w/r just a little, even a little improvement gives you an edge which is very important in poker.

How to determine when to steal?

Simple. Set your HUD right. And that's all. What you are looking for is having stats that shows how often does the player fold to blind steal (whether in BB or SB). Some prefer to use overall fold to steal percentage on the HUD and then click on the stat and it shows you popup blah blah... I prefer having those two separate on the HUD so I can quickly see. I think this is the easiest way how to decide steal or not to steal.

Hand selection for stealing

You can't really have a static range for that actually. Some people say that they prefer stealing in BU close to 40-50% and in SB something about 30%. In my humble opinion, this is not how you should approach this. Because sometimes when you fold that 72o in SB, it might be the perfect spot to steal.

SB

Example:

Okay in this spot we have 72sooted! So we have to steal right? But why? Some would say, that it is not profitable to steal with such weak hand, because we are OOP and blah blah. But that's the reason of a steal, we expect BB to fold most of the time, there if he does it is long-term profit. And the most important thing is, even if we do get called is to avoid spewing, because spewing is the most common thing why players end being unprofitable at steal, they attempt to steal and the when get called level themselves and try to outplay opponents in spots where they should have just x/f.

Example:

In this example we can see the hand is played straightforward. We steal, villain calls, whiff the flop, easy x/f. Don't start to level yourself into thinking - Oh I'm OOP so I represent Ax, villain is a donk so he should fold, LOLz EZ GEYM. No. In those spots I think is most appropriate to think ABC. Do we have fold equity? Yes - BET, No - x/f. Obviously we can bet when do have some equity, like we flop a fd, then of course we continue with our hand, but that's all secondary school isn't it?

Basically when you are dealt in a hand like 72o and are in SB make sure to check how often does the BB fold to steal. If he has 70%+ we can actually steal ATC in that spot.

BU

When playing on the button the principal is basically the same - look at the stats. However now the factor that determines when you do steal or don't is both SB and BB. You might have 72o in BU this time. Then you look at the stats and see that SB fold to steal 75% and BB only 20%, clearly your steal will not be that profitable. So you should be careful noticing such details. Don't go autopilot and steal ATC just because one of the blinds fold 100% of the time to steal. I will just put an example and that should be it with the button steal.

Raise 2x, 2.5x or 3x?

I won't stick too long on this as there isn't much to say actually. It will always depend. I prefer to open 2x when the blinds fold 70%+, 2.5x between 60-70% and mostly I will open 3x vs unknown players just to see how they respond to stealing. I guess you all know that your betsize is mostly based on how do you expect opponents to fold etc. So yeah, why would you waste 3x or even 2.5x vs someone who is folding 70%+ to a steal? Because most of the time when they call you just wasted yourself an extra Blind just to steal and you know that most of the time it will be unprofitable to continue because they have a strong range now.

Conclusions

• Stealing a lot in proper spots is EV+ longterm.
• Set your HUD right.
• Choose the right opponents to steal from. In general tight players are just waiting to give away their blinds.
• Determine your raise sizing to have the best FE (fold equity).
• Practice and the analyse those spots where stole blinds successfully and where you failed. It is very important to understand why you succeed or fail in stealing. You can learn only from mistakes.
• Don't spew postflop. Especially don't even consider trying to bluff out tight players without any equity - you are just giving away money.
• Always think. Don't autopilot. When you autopilot you are wasting some opportunities.

EDIT:

Hope this post is somewhat useful to some players. I know a lot of you guys might consider this to be basic stuff, but I think for some it might be helpful. Any comments on my thought process are welcome.

Best Regards,

Rihard

Update #3

And this is short summary of today's session. Played extremely well in my opinion, though wasn't really lucky today. Fishes didn't want to pay off my big hands. But overall finished great.

Regards,

Rihard

I think your post in general makes a lot of sense. However I do have a couple of things I disagree with.

First of all, raising only 2x from the SB is pretty much the worst thing you can do, even if BB folds to steals a ton. If you make it 2x on the SB, you're giving BB 3:1 to call, which means that, with position, he could profitably call you with basically any two cards here. I'm not saying it's not profitable to open ATC in some situations from the SB, but I would just make it the full 3x here to actually maintain all that fold equity.

Opening 2x from the button is fine of course, and I'm pretty sure it's fairly standard nowadays.

Also while I do agree you should not start spewing with very weak hands, I don't think you should just play completely fit or fold (which you may or may not be suggesting, please correct me if I'm wrong ♦). If you have K4o on an A82r flop or whatever, I don't see much harm in making a cbet here if your opponent is fairly straightforward, because it's tough for him to have anything. Of course, you shouldn't start running ridiculous 3barrel bluffs or anything.

I guess what I'm saying is, when there's an opportunity for a profitable cbet bluff, there's no reason not to. That's not necessarily spew. However, continuing that bluff when your initial plan was to take it down pre, that's where things really start to get spewy. It's basically exactly like you said: if there's fold equity, fire a bet. If not, just give up.

Just my 2 cents. Nice post, keep them coming

I will sub too, as I just took up grinding NL10 6handed zoom.

GL on the tables.

Originally posted by TinoLaan
I think your post in general makes a lot of sense. However I do have a couple of things I disagree with.

First of all, raising only 2x from the SB is pretty much the worst thing you can do, even if BB folds to steals a ton. If you make it 2x on the SB, you're giving BB 3:1 to call, which means that, with position, he could profitably call you with basically any two cards here. I'm not saying it's not profitable to open ATC in some situations from the SB, but I would just make it the full 3x here to actually maintain all that fold equity.

Opening 2x from the button is fine of course, and I'm pretty sure it's fairly standard nowadays.

Also while I do agree you should not start spewing with very weak hands, I don't think you should just play completely fit or fold (which you may or may not be suggesting, please correct me if I'm wrong ♦). If you have K4o on an A82r flop or whatever, I don't see much harm in making a cbet here if your opponent is fairly straightforward, because it's tough for him to have anything. Of course, you shouldn't start running ridiculous 3barrel bluffs or anything.

I guess what I'm saying is, when there's an opportunity for a profitable cbet bluff, there's no reason not to. That's not necessarily spew. However, continuing that bluff when your initial plan was to take it down pre, that's where things really start to get spewy. It's basically exactly like you said: if there's fold equity, fire a bet. If not, just give up.

Just my 2 cents. Nice post, keep them coming

#1 Basically there is nothing wrong in general if you are going to 3x in SB vs someone folding 90%. However if they do call, mostly if not always they will have a legit hand. And as well once you 2x, it is not really that bad if they call ATC then is it? Your FE increases then and thus gives us more bluff opportunities on the flop, we then can cbet more vs certain opponents on different boards. But in those cases I would mostly stick to cbetting only flop and then if we don't improve greatly just give up on the hand.

#2 Well in general spewing starts when you do start those 2-3 barrel bluffs vs the wrong opponents. I guess it is fine to do it when you REALLY KNOW that villain is going to fold on the river when you do it, however most of the time it is not he case though right?

And besides opening 2x even from SB you don't lose much and it doesn't have to work very often to be profitable in the long-term.

I'm glad you like my post. I will definitely continue with those. I think it is a very good way to learn.

Originally posted by acerbikas
I will sub too, as I just took up grinding NL10 6handed zoom.

GL on the tables.

I've seen you too

Update #4

Played today somewhat short session. Was quite tired from work and I think I couldn't perform as good as I would usually, due that my red-line was sliding a bit downwards at some point. But I'm happy being in the green!

This is the hand that caused that drop in the middle of the graph! SICKO!

And then on other hand I hit another Royal this year. Getting quite tired of these royals *sarcasm*. It is like the 8th this year?

Regards,

Rihard