November Targets

So November promises to be a crucial month for me.

I am going to be playing 100NL exclusively except for any videos I do for Kenny and hopefully I will be able to hold my own at the new level.

November Targets:

1. 25,000 Hands 100NL at 4+ PTBB/100
2. Focus on Pot Control for EVERY session
3. Learn to trust stats/reads and fold if necessary!
4. Start folding if unsure what to do in small pots.
5. Review sessions and post hands on CR
6. Find a good coach
7. Work on Table Selection
8. Re-read psychology of poker

Pot Control - Perfect example?

My biggest leak is still pot control and I really need to work hard at this. I need to make this a standard part of my game rather than focusing on pot control only when things start to go bad.

This hand totally demonstrates my biggest leak:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1649040

1. I should check behind on the turn here as I am concerned by his flop call (he folds 100% to c-bets before this hand).

2. When the inevitable check raise comes I know I am beat and still stack off.

When I am playing well I check turn and call river bet here. When I am playing badly I play as above.........

October Graph

This looks pretty good I think.......

October Results and Review

Here is a review of the Targets I set myself at the start of October:

1. Play 25,000 hand at 50NL at over 4 PTBB/100

I ended up playing 23,241 hands at 50 NL and then moving up to 100NL with 4 days to go so almost made it!

2. Continue to focus on pot control and TPTK hands in particular

I still need to improve this area of my game. When I moved up to 100NL I really focused hard on this for a couple of days with great results but slipped back to overplaying TPTK today and stacked off a couple of times.

3. Fully review play weekly and identify leaks

Have now decided to work on a monthly review procudure of overall play.

4. Watch CR videos including PT analysis

Have been watching videos but there hasn't been much worth wacthing at low stakes this month apart from Fabian video.

5. Make first video (subject LAG starting hands)

Made a few videos for Kenny to watch and this seems to be going well. I am determined to get him winning at 50NL at least.

6. Research future coaching website


Have looked into this but am putting on hold for now to concentrate on my own game.

Sometimes you gotta trust your gut

So I couldn't wait to move up any more.

I felt I wasn't playing my A game at 50NL because I am ready for another shot at 100NL so I jumped and played 15000 hands yesterday and another 1000 hands tonight. I really focused on table selection, and seat selection, to give myself the best chance.

Am up $589 at 12.03 BB/100 hands and running hot at 100NL :-)

Am sure it will get tougher so will take it while it lasts!

Kenny hits the downswing

My one and only student has crashed down to earth!

Am going to do a post flop video but his biggest problem is that he doesn't take responsibility for his own results and blames all his 'beats' on how bad his opponents are.

Am a little annoyed with myself

Aaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh.

I played 6 max on Full Tilt for the first time today 6 max today and dropped five buy ins. Started bad when All In pre flop with AA and lost a stack against AKs. Was down 2 buy ins soon after but recovered well and finshed 1st session up just over $60.

Dropped Helen off at airport and decided to play an hour more before lunch. I can't really remember any major beats and dropped 6 buy ins. I'm pretty sure I played badly but am not in the right frame of mind to review rationally at the moment so will have a look in a few days.

The reason I am annoyed with myself is because I rarely get tilted these days and always feel I can play my best or have the discipline to stop if playing badly. I knew I was playing badly but still carried on.

I think this is beacuse of the change of site and that is pretty silly I guess.....

6 Max Stats to 26-10-2007

Verneer Coaching Application

Hi Verneer,

Am really pleased to see you have decided to take on a few more students. I would sure like to be considered for one of the places.

I live in the UK (Isle of Man actually) and have been playing poker online for around about two and a half years, mostly playing MTT's. I have had some success in low buy in MTT's but have always had the desire to play cash games. I played some full ring for fun whilst considering myself an MTT player and won a few hundred dollars overall.

A few months ago I decided that MTT's were not the way forward for me. I have a full time job and playing the early stages of a large MTT after work just became too boring and was resulting in me making mistakes.

I played full ring for a while but when I joined cardrunners I realised 6 max was where I wanted to be. I started off watching the low limit series by brymstar and worked on playing ABC poker. I've had some up and downs but am always thinking about the game and striving to improve.
I am doing pretty well at 50NL at the moment and now consider myself a cash game player. I am going to move up to 100NL next week.

I read the cardrunners forums every day but don't reply to hand history posts much yet as I don't quite have the confidence in my own play.

I am going to try and post a link to my stats since playing 6 max as my chosen game above. Hopefully this will work but I am fairly new to blogging to so apologies if they aren't there! I have done a print screen to a word doc so can e-mail to you if necessary.

To deal with the points in your blog:

Expectations of Students

1. Put in a couple of thousand hands per week - I play more than this
2. Update progress on blog - I started this blog about a month ago. Have been away on holiday but will be posting more regulary.
3. Send hand histories and ask questions - Will certainly do this!
4. Listen to the advice - I trust your advice already from your cardrunner posts and blog
5. At least two sweat sessions per month - This is what I need
6. No quick fix - I fully understand this and am looking to improve my game over the long term

Hopefully the above gives you an idea of where I am at in my poker and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

I look forward to hearing from you should you be interested in coaching me.

Coaching Kenny

I have started to give a friend of mine some coaching. He has been playing poker much longer than me (and plays more than me probably) but has never made any money apart from a single success in a $10 MTT with 2000+ starters where he won over $5,000. I watched the last couple of hours and he just could not miss when all in and way behind - this happened numerous times and he had over 3/4 of the chips in play going into the final table!!

Anyway he has been wasting his roll playing badly in sit and goes and complaining about the 'bad beats' ever since. When I moved from MTT's to 6 max a few months ago he started playing some 50NL too. The bad beat stories continued and I have now finally convinced him it is actually his play that is the problem.

He is now at 25NL. I made him a short 20 min video on the very basics of pre flop play (another October target acheived) to try and change him from 30/10 pre flop to hopefully around 20/18. He will never read a book. I got him to buy Harrington 1 & 2 as couple of years ago as these were my MTT bibles. He is half way through Volume 1!

The video seems to have had a positive effect and he now thinks he is the best player in the world again! I will let him run with it for a few days, wait for his bb/100 to drop down from over 20 (again he cannot miss a flop) and then try and get him working on his post flop play, specifically c-bets and flop texture.

Thinking about his game seems to be having a positive effect on my game too so we are both gaining from this.

Successful Holiday!

Got back from a great holiday in Boston a few days ago. Boston is a really cool place.

I actually took my laptop on holiday with me and this was definetely +EV. I knew that with the time difference I would be getiing up pretty early for the first few days (like 5am) so thought that with free internet in my hotel this would be the perfect opporturnity to see what the games are like when I am normally at work.

I got in a couple of hours of play every morning and was a winner every day. Won about 10 buy ins over the 5 days i played so am pretty happy with that.

I have also won another 9 buy ins since I got back at so am running really hot at the moment. Confidence at 50NL is now sky high and will move up at end of month. Feel I am ready now but am keeping the discipline of sticking to my October target before moving up!

Itchy Feet

Have had a good start to October and feel I am ready for 100NL but am going to make myself stay at 50NL for this month at least.

I need to be disciplined and stick to my monthly targets. They are designed to stop me being Mr. Fickle after all!

Have been looking at some of the other cardrunners blogs and am going to change one of my targets slightly. My play review will include review of PT stats by following link found on Dodgykens blog. (Originally posted by Pokey on 2+2).

I will do my review at end of month instead of weekly. I am on holiday next week and as I have a full time job I am struggling to find the time for a weekly review.

I need to work on getting a standard format for my monthly reviews for comparison purposes.

October Targets

Am starting to feel more comfortable with LAG style now and really want to focus on developing this at 50NL for an entire month with a view to moving up to 100NL in November.

October targets:

1. Play 25,000 hand at 50NL at over 4 PTBB/100
2. Continue to focus on pot control and TPTK hands in particular
3. Fully review play weekly and identify leaks
4. Watch CR videos including PT analysis
5. Make first video (subject LAG starting hands)
6. Research future coaching website

Septmber 2007 Results

Finished up $462.99 at 6 Max split between 50NL and 100NL plus a $125.00 reload bonus from Pokerstars for a total profit of $579.99

As this was my first full month at 6 max and I was experimenting with TAG and LAG styles I have to be happy with this. Final weekend was superb and pulled me out of the red....

Now 100% certain LAG is the way forward.