Me and computers don't mix

PT3 beta is out and it ruined my weekend!

Something went wrong during installation and....well to cut a long story short I will just say that I lost access to my PT2 database and have spent most of my waking hours since saturday morning trying to rescue it. Think I am almost there now but must have rebooted windows about 200 times in 3 days.

For the record - Vista is well and truly crap and restore points are completely worthless. My advice to anyone reading is back up your SQL database very regularly, I had mine backed up to 4th Jan 2008 and without that would have been a lot lot worse.

January has been cut short !

I have just finished 'The Poker Minsdet' and can highly recommend this book. It was pure coincidence that I was going through my first real downswing on the cash games - downswings are much more common in large field MTT's - and the book really helped me focus on the right things.

As a direct result of reading this book I have decided to end January early and change the way I judge my results. I will no longer be setting monthly targets, such as "play 30,000 hands at 4+ BB/100", as I now understand that my monetary results are out of my hands, to a certain extent at least.

Instead I will break my results up into 10,000 hand sections, followed by extensive review. I will then set targets for the next 10,000 hands based on the review and experience of the previous section.

My targets for the next 10,000 hands are therefore as follows:

1. Use site specific Bankrolls. 100NL FTP. 50NL Stars.
2. Play only 2 tables.
3. Range Equity Maximise
4. Monitor and develop 3-betting strategy
5. Try and remove emotion from all decisions
6. Watch and make notes on 1 opponent each session
7. Practice good table selection
8. Use time bank for difficult decisions
9. Accept that if I play well I can still lose in the short term and vice versa

I could go on but that is probably enough for now.............

2 Tables +EV

Same title as my post back in the middle of December 07.......

This post is to remind me again that playing 2 tables seems to suit me better than 4. More time to read people and really play poker as opposed to auto-piloting and getting frustrated when put to the inevitable difficult decisions.

So:

NOTE TO SELF - PLAY 2 TABLES !!!!!!!!

Heads Up Challenge

I may have found the perfect routine for poker on weeknights:

1. Get home and do 30mins on treadmill whilst watching CR Video.
2. Play a fully focused 90 min 6 max session before dinner.
3. After dinner play some heads up sit n goes.

I have been trying out some heads up $11.50 turbo's and they are good fun. I have set myself an aggressive bankroll challenge and am already close to moving up to the $23 level.

This is by no means going to replace what I am doing at 6 max, quite the contrary in fact, as I am using the heads up to stop me playing 6 max at the end of the day when I am tired and most likely to spew.

A sort of Black Monday

I lost over 5 buy ins last night over two sessions.

I think I played OK in the first session but must admit I wasn't mentally right when I sat down to play again, which is why I have stopped playing 2 sessions on a work day, and won't be doing it again.

After that it was off to semi-tilt on the FPP heads up qualifiers. Played 2 won 2 for another $430 tournie dollars.

Poker can be such a strange game!

The Poker Mindset

Had my first 1-1 coaching session yesterday and my confidence is back!

The session was pretty standard for the most part but just having someone to offer guidance and explain the thought process behind some non ABC plays was great. Because of the lag between our computers there were times when he would say eg "I would raise here" and I had already made the play which shows me I am doing some of the basics right.

I am currently reading the poker mindset and have just read the section on setting targets. Whilst I can control my results to a certain extent (like not spewing 2 buy ins - see previous post) I cannot control people hitting 2 outers and the like and I now therfore realise that setting monetary targets for the month is not such a good idea.

Am going to set myself a target of finishing the book by the end of the month and using what I have learnt to set my objectives for February.

If you can't beat 'em, don't join 'em......

Right, I am hoping this is the last of the I am a total ****ing retard type posts but somehow I doubt it.

Thing is I am running real bad so far this year and whilst I am playing well for the most part I have made a couple seriously bad calls. As always I take total responsibility for that but I do not seem to be learning from my mistakes.

I am down $350 at 100NL so far this year which is no big deal but I would be level if I hadn't made to spewy plays where I admit to thinking 'fuck it, if they can win with trash why can't I', or even worse 'I know I am beat here but I call your 150BB check/shove'.

The fact the I am $900 below expectation on all ins is on my mind a little, but nowhere near as much as the $350 I could have done something about.

Anyway, I feel a little better for ranting and on the upside I won another $215 from the FPP heads up qualifiers last night.

Adjusting

I think I need to be more flexible in my approach to the game and adjust to the opponents at my table. I still find myself taking my own cards into consideration a little too much at times when I could and probably should be focusing more on things like my image, my opponents, position etc.

I played a couple of hours last night with a change of focus in mind and tried also to be a little less aggressive post flop. I ran at 5.5BB/100 win and it would have been much much more had my KK all in on flop of 467 held up against 33 for 200BB pot.

On that subject, Poker EV says I am $500 down on expectation from all ins so far this year. I am not sure how reliable that figure is but it sounds about right.

If that figure is true then I would be running at over 6BB/100 if my all ins were running to expectation and I take some comfort in that as I cannot control the doomswitch. I will focus on things I can control, ie. me!

I'm a spewtard.

FOCUS ON PLAYING EVERY HAND AS BEST YOU CAN.......

The above was a note to myself at the start of the weekend as I have been suffering some pretty bad suckouts and wanted to stay focused on my game. If only I could have stuck to my plan!

Last night the frustration of the 2008 doomswitch got the better of me and I went on short spewing session (aka tilt) which could have been far worse than it actually was.

I'm pretty angry at myself, especially as I am coaching Helen at the moment and need to practice what I preach. We can only influence the things in our control and getting 2 outered (no matter how many times) is just part of the game. I therefore have no excuses for my lack of discipline and take full responsibility.

2008 begins with a rollercoaster

I played poker yesterday for the first time in over a week.

Felt a bit rusty as I hadn't played for a while but played OK in the first session apart from a couple of marginally bad calls.

In the 2nd session I played poorly and stacked off twice including with KK on an Ace high flop, something I haven't done for a long time.

Overall I won 1.25 buy ins at just over 5BB/100 hands. Pretty happy with the result on my first day back, especially as I suffered 2 major suckouts, but not too happy with my play. I am turning into a perfectionist!

After that I played some 25NL as I have been coaching the wife for a few weeks and want to see how the games are at her level. I posted some questions on CR about microstakes coaching before xmas and a few CR members have asked for some help. I am really interested in coaching beginners and am going to see if I can do something in the next few months, however this means I really need to take the lower levels seriously when I play them.

Last night I played the 25NL games with a total lack of discipline a lost almost 2 buy ins. Started with 8 tables (madness) and then down to 6 which is probably my upper limit right now. Having said that I need to be 'in the zone' to play 6 tables and I wasn't last night. I knew it too so shouldn't have played the session at all if I am honest.

I felt a bit tilty after my brief battering at 25NL and decided to use some FPP's to blow off steam. Played a couple of heads up FPP sunday million qualifiers and I think these are great value.

In 20 mins - Played 2 - Won 1 = Sunday Million Ticket (or $215 in MTT tokens) :-)

January 2008 Targets

Happy New Year to all poker friends.

Here are my January targets:

1. Beat 100NL for 4+ BB/100 hands over 15,000+ Hands
2. Be ready for 200NL shot by February 2008 by following new bankroll plan
3. Watch at least 2 training videos per week
4.. Play 6 MTT's (and also take FPP freerolls seriously!)
5. Start $500 challenge by 8 tabling 25NL

December Review

I didn't get to play as much as I wanted to this month due to PC and laptop problems, however I still managed to book a profit of $1,957.09 made up as follows:

200NL 6 Max $56.95
100NL 6 Max $497.90
50NL 6 Max $106.90
Multi-Table Freezeouts $832.34
Rakeback $463.00

Here is the rundown on December Targets:

1. 5,000 Hands at 50NL with stats at a minimum of 21/19/3.5.

Played 4,040 hands at 20.59/16.83/3.38 - almost there!

2. 15,000 Hands at 100NL with stats at a minumum of 21/19/3.5

10,079 hands at 19.9/16.92/4.78 - can you be too aggressive?!

3. Learn to trust stats/reads and fold if necessary. Carried over from November.

Started badly again in this regard but getting better at making plays based on villains starts. Still work in progress......

4. Continue to actively participate in coaching group.

This fell away toward the end of the year as everyone was busy with festivities. Should get back on track now.

5. Accept that I may have to 'break even' for a while whilst going through transition period in my game.

I feel I have made some good adjustments and there are more to come.

6. Research more advanced plays and compare with my current play. eg. How to play in 3bet pots, Cold Calling with the intention of floating etc.

Work in progress but also need to avoid fancy play syndrome at 100NL. These plays must be used ONLY at the right time against the risght opponent. I have a lot to learn here.