Moist

[3] I lost focus. Learn from this.

moist — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:15:42 +0000

There is nothing of particularly interest worth reporting. Here is my new mouse:

The only hand I have is this one. I feel uncomfortable playing 3bet pots oop:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 5.25 Tournament, 10/20 Blinds (2 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB (t1530)
Hero (BB) (t1470)

Hero’s M: 49.00

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q♦, A♦
SB bets t60, Hero raises to t180, SB calls t120

Flop: (t360) 9♥, J♠, 7♣ (2 players)
Hero bets t234, 1 fold

Total pot: t360

I’m still wondering in general how to approach HUSNGs.
10% ROI is okay but not fantastic at $5s from what I’ve heard. Do I want to keep being constantly aggressive and raising the buttons at these stakes? Brokerstar’s videos suggest a limping/passive style of play that doesn’t inflate pots. I can’t remember the rationale he used, but the 20% ROI he maintained to reach $5k sort of speaks for itself. I haven’t really been concentrating tbh either tonight; 2-tabled while watching Narnia hooked up via HDMI on another screen because I cbf to go out.
I’m going to sleep and think about stuff. I don’t want to move up to the $10s too soon for fear of getting crushed. This isn’t about the money, but I’d rather have one level nailed before moving up to the next one. I must be doing something fundamentally wrong if these droolers (~60% of opponents at these stakes) are resulting in me with a mediocre 10% ROI winrate. I really hope the last 80 games breakeven will be temporary. I’m tired. Played like crap today. I spunked my stacks unnecessarily at times. Didn’t calibrate to opponents.

[2] Small amount of grinding; going up ^^

moist — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:13:34 +0000

Since starting the charting of my progress…
HUSNG profits are sitting at +$50 (EV: $70).
Cash games at +$101 (EV: $90).

Exams are now over, though I felt thoroughly molested during them – Macroeconomics was decent, Chinese newspaper reading was nasty.
University is very humbling. I previously thought I was fairly smart, but to attain a noticeable/remarkable grade one is required to engage in inordinate amounts of studying and focus. Average is average. Ugh…

With my free time I intend to go out a fair bit and begin reading some Nietzsche, starting with Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In addition, I intend to make my way through this: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy.

—–
Graphs for laughs:

————
A hand:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 5.25 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (2 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB (t1285)
Hero (SB) (t1715)

Hero’s M: 38.11

Preflop: Hero is SB with K♦, 9♣
Hero bets t60, BB calls t30

Flop: (t120) 8♣, 6♣, 3♦ (2 players)
BB bets t30, Hero raises to t120, BB calls t90

Turn: (t360) K♥ (2 players)
BB bets t30, Hero raises to t270, BB calls t240

River: (t900) 10♣ (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

Total pot: t900

{I left the results because I wanted to explain the process in this hand I feel I butchered: Is it incorrect to check this turn back? He donked 30 into 120 on the flop, which I assumed was a flush draw, and so therefore I raise him here to fold him out, and on the turn I obviously raise for value. He has hitherto donkbet the majority of flops…The completion of the flush on the river slowed me down. Should I have squeezed more value out of it, or was a check correct here?…

[1] First day of the journey

moist — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:14:25 +0000

Today was a nice start. My EV in the HUSNGs should actually be higher, but HEM absolute hates PKR hands. As a result, I’ve decided to play my HUSNGs on PStars instead. The players weren’t great, but obviously I need to get a LOT more hands in before settling on any real opinions. PSTAR reg speeds move slower than glaciers. Eugh.

PKR HU tables are still pretty juicy, but the rake is ever so nasty. We really can’t afford to play them when you’re being raked as much as the nosebleeds on FT/PStars; that is of course unless the players are genuinely dribbling onto their keyboards and your edge is massive. I’ve got a nasty Chinese exam on Monday so will probably be away from the cards until that is over.

Introduction: Grinding HUSNGs – starting at the bottom

moist — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:20:51 +0000

In this blog I shall document my journey in which I start grinding NLHE HUSNGs, beginning at the $5 level and working my way up.
I had success in the past with fullring grinding. I played 24 tables at a time, maintaining a 20bb/100 winrate at the micros:

I played some 6max afterwards for a fair few hands on different sites, didn’t do too well in the longrun but I know this was because I didn’t really care about my play nor the money. Bonuses and rakeback kept the bankroll steady. I had, however, lost the motivation and focus that was present during my serious grinding of the micro fullring.

Starting this new challenge, my bankroll will be $100. I will play HUSNGs at the $5 level, though if there are 50-80bb stacks in the HU cash tables at PKR I will play those guys. They, on the whole, tend to spew money. With regards to these HUSNGs, I will move up to the $10 level once I have earned $100 at the $5 buyins.

In addition, I will be playing 24 tables of 5NL on Stars to see if the tables are still as moist as before. These sessions will be purely to break things up a bit, though I will take things seriously and play as tight as a badger’s arse. Here is this morning’s HUcash and HUSNG session:

Once exams are over I will be able to put in some juicy volume. In addition, I can promise my future prose will be written with greater care. Right now my brain is frazzled from staring at books all day.