I definitely made some BR management mistakes. I talk about them a lot, so it probbaly sounds worse than it really was. Realistically, it wasn't THAT bad. I was never at risk of losing everything.

The best thing I ever did for my poker game was meet other people who played poker. My poker friends and coaches helped me move up 3x faster than I would've on my own.

I'd also recommend trying to eliminate autopiloting. Too many players can't make the jump into bigger games because they don't know how to think for themselves. They just play a TAG cookie cutter style and think it will continue working because they crushed the lower limits with it.

I can't really name a buyin level that it stops working.

Basically, as soon as your opponents are smart enough to realize what you're doing, it's no longer effective.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean you have to play 30% of hands preflop and c/r every river. You can be a winner in the biggest games playing 16/14 if you want to. You just have to mix up your play and balance your ranges postflop.

How long (hands/time) does it take you to identify fish in the games you typically play in?

What are the top 3 or so indicators that first tip you off you are playing a fish? (what are the ones that first surface, as opposed to ones you only figure out over time)

What notes do you take on your opponents? i.e of what you type in the notes section or the mental notes you have?

For the type of notes you had on Ansky for example (i'm not asking about ansky, but about that type of overall "scouting report" -- how do you generate those? ie. see behaviors, typecast people? Or something else?

What are the key reads that you find most important to use? or the ones you use most frequently? ie. how he plays draws? how thin he valuebets? timing tells? etc?

What changes/adjustments from how you play NL do you make shifting to PLO? What were your key learnings about PLO? can you be specific (position, tightness, aggression, draws/made hands, reads, etc

--Greg

Had to go buy presents for the roommates. I think I have a couple more hours.

Really good question.

The truth is I haven't figured it out yet myself.

I think leading into the pfr is will become a much more common practice in the future of poker. I think it's the next 3betting light, c/c lead turn, fastplaying sets, or c/r rivers. Each goes in style at one point and then people figure out more about it.

The reason I think I can't figure it out yet is that so much of the value of the play has to do with how your opponent will react to it. I don't really have a good idea of how people react to leads. Some people spazzraise any two, some completely shut down and give up on the pot, and everything in between.

I'm probably afraid to try it more because I usually won't know how to react when I get raised, or called, since the lead evokes such a wide variety of reactions. It puts me in a spot where I have to do a lot of guessing, whereas I usually feel I have a very good grasp of how my opponents play their hand ranges in more standard spots.

The easy way to avoid that is to only lead strong draws, monsters, and air. That way your decisions are easy and you don't have to fear the unknown.

However, I think that optimally, leading a much more well balanced range is best. I just need to figure out how everyone will react to it first and make sure they'll do what I want them to.

One thing to think about is how often your opponent will cbet flop if you check. If someone cbets way too much, I would just let them do it. No good reason to lead into them, unless they react in a way that makes the hand much easier to play. If someone rarely cbets, I think leading is a much better play against them overall.

Also think about players who lead, what they lead with. If, for instance, someone leads all their draws and two pair hands, but checks their sets, air, and weak 1pr hands, you can cbet MUCH more profitably against them since their range is much weaker once they check than the range of someone who never leads.

PM me in a week or so and maybe we can talk more about it. I'm too busy with this thread and other stuff right now.

Jman, incredible thread, thanks for doing this.

What do you think is the most important game trait a HU player can have to be successful and why? Tilt control, patience, hand reading, aggression, game selection, etc.?

And what do you think was the most profound concept or tool you added to your HU game while developing it?

Your excerpt on exploiting the psychology of certain player profiles is awesome, I like to think in a similar fashion when playing HU. Please finish that side project and release it.

Against someone who knows what they're doing, there are only so many hands you can profitably 3bet imo. Otherwise you're putting too much money in with the weakest hand OOP.

Sure you'll take some down preflop and some more with cbets, but the times you don't take pots down, you'll lose a decent amount of chips. I suspect that most ppl get carried away with 3betting because of the mental reinforcement of winning most of the time when they do it.

Winning the most post does not equal winning the most money.

As far as creating an image, you have to know what you're doing, but it's awesome when you can. I usually like to start by playing hands the way I think is most +EV, and then evaluating what my image is. However, I've definitely gone into a match trying to create a certain image from time to time.

I usually like to do it when I know my opponent has certain leaks. I create an image to help reinforce them. So, if he calls to much, I try my best to make it look to him like I'm bluffing all the time. Then I just valuetown him later. Sometimes I'll make what I know are -ev bluffs in smaller pots for the +EV later. Stuff like that.

Is that what you were asking?

Also, I see a lot of players justifying plays they make, saying that they are trying to create or maintain a maniacal image. The plays they make aren't bad, but the justification is, especially since most of them go on and continue bluffing. They should be making the light 3bets and big bluffs, or whatever they're doing, to max their EV in that hand, and to keep their ranges balanced.

They do the same thing in the opposite direction, trying to maintain a solid image.

For the most part, I think you shouldn't try to create a certain image. You should just be able to realize what your image is and play off of it.

You're welcome.
Not much, honestly. Being an agressive person by nature is probably best for poker. I suppose it's good that I don't get super involved with pride type issues. If a guy is running me over or talking **** in chat, I don't really feel the need to 'show him who the man is'
I started at 5/10nl. Check out my poker story somewhere on the 1st page.

I guess the biggest difference is that I bluff much more now. However, that's as much of a response to my opponents changing as it is to myself growing as a poker player.

I think the main thing is that I think much more clearly about hand ranges. At first, I kind've played my hand more than my opponent. Now I approach every hand thinking about the hands he might have, and the best way to play against each of them.

I listen to Hip-Hop mostly. I change my favorites a lot. Right now it's Talib Kweli.

I like 1%, personally. Does that help?

Amazing thread. Can I ask what was your background like before poker, like did you play any sports or stuff like Magic cards?

I haven't watched the episodes. I kind've hated the experience and wanted to forget about it.

It probably took me about 1 minute to realize what I had done. I was much more embarrassed about being a live poker noob on national TV than I was upset about losing the money.

jman, I remember you saying that you have a mroe passive style. can you elaborate on this? I myself focus on being way more aggro and it seems to work well at 5/10 so far. I have a hard time wording this question, so i hope you can do something with this info haha.

Also why no more CR vids?

Would you go on HSP again?

Hey Phil congrats on all of your success, I enjoy reading your Bluff Magazine articles.

Im sure alot of people agree with that sentiment but I say leave it to the mods, or else this great thread gets derailed.

Jman you talked about betsizing, do you keep yours standard against good opponents or do you try and manipulate them?

wot u have in that hand just now against mrcall912 where he had 4's full?