Table selection is definitely a *big* part of things.

GcluelesslowhangingfruitharvestingnoobG

Hi, GG. I'm 40 now and still using your playbook. Clubs in my city just reopen after Covid and after few sections. My issue is I can not have patience enough, still play medium hands and feel boring during sections. I want to ask that: what do you do when you don't have playable hands? focus on big pot other play, take note of others or just surf internet? how you find motivation to muck hands for 2-3 hour straight just to win/loss 1-2 BI money just not important to you?

I'm just rec player. When I play higher blind. I stay focus and willing to wait. But when I play within my bankroll. I'm more gamble. When I got hands to play or table talkative, it's ok. But when table silent and my cards dead. I don't know what to do than play QK off, A9 off.

Thank you and wish you and your family all good!

When I'm not playing hands (which is often) I'll sometimes pay attention to what's going on / taking notes on certain players, or sometimes be involved in a conversation, or sometimes be watching the game on TV, or just relaxing in peace, etc. I'm never surfing the internet / earphones / etc.

Likely a big difference between people who can win in the game and those who can't is patience / discipline / etc. If you don't have it, then you're probably going to struggle to win in most games. And if winning is one of your main goals (is it?) then you'll have to decide for yourself whether you can simply be more patient / disciplined / etc.

Good luck!

Gtakingthisatfacevalue,lol@me?G

I'm not GG, but I also try to pay attention to other players to get reads and get better when I'm not in a hand. If I know the table pretty well, I will read a book on my phone, watch the TV, try to engage the players next to me to chat (I always do this), etc. (In my local game, I'm always playing poker on my phone, but so is everyone else. Half the time we are playing each other. LOL.)

GG is right -- patience is key. It's all one long game.

Every one gambles for their own reasons. My reason which is no better than yours is to generate as much EV as possible over the long run. So for me I give up some ev spots but refuse to give up others. I dont do predatory stuff (ev I am willing to not collect) cuz I think its counterproductive and has the potential to lower my future EV.

. I am unwilling to do -EV stuff cuz I'm card dead. I will not play garbage just because I have folded for 2 hrs straight. My view is playing crap cuz I am bored and have been on the sidelines watching is simply entitlement tilt and that aint me. However, if you are a rec player and are there to have some laughs and maybe win a few bucks but if you dont it aint no biggy by all means get in there, mix it up and have some fun. BUT be aware this is not winning poker.

Poker is horribly horribly boring imo. Especially afer you have played thousands and thousands of hours. When I am not in the mix I do my personal best to stay in tune with what is happening. What are the dynamics of what is going on within the game? Who is about to uncork? Who is really frustrated and on tilt right now, etc? And most improtantly how can I use this info to get the chips. I am also watching every hand and tracking action, pot size, etc.

@GG;@Java;@Squid.

Thank you. Now I have ideas what to do in silent time.

My remain question is how you all find strength and motivation to be patient and pay attention, to keep playing?

My goal and reason for the game is - social aspect and money. It's about 50-50 since I just rec.

As Squid said, it's sometime very boring, no social fun at all. And my problem is:

- At stake I play, which within my bankroll, lose/win some BI is not important money to me. Kind of money that I can spend without thinking on good vest or good diner. Then I feel it's not worth to stay focus and discipline while it's not fun and money is irrevalent. It's not worth even to sit relax and watching TV since I can do it better a home.

- At higher stake , which money is big. I can stay patient and happy with just winning, don't need fun. But I don't have bankroll for this. And most important, this stake have all good players that I, with GG's playstyle, can not win.

So, as GG said, "I'm still here, playing some not - important-money BIs after 12 years." How can you do that? when money amount is irrevanlent and game is boring. Because with GG's style, It's normally boring but I know that this style is best suit for me.

Thank you, again.

Other story. I'm play online on X-poker. Small app with small player pool. It's can only play on phone and 3-table max.

I think it's quite similar to live poker at speed x4.

With purely GG's playstyle, after 56k hands, 2 month playing. I got 3bb/100hands winning rate with HUD stat as picture.

Just for your entertainment

DUDE THAT IS FCUCKING OSSUM!!

very well done

10k/mo

No no no! It's VND. I am from Vietnam. Just about 1k/2 month. Irrevanlent money as I said

I think everyone has to come up with their own reasons for why they play poker. Another one of my fave quotes from this forum (can't recall if I've mentioned this before, I think I have?) is from our very own Feely. IIRC, he once said something along the lines of "I now have a better understanding of where I fit in poker and where poker fits in my life". I think everyone who plays should examine both ends of that quote for themselves.

For me, I'm just a rec. So it's a fairly fun day/night out once a week doing something a little different than my normal routine. I usually manage to have a few laughs and it is an ok social setting. And even though the money is fairly irrelevant to me (although I guess I can't scoff at $100K+ in winnings, even if that is over a long period), I still enjoy attempting to implement a strategy that puts me in the win column. Honestly, a huge part of it for me is attempting to create a giraffe over a decent sample size / "long term" that I'm somewhat proud of.

But you're free to come up with your own reasons. And if it's to have a fun time gambooling it up for meaningless lol $, then that is perfectly fine too.

GcluelessgoodvestnoobG

Weeken is so busy with kids then I can't reply you earlier. To think about "how poker fits to my life" make me just wow. My 3 kids are young and club is 1 hour drive from my home. Plus some other intangible risks to sit playing poker. Yeah, I'm good at poker and like to play a lot. But live poker just not fit to my situation right now. I have to think longer to find the balance solution. Thank you GG, have a good day!

at what point did you realize you'll never win any dance championships?

iirc, my comment was more about me knowing exactly where I sit in the poker ecosystem than where it sits in my life, but I do also have clarity on that.

my goal is for cash games to be a distracting, enjoyable and profitable hobby that allows me to take shots at winning proper money in an mtt.

I must say though that I've been breakeven/slightly losing at cash the past two years due to limited hours (350 only since Mar 2020), run bad, a potentially crooked home game and less focus on strategy than before....and I've been enjoying it a lot less. I've been thinking about and focusing more on strat the past few months and plan on ramping this up even more from here on in, because I won't ever be able to enjoy the game if I'm a losing player but...I'd say it's a possibility given how busy my life is these days

Early on.

Ghavetoadmit,thisoneflewovermyhead;confusedoldmanl ookingforhisjacketG

Yeah, quote was from a while ago so it's possible I'm not remembering it right, but I do think it is worthwhile for everyone to evaluate both ends (an honest assessment of where they fit in the ecosystem and to what extent poker should comfortably/properly fit in their lives).

I've always wondered how much I would enjoy the game if I was losing or / breakeven. Would possibly have to reconsider the amount of hours I spend on it. Although I lose money at every other hobby I have and yet obviously consider them very worthwhile. Hopefully it's a decision I won't have to deal with any time too soon.

GgoodluckFeelyG

A Clueless NL Noob Reaches 6000 Hours of Live 1/3 NL

Hi, I’m gobbledygeek! I’ve just reached 6000 hours of live 1/3 NL!

Took me almost 15 years to do. Lol @ me, ldo.





The lol 1000 hour breakdowns in all their glory / ugliness. I included the maximum rake + BBJ drop + high hand promo at the end of each segment; just trying to keep my head above water while getting tossed more and more bricks?

1st: $28.94 (5+1)
2nd: $27.72 (5+1)
3rd: $13.74 (6+1)
4th: $12.33 (7+1)
5th: $19.19 (8+1)
6th: $23.68 (9+1+1)

To be honest, I’m shocked my last two 1000 hour segments went as well as they did due to the ever-increasing rake being such a massive burden. For one fleeting moment after a recent session on March 28, 2024, my winrate sat at $21.00 (officially 7 bbs/hr, yah!)… the first time it has been at $21.00+ since December 31, 2019. On the other hand, it hasn’t been under $20.00 since September 27, 2011. So I got that goin’ for me.

As always, I’m pessimistic about the future. The rake will no doubt go up again soon enough, and it is scary to note that we aren’t even close to what some rooms back east are raking. And after playing 10 handed all this time, last month our room finally went to 9 handed… which my method would not prefer. Like everything, I’ll guess we’ll just see what happens.

Gmuchlikelife,itiswhatitisG

Cause of inflation they should make 2/5 the minimum.

Congrats on an amazing achievement.

Excellent results as always GG

that is a strong giraffe. very nicely done mang.

Congrats gg. Do you think there were any adjustments you made from 3rd & 4th to 5th & 6th that might have increased your win rate, or is it just down to variance?

March 28 -- my birthday! Well done, GG.

Our 1/3 NL game replaced our 1/2 NL game in 2010, so not a matter of "if" but "when", imo, which will undoubtedly prevent me from getting to 10K hours of 1/3 NL at my current snail's pace.

GcluelessLLSNLnoobG

It's funny, after some recent discussions with other players, 6000 hours feels extremely underwhelming.

The long time pro at my table my last session guesses well over 20K hours for himself. Another pro I talked to a couple of months ago is nearing 14K hours over very little time, including putting in over 3K hours last year "just to see if he could".

Even the pleasant retired OMC I've played with for a decade+ admits he doesn't keep track of his hours, but he's a machine who puts in 4 hours pretty much 300+ days a year, so easily 1200+ hours a year for him (basically just as something to do).

It's really hard to guesstimate, but at times I feel like over half the room has far more hours than me.

GcluelesshoursnoobG

Thanks fellas!

Gextremelyboringgiraffesismybusinessandbusinessisg oodG