If you donked off 150bb and are still making $80/hour you are just on a major heater. The "downswing" will come eventually

I'm in the midst of a downswing now and had my second biggest loss ever in poker last night. Graph posted soon

Been a good start to the year.. 4 tourneys played 3/4 cashed 2 final tables.

2014 total: $6612 over 72.5 hrs / $91.16/hr overall.
Was crushing cash too but went on a 1.5k downswing, but heading back up nicely.


http://imgur.com/UzV5q1j

Sent from my SPH-L720 using 2+2 Forums

I'm looking for opinions on optimal play for bankroll build at the 1/2 live game. I know you are supposed to have a number of buy ins . I don't have it. I have 1k. Max buy in is 300. I am capable of playing different styles. Should I buy in short stack or full? I've been going in for 200 and playing ABC. I'm finding I either get stacked on a cooler or am up or down around 60 after a session. I really feel like I'm just doing the same thing as everyone else and want to adjust to a more lag style, but do I have have the money to do it? Should I stick to ABC? What's the best way to build? Thanks

Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums


Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums

I find it's tough to play your best when in the back of your mind you are concerned about your bankroll and getting stacked. I think you can solid and comfortably if you buy in for 50bb ($100) at 1-2. That gives you 10 buy ins. If you won a few sessions in a row you can start buying in for 100bb.

I'm not sure what the understanding with people thinking short stacking = low variance when in reality (if played correctly it is a far more high variance style of playing than ABC)

5 buy-ins at 100BB is definitely not recommended but it CAN be do able if your running good at the start.

Play ABC and if you are getting legit coolers than keep doing what your doing and the money will come, but don't lie to yourself saying "well that just a cooler" when you called a utg raise and got in a sticky situation (etc etc)

Best of luck to you. To start mixing up and trying out LAG styles I would build up to a 20 buy in bankroll. (But at this level I'd just straight play 1/2 til you can move to 2/5, as honestly playing a real LAG style is very rare, and harder than people realize and they are just spewing off major money)

I am in the same boat. Short rolled. I start with $200, and if after a while I see many players at the table have $300+, and I think applying pressure will be to my benefit, I add on.

Being short rolled is tough. Even if you play optimally you can get railed pretty quickly. My advise (take it with a grain of salt) to play $200. Always keep at least $200 on the table. If you're getting crushed, and you have a tendency to tilt, walk. If you're getting crushed and don't tilt (this is rare), stay for the hours you set before arriving.

If you're winning, stay longer than you planned for. Use your winning image to keep building up the roll, while you're on a roll.

Short stacking can certainly be a successful strategy but my fear is that you are torn between playing short stacked (has to be diligent in hands played) and LAG (the exact opposite).

The first thing you need to figure out is what kind of player you are and what kind of play you feel gives you the best chance to play well. Agreed with MackCorl that a real LAG style is very rare and honestly, much harder than it looks. I have always been TAG but open up dependent on my table and the people around me. That being said, I still find it incredibly difficult at times to truly accomplish the task of selling myself as a LAG when I try. That alone tells me that I am who I am and I need to stay within my personality and my comfort level.

I would start out buying in for 75bb and allow myself a little bandwidth to open up a bit but also keeping me conscious of my BR.

By playing more lag I'm basically saying. Rather than nitting up, play more speculatives in position and playing draws harder. I'm not in a shell or afraid because of roll. I just recently started playing more serious and honestly I'm thinking ABC is wrong. Everyone plays it so if you're doing the same as everyone else your just trading blinds for hours. I can do it , just wasn't sure about long term expectation. Seeking advice from someone who's been doing it for a while.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums

Honestly, I think you should keep playing tight. With 500BB bankroll, you should play the lowest variance style possible.

TAG is right generally. That said, the aggressive portion of TAG is usually much more important. 95% of players I see at 1/2 simply dont raise enough (value and draws) or value bet enough. Also, dont worry about balance, exploiting player weaknesses is always going to be the best way to make money at llsnl.

Longest break even stretch is between 400 and 500 hours. Biggest swing down from a peak is 16k. Sample size is just under 1800 hours.

Gross. What stakes do you play?

What stakes is that? Any play bad or all run bad?

Optimal = get a job, build up a bankroll, play reasonably rolled

Or, table select to the best action/drunkest/most oblivious 1/2 table and play super nit with a full stack.

Def switch to lag stylez

@ 1/2? Lol no

Sarcasm detector broken?

Thanks for the advice. Looks like tag is the way to go and could use a little run good. Last 4 sessions. +800. +60 - 40 -200.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums

Okay, sorry, I posted this in another forum, but recommendations for tracker apps for Android? I am semi-grunching but my search of this thread didn't give me much people seemed thrilled about.

I am playing with Poker Manager but just the free version--any differences with the paid version other than the free version won't let you enter more than 15 sessions?

Poker session logger is free and is not bad.

Poker income pro $10 & u can back it up online. Been using it for years

Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums

+1

I play lots of omaha. =]. Avg game has no blinds. Button straddle 10-25. It plays like a 5-10 or 10-20. Mostly home games. Rake is expensive. Like 30-40 an hour. Observed hourly rate is 40/hour. I would say that over my sample 35% of the hands are Omaha and 65% hold em. Although lately and moving forward I prefer omaha unless I'm running horrid (15-20k swing down in omaha). When I run bad in omaha I play more hold em. I would not feel comfy playing omaha with these limits without a liquid roll of 50-100k. Some games have as much as 50k on table. Some have maybe 10k.

Regarding the question about volatility vs playing poorly. I am super confident that most if not all of my losses are from standard omaha volatility. No one knows how volatile plo is until you play it and experience it. Another reason I believe that it is standard run bad is because multiple players always ask me "how do you not tilt. I never see any discernable emotion out of you or bad play?"