Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeStarr
[? to ZuneIt] Why are you still playing 1/2?
For several reasons. One is bankroll. Although I only use my winnings for my own personal expenses [which includes clothes, gym membership & golf], we splurged on Christmas [Almost $250 on 2 dogs was the small price tag] & the 'splurging' came from my bankroll. So, right now I'm sitting on just over 14k.
Sounds like a lot, however, squid face has stated that he once went on a downswing of 7.5k. Now, although he admitted that it was the worse downswing he or his friends had had up to that point, and he had to contribute some of it to bad decisions - he is a pro. So, I need more than 2x 7.5k as far as I'm concerned.
Poker is nothing but enjoyment & absolutely exciting when you have nothing to worry about monetarily!
Except when you go on a one or two month downswing of course. But then you get to practice discipline.
I feel sorry for those players in 1/2 games, who buy-in for $200 & bleed down to $100 & then lose when they're ahead - lose their temper & leave. They leave because they don't have anymore money. It was their 2nd or 3rd buy-in.
When I started out in July 2014 with 2k, Garick & I got into a few discussions about chasing small edges, which he firmly believes in. I argued that there are way too many large edges in 1/2 to be concerned about the small edges. That is not true. However, I did not have the bankroll to chase small edges, nor the skill set in 2014 needed to accurately assess my edge.
Once I built my bankroll up to 4.5k in 2014, I went on an ~1.2k downswing. I questioned my ability, talked to 2 of my decade+ long friends & buried myself in this forum. Mostly reading.
Anyways, based upon my current rating of my ability to determine my edge in a hand at my current skill set, I give myself a 6% margin of error. So, if I believe I have a 10% edge, I'll call without hesitation, because even if I'm wrong, I should [I believe] still have a 4% edge.
I can do that because my bankroll is so large I need not worry about being wrong. Lesson learned at a relatively low price tag. Not so at 2/5. At 2/5, players will try & bully you out of pots with $300+ bets ott. That's a lot of money.
However, because of this built in margin of error I am requiring myself, I'm still missing out on a lot because I should be continuing on hands that I'm not.
Finally, I'm not aggressive enough yet. That was proven in my PAHWM 98s thread. I need to become more accustomed to playing aggressively with draws than I currently am. Couple that with the fact that I know I need improvement on putting players on a range & it's obvious I'm not ready.
I buy-in to 1/2 for $300 & keep it close to $300 every time the button comes around. Sooner if I'm down to $225.00. Imagine buyin' in for $500 in a 2/5 & toppin' off on a regular basis. I have been stuck in a 1/2 game for $875, with only $275 in front of me. That was over only a ~4hr period. All because I had a 55+% edge otf or ott & lost. When you lose to a 4/5/6/ or 7 outter going into the river, it's not hard to find yourself buried, deep, real quick. I considered myself lucky to go home stuck only ~$250.00. Compute that a 2/5 level.
I don't remember where I read it 1st, or who originated the quote "The more I learned about NL Hold 'Em, the more I realized how much I didn't know," however, I believe that you can't find a more accurate quote about the game for those of us learning.
I can contribute 50% of my win rate over the last 3 months to an improvement in my skill set. Maybe a little more. However, I would be a fool to believe that I am now a $20+pr hr long-term crusher.
Last edited by ZuneIt; 02-01-2016 at 01:03 PM.