Online Poker

Cash -

Basically I want to push myself. I've been playing anything from 50-500NL zoom this year, depending on the player pool. The majority of my volume has been 100/200, but I've kind of stagnated as a player IMO. This year I really want to push on and crush the games. I’m looking to be a winning reg in the 1k/2k reg speed games by 2015 and taking shots at bigger games. This means lots of work off of the table and getting coaching from winning regs in bigger games.

I’ll also be moving more into reg-speed games, as we get to play so many more hands vs the fish than in the zoom equivalent. I'm only realising now how daft it was to focus on zoom for so long, sacrificing win-rates to play more hands without having to table select. I think the extra 20 minutes at the start of sessions is worth it to play in far easier games. I will still be dipping into the zoom fields, as they are very beatable. But the aim this year is to move up the stakes - and given that there’s basically zero action above 500NL that isn't vs absolute crushers then non-zoom makes a lot of sense.

Tournaments –

I really want a bink in a Sunday major and so will be playing full schedules most weeks, or whenever I have the time. I've had a 15th and a 23rd this year in the Sunday Million, which is cool but pretty frustrating. It doesn't need to be the Milly, but I really want to take one of these down! I'm well aware that there’s a ridic amount of variance involved with these big field MTTs, but whatever, this is my year. I've done a lot of work off of the tables with ICMizer and study with reg friends who have crushed online MTTs for years.

Supernova –

Nothing much to say here. Should have made it this year, but ended up not playing for four months over the summer period after my flat was broken into and my laptop stolen (long story short...). Going to end 2013 with about 70k VPPs which is frustrating, but I MUST do this next year.

Live Poker

Cash –

Basically continue to crush live small/midstakes cash games. I have a pretty good hourly (£33.80) over a 3500hr sample at 1-2, 1-3 and 2-5 live cash games from the past year and a half. Bigger games don’t really run anywhere near me, but I will be shot-taking them as and when they do run. I’ll be attending as many of the UKIPT events as I can and hopefully get involved with some juicy cash action there.

Tournaments –

As I say, I’ll be attending a few of the UKIPTs and hopefully a bigger festival in Europe at some point. Not sure exactly how many I will be buying into, or if I’ll just go for the cash games. I will weigh up those decisions nearer the time.

Life Goals

Health –

I really need to get myself back in shape. I’m 14st, 4lbs right now (93kg) which is the heaviest I’ve ever been. I want to be down at 80kg by the summer. This shouldn’t be too difficult a goal from the outset, but what I’m really hoping for is a change in my eating habits. Since graduating I’ve probably been living off of takeaways 4-5/7 nights a week. Not eating breakfast or lunch and snacking in between. I work offshore on a rotation basis, so I have nothing but down-time for 50% of the year. I play in live cash games 3 nights a week and online a lot of others. Bed by 6am, wake up at 4pm, order a takeaway, chill out for a few hours, play poker and repeat. Don’t see a whole lot of daylight, drink a lot, etc, etc. All things considered; pretty unhealthy. I used to be super sporty and athletic, so I am aiming to get back to there in time for the summer. I’ll have one day a week for take-out food, but the rest of my time will be fresh vegetables and whole foods.

New Car –

This isn’t really a goal as such. I have the money set aside and know the model I’m buying – Nissan 370z Coupe. I need to wait until my 25th birthday, which is May, so that I get a reduction on my insurance. Can’t wait though, I’ve test driven it a few times now and just love love love the car.

Goals/Cliffs:

Make $60K in online cash games
Be a NL1k reg and shot-take bigger games
Get coaching from at least one 1/2k winning reg (recommendations are more than welcome)
Bink a Sunday major one timeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Play some undecided live 1k events
Make £50k live
Shot-take 10-20 live games
Lose 20lbs
Learn to cook and eat well

Savers:

Yesterday:



I played some zoom. Session went pretty well and I felt like I was making good decisions. Had to cut it short as I felt myself slipping into autopilot. I feel like recognising this is super important for me and something I never used to do. I will try and make this a habit as I feel it'll be huge for my winrate overall.


Some Hands:

1)



Seat 2 is a reg, so I have no idea what he could possibly have folded...

2)



Call pre is not standard, sucks in a vacuum but fine vs V

3)



I've seen regs do this a few times recently. Weird. Is it 2003?

4)



SB is a pretty big fish

5)




6)



7)



Button Clicking

First !! GLGL

Second GL and HF

GL OP get that $$$$

Nice goals man, I hope you make all of them. GL

Of the wall question. In that 33 where you had bottom set. If instead it was 55 or 66 would you still be getting it in against aggression? I've been finding lately in that situation they end up with the straight or higher sets when i get my stack in the middle. I think i'm just being results oriented and should not be folding sets right? I realize that has nothing to do with your hand just wondering what a tough reg would do in that spot

TY

Definitely fold mid-pairs there when the reg cold calls the jam. Don't think we can even consider folding a set vs a fish here however. It's pretty villain dependant I guess, but I can't see that a good player would ever play a better hand this way. Think you're being a bit results oriented. Hope you upswing soon.

Gl OP!

Why dont you double barrel in hand 5? Playing micros and jist wondering!

playing 100/200 shouldn't you be aiming for SNx4-6? Or do you not play fulltime? GL!

TY. It's not a turn card I'm going to get 3 streets of value from worse on very often. So prefer checking back and calling/value betting most rivers.

I work offshore, so I'm not in a position to play for 2 out of every 4 weeks. SN is a base level goal. I'm hoping to be very profitable pre-RB, so anything above that is an added bonus

cool, gl.

Went out drinking last night and feeling pretty hungover today. Just loaded up tables and 2-tabled some 100 zoom for an hour, but the tables really suck for a Saturday night and I couldn't get anything going. Going to have a quick nap and then go play some 2-5NL live.

Will report back when I have a +1k night.

Played 2-5 live last night. The game was super-soft, but I was card dead and lost a 2.7k pot in which I was all in on the turn with 81% vs two opponents. Hand as follows.

1)

Hero image: Young, hoody wearing, pretty aggressive reg. Pretty much breaking even tonight, but up a lot in this game overall.

V1: Norwegian. Pretty spewy and happy to get lots of money in with draws.

V2: SUPER whale. Crushing the game so far, flopping 2pair all over the shop with T3o etc. Seems to hate money.

Hero: $1.1k
V1: $550
V2: Cover ($3k~)

Action folds to V1 in the HJ who makes it $30. V2 flats out of the CO, the SB calls and we call out of the straddle with 78.

Flop - 782 ($125)

SB checks and I lead for $85. V1 and V2 both call and the SB folds.

Turn - 7824 ($380)

I continue for $205. V1 tanks for a minute and jams for $435. V2 nonchalantly throws out a flat?!? I'll give you some context as to quite how much of a whale this man is with HH 2. I jam in the rest of my stack and V2 shrug calls.

V1 rolls over 72, while V2 has 96.

River - 78245

Whale ships all the monies. Guess if it had to go somewhere, that's where I'd pick.

2)

Villain is V2 from the previous hand, for context.

Hero: $980
V2: Covers (~$4k)

Action is limped to V2 in the CO. He makes it $20 over a MP limp. I wake up in the BB with AQ and 3-bet to $78. MP folds and V2 calls.

Flop - 672 ($163)

I continue small for $58, in the knowledge that V2 will continue with any pair and lots of 1 diamond hands. He makes the call and we go to the turn.

Turn - 6728 ($279)

I c-bet $155. Villain tanks for a little while and clicks it to $310. I think about jamming/re-clicking, but decide villain has way too many air/draw hands here and flat.

River - 67284 ($899)

I check to Villain. Who thinks for a bit. Rechecks his cards and slides out $275. I pretty much snap jam for $300 more or whatever. Villain looks me up with 2h5d. He says nice hand and I say a little thank you prayer to the poker gods.


Somehow I end the session -$380, despite playing in one of the softest games I've seen in a long time. One of my horses got stacked in the 1-2 game as well for -$400. Back to the online games tomorrow morning.

Also just busted the $5m GTD milly, jamming KQo into 66 from the SB for 16bb and not getting there on a JT77 board . Not my time.

Can't put in a lot of volume over the next 2 weeks as I'm offshore - and anything that I do play will be HUDless. I'm out here for Xmas, which sucks :[. Haven't had a Christmas away from my friends/family before, so not looking forward to that!

Can't resist the Saturday night games though.

Poker Stars $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

BTN: $59.00
SB: $101.50
Hero (BB): $163.10
UTG: $101.00
MP: $102.71
CO: $312.72

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is BB with K K
1 fold, MP raises to $3, CO raises to $7, BTN calls $7, 1 fold, Hero calls $6, MP raises to $15, CO calls $8, BTN calls $8, Hero raises to $54, MP raises to $102.71 all in, 1 fold, BTN calls $44 all in, Hero calls $48.71

Flop: ($279.92) 4 Q 4 (3 players - 2 are all in)

Turn: ($279.92) T (3 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($279.92) 9 (3 players - 2 are all in)



Also been playing a lot of 5-card PLO this week. The games are just ridiculously soft at 50/100 stakes. People giving away EV$ like it's 2003.

In! gl dude, also quality over quantity player rakeback is for noobs

Nice thread. GL sir!

Hey, gl mate.

Yeah, #teamprerakeback!

Hey, thanks guys.

Just had a decent 6-table HUDless session at the 400 reg speed games. Made some big hands vs a certain Hungarian reg with batsh!7 pre-flop stats and managed to get lots of money in on a few occasions. Have no real way of checking, but I'd guestimate +$1100.

Will post some garfs and things when I get back home in 9 days (and counting...), but I probably won't post any reg-speed hands as it'll be quite obvious who I am on Stars. Not sure I want to be outted, for now at least. I think it definitely has pros and cons, but I'll stick to the shadows for now. >_>

Been having some thoughts on the whole 'grind' idea/mentality adopted by a lot of regs. Poker isn't a grind. At least not for me it isn't. It's something I love to do. Endlessly complex, gladatorial, mentally stimulating. If you've allowed poker to become a grind, then do something about it, or find something else you love and move on. You'll never improve without the passion to do so.

Last year I definitely looked at poker as a grind: Probably because it's what I did for a living. For me, there has to be a disconnect between the work mentality and that which I take to the tables. I've done more off the table work in the past 3 weeks than I did between June and November of this year and it's not a coincidence.

Peace.

Hey guys. Made it home last night in pretty rough conditions and went to hang out with my girlfriend for the night to watch a film and catch up. She dropped me at my flat this morning, so I've been playing online for a few hours. Played only 200 Zoom today; I thought the field looked really soft.

Had a few swings here and there, but ended up a couple of buy-ins. Ran good in AIPF set-ups, getting AA>KK twice. I'm going out with some friends now to watch American Hustle, which I'm really excited to see.



Results for this week above. Playing pretty well I think, but also running quite good probably.

Some interesting hands:

1) 100% equity :]





2) vs shorty with a stack












4) Street poker






5) Giving them a lil' rope.






6) Button clicking 1









7) Button Clicking 2







8) Can't fold, won't fold






9) :[








Hope you all had a good Christmas and all the best for 2014!

I really agree with that. For me poker lately has become a grind. I realized that because after I won a biggish tourney i took a break for 2 months. Like, I didn't open the client, so i feel that now is just work and grind, no fun. I have the most fun away from the table...also i really enjoy live lately, although i'm getting crushed so far.

Hope to get a job and do smth else too so I can keep the passion up or else might be time to move on.

GG

Played another little session there, which will probably be my last of the year. December has been a pretty average month for me in terms of volume, but my results/winrate have both been good and I feel like I'm playing very well.



December
Hands Played - 26,591
Total Profit (+RB n' bonuses) - $5,170 + $150 bonuses = $5,320
VPPs - 8,282

If anyone knows of a very good midstakes+ cash player who coaches 6m and HU, shoot me a PM or leave a comment in here. I'd be interested to see the many leaks I have in my game and be able to work on them.

Just upgraded to Elite on RIO.com, so going to study a few videos and see what's on offer. Again - any recommendations as to coaches to watch, please let me know.

Hope we all run good in January and 2014 going forward!

GL