exploit fold flop with a6. he is respecting ICM pre and playing small ball so his flatting range is probably stronger than usual. his c/r on flop almost never happens with a bluff especially with ICm factored in(B already folded) and the guy in BB still to act. Easy to say after the fact, yes, but deep down in my poker roots when I get C/R there, I know I cant profitably flat(in terms of "no prior history")

big +1

yeah don't forget to mention that this is EV, we know nobody actually beats spins for money without hitting big multipliers, stars killed rakeback xddd

curious to a spinners thoughts on the A6 hand - do you check top pair here at all? we aren't stacking anyone that has a worse hand here for 30bb unless we improve, welcome bluffs on a fairly dry board, don't want to get it in and can't bet 3 streets. We can call any turn probe. What is your standard line in this spot if called by either player, but most importantly sb with a stronger range as mentioned... we b/x/b a lot here, b/b/x? I prefer x/b/b as we also get value from lots of Qx or gutters that probe turn. (qx probably just bluffcatches as well due to ICM, forgoing thin value). Might even be looking to turn this into a one street hand vs sb, and 2 streets vs BB. With ICM present they really shouldn't be getting out of line at all and doing a lot of checking.

To your favor we aren't fearing getting x/r here very often either and Qx never folds, niether do gutters vs smaller sizings. 7x peeling probably isn't super likely without something backdoor going on, again due to ICM and the fact they have no access to your bounty. All signs point to check for me but you are obv much more competent in 3 handed play

Thanks man. Will check them out.
If you are up for a drink, let me know. Will be there for a few days, probably arriving on the 11th.

Just finished a quick dinner after a lonnggggggg 13-hour MTT grind, so I'm a bit withered but will do my best to explain my thoughts on the hand.

As a Spinner, bet/folding top pair is something I can't remember ever doing on this dry of a texture. Maybe that's a leak, maybe not. Checking a few top pair combos (Usually the weaker ones, like this) is definitely a decent option, I chose to bet to get value from the range you mentioned. I'd been opening/c-betting/winning a bunch of previous hands and continued that trend here. I don't think betting is definitively 'bad' and regardless I'm getting stacked here for the max amount, but I digress.

Making an explo fold is probably fine if I think he doesn't have a bluffing range, but there's a bit of 'Princess Bride' here -- Let's say I agree with you guys, and say "Oh I'm going to fold from now on" but he/another reg reads this. Now, that reg can start bluff raising incessantly because my defend range is incredibly narrow and incredibly strong.

Now, does he have a bluffing range? I'd assume so, simply because it seems terribad to have only a value check raising range. While I figured he had a few odd bluff combos, I did think he was weighted more towards value. Originally planned on calling flop and folding to large turn barrels, because if he took that line into the chipleader/put more of his stack at risk vs my uncapped/stronger range, I think he's more likely to have "it." So vs some, I'll call flop/fold turn. Vs others, I'll call flops/turns and fold rivers. And vs some special players, I'll calling 100% of turns and 100% of rivers.





Result of the 13-hour grind aren't super impressive profit-wise, but I'm okay with that. Once again I made a ton of deeps, and had a lot of late-game/high equity spots go awry. Happy I was still able to post a profit. And with the EV BB.

Speaking of unsustainable things, I doubt I can continue this 'go ham' MTT approach. Just not healthy. Wasn't able to make it to the gym today because I ended so late, my back feels a bit sore (Possibly from a recent work-out, possibly from sitting down for thirteen consecutive hours, possibly from being old), and that life/health/happiness balance isn't happening. That said, I'm going to try to get up early again tomorrow and do it all over. Don't want to miss the Sunday MTT grind, but I will almost assuredly be taking Monday off.

Definitely would, but I'm in Bangkok from 11th-13th and then Bali from 14th-18th -- Unless the volcano throws a wrench into those plans. Have heard conflicting reports about the safety of the area, GF is super worried and I'm rather laxed about it. She said to me the other day that if we went, the volcano could explode, and we could die. And I was like:



GL all on the Sunday Grind!

Well, mission accomplished.

Horse of mine asked me last night if I was going to play the Red Spade, and I told him that while it's surely a super soft game, it starts around 3 AM my time and so I'll likely sleep right through late registration. Turns out I woke up at 4:15, no alarm clock needed, so I was able to play it and a handful of peak-hour MTTs.

Didn't exactly go super well -- Had my first losing day but given the larger fields and higher variance, that's not too surprising.



Still didn't lose too much, I was able to make back some of the losses in the offpeak hours. Did make one massive mistake though, as I severely underestimated how many games I had registered for and how quickly they'd end. It isn't that much of an issue during offpeak, but during peak? Oh boy. At one point I had 29 games up and had to spend the break unregging as much as possible. Timed out a lot on 888 (For whatever reason, my client is very quiet) and passed on some +EV spots because I simply didn't have time to think through the hand. Will remember to scale back next Sunday and not register too far in advance.

The good news is that I don't feel nearly as drained as I did yesterday. Perhaps that's because the grind ended a few hours early, or I'm buzzing a bit from one of my horses chopping the Double Deuce for $15k. Also managed to fit the gym into my schedule, as I left almost immediately after busting my last MTT. Table was incredibly soft and I was licking my chops at the prospect of having a stack vs that field, but it was not to be.

Afterward, I drove my motorbike to the Lemongrass (the Thai restaurant I referenced a few posts back). Ordered Spring Rolls, Pad See Ew, Garlic Pepper Fried Pork, and washed it down with a fresh Coconut -- all for $11. Thailand is far from perfect, but it's really hard to beat the value.





Ehhh, we'll see how I feel in the morning. Back is still sore, could definitely use a massage -- and I mean a real massage, you perverts.

Currently MTTs feel like a brand-new shiny toy and I'm eager to get back on the tables. I'm going to set my alarm for 5 o'clock and when it goes off, I'll evaluate at that point.

MTTs are garbage, you don't want to play them. Also, I don't want you to play them esp if you're gonna big time me like you did today (Big33)

GL anyways, you will likely see things you can't believe in the offpeak grind haha

Looks like I missed a few posts, lemme get those done now.

Not really. Before the year started, I wanted $150k+ but obviously it's an entirely different ecosystem now than at the beginning of January. Plus, I've been spending much of my time working with the stable. Goal was even if I 'only' won $100k or so, I'd be able to make up the remainder (Plus some) through staking. I think for YTD I'm up $110k preRB and another $25k in rakeback, so I'm not that far off I guess.

Not terribly exciting, but here it is. Never had an issue with 'regular' chairs before, but this MTT grind is a different animal entirely. Might need to actually get one. The table in the picture is supposed to be my dining table, but I eat out all the time so I turned it into the 'grind station' and moved it towards the window for some natural light. FWIW, this photo is mostly unstaged, but I added the shirt for lolz. In case you can't read it, the shirt says "No Grind, No Glory."



Haven't even attempted the 100 pull-ups since my last fail, I think I got 65 in 10 minutes which was an improvement from the previous time. My next gym workout is for back, so I'll do it then.

I did? Oops, my bad.

Do my best to respond in chat to regs/recs alike, even when they're wishing me AIDS because I won a 40/60 in a microstakes MTT. I happened to FT the $16.50 Deepstack today and a few guys were going back and forth about optimal strat, who plays better, who has better stats, etc. Always looking for an excuse to post my favorite gif and it's definitely applicable here.



Felt good today when I woke up, so decided to load games. A few hours in, something changed. I wasn't really "feeling it" and stopped regging Party/888. Wouldn't say I was tilted, but def find myself annoyed by the software because everything is more complicated -- Looking at previous hands, taking notes, etc. Have more problems with 888, like not being able to type in my bet sizes and software that's too quiet/doesn't notify me when action is required. Continued to load Stars and finish up the remaining MTTs from Party/888, so volume ended up decent.

Ran deep in the $109 Monday 6-Max, last three tables were fairly reggy but it got a lot softer on the final table. Didn't plan on dealing, but was willing to look at numbers and thought it'd be +EV to take 2nd place money given that stacks were effectively even. The other three guys agreed to give me an extra $150 on top of chip-chop, so that's good, right? Maybe I'm just being a nit.

Pros for chopping
- Less variance
- Best of the three remaining players was on my immediate left

Cons for chopping
- Other two guys weren't good
- Super deep stacks, believe they were:

87 BBs (Me)
80 BBs (Player on left)
80 BBs
60 BBs

Curious to hear MTT regs think.



Taking Tuesday off from the grind, but not off from work completely. Will use tomorrow to do group coaching, individual reviews, and catch up on other stable stuff.

hey Aaron i ve read this whole thread and mentioned it a few days ago chatting at tables, not sure if u recall or not. so now im asking for your permission or even help to repost my thread here as well since many spin regs follow u and i have a really frustated-unfair issue. so do u mind? i use the exact same name in stars kkotopoulo$$ btw.

Hey man

Probably best to post it in the Spin Discussion thread or in HU SNGs Sub-forum.

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/1...hread-1478337/

While I empathize with the innocent people who have been flagged for possible violations, I'm hesitant to jump in/defend anyone unless I know for 100% certainty that they haven't cheated. Several accounts have been frozen, some have been unfrozen and some have had funds confiscated/perma-banned. Bottom linen is it's a terrible time to be non scumbag-human being- Spin reg right now. If Spins are to remain the flagship game on Stars, their support needs to find a better way to root out all the cheaters.

For what it's worth, I hope they resolve your case quickly and if you're innocent, I hope you're back on the tables ASAP. That goes for all of the frozen regs who haven't broken the TOS and for all of those who have, I hope you get wrecked.

Money confiscated.
Account banned.

Don't stop there, maybe Stars can hire debt collectors or sends one of their reps to the address on file just so they can whoop your ass.

The other day, a friend of mine said to me that criminal prosecution should be on the table and I agree wholeheartedly; this is simply a form of modern day theft and the laws simply haven't caught up with technology.

ok i see, and i didnt expect u or anyone else to guarantee about me. i just hoped that u or any other reg who reported me or not could just reconsider if i play anything close to akis or a bot and maybe support me somehow as it gets wider and wider this issue really fast. i just remind that i live in zurich for 5 years, playing spins for 1.5 year, only 2k games per month avg, loosing up to 40k at some point and now almost be and 70k below spin ev in 25k games. also been checked in the past again. thank u and sorry for spam.

Can't speak for all the other regs, but I didn't report you. Best of luck with your case, man.

Spot on gif, haha, yeah, those convos are usually "interesting".

Solid veteran, enjoying the thread, glgl

Thanks for the recommendations! Will check them out. Enjoy the trip!

We're both dancing around what we really mean, but I'll come out and say it -- Those "regs" who berate other players at the table for playing bad are not only being douches, but they're actively trying to make the games worse for themselves by educating their opponents.

Because I've been in reggy-ish Spins for 2+ years, I haven't been privy to the regular vs fish arguments at the table but since playing MTTs full-time for the past week, I've seen it happen at least five times. C'mon guys, get your **** together.



So even on my day off, I did a bit of 'light grinding.' Ended up playing 2-3 tables while going over HHs, audits, and trying to optimize my own schedule. Stable hit a little bit of heat the past few days, as one horse nearly shipped the $55 Builder on back-to-back days. Would have been pretty epic, but alas he'll have to settle with a 1st and 4th (and $12k).

No big scores today for me, closest I got was 9th in the Hot $27. Came in like 3/9, but AKss < JJ and then A8ss < CL's AA in a BB vs Button spot for 10 Bigs. Oh well, can't print 4+ figs every day, I guess.



Since the session ended fairly early, I'm going to run errands/workout now and try to squeeze in a small sesh later tonight.

Last few days weren't the best.

Had my first MTT downswing and it was as annoying as I expected. Basically straight down for ~100 games. EV BB went down a tad, but even when I found myself with a decent stack at the end stages, it all seemed to apart. Most notably, I was 4/24 in the Hot 109 yet somehow finished 19th to bubble and had a decent chiplead entering the $44 PKO FT, yet somehow went out 9th. Blah.

But I figured as long as the EV BB was solid, it was only a matter of time before I broke through. And today, I did. Sorta.



Day started at the lowest point in the graph and I managed to build tons of stacks and get a few small binks, almost getting myself back to even. Still felt a bit of pain when I finished 2nd in both the $11 Turbo PKO and Great $88, but I'm training myself that this is MTT life -- If I base my happiness on hitting the biggest score possible in each tournament, I'm going to be completely miserable almost 100% of the time. Instead, I'm focusing on things like:

1) Trying to improve each day: It's been easy to do it so far, as I came into MTTs without knowing who the regs were, what their tendencies are, etc. Each day that passes I figure out a bit more about how I can exploit particular players and ways to optimize my schedule.
2) EV BB: Obv, I talk about it in here all the time. It's an imperfect stat, but it's a critical indicator of how well you build stacks in tournaments. The higher it is, the more likely you are to make deep runs and while there's a ton of variance in the late stages, if you keep putting yourself in that position, eventually good things are going to happen.

Tomorrow's my last day on the grind for a bit because my GF flies into Thailand the following morning. I'm meeting her in Bangkok, then we're going to spend a few days there before heading off to Bali. Will certainly post pics/TR once I get back.

is 100 games losing in MTTs even considered a ds though

no

Safe travels! Enjoy the days off the grind to come back hungrier than ever

Each time I lose a single chip, I consider it a downswing.

I've been seeing you a bunch on the tables gl man.

Have fun with your first 400bi+ downswing.

Which is considered fairly standard.

Not off-peak