I've recently (last weekend) decided to get back into poker. I decided that it would be a good idea to post my results here, not because I think that anyone really cares, but just to keep myself honest.
I'm mostly a limit player, but I'm interested in learning no limit.
My local cardroom is mostly limit poker, with the biggest game being 20/40. They have a small (1-1-2) no limit game as well, which doesn't even always run. There are other local cardrooms that have mostly no limit -- I think that everyone who wants to play NL goes to one of those.
I can easily play in a 20/40 limit game. I have a good job and the money is not particularly meaningful for me. Winning or losing $100k in a year will not have any impact on my quality of life, and I only plan to play on weekends, so it seems unlikely that I will manage to win or lose that much in a year. So I'm "well bankrolled" for the game.
The games are generally pretty soft regardless of the game or the stakes (at least, compared to similar games that I've played in Vegas). However, I'm out of practice.
When I played on Friday, I put my name on the NL list as well as 20/40. There was not a NL game going but the list was getting close to full. 20/40 was running with only one table, so the list was moving slowly. I played a little 6/12 while I waited, and then they opened the NL game, so I moved to it.
My no limit game clearly needs a lot of work. I have read some books and have a lot of general poker and gambling knowledge, but I don't "really" know how to play NL. Still, the opposition was bad. I bought in for the max ($400). I misplayed a hand, then won a couple of big pots, and was up about a rack (of red) or so as the table was about to break. Then I made some very questionable plays and lost of my profit before the game actually broke.
I moved to 20/40 after this. I am definitely out of practice, but I have a much better understanding of the game than I do of no limit. There were a couple of "tough" (not really) players and everyone else seemed pretty clueless. I didn't play for too long before the table broke but I cashed out ahead $672 for the day (all games combined). Not exactly a ton of cash but not bad while I shake off the rust.
I went back on Saturday night and hopped into the 20/40 almost right away (I did get a seat at 6/12, but played less than an orbit before 20/40 opened up). I mostly hovered around even for the first half of the session, then dropped down a bit, and actually had to top up a rack. Then my luck turned around a bit and I won some pots. I ended up cashing out $1250 ahead.
So, I am up $1922 for the weekend. I'm going to stick to the limit games for now, I think. My game clearly needs some work -- I was playing a bit too loose pre-flop (easily fixed) and my hand-reading clearly needs some work. It's something that I understand in theory (put someone on a range, narrow it down as the hand progresses) but I have trouble in practice. I also have a bad habit of going on auto-pilot.
So, I'm happy with my results, but my play definitely needs some work. I'm re-reading some old books to remind me of some concepts, and I'll be going back this weekend. I'll update after that.
Long weekend this weekend (I get 4 days off of work for the long weekend) so I'm going to go back tonight. I'm not sure what the action will be like on a Thursday night when most people have to work the next day. If it's no good I'll bail early.
My current strategy is just to play while the games are at their weakest, at least until I improve my game.
Up $482 tonight. Mostly 20/40; some 6/12 while waiting for a table.
Was down most of the night, but made a lot back playing 4-handed. Then my table broke and after I waited a while it became clear that it was going to be a long wait to get into another table. Decided it was time for some sleep.
Crazy swings tonight. There was a stretch of an hour or two where it was capped preflop 4- or 5- way almost every hand. Played more like a wild 3/6 game than a 20/40. Insane action.
Tonight was the first night since I've started playing again where I've really felt good about my play. I've been re-reading small stakes hold'em (easily my favorite 2+2 book) and the concepts definitely applied tonight. I bought in for $1000, built it up to a little over $2200 despite some horrific rivers (I'll spare you all the bad beat stories). Then from there I just went on a terrible stretch and dropped all the way down to $400, and bought another rack. Then lo and behold, some of my hands actually held up (including AA on a 77x flop with 2 spades -- got a lot of flop action -- and turned the ace of spades for a lot more turn action -- never before have I seen a more beautiful turn card)
When the dust cleared I had a little over 7 racks in front of me, for a $2002 profit.
Another good night. Only played 20/40. Up 4 racks pretty quickly (definitely got lucky, although I was on the wrong end of some coolers too -- including set over set once, and flopping a king high flush against an ace high flush for the 2nd night in a row) then stagnated around breaking even.
I felt that my play deteriorated a lot at that point -- I need to work at being more consistent.
Up $2138. Definitely still enjoying results that are north of expectation.
Shorter than usual session tonight. Only 20/40. There were a few somewhat live players tonight but they left pretty quickly and the game dried up. Up $1614. I feel my game has improved in the last week, paricularly my hand reading. I still have a long way to go. Luckily this game is pretty soft so although I do get punished for my mistakes, it's not enough to sink me.
Running Total: +$8158
Last edited by AceHighIsGood; 09-02-2019 at 06:12 AM.
I'm taking a couple of weekends off from poker -- I have a work trip and I'll be out of town for a couple of weeks.
I want to write about a hand that I horribly misplayed last night. There is a bad player in the game who tilts very easily. Like if he flips top pair and gets outdrawn by someone on a flush draw he starts to steam quietly. If it happens 2-3 times he starts berating people for "calling with nothing" and goes on tilt. And of course this is a limit game, so this happens frequently, so he's basically on tilt all the time.
So, tilting villain open-raises from the button. SB folds. I call from the BB with Ad9d. Flop is raggedy queen-high with a diamond. Check-bet-call. Turn diamond rag. Check-bet-call. River rag. I check, he bets. Now, he doesn't just bet. He turns to face me and fires 8 chips directly at me.
I think for a split second, and fold. I knew it was wrong before the cards hit the muck. Of course the guy turns over his hand to show jack-high, but I didnt need to see it to know that. That's a bluff probably 95% of the time. I think that there's even a picture of this exact thing in Caro's book of tells. When someone bets at you, practically hitting you with his chips, it's a bluff. That one is just obvious.
It's not a massive pot but that's almost half a rack of red that belongs in my stack. I really am still out of practice...
I'm in europe for a work trip. I played some no limit. 2 blinds of 2.5 euro each.
I really don't know what I'm doing at no limit.
Memorable hand: I decided to try to push someone off a hand preflop by 4-betting all-in with 7s. The 3-bettor called and flipped over aces. Flopped a 7. Sometimes the worst player wins.
As well as I've been running lately, today the opposite was true. I didn't even have a lot of big draws that missed (I flipped very few draws). It was just flopped big hand after big hand not holding up. Flopped full houses losing, set over set, and I think I was about 1-for-6 on flopped top 2 pair. And of course the usual stream of top pair good kicker getting rivered by a 3 or 5 outer. Pots were juicy but nothing was holding up... it happens. I feel good about my game though. I didn't tilt at all.
Down $5000 at 20/40. That's a huge loss for a 9hr session.
Another bad session but not as bad as last night. Lots of people calling, and lots of suckouts. One hand was capped 8-handed preflop (I missed my flush draw -- no suckout for me. Another hand was capped 4-way preflop and my KK lost to AK when an A hit the river.
Down $2475 in 14hr. It seems like a lot, but that's 3 big pots. It was actually a lot worse, but it got down to 4-handed in the last couple of hr and I won a couple of racks. Everyone was playing very passively and could not handle my aggression. I only got 3-bet once in those 2 hr, and I was raising will over 50% of hands. The time ai got 3-bet it was by AK, and I had AK too. Thw next hand I had KQ, got a short-stacked guy all-in on the turn with a board of KQxK, and he flips over... KQ. Back to back chops with big hands...
Crazy swings continie. Up and down all night. I was actually up a rack fairly late in the night and then it got shorthanded against some really terrible players and all of a sidden I could not make a hand stand up.
The feeder $20/$40 was pretty good. Up $701 ($100 of that was from $6/$12 while I waited). Then I had to move to the main game (must move) and I decided not to. So I'm out of the game; I can get back in in an hour. There is a 2nd feeder which also looks good. I'll treat these as 2 sessions.
If I'm stuck $1500 or something I just have to keep reminding myself that had a couple of rivers been different I'd be up $500 instead. The number of $1000+ pots in this game is insane. Capped (5 bets) 5- or 6-way preflop is common.
I do love the action though. You are right about it being fun.
