Hello 2+2


I have been playing poker casually for a few months and have been seeing monetary success. My main problem was with motivation and me constantly withdrawing money for degen activities. Eventually I had a massive downswing (running bad + tilt) which resulted in me withdrawing rest of my bankroll and completely losing motivation.

I feel like starting all over again with proper bankroll management this time and document my journey along the way. I am also doing this to motivate myself into playing better and more disciplined. I spent some of the winnings I made from micros to Pokertracker and a GTOWizard subscription so I could get better at the game.



I'll start the challenge with a 20€ bankroll on Pokerstars. I'll be posting results and graphs as often as I can

goodluck man!

Thanks alot man

I'm not even kidding u are the main reason I even started the blog since I found the "MY LAST SHOT AT POKER" really insipiring

1st Update

1st session went really well. I played 6 tables (4 regular 2 zoom) and managed to double the starting bankroll.

I plan on moving to NL5 when the bankroll reaches 100€ (20 buyins)

Quick update


I grinded almost 8k hands today (50/50 zoom n regular) I am really close to being able to play NL5. My current bankroll is around 90€ (moving to NL5 when BR 100€)

I am quite happy with my game and I have been playing well in my opinion. Most of the spots I lost money in were standard coolers and only made mby 1 or 2 punts during the session.




Sunday graph:





Fun hand



Not sure if this was a punt or not but worked this time agaisnt a weak reg

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 77.5 BB
SB: 136.5 BB
BB: 110 BB
UTG: 56.5 BB
Hero (MP): 172 BB
CO: 139.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8 8

fold, Hero raises to 2.5 BB, CO calls 2.5 BB, fold, fold, fold

Flop: (6.5 BB, 2 players) 6 7 K
Hero bets 2 BB, CO calls 2 BB

Turn: (10.5 BB, 2 players) T
Hero checks, CO bets 8 BB, Hero raises to 34 BB, CO calls 26 BB

River: (78.5 BB, 2 players) 4
Hero bets 133.5 BB and is all-in, fold

Hero wins 76 BB

CHAPTER 2


NL2 overall:




Zoom:


Regular tables


5x increase in bankroll in 3 days. Had around 5k hand period of running cold and missing almost every board but I eventually started running better and made a ton of profit. Got some extra money from rakeback and a few small tournament cashes. Running good overall and feeling confident.

Goals for NL5:

-Play short focused sessions
-Stop playing after losing 3 buy-ins
-Play only when feeling like it
-Sleep more irl lol



I'll keep updating the results

Results looking good! gl at 5nl

Thanks alot!, luck is truly something I could use


First session started off with a blast, I lost 5 buy-ins in a row in 15 minutes to few standard coolers and a few ridiculous spots. I decided to quit it there since today isnt my day it seems


Obviously happens to everyone but seeing the brutal variance when moving up always hurts.


Few ridiculous hands:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 60 BB
Hero (SB): 162.6 BB
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 100 BB
MP: 103.2 BB
CO: 24.8 BB

Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has A A

fold, MP raises to 3 BB, CO calls 3 BB, fold, Hero raises to 14 BB, fold, MP calls 11 BB, CO raises to 24.8 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 10.8 BB, MP calls 10.8 BB

Flop: (75.4 BB, 3 players) 8 A T
Hero checks, MP bets 36.2 BB, Hero calls 36.2 BB

Turn: (147.8 BB, 3 players) 7
Hero checks, MP bets 42.2 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 42.2 BB

River: (232.2 BB, 3 players) 6

Hero shows A A (Three of a Kind, Aces)

Main Pot [75.4 BB]: (Pre 68%, Flop 90%, Turn 79%)
Side Pot#1 [156.8 BB]: (Pre 81%, Flop 95%, Turn 81%)

MP shows 9 9 (Straight, Ten High)

Main Pot [75.4 BB]: (Pre 18%, Flop 5%, Turn 19%)
Side Pot#1 [156.8 BB]: (Pre 19%, Flop 5%, Turn 19%)

CO shows 8 8 (Three of a Kind, Eights)

Main Pot [75.4 BB]: (Pre 15%, Flop 5%, Turn 2%)

MP wins 222.6 BB



Quit the game after this one:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 120.8 BB
SB: 135.2 BB
Hero (BB): 128.8 BB
UTG: 96 BB
MP: 121.4 BB
CO: 91.8 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 7 4

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero checks

Flop: (2.4 BB, 2 players) 6 8 5
Hero checks, UTG bets 2.4 BB, Hero raises to 9.6 BB, UTG raises to 31.2 BB, Hero raises to 127.8 BB and is all-in, UTG calls 63.8 BB and is all-in

Turn: (192.4 BB, 2 players) 6

River: (192.4 BB, 2 players) Q

Hero shows 7 4 (Straight, Eight High)
(Pre 15%, Flop 96%, Turn 91%)
UTG shows Q Q (Full House, Queens full of Sixes)
(Pre 85%, Flop 4%, Turn 9%)
UTG wins 184.4 BB


No can do back to NL2 ig haha

NL5 shot vol2




Todays session went a lot better than yesterdays and made the losses back after winning around 6 buy-ins.

Running bit below ev but I'm overall happy with my game

I'll see how NL5 turns out and perhaps move to NL10 when bankroll reaches 300€

NL10 shot

Games have been going really well in NL5 and my winrate has been around 17bb/100 so I decided to shot NL10 today.

I want to be transparent about my results and not only show winning graphs

Almost feels like every time I shot take I get ****ed by the deck but no can do

First NL10 session:

Saturday




Had my best session so far since the start of my challenge

Started the day with 6 buy win in NL5 and eventually moved to NL10 since I was feeling confident

Ended the day with 145€ win

Results update


NL5 Graph





Here is the NL5 graph so far. My wr is 20bb/100 after 9.6k hands. (Small sample IK) Results a bit swingy but the pool feels really soft and I have been beating it even when running bad.


I have been starting to shot NL10 when feeling confident. My bankroll management has been a bit aggressive but I believe my edge over the stake is big enough and I want to get out of the micros ASAP.


Happy holidays

Nice 👍

Christmas eve morning session

Santa gifted me an ability to run above ev

This week




+369€ in 18.3k hands
Winrate 23.18bb/100


I decided to move to weekly updates for the sake of clarity and small daily samples don't mean anything

Games have been going well so far and ever since moving to higher stakes the € amount has increased rapidly. The bankroll is currently around 450€

Next update most likely on 1/1/2024

No more christmas spirit

Last 3 days



Games have been going ok so far. Still winning money but to be honest running below ev has affected my mental game and motivation. On the other hand I guess I have ran good overall since I have been profitable for the last 2 weeks :P

I moved to IPoker from stars since the playerpool is softer and it has no table cap. I realized how much I dislike zoom and I just prefer mass multitabling regtables. I can play up to 9 tables fully focused.

I have been mostly playing NL20 with around 15bb/100 winrate. Mostly running / playing good but recently been a bit stuck due to variance.


NL20


My goal is to reach a 1000€ profit this week
So far I have made +322.44€

An ambitious goal for microstakes but I want the goal to be motivating

Updating soon

Happy new year


Haven't played at all for the last 3-4 days due to motivation issues. Had a horrible NL20 session where I basically lost every single hand for a hour straight no matter how much equity I had. Decided to take a few days off since I don't think its a good idea to play while tilted


Even though I have faced trials and tribulations I am still happy with the progress considering that I started about 2 weeks ago with just a 20€ bankroll


Last 14 days


Being around 250€ under ev playing microstakes has honestly been bit tilting, hoping to run better this year. '

Leaks that I have identified:
-Obsessing over graph



Goals for 2024:

-Play atleast 1 million hands
-Reach NL200
-Study poker frequently
-Gym / run 5 times a week
-No tiltsessions

Update


Since the start of 2024 I have started to play zoom on Stars again because I think its a faster way to improve at the game compared to regtables. The problem with zoom is it being super nitty and my winrate is significantly lower when comparing it to playing regtables on softer sites. I can't really decide if playing zoom is worth it.

I think I could reach atleast NL100 in a few months with just good game selection on sites filled with whales with the cost of me improving slower. My goal in poker is to reach mid-high stakes like NL500-NL2k.

I hope someone with more experience can help me decide what should be my plan moving forward. Is zoom even worth playing nowdays due to the reg-fish ratio and the overall nittiness of the pool. Should I just continue playing regtables vs whales and perhaps study more outside the game with solvers etc. ?


Also here are some hands which I prob ****ed up and would like to hear advice that could help me moving forward:


H1 - I thought the villain shouldn't have many strong hands on this texture and would overfold weak pairs to aggression


PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 394.2 BB
Hero (SB): 186 BB
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 141.8 BB
MP: 185.3 BB
CO: 100 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A K

fold, MP raises to 2.5 BB, fold, BTN calls 2.5 BB, Hero raises to 15 BB, fold, fold, BTN calls 12.5 BB

Flop: (33.5 BB, 2 players) 2 9 4
Hero checks, BTN checks

Turn: (33.5 BB, 2 players) 2
Hero bets 40 BB, BTN calls 40 BB

River: (113.5 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero bets 131 BB and is all-in, BTN calls 131 BB

Hero shows A K (One Pair, Twos)
(Pre 61%, Flop 23%, Turn 11%)
BTN shows 9 8 (Two Pair, Nines and Twos)
(Pre 39%, Flop 77%, Turn 89%)
BTN wins 360.5 BB


H2 - I need to learn how to fold


PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 115.9 BB
SB: 112.7 BB
BB: 100.9 BB
Hero (UTG): 217.7 BB
MP: 138.3 BB
CO: 101.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A A

Hero raises to 2.2 BB, fold, fold, BTN raises to 8.1 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 22 BB, BTN calls 13.9 BB

Flop: (45.5 BB, 2 players) K K 3
Hero bets 4.3 BB, BTN calls 4.3 BB

Turn: (54.1 BB, 2 players) Q
Hero checks, BTN bets 14.1 BB, Hero calls 14.1 BB

River: (82.3 BB, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, BTN bets 75.5 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 75.5 BB

BTN shows Q Q (Full House, Queens full of Kings)
(Pre 19%, Flop 8%, Turn 91%)
Hero shows A A (Two Pair, Aces and Kings)
(Pre 81%, Flop 92%, Turn 9%)
BTN wins 222.8 BB

Good advice I've saved:

Pat Howard:
https://www.mobiuspoker.com/blog/stop-playing-zoom

H1 is probably a punt since you beat all the missed draws and have bad blockers. Not an expert but I heard somewhere they usually don't overfold river after calling a turn OB. Pre/flop/turn seems well played though. I don't see people defending turn anywhere near enough so I really like it.

H2 I wouldn't be surprised if this was over bluffed so I'd definitely call AQ

Ty for advice

Gave zoom another shot today and realized the format is just not for me. Especially when multitabling I just start buttonclicking like an imbecile after 15 mins and get tilted easily. Sticking to regtables will be better for my winrate and sanity.

I've noticed a few leaks of mine after reviewing hands with the main one being too passive in certain spots. 2nd one is just being a ****ing calling station especially when tilted.


Few hands from today:


H1 - Prime example of me just being a passive station when playing c-game. Was wondering when I should have raised and if my line is as bad as it looks

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 101 BB
SB: 193.7 BB
BB: 67.1 BB
UTG: 398.6 BB
Hero (MP): 127.2 BB
CO: 149.3 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q Q

UTG raises to 2.2 BB, Hero raises to 6.5 BB, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 5.5 BB, UTG calls 4.3 BB

Flop: (20 BB, 3 players) T Q 5
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets 6.3 BB, fold, UTG raises to 22.8 BB, Hero calls 16.5 BB

Turn: (65.6 BB, 2 players) 8
UTG bets 32.6 BB, Hero calls 32.6 BB

River: (130.8 BB, 2 players) 9
UTG bets 78.7 BB, Hero calls 65.3 BB and is all-in

UTG shows Q K (Flush, King High)
(Pre 35%, Flop 30%, Turn 18%)
Hero shows Q Q (Three of a Kind, Queens)
(Pre 65%, Flop 70%, Turn 82%)
UTG wins 249.6 BB




H2 - Not sure about this. The villain was super agro with high AF rating and absurd 3bet / 4bet ratios. I would have folded against nit.

PokerStars - $0.10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 125.8 BB
UTG: 82.1 BB
CO: 113.3 BB
BTN: 104.5 BB
Hero (SB): 269 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J A

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, BB raises to 10 BB, Hero calls 7 BB

Flop: (20 BB, 2 players) 6 8 J
Hero checks, BB bets 7 BB, Hero raises to 23.6 BB, BB calls 16.6 BB

Turn: (67.2 BB, 2 players) T
Hero bets 32.1 BB, BB calls 32.1 BB

River: (131.4 BB, 2 players) T
Hero checks, BB bets 60.1 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 60.1 BB

BB shows T A (Three of a Kind, Tens)
(Pre 32%, Flop 39%, Turn 25%)
Hero shows J A (Two Pair, Jacks and Tens)
(Pre 68%, Flop 61%, Turn 75%)
BB wins 240.3 BB


I certainly need to fix my mental game and only play when focused to avoid blunders. I would appreciate constructive critisism on the hands posted above

H1:
I think it's better to shove on the flop or a more or less safe turn.
The board will often move against us, and I prefer a fast game.

H2:
Check on the Turn or bet small with a plan to bet small on the river.
As played - I think this is a check in the hope of a free showdown.
Fold to bet.

Played a NL10 session on Stars today and things didn't go well. Profitwise a bad session but I am honestly happy how much my mental game has improved. Kept getting ****ed by the deck for multiple hours but I still played close to my A-game and didn't tilt at all. Made a ton of great folds in spots where I would have usually just sighcalled 100% of the time due to frustration. Hope I run better in the next session :P

I have been thinking joining a stable / getting a staking because grinding micros doesn't seem to be an effective way to improve / reach higher stakes faster.

Few hands Im not sure of:

H1 - RNGd a call on turn and eventually made a nitty fold on the river. The villain I was against was meganitty with like 9/5 vpip pfr after around 120 hands. Also I don't see many microstakes players finding enough bluffs there and I think my hands blocks some of them??. Wouldn't even be suprised if he had quads haha


PokerStars - $0.10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (UTG): 311.4 BB
MP: 98.5 BB
CO: 99.7 BB
BTN: 194.6 BB
SB: 91.1 BB
BB: 100 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 5 6

Hero raises to 2.2 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 1.2 BB

Flop: (4.9 BB, 2 players) 3 Q 4
BB checks, Hero bets 1.6 BB, BB calls 1.6 BB

Turn: (8.1 BB, 2 players) 7
BB checks, Hero bets 5 BB, BB raises to 20 BB, Hero calls 15 BB

River: (48.1 BB, 2 players) Q
BB bets 76.2 BB and is all-in, fold

BB wins 45.9 BB


H2 - punt?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 52 BB
BTN: 100 BB
SB: 191.4 BB
BB: 120.9 BB
UTG: 99.7 BB
Hero (MP): 159.7 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K Q

UTG calls 1 BB, Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 2 BB, fold

Flop: (7.5 BB, 2 players) J 2 A
BB checks, Hero bets 2.4 BB, BB calls 2.4 BB

Turn: (12.3 BB, 2 players) 3
BB checks, Hero bets 14.6 BB, BB calls 14.6 BB

River: (41.5 BB, 2 players) 2
BB checks, Hero bets 81.2 BB, fold

Hero wins 39.6 BB


H3 - mixing calling / raising on flop. Bet way too small on turn I think. Not sure about the preflop call but villain seemed like a blaster

PokerStars - $0.10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 163.4 BB
BB: 95.5 BB
UTG: 100 BB
MP: 101.4 BB
Hero (CO): 310.5 BB
BTN: 127.2 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8 T

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.2 BB, fold, SB raises to 11 BB, fold, Hero calls 8.8 BB

Flop: (23 BB, 2 players) 9 J 4
SB bets 16 BB, Hero calls 16 BB

Turn: (55 BB, 2 players) 4
SB checks, Hero bets 17.3 BB, SB calls 17.3 BB

River: (89.6 BB, 2 players) 6
SB checks, Hero checks

SB shows Q Q (Flush, Queen High)
(Pre 81%, Flop 54%, Turn 23%)
Hero mucks 8 T (Flush, Jack High)
(Pre 19%, Flop 46%, Turn 77%)
SB wins 85.6 BB

H4 - Doubt how GTO this was but made the nit fold. Turn call a bit questionable.

PokerStars - $0.10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 145.1 BB
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 110.7 BB
MP: 201.7 BB
Hero (CO): 105.7 BB
BTN: 234.1 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 9 A

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.2 BB, BTN calls 2.2 BB, fold, BB calls 1.2 BB

Flop: (7.1 BB, 3 players) 6 Q 9
BB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets 2.2 BB, fold, Hero calls 2.2 BB

Turn: (11.5 BB, 2 players) J
Hero checks, BTN bets 4.8 BB, Hero calls 4.8 BB

River: (21.1 BB, 2 players) K
Hero bets 25.2 BB, fold

BTN mucks 6 6 (Three of a Kind, Sixes)

Hero wins 20.2 BB

H1 - nice fold.

H2 - isolate bigger like 3.5-4bb preflop. Postflop looks okay.

H3 - fold preflop. The turn size looks fine. WP.

H4 - Wow bravely! If you planning donk on scary rivers, then calling on the turn is fine. I like it.