hey guys

brit living in berlin here, full time musician and currently poker obsessed. loads of time for it during lockdown

been lurking here for a while. been playing micro mtt's for about a year but recently switched to cash, NL5/NL10 and finding the variance much easier to deal with and the games generally more enjoyable

I have a very small sample size but so far bb/100 at NL5 is 20.16 and NL10 11.02. will post up some graphs as I get more volume

some goals I'm setting for myself -

50k hands per month

finish reading books by matthew janda and jared tendler

go from two tabling up to four (unfortunately the limit now in germany, might switch to zoom to get more hands in but enjoying reg tables for now. I have lots of free time though so I can get in good volume every day)

get pio in bootleg or a mac equivalent, think monker is the only option. double the price of pio basic but maybe worth it in the long term, can anyone vouch for this?

find people to study with, hence why I'm posting here. would love to share ideas as much as possible. also if anyone is in berlin would be great to meet, after lockdown?



a few hands so far, any feedback on them would be great

-

I'd never have made plays like this a few months ago. make me nervy as hell but I have all the strong Ax in my range (although would I check the turn?). also the 9 diamonds blocks some of his FD combos. maybe this is terribly played

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

Hero (SB): 103.8 BB
BB: 172.6 BB
UTG: 100 BB
MP: 60.4 BB
CO: 179.4 BB
BTN: 80.4 BB

Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 9 9

fold, MP raises to 3.4 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 12 BB, fold, MP calls 8.6 BB

Flop: (25 BB, 2 players) J A 3
Hero bets 12 BB, MP calls 12 BB

Turn: (49 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, MP checks

River: (49 BB, 2 players) T
Hero bets 53 BB, fold

Hero wins 47 BB

-

think this is pretty bad, I should probably just call pf? when he checks twice I thought he might have AQs or a pair of tens, although he was tight and probably doesn't call those pf when I 4bet? would you fold otr?

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

SB: 116.7 BB
BB: 129.9 BB
Hero (UTG): 259.2 BB
CO: 111 BB
BTN: 215.4 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, BB raises to 9 BB, Hero raises to 18 BB, BB calls 9 BB

Flop: (36.5 BB, 2 players) J 6 K
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (36.5 BB, 2 players) 3
BB checks, Hero bets 11.5 BB, BB calls 11.5 BB

River: (59.5 BB, 2 players) K
BB bets 29 BB, Hero calls 29 BB

BB shows A K (Three of a Kind, Kings)
(Pre 46%, Flop 94%, Turn 98%)
Hero mucks Q Q (Two Pair, Kings and Queens)
(Pre 54%, Flop 6%, Turn 2%)
BB wins 112.2 BB

-

this guy was 3betting way too much pf. think he's weak when he checks flop and I have the gutshot and BDFD, still super scary but I had to go for it otr or is this just awful?

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

MP: 102.5 BB
CO: 245.4 BB
Hero (BTN): 183.8 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 156.2 BB
UTG: 213.1 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8 6

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.5 BB, fold, BB raises to 10 BB, Hero calls 7.5 BB

Flop: (20.5 BB, 2 players) T 7 J
BB checks, Hero bets 10 BB, BB calls 10 BB

Turn: (40.5 BB, 2 players) 3
BB checks, Hero bets 29 BB, BB calls 29 BB

River: (98.5 BB, 2 players) K
BB checks, Hero bets 70.6 BB, fold

Hero wins 94.1 BB


thanks in advance guys

that should've read BB/100

QQ is pretty much 100% flat from UTG vs BB, I know it's 5 handed but yeah. Even KK is mostly meant to flat. It's mainly just AA raising and some bluffs.

The flop bet with 86s doesn't really achieve much, turn and river look pretty spewy to me. What better hands do you think fold flop to your bet? AK/AQ are still going to peel. If anything bet 1/3 to cleanse out his A5cc and stuff like that.

Instead of !4b 9->18 make it slightly bigger, you're going to have some 4b bluffs to balance your range and it makes more sense to do that with a slightly bigger sizing. 22-23 seems good.

GTO+ is a good option, and it's cheap. GL!

Hey man, I'm an Aussie living in Kiel - not quite Berlin, but a similar situation! I'd suggest if you want to play reg tables, spread your action across multiple sites - at the moment I play 4 reg tables GG + 2 tables ACR for example. You can get around the laws that way.

H1 seems fine, you can c-bet a little smaller on this board and OOP, I like the fact you turned your hand in to a bluff - may not be theoretically correct, but if villain will fold TT or Jx here, probably a good play.

Agree with nuxxx on the QQ, especially for such a small BB 3b size, flatting is more appropriate.

I don't mind the 86s, could bet smaller on the flop as nuxx said

woah, $75 for GTO+ - snap buying this. thanks a lot for your feedback too!

oh thats great news. I have an account on party but can't use a hud there and I hate the design, seems so slow.. I'll give GG a go.

thanks for the feedback too, good to know these moves aren't maniacal even if they are a bit spewy

this one has been making me laugh for a good while

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

BTN: 100 BB
Hero (SB): 83 BB
BB: 143.2 BB
UTG: 137.7 BB
MP: 100 BB
CO: 69.3 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

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

Flop: (21 BB, 2 players) J 8 2
Hero bets 6.6 BB, CO raises to 59.3 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 52.7 BB

Turn: (139.6 BB, 2 players) K

River: (139.6 BB, 2 players) J

Hero shows 9 T (Flush, Jack High)
(Pre 40%, Flop 97%, Turn 91%)
CO shows K J (Full House, Jacks full of Kings)
(Pre 60%, Flop 3%, Turn 9%)
CO wins 133.3 BB

can I fold the boat here?

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

MP: 101 BB
Hero (CO): 101.8 BB
BTN: 100 BB
SB: 104.7 BB
BB: 326.9 BB
UTG: 92.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 5 7

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.5 BB, fold, SB calls 2 BB, BB calls 1.5 BB

Flop: (7.5 BB, 3 players) 2 8 5
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets 3.6 BB, fold, BB calls 3.6 BB

Turn: (14.7 BB, 2 players) 5
BB checks, Hero bets 8 BB, BB calls 8 BB

River: (30.7 BB, 2 players) 8
BB checks, Hero bets 22 BB, BB raises to 312.8 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 65.7 BB and is all-in

BB shows 8 A (Full House, Eights full of Fives)
(Pre 60%, Flop 74%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows 5 7 (Full House, Fives full of Eights)
(Pre 40%, Flop 26%, Turn 95%)
BB wins 196.8 BB

..yet again I've been locked out of pokerstars without even clicking on the panic button. this has happened to me 4-5 times in the past month or two and is very infuriating. I've emailed stars and they've asked me to send the log files and reinstall in the software, will see if this helps

might transfer my bankroll to gg or similar in the short term

if u going to keep grinding cash game i wouldn't suggest ggpoker , the rake super high also 3bet pots are raked preflop ,last time i played at ggpoker i had the blaskfish which should pay out like 20% rakeback , but it paid like 2% rakeback.
best site atm imo is partypoker great rakeback can reach to 40% good leaderboard nice field u can find regular tables or fastforward like zoom.
also i would suggest gto+ very cheap and can do all what piosolver do expect some features also if u willing to add 25$ for flopzilla pro would be great help to export ranges easly and have some feature called live flop training that would help u alot , that what i am using right now.
GL

cool thanks a lot for the advice. not so into the party design and also can't use hud or track results, but will give it a go

I have pokercruncher so maybe I can use that to export ranges? I need to free up some space on my mac to install windows, then I'll be diving into gto+

I'm still reading tendler's the mental game of poker. I think after hands like this I just have to take 20 minutes to gather my composure again, although I'd like to keep playing through it. next time this happens I'll try playing a further 10 minutes to see if I can keep it together

PokerStars - $0.05 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 3 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): 128.2 BB
BTN: 118.2 BB
SB: 363.2 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 9 9

fold, SB raises to 3 BB, Hero raises to 9 BB, SB calls 6 BB

Flop: (18 BB, 2 players) 6 3 7
SB checks, Hero bets 8.6 BB, SB calls 8.6 BB

Turn: (35.2 BB, 2 players) 2
SB checks, Hero bets 17 BB, SB raises to 345.6 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 93.6 BB and is all-in

River: (256.4 BB, 2 players) A

SB shows A J (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 45%, Flop 25%, Turn 14%)
Hero shows 9 9 (One Pair, Nines)
(Pre 55%, Flop 75%, Turn 86%)
SB wins 246.4 BB

I think it is pretty standard and you gotta be glad you put it in with 86%.
GL, OP!

just checking in here. I basically broke even for the month playing NL5/NL10 and my volume was nowhere near 50k but I've only just gotten used to 4 tabling so I think I'll be able to make it to at least 35k next month. I havn't been doing so well in the zoom pools so for now I'm gonna stick to reg tables and can't see the volume getting too much higher

couple of graphs below, as you can see there's a big difference between my NL5 and NL10 stats albeit a small sample size at NL10. whenever I take shots there I always seem to get coolered and I immediately move back to NL5 where I feel more comfortable, even though I feel the standard of play is similar to NL5. bankroll is constantly hovering around $150 so I guess I'll be there for a bit.

goal for next month is to make any kind've profit and reach 35k hands

overall for january


NL5


NL10



nice hand to finish out the month

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

UTG: 70.8 BB
MP: 300.4 BB
Hero (CO): 153.8 BB
BTN: 100 BB
SB: 72.6 BB
BB: 101.4 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

UTG raises to 3 BB, fold, Hero calls 3 BB, BTN calls 3 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (10.4 BB, 3 players) 2 7 8
UTG bets 10 BB, Hero calls 10 BB, BTN calls 10 BB

Turn: (40.4 BB, 3 players) 2
UTG bets 39 BB, Hero calls 39 BB, BTN raises to 87 BB and is all-in, UTG calls 18.8 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 48 BB

River: (272.2 BB, 3 players) Q

Hero shows 7 7 (Full House, Sevens full of Twos)

Main Pot [213.8 BB]: (Pre 19%, Flop 67%, Turn 95%)
Side Pot#1 [58.4 BB]: (Pre 66%, Flop 75%, Turn 100%)

BTN shows 5 A (Flush, Ace High)

Main Pot [213.8 BB]: (Pre 28%, Flop 25%, Turn 0%)
Side Pot#1 [58.4 BB]: (Pre 34%, Flop 25%, Turn 0%)

UTG shows K K (Two Pair, Kings and Twos)

Main Pot [213.8 BB]: (Pre 53%, Flop 8%, Turn 5%)

Hero wins 261 BB

currently at 30k hands at NL5 and BB/100 is 14

and this below sums up what happens every time I play NL10 (BB/100 = -12)

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

UTG: 175.6 BB
MP: 126.2 BB
CO: 96.5 BB
BTN: 100 BB
Hero (SB): 105.8 BB
BB: 101 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

fold, fold, CO raises to 2 BB, fold, Hero raises to 10.5 BB, fold, CO calls 8.5 BB

Flop: (22 BB, 2 players) 6 9 9
Hero bets 11.1 BB, CO calls 11.1 BB

Turn: (44.2 BB, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, CO checks

River: (44.2 BB, 2 players) K
Hero bets 13.9 BB, CO raises to 74.9 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 61 BB

CO shows 9 7 (Four of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 40%, Flop 98%, Turn 100%)
Hero shows K J (Full House, Nines full of Kings)
(Pre 60%, Flop 2%, Turn 0%)
CO wins 185.3 BB

I know this is a low frequency 3bet, but argh..

oh well. should get to at least 40k hands this month so there's that..

turning 10s into a bluff

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

Hero (BTN): 124 BB
SB: 55.2 BB
BB: 145 BB
UTG: 105.2 BB
MP: 105.6 BB
CO: 111 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

fold, fold, CO raises to 2.4 BB, Hero raises to 8 BB, fold, fold, CO raises to 24.6 BB, Hero calls 16.6 BB

Flop: (50.6 BB, 2 players) K 7 3
CO bets 13 BB, Hero calls 13 BB

Turn: (76.6 BB, 2 players) A
CO checks, Hero checks

River: (76.6 BB, 2 players) 8
CO bets 12.6 BB, Hero raises to 86.4 BB and is all-in, fold

Hero wins 97.6 BB

Nice play, guess he had QQ or KQ

Post some new graphs maybe? Read above that you played 10nl also with a $150 br, unless u can easily deposit more I definately would advise you to use a bit safer bankroll management

just checking in as I just passed 100k hands (since I started playing cash). not much I know, but I feel like I've learnt a lot. I took a break away from poker in april and since I came back I feel like my game has gotten stronger, the graph reflects this upward curve since then.. a mix of NL5, NL5z, NL10



getting in 2k hands a day recently, 3-tabling zoom. I think I'll play 4 soon but want to make sure I'm making good decisions. will take shots at NL10 again soon I think


a few hands -


hero call

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

BTN: 115.2 BB
Hero (SB): 361 BB
BB: 96 BB
UTG: 101 BB
MP: 100 BB
CO: 115.6 BB

Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 3 A

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, BB raises to 9 BB, Hero calls 6 BB

Flop: (18 BB, 2 players) 4 5 9
Hero checks, BB checks

Turn: (18 BB, 2 players) 9
Hero bets 9.2 BB, BB calls 9.2 BB

River: (36.4 BB, 2 players) 3
Hero checks, BB bets 26.2 BB, Hero calls 26.2 BB

BB shows K A (One Pair, Nines)
(Pre 69%, Flop 70%, Turn 77%)
Hero shows 3 A (Two Pair, Nines and Threes)
(Pre 31%, Flop 30%, Turn 23%)
Hero wins 85.2 BB


hero call #2

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

BTN: 118.4 BB
Hero (SB): 397.2 BB
BB: 441 BB
UTG: 100 BB
MP: 100.6 BB
CO: 452.8 BB

Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has T K

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

Flop: (6 BB, 2 players) T 4 4
Hero bets 2 BB, BB calls 2 BB

Turn: (10 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero bets 5 BB, BB raises to 18 BB, Hero calls 13 BB

River: (46 BB, 2 players) Q
Hero checks, BB bets 44.4 BB, Hero calls 44.4 BB

BB shows 9 A (One Pair, Fours)
(Pre 60%, Flop 43%, Turn 27%)
Hero shows T K (Two Pair, Tens and Fours)
(Pre 40%, Flop 57%, Turn 73%)
Hero wins 129.2 BB

A new winner is born. Congratz!

haha! I know posting stats at these stakes is relatively pointless, but its nice to keep track. I do wonder if I'm wasting a bit too much time on this, it started out as something to do during covid, but I can't keep away.. would like to start moving up but one step at a time I guess

would you consider 4b-bluff with A3s oop? good river call btw

villain very nitty (VPIP 9, 3bet pf 4) but against other opponents I would

My advice would be to stick with it, even if it's not something you make a profession with it will always be a nice little earner on the side.

There's no real substitute for volume and learning through your own experiences. That said, if you ever want to send me a video of yourself playing in pm go ahead and I'll go over it, for free of course. ( if you're playing 5nl, 5z would be preferable so you get into more spots ).

GL with your goals

there are players with vpip 9 nowadays? haha :P

this is probably all wrong but felt so right. should maybe just fold the flop here? his river afq was 80

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

Hero (BTN): 153 BB
SB: 101.4 BB
BB: 101.4 BB
UTG: 143.6 BB
MP: 101.4 BB
CO: 100 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.4 BB, fold, BB raises to 10.8 BB, Hero calls 8.4 BB

Flop: (22 BB, 2 players) 9 K J
BB bets 7.6 BB, Hero calls 7.6 BB

Turn: (37.2 BB, 2 players) 3
BB bets 14.8 BB, Hero calls 14.8 BB

River: (66.8 BB, 2 players) 2
BB bets 68.2 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 68.2 BB

BB shows 8 9 (One Pair, Nines)
(Pre 49%, Flop 56%, Turn 0%)
Hero shows 7 7 (Flush, King High)
(Pre 51%, Flop 44%, Turn 100%)
Hero wins 194.8 BB

just checking in. I’ve been back playing some micro MTT’s (the new laws in germany regarding cash game rake is ridiculous) with good results the past few days - and I just binked my first ever! 582 in the field, feels good to say the least 🙂

obviously had some luck along the way but really felt in the zone and in control/disciplined in most spots with different stack sizes. I feel like grinding cash has really help me to gain an edge post flop and when deep. not entirely sure my ranges are spot on when short stacked but this is something I’ll be working on

a few hands -

not sure about this float at all, is the turn a pure fold?

PokerStars - 500/1000 Ante 125 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 28.74 BB
Hero (SB): 61.73 BB
BB: 45.73 BB
UTG: 11.09 BB
UTG+1: 2.36 BB
MP: 4.06 BB
MP+1: 60.33 BB
MP+2: 63.63 BB
CO: 11.93 BB

9 players post ante of 0.13 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.62 BB) Hero has 4 K

fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls 0.5 BB, BB raises to 3 BB, Hero calls 2 BB

Flop: (7.12 BB, 2 players) 6 9 7
Hero checks, BB bets 3.56 BB, Hero calls 3.56 BB

Turn: (14.25 BB, 2 players) 5
Hero checks, BB bets 8 BB, Hero calls 8 BB

River: (30.25 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, BB checks

Hero shows 4 K (One Pair, Sixes)
(Pre 37%, Flop 20%, Turn 3%)
BB shows K 8 (Straight, Nine High)
(Pre 63%, Flop 80%, Turn 97%)
BB wins 30.25 BB


this might've been the most interesting hand and am sure its not GTO approved. 2 tables remained and villain had previously big bet donked into me when the flop hugely favoured my range (I folded QQ against him on a K52 flop 2 hearts)

my flop donk was for protection, the turn is a semi bluff but I guess I may play a 9 that way and still get value from FD's wth a thin value bet.. maybe I would only ever jam river so unsure about this small sizing. weird hand

PokerStars - 4000/8000 Ante 1000 NL FAST - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 26.3 BB
SB: 42.6 BB
Hero (BB): 19.05 BB
UTG: 46.89 BB
UTG+1: 44.03 BB
MP: 13.21 BB
CO: 26.16 BB

7 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.37 BB) Hero has T 8

fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN calls 1 BB, fold, Hero checks

Flop: (3.37 BB, 2 players) 6 5 8
Hero bets 2.63 BB, BTN calls 2.63 BB

Turn: (8.64 BB, 2 players) 7
Hero bets 2.85 BB, BTN calls 2.85 BB

River: (14.34 BB, 2 players) J
Hero bets 3.59 BB, fold

Hero wins 14.34 BB