Raise/folding with AQs for < 20bb? They'd have to be the nittiest nits on earth for this to be correct.

With a 20bb stack, what are you open raising to? 2.4-2.7bb?

Good Luck, DGI... Thanks for all your posts, insights, ideas, prison rapes.

Paging Bip!

Subbed! Can't wait to read the last few pages of this tread and see where it goes

Hey DGI, I'm visiting LV for the WSOP too.

What spot would you say has the softest cash games?

Why not play cash games at rio? Lots of people I am sure from the MM or 1ks.

But it does make the whole street think you are growing dope.

subbed - totally awesome threads!

Always enjoy and find your posts to be very helpful, and inspiring.

Subbed, and best of luck to ya sir.

Hey dgiharris, enjoying your thread. Ty for taking the time.

This makes me think back to DeucePlays WSOP episodes when Bart talked about how good the CA games were during June -- many of the better left coast grinders move to Vegas for the series, so the games back home get substantially better. Maybe the chances of running into Bay Area heroes is actually very good.

I was chatting on skype with a mid/high stakes limit playing buddy. He was mentioning the names of the limit players currently hanging out at his house. The number of genus players was amazing. Maybe the trip to take is to drive against traffic and do Commerce for the WSOP next year.

Subbed, and best of luck to you sir.

Yeah, i was raising 2.2 - 2.5bb which was enough to take the pots down. Obviously, raise/folding AQ for 20bb makes you throw up a bit in your mouth, but I was raising from EP so I can't see the nits shoving on me with AJ/AT for 20bb. They wouldn't do it with 22-TT, so you are talking exclusively JJ+/AK so against a "nit" yeah its an easy fold. And both times I folded they each flashed me AK and they had that nit smirk like, "Aren't I awesome for raising you out when my hand crushes yours".

Vegas is so tourist dependant that "any" spot can be soft. Personally, I find that for 1/2nl all casinos are soft but Planet Hollywood and Golden Nugget have the softest games.

Now, I after finally played at Aria I'm going to have to say Aria is soft for 2/5nl.

But "soft" is a relative term dependent on your skill level. But imo, in general any game in Vegas is going to be soft since you are playing against tourists that think ABC poker is the nuts and is biologically incapable of folding TPMK or baby flushes or idiot end straights...

Cash games at RIO are awful. Everything is hand shuffled and there is a larger proportion of decent players in the game. Granted, I've only played 2/5nl twice at the RIO and both times I played my table was full of pros and semi-pros. IMO, you are way better off playing on the strip

Yeah, I'm going to be heading back home soon to take care of some business items then I'll be back in Vegas end of June to satellite my way into the main event. I also want to play another $1.5k event so have to grind $10k to justify that buy-in for a tourney.

Do you think your hourly expectation in the tournaments makes it worth "wasting" the time in them? I mean if your cash game hourly is good, it seems so frustrating to play donkaments. Unless the value of the score is just so big that it is worth giving up a little EV, the other returns of the tournament circuit seem not worth the headache. Admittedly, tournaments make me sad in general so there is huge bias.

Go hit a huge score and you can buy drinks when I'm out at the end of the month.

This is why I only play tournaments in which if I cash or win it makes it worth it. Granted, I'm running a little bit "cold" tourney wise lately but that is the nature of the beast. Overall, I'm up on my tournaments and my tournament winrate is comparable with my cash game winrate (in terms of money per time spent).

Both cash game and tourneys have their pros and cons. FWIW, my play is around 90% cash 10% tourneys though I will shift that to 80/20 during the summer and WSOP...

Oh, I also wrote up a quick program that uses my tourney stats and compares it with a tourney structure to determine my winrate and if the tourney is worth my time. Unless the tourney has a 1st place over $6k, its not worth my time and I don't play. So, this is why I target tourneys with $10k first place or better...

Nice. Go win a million and prove me so wrong.

I am a huge fan but I would imagine it would raise some eyebrows.

IMO live tournaments are only really worth it when life changing money is able to be had. The inconsistency and mind **** of live tournaments would just not be worth it to me.

True, but there is also another component which makes live tourneys appealing...

The donks.

If you think rec fish are bad at cash games they are even more terribad in live donkaments. So your edge is just gigantic and helps offset the variance some...

TBH I have also been thinking about that fact lately as well. After reflecting you are correct. I am a proponent of an anti becoming standard in NLH. This would keep people from being able to profit by being complete nits and killing seats. People would essentially have to "play to win." When it comes to having to "play to win," most people are just not very good at it. I got to thinking that maybe now that most people understand how to play a tight range well tournaments may be a more attractive option than ever before as they force people to "play to win." Is this what you are saying?

It's far too easy to play scared money in tournaments (well not technically money, but chips), especially when you get deep in them. One mistake and you're crippled and/or knocked out. It's difficult to get reads on players when fields are so large and it's difficult to know what to do when you hold decent hands like TPGK and face a lot of aggression.

Elvis would be proud!

Thanks for taking the time to have an elaborate answer you're one response is more helpful than most of the threads I have read on the answer.
Were you a CS/CP major before turning pro? What kinds of equations did you need to write such a program?

Also, I intend on playing mostly cash while in Vegas but would like to take a shot at a tournament with life changing money (for me), which would be >$10k with a buying <$500. I know you played the Rio DS but I have head the structure gets pretty shotty towards the end, I was hoping you could elaborate why you chose this tournament over the field.

That's pretty interesting.

I'm certainly no where near the player that you are, but I've come to a similar decision, arbitrarily.

For me, 1st place has to be over $5k for buyins of up to $300 or so before I'm willing to enter a tourney. This is an arbitrarily chosen requirement on my part. 1st place has to be something like 15:1 or better (prize:buyin) or I just don't even consider it.

Would you detail out how your algorithm works?

DGI - I love your thread and this goal/challenge of taking on the high stakes! Keep crushing my man! Count me subbed.

I have almost the same list of signs I am off my A game - but often I try to re-focus rather than leave... had never thought of a 3 strikes vs 1 strike system - this is genius!

Lol I am here! Honestly, the poker universe is much smaller than it appears on the surface... especially above 1/2. It is pretty funny DGI is playing at the "Welcome to the Chesterfield South" so to speak

DGI...

Hello?

Update your thread already...

+1

I only check like every 15 minutes

DGI,

Do you advocate aggressive bankroll management? What are your current requirements in your shot taking challenge?