[Game results: Bad luck on the $5.50 Micro Pacific Rim Special]

I reached the first break of this MTT with 30xBB, on a slightly tough table. I was basically getting card dead, and having played 16% of hands (6 in total). On top, I was watching bad hands I folded making the nuts a couple of times. What do you do? How much should you hope for a "chip and a chair"? Or push all-in with the first playable cards and hope for he best? Or are you just doomed to bust out and live another day? Really not my time on this one. It was just really bad luck.

[Playing hyper-aggressive]

Today I was in a mood for some wild playing. I decided to play hyper-aggro in a $1.10 Bounty builder. I made a lot of chips early on, running bluffs, and knocked out 3 players. My stack kept going up and down. It was a wild ride. I managed to min cash. I kept thinking "It''s only a dollar, let me see what I can do with it". It was fun.

[Study question on JL's Tournament Masterclass]

Today I watched the "Flop strategy" part from Johnathan Little's "Tournament Masterclass". However, I had this question. It is crucial to ubderstanding the content. Do you have any idea?

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/5...tive-1825446/#

Just want to say that I am really enjoying your blog - been playing for 4 years or so, up around 3-4k but stuck in the micro's with zero strat due to zero study and an even worse mental game. I am basically playing catch-up and watching all your recommended vids. I am on page three and you are talking about joining another site. just my 2c - I try balance the larger MTTs with some smaller ones (50 - 150) as you do get more ft experience and as the money is all at 1 - 3 I find it more profitable. I use Unibet for this - but cannot see if they operate in greece if not maybe betonline - usa faced site.

[Session results]

I was feeling out of it, so I played only 1 game, a $0.25 MTT, and won it! That's some spare change to use in Bounty builders.

Hi amatola!

I am so glad you are enjoying my grind here! I know how tough it is to be trying to move up in stakes from the Micros. I still haven't worked out how to do it fully but I think I am close. I think I've won enough in the Micros to be trying for higher stakes but I am just a nit with my bankroll and cash out all my big winnings.

I am also lucky to have a couple of people guiding me, like Evo, especially when I get out of line! Thanks, Evo and everyone else!

Keep reading my posts, amatola! I will be posting more study material. I hope more of my content helps you to be a better player, and move up stakes like I want to.

[Hand review: Higher flush on the $2.20 Bounty builder]

How did I play this hand? Was I dumb to call the all-in on the river?

PokerStars, $1.96 + $0.24 - Hold'em No Limit - 30/60 (9 ante) - 8 players
Replay this hand on Upswing Poker

Zille6969 (UTG): 5,595 (93 bb)
j4nkoks (UTG+1): 4,862 (81 bb)
ecocom (MP): 8,464 (141 bb)
tatter222 (MP+1): 4,763 (79 bb)
valerio coxa (CO): 10,006 (167 bb)
Tilted9042 (BU): 3,515 (59 bb)
EvenShortGun27 (SB): 8,077 (135 bb)
dead__ins220 (BB): 2,878 (48 bb)

Pre-Flop: (162) Hero (Tilted9042) is BTN with 5♥ 7♥
3 players fold, tatter222 (MP+1) raises to 120, 1 fold, Tilted9042 (BU) calls 120, EvenShortGun27 (SB) calls 90, 1 fold

Flop: (492) 4♥ 9♣ 8♥ (3 players)
EvenShortGun27 (SB) checks, tatter222 (MP+1) bets 90, Tilted9042 (BU) raises to 426, EvenShortGun27 (SB) folds, tatter222 (MP+1) calls 336

Turn: (1,344) 6♠ (2 players)
tatter222 (MP+1) checks, Tilted9042 (BU) bets 403, tatter222 (MP+1) calls 403

River: (2,150) A♥ (2 players)
tatter222 (MP+1) bets 3,805 (all-in), Tilted9042 (BU) calls 2,557 (all-in)

Total pot: 7,264

Showdown:
tatter222 (MP+1) shows T♥ K♥ (a flush, Ace high - higher flush)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 65%, Flop: 70%, Turn: 20%, River: 100%)

Tilted9042 (BU) shows 5♥ 7♥ (a flush, Ace high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 35%, Flop: 30%, Turn: 80%, River: 0%)

tatter222 (MP+1) wins 7,264

75s is a fold there pre (technically it's like 85% fold 15% flat but in weak metas there's no point in balancing so 100% fold is better)

Flop is probably correct in theory, like I would play that hand that way, but I feel like vs bad players who are always going to pay you off (and always call with hands they like), it doesn't make much sense to put that much money in with a hand that likely still has to win at showdown and can still get max value if it hits and the SPR is high

Turn is fine, of course, but not great. Why did you choose the sizing you choose? Why 30% on a street where a big bet wouldn't be out of place and the board didn't change significantly? Why leave the SPR over 1 heading to the river when you have the nuts?

River depends on how you range him. What hands does he have that play that exact way, and then if your equity vs that range dictates a call, you call. Honestly the river is probably the part of the hand you can improve on the least because if it's a set up it's a set up, he either only ever has a flush here, or can do this with sets/two pairs, it's a fairly static ranging process that you can likely look in your database for player pop tendencies to get an exact answer

I really enjoy your blog and have been following your learning journey. I hope to see more frequent updates in the future.

Hi FEX98, thank you so much for reaching out. I am glad you are following and seeing my updates. I am trying to update as much as I can, depends on how much I play. Keep rocking!

[Session results]

Today I only played 2 tours, one of which was a Bounty builder $.050 for fun, and the Mini EPT Barcelona $3.30. I min cashed in the last one.

[Study material: Raise Your Edge Tournament Masterclass]

I found a chance to get my hands on this course by a friend. It consists of a total of 9 chapters. I now have a ton of material to study and go through. It wasn't my first choice of material to find, but this is all I could find. It is going to be slow, but hopefully get better.

[Study review: What's changed in my play]

I think I know my preflop RFI ranges by memory. But I don't know when to call behind, when to limp behind, and when to 3-bet or 4-bet. However, the new course "RYE Tournament master has new ranges. This is going to be very tricky to learn AGAIN.

[Study progress: First impressions of the RYE tournament Masterclass]

I quickly went through some of the videos about Preflop and Postflop play, and the SCOOP 1k hand review.

I went straight for the Range Viewer tool. Until today I have been using the ranges from Upswing poker, and had memorized them. This tool tells you which hands to play and how, but it is WAY more complicated. I am now playing with this open every time.

[Session results]

Today I played 2 tours, the $3.30 Bounty builder and the Mini EPT Barcelona $5.50.

I min cashed in the $3.30. Yet it was a great expierience since tI now feel comfortable playing at this BI level, and I am cashing often.

The $5.50 is over my normal BI, and is not a Bounty builder such as the ones I play. However, the payouts are so great that it was worth taking a shot at it. I rebought once, when somebody 4-bet all-in with AKo from the SB, while I was holding QQ. I made it to 804th out of a huge field of 8,739 players, and cashed $14.83.

I am up $5 for the day.

[Concerned about the legality of use of the RYE Range Viewer on Pokerstars]

I came across this suggestion that some hand range charts may be illegal to use on Pokerstars.

More specifically, their TOS since 2019 have been stating the below:
“Broadly speaking, reference material can only be used for basic hand decisions, like unopened pot and preflop decisions, rather than as a live virtual decision maker.”
Source: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/...arts-33487.htm

A wider explanation is given in Pokerstars' "Third Party Tools and Services Policy Reference Guide".
https://cms.rationalcdn.com/v3/asset...ence-guide.pdf

I now suspect that using the RYE Range Viewer while playing is against Pokerstars' TOS.

Does anybody have a clear answer about this?

[Study material: Difference between shoving, reshoving, jamming, rejamming and re-stealing]

1. Shoving is the first person to put their stack in.

2. "Reshove” is an awkward term. It doesn't refer to shoving over a previous shove, which is more akin to calling the shove. Reshoving means that our hero is jamming over a previous preflop raise.
Aka Raise/all-in

3. Jamming is the call of an all in with a shorter stack.
Aka All-in/calll wirh shorter stack

4. Re-jam: someone goes all in and you also go all in after them with a larger stack.
Aka All-in/all-in with larger stack

5. Re-steal: when someone raises to "steal" the blinds and you re-raise them to "re-steal" the blinds
Aka Steal/reraise

[Session review & Using RYE Tournament Masterclass Expert's Range Viewer tool]

Today I played 3 tours, a $0.55 sat, a $2.20 Bounty builder, and a $1.65 Bounty builder. I lost in the $2.20 when a donk went all in with bottom pair vs my 2-pair, and hit bigger 2-pair on the turn, having cashed one bounty of $0.50. I also lost in the $1.65 when I called an allin with QTs against trip 3s. I am now down about $5.

Yes, I am not putting in much volume, but that is impossible to do, because I am applying new strategies with my new tool, so I can't multitable for more than 2 tables. (see below).

I used the Range Viewer tool again for the 2nd time for my preflop play. I still don't know how to use most of it, but I am using the most basic parts. I also know some opening ranges from Upswing's RFI charts. This has helped me make faster decisions preflop, because most often I know which hands to fold, because they are mostly the same as those in the Range Viewer.

I also know the fundamentals of how to play Post-flop (ie with a Premium Hand, Marginal Made hand, Draw and Junk).

My findings from the Range Viewer tool:

1. In short, it is a lot of work to use
2. It is extremely detailed, so much that it takes me a long time to find out where each option is. So long that I used up my timebank!
3. You need to learn the differences between Openshoving, Reshoving, Rejamming, and calling rejams to use some of the sections. Hopefully I found the definition of those in my previous post.
4. It contains solutions for all possible scenarios, including BB strategy, Openshoving Reshoving, Rejamming, Calling rejams, and more. Tough to use them all for the moment
5. The ranges contain a lot of suited hands to play, more than I was playing before using Upswing's RFI chart
6. I still wonder whether it is legal to use it on Pokerstars. I asked a question in a section in these forums but nobody has yet replied.

However, I managed to use the section "Flatting & 3Betting" for the first time, aside of only the section "Openraising".

[Hand review: AJs river allin bluff]

I rarely make bluffs on the river, so this is unusual for me. How did I play this hand? Was it good to shove river as I did?

PokerStars, $1.96 + $0.24 - Hold'em No Limit - 125/250 (36 ante) - 8 players
Replay this hand on Upswing Poker

brunno234467 (UTG): 8,304 (33 bb)
SchmidtGabriel (UTG+1): 2,539 (10 bb)
shrek664 (MP): 6,190 (25 bb)
holmzeze (MP+1): 48,040 (192 bb)
CAN0304 (CO): 9,528 (38 bb)
Tilted9042 (BU): 11,090 (44 bb)
RAMOS149 (SB): 13,129 (53 bb)
Zlau82 (BB): 4,868 (19 bb)

Pre-Flop: (663) Hero (Tilted9042) is BTN with A♠ J♠
brunno234467 (UTG) raises to 500, 2 players fold, holmzeze (MP+1) calls 500, 1 fold, Tilted9042 (BU) 3-bets to 1,250, 2 players fold, brunno234467 (UTG) calls 750, holmzeze (MP+1) calls 750

Flop: (4,413) Q♥ 2♣ 6♠ (3 players)
brunno234467 (UTG) checks, holmzeze (MP+1) checks, Tilted9042 (BU) checks

Turn: (4,413) 8♠ (3 players)
brunno234467 (UTG) checks, holmzeze (MP+1) bets 250, Tilted9042 (BU) raises to 750, brunno234467 (UTG) calls 750, holmzeze (MP+1) calls 500

River: (6,663) 9♦ (3 players)
brunno234467 (UTG) checks, holmzeze (MP+1) checks, Tilted9042 (BU) bets 9,054 (all-in), brunno234467 (UTG) calls 6,268 (all-in), holmzeze (MP+1) folds

Total pot: 19,199

Showdown:
Tilted9042 (BU) shows A♠ J♠ (high card, Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 74%, Flop: 85%, Turn: 27%, River: 0%)

brunno234467 (UTG) shows 8♥ A♦ (a pair of Eights)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 26%, Flop: 15%, Turn: 73%, River: 100%)

brunno234467 (UTG) wins 19,199

[Hand review: QT flush draw]

I played this draw very aggressively. When I reached the point of the villain putting me all-in, I felt I had to call because of all the money in the pot already. Did I play the hand well?

PokerStars, $1.47 + $0.18 - Hold'em No Limit - 80/160 (24 ante) - 8 players
Replay this hand on Upswing Poker

Nastaraj (UTG): 10,874 (68 bb)
Zema333 (UTG+1): 2,786 (17 bb)
FocDuelist (MP): 8,388 (52 bb)
+.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1): 11,764 (74 bb)
rafa_barba27 (CO): 7,466 (47 bb)
Tilted9042 (BU): 8,503 (53 bb)
youngpablo01 (SB): 487 (3 bb)
olbap_104 (BB): 11,409 (71 bb)

Pre-Flop: (432) Hero (Tilted9042) is BTN with Q♦ T♦
2 players fold, FocDuelist (MP) raises to 320, +.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) calls 320, 1 fold, Tilted9042 (BU) calls 320, youngpablo01 (SB) calls 240, 1 fold

Flop: (1,632) 3♥ 3♦ 5♦ (4 players)
youngpablo01 (SB) bets 143 (all-in), FocDuelist (MP) folds, +.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) calls 143, Tilted9042 (BU) raises to 1,689, +.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) calls 1,546

Turn: (5,153) 6♣ (3 players, 1 all-in)
+.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) checks, Tilted9042 (BU) bets 2,880, +.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) raises to 9,731 (all-in), Tilted9042 (BU) calls 3,590 (all-in)

River: (18,093) K♠ (3 players, 3 all-in)

Total pot: 18,093

Showdown:
+.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) shows 3♣ A♦ (three of a kind, Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 36%, Flop: 75%, Turn: 76%, River: 100%)

Tilted9042 (BU) shows Q♦ T♦ (a pair of Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 38%, Flop: 23%, Turn: 17%, River: 0%)

youngpablo01 (SB) shows J♠ 7♣ (a pair of Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 25%, Flop: 2%, Turn: 7%, River: 0%)

+.-K0VidbrayaNN (MP+1) wins 18,093

[Session results]

Today I played online also with a friend (not from the same place). So we played $5 Sitngos on the same table. I lost in 2, but won something in a $2 knockout. I also played a $2.20 Bounty builder, where I didn't cash. I am down another $10 to $20.

I am currently on a downsing still. However, I got more comfortable using the Range Viewer tool.

[Study results: Preflop Openraising]

Today I watched all videos from Preflop -> Openraising of the course. I now have some homework to do, part of which requires using Equilab, and also pay attention to the CO, BU and Blinds during my next sessions.

[Session results]

This session I played:
1. 1x $1.10 Sat to the Sunday Storm
2. 2x $1.10 Bounty builder
3. 1x $1.10 Hyper turbo
4. 1x Bounty builder $1.65
5. 1x $2.20 Bounty builder where I rebought once
6. 1x $3.30 Bounty builder where I rebought twice
7. 1x $1.10 SNGs
8. 3x $2.20 SNGs
9. 2x $5.50 SNGs

I ended up almost breakeven for the day with my bankroll at $23.21

At the beginning, I tried to do my homework - Table Awareness: Watch the players in the BTN and Blinds, to work out how they play (Loose, Tight, Fish, Tight-Passive, Aggressive Regular etc.). I was also feeling a little out of it. This is session 1/4 to do that, as the course recommends (It recommends to do 4 sessions of practicing Table Awareness).

Frankly, all the previous factors had a negative impact on my overall play. I played like a fish, and in the $3.30 Bounty builder, I called 2 allins where I should've folded, and busted out both times. I also busted a third time. This one I played good, going all in with top pair against the chip leader with second pair, but the board paired for second pair and I busted out for a third time!

I also was forgetting post-flop fundamentals (Premium hand, Draw, Marginal made hand, Junk) a few times and tried to steal pots for no reason, which turned out bad.

Note that, I also wasn't using the Range Viewer tool, but used the ranges I know by memory.

I need to play less tables next time, so as to be able to focus on doing my homework.

[Session review]
This session I played 5 games:

1. 1x $7.50 Bounty builder
2. 1x $5.50 Bounty builder
3. 1x $2.20 Bounty builder
4. 1x $1.10 Bounty builder
5. 1x $0.55 Mini Sat Knockout Sat

Note: I didn't use the Range Viewer tool much. I wasn't watching the blinds and button as my homework suggests. I just played as I know.

Here's how it went:

1. $7.50 Bounty builder: I shoved with 34xBB holding AK. I was called by AQ and 99, but AQ won.
2. $5.50 Bounty builder: After a good start, where I knocked one opponent out
3. I reshoved with about 35xBB holding AK, but villain had AA and held.
4. $2.20 I went all-in against a set of 6s which held. I managed to cash though.
5. $1.10 Bounty builder:
6. $0.55 sat: Donk called my 99 shove with Q6ο and hit a straight.

I'm down $10 for the day.

[Session review: A bad run of cards]
Today I played the 9:30 $3.30 Bounty builder.

I had a very bad run of cads on the $3.30 Bounty builder. I rebought twice.

The first time, I was getting no good hands all tour, and when I did, somebody would 3-bet with a better hand. I must have played only about 18% of hands, and even when I did, I folded. Eventually I got KK in MP. Villain to my left limp-shoved with AJo against my KK, and hit a flush.

The second time, while having a 50xBB stack, I 3-bet my QQ, but villain hit quad 88 on flop, against my full house of QQ full of 8s.

I now feel really annoyed and tilted.