Hi there,

I have downloaded poker tracker 4 this evening for the first time. Decided I would play 10nl (I never play this stake) with my new bankroll of $550.
I played 2.6k hands today on ACR. Here is my graph. As you can see I lost about 7 buyins - $70. I did somehow earn $50 this week on the Beast Leaderboard (I played a few thousand hand at 50NL yesterday). Reason I am playing is I want to see if I am a winning player or not. I have never really put in any volume and have mixed with occasional cash or tournaments for around 15 years.
On and off for a lot of it. I usually play for a couple weeks and then don't play for a few months.... sometimes even years. But recently I have enjoyed playing and have decided I want to play 100k hands at any stake, just to see if I am beating the game. Potentially I will play more hands in time but I just want some consistency.

Here is todays graph. I think I did a good job of being aggressive on the river (hence the red line) but I also think I called opponents down to weak at points. I also had quite a bit of bad luck getting stacked with AK vs QQ and AA vs KK and AA vs QQ etc in the session (examples). What can you tell from the graph? And is it worth me continuing to play, as confidence was knocked today.
I thought I would easily be beating this game, as I have played so much higher (recreationally of course - some wins and some losses but nothing really tracked).

Hoping to get back at the tables over the weekend. Really want to try and get in some volume and be consistent. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly received.
Thanks!

Rob

2.6k hands.

Played last night. 4 table zoom on ACR. I was break even after 3k hands or so. Really frustrating session. Ended up being down another 7 buyins in 5k hands.
I put a lot of volume in last night. I was getting wrecked in ALL IN pots before the flop. I was losing some ridiculous get ins. I managed to get AA in against 2 players for 120BBs pre and was up against KK and KJ. A King came on the flop and we lost that one. Lost AA to KK and AA to 1010 pre also. I also lost a bunch of 50/50s too. The whole session changed in about an hour.

I still feel like I am over valuing hands and potentially over calling but tbh I am ahead equity wise when the chips go in and they spike or the board runs out in the most bizarre way on the river and they end up with a flush. Either way yesterday's session wasn't a good one. Here is the graph from the 5k hands below.



and here is the graph for the past two 2 days. Down 13 buyins or so. Doh! Any advice going forward please?



Thanks
Rob

Are you an aggrodonk?
Could you share your stats? The 2+2 forum could give you better advice if they knew what you were doing wrong.

You're probably not beating 10NL, so move down in stakes according to your level of play.

Not sure what you mean by stats but have had a quick look on Poker Tracker 4 that I installed two days ago and here is the 'statistics'.
I am probably a little over aggressive in spots if I am being honest with myself and potentially I am 3 betting a lot, well it feels like a lot and always playing 3 or 4 bet pots.
That might just be the 4 table zoom effect or the way that I am playing.

Any more help or where I need to look on poker tracker 4 etc to close some leaks etc would be great.
Thanks for the help!

I just want to learn to be better!
Rob

Ok so I found the advanced statistics. I don’t really understand what is good or bad but here is my stats form 9k hands.

VPIP - 21.06
PFR - 17.27
3 bet PF - 10.82
Fold to PF 3 bet - 60.52
4 bet+ PF - 12.56
Fold to PF 4 bet+ - 48.17
Call PF 3 bet - 27.35
4 bet+ ratio - 3.84
PF squeeze - 10.26
WTSD % - 31
WSD - 44

And here is leak tracker



Continue



Any help with understanding any of this would be amazing and what is good or not.
I think my ranges pre flop are good but perhaps over squeezing or 3bet or 4bet perhaps or even calling 3 bets (I don’t often fold pre).

Then I guess there is ton of mistakes post flop and I think that is my main learning perhaps as I am probably over aggressive in spots etc.

Any help as always, appreciated!

Thanks
Rob

Sample size is so useless. Post your top 10 biggest hands you won/lost. I can tell more from that.

Ok - Hand history (I will have to research how to post these) but potentially I am thinking about making a Loom video (if I can work all that out and how to use poker tracker 4 etc) and share my top 10 pots (win or lose).

I have watched a couple videos this am on YT to learn a bit about how to navigate poker tracker 4. I have been putting in the volume this week, trying hard to reach my goal of 100k hands. I have probably never played so much poker. I am proud of myself for sticking to the limit and for a lot of my play, especially this week so far. I am still making some really sick mistakes and dusting off buyins with triple barrels bluffs on occasion and some weak bluff catching or unsuccessful hand reading.

So in the last 3 days I have put in 15k hands. I am now at 28k hands since I started and that was maybe less than a week ago?
Overall I am thinking I am winning but this is post rake back and the Beast Leaderboard bonus. Last week I accumulated 1800pts and managed to get $50 on the leaderboard and about $40 or so back from rake. I think I read somewhere this equates to about 40% rake back, as the rake back itself is calculated at 27% and then add the additional beast bonus (I could be completely wrong here).

This week I am already at 3600pts, so I should be on track to receive $125 and a Sunday Tourney Entry from the beast leaderboard itself. I also think I will get another $100 or so back from rake back itself. So all in all, I am hoping to receive $200+ back from rake back and the beast leaderboard. However, I want to be a winning a player without the bonuses and rake back and this will require further improvement.

I am going to post a few graphs (because I know how to do this). Any comments or thoughts on what to do next would be great appreciated. I tried to filter a little bit but I wasn't leaking much, if any from 3 betting in the SB/BB (example). Not quite sure to see where my losses are coming from but I imagine because I am posting the blinds, this is why I am so much in the red? Hmmm.... interesting. Anyways... here are some graphs.

First one - Statistics by position (p .]

Second one - All 28k hands to date graph

Third one - My 15k hands since Monday (not really played much yet today - I think I played 8k hands yesterday

Fourth one - My rake back since Monday and I paid $85 in rake yesterday alone (wow) and that is at 10NL.

So there it is thus far. Would you be interested in me posting some hands or making a loom video etc?
I am going to work hard now on how I play in the blinds. And I am actually going to drop from 4 Blitz tables to 3 Blitz tables, as I think I can make better decisions and play in a more thoughtful and consistent way.

Rob

I feel like I am playing so much better. Starting with pre flop I have tightened my ranges a touch, and using an RNG to aid decisions in terms of 3 bet or call if facing an open to ensure I am balanced. Also not exclusively 4 betting AQ or JJ has helped, and have played a lot of 3 bet pots instead. I am thinking a lot more about my position and hand reading better etc. I am also not carelessly entering the pot. But with that said, I am able to pick up pots through stabbing or by building my checking range from the flop. Plus, able to run a few bluffs if I sense that the opponent is capped.

I have also been a lot tighter with how I am playing in the blinds and this has helped. No longer building or playing pots with marginal hands or hands that shouldn't as such see a flop facing a raise or myself opting to raise pre. Of course I am not perfect. Far from that. But I definitely played solid enough to have a winning session and I hope I can continue to build on this tomorrow. I will be having a break Friday and Saturday from poker as away for my wife's birthday.

Here is my graph from the last few sessions that follow on from my previous post.



Overview of the session results


Rob

*I will check in tomorrow to let you know how it goes before a short break.
Hoping I will also lock up $125 Beast Leaderboard score and the Sunday Tourney entry!

Another solid day at the tables with 5.9k hands total.
I was unlucky not to win more and ran below EV for the most part of the session.


Biggest loss of the session came here...


Biggest win of the season came here...


On an upswing in the last 12k hand played.....

I now have 4636pts for the beast leaderboard, so I am hoping that is enough to secure tourney ticket and a $125 bonus for the week.
I also have $71 of rake back to add to the bankroll when I wish. This figure will rise tomorrow at 4am EST time, as I played 5.9k hands.
I won't be playing tomorrow (unless I fire the laptop up when I wake up) and I won't be playing Saturday as away. I added an extra $210 dollars to my bankroll because I had some spare money for the month. Starting bankroll was $550 + $210 ($710). Bankroll at present is $938 and this will increase in due course.

I am also 38k hands into my challenge. I started my first session at 10pm on the 23rd June. So I have been grinding for 6 and a bit days.
Loving it. Going to stay at 10NL until I get to at least 50k hands and then perhaps reassess. Although I am tempted to play out my goal of 100k hands at 10NL.
I have never had a sample and this is the most poker I have probably played at any given stake.

Ok, I am going to go to weekly posts for a bit, as I don’t seem to be getting much engagement.

If you want me to post some hand histories etc or divulge any other sort of information, do please leave a comment.

If I don’t get much, if any, I will just post weekly.

So I’m going to start the week today….
I managed to lock up $125 from the beast leaderboard and since Monday, I’ve gained $82 of rakeback at 27% (just over $300 of rake paid at 10nl this week):

Bankroll now stands at $1146 (up from $760 starting last Thursday).

I am going to try and get in a similar amount of volume this week, as I would like to get the $125 beast leaderboard prize again. If I get too busy and can’t grind approx 28-30k hands, I’ll aim for the $50 prize which is about 10-12k hands.

Let’s see how we get on. Going to play tonight, as home early from break away.

Rob

Nice grind so far!
Not a cashgame player, it's imho so different from tournament poker (once was may speciality) but always interested in the game ofc.

How many tables are you usually playing? Is it zoom (or whatever the equivalent on ACR is called) that you are playing or regular tables?
Do you, and if so how, study hands/spots after your sessions?

Will be watching, GL at the tables.

Hi Rob!

If you'd like to share specific hand histories or any other information for analysis or discussion, please feel free to provide them, and I'll be more than happy to provide my input.
Sharing hands can be a valuable learning experience and can help you gain different perspectives on your play.

Good luck with your grind this week, aiming for the beast leaderboard prize again.
It's important to balance your volume with your availability, so if you're unable to achieve your initial target, adjusting your goal is a reasonable approach.

Best of luck at the tables!

Thanks, TheGrindChronicles and Slyless for the comments.

Damn, my bankroll has climbed this week.

I played a few hundred hands at 200NL, after a few drinks on Saturday and managed to win a stack or two (not advised and won't do it again).
I allowed myself 1 bullet (call it the rakeback bonus story).

But since then I have returned to 10NL over the weekend. I am committed to getting the hands in again this week. I have played 21k hands in three days. New PB. Not sure it is something to be proud of but I am already at 4100pts for the week. I managed to secure $125 beast bonus and MTT ticket with 4640pts last week. I am hoping I can climb to 8500pts this week, so that I can get the $250 prize but this will depend on how well I get on at 50NL (new stake).

I decided to take a shot at 50NL today (3-4 tables Blitz). I started with just under $1600 in the bank and told myself I will have 1-2 Max bullets. If I go below 25BI (buy in for $60, so 25x60 = $1500) for the game, I will move back down.

Let's just say we had a good day at the tables today at 50NL. Managed to get aces in two times (against 10s and KK) and they held up.



Lots of other good lines taken and some nice bluffs too. I did butcher a hand with JJ. The over call from my opponent through me off, as I don't usually 4 bet JJ pre. I think in this instance, I should have 4 bet or shoved all in pre, would have been the best bet. As played, I should have bet the flop and not left it to the pre-flop initial raiser to bet, who was last to act. I basically sandwiched myself... and I was so unhappy with my play as soon as I called pre and the flop came, I just played the rest of the hand like a pleb.



Also managed to get a stack in with 4d8d in the SB vs BB.



Bankroll now stands at $1860. I have rake back to collect but I will keep that till I stop playing on Friday, when the beast leaderboard runs out. It was at $41 this morning (before I played 9k hands today - new PB).



So the overall graph now looks like... (all stakes included) at just over 60k hands. It looks like I have ran really well (above EV) but I think that was all from 200NL.

The funny thing is that my 10NL graph is still in a negative. I will have to adjust my game if I am to play at 10NL. But I am hoping the bankroll stays above $1500 and I can continue to play 50NL for the rest of the week.

First day at 50NL was eventful. A little bit like a rollercoaster in terms of short term results.
I will have to ensure I play solid poker. Some sessions I played good poker and I was happy with my plays.
Some of the sessions I definitely punted and played sub par throughout.

5k hands in total - I could have had an extra $80 or so but lost that in the last 10 hands or so before I stopped for the day.
As you can see from the graph, we started off well, before losing a good few stacks in a row and then regrouping in the evening to play and win.


Here is a hand where my line worked....and I was happy with it. It was also my biggest pot that I won yesterday.


Here is a hand I punted. It was the biggest pot that I lost yesterday. Ouch! Bad play... I didn't need to pile money in from the turn. Guess the turn was the dream card for villan. He still had KK and AA in his range and I guess so did I too. Perhaps QQ to. But once he hits his trips... I was crushed.



On track to get the $250 weekly Beast leaderboard prize - now sitting at 6.2k points. Need another 2-2.5k points.

Managed to get in 1.5k hands in before ACR went on maintenance at 6am ET (11am UK time - time of writing).
Thought I would offer up a few hands from the session, and seek some advice on how I played them (be that good or bad).
I think I made some good decisions and played solid poker this morning but I will let you decide.

Here are my loss results from the session 2 (Session 1 - 1.5h for 1k hands and Session 2 - 45 mins for 500 hands before the maintenance period.
I am going to share some hands from my second session below (only 500 hands or so worth). Here is the list of biggest pots I lost.



Here is the biggest pot I lost in the session. Mad that he turned up with what he did....



*Obv unlucky to lose the biggest pot in this way.
Advice - if he donk bets into me for such a large size is it better to call (that is my thought) or do we jam over the top (but then I am thinking... what is he actually calling with - unless its perhaps a diamond draw). I think because we were slightly deeper at 160BB I think I played it fine. The turn bet from villain was huge but I didn't think I had anyway to go.... just didn't expect for him to show Q6 off. This is probably the craziest hand I have seen (in terms of call pre flop) and seeing a showdown. Better tag up as a whale.

Here is another bizarre hand but I think I made the correct fold. Perhaps I was betting too thinly on the river and a call was better. Obv I would say that now, seeing as I faced a raise to my raise but in the long term, do we think raising here with what I had was fine? I think so.



Ok, now on to the good stuff (money wise). Hands I won money with and I think I played them well. Hitting a set on the flop is a great feeling. The biggest pot of the session couldn't of played out any better in terms of what the opponents turned up with. What you think? Nice pick up!



This was also another cool hand. Something about flopping flushes too. I think with the exact hand he had I could have shipped it all in on the turn and he would have called. Would that of been the best strategy or was it best to call and allow him room to follow through on the river with a strong AX hand (even if it did not contain a heart). The way it went down... I like his call on the river. He seems like a good reg from what I have seen.



If there is any other hands you want me to share from the list (won or lost), let me know and I can share them.
Here are the list of pots I won, as I forgot to post this further up.



Thanks,
Rob

I also meant to put this hand up. Really interesting one here. Did I make the correct fold or should I have called?



So this pot was against the same opponent who shipped in with AQ multi way on the river and I stacked him with a set of 8s. He is regular for multi-tables, as I see him on the leaderboard. I timed down for a little while before making the fold. Really interested to hear what you think of this hand. *Just for reference - If I had KQ suited I would have 3 bet him pre but seeing as it was KQ off I chose to flat which I think was fine. My thoughts on the river was that his ranged contained J9 suited, 88, 1010, 108 off, Q10 suited, KK, AA and AQoff/suited and maybe even KQ off/suited or even QJ + Q09 suited. I am not sure if he value jams QJ/Q9 suited here. In terms of bluffs it could be 97suited. I don't think he turns A10 into a bluff here. Maybe the Q of spades is a really important card here and I could have called down? Not sure at all. I think I am happy with my play and the lay down.

My flop call perhaps was a little too wide, as I didn't have anything else to go with my two overs (side note - thoughts?).
* I wouldn't always call a flop bet here on this texture - more player dependent.

Against a pot bet on the flop, I would still narrow my defense.
KQo looks like an overwide even against such an opponent.

We have a bluff catcher on the river, but the 3 big barrel line is very underbluffed.
I like your fold.

Secured $250 for the beast leaderboard with 10k points - 37k hands last week.
Withdrew some money but also lost some money.

Decided I want to go back to 10nl - less serious in terms of bankroll management.
So I started this am with $250 beast leaderboard money in my account and now up to $296 after my first session of 500 hands.
I seem to be playing well, now back at 10nl and exploiting play but also value betting hard. Only a small session this morning, so time will tell if this is actually the case.

Last 1.5 hands here... (includes 1k hands from the early hours of this morning - still last week's beast leaderboard).


Going to try and turn my 10nl graph round from being negative to a positive. I was playing so much like an agro donk and I think in the last week playing 50nl and higher (at times)
has helped me see where I have been going wrong, especially at 10nl. Time will tell but this week I am going to set myself the challenge to play 40k hands at 10nl.
Secure $125 beast pay out and I estimate about $100 in rake. Week will go in-line with the beast leaderboard. The grind starts today. Got about 500 hands in this morning. Will have to do some serious grinding this evening. 6k hands per day is the aim.

*I don't think I am ready to grind 50nl, as still making stupid punts and that is the reason I am slightly losing over a 16k hand sample last week (approx 4bb/100).

So goals for the week.

- Less punting this week (unless the bluff really makes sense
- 40k hands
- In profit before rake back at 10nl.
- $125 bonus + min $75 from rake back.

So having a little think about playing on a different site.

Not really a fan of the new look / software at ACR and also thinking about rakeback and limits available etc for ‘zoom’ and is this site the best option?

Questioning myself…

So I am thinking I’ll play around 150k hands per month. Where do you think I should be playing?

Stay at ACR or explore something else?
Stake - 10nl through to 50nl

Didn't play much over the weekend, if at all.
Grind for the week started yesterday. Aiming for 30k hands at 50nl to make $250 beast leaderboard again, so about 8.5-9k points.

Last 24 hours has been nuts. Played solid yesterday and was up 7 buyins or so... about $340. Rollercoaster session this morning before getting back to about break even and then went on a terrible downswing. Just getting screwed over and losing flips. Bloody ACR killing me with the river and the run outs.
Look at this poor graph for my 9k hands so far this week.



Send hugs.

We go again tonight.

Very nice blog you have created so I subbed it! Can't give you any advice on sites because i am also testing different networks right now after a long break.

Nowadays it also depends on where you are located, are you from USA?

gl tonight

Thanks for the best wishes.
From the UK. Not sure why I’m playing on ACR but here we are…

Off to watch football now and then home to get the grind on. Going to get another 5k hands in if I can. Let’s see how we go!

Really don’t want to have to move back to 10NL.

I had to stop my session after 500 hands to report some of my hands here.
I am in disbelief. I am -$6 in 500 hands.. I should be about $200 in profit.

WTF is ACR doing on these rivers. FFS...
No urgency - so didn't bomb the turn - let him bet.



I have no words for this.
ge...]

This is the sickest beat I have ever had...
age...]

LOL - Yesterday's Graph - running very badly.


Today's graph so far....


I will keep at it. I can't beat these idiots....