I think you're right, a fold would've probably been a lot better there. I guess it comes down to working on discipline, especially with strong hands in marginal positions that I just don't want to let go.

Definitely agree. I'll probably make some small adjustments from time to time, but I won't dramatically change my game to counter anyone's specific playstyle in 6max (like completely removing bluffing).

Edit: Or at least I'll try not to, especially in tilty situations lol.

Day 3 is in the books! Very nice going today, bumped it up from 3 tables to 4 tables so definitely got a bit more volume in. Additionally, a lot more sweet games on a Saturday (and it being 4th of July). Few questionable hands down below, as always:

H1:

Some context first. Villain often raised flops after my initial cbet, making him very hard to play against (good on him). My question is, to someone who raises often, how much should I 3bet bluff on the flop and how much should I just float? Especially OOP, where I feel it's hard to continue with more marginal hands after being barreled into again.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $29.12 (97 bb)
MP: $12.41 (41 bb)
CO (Hero): $32.94 (110 bb)
BU: $31.33 (104 bb)
SB: $54.30 (181 bb)
BB: $42.39 (141 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with Q♥ J♥
1 fold, MP calls $0.30, Hero raises to $0.90, BTN calls $0.90, 2 players fold, MP calls $0.60

Flop: ($3.15) 5♥ 9♠ 2♥ (3 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.97, BTN raises to $9, MP folds, Hero raises to $32.04 (all-in), BU folds

Total pot: $21.15 (Rake: $1.06)
CO (Hero) wins $20.09

Is this worth 3bet bluffing? I figure I have some connectivity to the 9, besides my 2 overs and flush draw. However, Villain did reraise to an astronomically high price, so maybe it's better to fold and be more choosy about bluffs?

H2:

Against a reg here at 30NL, no tendencies that I can pick up on just yet 3 days in.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $48.90 (163 bb)
CO: $36.93 (123 bb)
BU: $30.45 (102 bb)
SB: $29.70 (99 bb)
BB (Hero): $68.59 (229 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with K♥ Q♣
2 players fold, BTN raises to $0.90, SB calls $0.75, Hero 3-bets to $3.60, BTN calls $2.70, 1 fold

I 3bet here as I figure I'm ahead of a button range, but I always 3bet here. Is always 3betting with KQo+ to a button raise too wide? I also 3bet with a bunch of suited connectors and occasionally some Ax suited, so I don't know if I'm simply putting too many 3bets in my sb play.

Flop: ($8.10) 2♥ 4♣ A♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $2.52, BTN calls $2.52

Alternatively I could check here and hope to get to a cheap showdown with the K? It'd seem difficult to continue after a large bet or a second barrel though.

Turn: ($13.14) 2♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $8.40, BTN calls $8.40

Flush draw comes in, so I decide to barrel again. Is this adding too many bluffs into my range? What do you think about barreling with just the nut flush, to make my life much easier if the flush does come in.

River: ($29.94) A♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $54.07 (all-in), BTN calls $15.93 (all-in)

I figured as I was blocking AQ and AK, I'd rip it in here. However, most buttons would probably 4bet AK (maybe AQs sometimes?) so I'm not blocking too many of his aces. I figure I have to have some bluffs in here, although I'm not sure what cards would be best to do that (maybe cards without a club so as to not block flushes?).

Total pot: $61.80 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows K♥ Q♣ (two pair, Aces and Twos)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 40%, Flop: 8%, Turn: 20%, River: 0%)

BU shows A♠ 6♠ (a full house, Aces full of Twos)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 60%, Flop: 92%, Turn: 80%, River: 100%)

BU wins $59.80

Additionally, I'm not sure about the bet sizing throughout. I get my thought process on both the flop and the turn (small cbet, bigger bet once possibility of flush comes in on the turn), but I'm left in an awkward spot on the river where my opponent only has half a pot size left behind, making it difficult for him to laydown almost anything.

H3:

Last hand review, also where I drop an entire buyin at the end of the session :

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG (Hero): $30.00 (100 bb)
CO: $33.33 (111 bb)
BU: $20.25 (68 bb)
SB: $30.01 (100 bb)
BB: $29.40 (98 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is UTG with J♥ Q♣
Hero raises to $0.90, CO calls $0.90, 2 players fold, BB calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.85) Q♠ 6♦ 3♠ (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.89, CO raises to $2.08, BB folds, Hero calls $1.19

Not the same villain as before, who would consistently raise my cbets. I have no idea what he's representing with the raise on this flop. I don't think he'd call a UTG open with suited queens that make two pair, and I don't think he'd raise just a naked queen, so I mainly see sets and bluffs (with spades and potentially 45s?).

Turn: ($7.01) K♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $5.76, Hero calls $5.76

Now things get even more fishy. At this point, I don't know whether I should just fold. AQ and KQ are both much better hands in my range, so if I did decide to bluff catch I could call with those instead. I do decide calling because in the end I just have no idea what villain has, barreling again after an overcard hits the turn (except sets). In the end, I hope to get more disciplined with laying these downs and really only picking a select few combos to bluff catch with.

River: ($18.53) 6♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $24.59 (all-in), Hero calls $21.26 (all-in)

River is a beautiful card, making pocket sixes that much more unlikely. He only has 1 combo of queens, 1 combo of sixes, and 3 combos of 3s now. All the draws have missed, so I decide to take a stand and call down.

Total pot: $61.05 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
CO shows Q♥ K♥ (two pair, Kings and Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 75%, Flop: 86%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

UTG (Hero) shows J♥ Q♣ (two pair, Queens and Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 25%, Flop: 14%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

CO wins $59.05

Ouch. I value owned myself. It's easy to say in hindsight, but through this I definitely want to work out (in my head at least) the ranges I'll be calling/raising or making whatever decisions with, as to not overcall or overbluff.

That's about it, advice is always appreciated, and thanks for reading

GL OP rooting for you. I also started college (university) thinking I just want to get good at poker and never make a career out of degening, but sh*t happens.

Haha thank you . I'll be going to college in New York so poker (on pokerstars at least) will be put on hold. We'll see where it goes from there.

How are you playing on stars as an 18 yo?

That's a great question! Unfortunately I think it's best if I don't answer that haha.

Here's today's graph, a very swingy day:



Today was my first day back at 6tabling, and I think that attributed to a loss of individual focus. That being said, I definitely think I'm getting the hang of it and I'm confident that I will soon be able to 6table 30NL much better than before.

Here's one of the first hands I played, where I proceeded to get my ass kicked:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $14.50 (48 bb)
CO: $56.49 (188 bb)
BU: $73.32 (244 bb)
SB: $30.74 (102 bb)
BB (Hero): $30.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with T♠ 9♣
UTG calls $0.30, CO raises to $0.60, 1 fold, SB calls $0.45, Hero calls $0.30, UTG calls $0.30

Flop: ($2.40) 7♦ 8♣ Q♥ (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks, CO bets $1.74, SB folds, Hero raises to $4.62, UTG folds, CO calls $2.88

Turn: ($11.64) 4♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $5.70, CO calls $5.70

River: ($23.04) A♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $19.08 (all-in), CO calls $19.08

Total pot: $61.20 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows T♠ 9♣ (high card, Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 27%, Flop: 32%, Turn: 18%, River: 0%)

CO shows Q♠ T♣ (a pair of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 73%, Flop: 68%, Turn: 82%, River: 100%)

CO wins $59.20

Looking back at this hand, something I do need to remember when making plays like this is to also incorporate enough value hands in this range. I think I find myself doing things like overbet jamming turn with nutted hands far less often than when I do it as a bluff, because I'm afraid to chase people out.

Here's one that frustrated me:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $28.86 (96 bb)
CO: $31.48 (105 bb)
BU: $32.44 (108 bb)
SB (Hero): $38.46 (128 bb)
BB: $34.73 (116 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is SB with K♠ A♠
2 players fold, BTN raises to $1.05, Hero 3-bets to $4.20, 1 fold, BTN calls $3.15

Flop: ($8.70) 6♦ 5♦ K♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $2.73, BTN calls $2.73

Turn: ($14.16) 3♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $8.88, BTN calls $8.88

River: ($31.92) K♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $16.63 (all-in), SB (Hero) folds

Total pot: $31.92 (Rake: $1.60)
BU wins $30.32

I find myself in such an ugly spot on the river, and I wonder what I can do to prevent situations like this again in the future. I think one option would be to go with a much bigger size on the flop (like 2/3rds pot?) and set up a jam on the turn, but I'll need advice on that.

Here's one that I didn't know what to do, with a monster draw:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $31.98 (107 bb)
MP: $20.26 (68 bb)
CO: $26.67 (89 bb)
BU (Hero): $39.88 (133 bb)
SB: $28.63 (95 bb)
BB: $19.65 (66 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with 7♠ T♠
2 players fold, CO calls $0.30, Hero raises to $0.90, 2 players fold, CO calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.25) 9♦ 8♠ Q♣ (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $1.41, CO raises to $3.90, Hero calls $2.49

Turn: ($10.05) 4♠ (2 players)
CO bets $9.60, Hero calls $9.60

River: ($29.25) K♥ (2 players)
CO bets $12.27 (all-in), BU (Hero) folds

Total pot: $29.25 (Rake: $1.46)
CO wins $27.79

The turn decision was by far the hardest for me. Assuming that my opponent has a monster hand, I'd have around ~30% equity with my flush and open ender. Villain pots it (pot size shown is before rake, actual is $9.60), so I am just under the equity threshold. However, I figure that implied odds make this profitable, seeing how villain probably won't lay down two pairs or sets to a backdoor flush or something like a 6 hitting. I do have to say it feels weird planning to call down the majority of my stack and folding river with >half a pot size bet left. What do you think?

No other real hard decisions today, but I'll briefly go over some fun hands:

- Flopped a straight flush draw and got it in on the flop with ~50% equity, turned the straight flush and sealed the deal on that one.
- Flopped a set of 3s against a maniac (beautiful), he's first to act multiway on the J73r flop and shoves for 2x pot. I "think it over" and call, everyone else gets out of the way. He shows pocket 6s, turn 7, river 7, that was a sad one.
- Got stacked getting in AK vs KK pre, oh well.
- Lost around half a stack-ish with a Q high flush v A high with both hole cards playing.

And my favorite one, just like the hand from yesterday, except the positions are switched and I'm the one making the money against a hero caller:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $25.07 (84 bb)
MP: $94.16 (314 bb)
CO: $29.85 (100 bb)
BU: $56.75 (189 bb)
SB (Hero): $41.66 (139 bb)
BB: $24.69 (82 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is SB with K♠ Q♦
UTG raises to $0.60, MP calls $0.60, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.60, Hero 3-bets to $2.40, 1 fold, UTG calls $1.80, 1 fold, BTN calls $1.80

Flop: ($8.10) 7♦ Q♣ K♣ (3 players)
Hero bets $5.08, UTG calls $5.08, BU folds

Turn: ($18.26) 5♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $34.18 (all-in), UTG calls $17.59 (all-in)

River: ($53.44) 7♥ (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $53.44 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
SB (Hero) shows K♠ Q♦ (two pair, Kings and Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 73%, Flop: 92%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

UTG shows J♣ Q♥ (two pair, Queens and Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 27%, Flop: 8%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

SB (Hero) wins $51.44

A bit tired today, but excited to get back on it tomorrow and start fresh again .

1st hand:

I would check with most of my range there including aces. I understand that you are doing so for protection of draws, however, that board texture should have already smashed the blinds range so I would go for pot control. Plus aces are great to check since you will not have any overcards hitting your aces like Jacks, Queens or Kings will.

2nd hand:

I understand your thinking, however, the jack does not block too much unfortunately. There are still 12 combos of JT, 4 combinations of 56, and also 9 combos of possible sets that bet very large for protection.

3rd hand:

Like the overbetting, I think it works pretty well since you get plenty of fold equity and pot equity with your flush draw and two overcards. Since I am a microstakes player myself I am not really sure, however, you will probably need to balance that overbet with some overpairs at higher limits or against stronger, observant players at your current limit.

1st hand: Quite aggressive 3bet there, personally I would just fold since I reckon that my fold equity is pretty small at lower limits. However, if I know my opponent to be very loose aggressive I do not mind this 3bet with two overcards. Plus I am not sure if villain would raise his value hands 4,5x in that situation so there might be alot of bluffs in villains range.

2nd hand: Pre-flop 3bet is good, button will have a very wide range and call with quite a lot of hands that you beat. I do not mind the flop bet and turn bet. I feel the river spot is quite awkward, you should probably just check to see a showdown since kicker becomes irrelevant once full house hits. Sometimes you will be good with King kicker or the pot might be chopped if villain called you down both streets with the King of clubs.

3rd hand: A bit surprised to see that small raise from villain and the big overbet on the river. Considering that full houses are quite unlikely with the queen blocker unless he has the 3s. Since you do not block any flushes and the flush draw has missed a call might be good here sometimes against more aggressive opponents. I imagine CO would usually also 3bet AQ against HJ opening range, so CO should not be raising a lot of queens here. However, I dont mind the bluffcatch here its just a very tricky spot.

1st hand: I like the bluff, think villain is overcalling here. Would make sure to make notes on villain to raise more value hands against him/her.

2nd hand: Difficult situation. I think most players however would simply check back river if they had a 6 in their hand or two pair. Since they called the first two streets with a big turn bet and then shoved river it is more likely that villain has a diamond. However, it depends a lot on your opponent. Some players can be quite bluffy even with decent holdings so sometimes you might be good 25% of the time. I agree with you however on the flop bet. It should be much bigger, between 66-80% in my opinion. Kings, straight draws and flush draws will call either way. However, you want to get rid of those middling hands that get to see another street cheaply.

3rd hand: Think turn decision is correct, even if I agree that it is very thinly.

Thank you Filantropen for taking the time to help me go through all my hands, your advice is very appreciated! It helps a lot having someone agree/disagree with my analysis so I know what parts of my game to improve on. Thank you

No worries man, have not been learning so much off the tables for some time now so felt like it was about time to check out some hands. You seem to be doing great though so just keep it up

Hey everyone! Sorry for not posting yesterday, was very busy and had to get a few vaccines done early in the morning today. My arms are sore, but luckily only poker requires minimum movement!

Unfortunately for the poker side of things, it hasn't been going well (today at least):

Here is yesterday's graph:



Today's graph:



Not so good haha! I am back to break even in adjusted EV for the month at 30 NL, but I'll continue to stick to my plan (dropping back to 10NL if I go below 15 buyins. I think part of the reason for this recent (hopefully very small) downswing is that I've been getting unlucky, but I definitely can't discount that I haven't been playing very well either. I find my VPIP hovering around the high 20s now and a PFR of around 22, 23, the past couple of days. Additionally, there are a few times where I forget who was the preflop aggressor (due to multitabling), and sometimes where I quickfold without seeing the second card by accident (clicking fold when I see a 2 for example, only for the next card to be an ace of the same suite). I'll group all the hand histories together tomorrow, but I'm going to drop tables back to 4tabling for better quality of play!

Today's graph:



As promised, here are hand histories from the past 3 days! I won't comment on them too specifically because there are quite a lot of them!

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG (Hero): $39.10 (130 bb)
MP: $24.33 (81 bb)
CO: $33.16 (111 bb)
BU: $78.00 (260 bb)
SB: $15.50 (52 bb)
BB: $19.07 (64 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is UTG with Q♠ A♦
Hero raises to $1.05, MP calls $1.05, 1 fold, BTN calls $1.05, 1 fold, BB calls $0.75

Flop: ($4.35) 7♥ Q♥ 8♦ (4 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2.73, MP raises to $9.12, 2 players fold, Hero raises to $31.49, MP calls $14.16 (all-in)

Turn: ($50.91) 4♣ (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($50.91) 2♦ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $50.91 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
UTG (Hero) shows Q♠ A♦ (a pair of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 45%, Flop: 2%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

MP shows 7♠ 7♣ (three of a kind, Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 55%, Flop: 98%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

MP wins $48.91

My 3bet line on the flop is very weird, but I based it off a splitsuit video I watched. If I was to call on the flop, I would've been pot committed anyways, so to not get stuck in situations where a potential flush/straight comes onto the board, I get it in right away. Thoughts? How about folding?

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $16.89 (56 bb)
MP: $38.17 (127 bb)
CO (Hero): $48.94 (163 bb)
BU: $19.69 (66 bb)
SB: $13.99 (47 bb)
BB: $27.36 (91 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with J♦ T♥
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.90, BTN calls $0.90, 2 players fold

Flop: ($2.25) K♣ 2♦ A♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.71, BTN calls $0.71

Turn: ($3.67) 8♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $2.30, BTN calls $2.30

River: ($8.27) Q♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $6, BTN raises to $15.78 (all-in), Hero calls $9.78

Total pot: $39.83 (Rake: $1.99)

Showdown:
BU shows 7♦ K♦ (a flush, King high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 57%, Flop: 82%, Turn: 93%, River: 100%)

CO (Hero) shows J♦ T♥ (a straight, Ten to Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 43%, Flop: 18%, Turn: 7%, River: 0%)

BU wins $37.84

On this one: I double barrel now with basically all my strong gutshots, as well as with openenders and flushes. I've noticed that my cbets get called very wide in general. That being said, can I fold to a min clickback on the river? I figured with the jack of diamonds in my hand I was getting too good of a price, but people rarely minraise with a bluff on the river here.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG (Hero): $38.15 (127 bb)
CO: $35.30 (118 bb)
BU: $31.76 (106 bb)
SB: $32.38 (108 bb)
BB: $36.32 (121 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is UTG with 9♣ 8♣
Hero raises to $0.90, CO calls $0.90, 1 fold, SB calls $0.75, BB calls $0.60

Flop: ($3.60) 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $2.40, CO raises to $6.90, 2 players fold, Hero calls $4.50

Turn: ($17.40) 5♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $7.50, Hero calls $7.50

River: ($32.40) 4♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

Total pot: $32.40 (Rake: $1.62)

Showdown:
CO shows 8♠ T♠ (a flush, Ten high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 69%, Flop: 100%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

UTG (Hero) shows 9♣ 8♣ (a straight, Five to Nine)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 31%, Flop: 0%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

CO wins $30.78

When's the best time to get away here? Looking back, I feel like the turn was probably the best spot to lay it down. Sets get there to make full houses, flushes still beat me, and my hand is essentially a bluff catcher at this point. Because I don't have any spades in my hand or pairs to block a full house, I figure this is actually probably one of the worst hands to bluff catch with.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $23.36 (78 bb)
MP: $41.16 (137 bb)
CO: $57.55 (192 bb)
BU: $20.83 (69 bb)
SB: $40.10 (134 bb)
BB (Hero): $77.64 (259 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with T♥ 7♥
1 fold, MP raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.90, SB calls $0.75, Hero calls $0.60

Flop: ($3.60) 2♠ 8♦ 9♣ (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP checks, BTN checks

Turn: ($3.60) J♣ (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.26, MP calls $2.26, 2 players fold

River: ($8.12) K♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $6, MP raises to $12, Hero calls $6

Total pot: $32.12 (Rake: $1.61)

Showdown:
MP shows 5♣ 6♣ (a flush, King high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 38%, Flop: 25%, Turn: 20%, River: 100%)

BB (Hero) mucks T♥ 7♥ (a straight, Seven to Jack)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 62%, Flop: 75%, Turn: 80%, River: 0%)

MP wins $30.51

Can I ever fold this? Again, like a previous hand, I feel like minclicks back convey a lot of strength. Maybe I wait to call when I have a diamond in my hand?

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $31.91 (106 bb)
MP: $30.56 (102 bb)
CO: $12.28 (41 bb)
BU: $50.25 (168 bb)
SB: $49.83 (166 bb)
BB (Hero): $30.60 (102 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with 7♦ Q♣
2 players fold, CO calls $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, 1 fold, Hero checks

Flop: ($1.05) Q♥ J♣ 6♥ (3 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $1, BU folds, Hero calls $1

Turn: ($3.05) Q♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $10.98 (all-in), Hero calls $10.98

River: ($25.01) T♣ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $25.01 (Rake: $1.25)

Showdown:
CO shows J♥ J♠ (a full house, Jacks full of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 72%, Flop: 99%, Turn: 84%, River: 100%)

BB (Hero) shows 7♦ Q♣ (three of a kind, Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 28%, Flop: 1%, Turn: 16%, River: 0%)

CO wins $23.76

3x pot overbet definitely took me by surprise here. I figured since I didn't block the flush or any straight draws, and I did have a Q in my hand, this would be a good candidate to bluff catch with. I don't know many 30NL regs who 3x pot on the turn, but I also feel like this could be a play from a maniac.

As always, thanks for reading

Monthly review time!

Here are the graphs for the past 4 days:









... and the monthly graph:



After struggling and breaking even for 10k hands at 30NL, I've finally hit an upswing and can say that I'm moving forward. I'll admit yesterday's win was mostly lucky; I ran quads into top boat and top set into middle set on a dry flop. However, I definitely think I also performed extremely well the past two days, and have been making some great decisions (as well as getting familiar with the regs at this stake).

That being said, I definitely also made multiple mistakes during this time and am always looking to imrpove:

Here's the first one, also my one of my biggest losses in the past few days:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $47.47 (158 bb)
MP: $64.87 (216 bb)
CO: $34.76 (116 bb)
BU (Hero): $48.58 (162 bb)
SB: $15.94 (53 bb)
BB: $46.51 (155 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with A♣ K♣
1 fold, MP calls $0.30, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BB 3-bets to $3, 1 fold, Hero 4-bets to $6.75, BB 5-bets to $46.51 (all-in), Hero calls $39.76

Flop: ($93.47) 4♣ 5♣ J♠ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($93.47) 8♦ (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($93.47) 6♦ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $93.47 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB shows A♦ A♥ (a pair of Aces)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 88%, Flop: 62%, Turn: 80%, River: 100%)

BU (Hero) shows A♣ K♣ (high card, Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 12%, Flop: 38%, Turn: 20%, River: 0%)

BB wins $91.47

I don't think anyone's range (especially at 30NL) is balanced with such an insane shove over my 4bet, and I definitely think some part of me was hoping it was queens or AK too. Definitely needed a disciplined laydown here.

Here's probably my most embarrassing hand of this month, made up of complete spew:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $64.07 (214 bb)
MP: $29.10 (97 bb)
CO: $25.76 (86 bb)
BU: $10.62 (35 bb)
SB: $30.81 (103 bb)
BB (Hero): $42.62 (142 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with 5♥ 6♥
UTG raises to $0.60, 2 players fold, BTN calls $0.60, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to $2.40, UTG calls $1.80, BTN calls $1.80

Flop: ($7.35) 7♥ 7♠ 9♠ (3 players)
Hero bets $2.30, UTG calls $2.30, BU folds

Turn: ($11.95) 4♠ (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $5.70, Hero calls $5.70

River: ($23.35) A♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $32.22 (all-in), UTG calls $32.22

Total pot: $87.79 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows 5♥ 6♥ (a pair of Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 39%, Flop: 40%, Turn: 32%, River: 0%)

UTG shows A♦ K♦ (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 61%, Flop: 60%, Turn: 68%, River: 100%)

UTG wins $85.79

I have no idea what I was thinking throughout, barreling the flop and not barreling turn after improving, and then jamming the river. To be honest, I didn't want to post this up here at all because of how badly the hand was played, but I figured I had to be honest with myself.

Here's another super embarrassing spew:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $30.00 (100 bb)
CO (Hero): $39.08 (130 bb)
BU: $29.91 (100 bb)
SB: $30.34 (101 bb)
BB: $37.00 (123 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with Q♣ A♦
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, BTN 3-bets to $3.15, 2 players fold, Hero 4-bets to $7.87, BTN calls $4.72

Flop: ($16.19) 5♠ 6♣ 4♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $31.21 (all-in), BTN calls $22.04 (all-in)

Turn: ($60.27) T♥ (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($60.27) J♦ (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $60.27 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
CO (Hero) shows Q♣ A♦ (high card, Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 26%, Flop: 20%, Turn: 7%, River: 0%)

BU shows K♠ A♥ (high card, Ace - higher kicker)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 74%, Flop: 80%, Turn: 93%, River: 100%)

BU wins $58.27

Terrible board for my range after I try 4bet bluffing, and I proceed to shove my stack in there because I figured "I can't fold." Definitely won't be looking to do any sort of gimmicks like this in the future until I study on it.

Now here's a hand I did like:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $30.00 (100 bb)
CO: $58.39 (195 bb)
BU: $51.16 (171 bb)
SB: $29.70 (99 bb)
BB (Hero): $30.77 (103 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with T♠ 8♠
UTG raises to $0.90, 3 players fold, Hero calls $0.60

Flop: ($1.95) 9♠ Q♥ 9♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $0.65, Hero calls $0.65

Turn: ($3.25) 4♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($3.25) 7♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $1.55, Hero raises to $4.65, UTG folds

Total pot: $6.35 (Rake: $0.32)
BB (Hero) wins $6.03

River raise! Figured a queen would never fold to two streets, decided to either showdown with T8 without putting anymore money in the pot or check-raise it.

Most of it now is going through the motions, although I definitely have a lot of relatively broad questions about specific board types. I'm considering getting GTO+, but without coaching it seems difficult to use. Anyways, that's all for now, I'll continue to update as I continue to play!

Hello everyone! Weekly update time!

Here is the weekly graph:



And this was by far my most swingy day (Friday):



That day featured me losing 3 fresh buyins from queens into kings/aces pre, flopped top two vs bottom set, AK v K8 pre (for an entire buyin), and more. However, I'm proud to say that I kept my composure very well throughout and I managed to continue grinding.

Overall, I definitely have to say that this was probably my best week. I'd say that for around 90% of the time played I was on my A game, with logical decision making playing a much bigger part than emotions throughout. I've gotten much more accustomed to the regs and know their playstyles (and how to exploit them) a lot better as well. That being said, this week has definitely served as a reminder that I play an unbalanced strategy involving a lot of overbluffing on the river. I got blasted for over 5 buyins by a calling station who would hold down pocket 3s to a triple barrel. I did eventually manage to adjust accordingly to the player, but it has definitely taken me down a notch and made me realize that I still have a lot to learn.

Here are a few very notable hands of the week:

H1: Against main villain who is calling station (although I didn't know at that time)

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $32.81 (109 bb)
MP: $17.26 (58 bb)
CO: $72.19 (241 bb)
BU: $36.05 (120 bb)
SB (Hero): $46.15 (154 bb)
BB: $47.59 (159 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is SB with Q♥ K♣
2 players fold, CO raises to $0.75, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to $3, BB calls $2.70, CO calls $2.25

Flop: ($9) T♦ 5♥ A♥ (3 players)
Hero bets $2.82, BB calls $2.82, CO folds

I'm not sure about cbetting into two opponents OOP, but I figured this was probably one of the best bluffs that I would ever have in my range (besides flush draws), so I decided to fire with plans on going all the way through if a heart hit the turn or river, seeing how I held the queen of hearts.

Turn: ($14.64) 3♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $9.18, BB calls $9.18

Turn is a brick, but I figured with such a range advantage against a BB flat (and a legit draw) I had to fire a second barrel with plans on emptying the clip if a heart came on the river.

River: ($33) 3♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $31.15 (all-in), BB calls $31.15

River is another brick, and at this point I should really give up. I know (and knew) that it was definitely better to fire on a board like this without a heart in my hand, and fire this exact hand on a board where a 3rd heart hit. But I couldn't stop myself in the moment, and I just wanted to get the bluff through that I didn't give too much thought at looking at my range and choosing the right bluffs.

Total pot: $95.30 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
SB (Hero) shows Q♥ K♣ (a pair of Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 9%, Flop: 16%, Turn: 9%, River: 0%)

BB shows K♥ K♦ (two pair, Kings and Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 91%, Flop: 84%, Turn: 91%, River: 100%)

Main villain says "gotcha. I put you on a flush draw" and scoops the pot.

BB wins $93.30

At this point I was livid, to be honest. I was pissed that he flatted kings pre, called down three barrels with a terrible bluff catcher when he could've chosen to call down with hands with an ace and non hearts, and had the audacity to "put me on a flush draw" when he held the king of hearts in a 3 bet pot. But, although it took some time, I also reminded myself that I played the hand (especially the river) poorly as well. And so, over the course of the day, I came to accept that I lost a river bet because of my mistake, and not the entire pot because of his stupidity.

Here is another one against the same opponent:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $94.59 (315 bb)
MP: $32.36 (108 bb)
CO: $17.26 (58 bb)
BU: $69.64 (232 bb)
SB: $36.20 (121 bb)
BB (Hero): $30.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with J♣ A♣
UTG calls $0.30, 4 players fold, Hero raises to $0.90, UTG calls $0.60

Flop: ($1.95) K♣ K♥ 6♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.61, UTG calls $0.61

Turn: ($3.17) T♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $1.99, UTG calls $1.99

I decide to barrel again turning a draw, and give up in the future if the turn bricked without a gutshot or flush draw.

River: ($7.15) 5♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $9, UTG calls $9

I considered my options here and wondered if AJs would be a decent combo to bluff with. On one hand, it does have some showdown value (although I don't know how much, against an opponent who called two barrels). It blocks some backdoor flush possibilities that villain may float with on the flop, although the club on the river makes that slightly more unlikely. Better combos would definitely include QJ (which would block both KJ and KQ, instead of just KJ), and maybe hands like J9s or Q9s. Looking back, I think that this play was marginal at best and possibly losing, but definitely not as much of a mental spew as the first hand.

Total pot: $25.15 (Rake: $1.26)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows J♣ A♣ (a pair of Kings)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 49%, Flop: 43%, Turn: 36%, River: 0%)

UTG shows 3♦ 3♣ (two pair, Kings and Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 51%, Flop: 57%, Turn: 64%, River: 100%)

UTG wins $23.89

Although I lost this hand and wasn't particularly happy with how I played it, it definitely set me back into reality and made me treat opponents as individuals with individual tendencies, and not just as the entire 30NL group. I did later manage on to get him to hero call with pocket 3s again against a flopped full house, and bottom pair vs top two. I'm not too proud of the first 2 hands, but I can say I did learn a lot from them in the long run.

On the flip side, here are some hands that I am very proud of from this week:

H1: Main villain is a very aggressive reg that likes to 3bet a lot.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $30.00 (100 bb)
MP: $28.07 (94 bb)
CO (Hero): $30.38 (101 bb)
BU: $42.77 (143 bb)
SB: $29.51 (98 bb)
BB: $43.70 (146 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with A♣ 4♣
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.90, BTN 3-bets to $2.70, 2 players fold, Hero 4-bets to $6.75, BTN calls $4.05

Normally I only 4bet bluff A5s, but after playing a few thousand hands with this specific opponent I've adjusted by adding A4s in that range as well.

Flop: ($13.95) Q♦ 6♥ 4♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

I flop just enough showdown value to not cbet as a bluff and check, looking to play some turns and rivers (or really just pray that villain doesn't bet at all).

Turn: ($13.95) Q♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

Still don't feel comfortable betting into opponent, who could definitely have some middling pocket pairs or the one combo of AQs still in the deck. Flush draws also become a possibility now, so I doubt a bet would accomplish much.

River: ($13.95) 7♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $9.94, Hero calls $9.94

Normally I'd sigh fold a river like this, with 4 of a suit coming onto the board (and instead plan to call hands like AKo with a heart). But as I reflected and thought over past action, I realized that villain didn't really have many single hearts in his range. I'd be more likely to have AKo than he would, and besides that most of the hands that could call a 4bet would all be suited. The really only real heart possibilities would be pocket pairs, but with my history with the villain (he fired a lot when checked to) I believed there was a very decent chance he was firing with air.

Total pot: $33.83 (Rake: $1.69)

Showdown:
BU shows J♠ A♦ (a pair of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 67%, Flop: 15%, Turn: 15%, River: 0%)

CO (Hero) shows A♣ 4♣ (two pair, Queens and Fours)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 33%, Flop: 85%, Turn: 85%, River: 100%)

CO (Hero) wins $32.14

It turns out my analysis was entirely wrong, as villain would call a 4bet with AJo. Had I known this, my call would've been completely wrong and torching money on fire, which I find funny in retrospect. That being said, I'm more proud of the thought process I went through to make that call, instead of just being scared of a 4 suited board and mindlessly fold like usual.

Here's the next hand, in which I turned a bet originally meant for value into a bluff after getting raised:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $41.05 (137 bb)
MP: $34.53 (115 bb)
CO (Hero): $31.10 (104 bb)
BU: $24.97 (83 bb)
SB: $31.19 (104 bb)
BB: $12.00 (40 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with K♦ J♥
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.90, BTN calls $0.90, 2 players fold

Flop: ($2.25) A♣ A♦ K♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

I feel like this is one of the few hands I would check instead of cbetting given my enormous range advantage, intended for pot control in case villain does have an A.

Turn: ($2.25) J♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.71, BTN raises to $2.25, Hero raises to $5.57, BU folds

Normally with less vulnerable second pairs I like to check to the river where I can go for a value bet and play pot control, but I feel like any Q or T would significantly diminish the value of my hand, as well as (to a much lesser extent) clubs. After button raises, I realize that I'm not beating any of villain's value range. From his perspective, he just raised v the preflop aggressor on a AAKJ board, which polarizes his range to really just complete bluffs or relatively nutted hands. I decide that calling isn't an option (guessing that villain would probably continue firing with his bluffs on the river, while my hand can't really stand too much more heat), so I take the aggressive approach and turn KJ into a bluff. I figure that this is one of the best hands to do so: I block both AK and AJ, and I'm ready to jam the river on any runout repping basically just a full house. With my range advantage, I hope to put eevn hands with a naked A in a tough spot as this line is relatively underbluffed at 30NL I think. I do get it through, however, and manage to take it down on the turn.

Total pot: $6.75 (Rake: $0.34)
CO (Hero) wins $6.41

Here is hand 3, against a relatively unknown opponent that has taken some questionable lines:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $41.41 (138 bb)
MP: $17.32 (58 bb)
CO: $29.14 (97 bb)
BU (Hero): $38.88 (130 bb)
SB: $30.00 (100 bb)
BB: $30.47 (102 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with T♥ T♦
UTG calls $0.30, 2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BB calls $0.60, UTG calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.85) 9♥ 2♥ 5♦ (3 players)
BB bets $1.71, UTG folds, Hero calls $1.71

Main villain starts right off by donk leading into me and another opponent. In my observation at microstakes, this is usually done for protection (such like top pair in this case afraid of an overcard) or natural bluffs (flushes in this case). I do call with my overpair, and we take a turn.

Turn: ($6.27) 5♥ (2 players)
BB bets $4.83, Hero calls $4.83

Turn pairs the board and completes the flush, and villain leads into me again. At this point I don't see really any value hands doing this besides a flush, as a naked 9 would probably slow down with the flush coming onto the board and the off change that I hold something like 65s. I realize that if I call here and the river doesn't come something disastrous, I probably do have to call down the river too. I decide to call with all 9s (as they block my opponents 9s), and overpairs with a heart in them.

River: ($15.93) A♦ (2 players)
BB bets $12.26, Hero calls $12.26

River comes an ace, but that doesn't really matter as villain isn't really repping an ace. I follow through on my plan and call him down.

Total pot: $40.45 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB shows 7♣ 8♣ (a pair of Fives)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 20%, Flop: 18%, Turn: 7%, River: 0%)

BU (Hero) shows T♥ T♦ (two pair, Tens and Fives)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 80%, Flop: 82%, Turn: 93%, River: 100%)

BU (Hero) wins $38.45

That's it for this week! Hopefully you enjoyed reading through my journey, and please do feel free to leave any suggestions for these hands. See you soon!

Weekly Update Again! I've started taking to playing poker on different platforms as well, so I'll be adding a few things in this time!

For starters, my week on Pokerstars wasn't too great. Graph for this week:

I've always wanted to achieve a winrate as high as I could, and I think it's time I start accepting that I probably won't achieve my 10NL winrate at 30NL. That being said, although I feel like I spent the majority of the week getting absolutely destroyed, I played relatively well. There were, as always, more than a few spots I feel like I've messed up on that has to be -EV in the long run. However, this week includes the addition of a few new things that I think will make my poker game better, and also more enjoyable.

First of all, I've joined a few clubs on pokerrrr2 that host real money games. I've always been hesistant to deposit money on these clubs, seeing how A) they are a lot more shady than regulated sites, and B) the stakes are much higher than my bankroll allows (at least 100NL). However, through winning $30 in freerolls hosted everyday, I was able to build up a bankroll in two clubs and play there almost daily now.

Current sessions so far (both 100NL):

Club 1:


I also cashed out for 100 dollars at this club, but it shows up as a loss on the graph.

Club 2:


I haven't cashed out any money at this club.

I know entrusting so much money on sketchy clubs with unknown hosts is stupid, but currently I'm waiting for my Venmo to be verified so I can cash out more (max limit for unverified accounts is 300 dollars). Additionally, although these clubs are notoriously soft, I know I'm also on a sick heater and I'll probably be in the face of an inevitable downswing soon enough.

My second addition this week has been the addition of a study group! Through reddit I've found a discord group for serious microstakes players, and through watching and chatting I've definitely learned a few things, as well as gotten help in places I'd be stuck at otherwise.

My last addition has been GTO+. I decided to invest my recent cashout back into my game, and now I'm currently watching a great youtube series (Michael Lukich, awesome channel) instructing how to use the software to its fullest extent. I'm still on the second video, and I've held off on constructing any trees until I iron out all the basics in GTO+, but things are going swimmingly and I look forward to starting studying in deeper levels in this game.

Alright, now to this week's hand reviews!

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $47.93 (160 bb)
CO: $25.42 (85 bb)
BU: $29.31 (98 bb)
SB: $34.86 (116 bb)
BB (Hero): $70.68 (236 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with 8♠ 7♦
3 players fold, SB raises to $0.90, Hero calls $0.60

Flop: ($1.80) 6♠ 6♣ K♠ (2 players)
SB bets $0.45, Hero calls $0.45

I'm very inexperienced in blind v blind play, so it is often difficult for me to figure out when to float. I did so here because of the small bet size and the backdoor straight/flush draws.

Turn: ($2.70) J♠ (2 players)
SB bets $1.35, Hero raises to $3.98, SB calls $2.63

The backdoor straight draw bricks, but I'm drawing to a flush now. I read somewhere that you should be bluffing with your lowest & highest flush draws while mainly calling with your middling ones, so I'm not sure if this is the best spot to be raising (as he very well could just have a higher flush draw). I did so because I figured I should have more 6s in my range, and my hand blocks most of the 6s that would be in his hand.

River: ($10.66) T♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $12, SB calls $12

I elect to overbet here representing trips+, and get basically snapped off. Looking back, I feel like I should have gone much bigger here to put hands like single kings in a tough spot. I definitely feel (in general) that when I overbet I go barely over pot, and as of now I'm still trying to work out good bet sizes in these situations.

Total pot: $34.66 (Rake: $1.73)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows 8♠ 7♦ (a pair of Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 35%, Flop: 9%, Turn: 20%, River: 0%)

SB shows A♣ K♣ (two pair, Kings and Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 65%, Flop: 91%, Turn: 80%, River: 100%)

SB wins $32.93

H2:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $21.40 (71 bb)
CO: $27.75 (93 bb)
BU: $29.09 (97 bb)
SB: $33.01 (110 bb)
BB (Hero): $31.81 (106 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with 4♦ A♣
UTG calls $0.30, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.30, 1 fold, Hero checks

Flop: ($1.05) 5♦ 3♣ 5♥ (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, BTN bets $0.50, Hero raises to $1.50, UTG calls $1.50, BU folds

I decide to bluff raise this flop because I figure I have many more 5s in my range than either other player should have. Thinking back, I'm not sure about this move. For one thing, this is a multiway pot, so it's more likely someone actually has something. I also am holding an ace in my hand, so I do have some showdown value on this very dry board. Maybe I should be more selective when doing this and only bluff raise with hands like 64?

Turn: ($4.55) 6♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $2.85, UTG calls $2.85

I turn an open ender, so I decide to continue the story. It is pretty scary at this point that UTG is coming with me all this way, and at this point I assume that he has at least something.

River: ($10.25) J♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $27.16 (all-in), UTG calls $16.75 (all-in)

I overbet jam to try to put weak (former) overpairs in a tough spot. I figure I do block hands like 54s, but again I'm not sure about hand selection. I definitely can't be doing this too often, and I feel like I should be bluffing with stronger draws with less showdown value (like 64). Reviewing all my hands, I definitely feel like I'm overbluffing.

Total pot: $43.75 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows 4♦ A♣ (a pair of Fives)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 46%, Flop: 2%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

UTG shows 3♥ 3♦ (a full house, Threes full of Fives)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 54%, Flop: 98%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

UTG wins $41.75

H3:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $30.26 (101 bb)
CO: $27.50 (92 bb)
BU: $29.78 (99 bb)
SB (Hero): $30.45 (102 bb)
BB: $35.24 (117 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is SB with J♣ A♣
2 players fold, BTN raises to $0.90, Hero 3-bets to $3.60, 1 fold, BTN calls $2.70

Flop: ($7.50) T♦ Q♦ 3♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $2.35, BTN calls $2.35

Here is a place where I often don't know what to do. I don't know whether I should check, bet small, or bet big. The board I feel like is just connected enough that betting small may not be the best strategy, but then again I feel like it should favor my range much more than the button's. If I were to use a bigger bet size, I feel like I'd have to check more often as well. But then my question becomes, when should I check and when should I bet with marginal hands like these? What if I had a diamond in my hand as well (AJ w a diamond)? Should I be betting there as a bluff, or check calling to protect weaker hands that completely whiffed?

Turn: ($12.20) 9♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $5.80, BTN calls $5.80

Since I elected to barrel the flop, I do barrel the turn here once I draw into more equity. The turned diamond isn't my favorite suit, and I'd much rather be doing this with say AJ with a diamond, but now I feel like I'm committed to barreling here.

River: ($23.80) 8♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $18.70 (all-in), BTN calls $18.03 (all-in)

I get there in the end and decide to rip it in, figuring there was no way I was folding if my opponent had a flush anyways. I'm really not sure about this entire line overall, and whether it'd be better just to check the flop and (maybe) peel one card?

Total pot: $59.86 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
SB (Hero) shows J♣ A♣ (a straight, Eight to Queen)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 70%, Flop: 53%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

BU shows A♦ 8♦ (a flush, Ace high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 30%, Flop: 47%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

BU wins $57.86

H4:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG (Hero): $30.45 (102 bb)
CO: $38.06 (127 bb)
BU: $32.55 (109 bb)
SB: $49.76 (166 bb)
BB: $28.81 (96 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is UTG with T♦ 9♦
Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.90, 2 players fold

Flop: ($2.25) 5♦ J♦ Q♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $1.41, BTN calls $1.41

Looking back I think I would've loved to overbet this spot. I'm very inexperienced (as you can see by previous HHs haha) with overbetting in general, and most of my use has been recreational and probably unbalanced. That being said, I feel like I definitely have a prime candidate to be doing so with here.

Turn: ($5.07) T♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $7.50, BTN raises to $15, Hero raises to $28.14 (all-in), BTN calls $13.14

Now here are where things go off the rails. I figure a pair of tens is probably never good, and since I still hold the nuts advantage, I overbet a tad too late. I'd definitely say people at 30NL overfold to micros, so alarm bells started ringing when my opponent min clicked it back to me. I put it through a poker equity calculator, and I found that even against a set I had somewhere around ~30% equity, so there was no way I was going anywhere. My question becomes, should I rip it in here or should I just call to peel a card and fold the river if I don't hit? I don't know how much fold equity I really have now, since my opponent probably almost always has a nutted hand here.

River: ($61.35) 4♥ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $61.35 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
UTG (Hero) shows T♦ 9♦ (a pair of Tens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 40%, Flop: 53%, Turn: 18%, River: 0%)

BU shows K♠ A♦ (a straight, Ten to Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 60%, Flop: 47%, Turn: 82%, River: 100%)

BU wins $59.35

I get the worst news possible, and it turns out I was drawing very thin by the turn. Looking back, I definitely favor an overbet on the flop in this spot.

H5:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 4 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $35.12 (117 bb)
BU: $28.95 (97 bb)
SB: $38.86 (130 bb)
BB (Hero): $35.30 (118 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with 8♥ 8♠
2 players fold, SB raises to $0.90, Hero 3-bets to $2.70, SB calls $1.80

Is 3betting 8s to thin here? I'm still very new to the wide ranges of blind v blind, so I'm not sure if I should just be flatting here.

Flop: ($5.40) A♥ 7♦ 9♦ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.69, SB calls $1.69

I cbet for protection. I think that with higher pocket pairs I would probably check back for pot control, but with lower pocket pairs I generally favor betting a flop like this.

Turn: ($8.78) 6♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5.50, SB calls $5.50

Now picking up an open ender, I decide to turn my hand into a bluff. I'm not sure about this play at all to be completely honest. Heads up, I feel like a pair still has significant showdown value, so maybe I should be checking this back instead and bluffing with flush draws and other open enders?

River: ($19.78) T♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $25.41 (all-in), SB calls $25.41

Straight draw completes, I rip it in, and get the bad news once I get snap called.

Total pot: $70.60 (Rake: $1)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows 8♥ 8♠ (a straight, Six to Ten)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 82%, Flop: 78%, Turn: 73%, River: 0%)

SB shows 7♥ 5♥ (a flush, Ace high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 18%, Flop: 22%, Turn: 27%, River: 100%)

SB wins $69.60

H6:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $37.67 (126 bb)
MP (Hero): $45.30 (151 bb)
CO: $30.00 (100 bb)
BU: $38.68 (129 bb)
SB: $14.35 (48 bb)
BB: $43.90 (146 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is MP with T♦ K♦
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.90, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold

Flop: ($3) T♥ 8♦ 8♣ (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.94, BTN calls $0.94, SB folds

Cbet small on this dry flop with a nice top pair.

Turn: ($4.88) A♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

I plan on check calling in case my opponent did decide to float with ace high.

River: ($4.88) 6♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $3.06, BTN raises to $6.12, Hero raises to $14.56, BTN raises to $36.84 (all-in), Hero calls $22.28

Now things get completely off the rails, and I'm wondering if I could've escaped this hand. I make the nut flush draw so I lead out for around 2/3s pot, something I'd probably also do with an ace. My opponent now raises, and at this point I don't know whether I should call or raise. I figure that because this could simply be trips or a lower flush, I need to raise my nut flush for value here. I do, and I get the bad news when my opponent comes over the top and jams. I run it over, and although this bluff line is probably unheard of (especially in the micros), I figure I have one of the best hands to call with. I hold the strongest flush possible, and my opponent is really only saying he has a boat. Since I also have a ten, I block most of the boats (especially ones that were made on the flop), so this would probably be one of my best bluff catchers. I'm curious for other opinions on whether I should've just flatted to the reraise or folded to a river jam.

Total pot: $78.56 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BU shows 6♣ 6♠ (a full house, Sixes full of Eights)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 51%, Flop: 9%, Turn: 5%, River: 100%)

MP (Hero) shows T♦ K♦ (a flush, Ace high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 49%, Flop: 91%, Turn: 95%, River: 0%)

BU wins $76.56

That's all for this week! My br on pokerstars is approaching $1300 now, but I don't really have any plans of moving up to 50NL. I still struggle with my plays here, so I want to spend more time ironing out ranges before I move up. As always, thanks for reading, and have a good day

Hey everyone! I'm back for a two-for-one weekly & monthly update special!

First, here are the weekly results:


Faced a pretty rough patch in the middle of the week, but managed to get things going again after clearing my mind and taking a day off.

Here are results from the clubs I've been playing at, adjusted slightly from last week for accurancy:

Club 1:


Facing a small downswing in this club, but that's really to be expected after running like God for the past month or so.

Club 2:


And finally, as I'm about to start college in New York in less than a month's time, I decided to join a poker club there as well -

Club 3:


Admittedly, I haven't put as much volume as usual in these clubs, partially because of them hosting PLO some nights, and partially because I've been busy irl.

Now for the HH's, here are a few of the worst and/or most difficult decisions I've had to make, and what I hope to improve on:

H1: Fighting over an ISO

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $60.52 (202 bb)
MP: $33.03 (110 bb)
CO: $71.64 (239 bb)
BU (Hero): $45.23 (151 bb)
SB: $50.81 (169 bb)
BB: $30.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with Q♣ A♠
UTG raises to $0.90, 1 fold, CO 3-bets to $3, Hero 4-bets to $6.60, 3 players fold, CO calls $3.60

UTG has a very wide open range, with a pfr of upwards of 30%. Because of this, I felt like most iso 3bets would be fairly wide, so I decided to 4bet bluff here and try to take it down pre.

Flop: ($14.55) 4♠ 4♦ 5♠ (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $4.56, CO calls $4.56

I cbet here with the BDFD.

Turn: ($23.67) 9♥ (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks

Now here's where things start going a bit off. I have no idea what to do after my opponent calls and it's my turn to act again. I definitely think it's not knowing what to do in situations like these that causes me to lose EV in the long run. I decide to check and give up.

River: ($23.67) J♦ (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $6.30, CO calls $6.30

??? I don't follow through with my plan and try to stab at it again, with the A of spades being a terrible card in my hand. Not only was this play bad, but I think it further reflects on how I just didn't have a plan going into this hand.

Total pot: $36.27 (Rake: $1.81)

Showdown:
BU (Hero) shows Q♣ A♠ (a pair of Fours)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 30%, Flop: 18%, Turn: 7%, River: 0%)

CO shows Q♥ Q♦ (two pair, Queens and Fours)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 70%, Flop: 82%, Turn: 93%, River: 100%)

CO wins $34.46

H2: Here's another one where I lacked decisiveness

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $34.10 (114 bb)
CO: $25.05 (84 bb)
BU: $12.12 (40 bb)
SB: $25.96 (87 bb)
BB (Hero): $48.69 (162 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with Q♣ Q♦
UTG raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.90, SB 3-bets to $3.90, Hero 4-bets to $8.58, 2 players fold, SB calls $4.68

Flop: ($18.96) 6♠ 3♠ A♦ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

With a SPR of about 1, I honestly just don't know what to do. Should I be jamming everything here? My 4bets will be more heavily dominated by aces, so should I be turning queens into a bluff?

Turn: ($18.96) 8♦ (2 players)
SB bets $5.40, Hero raises to $40.11 (all-in), SB folds

This is where my indecisiveness shows. I don't want to give up the hand, but if I had thought about it like this earlier, I would've just jammed the flop. So instead I jam where I'm basically getting called by everything better and folding out everything worse. Definitely a terrible play on my part, should've either called down at this point and allowed my opponent to bluff or just have given up.

Total pot: $29.76 (Rake: $1.49)
BB (Hero) wins $28.27

H3:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG (Hero): $59.22 (197 bb)
CO: $39.63 (132 bb)
BU: $24.28 (81 bb)
SB: $22.50 (75 bb)
BB: $51.48 (172 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is UTG with 4♥ A♥
Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.90, 2 players fold

Flop: ($2.25) 5♥ 6♦ 5♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.71, BU folds

I want to review this hand not because it's over some big pot, but because I find myself not knowing what to do in situations like this. I know you're supposed to check much more OOP, even as the PFA, and especially when boards favor your opponents ranges much more than yours. Should I be check calling here to peel a card, or betting here as a bluff? A high does have some showdown value, so maybe I can protect some of my weaker holdings that will simply check/fold by check/calling this one? I really don't know. I feel like solvers would help here, but (as I'll explain in a bit) it's been a bit difficult for me to use them.

Total pot: $2.25 (Rake: $0.11)
UTG (Hero) wins $2.14

This week, however, I also bluff-jammed preflop for the first time (with relatively deeper stacks). I've always been uncomfortable with the idea of bluff jamming pre, but I know it has to be a part of everyone's game so I'm happy I'm slowly getting more acclimated to it.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $11.10 (37 bb)
MP (Hero): $45.29 (151 bb)
CO: $30.00 (100 bb)
BU: $16.97 (57 bb)
SB: $44.78 (149 bb)
BB: $40.20 (134 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is MP with Q♦ K♥
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BTN 3-bets to $3, SB calls $2.85, 1 fold, Hero 4-bets to $45.29 (all-in), 2 players fold

Definitely a bit on the more spewy side as I guess it could be possible the cold caller in the SB could be slowplaying aces, but for the most part I feel like his range is capped. BU 3bets very loose, around 13%, and (I imagine) probably even wider on the button. Would've probably preferred simply 4betting and setting BU all in instead of just jamming myself, but I guess live and learn.

Total pot: $9.30 (Rake: $0)
MP (Hero) wins $9.30

Anyways, that's it for this week, I'll be posting again shortly for my monthly results! Stay tuned, and gl at the tables!

Monthly Review Time! In this post I want to discuss my progress since the start of this PG&C thread, and what the future looks like for both my poker playing and this blog.

To start off, in the name of transparency, I just want to say that I'm proud of my accomplishments in the past two months. When it comes to poker, I always tend to be more pessimistic, seeing how results often don't tell the whole story of anyone's skill in the long run. That being said, I do believe I've grown a lot since the start of this poker journey, both in terms of actual playing and the mental game. I have more confidence when I make a move like bluffing or hero calling, partially because of experience and partially because I know that even if it is a mistake, I can review and improve upon it in the future.

Here are my results for the past month at 30NL:


Here is a summary of stakes/hands played/etc for the past two months:


Together with some of the late night poker club sessions, I have made about $5,000 as of now. I'm hoping to invest most of that money into stocks, and use it as a springing board for paying off a bit of my college loans in four years.

Now looking to the future:

As I'm moving onto college campus by the end of August, my volume will definitely shrink for this month (and to be honest, probably the school year in general). I'm also moving out of Pennsylvania, so I'll have to find a different site to play on in my spare time. I do feel like my learning has slowed down a bit since the start of this challenge, mostly because I find it difficult to use GTO+ without coaching to point me in the right direction. My laptop can't handle anything too complex, like BU v BB scenarios, but I'm also afraid to study anything involving more than opening ranges. My 3bet range from most positions are definitely not ironed out, and I'm afraid that if I use them as a basis to study I'll have to completely revamp if I ever do receive a more correct version of what 3bet ranges should look like. That being said, I am continuing to study through small group discussions and reading books like the Grinder's Manual. I know I said I wouldn't be shottaking 50NL in my last post, but I guess I lied, because I do want to build a foundation in 50NL before I switch over to a different site next month.

Anyways, that's everything from a poker perspective. I've been reading other PG&Cs and apparently you guys like IRL stuff as well, so here are a few goals:

- Exercise every other day with set routine. I'm definitely living a bit unhealthily being stuck in doors all day due to coronavirus, but I've managed to get in an exercise routine and I hope to stick with it.
- Sleep a minimum of 8 hours per day. Definitely one of the harder ones, but something I definitely need to adjust to (especially as preparation for college).
- Eat fast food no more than twice a week. Often feel very tired after going for something like McDonalds, so definitely not healthy and I want to cut that out.

Also, I recently got a smart TV that doubles up as a monitor, so now I can relax my eyes and also play more tables at once! Here is my microstakes setup, for anyone interested:


Anyways, that's really all that's on my mind for now! I'll definitely be shifting over from poker stuff to more irl stuff on this blog, so I hope ya'll don't mind. Gl at the tables .

Late to the party but wanted to say great thread, and, as a former 18 year old who was obsessed with poker before heading off to college to study economics many many years ago, I wish you all the best in poker regardless of what role it ends up having in your life.

Thank you! I wish you best of luck in your PG&C as well

Ran into some unfortunate coolers yesterday shottaking 50NL and dropped 5 buyins yesterday (although I wasn't playing very well tbh haha), decided to take a break today. Luckily, I wouldn't have played anyways, spent the entire day cleaning this mess!




Definitely got my exercise in today, ready to grind 30NL tomorrow until I'm ready to shottake 50NL again!

Weekly update time! I'm less than a month from moving in to college, so I haven't been able to get in the volume that I wanted. Failed shottaking 50NL this week, but will look to doing it again in the future when my BR above ~$1600 again!

Here are this week's results:

50NL graph:


30NL graph:


Here are a few hands of me getting wrecked/playing bad:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.25/$0.50 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $50.00 (100 bb)
CO (Hero): $52.43 (105 bb)
BU: $123.62 (247 bb)
SB: $50.45 (101 bb)
BB: $55.15 (110 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with Q♥ K♥
UTG calls $0.50, Hero raises to $2, 3 players fold, UTG calls $1.50

Flop: ($4.75) 3♥ 2♥ 8♠ (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $1.49, UTG calls $1.49

Turn: ($7.73) 9♥ (2 players)
UTG bets $3.67, Hero calls $3.67

River: ($15.07) 3♣ (2 players)
UTG bets $14.32, Hero raises to $45.27 (all-in), UTG calls $28.52 (all-in)

Total pot: $100.75 (Rake: $2.50)

Showdown:
CO (Hero) shows Q♥ K♥ (a flush, King high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 48%, Flop: 54%, Turn: 77%, River: 0%)

UTG shows 9♣ 9♠ (a full house, Nines full of Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 52%, Flop: 46%, Turn: 23%, River: 100%)

UTG wins $98.25

Was debating on raising or checking there, and in hindsight I would prefer to raise all my nut flushes and simply call my other flushes. After reviewing this hand I realized that the only hands villain were representing were flushes or full houses, as two pairs would've gotten counterfeited by the river. As such, I definitely don't think there's enough hands I'm beating to make this raise too profitable.

Here's another hand:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.25/$0.50 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $61.14 (122 bb)
CO (Hero): $101.80 (204 bb)
BU: $50.00 (100 bb)
SB: $103.85 (208 bb)
BB: $50.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with T♦ T♠
1 fold, Hero raises to $1.50, BTN 3-bets to $4.75, 2 players fold, Hero 4-bets to $11.87, BTN calls $7.12

Opponent is a 50NL reg who is very aggressive with 3betting.

Flop: ($24.49) 5♥ K♠ A♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

I honestly have no idea what to do here. Would it be ok to turn 10s into a bluff and just cbet with all my hands? I feel like my 4bet range so heavily consists of top pairs/two pairs/sets that tens are near the bottom of my range.

Turn: ($24.49) T♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $7.68, BTN raises to $21.50, Hero raises to $89.93 (all-in), BTN calls $16.63 (all-in)

Definitely don't like how I played this turn. I lead into him, basically saying I trapped the flop, he raises and I jam. I just don't find any way I can fit in a bluff into this line (maybe something like KQ?). I would've got stacked either way at this point, but I still definitely think this play is not the best.

River: ($100.75) 9♦ (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $100.75 (Rake: $2.50)

Showdown:
CO (Hero) shows T♦ T♠ (three of a kind, Tens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 53%, Flop: 66%, Turn: 23%, River: 0%)

BU shows Q♠ J♠ (a straight, Ten to Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 47%, Flop: 34%, Turn: 77%, River: 100%)

BU wins $98.25

Here's another one where I don't like my river raise:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.25/$0.50 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $62.39 (125 bb)
CO: $125.26 (251 bb)
BU: $59.18 (118 bb)
SB: $50.64 (101 bb)
BB (Hero): $80.45 (161 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 3♠ 3♦
2 players fold, BTN raises to $1.25, SB calls $1, Hero calls $0.75

Flop: ($3.75) T♦ 3♥ 7♣ (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets $2, SB calls $2, Hero calls $2

Turn: ($9.75) K♥ (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($9.75) Q♠ (3 players)
SB bets $5, Hero raises to $14.63, BU folds, SB raises to $24.26, Hero raises to $77.20 (all-in), SB calls $23.13 (all-in)

I think, in hindsight, I should've simply flatted all the 3bets on the river with bottom set. Again, I don't really beat any of his value once I 4bet jam. In the future, I think I prefer jamming with higher sets/straights and just flatting with lower sets & high two pairs.

Total pot: $104.53 (Rake: $2.50)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows 3♠ 3♦ (three of a kind, Threes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 53%, Flop: 97%, Turn: 91%, River: 0%)

SB shows A♦ J♥ (a straight, Ten to Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 47%, Flop: 3%, Turn: 9%, River: 100%)

SB wins $102.03

Here is another ugly river raise:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.25/$0.50 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $96.72 (193 bb)
CO: $63.41 (127 bb)
BU: $50.50 (101 bb)
SB (Hero): $71.36 (143 bb)
BB: $50.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with J♣ A♣
UTG calls $0.50, 2 players fold, Hero raises to $2, 1 fold, UTG calls $1.50

Flop: ($4.50) A♠ 9♦ 8♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $1.41, UTG raises to $2.82, Hero calls $1.41

Turn: ($10.14) 2♠ (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $4.81, Hero calls $4.81

River: ($19.76) J♠ (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $18.77, Hero raises to $61.73 (all-in), UTG calls $42.96

I figured I was going for value against something like flopped two pair, but definitely lose to a lot here too. I've been working on betting very thin for value and letting myself stack off lighter, so that I can also bluff more in these lines.

Total pot: $143.22 (Rake: $2.50)

Showdown:
SB (Hero) shows J♣ A♣ (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 48%, Flop: 9%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

UTG shows 8♠ 8♥ (three of a kind, Eights)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 52%, Flop: 91%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

UTG wins $140.72

And here are the final two hands were I simply get wrecked:

H1:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.25/$0.50 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $50.00 (100 bb)
MP: $51.61 (103 bb)
CO: $29.83 (60 bb)
BU: $50.53 (101 bb)
SB: $58.86 (118 bb)
BB (Hero): $70.12 (140 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with T♠ 9♠
1 fold, MP raises to $1, 1 fold, BTN calls $1, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.50

Flop: ($3.25) 7♥ 4♠ 6♥ (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $0.50, BTN calls $0.50, Hero raises to $2.01, MP calls $1.51, BTN calls $1.51

Turn: ($9.28) Q♠ (3 players)
Hero bets $6.62, MP folds, BTN calls $6.62

River: ($22.52) A♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $60.49 (all-in), BTN calls $40.90 (all-in)

Total pot: $104.32 (Rake: $2.50)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows T♠ 9♠ (high card, Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 36%, Flop: 41%, Turn: 27%, River: 0%)

BU shows Q♦ J♦ (a pair of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 64%, Flop: 59%, Turn: 73%, River: 100%)

BU wins $101.82

H2:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.25/$0.50 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $47.91 (96 bb)
MP: $26.33 (53 bb)
CO: $94.92 (190 bb)
BU: $73.03 (146 bb)
SB: $21.76 (44 bb)
BB (Hero): $85.77 (172 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with A♣ Q♦
UTG calls $0.50, MP calls $0.50, 1 fold, BTN raises to $2, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to $8, 2 players fold, BTN calls $6

Flop: ($17.25) K♦ 5♣ 6♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $5.41, BTN calls $5.41

Turn: ($28.07) 2♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $13.34, BTN calls $13.34

River: ($54.75) T♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $59.02 (all-in), BTN calls $46.28 (all-in)

Total pot: $147.31 (Rake: $2.50)

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows A♣ Q♦ (high card, Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 44%, Flop: 28%, Turn: 30%, River: 0%)

BU shows 9♥ 9♣ (a pair of Nines)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 56%, Flop: 72%, Turn: 70%, River: 100%)

BU wins $144.81

Ouch

Anyways, that's it for this week! It'll probably be even less volume in the following two weeks or so until I'm able to settle down once I move to New York! I've also started investing through Robinhood with some of the money I've won that's just sitting there, so that's that. I'll update if anything interesting happens in the days inbetween next week!

It's probably a moot point now that you're out of the state, but with so many places where you are allowed to play, playing on the one site where not only are you not allowed to play, but you can get into actual legal trouble seems unwise. Especially since in 2-3 years you'll want to play under your own name and Stats security actually does their due diligence.

Hey all! It's been almost a year since my last post, so I figured I'd give an update on my poker journey & first-year college experience.

Poker
Over the end of the summer and fall semester, I began aggressively shot-taking stakes on softer unregulated platforms. I managed to build around ~1.2k through freerolls and 100 NL games (the lowest stakes offered). Due to complications I was almost scammed of the 1.2k, but managed to convert it to credit in a different club that only offered 200NL holdem games. I was lucky enough to not bust with that 6BI and have been playing 200NL+ since.

Throughout the fall and spring semesters I one and two-tabled poker when I had spare time and managed to build a roll of 20k. I bought a significantly more powerful laptop to run emulators in the middle of June and have been trying to treat poker as a part-time job since.

Over the past month and a half I've been 6tabling 200NL and 400NL games, with the occasional 1kNL game when available. So far I've put in a bit over 30k hands in 100 hours, although my goal has been 20 hours per week (slacking a bit).



I'm currently averaging 19.4BB/100, but with games this soft I feel like I can put in the work to bring that number up.

Theory-wise, I've spent very little time with solvers. I do have access to solved preflop trees for different rake levels and have a pretty solid understanding of most theory fundamentals, but lack the knowledge of the intricacies in specific circumstances that would bring my game to another level. I've thought about dedicating the time and money to get to that next level, but with these games I feel like that improvement would only marginally increase WR.

Poker-Life Balance

Poker has been both a blessing and a curse when it comes to the social setting. As a college student, I've been able to draw into a communal interest with a decent portion of the population. I've participated in some smaller games on and off-campus for fun, as well as online home games.

That being said, poker has also consumed a significant part of my time and character. I haven't really had the time to explore any other hobbies, and the connections I have made through poker have been largely superficial. I made a promise to myself when I began playing that I would never let poker get in the way of family or social life, because it is just a hobby in the end. I was fortunate enough to make a close friend group this year that chats every Friday night, and since then I have never played poker on Fridays (no matter how juicy the games may be).

Even so, I still believe poker has taken a toll on my social life. I prioritize all obligations before playing, but being locked in a room from 8 PM to late into the night a few days a week doesn't help. I feel like I miss some of those spontaneous moments with friends and family that are really important to building friendships and character, like late-night chats. Looking back, I don't think I'd give up poker if I could redo freshman year of college, but I can confidently say I will never go pro.

Poker Life Lessons

I think one of the positives in poker are the life lessons that you can extract from it. Just like in life, poker is not just or fair short-term. No matter how hard you work, no matter how disciplined you are, you can very easily walk away from the table empty-handed.

One of the greatest takeaways I've learned from poker is that of mindset. I've come to realize that no matter what, you can't change the other players or the way a board runs out, similar to how you can't change some things in life. Sometimes you bluff into the nuts, sometime you get coolered, and sometimes you simply mistakes out of exhaustion.

The best you can do is to keep smiling and work hard - because no matter what life has to throw at you, if you can control your own emotions and dedication and work ethic, you will succeed.

Famous last words

Congrats on building the bankroll. I'd definitely lean toward enjoying parties, school, and friends as much as possible while you're there, I'd definitely do that if I could go back.