Make Poker Great Again
04-01-2021
, 12:06 AM
Interesting month. This was my lowest volume in maybe over a year? Mainly due to computer issues.
As you can see below my liquid cooling started to leak. At first I thought even though it was on the graphics card, maybe I just need a new PSU (The PSU was soaked) and cooling unit. It worked for a bit by just by changing those, but after a few days I had to change the graphics card too. The cooling unit was less than a year old and who knows how long it was leaking for.
Back to poker here was my March results:
I was already planning for more quality over quantity and playing less volume, but this was a bit much haha. On the bright side, I did do a lot of studying and I feel like my game is really solid right now.
Here was my March goals:
- 75k hands (X)
- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)
- Follow stream schedule (X)
April Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule
I feel really good about my game right now so I will likely continue to play 200nl and see how it goes.
On a side note, it was this time last year I was getting ready to go to Vegas for my cousin's 21st birthday. Then everything got shut down. I can't wait until everything is back to normal so we can go. I miss that place, it's been too long! Maybe for his 23rd birthday at this point
Not only that, I miss going down to Toronto for a couple weekends throughout the year to see some friends and watch some sports games.
Lastly, It was around this time last year I was just starting to play 200z. Feels like yesterday. Where did the time go?
Anyways, lets crush April! 💰
As you can see below my liquid cooling started to leak. At first I thought even though it was on the graphics card, maybe I just need a new PSU (The PSU was soaked) and cooling unit. It worked for a bit by just by changing those, but after a few days I had to change the graphics card too. The cooling unit was less than a year old and who knows how long it was leaking for.
Back to poker here was my March results:
I was already planning for more quality over quantity and playing less volume, but this was a bit much haha. On the bright side, I did do a lot of studying and I feel like my game is really solid right now.
Here was my March goals:
- 75k hands (X)
- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)- Follow stream schedule (X)
April Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule
I feel really good about my game right now so I will likely continue to play 200nl and see how it goes.
On a side note, it was this time last year I was getting ready to go to Vegas for my cousin's 21st birthday. Then everything got shut down. I can't wait until everything is back to normal so we can go. I miss that place, it's been too long! Maybe for his 23rd birthday at this point
Not only that, I miss going down to Toronto for a couple weekends throughout the year to see some friends and watch some sports games.Lastly, It was around this time last year I was just starting to play 200z. Feels like yesterday. Where did the time go?
Anyways, lets crush April! 💰
GL to you too!
05-01-2021
, 12:14 AM
April update. Overall, it was a pretty good month. I studied a lot and really tried to focus on quality > quantity.
Here was my April goals:
- 75k hands (X)
- 2:1 Study to play ratio ()
- Follow stream schedule ()
May Goals:
- 50k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
I slacked a little bit at the end of the month study wise, so I have to get back on track. The NFL draft threw a wrench into things I also get possession of a new rental property I purchased last month on May 12th. So I will have to spend some time fixing that up. As a result, I am only going to shoot for 50k hands this month.
I finally got Stars to reduce my exclusive rakeback challenge after months of getting the 6k one. I messaged them every month and they finally did something. It works out perfectly that the challenge ends in 11 days, which will be the day before I get possession of the house. Time to grind hard until then!
The last thing I will say this month is at first I wasn't the biggest fan of GTO Wizard, but it is growing on me. I am looking forward to their new solutions or the ability to use your own sims as some of the sizes and ranges I am not the biggest fan of. With that being said, it is a lot better than nothing and saves a lot of time. So wanted to give them a quick shout out.
Let's run above EV in April! 💰
Here was my April goals:
- 75k hands (X)
- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)- Follow stream schedule (
)May Goals:
- 50k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
I slacked a little bit at the end of the month study wise, so I have to get back on track. The NFL draft threw a wrench into things
I also get possession of a new rental property I purchased last month on May 12th. So I will have to spend some time fixing that up. As a result, I am only going to shoot for 50k hands this month.I finally got Stars to reduce my exclusive rakeback challenge after months of getting the 6k one. I messaged them every month and they finally did something. It works out perfectly that the challenge ends in 11 days, which will be the day before I get possession of the house. Time to grind hard until then!
The last thing I will say this month is at first I wasn't the biggest fan of GTO Wizard, but it is growing on me. I am looking forward to their new solutions or the ability to use your own sims as some of the sizes and ranges I am not the biggest fan of. With that being said, it is a lot better than nothing and saves a lot of time. So wanted to give them a quick shout out.
Let's run above EV in April! 💰
06-01-2021
, 06:46 PM
May Update. I ran better all in EV wise, but not quite the month I was hoping for. At least I got Stars to change my rakeback challenge and I am about to complete another one here soon.
Here was my May goals:
- 50k hands ()
- 2:1 Study to play ratio ()
- Follow stream schedule ()
I played a bit more than I wanted to this month. I tend to fall into the habit of "wanting to play until I'm even". Hopefully I can stop that one day haha. Study was ok. I wouldn't say it was the best it could be, but it definitely wasn't bad. Working on my new rental took up some time, but I didn't use that as an excuse to never study. On a more positive note, it seems like we are starting to get some momentum with the stream. My average viewers are starting to slowly go up finally. Streaming a bit longer and more often helps for sure.
June Goals:
- 50k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
Same as usual for June. Hopefully I can get back on track!💰
Here was my May goals:
- 50k hands (
)- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)- Follow stream schedule (
)I played a bit more than I wanted to this month. I tend to fall into the habit of "wanting to play until I'm even". Hopefully I can stop that one day haha. Study was ok. I wouldn't say it was the best it could be, but it definitely wasn't bad. Working on my new rental took up some time, but I didn't use that as an excuse to never study. On a more positive note, it seems like we are starting to get some momentum with the stream. My average viewers are starting to slowly go up finally. Streaming a bit longer and more often helps for sure.
June Goals:
- 50k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
Same as usual for June. Hopefully I can get back on track!💰
07-01-2021
, 12:21 AM
June Update. Not a bad month, especially when you add in the rakeback. Still would like to win at a higher clip. I thought people said reg tables are easier.....
Here was my June goals:
- 50k hands ()
- 2:1 Study to play ratio ()
- Follow stream schedule ()
Played a bit more than I wanted so that I could complete the challenge, but it is what it is. That seems to be the usual every month haha.
If anyone is playing roughly the same stakes and wants to study feel free to send me a private message. I enjoy studying with others, but the problem is nobody seems to want to take it as serious as I do and they sorta come and go vs stay consistent.
July Goals:
- 50k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
Same as usual for July. I get my second covid vaccine shot this week. Hopefully things will continue to open up here in Canada and maybe for my birthday in October I can head down to Vegas for the WSOP. Can't wait to travel.
Here is to a good July! 💰
Here was my June goals:
- 50k hands (
)- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)- Follow stream schedule (
)Played a bit more than I wanted so that I could complete the challenge, but it is what it is. That seems to be the usual every month haha.
If anyone is playing roughly the same stakes and wants to study feel free to send me a private message. I enjoy studying with others, but the problem is nobody seems to want to take it as serious as I do and they sorta come and go vs stay consistent.
July Goals:
- 50k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
Same as usual for July. I get my second covid vaccine shot this week. Hopefully things will continue to open up here in Canada and maybe for my birthday in October I can head down to Vegas for the WSOP. Can't wait to travel.
Here is to a good July! 💰
08-02-2021
, 12:15 AM
July Update. Not a bad month when you add rakeback. I got into the Stars trial as well, so that adds at least 25% each month going forward. However, reg tables continue not to be my friend!
Total was $2923.66 + $3000 ($2000 rakeback challenge and 4 $250 dollar chests from trial) = +$5,923.66
Here was my June goals:
- 50k hands ()
- 2:1 Study to play ratio ()
- Follow stream schedule (X)
Getting accepted into the trial made me play more than I wanted, but it was worth it. (I sound like a broken record at this point) Ran into some internet issues so I apologize for missing 2 weeks of streams. I think that is sorted out now though.
August Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
Same as usual for August. There is no point saying I will just play 50k hands so I can study more because lets be honest that never happens I promise I will only play 75k max in August! That's enough to get the 65% rakeback, but not too much to where I can't still work on my game haha.
Lets end the summer strong! 💰
Total was $2923.66 + $3000 ($2000 rakeback challenge and 4 $250 dollar chests from trial) = +$5,923.66
Here was my June goals:
- 50k hands (
)- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)- Follow stream schedule (X)
Getting accepted into the trial made me play more than I wanted, but it was worth it. (I sound like a broken record at this point) Ran into some internet issues so I apologize for missing 2 weeks of streams. I think that is sorted out now though.
August Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
Same as usual for August. There is no point saying I will just play 50k hands so I can study more because lets be honest that never happens
I promise I will only play 75k max in August! That's enough to get the 65% rakeback, but not too much to where I can't still work on my game haha.Lets end the summer strong! 💰
09-01-2021
, 12:25 AM
August update. I think this was my best poker month to date when you include rakeback. Obviously lucky to run over EV, but it was a good end to the summer!
Here is a twitch highlight of me opening the last chest: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1135688736
Total was $8578.64 + $4550 ($3800 monthly poker challenge and 3 $250 dollar chests) = +$13128.64
Here was my August goals:
- 75k hands ()
- 2:1 Study to play ratio ()
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts) ()
Hit all my goals this month. Not much to say other than that other than I'm grateful to run over EV and to be in the trial.
September Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
- Maybe play 500nl?
Same goals for September. There were some days this month I wanted to hop into 500z because the pool looked softer than 200 or had the same amount of entries as 200, but I didn't do it lol. I might try and play some 500nl on Bodog this month we will see. I've only played probably 1.2 million 200nl hands lifetime, so it would be about time! Also, sure, I have a higher winrate at 200 than last year, but I'm still a bit worried because it's still not that high of a winrate. Even if I pay less rake at 500 the regs are obviously better. We will see how the month goes. I don't just want to jump up because I ran well. I want to feel like I can beat it. However, I will never know if I don't at least try right?
Hope the run good continues!
Here is a twitch highlight of me opening the last chest: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1135688736
Total was $8578.64 + $4550 ($3800 monthly poker challenge and 3 $250 dollar chests) = +$13128.64
Here was my August goals:
- 75k hands (
)- 2:1 Study to play ratio (
)- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts) (
)Hit all my goals this month. Not much to say other than that other than I'm grateful to run over EV and to be in the trial.
September Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
- Maybe play 500nl?
Same goals for September. There were some days this month I wanted to hop into 500z because the pool looked softer than 200 or had the same amount of entries as 200, but I didn't do it lol. I might try and play some 500nl on Bodog this month we will see. I've only played probably 1.2 million 200nl hands lifetime, so it would be about time! Also, sure, I have a higher winrate at 200 than last year, but I'm still a bit worried because it's still not that high of a winrate. Even if I pay less rake at 500 the regs are obviously better. We will see how the month goes. I don't just want to jump up because I ran well. I want to feel like I can beat it. However, I will never know if I don't at least try right?
Hope the run good continues!
09-01-2021
, 11:07 AM
10-02-2021
, 09:25 PM
Sorry for the late update! I was in Toronto the past few days watching the Blue Jays. First trip since the covid lockdowns started. It was a lot of fun, except for the fact the Blue Jays lost and now have a really small chance at the playoffs.
It seems like in September I gave back the EV I got in August....
Total was -$6061.02 + $5850 ($3600 in monthly poker challenges and 9 $250 dollar chests) = -$211.02
Here was my September goals:
- 75k hands ()
- 2:1 Study to play ratio (X)
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts) ()
- Maybe play 500nl? ()
Overall 500z wasn't as bad as I expected. Maybe I am biased because I tried to always play when the pool looked good, but I feel pretty confident there right now. Some of my friends who play the stake gave me some kind words of encouragement as well which is nice. I didn't study as much as I wanted because I was trying to make the 6k rakeback for my 500 shot.
October Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
What I think what I am going to do this month is mainly focus on 500. I have the bankroll and it's nice that it doesn't always run so I won't feel like I should be playing instead of studying. Then at night play Bodog like I have been doing recently. Let's just hope I don't continue to run way under EV!
Lastly, I just finished this leakfinder in H2N that I am really excited to use. It pretty much has a filter for every node in the game tree and I ran reports to get solver frequencies in those nodes so I can compare my stats to solver stats to see where I am leaking the most. I can also filter which nodes actually lead to the highest winrate because it tells you how much a node is worth and how often it happens. Most people use H2N for MDA, but for this project I am mostly using it as a leakfinder.
The reason I built this was because I got coaches mainly for database reviews. I wanted to know where should I spend most of my time getting better. If I knew that then I was confident in my process to plug those leaks and I was more than willing to spend the time to do so. However, I found the coaches I had didn't do the best job with database reviews. So this will eliminate that problem completely. Excited to see what I will find!
It seems like in September I gave back the EV I got in August....
Total was -$6061.02 + $5850 ($3600 in monthly poker challenges and 9 $250 dollar chests) = -$211.02
Here was my September goals:
- 75k hands (
)- 2:1 Study to play ratio (X)
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts) (
)- Maybe play 500nl? (
)Overall 500z wasn't as bad as I expected. Maybe I am biased because I tried to always play when the pool looked good, but I feel pretty confident there right now. Some of my friends who play the stake gave me some kind words of encouragement as well which is nice. I didn't study as much as I wanted because I was trying to make the 6k rakeback for my 500 shot.
October Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
What I think what I am going to do this month is mainly focus on 500. I have the bankroll and it's nice that it doesn't always run so I won't feel like I should be playing instead of studying. Then at night play Bodog like I have been doing recently. Let's just hope I don't continue to run way under EV!
Lastly, I just finished this leakfinder in H2N that I am really excited to use. It pretty much has a filter for every node in the game tree and I ran reports to get solver frequencies in those nodes so I can compare my stats to solver stats to see where I am leaking the most. I can also filter which nodes actually lead to the highest winrate because it tells you how much a node is worth and how often it happens. Most people use H2N for MDA, but for this project I am mostly using it as a leakfinder.
The reason I built this was because I got coaches mainly for database reviews. I wanted to know where should I spend most of my time getting better. If I knew that then I was confident in my process to plug those leaks and I was more than willing to spend the time to do so. However, I found the coaches I had didn't do the best job with database reviews. So this will eliminate that problem completely. Excited to see what I will find!
11-01-2021
, 12:29 AM
October Update. Back to back rough months.
Total was -$5908.70 + $5200 ($3200 in the monthly poker challenge and 8 $250 dollar chests) = -$708.70
Here was my October goals:
- 75k hands ()
- 2:1 Study to play ratio (X)
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts) ()
I still feel confident at 500z despite the rough first two months. I think it's just a matter of time until I start running better. Nothing I can do, but grind out of it. At least PokerStars gives me some rakeback.
November Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
One thing I am very happy and proud of is the growth of my stream the past few months. As you can see we are finally gaining some traction and up 4x in average viewers since August.
The last thing I want to mention is I started a YouTube channel to post stream highlight videos. Eventually I might post different videos like hand reviews or something, even I know those videos don't perform as well just to add some variety to the channel. Hopefully it will help bring more viewers to the stream and help my chances in the Dare2Stream competition! I would appreciate it if you like watching those kind of things to check out the channel below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd...yu3ajvb4XRMzbA
Hopefully 500nl will be better in November! 💰
Total was -$5908.70 + $5200 ($3200 in the monthly poker challenge and 8 $250 dollar chests) = -$708.70
Here was my October goals:
- 75k hands (
)- 2:1 Study to play ratio (X)
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts) (
)I still feel confident at 500z despite the rough first two months. I think it's just a matter of time until I start running better. Nothing I can do, but grind out of it. At least PokerStars gives me some rakeback.
November Goals:
- 75k hands
- 2:1 Study to play ratio
- Follow stream schedule (https://www.twitch.tv/realmattroberts)
One thing I am very happy and proud of is the growth of my stream the past few months. As you can see we are finally gaining some traction and up 4x in average viewers since August.
The last thing I want to mention is I started a YouTube channel to post stream highlight videos. Eventually I might post different videos like hand reviews or something, even I know those videos don't perform as well just to add some variety to the channel. Hopefully it will help bring more viewers to the stream and help my chances in the Dare2Stream competition! I would appreciate it if you like watching those kind of things to check out the channel below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd...yu3ajvb4XRMzbA
Hopefully 500nl will be better in November! 💰