The 99 hand is fine vs that crazy opponent at 50bb deep, the problem at 100bb deep is when you raise and stack off vs competent opponents they often call with better pairs and you're essentially dead or two overs and flush draws that you're a dog against. On that board you crush 88 and nothing else.

The standard play is just to call to keep in his bluffs.

So to answer your question! the 99 stack off is fine in that exact situation.

Thanks for the response! That clarified my question. I hadn't thought about how it would translate in deeper games. I am going to play a couple hours tonight and really work on what you and last shot said. I appreciate the comment!

Final thoughts on yesterday’s hands:


I am home from work now and able to review my hands with feedback and better explanation, so here we go. This will be the last I talk about these hands as it’s time to implement the advice and move on. I just want to close the action here.


1) This hand was at the ass end of my session. The player in the SB had been trying to push me around all session. I think here he is trying to either iso to get the weak player heads up or he has a hand that has enough equity that he thinks I might call and doesn’t need to raise to get me out of the pot. I should have definitely just folded this preflop and avoided the scenario altogether. When I flop a set, I am going nowhere. Had I folded pre, it wouldn’t have cost me my stack.


2) Completely stupid to just 3 bet jam all the marbles here. I like a sizing of 10BBs. If the CO jams the flop I think I can find a fold and save the rest of my stack.


3) I don’t think defending with QJo is terrible. I could be tighter, but this guy has played 40% of hands pre and hasn’t seemed to tighten up depending on position. I will have to set a defined range of PF hands to play, though. The Upswing Poker RFI charts don’t include calling hands, but I think I will have to work something out for that. Despite the call pre, I think I can put villain on hands like AK with a suit, AQ, Q8+, 88, 99, KK, AA. I should have folded as I only beat two out of the many hands he jams with. This was spewy and I need to work on that as well.


4) This player has not 3 bet at all, but our sample is only 13 hands. I can’t say that I hate my jam. He could have AXs, AJo+, 88+, K/QTs+, KJo+, etc. I think his range is going to be pretty solid, but I just don’t think he jams it in with a set or with a big PP. He would want to get value, right? I made the right call in my opinion based on the range I assigned him. I think I should fold pre if OOP, but we are IP and have a redraw (weak as it may be). We get it in as a 78% favorite, but get a bad runout.

5) UTG is raising every hand he plays, so I think we can be ahead of part of that range. I am on the btn and should 3 bet, which is something I will add to my arsenal in the future. I don’t think a call on the river is correct because the BBs range contains straights, but his 56s+ hands don’t make a straight flush unless he has JTh which would play differently. I feel I am only beat by AhXx. If I just check back the second nuts (based on opponents range and not the board) I feel I am losing value. I think shipping it was a bad decision. He does bet pot on the river, and I don’t think he does that with anything weaker than QhX. His raise does commit half his stack, so if I min raise it essentially puts him all in so it’s the same as shoving. This is a weird spot. I think it’s a coinflip on whether to call or raise.



6) Once again, weird spot for me. I 3bet as TT is a strong hand, but I don’t jam because I don’t want to scare him away or get called and be dominated. I should have just X/C the flop and reevaluate on the turn/river or X/F. His range is too strong here with two overs on the flop. Bad play by me. We did get it in ahead, but it was a bad play. Also, I did not delete his stats. I am not sure why they didn’t show up in this hand. I just copy and paste into MS word and then recopy and paste into the forum so I don’t lose a long post if the session expires as I have previously. Nothing to hide here.

7) After reviewing the charts, this hand should have been folded preflop and all of this could have been avoided. I will only be playing a max of 2 tables tonight and until I can get my ranges memorized. I agree with Last Shot. My reasoning is backwards. I have the blocker to the Q straight and shouldn’t have been worried about the 8 for a straight. I am beat by KJ, AJ, J8, J9, QT, and sets that boat. I shouldn’t be worried about the JX combos as I pretty much have those shut down. On the river, it is a fold. I misplayed this. He either has it or he doesn’t, and thatn board is just too wet.



8) Correct fold. He limps with any weak PP (22-88) and possibly some big PPs that he doesn’t want us folding with and isn’t worried about flops. Maybe theres a 45s and 46s, but maybe. On the river it is a clear fold.


9) I still think Qx sets a trap here, but a ½ pot bet could be just that. We don’t have any flush possibilities when jamming. I like the flop call as we have the over, BDFD, and 4 card straight draw, but his range is dominating us. A 3b from SB seems really strong. But, his 3b is at 19 so I don’t think it’s always JJ+. We got lucky here, and that’s that.

10) This is just a standard fold. Flush gets there, a couple SDs out there, one over, and we have a bad kicker.


11) BTN here has a VPIP of 72 and I don’t think he’s strong at all. Sure, he could have a 2, but 2x is too tiny a part of his range. I think this is just my SNG background coming into play. No excuse, though. I like my jam as it is dominating all overcards and non pairs besides. We dominate 7x and 88, as well. I think I could check/call, but I think I’m calling down anyway. I like this play here. We were correct and got it in as a favorite, but no, we did not hold.

12) Dangit.



There it is. The re-examination of my hands. I am glad to have a community to help me improve here. The constructive criticism has definitely aided in my hand analysis. I thought I was playing these right in the moment, but I can clearly see after taking some time off and looking at them again how I misplayed a majority of them. That’s all for now. Time to play some poker.

What’s up, guys?



Played two tables of NL2 tonight. I used the PF RFI charts by upswing. I was not playing super aggressively or 3 betting like crazy. It was definitely weird to be folding certain hands that I normally would be happy to play, but I am in this for improvement and winning. So, tightening up and attacking when the time is right is what I will be going for. The feedback I have received from you guys has really helped me improve day by day, especially last night’s. Playing about 20% of hands saved me from a lot of tough spots in the 200+ hands I played as I saw runouts and was happy not to be in them! Onto the session.


Played for about 2.5 hours and logged 206 hands. I think I currently am good at adjusting to players as I get a few hands, but I think I have a hard time re-adjusting when they start 3 betting me more and more as the session goes on. Like I said above, I wasn’t put in too many tough spots, though. I was only playing 2 tables at a time while hopping around after about 50 hands, but it seems like it was mostly just the same faces at the table so I stopped.

I got into one game where there was a huge whale. He had a 500 BB stack, was calling raises with T6o OOP, and hated folding. I mean, just believe me lol if I say he’s a fish, and I’m not best player, he’s a fish. Too bad we didn’t pick up any hands at that table to get in there with.

Here are a few hands I marked for review.



1) Flopping the nizzly grizzlies

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 111.5 BB (VPIP: 3.57, PFR: 3.57, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 28)
CO: 185 BB (VPIP: 26.92, PFR: 11.54, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
BTN: 111 BB (VPIP: 16.00, PFR: 12.00, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 28)
Hero (SB): 202 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A 3

fold, BTN raises to 2.5 BB, Hero calls 2 BB, fold

Flop: (6 BB, 2 players) 9 4 5
Hero checks, BTN bets 4 BB, Hero calls 4 BB

Turn: (14 BB, 2 players) T
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (14 BB, 2 players) J
Hero checks, BTN checks






Wouldn’t normally play this hand, but guys…it’s suited. And I don’t mind calling 2 BBs. I think the play is pretty standard. Villain showed interest or bluffs on the flop. The river brings the straight to life, and I want to give him a chance to “value bet” a two pair, straight, or weaker flush. I check the flop because I don’t think I’m getting called by worse if I bet, so I want to give him a little rope so to speak.




2) Should fold the turn

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 102.5 BB (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
BB: 178.5 BB (VPIP: 66.67, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
UTG: 149 BB (VPIP: 37.84, PFR: 21.62, 3Bet Preflop: 23.08, Hands: 40)
MP: 100 BB (VPIP: 26.23, PFR: 22.95, 3Bet Preflop: 28.00, Hands: 64)
Hero (CO): 100 BB
BTN: 143.5 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 3)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A 5

fold, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (6.5 BB, 2 players) 7 T 3
BB bets 1 BB, Hero calls 1 BB

Turn: (8.5 BB, 2 players) 8
BB bets 8.5 BB, Hero calls 8.5 BB

River: (25.5 BB, 2 players) K
BB bets 24.5 BB, fold





I have this one marked as a bad hand. I think I was “too sticky” on the turn. I was thrown off by the 1BB bet on the flop. To me that’s just like he’s on a draw or flopped a set and wants to keep me in. I should have folded turn, but I’m thinking about implied odds. Poor call and I will fix that going forward.



3) Interesting river

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 107 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 43)
UTG: 108 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
CO: 188.5 BB (VPIP: 27.27, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
BTN: 111 BB (VPIP: 18.18, PFR: 13.64, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 24)
Hero (SB): 194.5 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A T

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (6 BB, 2 players) J Q 8
Hero checks, BB bets 4.5 BB, Hero calls 4.5 BB

Turn: (15 BB, 2 players) A
Hero checks, BB checks

River: (15 BB, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, BB checks





I think that, once again, the call on the flop is debatable. We have an overpair, BDNF with the NF blocker, we block the straight, etc. I think that we could be up against a pair, JJ+, whatever. I like the turn, but I’m not 100% sure where we stand just yet. Checks through, and we check the river when the front door flush comes off. I’m probably calling a bet that’s ¾ pot or less here, but I’m not looking to bet as the villain probably bets a FD on the flop. Our hand is good enough to hold.



4) Tilt check on villain

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 107.5 BB (VPIP: 22.22, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 39)
BB: 109.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 20)
UTG: 8 BB (VPIP: 45.16, PFR: 29.03, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 65)
MP: 191.5 BB (VPIP: 26.32, PFR: 5.26, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 20)
CO: 97 BB (VPIP: 15.79, PFR: 10.53, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 20)
Hero (BTN): 197 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K Q

UTG raises to 8 BB and is all-in, fold, fold, Hero raises to 20 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (17.5 BB, 2 players) 9 6 A

Turn: (17.5 BB, 2 players) 3

River: (17.5 BB, 2 players) J





Villain just lost a big all in hand. I have noticed at 1c/2c a lot of guys are donking off the rest of their stack after losing a jam to a shorter stack since “it’s just a dollar”. We iso with this hand and I feel pretty good about it when the BB folds. I’m kind of surprised to see his holding, and the flop brings a sweat, but we hold. If he was deeper I may have folded, but for 8 BBs I like my hand enough to get it in.



5) Flop is… good?

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 113.5 BB (VPIP: 29.17, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 27)
BB: 112.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
UTG: 123.5 BB (VPIP: 43.14, PFR: 23.53, 3Bet Preflop: 9.09, Hands: 53)
MP: 100 BB (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
CO: 98.5 BB (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
Hero (BTN): 102 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A K

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 5 BB, fold, fold, UTG raises to 16.5 BB, Hero raises to 50 BB, UTG calls 33.5 BB

Flop: (101.5 BB, 2 players) 9 6 K
UTG bets 73.5 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 52 BB and is all-in

Turn: (205.5 BB, 2 players) 4

River: (205.5 BB, 2 players) A





We get big slick on the button, and I’m raising of course. When we don’t get jammed on; I can eliminate the monster hands from villain’s range. The flop is weird. Three cards of a suit we don’t have. We block KK and AA, but I don’t think he has those as it would have gotten all in pre. I think he checks or traps a flush - at least on one street. We could be up against a set, but I think 6s and 9s fold to a 4 bet or jam. I can pretty much eliminate a lot of hands that beat me on the flop. With the SPR and TPTK, I call it off with the best hand.


6) Aces hold

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (CO): 100 BB
BTN: 144 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
SB: 109 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
BB: 100 BB (VPIP: 22.22, PFR: 22.22, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 10)
UTG: 251 BB (VPIP: 41.67, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
MP: 135 BB (VPIP: 44.44, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 11.76, Hands: 38)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A A

fold, fold, Hero raises to 4 BB, BTN calls 4 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (9.5 BB, 2 players) 3 Q 6
Hero bets 7 BB, BTN raises to 21.5 BB, Hero calls 14.5 BB

Turn: (52.5 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, BTN bets 38 BB, Hero calls 38 BB

River: (128.5 BB, 2 players) 3
Hero checks, BTN checks








We finish the session up $1.95 with a BB/100 rate of 47. I know I still have a lot of work to do to get better, but I am taking this very seriously. Even at these stakes, I am here to improve and make extra money on the side. I love this game, and I want be get better every day. I appreciate all the comments you guys leave. Every comment gives me a new perspective and something I can add to my game. I am super pumped to get back online again tomorrow! Good luck out there, everybody!

Been doing some fiddling around with ranges and defense in the blinds. Going to be playing only a max of 2 tables again today to implement these ranges and adjust accordingly. I don't normally play with charts up, but this is all part of becoming a better all around player. Updates to come

Played a brief hour session this morning in order to play according to my ranges. I think I need to work on postflop play, of course, but it seems the range charts are definitely helping me to avoid the tough spots I was often finding myself in during past sessions. My defense vs 3bets according to position needs some work moving forward, but I am glad to be slowly improving here. Played two tables and only got 100 hands in, but it was really just a trial run to see how the session would go while referring to the charts.

I do have a couple of hands to go over. Here they are:


1) River decision

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 48.5 BB (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 8)
SB: 142.5 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 37.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
BB: 112.5 BB (VPIP: 28.57, PFR: 28.57, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
UTG: 147.5 BB (VPIP: 12.50, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
Hero (CO): 102 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q T

UTG raises to 3 BB, Hero calls 3 BB, fold, SB calls 2.5 BB, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (12 BB, 4 players) K 2 2
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: (12 BB, 4 players) 6
SB checks, BB bets 6 BB, fold, Hero calls 6 BB, fold

River: (24 BB, 2 players) 2
BB checks, Hero checks





-I wasn’t sure whether to value bet river or check to protect against a slow played monster. I think a K is definitely in villain’s range, so flop check is fine. The issue comes on the river. I could have deduced he didn’t have a king if I thought about it more, and his nut flush definitely is a river bet.



2) Missed value

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 100 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
Hero (BB): 109 BB
UTG: 170.5 BB (VPIP: 13.33, PFR: 6.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 15)
MP: 100 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
CO: 100 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 12.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 26)
BTN: 380 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K Q

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 2.5 BB, fold, Hero raises to 9 BB, BTN calls 6.5 BB

Flop: (18.5 BB, 2 players) 7 K T
Hero checks, BTN bets 13.5 BB, Hero calls 13.5 BB

Turn: (45.5 BB, 2 players) K
Hero checks, BTN bets 21.5 BB, Hero calls 21.5 BB

River: (88.5 BB, 2 players) 3
Hero checks, BTN checks




-I check the river as he could have PPs in his 3 bet pre range. Im only afraid of 77, 33, but we block AK and KT combos. That said, I think villain bets river with a full house. I should have fired a value bet.




3) Folding with a boat runout

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 117 BB (VPIP: 23.53, PFR: 11.76, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 17)
Hero (UTG): 140 BB
MP: 172 BB (VPIP: 11.54, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 26)
CO: 102.5 BB (VPIP: 17.65, PFR: 14.71, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 34)
BTN: 100 BB (VPIP: 14.89, PFR: 8.51, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 48)
SB: 336 BB (VPIP: 75.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 17)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A J

Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to 6.5 BB, fold, Hero calls 3.5 BB

Flop: (14 BB, 2 players) 7 7 2
SB checks, Hero bets 8 BB, SB raises to 16 BB, Hero calls 8 BB

Turn: (46 BB, 2 players) 7
SB checks, Hero checks

River: (46 BB, 2 players) 2
SB bets 313.5 BB and is all-in, fold





- I don’t think he has a 7, but A2s calls the 3 bet pre with this loose of a guy. Also, any pocket pair has us crushed. I may fold the chop, but I think we are just dominated here. The overbet on the river seems like a wish to get the crying call by air. Not sure. Going to post this in “beginner questions” to get some other feedback.



4) Kings hold up


Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 56 BB (VPIP: 38.71, PFR: 16.13, 3Bet Preflop: 9.09, Hands: 35)
SB: 102.5 BB (VPIP: 18.18, PFR: 15.91, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 44)
BB: 103 BB (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
UTG: 104 BB (VPIP: 14.04, PFR: 8.77, 3Bet Preflop: 3.85, Hands: 58)
MP: 144.5 BB (VPIP: 16.22, PFR: 13.51, 3Bet Preflop: 7.14, Hands: 38)
Hero (CO): 108.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K K

fold, fold, Hero raises to 4 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 3 BB

Flop: (8.5 BB, 2 players) Q 6 3
BB checks, Hero bets 6 BB, BB calls 6 BB

Turn: (20.5 BB, 2 players) A
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (20.5 BB, 2 players) 8
BB bets 19.5 BB, Hero calls 19.5 BB





-I think I only call river because of the flush and Q8 gets there. I don’t give him credit for an ace so I am ahead of a lot of his range, but I am not crushing it.


5) Should 3 bet

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: 112 BB (VPIP: 18.52, PFR: 7.41, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 27)
Hero (CO): 111.5 BB
BTN: 181 BB (VPIP: 16.67, PFR: 13.89, 3Bet Preflop: 6.25, Hands: 36)
SB: 100 BB (VPIP: 27.78, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 18)
BB: 100 BB (VPIP: 13.24, PFR: 8.82, 3Bet Preflop: 3.23, Hands: 69)
UTG: 327.5 BB (VPIP: 72.00, PFR: 48.00, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 27)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K Q

UTG raises to 2.5 BB, MP calls 2.5 BB, Hero calls 2.5 BB, BTN calls 2.5 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (11.5 BB, 4 players) 9 J Q
UTG checks, MP checks, Hero checks, BTN bets 8 BB, UTG calls 8 BB, fold, fold

Turn: (27.5 BB, 2 players) 8
UTG checks, BTN checks

River: (27.5 BB, 2 players) T
UTG checks, BTN bets 17 BB, UTG calls 17 BB




-should have 3 bet this preflop to iso, but as played, we flop TPGK. Too many draws, two pairs, and flush draws out there for us to continue against 2 opponents. Standard fold, but I felt it was worthy of including for future reference.



6)Turning 66 into a river bluff

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 101 BB (VPIP: 11.11, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
BTN: 103 BB (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 20.00, Hands: 8)
SB: 146 BB (VPIP: 24.07, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 55)
BB: 104.5 BB (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 10.58, 3Bet Preflop: 4.44, Hands: 106)
UTG: 138 BB (VPIP: 13.33, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 4.35, Hands: 61)
Hero (MP): 144 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 6 6

fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (6.5 BB, 2 players) Q Q K
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (6.5 BB, 2 players) Q
BB bets 4 BB, Hero calls 4 BB

River: (14.5 BB, 2 players) 9
BB checks, Hero bets 7 BB, fold




-I take this same line if flop trips or queens full, so I bet half pot on the river just like I would if I had the nuts. I think we got a better hand to fold, so I am happy with the villain’s river fold.




All in all, I think I am improving daily, which is the goal. I like having the charts at easy access when I am not sure what to do with a hand like KQo in MP and that sort of thing. I will be playing again a bit later tonight, but I just wanted to put up a rundown of the brief morning session I played. Good luck out there guys!


Played 109 hands and won $1.30 with a BB/100 of 59.

What up guys? Sold a couple guitars I don't play through Craigslist today. Headed over to the casino - not my regular one but I started out playing at this one. Bought in for 200 and was up to about 240 after an hour. Then I get kings all in against AQ (short stack with about 85 to start the hand). Run-out is 28J9T. Just my luck. Now I can complain about not holding up, right?


5 hours later after getting literally no premium hands and just folding I pick up KJs in the SB after a $12 open from a new solid player and a call from a loose aggro reg. I 3 bet to iso and raise to 30 with about 180 behind. New guy folds and BTN (loose aggro) calls. Flop is JT4r. I check, he jams and I call as I block the jack and he is the same guy who called off with AQo. If he had aces he 4 bets pre so I think I'm in good shape and call. He has AJo. Run-out is JT488 and we bust. That's all for tonight. I think the last hand is iffy but I like it besides losing. He can have any AX or drawing hand here and I think I'm ahead with TPSK. Too bad. Going home and drinking a bit lol. Back at the online grind tomorrow for a while.


This was the longest session I have played in a while at 7 hours. Ran like absolute garbage the whole night. Missed all set possibilities, missed all NFDs, kings get cracked by a hand that shouldn't be calling a jam, but that's that. Sorry to "complain" I am just frustrated. Good luck out there guys!

damn, that sucks to run so bad! Best of luck getting back on the upswing!

Thanks man! I'd rather run hot one time a month at higher stakes than run into the cold deck, but that's poker! Back on the online grind today. Good luck to you kind sir!

Hey guys,

Got into the lab this morning and was reading up on defensive plays in the blinds as well as PF squeezing ranges for various scenarios. Not super sure how the squeeze/defending vs a squeeze will be applicable in the bottom level of the micros, but I am going to give it a shot tonight. Only going to be playing one table while I work on this as it is a lot more in depth than just standard open/fold/3bet ranges I have been implementing and I don't want to bite more than I can chew while playing a bunch of tables at once. I don't really see too much squeezing at this level, so I will only play with my squeeze range charts up so I don't get overwhelmed.


I would like to include images of the ranges I have constructed, but the site I use (tinypic) is riddled with adds and takes about 4 minutes from the time I get to the home page to upload a single pic and get it on the forum. If anybody has a site where I can multi-upload in a timely manner, please share! Going to hit the tables in a couple minutes. Let's run better!

Imgur.com

What’s up guys?

Played the 100 hands like I talked about in the previous post. Had all my charts up, but I never once had a position to make a squeeze. I was at a pretty tight table with the exception of one fish who was playing 50% of hands and limping 90% of the time. Not the best table, but I was able to play my game there. I have a couple interesting hands to note though.


1) Speculative Pre

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 42.5 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
UTG: 73.5 BB (VPIP: 54.55, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
CO: 101 BB (VPIP: 29.29, PFR: 21.21, 3Bet Preflop: 3.85, Hands: 106)
BTN: 102 BB (VPIP: 8.33, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 50.00, Hands: 12)
Hero (SB): 102.5 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

UTG bets 2 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 3.5 BB) Hero has A 7
fold, fold, Hero calls 1.5 BB, fold, UTG checks

Flop: (5 BB, 2 players) Q Q 9
Hero checks, UTG checks

Turn: (5 BB, 2 players) 3
Hero checks, UTG checks

River: (5 BB, 2 players) 2
Hero checks, UTG checks




-Only play this since I get to open the action and possibly pick up the blinds. Not a fan of the flop, but the turn is alright. I check river knowing I’m good. I want to give him the chance to bluff as it is the fish I mentioned at the beginning of the post. Often, when the hand was checked down, he would fire a half pot bet or just a 1BB bet. I figure betting just closes the action and I take it down right there, but I give him the chance to donate to me. Sidenote: I think the turn is either a check or a bet, but he could have any drawing hand with clubs or the straight draws or any 9x straight draw combo or whatever. I can mix it up, but there are pretty much no rivers I want to bet minus aces or diamonds or maybe a seven or complete blank.



2) Happy to have charts
Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 97 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
CO: 123.5 BB (VPIP: 47.22, PFR: 36.11, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 36)
BTN: 70.5 BB (VPIP: 43.48, PFR: 4.35, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 26)
SB: 100 BB (VPIP: 19.23, PFR: 12.00, 3Bet Preflop: 28.57, Hands: 26)
Hero (BB): 103.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J K

fold, fold, fold, SB raises to 3 BB, Hero raises to 8 BB, fold





-Nothing too exciting here. This is normally a hand I would have flatted in the past, but the charts say 3 bet to defend BB and it gained us 3 BBs!



3) Clear fold on the turn


Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 89.5 BB (VPIP: 27.27, PFR: 18.18, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
BB: 78.5 BB (VPIP: 46.43, PFR: 3.57, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 32)
CO: 102 BB (VPIP: 21.88, PFR: 16.13, 3Bet Preflop: 28.57, Hands: 32)
Hero (BTN): 104.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A J

fold, Hero raises to 2 BB, SB calls 1.5 BB, BB calls 1 BB

Flop: (6 BB, 3 players) 9 Q 6
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (6 BB, 3 players) Q
SB bets 3 BB, fold, Hero calls 3 BB

River: (12 BB, 2 players) A
SB bets 8.5 BB, Hero calls 8.5 BB




-When I was in the hand I was thinking the SB would bet a Q on the flop but I was wrong. It was a clear fold on the turn as all I have is an overcard and busted straight draw. Bad play by me.


4) Chop it up
Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 109 BB (VPIP: 29.41, PFR: 11.76, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 18)
SB: 71 BB (VPIP: 52.94, PFR: 2.94, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 38)
BB: 92.5 BB (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 5)
UTG: 105.5 BB (VPIP: 26.32, PFR: 18.92, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 38)
Hero (CO): 103.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 6 7

fold, Hero raises to 2.5 BB, BTN raises to 8 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 5.5 BB

Flop: (17.5 BB, 2 players) 5 8 4
Hero checks, BTN bets 8 BB, Hero calls 8 BB

Turn: (33.5 BB, 2 players) A
Hero checks, BTN bets 16 BB, Hero calls 16 BB

River: (65.5 BB, 2 players) 7
Hero checks, BTN bets 34 BB, Hero raises to 71.5 BB and is all-in, BTN calls 37.5 BB




- Loose to call the 3Bet here, but I had been raising the CO a lot in the past few orbits as I was getting some alright hands to play IP. Figure he’s just levelling me. No reason to bet the flop as we flop the nizzles and can let him Cbet. Check raise is pretty transparent I have a big hand. On the turn I am just praying he has aces and we can stack off on the river as I am not worried about anything except the board pairing. Unfortunately, we end up losing 5BBs in rake after we get it in with the same hand after the river brings 4 to a straight.


5) Should have fired

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 89 BB (VPIP: 23.68, PFR: 13.16, 3Bet Preflop: 13.33, Hands: 39)
UTG: 102 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 17)
MP: 93.5 BB (VPIP: 57.41, PFR: 5.56, 3Bet Preflop: 3.70, Hands: 59)
CO: 89.5 BB (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 26)
BTN: 106 BB (VPIP: 16.95, PFR: 12.07, 3Bet Preflop: 18.18, Hands: 59)
Hero (SB): 122 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A K

fold, MP calls 1 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 4 BB, BB calls 3 BB, MP calls 3 BB

Flop: (12 BB, 3 players) 8 A J
Hero checks, BB checks, MP checks

Turn: (12 BB, 3 players) Q
Hero checks, BB checks, MP bets 1 BB, Hero calls 1 BB, BB calls 1 BB

River: (15 BB, 3 players) T
Hero checks, BB bets 14.5 BB, MP calls 14.5 BB, Hero raises to 29 BB, BB raises to 84 BB and is all-in, MP raises to 88.5 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 59.5 BB






- In hindsight I realize I probably win the hand if I cbet flop and turn, but with 2 villains and a wet board I am not sure I have the best hand 100% of the time here. Another river chop and we again lose to the rake machine.



6) Bluffing big slick

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 85.5 BB (VPIP: 25.45, PFR: 14.55, 3Bet Preflop: 10.00, Hands: 56)
MP: 101.5 BB (VPIP: 16.67, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 31)
CO: 75.5 BB (VPIP: 53.52, PFR: 5.63, 3Bet Preflop: 2.56, Hands: 76)
BTN: 91.5 BB (VPIP: 23.26, PFR: 6.98, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 43)
SB: 122.5 BB (VPIP: 18.42, PFR: 12.00, 3Bet Preflop: 11.76, Hands: 76)
Hero (BB): 130.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A K

fold, fold, CO raises to 2 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 5 BB, CO calls 3 BB

Flop: (10.5 BB, 2 players) A 6 5
Hero bets 7.5 BB, CO calls 7.5 BB

Turn: (25.5 BB, 2 players) T
Hero bets 18 BB, CO calls 18 BB

River: (61.5 BB, 2 players) K
Hero bets 27 BB, fold





-Thinking he folds some A5 or A6 no diamond here. He is the big fish at the table, and I’m only getting raised here if I am beat or called by some 34d type hand, which isn’t totally out of his range. However, when he calls 3bets in the past he has showndown some decent 2 face card hands. I just try representing an AXd type hand and it pays off with the river bluff. I think my decently tight image helped here, too, as I had been winning just about all my hands at showdown.





Getting better day by day. I still have a lot of improvement to do, but I can say that I am proud of my incremental skillset increases as they come along. Played 103 hands today and won $0.26 for a BB/100 of 12.5. Would have a bit more but I bluffed a 4 card flush board previously and only got called by the K high flush, which was weird. All in all, decent session and a good winrate if I can hold it over the long run.


Did some math and I’m not sure if this is the correct formula. I wanted to find how much rake I am paying in BB/100. I take “my rake contributed” over all the NL2 6 max games I have played on ACR and divided it by total number of hands I have played at the same stake/game type. I come up with ~6BB/100 in rake.

Thanks, I am going to try that out

Here are some of my charts guys. The PF RFI charts are somewhat different as I play 6 max and these are for 9 max, but I just merge the UTG and HJ/LJ ranges depending on who I have left to act.


BB defense vs 3 bets:






--PF charts--



UTG:




MP (using the HJ for this as it is basically HJ in 6max):




CO:




Button:




Small Blind:

Going to work on mixing up preflop bet sizing according to position as well.

What's up guys?

Didn't play on ACR tonight. My best friend who got me into poker started playing on Global Poker, so I decided to join him for a sweat session and ended up playing a cash game with him. We were talking on skype but not sharing hands or anything, which led to some pretty intense bluffs going down.

Started off not depositing anything, but I used the free $2 they give you to enter an NL4 cash game. I know, BRM right? But I am playing on ACR and working on my fundamentals and strategy to become better overall. On this site, I am using the same strategy (maybe a bit looser pre flop) and just seeing what I can turn that $2 freeroll into. So far, it is going quite well.

All in all, we have run our free $2 into a $22 roll in just less than 24 hours. I probably played for 5 hours total today and maybe 1 hour yesterday. So, in 6 hours one tabling NL4 I have made 5 BIs (10 really since I only bring $2 when I sit down). Not too shabby!

I find the player pool in the daytime to be a lot softer than at night, though. Lot's of loose passive players in the day hours, and more tight/aggressives in the evening.

I don't really know too much about the site though. It's kind of weird how they have it set up as not gambling even though it is. I don't think there's rake, though, which is awesome! I have to double check on that so don't take my word for it. But they have it set up as you starting off with free "coins". I believe 5000 coins are = to $1. You can pay money to buy the coins, which let you play in coin games or you can use the coins as "sweepscash" to play in poker cash games or tournaments/SNGs. Hey, I'm not an expert on the site, but that's what I have concluded.

So far, I have got sucked out on a lot, but I have also been able to get the best from weak opponents. And there are a LOT of poor players. We see people showing down with random suited hands like 83s and K2s from various positions. They call down wwith second pair often. We have clear betting patterns. We have people buying in for 10BBs and shoving QTs (which happened to me this session and I happily called off with AKo and lost). But it's a way easier game from a straightforward perspective. I tried bluffing with blockers like when I had 89d on a J7547 board but I got called by 46o so that happens lol.

I don't plan on playing on their for an extended period of time. ACR combined with the feedback on here is making me a better player. I strive to be better every session.

Also, I don't know how reliable the cashouts are on Global. They have a min cash out of $50 and I think it's all through paypal. I have read that you can get a paypal debit card and that is the best way to use your poker winnings, but I have yet to discover if paypal cards cost money to get sent to you. I also don't even have a paypal account. Hopefully, I can put in a couple more hours and get to that $50 mark and add it into ACR.

I like the soft games, but I am doing this challenge to get better, too. I think I can only play on that site very infrequently while focusing on ACR to continue improving. Playing on Global is instant regression it seems like.


Overall guys, I hadn't played any hands on ACR tonight, so the BR is still at what it was. But, we have made an extra $21 on the side, which will hopefully be added on to the ACR account when we get to the cashout stage. Good luck out there!

What's going on everybody?

Got the whole week to myself with no girlfriend. She went off to her parents this week to see her sister who's coming back for a bit. That means the grind will be in full swing! Going to be 3-4 tabling on ACR in a bit unless I can get into a good tournament. Looking forward to it! Let's go!

Well shoot

Took 3 BI shot playing 2 tables of NL5 and hit the cold deck. Flopped the nut straight with 2 to a diamond flush. Get it in for about 150BB effective against NFD and of course diamond hits the turn. KK cracked all in by AK. Folded a bunch of 3 bet PPs like 9s, Ts, and Js after I miss an AX or Kx flop. Not super great. I ran pretty well in the beginning of the session but just ended up getting wrecked at the end.

Also, my air conditioner is completely ****ED. I called the main office and told them on Friday it wasn't working (not the first time this has happened) and it's been two days and still nobody has come. It's averaging 84 degrees in here. Sweating my balls off just sitting down. Super uncomfortable.

What's up guys?

Played another skype session with my buddy on Global tonight. Wasn't getting great cards but was at a pretty passive table when the flop came out. Cbets were getting the job done. We got some weird hands calling our all ins, but we held it together and scooped most of the pots we were in.

Started with $2 free sweepscash just a couple days ago and have ran it up to $39 so far! Have to say it's going a lot better than on ACR lol. Once I hit the $50 mark I will try and cashout to see how that goes. If all goes well, I will probably be playing over there since the games are so much softer. The only issue is paypal payouts. If I can resolve that I will be in good shape.

Hope you guys are doing well! Run hot everybody!

Played on Global again tonight. Ran like absolute ****. No kidding. Kings cracked by Aces all in pre, I get all in on a turn of KQQA with JT s against K9off and the river is a K,
We get J9o all in on the flop of 5J9 w 2 clubs against AQc and the river is a club, queens get cracked by aces all in preflop, and then aces all in on the turn of Ah3s8hTd vs 9Th and the river is X of hearts.

Played alright, started to tilt and called it quits. Really annoying. Get **** cards for 3 hours and then play 20 hands in that time and get stacked in 5 of them all in with the best hand and **** runouts.

Damn, man. I feel you though as I have been running terrible lately myself. I'm winning at 1bb/100 vs a pool I beat for 15bb/100 last month. Hopefully our fortunes turn around soon though.

What do you use to study off the table?

I agree hopefully we can switch the cold deck with a hot one!

Off the table I read Jonathan Little's cash game books, post/read hand histories on here, read upswing poker.com and blackrain79 tips, and watch YouTube videos. I'd say 80% of time I'm not at work or playing poker I'm studying it

Another rough session last night that left me literally laughing. The runouts were so consistently horrible I just couldn't help but to laugh or I would have gone mad. Here is an example. It was on Global Poker, so I don't have an exact hand history to import. I am going off of the notes I took.

-So I get QcQd in the BB. UTG opens to 2BB and there are calls in MP, BTN, and SB. I 3 bet to 10BB and everybody calls (nobody on Global really folds to 3 bets as i have been finding out). Flop comes KhQhAd. Checks around to SB who bets 1BB. Everybody calls. Turn is 9h. Checks through. River is Th.

If you play on this site you will understand why i took this line, but if you play on ACR or Stars i can see it looks completely dumb. But you can see this runout for pocket queens just sucks. It was basically like that with every pocket pair or AK/AQ type hand i had all night. Lots of bet bet fold after the river brought 4 to a straight/flush that i didn't have.

Anyways, played a couple interesting hands this morning. Short story version: I call a 4BB PF bet. SB jams his 10BB stack, BB flats, and I rejam on the flop of Td8d3c with J9d. Turn is Qx and river is a blank. We scoop vs AdQx in SB and Kc3s in BB.

Next, on a different table I bought in for 50BB ($2). I have A8h in BB. UTG raises to 2BB, AGGRO fish in MP min raises to 4BB and I flat. Flop is 3hTh7h. I check, UTG checks, MP bets 4 BB again. I call, UTG folds. Turn is (3hTh7h)Ac. I check, MP bets 15BB, i min raise to 30 BB and he calls. River is a blank and i just jam the rest (less than full pot) and he calls and mucks.


So, that's just a quick update. Requested a withdraw from ACR, so that money will go right to global when the check gets here in 3 weeks. Good luck out there guys!

What's up guys?

Played a 3 hour session tonight. Started off alright, but just couldn't pull it together in NL with a loss of 1 BI ($4.12). Lost money on rake after getting AQs in vs AJo (guy was tilted) and runout came KKTJQ. We ran AKs into Aces preflop and that was where the big loss came.


Deposited $20 to play PLO without losing the rest of our Global freeroll $ on one buy in. That went a bit better, to be honest! We held most of our big hands and were picking off river bluffs based on betting patterns. Ended up +4 BIs ($16 and change) playing the PLO4 games. Only single tabling PLO and trying to seat select to my best ability as it was mostly one aggro reg and a bunch of guys who didn't fold pre, so i wanted position on the aggro bluffmaster. Luckily, it worked out.

BR is up to $40.16

What’s up guys?


Played really solid PLO tonight on Global. Unfortunately, I did not end up booking a win as I lost a couple big hands right at the end of the session. I chopped an all in pre and lost 5 BBs to rake. Chopped another river jam with the same hand and lost 5 BBs to rake. Flopped the Q high flush vs the A high flush, flopped an ace high flush and got it in on the turn vs a set that boated on the river, etc.

Not too much to say tonight. I noticed that I started playing looser as I was losing. I think I was subconsciously trying to hit something on a flop to win a big pot and get back to even. It’s kind of challenging to put people on ranges at these stakes when they just flat every single hand and check down to the river with air, but it seems they always make that flush or straight on the end and get a call. Tricky game to play!

Back at it tomorrow. Lost $4 and change on the sesh (1BI)