Much appreciated dairuss. MMSS, why do you care if I want to spend a bit of extra time at nl10 lol? Is it that hard to comprehend that I want to be more sure of what kind of winner I am (if I even am a winner at this time) before playing higher? Always negative with you lol; Lighten up a little and enjoy life!

It was more so a genuine question. I think I asked it as it highlights a level of contradiction on your part but you should still be able to answer it on some degree. If you don't want to fair.

As always I am trying to be somewhat helpful, never hateful. Mostly just questioning.

Sorry, I misinterpreted your intentions then. I always welcome helpfulness. Thought I did answer that in the last post before yours. I am a winning nl2z player long-term. But I'm not sure about nl10z yet. If I'm not sure I'm a winner at nl10z, then my head's gonna get messed up if I have initial struggles at nl25z.

Yeah, I did kind of contradict myself. I was wanting to take shots more aggressively. But as I kind of hit that "rough patch", I realized it's better for me to slow down a little and assess where I'm at after a decent sample of 10z.

EDIT: my sample at nl2 in this thread isn't how I'm playing now. It was me trying to figure out how to play a GTO type style and not doing too well. When I'm playing more exploitively, I can win there.

Your 2nlz sample is over what then? Since you started playing poker? 6 months ago since you feel like you started winning at 2nlz?

My advise it to learn the game as high as possible. If you have no big expenses and poker is just a hobby you can afford to spend a bit of money on.If you can afford $100 a month then take shots at 25nl and learn to play built your bankroll that way if poker is what you want to do.

I think this is stupid but in terms of poker more optimal but also has much more downside.

I'd be intersted to know what your SN was on stars (don't tell me). I have fun guessing.

Sorry, was at work and couldn't reply right away. I just looked through the last few PGCs, and here are a couple graphs:

This is a 2nl graph from May 2017:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/c...%2F35l99qp.png

And this one's from October 2018, again nl2:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/c...%2F14ya05w.jpg

The second graph is definitely zoom; the first graph might just be reg tables (not sure).


I'm not really wanting to deposit more at this point just to learn at higher stakes. I'd rather get some confidence in my game at nl10z, and go from there. I'm not sure when I'm gonna need to start developing my GTO-type strategy further in order to keep winning. So I'd prefer to go a bit slower and more careful than I initially wanted. And feel free to guess my SN lol, just PM me though.

i dont understand why you would change strategy if crushing at 12 BB/100 ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO

The reason why I changed my strategy was cause I just couldn't seem to have any success beyond nl2 anymore. I don't know why. Maybe I just ran cold everytime I tried to take a shot higher. Maybe I overadjusted and didn't play well. Maybe my strategy just wasn't good enough past nl2. Whatever the reason, I just lost confidence in my game and tried to change my strategy to find a way to win higher.

Whatever, it is what it is. All that matters is the present and future, not the past. I'm crushing it at nl10z now, so hopefully all signs are pointing to me getting over the hump. I know things can change in a hurry, which is why I want to grind it out here for awhile. But I'm 20 BIs up so far (13 if you look at all-in EV).

I also want to measure success slightly differently in this thread. At some point, I'm going to start cashing out semi-regularly. I will measure success by how much I cash out for myself. It might not be much in the short-term, especially until I grow my BR more. But I'm gonna treat my BR purely as working capital, and not as winnings. So I'll still show graphs and stuff to show my progress, but my main progress indicator will be my cash out totals. Any deposits to the site I make will be subtracted from that.

So to start that, my current total is $0 (cashed out) - $135 CAD ( that I deposited):

Cash Out Total: -$135.00 CAD

why are you cashing out when you only have a small bankroll and not even rolled for 10nl? lol

lol I'm not cashing out now. But I might start after playing 100k hands at nl10

lol reading comp

Update coming up shortly in next post. But just a bunch of hands from this week first:

------------------------

(Hand 1) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $12.24 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 36)
SB: $22.17 (VPIP: 17.24, PFR: 8.62, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 59)
BB: $29.89 (VPIP: 27.78, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 54)
Hero (UTG): $10.83
MP: $12.73 (VPIP: 10.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)
CO: $10.29 (VPIP: 16.67, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 7)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T T

Hero raises to $0.25, fold, fold, fold, fold, BB calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.55, 2 players) 4 Q 5
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.55, 2 players) 3
BB bets $1.05, Hero calls $1.05

River: ($2.65, 2 players) T
BB bets $28.59 and is all-in, Hero calls $9.53 and is all-in



----------------------

(Hand 2) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $15.18 (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
SB: $32.51 (VPIP: 47.83, PFR: 4.35, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
BB: $10.48 (VPIP: 15.00, PFR: 5.00, 3Bet Preflop: 7.14, Hands: 20)
UTG: $5.46 (VPIP: 20.83, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
Hero (MP): $11.11
CO: $19.96 (VPIP: 20.59, PFR: 17.65, 3Bet Preflop: 16.22, Hands: 105)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has J J

fold, Hero raises to $0.35, fold, fold, SB calls $0.30, fold

Flop: ($0.80, 2 players) J 4 8
SB bets $0.76, Hero raises to $2.50, SB calls $1.74

Turn: ($5.80, 2 players) 2
SB checks, Hero bets $2.00, SB raises to $11.54, Hero calls $6.26 and is all-in

River: ($22.32, 2 players) K



---------------------


(Hand 3) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $28.21 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
SB: $10.00 (VPIP: 21.62, PFR: 18.92, 3Bet Preflop: 9.09, Hands: 77)
BB: $13.34 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 21)
Hero (UTG): $10.00
MP: $20.99 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
CO: $31.82 (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 23.08, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 13)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q K

Hero raises to $0.25, MP raises to $0.40, fold, BTN calls $0.40, SB calls $0.35, fold, Hero calls $0.15

Flop: ($1.70, 4 players) T Q 4
SB checks, Hero checks, MP bets $0.81, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.81

Turn: ($3.32, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, MP bets $1.59, Hero calls $1.59

River: ($6.50, 2 players) J
Hero checks, MP bets $18.19 and is all-in, Hero calls $7.20 and is all-in



--------------------

(Hand 4) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.89 (VPIP: 26.67, PFR: 23.33, 3Bet Preflop: 20.83, Hands: 62)
SB: $10.00 (VPIP: 19.61, PFR: 15.69, 3Bet Preflop: 9.09, Hands: 53)
Hero (BB): $10.00
UTG: $24.36 (VPIP: 28.89, PFR: 22.22, 3Bet Preflop: 5.26, Hands: 45)
MP: $12.09 (VPIP: 27.78, PFR: 27.78, 3Bet Preflop: 40.00, Hands: 18)
CO: $25.12 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 3)

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q A

fold, MP raises to $0.30, CO calls $0.30, fold, SB raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1.40, fold, CO calls $1.20

Flop: ($4.80, 3 players) 9 T 8
SB bets $8.50 and is all-in, Hero calls $8.50 and is all-in, CO calls $8.50

Turn: ($30.30, 3 players) 9

River: ($30.30, 3 players) 2



---------------

(Hand 5) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.76
SB: $5.70 (VPIP: 75.00, PFR: 75.00, 3Bet Preflop: 100.00, Hands: 8)
BB: $10.42 (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 8.00, 3Bet Preflop: 9.09, Hands: 29)
UTG: $8.08 (VPIP: 30.00, PFR: 30.00, 3Bet Preflop: 40.00, Hands: 21)
MP: $10.00 (VPIP: 10.00, PFR: 6.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 31)
CO: $10.00

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 2 A

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.30, SB raises to $1.00, fold, Hero calls $0.70

Flop: ($2.10, 2 players) 9 3 J
SB bets $1.51, Hero calls $1.51

Turn: ($5.12, 2 players) 5
SB checks, Hero bets $4.00, SB calls $3.19 and is all-in

River: ($11.50, 2 players) 6



-------------------

(Hand 6) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $13.65 (VPIP: 23.58, PFR: 21.83, 3Bet Preflop: 10.98, Hands: 235)
SB: $13.79 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
BB: $12.82 (VPIP: 21.74, PFR: 21.74, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 24)
Hero (UTG): $10.00
MP: $5.16 (VPIP: 12.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
CO: $11.41 (VPIP: 13.04, PFR: 6.52, 3Bet Preflop: 5.00, Hands: 46)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 9 9

Hero raises to $0.25, fold, fold, fold, SB calls $0.20, BB calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.75, 3 players) 9 Q 9
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.72, fold, BB calls $0.72

Turn: ($2.19, 2 players) 6
BB checks, Hero bets $2.50, BB calls $2.50

River: ($7.19, 2 players) J
BB checks, Hero bets $6.53 and is all-in, BB calls $6.53



-------------------

(Hand 7) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $24.38 (VPIP: 22.54, PFR: 16.76, 3Bet Preflop: 9.84, Hands: 179)
SB: $10.17
BB: $10.00 (VPIP: 14.63, PFR: 14.63, 3Bet Preflop: 7.14, Hands: 41)
UTG: $10.00 (VPIP: 30.43, PFR: 26.09, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
MP: $16.33 (VPIP: 13.51, PFR: 9.01, 3Bet Preflop: 2.27, Hands: 111)
Hero (CO): $10.97

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 8 9

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.25, fold, SB calls $0.20, fold

Flop: ($0.60, 2 players) 7 J 4
SB checks, Hero bets $0.71, SB calls $0.71

Turn: ($2.02, 2 players) T
SB checks, Hero bets $2.41, SB calls $2.41

River: ($6.84, 2 players) 5
SB checks, Hero bets $7.60 and is all-in, SB calls $6.80 and is all-in



----------------------

(Hand 8) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.06 (VPIP: 14.29, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 33.33, Hands: 7)
SB: $10.00 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
BB: $21.20 (VPIP: 3.77, PFR: 3.77, 3Bet Preflop: 7.69, Hands: 55)
Hero (UTG): $10.00
MP: $38.21 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 33.33, Hands: 8)
CO: $20.86 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A K

Hero raises to $0.25, MP calls $0.25, fold, fold, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.65, 2 players) 3 T A
Hero bets $0.78, MP calls $0.78

Turn: ($2.21, 2 players) K
Hero bets $2.64, MP calls $2.64

River: ($7.49, 2 players) 6
Hero bets $6.33 and is all-in, MP calls $6.33



-----------------

(Hand 9) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $42.46 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
SB: $11.26 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 7)
BB: $16.69 (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 16)
Hero (UTG): $15.36
MP: $22.52
CO: $21.65 (VPIP: 66.67, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 2 2

Hero raises to $0.25, MP calls $0.25, fold, fold, fold, BB calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.80, 3 players) 9 3 2
BB bets $0.38, Hero raises to $1.20, fold, BB calls $0.82

Turn: ($3.20, 2 players) 8
BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($3.20, 2 players) 9
BB bets $15.24 and is all-in, Hero calls $13.91 and is all-in



--------------------

(Hand 10) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $32.22 (VPIP: 16.98, PFR: 13.21, 3Bet Preflop: 5.00, Hands: 53)
Hero (SB): $10.18
BB: $24.28 (VPIP: 34.78, PFR: 26.09, 3Bet Preflop: 22.22, Hands: 23)
UTG: $12.07 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
MP: $13.54 (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 8.33, Hands: 26)
CO: $10.10 (VPIP: 21.43, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 29)

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K A

fold, MP raises to $0.30, fold, fold, Hero raises to $1.20, BB calls $1.10, MP calls $0.90

Flop: ($3.60, 3 players) K 6 5
Hero bets $1.14, BB calls $1.14, fold

Turn: ($5.88, 2 players) 6
Hero bets $7.84 and is all-in, BB calls $7.84

River: ($21.56, 2 players) 2

NL10z (from the start):


All stakes (from the start):


Luck Bell Curve (all stakes; from the start):


As you know, my original thoughts were to try and get to nl50 quickly. The reason being that I thought that this was probably the minimum level I needed to get to in order to make enough money to allow me to work less (if I so chose to). And as MMSS pointed out, I seemed to contradict myself when I mentioned I want to grind 100k hands at nl10 first. The reason I'm ok slowing it down is because it seems I can make enough money at nl10 now, partly because I'm playing more tables than I'd planned, and partly because my winrate is higher than expected. Not making enough to realistically be able to quit my job or anything. But possibly enough that I could maybe work 30 hours a week or something if I wanted to. Note that I don't want to yet at this point though lol. So I'm ok with taking the time to make sure I'm a winning player at each level before moving up.

This also means once I establish myself at a particular stakes, I will not move back down. I will just deposit more money back onto the site and keep going. But I'll also be withdrawing money every week (in which I'm profitable). I'm hoping this will help motivate me to put in more hours.. I'd ideally like to put in 40 hours/week. If I can do this for a few months succesfully, then I might cut down my regular work hours so putting in 40 hours/week of poker won't be as difficult to do. But it will require a bit of sacrifice in the short-term.

Cashed out money will first be used to pay any bills/expenses for the month that exceed the amount brought in by work paycheques (assuming there is any), so that I'm not digging into what little I have in savings lol. The rest will be split as follow: 25% toward paying off credit card debt, 25% toward increasing my liferoll/savings, and 50% toward live poker shots. Yes, I want to also save up some money to use towards getting back into live poker. Most of my time will be online poker, but months down the road (when I work less), it would be nice to play live once or twice a week.

So the plan for the next little bit is to get 50k hands of nl10 played. While nl10 is my main game, I will keep 35 BIs on Stars. At the end of each week (until I hit the 50k hands), I'll withdraw anything above that $350. After that, 25% of the extra profit will go towards nl25 shots, and the other 75% I'll withdraw. Once I have 6 BIs for nl25 I'll split my time; roughly 60% nl10, and 40% nl25. nl25 profits will be kept to be used for nl25. nl10 profits will be withdrawn. Once I have an 80k winning hand sample at nl25, and 50 nl25 BIs, I'll permanantly switch to nl25. And then the process will repeat for each higher stakes, but with stricter requirments. That will start in March. The money I withdrew today will just go towards the liferoll.

Cashed out this week: $136.99 CAD ($106.70 USD)

Cash Out Total: +$1.99 CAD

Just when I was starting to feel good about how things are going and the direction I'm headed in, I get told at work that my shifts are being cut down. So starting next week, I'll only be working 4 days instead of 6 (2 at that job, 2 at the other). So much for me being able to be patient and taking it slower. Now, I'll need to aggressively shot-take nl25. My 30k hand sample at nl10 will have to suffice.



My BR is at $416, so I will take a 4.5 BI shot at nl25 and leave 30BIs at nl10. I want to put myself in a position ASAP where I can sustain myself solely through poker. If I win at 3bb/100 at nl25 (4-tabling), I can get by. At 4bb/100 winrate, I can more easily get by. And then once I move up to nl50 after that, I'll be in a much better situation. I need the "safety net" of being able to fall back on poker in case the need arises. I could just look for another job, but might as well try this first, as it fits into my long-term plans the most. Gonna start playing nl25 now; wish me luck (or don't )!

I'm not gonna get back into posting daily updates lol, but just a quick update after my first session of nl25 cause I'm enjoying the game so much again. After struggling so hard on nl5 and nl10 for the longest time, I'm so excited to be back playing nl25. I think I'm playing more solid than I've ever played (with the odd random spew mixed in of course lol). I'm a long, long way from crushing high stakes with the best of them. But I think I've improved a ton, and ready to continue on and to try and tackle nl25.



First session at nl25 wasn't too long. Started out by spewing my stack, as always seems to happen when starting a new stakes lol. Hand is shown below. But played well after that.

There doesn't seem to be that much difference between nl25 and nl10 so far, so I'm kind of thinking to just go for broke at nl25. I have almost 18 BIs, which should give me a reasonable chance for success. If I fail, I can either deposit another smaller amount and try to grind it back up quickly, or go job hunting. We'll see how things go.

---------------

So some hands from the session. First hand is the spew hand; I know I played it horribly.

(Hand 1) PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $18.15 (VPIP: 43.48, PFR: 30.43, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
Hero (SB): $26.35
BB: $34.16 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 4)
UTG: $26.17 (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
MP: $23.35 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
CO: $25.00 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 5)

Hero posts SB $0.10, BB posts BB $0.25

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.35) Hero has Q Q

UTG raises to $0.85, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $3.40, fold, UTG calls $2.55

Flop: ($7.05, 2 players) K J 2
Hero checks, UTG bets $6.73, Hero calls $6.73

Turn: ($20.51, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, UTG bets $16.04 and is all-in, Hero calls $16.04

River: ($52.59, 2 players) 3



------------------

(Hand 2) PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $25.00
SB: $35.40 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
BB: $40.42 (VPIP: 18.87, PFR: 11.32, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 108)
UTG: $25.00 (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
MP: $25.85 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
CO: $59.60 (VPIP: 41.67, PFR: 29.17, 3Bet Preflop: 6.25, Hands: 50)

SB posts SB $0.10, BB posts BB $0.25

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.35) Hero has A A

UTG raises to $0.75, fold, CO calls $0.75, Hero raises to $3.75, fold, fold, UTG calls $3.00, CO calls $3.00

Flop: ($11.60, 3 players) 3 9 3
UTG checks, CO bets $3.66, Hero calls $3.66, fold

Turn: ($18.92, 2 players) 4
CO checks, Hero checks

River: ($18.92, 2 players) 4
CO bets $11.75, Hero calls $11.75



---------------------

(Hand 3) PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $25.00 (VPIP: 24.57, PFR: 20.69, 3Bet Preflop: 11.43, Hands: 180)
SB: $27.40 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)
BB: $75.71 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 21)
Hero (UTG): $27.62
MP: $23.78 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
CO: $32.52 (VPIP: 18.18, PFR: 15.15, 3Bet Preflop: 6.25, Hands: 34)

SB posts SB $0.10, BB posts BB $0.25

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.35) Hero has A A

Hero raises to $0.62, MP calls $0.62, fold, fold, fold, BB raises to $3.75, Hero raises to $9.00, fold, BB raises to $75.71 and is all-in, Hero calls $18.62 and is all-in

Flop: ($55.96, 2 players) 8 6 2

Turn: ($55.96, 2 players) 3

River: ($55.96, 2 players) 3



---------------------

(Hand 4) PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $27.90
SB: $14.80 (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 5)
BB: $19.25 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 4)
UTG: $37.91 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 4)
MP: $31.78 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 3)
CO: $33.92 (VPIP: 22.22, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 7.69, Hands: 36)

SB posts SB $0.10, BB posts BB $0.25

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.35) Hero has Q J

fold, MP calls $0.25, fold, Hero raises to $0.75, fold, BB calls $0.50, MP calls $0.50

Flop: ($2.35, 3 players) 2 A 9
BB checks, MP checks, Hero bets $1.23, fold, MP calls $1.23

Turn: ($4.81, 2 players) K
MP checks, Hero bets $5.74, MP calls $5.74

River: ($16.29, 2 players) 2
MP bets $24.06 and is all-in, Hero calls $20.18 and is all-in

nl25 shot was unsuccessful this time. Dropped back down to nl10 cause in the end, I didn't want to risk the BR. It means too much, now that I know I can win. Because I lost the 4 BIs at nl25, I don't have enough in my BR to cash out anything this week. Will play another 10k hands at nl10, and then start saving up for the next nl25 shot. On another note, the luck bell curve graph is starting to take way too long to load up anytime I want to see it. So I'm probably just going to forget about it. I don't know if anyone cared about that one anyway lol.

nl10 from the start:


nl25 from the start:


All stakes from the start:




Cashed out this week: $0

Cash Out Total: +$1.99 CAD



====================================


(Hand 1) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $11.61 (VPIP: 19.77, PFR: 16.95, 3Bet Preflop: 8.82, Hands: 181)
SB: $21.05 (VPIP: 17.65, PFR: 11.76, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 17)
Hero (BB): $10.68
UTG: $20.09 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 12)
MP: $27.97 (VPIP: 34.48, PFR: 12.07, 3Bet Preflop: 11.54, Hands: 118)
CO: $22.04 (VPIP: 16.55, PFR: 14.48, 3Bet Preflop: 8.77, Hands: 152)

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q A

fold, MP calls $0.10, fold, BTN raises to $0.50, SB calls $0.45, Hero raises to $1.75, MP calls $1.65, fold, fold

Flop: ($4.50, 2 players) 6 K K
Hero checks, MP checks

Turn: ($4.50, 2 players) 2
Hero bets $1.42, MP calls $1.42

River: ($7.34, 2 players) 7
Hero bets $7.51 and is all-in, fold,

----------------------

(Hand 2) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $10.00
SB: $8.70 (VPIP: 22.73, PFR: 22.73, 3Bet Preflop: 18.18, Hands: 22)
BB: $3.24 (VPIP: 66.67, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
UTG: $13.86 (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 5)
MP: $41.25 (VPIP: 24.44, PFR: 22.22, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 45)
CO: $11.35 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 30)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 3 3

fold, MP raises to $0.20, fold, Hero calls $0.20, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.55, 2 players) 4 6 9
MP bets $0.20, Hero calls $0.20

Turn: ($0.95, 2 players) 6
MP bets $0.20, Hero calls $0.20

River: ($1.35, 2 players) 3
MP bets $0.20, Hero raises to $4.00, MP raises to $7.80, Hero raises to $9.40 and is all-in, MP calls $1.60



------------------------

(Hand 3) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $11.83 (VPIP: 31.03, PFR: 20.69, 3Bet Preflop: 9.52, Hands: 62)
SB: $10.00 (VPIP: 18.52, PFR: 8.64, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 82)
BB: $9.10 (VPIP: 12.50, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
UTG: $18.86 (VPIP: 24.20, PFR: 16.56, 3Bet Preflop: 9.17, Hands: 327)
MP: $25.91 (VPIP: 20.71, PFR: 18.93, 3Bet Preflop: 6.67, Hands: 352)
Hero (CO): $12.09

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A A

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.40, BTN raises to $1.20, fold, fold, Hero raises to $2.60, BTN calls $1.40

Flop: ($5.35, 2 players) 7 6 8
Hero bets $1.69, BTN calls $1.69

Turn: ($8.73, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, BTN bets $7.54 and is all-in, Hero calls $7.54

River: ($23.81, 2 players) 3



-------------------

(Hand 4) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $15.42 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
Hero (SB): $10.21
BB: $14.98 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
UTG: $11.73 (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 100.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
MP: $10.00 (VPIP: 21.55, PFR: 12.07, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 120)
CO: $10.27 (VPIP: 22.06, PFR: 16.29, 3Bet Preflop: 4.91, Hands: 406)

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K K

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.25, fold, Hero raises to $1.00, BB calls $0.90, fold

Flop: ($2.25, 2 players) K 4 K
Hero bets $1.18, BB calls $1.18

Turn: ($4.61, 2 players) 5
Hero bets $2.42, BB calls $2.42

River: ($9.45, 2 players) 4
Hero bets $5.61 and is all-in, BB calls $5.61

Was a very trying week. Was running very badly, and causing me to lose focus a little. Took a few days off from playing to study some more, then came back a little refreshed. All I can do is look at the overall picture; 50k hands into nl10 and still winning. Just gotta keep building on that.

nl10 from the start:


all stakes from the start:


Cashed out this week: $0

Cash Out Total: +$1.99 CAD

Been a bit of an annoying week lol. Overall, hasn't been too bad all-in EV-wise. But kind of a long break-even stretch over the last half, and not much money-wise to show for the week. But on the other hand, getting close to a winning 100k hand sample, which I would have been over the moon for when I started the thread. So progress is being made.

nl10 from the start:


nl10 this week:


all stakes from the start:


Cashed out this week: $0

Cash Out Total: +$1.99 CAD

Some hands from the week:

-----------------

Tilted this guy with my 3betting. This was his reaction.

(Hand 1) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $5.51 (VPIP: 6.25, PFR: 3.13, 3Bet Preflop: 7.14, Hands: 32)
SB: $14.73 (VPIP: 23.88, PFR: 17.91, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 69)
Hero (BB): $10.00
UTG: $31.69 (VPIP: 19.66, PFR: 17.20, 3Bet Preflop: 7.38, Hands: 418)
MP: $10.32 (VPIP: 21.34, PFR: 16.52, 3Bet Preflop: 5.63, Hands: 1,033)
CO: $14.68 (VPIP: 22.49, PFR: 18.54, 3Bet Preflop: 12.95, Hands: 336)

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K A

fold, MP raises to $0.25, fold, fold, SB calls $0.20, Hero raises to $1.00, MP raises to $10.32 and is all-in, fold, Hero calls $9.00 and is all-in

Flop: ($20.25, 2 players) T Q T

Turn: ($20.25, 2 players) 7

River: ($20.25, 2 players) J



--------------------

Annoying, but what can you do

(Hand 2) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $21.69 (VPIP: 31.25, PFR: 18.75, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 18)
Hero (SB): $10.00
BB: $10.00 (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
UTG: $32.93 (VPIP: 45.71, PFR: 37.14, 3Bet Preflop: 8.33, Hands: 36)
MP: $10.95 (VPIP: 23.39, PFR: 21.56, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 219)
CO: $10.20 (VPIP: 21.57, PFR: 19.61, 3Bet Preflop: 15.79, Hands: 51)

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has T T

fold, fold, CO raises to $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, Hero raises to $1.20, fold, CO calls $0.90, BTN calls $0.90

Flop: ($3.70, 3 players) 9 3 9
Hero checks, CO checks, BTN checks

Turn: ($3.70, 3 players) 7
Hero bets $1.94, fold, BTN calls $1.94

River: ($7.58, 2 players) T
Hero bets $6.86 and is all-in, BTN calls $6.86



----------------------

…meh

(Hand 3) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $35.44 (VPIP: 16.67, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
Hero (SB): $10.05
BB: $11.14 (VPIP: 19.66, PFR: 14.53, 3Bet Preflop: 6.87, Hands: 360)
UTG: $5.71 (VPIP: 19.72, PFR: 8.45, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 74)
MP: $29.49 (VPIP: 27.91, PFR: 13.95, 3Bet Preflop: 3.03, Hands: 89)
CO: $11.55 (VPIP: 44.44, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 20.00, Hands: 9)

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has K J

fold, fold, CO calls $0.10, BTN raises to $0.25, Hero calls $0.20, fold, CO calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.85, 3 players) J 9 K
Hero checks, CO checks, BTN bets $0.30, Hero raises to $1.20, CO calls $1.20, fold

Turn: ($3.55, 2 players) A
Hero checks, CO bets $1.70, Hero calls $1.70

River: ($6.95, 2 players) 2
Hero checks, CO bets $6.60, fold,

---------------------------

thank you

(Hand 4) PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $10.79 (VPIP: 29.60, PFR: 27.20, 3Bet Preflop: 12.77, Hands: 126)
SB: $4.90 (VPIP: 20.56, PFR: 12.05, 3Bet Preflop: 4.10, Hands: 1,252)
Hero (BB): $10.67
UTG: $11.01 (VPIP: 26.39, PFR: 18.75, 3Bet Preflop: 13.11, Hands: 147)
MP: $33.43 (VPIP: 26.35, PFR: 17.37, 3Bet Preflop: 1.59, Hands: 169)
CO: $13.98 (VPIP: 16.49, PFR: 12.77, 3Bet Preflop: 12.12, Hands: 194)

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q Q

fold, MP raises to $0.30, CO raises to $0.90, fold, SB calls $0.85, Hero raises to $2.50, MP calls $2.20, CO calls $1.60, fold

Flop: ($8.40, 3 players) 2 9 9
Hero bets $8.17 and is all-in, MP calls $8.17, fold

Turn: ($24.74, 2 players) A

River: ($24.74, 2 players) K

Time for some theory talk. I've taken some time today to start working on my preflop strategy some more. More specifically, my RFI ranges. After looking at poker tracker, I'm only winning .5-.6 bb/hand when RFI. So I think there's a lot of room for improvement there.

I looked at my EP RFI range, and I'm losing money with most of the hands in that range. I'm currently opening to 2.5bb, and I think I'm giving too many hands a good price to call my raise, especially from the BB. I'm contemplating opening larger; maybe something around 4bb or so. And of course, that means opening a tighter range. Not only does that help mitigate the rake a little bit, but it also causes the opponents to make more calling mistakes.

Right now, my EP open-raise is only successful 33% of the time (break-even percentage is 62.5%). So I think using a larger sizing with a tighter range would exploit the player pool more.

Anyone have any thoughts about this? Am I correct in thinking that this would be a beneficial strategy adjustment?

I’m currently following snowie advice, so my sizings for every position until co is 2.2 bbs with a tighter range. Adjusting for 6-max, your ep opening range would be my mp range, pps higher than 77, all suited aces, all suited broadways, ATo+ and KJo+ if I’m not mistaken. The idea here is that we actually want to be called. It opens 3.5bbs only from lp (steal positions) where we want folds.

Postflop may be your problem. We shouldn’t bloat pots oop with most of our range, so my cb%, for example, is way lower than when I’m playing ip.

Keep in mind that your winrates from ep, even when playing optimally, will always be lower than from lp.

You say that right now your ep open range is only successful 33% of the time? I don’t understand this, what is considered a success? Everybody folding? Surely we want calls from our EP opening range?

Also, remember that, by opening larger from ep, you might discourage callers but encourage more 3 bets, so you’ll have to defend more oop.

Thanks for the input guys. It's not just EP I'll be looking at, but all positions. EP is just the position I'm looking at first. Interesting to hear what Snowie does. However, with a 2.5bb (or Snowie's 2.2bb) sizing, we don't want callers as far as I can see. We're giving too many hands the right price to call, so our EV when called will be less than 1.5bb. If they fold those hands, then our EV is obviously equal to exactly 1.5bb. So having everyone fold is the best result. Obviously I'm not perfect postflop either, but it starts preflop, and I don't think I'm even close to optimal there yet.

Now, if they're getting a bad price to call preflop, like if I were to use a bigger RFI size, then our range benefits from their mistake of calling too much, because our EV will be higher than 1.5bb/hand from those extra hands that call. So in that case, we would want them to call as much as possible.

As for facing more 3bets, I don't believe that's the case. They are less likely to 3bet light against a larger RFI size. And if they do 3bet more, they're doing so against a stronger range, which doesn't seem bad for us. And we're only OOP some of the time. We're IP against the blinds.

So, so far it seems like a good idea, unless I'm still missing something.

Did some more theory work on this, and I sort of reached an equilibrium on this for a RFI size of around 10bb in EP. By "equilibrium", I mean the situation in which my opponents call all hands that have the correct odds to call vs my RFI range, where this results in a break-even frequency for my bluffs.

This seems absurd, to open to 10bb. But is it really? Is it possible Snowie doesn't open this big because it doesn't have the option to try this size out? Opening to 10bb means opening 6.4% of hands. Most hands outside this range were just losing anyway with the smaller raise size.

When you look at it from a profit perspective (assuming something close to +1.5bb/hand for the 10bb size; the 16.67% is the frequency that we're in EP):


Raising 15.7% of all hands in EP: (15.7% * 16.67%) * +0.55 bb/hand = +1.44 bb/100

Raising 6.4% of all hands in EP: (6.4% * 16.67%) * +1.35 bb/hand = +1.44 bb/100


So we can see that if opponents fold most hands to my 10bb open, then total profit for my RFI range for both sizes are similar (using my current results). But using a 10bb size allows my opponents to make bigger calling mistakes against me, which can push that higher. Using a 2.5bb size doesn't allow my opponents to make drastic calling mistakes, unless they call extremely wide. And in that case, they're probably going to make similarly big mistakes against my larger open.

If my opponents are folding to RFIs too much with the smaller sizing, than using a smaller sizing is obviously better, as my total profit will start becoming much greater. But as it is now, people are calling too much, so using a bigger sizing seems to make more sense. Especially after looking at the data and seeing most hands are losing/break-even anyway (with the smaller size).

I hope you guys can look through my logic carefully before commenting on this, and see if I'm making sense, or to point out the mistakes in my argument. It seems ludicrous to even consider a RFI size of 10bb, but maybe it makes sense?

I may just figure out the EP (10bb) range for now (including response to 3bets), and then play down at nl5 to see how opponents respond to it, and see how it does.

Well, Snowie has the option to check ranges for a 3.5 bb opening from ep and mp. It´s tighter, and since he doesn´t use those sizes, I´m assuming it doesn´t yield the maximum ev. I think your range will be way too tight if you elect to really open 10 bbs. You agree with me right?

So, let´s expand this a little bit. What if our options are only shoving 100 bbs or folding? What should be our range? Do you really think it´s profitable?

You´re underestimating your competition at 5nl and 10nl if you think most people won´t adjust to a 10 bb opening size. But I would love to be proven wrong, especially if you post the entire math here for us proving your theory.