Firstly, nice volume! How many hours are you putting in to get that sort of volume given you're only playing 3 tables?

Take this for what it's worth as i havent played for some time.

Hand 1 I'd definitely bet the turn after the flop is checked back. I'd want to make sure i get at least 2 streets of value from my AA.

Hand 3 i don't understand this line at all although you've saved yourself some money. I'd have been betting all 3 street here. I think you're giving him a bit too much credit with the range you're assigning him. Have you been losing some big pots with overpairs at 10nl?

Hand 2 is beautiful!

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Thanks! For quite a lot of May I was playing 4 tables. I've dropped down now because I've realised I need to get better at playing first to make sure the volume I play is quality rather than quantity. I can't make optimal decisions at 4 tables right now and need to give myself time to think through every decision. 3 tables is a comfortable pace for me that gives me enough thinking time.

Yeh I think you're right about hand 3. It does look overly nitty/scared. I have lost quite a lot lately AA/KK against a flopped set so I'm probably overly wary. Villain limped as well which I didn't realise when I wrote it up until it was pointed out over in the microstakes thread!!

Playing in the same pool as you. Not betting turn in that last hand seems insane to me. You have zero reads and a typical limper's range is much wider than what you put him on. If he starts raising you can start to get concerned. I'd bet 3 streets here.

Good luck!

Haha, yeh you're right about the missed turn bet actually. I was happy not to lose my stack at the time, think I've gone overly cautious after my downswing, lost a few pots with AA/KK against flopped sets and the like. I do need to think more about my decisions and pot control more often, but not at the expense of value!!

Don't know how you find limps in general at these stakes. I find them really weird to play against. I was limp-shoved on 3 times today, and the other times villain check down a premium hand. I didn't notice it was a limped pot when I was writing it up, then it was pointed out in the microstakes forum o well! But I don't understand limping 99 UTG at all.

Your 4bet size is too big in the AA hand given it's 100bbs effective, make it like 25bbs, the sizing is too big for bluffs so it's not balanced at all

Ah right. Thanks for this. Bet sizing is definitely something I need to work on in all spots.

Looking for a tool that will help me better visualise ranges and how they interact with the board. If anyone has any preference for a tool please let me know.

Just downloaded the trial versions of Flopzilla and Pokerranger, on first glance there seems a lot to them, but I'm going to try them both and see if I can get to grips with them.

Equilab is a good tool.

A whole ton of starting hand charts but the best bit for players who are advanced beyond that is the Scenario Analyser.

Compare your hand/range V a villains range and see which cards do what to your equity.

I believe Flopzilla is more advanced (I've never used it) but Equilab is free!

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Thanks! I have Equilab but not used it much. Been having a play with Pokerranger today, looks really good. Comes with a 21 day free trial too.

Really not having a good run at the moment. Wrapping up the week:



Just cannot seem to win. I've worked harder than ever the last couple of weeks - tightening up preflop ranges, analysing hands, posting hands. But just can't win. Confidence is pretty shot at the moment. After my start to the year I felt like I was at least a breakeven, if not a slight winner overall at these stakes. The last month though has really put a lot of doubt in my mind. I'm 22 BI's down at 10nl which I think cannot just be running bad.

I'm determined to work through it though. I really don't want to drop back down to 5nl, I still have the roll for 10nl but I will if I have to. I'm going to continue reviewing hands in Pokerranger, posting on the forums for feedback, and hopefully I can come out of it with a really solid game that I know inside and out.

Sorry for the dour tone of the post, I did think twice about posting, but I'd rather post the bad along with the good to give a realistic picture of my journey. Hopefully I will be reading back on this with a smile one day!

Hang in there bro.

Don't pot control vs the fish in the Hand where you have AA and hes flopped a set. Bet turn 100%, Checkings fine vs a reg who has a range but against that limpy fish thing we want to be going for max value

Just curious, hand 1 - any reason why you don't lead out after he's called such a big 4bet?

I've struggled before moving from 5nl to 10nl, just keep doing what you're doing.

Thanks both for the words of encouragement. Definitely helped me dust myself off and go again.

Yeh, you're definitely right about this. I was playing way too scared and seeing monsters everywhere.

Yes I think I should have bet out here with a view to getting the money in on the turn.


Better day today:



Tried to play a bit more freely today which I think helped. I've reverted my preflop ranges back to what I played originally and I just feel all round more confident in them. Partly may be due to familiarity, but also I think this range gets me in to a lot less marginal situations out of position. I also think it better exploits these stakes by being a lot tighter in first two positions but a bit wider on the button.

Pretty much breakeven day in ev. Still not pulling back much green line but happy that ev line has stopped nose diving!



Week to date:



Again played a bit more freely. By that I mean I have been probably trying to stick a bit too religiously to my preflop ranges. I realise now I need to loosen up and tighten up at the right times. A big part of this depends on villains stats, but there's also a subtle bit that relates to how I'm feeling at the time. Eg sometimes I think it's fine to tighten up for a bit when not quite feeling it, and then sometimes open up a bit when feeling more confident. A static range doesn't allow this variation and so it's easier for me to end up in spots where I don't feel comfortable.

Will post a few hands in the next couple of days.

Don't really want to post tbh but I need to share the bad as well as the good.

Week to date:



I have to be honest also and admit there was some tilt in that last 500 hands. I just cannot win at 10nl and I must admit that it finally got to me.

Here is my 10nl graph for the year:



That is really painful to see and to share. There are obviously massive fundamental leaks there to lead to such a loss.

In contrast, here is my 5nl graph:



I need to move down now once again to 5nl. I need to take some time off now and reevaluate. I have enjoyed the journey so far however my 10nl results are brutal and lead me to realise that I have deep flaws in how I play. I have set a goal to be profitable in 2018 and my 10nl losses have left me in the negative for the year. I want to succeed in this but the evidence so far is that I don't have the skill to do that. That is a bitter pill to swallow.

The way I see my options are:

1. I move down to 5nl, keep playing my game and hope my 10nl losses are just some awful runbad.
2. Move down to 5nl, purchase a sub to a training site and work hard on my game.
3. Move down to 5nl, look for some coaching. I don't even know where to start with this. I really need someone to just look at my game as a whole, review an hour of me playing for example. I have posted hands in the past but there are certainly some massive leaks in my standard game that I need to identify.
4. Pack poker in completely. I enjoy the challenge but my 10nl results have left my confidence shattered.

My preference is for 2 or 3. Having set a goal I am stubborn in that I will see it through to the end. I want to end 2018 in profit. My secondary goal of getting to 25nl is looking very remote right now. My challenge with option 2 is that I have been doing a lot of work already. Reviewing hands, posting hands, working with Pokerranger etc. Is purchasing a training pack really going to help if my fundamental way of looking at the game is flawed? That leaves option 3, but I don't even know where to begin on this or what it even looks like. I feel like I need someone to just watch a video of my play for an hour and review all spots. Whatever I do needs to add value to my game and the more the better. I need confidence in my game where now my confidence is way below zero.

I know this thread doesn't have a lot of followers but if anyone is reading any thoughts would be appreciated. Apologies for the last many updates of moaning for all those that are following. I really do wish I had something more worthwhile to share.

Good luck at the tables everyone.

I think a training site would be a better bet than coaching purely because i think there is more training material aimed at these stakes than there are coaches familiar with that level.

Out of interest have you compared your stats at 5nl and 10nl to see if you're playing fundamentally different at the 2 stakes?

I've been following the thread and you've noted a tendency to play certain hands scared because of bad beats.

I wonder if your initial first bad run at 10nl dented your confidence and you're deviating from your A game when you play at 10nl now?

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Usually being afraid of bad beat only in certain stakes means that he's under-bankrolled for these stakes. If bad beats or bankroll issues affect your decision, it means that you should play smaller stakes, Thats only my opinion.

What training sites would you recommend? are you allow to mention their names?

Thanks

I've had a very similar experience to you at 5 and 10nl zoom. Beat 5nl at 5bb/100 over a decent sample, moved up, was winning the first 10,00 hands at a decent clip and got doom-switched. Anytime I got it in with KK they had AA. When I got it in with AA and they had KK they hit a K, people making ******ed plays and sucking out, etc. Sucks, but what can you do. I just moved back down to 5nl as well.

The play definitely seems more aggro, people folding less at 10nl. But to me, it seems mostly people people doing it in dumb spots and you're the victim of them running well.

Obviously, if we're not smashing these stakes we're not good, but I wouldn't get down on yourself too much.

Edit: Given that you've got a job and you can view this as a hobby I think it makes sense to invest a little in coaching/training site if it'll improve your enjoyment of the hobby.

Well, I completely failed in my goal of being profitable in 2018. Here's all the graphs:

2nl:



5nl:



10nl:



Spins/husng's:



So, completely crushed at 10nl and there is definitely some tilt in there. But, I start again, I'd given up poker completely and hadn't played for months, but now I'm back and want to end 2019 at least in the black.

Been playing 2nl zoom and so far in the positive for ev:



Pretty poor for a thread I know but my main thing is to finish the year in the positive. I'll be giving poker more of a go than in the past and not focusing on volume for its own sake like in the past. every hand I'll play to the best of my ability. Probably won't be posting that often maybe once every month.

Negative 2018 is **** but I am pretty confident that I'll leave 2019 in good shape.

For the run good here's some threadsavers:







Playing 6 max zoom and will be topping up the bankroll where appropriate. So far have $123 dollars in play, been playing 2nl but will probably go for 5nl from tomorrow.

Good luck everyone!

What site do you play on

Play on stars.

Started the year with a few hands. Only playing one table at the moment while I get to grips with my preflop ranges. Once I'm feeling confident with these I'll add another table. My plan though is to stick to two-tabling. This year my goal is to improve as a player and beyond that I get too much into auto-piloting. I joined Upswing at the end of last year and I'm working my way through the content there slowly.

Today at 5nl:



Mainly down to this nice bit of run good:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 249 BB (VPIP: 21.04, PFR: 14.12, 3Bet Preflop: 7.58, Hands: 355)
SB: 121.8 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
Hero (BB): 130 BB
UTG: 105.6 BB (VPIP: 15.84, PFR: 10.89, 3Bet Preflop: 3.70, Hands: 310)
MP: 118.6 BB (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 31.25, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 16)
CO: 246.6 BB (VPIP: 10.00, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 11)

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 4 4

fold, fold, CO raises to 2 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 1 BB

Flop: (4.4 BB, 2 players) 9 K 4
Hero checks, CO bets 4 BB, Hero raises to 12 BB, CO calls 8 BB

Turn: (28.4 BB, 2 players) 4
Hero bets 20.4 BB, CO calls 20.4 BB

River: (69.2 BB, 2 players) A
Hero bets 95.6 BB and is all-in, CO calls 95.6 BB



Not sure if the river bet is correct, might be too large to get called.

This was a hand I struggled with and not sure I played this right:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 113.6 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 5)
SB: 150.4 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)
Hero (BB): 102.8 BB
UTG: 73.4 BB
MP: 180.2 BB (VPIP: 16.67, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 7)
CO: 103.4 BB (VPIP: 9.09, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has J J

fold, fold, CO raises to 2.6 BB, BTN calls 2.6 BB, fold, Hero raises to 8 BB, CO calls 5.4 BB, BTN calls 5.4 BB

Flop: (24.4 BB, 3 players) 9 3 7
Hero bets 11.8 BB, CO calls 11.8 BB, fold

Turn: (48 BB, 2 players) T
Hero checks, CO bets 23.2 BB, Hero calls 23.2 BB

River: (94.4 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, CO checks

Still one tabling for now. Feeling more solid in regards pre flop ranges.



Not much happening today but here is the biggest hand, think this is ok:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 100 BB (VPIP: 29.27, PFR: 21.95, 3Bet Preflop: 11.76, Hands: 41)
SB: 157.6 BB (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 25.00, Hands: 8)
Hero (BB): 110.4 BB
UTG: 104.4 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
MP: 98.6 BB (VPIP: 15.00, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 21)
CO: 138.8 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 7 6

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

Flop: (6 BB, 2 players) 7 A 3
SB bets 5.8 BB, Hero calls 5.8 BB

Turn: (17.6 BB, 2 players) 6
SB bets 16.8 BB, Hero calls 16.8 BB

River: (51.2 BB, 2 players) Q
SB bets 49 BB, Hero calls 49 BB

January is done:



Not good to have such a low ev BB/100 but at least I'm in the black! Also got a $15 deposit bonus to add to the winnings. Got absolutely battered one day in particular which did a lot of damage. Just variance on that day I feel, lost around 8 buy-ins in about a 1000 hands :eek

Overall I played ok. One tabled for a lot of the earlier hands. Two tabling now and want to stick at that for a while. Lots of times I've wanted to add tables but I must remember to focus on quality play rather than volume.

Happy with my preflop ranges at the moment. Work this next month is on cbetting and defending against cbets.

Moved up to 10nl today and did ok. Play seems pretty much the same as 5nl. I enjoy playing poker and loving the challenge. Overall goal is to end up in the black for the year but would love to make a slight side income out of poker if I can.

GL everyone!

Today's 10nl: