#hooray for the elusive 5bet at 1/2!

And hooray for mexican beer!

Ray, i have a question about game selection in terms of hour of the day.

How do you usually think about which hours are the best to play?

Would you compartamentalize hours according to what your average hours per session would be? (Mine is about 4 hr/sesh)

I feel like anytime past midnight and before 10am-noon is a great time to play. Anytime past noon buy before 10pm is terrible. But this goes against having a normal schedule and is contradicted somewhat by fewer table selection.

I play poker NOT in times when I think might b the best action, but IN times that most suits my life schedule. My poker scheduled is usually somewhere between 10a-6p Sun-Thurs. Sometimes i may play 3hrs, sometimes 13hrs, but usually average around 6hr sessions Sun-Thurs. The Sun-Thurs schedule fits best w the family. Having 2 kids, I like to b home around 6p to help my 10yr old w homework, play w my 2yr old, sent down to eat dinner w fam, and/or attend school functions, and/or do anything else that comes up on the daily. I usually don't play on Friday and Saturdays. Fridays- I don't play mostly because the bigger games- 2/5, 5/10/20 r such a big tease for me, and its distracting for my $40k challenge. These r games I wd like to sit in, but can't until my "Challenge" is over. So I just choose not to play many Fridays, or ill play until those games get
started. Fridays r also days i get caught up on my rentals-making sure grass is cut, landscaped manicured, and all tenants r content. I do a lot of errand running, bill paying, and tennis if have time on this day as well. I really enjoy getting caught up on life stuff, and NOT playing cards on Fridays. Saturdays, I very seldom play unless I'm playing a tournament. I can't think of too many Saturdays I've played cash. Saturdays r usually spent playing tennis and w my family hanging out doing family fun stuff (putt putt, go karting, hiking, shopping, etc). Saturdays r also the days we attend evening church.
mayb I cd hv better results if I chose my poker schedule around times gd for poker play (fri, sat, evenings), but I rather b more n sync w my family's schedule. It's a lot more zenfull. I do agree, sometimes the games r pretty crappy during my poker schedule (sun-thurs 10a-6p), but im not too worried bout. Still making decent money w this schedule for now...
Next year after the Challenge is completed, I will have to tweak out a new schedule that will include Fridays and Saturdays when bigger games r running.
I'm sure I wasn't much help w ur question @parellflex. GL this week n ur grind! I'm getting ready to head out to the felt to start my week. Time to run it up!!

Last Week's Sessions

Sick week.

Lose $413 in 3 hrs, and call it a day.
Kk<AK $150 in pf and $100 on the flop AA8.
Missed a straight draw and flush draw in my another big hand where I lost $175.
No sweat, Try again tomorrow
Sitting on $23,787 cash game, and $21,412 overall

So sorry to hear about your good poker friend emptinpockets passing away. From what I hear he was a real good guy, and will be greatly missed by the whole poker community. Hang in there butterfly.

@Cally thanks. It def has been a tough week. Shane was a great friend, and my best poker buddy. I respected his game, and valued our friendship. He was such an all around great guy! I’ll never forget the time this year where I lost a Head Up NCAA bracket bet w him, and I had to dress up like a lifeguard in the poker room. He needled me the whole time, and made sure my nose always had plenty of sunscreen at all times. In the summer, I drove to Hollywd w Shane, and this guy try to gv me $40 for gas. I said ur crazy-that is way too much, and we settled for $20. But that just how this guy was, a very gd dude, always willing to help in any way, and always in a great mood. Shane’s emotions never changed, win or lose, on and off the felt, he was always smiling and treated everyone w respect. Earlier this year, I gave Shane the nickname “Sicko”, for his crazy absurd correct hero calls. He had mind blowing poker instincts, and made such sickly calls. Calls that I would easily fold, he would tank and call. He seemed to b right on these sick calls, way more than wrong. Sicko and I wd text regularly talking poker, women, and life. We always tried to give each other gd honest advice, and always pushed each other in our poker grind. Shane and I were planning on heading to Cincy/WSOP next month, and I have no doubt Shane “Sicko” Green wd hv made some very deep runs. It’s just not going to be the same now without my best poker buddy. Sicko was definitely one of the good guys in poker, and in life. My life is much better because of our friendship we shared. He will be a greatly missed!
After hearing the news of emptin on Sunday shortly after my disastrous session (-$413), I didn’t play again until Tuesday evening. Monday I cdnt get off the couch, Tuesday I thought I was ready to play in the evening and won $17, Wednesday I lost $23, and today I won $582. This week I lost 2 sessions and won 2 sessions. I may play tomo, or Sat, - hoping to get in a fifth session n this week. There has been a few interesting hands from the week, but it just doesn’t seem appropriate to discuss at this time. My head has been all over the map lately and I’ve been somewhat on autopilot mode. This week it feels like I have been going through the motions in the poker grind without much thought process. I don’t think I been playing my “A” game at all. I wd grade: Sun-B-, Tues-B, Wed-B, Thurs-A.
W the tragic loss of my gd friend, I have been doing a lot of soul searching, reflecting, evaluating in the past few days; and during that process gained a lot of perspective and appreciation. I now value friendships more, life more, and have more desire to reach my dreams. I realize now it can all be taken way too soon. Thanks Sicko for your poker review/feedback, your motivation, your friendly banter, and most of all your friendship. I’m going to hold on to your last tweet @shanster1987 -“If you can never stop thinking about it, then never stop working for it.” Well said bud! - Rest easy my friend.

Sorry to hear about your friend seems like a solid guy.

Sorry to hear about your friend man, I went through nearly the same situation a year ago in February. My best friend and poker pal died in a car accident. I can tell you that it took a toll on me mentally and I could not play poker profitably.

It takes awhile to get over something like a tragic accident, just take your time, and hey hope to see you in September at Cincinnati.

Hi butterfly. Hope u r doing okay with the loss of your friend.

Recently, i met a new friend that i can call my first poker friend. I have friends that play poker before but not ones that i kno only through poker (thru 2+2)

His background is in online small stakes and i dont think he has played too much live. From our first talk, we seem to think differently in poker, as a result, i think we can help improve each other's game.

What kind of things do you do with your poker friends in pursuit of advancing your own game (besides talking general theory over food)?

@pure_aggression @moayourlawn @parallelflux appreciate ya.

Gd question. I think bouncing ideas, discussing various poker scenarios, relaying information on different poker players’ habits, talking hypothetical situations, reviewing hand histories, and getting feedback from other various poker topics- can improve one’s game immensely. Most importantly, you don’t even have to agree with what your poker buddies are saying! Just knowing how people think in different poker situations is valuable information to my own game. My poker buddies also often talk about a wide range of topics such as: is button straddle +ev? - Is tourneys better than cash? -How many bbs before its total desperation mode? - short buyn cash game strategy effective? -Which players generally 3 bet more pre? -Position vs. bet size. - hand ranges of certain players at the table. -thoughts of cbetting revolution? Etc. etc.
One recent example of poker discussion w a friend) I was talking to a gd friend in the poker room the other day when I was cashing out. He said he was getting ready to take my seat, and asked for some table info. I didn’t mind at all, and I gave him a quick heads up of table. I remember telling my gd friend that seats 1 and 4 see 90+% of the flops and will call big bets very wide preflop. No one at the table is likely to lead out on drawing hands. Seat 7 is tricky and seems to be bluffing, but not able to see a lot of his hands. Seat 9 is as tight as they come. These kinds of discussions can b helpful. Now this player can use this info to his advantage.
I also have a group of 4 poker players I respect, and we often group text certain hands. To read the text feedback of 4 well respected players is valuable to me. Sometimes I agree, and sometimes not, but like I said before,… - agree or not, I can use this information to tweak certain areas of my own game.
In conclusion, I think what really advances our game is the fierce competitive desire we all have. All my gd poker buddies are all hungry to win. Most of us have athletic backgrounds, and winning has always been the goal. Competition is something we thrive on. Sometimes I rather play at a table that is very competitive w good players, than at a table that is soft and easy. I just like playing the best, I like the challenge it brings, and I enjoy the pressure of testing my skills. Prob not wise to do in the long run, but its gd for me to fill the competitive void every now and then. Its like a crackhead who needs his crack. Ima competitivehead that needs his competition. In the end, the chips keep the score.
Right now 24ishK

Sick post. Thanks for answering.

Agreed, great post. +1

ButterflySymmetry, you often talk about knowing your player and trying to be aware of how they play hands. If you can, could you talk about what things you like to look for when you're sitting at a table for the first time and trying to accurately range/read villains.

Last 3 sessions +$407, -$300, and today -$162.

Sure @illusiveman. I think we all observe behaviors at the table. How we use the information is key.
To answer your hypothetical question- If I was taking a seat for first time at table where I didn't know anyone...I wd do a lot of observing early on n session and play pretty much abc for first hour. I wd pay attention to every hand even the ones not involved in. I wd take mental notes of players betting styles, and try to get a hand range of everyone based upon their bets and calls preflop. I would also try to listen as much as possible to conversations. U can learn a lot from convos, and use that to tweak ur game. If u hear players talking poker jargon then u may infer their grinders, and may play more cautiously when involved n hands w them. If u see players not paying attention and talking nonsense u can infer they may b more recreational. Once I gather info and observed certain behaviors/tendencies during the first few orbits at a new table, then I can mix it up a bit-player dependent of course (know ur player). I may go from ABC standard play to taking different lines based on who im playing against ("knowing ur player"). Such as- i may take a free card on my draw w a solid grinder, but may bet it if facing someone i observed to b tight. More examples, If I noticed hypothetical "headphone guy" raising his button every orbit, then I can use that info to maybe trap (limp/raise). If I see hypothetical "flop lover guy" limp/calling a lot preflop because he just has to see a flop; then I may open bigger than the usual (instead 5x mayb 10x) w big hands. If I notice hypothetical "calling station guy"calling a lot of big bets light, then i most likely bet bigger for value w made hands. If hypothetical "Mr. Extreme Tight guy" raises me, then I may have to consider folding 2nd 3rd nut hands, but on the flip if its "action guy" I wd easily call. If I notice hypothetical "3hands/hr guy" make his first 2 bet preflop of the session, i may have to consider folding certain hands I wd normally play. Etc. etc. etc. know ur player
Also standard know ur player guidelines- old recreation players seldom bluff, old recreation players seldom lead out draws, old recreation players usually only 3 bet just KK and AA pf, ladies hardly ever bluff at 1/2 (don't think I've seen it all year)
Also u can look at appearance and other stereotypes and use them to ur favor. It's a bit of a stretch, but what kind of rewards card did playerX swipe in with?- U can make inferences if someone is diamond player, one may think gambler. Another stretch, but somewhat accurate, the quieter the player is -usually the better the players is. Also, If u noticed someone that usually plays a lower limt (3/6lhe) and taking a shot at something bigger (1/2nlhe), one may infer they might play really nitty and very cautious. Etc etc.
Know ur player is based on observances, inferences, and gathering information from history and using the data to suit ur play. It's up to u how u use the info u have. IMO i feel {Know ur player} is the most important tool in poker! Next time u think about value betting 2nd pair consider the opponent and bet accordingly. "Call station guy" u may want to value bet 2nd pair a little more, "tight guy" little less. Poker is all about maximizing profits on ur made hands, and "knowing ur player" will help u get maximum value. "Knowing ur player" will also help u make better folds (money saved is money earned). This reminds me of a sick fold i had in today's session based on "know ur player" rule. (short version): I opened $7 w k10, 4 callers. Flop is K 10 5 rainbow. I bet $20, "old guy" who I play a lot w raises to $50. First off, I know "ole guy" fears me, and tries to stay out of my way. Also i KNOW (from past history) he only raises big made hands. The lady who checked called $50 has been playing really gd, and I witnessed a few of her tricky plays earlier in the session (because I was paying attention when not in the hand). So after she called, I instamucked top 2 solely based on "know ur opponents". Even tho it was only $30 more, i knew exactly what i was up against, and it was really a pretty easy fold. Long story short, "old guy" flopped a set of 5s, lady flopped a set of Ks. I'm positive everyone else at table calls the raise w my hand! "Know ur player"!
Sorry my posts r sometimes long. Not sure if that's proper forum etiquette. Mayb I'm better suited for a blog. My bad.
Looking to get back on track tomo. It's been brutal. Back to back losses

this thread is very motivational for me, a 1/2 grinder who hopes to go from playing to add to my income to playing for all of my income. keep up the good work!!!

Another quality post man. Thanks for your input. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't mind long posts as long as the quality information within warrants the length. And you never disappoint in that category. Gl on your next session, hope you get back on track.

Good Sesh today.
Like I mentioned before, a couple big hands usually make the difference in a session. One big hand in today's session that made the difference for me today happened during the 2nd hour of the sesh.

Villain $300: 45yr old, thinking player, B level, there for a gd time drinking beers and trying to win.
Button $42: 50yr old, been in a lot of tough spots (mainly his fault due to his starting hands. Ie. Feels like he has Top pair ****ty kicker issues) in first couple hrs of sesh-He ends up making correct folds (my opinion), doesn’t get too out of line, somewhat solid.
Me $300: Been getting premium holdings in first couple of hours, and been raising a lot. From this, might b perceived as a bully/action guy from new players/nonregs.

I have AJ in UTG+1 and make it $9, 2 mp players called, button calls, blinds fold. 4 see a flop of 245. I lead out $15, next player folds, mp/Villain min raises to $30, button goes all in for $33. I call, and mp/Villain calls the $3 more. Main pot is $130. The turn is an A. I check, and a surprise check behind from Villain. The river is a stunning Q. I tank a bit, and my thought process is if he has a flush he will call a big bet. If he has straight, set, 2pair, he will prob call no more than $50. Then I as my brain wheels turn I come to conclusion that this Villain prob does have a flush since he checked turn. So to make sure, I thought of what hands would minraise flop and check turn.???? 2 pair made since, over pair on flop made since, and the flush draw made since, and flush draw w pair made since. Straights def bet turn, and sets most likely bet turn. So I eliminated the straight and set as possible holdings, and leaning towards Villain 2 pair or flush. 2pair prob wdnt pay me off, so I might as well bet big and hope Villain has a flush. So I just go decided to go all in for my remaining $260. Villain then tanks, and at that time I feel pretty confident he is calling w a flush. A little more tanking, and then I heard the magical words “CALL” bringing a sudden orgasm to my ears. Before I had the chance to turn my hand over, he shows a K hi flush K4. Many people, dealer included, thought he was gd until they saw DEEZZZZZZZ NUTZ. (no I didn’t slow roll! He called and flipped his cards over at the same time #novice). Button flopped 2 pair. 245AQ
So that was my big hand of the day. Pretty much middlin’ the rest of the sesh. Today was a much needed good turnaround +$396. What’s even cooler, I looked at my Poker Journal App and it reads exactly $24,700.00 on cash totals. Not $24,699, not $24,701, but a clean, even $24,700. Sweet! Aren’t the odds 100 to 1 on an even hundo? $22,325 overall (tourneys & cash). Per usual- Behind pace. Gonna drop the kiddo off at the daycare tomo morning, and off to the felt again to try to make it happen.

loved the latest update, sick read leading to you getting maximum value

Regarding flush over flush hand, not sure if that's a great example of extracting maximum value. It just seems too much like a cooler to me. I suppose if he has something like the flopped straight with small flush/straight flush redraw instead of the pair+King high FD, then betting something like 2/3 pot to full pot on the river loses you some value depending on villain type. Maybe the same with a c/rai vs your overshove...but I'm still leaning towards it being more of a cooler than a finesse in value extraction.

Yeah def a cooler, but wd hv to respectively disagree. Betting All in on river was a money play opposed to 2/3 pot. No way he flopped a straight w flush redraw because he wd hv bet turn fo sure. Unless Villian is a complete imbecile, which is always possible at the 1/2 games. I still think this Villain calls the all-in w 10hi flush, or hell maybe any flush. It is 1/2nlhe where players always make moronic calls. To me, after Villain checked turn it looked like he had either: a flop over pair where the Ace on turn killed his hand, or just a flush draw, or flush draw w pair, or something like 67 or 68 giving him flush draw/straight draw outs. I suppose if Villain does have something like an 8 hi flush, then 2/3 pot is a gd bet. But who knows this recreational Villain may still call All in w ANY flush thinking I was bluffing. I was being perceived at the time as a "Bully/Action" guy.

run run

@parallelflux wow... Now I'm having 2nd thoughts. U got thinking about this hand. Not sure if All-In is always the correct play there long term. I just got the 10 yr old on the bus, and im laying here n bed thinking bout this hand.... 2/3 pot bet on river I don't like, full pot size bet I do. But pot size vs All-in has me in a quandary state of mind. Now im trying to fig out the best play long term in this exact situation w a similiar Villain. And Damn it is hurting my brain. #headache #pokerinsanity
Side note: the 2yr old's pull up leaked out, and now I'm laying next to piss. Prob a sign of how the day will go! #badbeat #everydayislaundryday