Tilt

If you're tilting and +EV it doesn't matter. I don't imagine you would be but some people definitely are. I mean it's not like tilt is an on and off thing, it's definitely a scale of some kind.

It would be nice to know how many BI's dgi brings to the casino. One con about live play is that you don't have instantaneous access to your entire BR. I always have 2 BI's on me set aside strictly for poker (not other expenses, like entertainment or whatever). That's probably why sometimes I turn down some slightly +EV spots to wait for better ones; when you only have x amount of BI's in possession, some cash game decisions mirror tournament decisions. For me anyway

I take 4BI

I only bring 2 BIs with me to the casino.

After keep a poker journal and reviewing it over a period of many months, I determined that all of my best sessions occurred within 2 BIs, but during my worst sessions I'd burn through all the money I had on me 3, 4, 5 etc BIs....

So, for me, the best course of action is to just bring 2 BIs. Over the course of a year playing 5 days a week, I've only had to run back home to grab more money 3 times (i.e. variance got me and the table was super juicy).

My recommendation is that you don't listen to or care what other players do as far as how many buy-ins they bring to the casino. My recommendation is that you keep a poker journal, record your sessions, then look at your own data and analysis and determine what works best for you.

It could turn out that you need 4 BIs in your pocket just to feel comfortable enough to play your A-game. Or, if you have too much money on you maybe it makes you too gambly and you splash around too much? We are all different and what works for one player may not work for another.

For instance, I have a friend that 100% must have his sunglasses in order to play his A-game. Doesn't make it right or wrong, it's just the way it is with him...

/\ dgi do you consider 1 buy = 100bb so 1k at 2-5? Or if it's a 200bb max buy-in would you consider 200bb a buy-in, so bringing 2k?

Smh, I'm fortunate enough to get a response itt and forget to show my gratitude. **** me. Thanks for the response dgi.

I think 2 BI's are the max for me as well. It's pretty rare for me to lose that much and wish I had more because I thought I was playing my A-game.

Kinda off topic but relating to the last part of your post - I think shades are underrated on 2p2. I don't use em, but it would be nice to be able to stare down opponents to try to get reads w/out them noticing (because ldo you're wearing shades). The obv con is that you're immediately labeled as a try hard if you do wear shades, which could have some ramifications. That's the same reason I haven't used an iPod in maybe my last 15 sessions

Funny you mention it.

I actually get a similar benefit from my newsboy cap or Kangol...

I can tilt my head and the brim of my cap just down enough and V can't see my eyes but i can see his face from his eyes down and look at his body language. But FWIW, I've gotten much better at looking at my opponents during a hand gauging reactions. Took a while to feel comfortable doing it, but after working on it for a few months I got it down. When there is still action pending (for me) I've gotten pretty good at looking "near" them and using my peripheral vision.

As far as hiding my "tells". Whenever I'm in a hand I have 3 very consistent things I do and there is absolutely no correlation between the 3 actions, that is, I do them all when I'm monster, thin value betting, or bluffing.

Action #1, I just stare at an empty spot on the board.
Action #2, I spin a chip and completely ignore my villain
Action #3, I flip a chip over and over in my hand between my thumb and forefinger (3 chips cycling over each other...)

Lastly, when I'm in a hand and V is staring me down, I just remind myself that his staring is all for show and that he is going to do whatever it is he is going to do and if he is wrong he will say nice hand but if he is right he will credit himself for a pro-like grim reaper soul read and pat himself on the back. that actually helps me relax because it is impossible for me to give anything away because the truth is, 99% of players out there have no clue how to read physical signs and they are literally looking for "anything" to justify the action they want to take anyway.

I had a funny hand take place the other day. I misread my hand and thought I had KJ when in reality I had KJ

Board ran out: K 4 3 9 4
I bet each street (limped pot), $15 flop, $25 turn, $40 river

This V was a donk and he tank called me each street.
I show KJ
V shows 65 and he says, "I knew by the way you were breathing that you didn't have a diamond. And the way your lips were twitching and how your eyebrows were bunching together.

Funny thing was, I 100% thought I had the J and was value towning him because he's a super station. I didn't say anything to the contrary and just said, "good read". Even later when I stacked him for 150bb when I flopped top set and he called me down with bottom two pair I didn't say anything other than "I got lucky... cooler nothing you can do..."

anyways, once I realized that villains want to do whatever it is they want to do, a lot of the "pressure" fell off. Now, even when I'm in a big hand my pulse and breathing are crazy normal regardless if I'm bluffing or I have the nuts.

LOL @ the grim reaper bit and everything after...just about as hilarious as it is true. I should probably have a routine of actions to do when betting, but I don't play with the same people often. Maybe I should anyway, just to knowingly be consistent in everything I do.

One of the biggest tells I look for is the way someone bets their chips - that very moment someone puts their chips pass the bet line. It took me maybe 250 hours of play before I learned one of my biggest tells which was shuffling chips immediately after bluffing. That was something I never did when betting for value lol, but I effectively changed that in my (used to be) frequent home games and used it as a reverse tell. Now they won't play poker with me, surprise surprise I guess.

A new/bad player is completely worried or tense that his bluff will be called.

A good/strong player is completely worried or tense that his value bet sizing could have been another $150 and gotten called by the same range of hands.

A longer term pro is completely worried or tense that he told his girlfriend that he'd stop playing at 8 for dinner. Or was that tomorrow? If he misses another one, he's out. The money in the middle? He can't even remember if it is a bluff or value bet. That's never the issue.

Soul reading is tricky business. Add in a good dose of confirmation bias... You also run into the spot where you actually do soul read the bad player, and he thinks he's taking you on a trip to value town. His two pair is only a bluff catcher, but he can't read the hands and doesn't know that. He's value betting you, you know it, and still he's never good.

The past year has been super tricky for me soul reading horrible players.

I remember one hand vividly, game 2/5nl eff stacks $1.3k I cover villain.

I have 33 on the BTN, 5 way limpfest, I complete, 6-way action. V is a super donk in the BB.

Flop($30) 3 8 J
V chks to me, I bet $25, V check raises to $75, I call, everyone else folds

Turn($180) 9
V chks, I bet $150, V calls

River($480) 9
V chks, I bet $300, V c/r shoves all-in for $1k-ish, and I throw up a bit in my mouth. Yuck. I'm thinking V has to have J9 or 88 or a ******ed 89 for the full house. I look at him and he is breathing super heavy, got the shakes and adrenaline dump which is a classic sign of a monster hand (for noobs anyways).

I tank forever then fold, I mean, there is just no way my bottom full house can be good here right?

Wrong! V turns over Q9 like its the stone cold nuts and says, "I put you on AK with the ace of clubs and know my hand is good .."

And then I had an epiphany, that most players at this level are just god-awful terribad horrible. Of course I knew this already, but I gained another level of understanding. #1, he chased a gut shot on a monotone board when he had no flush draw, then #2, he calling down pot sized bets, # 3 he c/r shoves trips on a flush and paired board into me on the BTN and #4, no way I have AK limping from the BTN, #5 pot started out 6-way...

My read was right, in his mind he thought he had the nuts, it's just that he is so terribad he doesn't think beyond absolute strength.

So the irony is that we can have incredible soul reading skills, but if our villains are super horrible, our reads will be limited by their own poker abilities. We won't be able to distinguish from when they have the nuts from when they think they have the nuts (due to their lack of ability to distinguish absolute strength from relative strength or them just being terribad donks)

That's what I was thinking. Guy has a bluff catcher at best, and suddenly decides to value ship a huge amount.

In my normal mid-stakes limit games, you have a species of villain where any additional action beyond a single bet means serious business on turn or river. Getting a river raise means he thinks he has it. Same spot, but you're getting like 11:1 or maybe 15:1. I have decent players tell me, "I read him, every tell says he has it so I folded". Same spot as your hand. He thinks he has it, but he's terrible at poker. Some guy thinks Q9o for trips is the nuts on that board, when it can never be value bet. Let alone raised or shipped.

Do you ever play LuCky Chances in Colma?

Do you still play at the m8trix? I play at lucky chances from time to time

Best Wishes to you for whatever path you chose. Thanks for constantly taking effort to give the best advice to me while I am learning the game 👍 all the best !

DGI I just want to say that I have a lot of respect for you. You seem like an older guy who's been through it all and accomplished a lot despite what life has dealt to you. A lot of these young guys think that dropping out of school or quitting their jobs is the way to go. I admire the fact that you advise them not to and I think more people need to be more outspoken about this. Play recreationally until you have the proper life and poker BR to quit your job.

Lol that hand reminds me of my own dark donk days! Can recall a hand back at 4nl where I rivered trips with a 6 kicker and came over the top of a bet and a raise in a multiway pot on a straight and flush board.

Sometimes I look back at the hands I played when I first started this game, and honestly, I'm shocked I ever managed to win a single pot.

This thread is great so much good info. I just started playing the micros online this summer and am starting to follow this plan slowly.

Great post dgi!!!thank u

Question for the long time live grinders who mix some MTTs into their schedule. How do you figure the MTTs into your BRM? Do you have a separate MTT BR or have a general poker BR? How often do you play them - as part of your weekly hours or infrequently such as once a month to break the monotony? I'm keen on giving them a go but can see how if they are played regularly then running cold can wipe out a decent cash BR so am interested how other cash players approach this.

Hey denks, I'm certainly no long time grinder but I do like to play the occasional MTT (thats live of course) once a week/fortnight. I think the Sydney scene allows for a potentially good return. I quite often play $50/$100 games with a good ROI. And sometimes have a crack at a larger game. People just don't spend the time on the game like 'us' so the return is good.

Need to pick the 'right' games though, not too fast and nasty.

A good part of my MTT BR is my just for fun social hobby money that I would spend on any hobby but I reckon you'll be in the postive over the year.

Great thread. Glad I got a chance to read through! I'm glad I don't have to decide about going pro but the info you have here really puts it all into perspective about how much time and effort it really takes.

I hope I can enjoy it as a profitable side hobby but we'll see..

Did you develop an ability to deal with bad outcomes over time or did you already have it? Part of the reason I stop playing poker is when I lose.. Another good reason not to go pro ha.

great post, thanks ...

Ive got number 1 covered. im the best warcraft 3 player ever.

Ps. The best

Opinion on being staked to help with learning and not having to risk as much of your own money? Also if the staking deal comes with group study and coaching. Pretty much a great idea right?