so i started playing poker in 2003 and first registered on these forums in 2005 (14 ******* years ago wow) after reading one of sklanskys books. i was in college at the time and with the help of these forums, i slowly became a winning micro stakes player. i studied hard, read everything, and really enjoyed thinking about the game. over time i moved up a couple stakes and built a small but respectable roll, frequently cashing out so i could enjoy the spoils of my hard work. it certainly isnt anything special but at my peak i think i worked up to 6 tabling 25nl and built up a database of about 200k hands posting a double digit winrate across the stakes. however, after so many years i no longer have this database and really the only evidence i have of being a winning player is an old sharkscope graph of mine from around that time that i came across while writing this thread.





i know, i know, cool story bro. i never really had any huge scores and never really took any big shots. just another micro donk wasting his time playing for cheeseburgers, and when black friday came around that was a wrap for my poker career. ill never deposit online again. i did still play live a lot at first, and did well in those games but like many others over time kinda just moved on from poker completely.

fast forward 8 years and i feel like im doing pretty good in life generally crushing in all areas (or so id like to think lol) right up until the end of december last year......

so leaving work one night (i bartend) its like 3am i notice 2 guys follow me into the parking garage and run up on me from behind trying to jump me. so i grab this fat **** and slam his ass on the ground then take off running, peel out in their face and get away scott free, at least i thought. elbow was pretty swollen the next day and work for about 2 weeks before realizing something is still ****ed up, get an mri and they tell me i have a completely torn tricep tendon (variance imo) which requires surgery.



i also have no health insurance (beat) and its a fairly major injury with a difficult 6 month recovery timeframe. so out of work this entire time 8 weeks post surgery i talk to my boss and he is unwilling to give me my old job back even though i was only on medical leave and on good terms when i left. he only offered me an hourly position making literally half of what i was making before. told him **** that (brag) and quit. so here i am, life in a tailspin, no job, no insurance, serious medical bills and still in a ****ing immobilizing arm brace.


so now ive got nothing but time on my hands and somehow end up lurking back in these forums rereading some of the classics, laughing at fgators, and really spending a lot of time here. i had forgotten how much i loved the game and it really helped having something to focus on and think about and not sit around feeling sorry for myself. read a couple of my old 2+2 books (its funny how dated some of the material is these days) and figured what the hell im gonna make a small deposit, if for no other reason than to kill time and keep myself entertained.


still a lil skeptical after getting burned by ftp so many years ago. i read around and ignition seems (kinda) reputable, so i deposit a whole $25 doll hairs just to see whats up. start 1 tabling 5nl (lol so sad) and i immediately like the anonymous table idea and the games seem incredibly soft. been playing fairly regularly now and am coming up on my first 12k hands after being almost completely out of the game for 8 years




still a low volume donk mostly 3 tabling 10nl fr, and i know my vpip/pfr ratio is trash (confessed limp folder early on (obv leak is obv)) but feel like i routinely outplay ppl postflop at these stakes.

so i guess what im saying is thank u 2+2 for all u have given over the years and reigniting my passion for the game. i hope to post updates and hh's as i try to resume my micro donk career and move up the stakes! should be fun

still got it,what site you play?

being from the us, we dont really have many options. but right now im playing on ignition. there are def some negatives (mostly related to the software) but given the fact that they make it difficult to track other players and limit the use of huds, i really feel like it caters to more rec players. and with no rakeback and a pretty ****ty rewards progam, it doesnt make sense for a lot of the mass tablers to play there either (maybe im wrong idk)

but i feel like this makes the games mega soft and i would imagine a 15bb/100 winrate or higher could be sustainable (at least at the micros)

literally back to back hands

weeeeeeeeeeeeeee



PokerStars - $0.10 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 196.6 BB
UTG+1: 83.2 BB
MP: 148.1 BB
MP+1: 145.2 BB
MP+2: 100 BB
CO: 132.9 BB
BTN: 78.5 BB
SB: 281.9 BB
Hero (BB): 50 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

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

fold, fold, MP raises to 5.8 BB, MP+1 calls 5.8 BB, MP+2 raises to 15.6 BB, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 50 BB and is all-in, MP calls 44.2 BB, fold, MP+2 raises to 100 BB and is all-in, MP calls 50 BB

Flop: (256.3 BB, 3 players) 6 K 3

Turn: (256.3 BB, 3 players) 7

River: (256.3 BB, 3 players) T

MP shows 8 8 (Flush, King High)

MP+2 shows K A (One Pair, Kings)

Hero shows A A (Flush, Ace High)


MP wins 95.1 BB
Hero wins 148.4 BB



PokerStars - $0.10 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 83.2 BB
UTG: 143.2 BB
UTG+1: 139.4 BB
MP: 132.9 BB
CO: 78.5 BB
BTN: 281.4 BB
Hero (SB): 148.4 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

fold, fold, MP calls 1 BB, CO raises to 4.5 BB, BTN calls 4.5 BB, Hero raises to 30 BB, fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 281.4 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 118.4 BB and is all-in

Flop: (303.3 BB, 2 players) 3 8 5

Turn: (303.3 BB, 2 players) 8

River: (303.3 BB, 2 players) Q

BTN shows A A (Two Pair, Aces and Eights)
(Pre 77%, Flop 89%, Turn 94%)
Hero shows K K (Two Pair, Kings and Eights)
(Pre 23%, Flop 11%, Turn 6%)


BTN wins 288.2 BB



i was trying to look a lil spewy in the 2nd pot, literally said out loud (even tho i was the only person in my apartment) "he could have aces here".....

instacall lol


his line was a pretty big red flag (flatting 4.5x on the btn then 4bet jamming) but i have def seen ppl think im stealing huge in this spot (esp after winning a big pot the previous hand) and go completely nuts with a hand like aq or 88


does anybody ever get away from the 2nd hand?

and for the record, i absolutely love that once u finally get the hh's from ignition, they tell u exactly what everyone had regardless of the outcome of the hand.


the original raiser in the 2nd hand folded 88....... he woulda made quads lolol

your sizes are way too big
h1 35, h2 20
h2 you can have a 3b/fold range for 20, can't for 30x