General Update and Thoughts

So, things have been going well, poker wise.

I have been posting some updates to twitter and so far this has been a good month at the tables.

A few things have happened that have got me thinking, so I wanted to do a general update to see where I still need to get to by the May mark (6 months).

Goals:
Every Session:
Use proper game selection - Done (as much as possible)
Practice good BRM - Done
Always buy in for the maximum and top up if needed - Done
Learn to identify when you go on tilt and activate the killswitch - Done
Apply the maths - Done
Try some multi-level thinking - Done
Be patient, remain calm and focused - Done

Short Term (3-6 Months):
Know the maths - Done
Practice multi-level thinking - Done
Realise a decent profit - Busy 1/2 way
Increase number of simultaneous tables to 6 online - Busy
Up the stakes from $2NL to $10NL on FT - Canned
Up the stakes from R20NL to R100NL on Piggs - Up to 200NL now
Buy tracking software - Still need
Check and record stats once a month - Done
Read 2 poker books - Done
Play more live games - Done

So thats where I'm at, 3 goals to go before May. Need some new goals I think...

Bankroll Update: February

Ahoy,

Work has been crazy busy, hence no posts in the last few weeks. I have still been hitting the tables, although not daily.

Start: 2011/01/26 R3200
End: 2011/02/28 R3300
Rakeback: R300
Winnings: R400

Conclusion
Marginal Month, but still a winner. Thank the lawd for Rakeback...

Short Term Goals Attained:
Read 1 poker book

Well that's it for Feb's update, drop me a comment if there is anything you'd like to see here.

Poker 2011 Second Home Game of the Year

Now that home and live games are going to be happening more regularly, I'll be posting results as they happen.

Saturday 05/02/2011 - Cash Game at Pyro's

The structure was as follows:
Blinds: 25c/50c until 10pm then 50c/R1
Max BI: R50 until 10pm then R100
Total Pool after rebuys: R1030

Players and results were:
1st Ruse
2nd Vixen
3rd Pyro
4th Wombles
5th boB
6th Phar
7th Croglet

See Full Results Here.

All in all, not too bad, although I lost my temper a few times...
R80 being my total profit for the session. Next one is set up for 19 Feb.

Bankroll Management: The spreadsheet

So a few people have asked me for a copy of the spreadsheet that I use to track wins/losses.

I have uploaded a copy for you all to use if you like: HERE

Let me know what you think.

6 Month Graph and Technical Glitches.

Well, I have started watching vids on Dragthebar and there is a hell of a lot to go through. So at the moment I am just picking a few at random and going from there...

HEM problem is a little more complicated, I installed it a few weeks ago and had issues, tried to set it up last night after fixing my .Net issue and now the trial has expired. So much for that idea, guess I'll have to fork out some cash.

In the meantime, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak on my progress to date.

I think 6 months is starting to get to the sample size I want to be looking at, apart from my withdrawal last year, looks like I'm doing something right... Even if I still have a lot to learn.

Decisions decisions...

I have made a few hard decisions these past few days, based on some of my poker friends’ advice ;) and the info in the book (Treat your poker like a business).

1.Take a harder look at my playstyle. Just winning money from the donks and still playing badly is not going to cut it anymore if I really want to get serious. If I lose money, but made good decisions at the table that’s an investment.

2.Use Dusty’s 100 BI BRM rule instead of the Ferguson 25 BI rule. So that means sticking with 20NL, smaller tourneys and R20 DoNs until I hit the 5k mark.

3.Play more tourneys. I love the style and changing tables that you get with tournies, so I want to dedicate more time to them.

4.Take notes while playing. This means not only making notes on players, but also on hands that I feel I made mistakes on or did not play as well as I could have. Ask people about them or look them up.

5.Use my 14 days free that I have for Drag the Bar. This will help extend the knowledge that I’m picking up from the books and forums. Cut play time by another 10% to increase study time so that the ratio is now 80/20.

6.Sort HEM out! I have a 14 day trial that I can use on the desktop until I have the cash to buy it. The rule with the wife is that I don’t spend cash on poker, so I’ll have to draw from my BR to buy the software, but again, it’s an investment. I will only buy it once I have made sure that I know exactly how the software works including the HUD and all stats.

Ok, that turned into a 10 page essay, but ja… that’s what’s happening.

Cool Poker Vids 2

Episode 2 of The Micros was released today!

The Micros - Episode 2

Bankroll Update: January

Ahoy,

Apart from the insane amount of work that needed to be done this month, I have still been hitting the virtual felt as often as possible, even if I have dropped back down to the 20NL tables for a bit due to brain drain. Still managed a tidy profit for this month.

Start: 2010/12/23 R2300
End: 2011/01/25 R3200
Winnings: R900

Conclusion
Short Term Goals on Hold:
Up the stakes from R20NL to R100NL (Currently playing 20NL/50NL)

Short Term Goals Attained:
Know the maths (Applying this to every session)
Practice multi-level thinking (Applying this to every session)
Read 1/2 poker books
Stopped playing on FT, focusing on Piggs

Short Term Goals in progress:
Read 1 poker book (Busy reading - Treat your poker like a business "Dusty Schmidt")
Play more live games (Playing more home games)
Check and record stats once a month (you're looking at it)
Play 4 simultaneous tables consistently (currently only at 20NL/DoNs and Tourneys)

I have been having some technical issues with HEM and .Net3.5 but should have this sorted in the next little while.

Well that's it for January's update, drop me a comment if there is anything you'd like to see here.

Poker Book Review - Poker Wizards

Poker Wizards: Poker strategy from the World's Top No-Limit Hold'em Players - Warwick Dunnett - UK ISBN 978-1580422277

During my holiday time, I decided to mow through another poker book. This time, boB loaned me this book and so far it has helped me quite a bit in the tourney side of things.

What Warwick does, is he sits down with a bunch of our favourite pros like Daniel Negreanu, Dan Harrington, T.J. Cloutier and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to name but a few.

He interviews them, asking them questions about being a winning poker player, as well various other bits of useful info about the lifestyle of a poker pro.

He then goes through a bunch of starting hands and positions and the pros explain how they play these hands based on specific scenarios.

I would really recommend this one for all tourney players.

Why so quiet Pyro?

Hey hey,

You may or may not have been wondering where the hell I have been lately.
Well, as uninteresting as it may be, I have been working my butt off.

I promise to have lots for you in the next few days so watch this space!

What's still coming up in Jan *hopefully*:
More book reviews
Software reviews
January Update
My first vid

And More!

Poker 2011 First Final Table of the Year

So, made my first final table at a non freeroll tourney tonight.
I was playing in 2 tourneys at once. A FR and a R7.50. I was recording the FR and not the R7.50 like a twat, just trying to get some poker vids together which I will be posting soon.

So it looks like 2011 is going to be a good year, all in all!

Poker 2011 First Game of the Year

For new years, a few mates came around for a cash game. I set it up as a cash game so that people could leave and come back to the table without worrying about being blinded out.

The structure was as follows:
Blinds: 25c/50c
Max BI: R50
Total Pool after rebuys: R1000

Players were:
Pyro
Von
Rhubarb
Lolly
boB
Xenn
Phar
Vixen

The results were:
Pyro: R390
Rhubarb and Lolly: R330
Jade: R280

My hand Highlights/Lowlights:
I was in the blinds and got to limp in with K8o. Rhubarb bluffed me off the hand with K3o. The board paired our Kings, but I wasnt happy with my kicker.

I was on the cutoff with AdQc. Preflop raise. boB goes all in, I call. He turns over 7s8s. Flop hits his 8 with 10d8dKc, turn brings 4d and river hits my flush with a 3d.

All in all, it was a great game, with R340 being my total profit for the session. Next one is set up for 15 Jan.

Poker Book Review - The Mammoth Book of Poker

The Mammoth Book of Poker - Paul Mendelson - UK ISBN 978-1-84529-807-4

This was the first book that I picked up when I decided to take NLHE seriously.
I would really recommend it as a first read, although I have not read the Little Green Book or Super System, this book gave me enough knowledge to base my new game style on.

Sections Include:
Texas Hold Em - The basics of the game
NLHE - Starting hands, loads of examples
Tournament Strategy - A good starting strategy for low BI tourneys
Online Poker - Things to remember when playing online
Home Games - How to set up your own home game
LHE - Limit Hold Em
Other Poker Variations - Explains the rest

And the best bits are the bonus ones:
100 Tips for Hold Em - Really good read, helped me a lot.
Tables and Stats - Easy Ref
Tells - Good for Live Poker
Bad beats
Glossary

On of the best things about this book was the many many sample hands and little quizzes at the end of each section. The book teaches the ABC TAG style of play, which is most recommended for Micro stakes.

Step 4: Long Term Thinking applied to every session

Even though poker is a long term game, consisting of millions of hands, it all starts with each session you play. I try to always make sure that I follow these rules when playing. These rules ensure that I always get the best out of each session.

Session Goals:
Practice good BRM
See Step 2
Apply the maths
See Step 3, know when it is profitable to call.
Try some multi-level thinking
At micros, only 2nd level is really required, "What do I think my opponent has?" Try putting them on a hand or range of hands.
Be patient, remain calm and focused
Above all, if you are emotional while playing, you will tilt.

Cash Game Rules:
Use proper game selection
The most profitable tables for TAG players are those with a high % of players per flop, a big pot size and a high number of hands per hour.
Always buy in for the maximum and top up if needed
This will allow you to play big stack strategy. Remember that chips are tools that can be used to extract chips from other players.
Learn to identify when you go on tilt and activate the killswitch
When I am 1.5 BI down for the day, I stop for the day. If I find myself calling mediocre hands OOP, playing too loose or making bad decisions, I take a break.

Tournament Rules:
Number of Rebuys
Only 2 rebuys and 1 addon per tournament to stay within BRM
Only rebuy if you had the best hand when the money went in
This forces me to make good decisions.
Only addon if it will take you over the average stack size or if you are already over the average stack size
This makes sure that I am not just feeding the big stacks.

Always remember that each session contributes to your long term goals... Keep these in mind and if you are a decent player, your BR should grow.

Bankroll Update: December

Hey all,

Hope you are enjoying the silly season. Here is the first of (hopefully) many updates.

Piggs
Start: 2010/11/22 R1800 (after 2k withrawal)
End: 2010/12/23 R2300
Winnings: R500

Full Tilt
Start: 2010/12/01 $50/R350
End: 2010/12/23 $20/R140
Losses: $30/R210

Total
Start: R2150
End: R2440
Winnings: R290

Conclusion
Short Term Goals Abandoned:
Increase number of simultaneous tables to 6 online (Cannot be done on Piggs without playing different stakes)
Up the stakes from $2NL to $10NL on FT (Need to practice more first)

Short Term Goals Attained:
Know the maths (Applying this to every session)
Practice multi-level thinking (Applying this to every session)
Up the stakes from R20NL to R100NL on Piggs (Currently playing R100 NL)

Short Term Goals in progress:
Read 2 poker books (Busy reading - Poker Wizards "Warwick Dunnett") (On Xmas list - Don’t Listen To Phil Hellmuth "Dusty Schmidt")
Play more live games (Playing more home games and went to Silverstar once)
Check and record stats once a month (you're looking at it)

New Short Term Goals:
Stop playing on FT, focus on Piggs
Play 4 simultaneous tables consistently

That's December, ups and downs ;)

Step 3: The Maths and what you NEED to know.

Outs and Odds...

Now any of you that know me, know that I'm not a big maths fan. What I have realised though is that if I try to work out the outs and odds for every hand, even the ones I am not involved in, I could write it all into my memory and make it a habit, rather than have to worry about the maths on every hand.

You would normally only use the maths if you need to make a decision on whether to call a bet a not. If you think you have the best hand, raise. If you are unsure, use the maths to help make your descisions.

I do not profess to be an expert on this subject, but you can find all the info you need to know here:
Poker Math

That is the best article that I have found that explains the basics of what you need to know.

Hope Step 3 gives you positive results.

Feeding the fishies and turning donks into sharks...

I have started noticing a phenomenon on the tables at Piggs that doesn’t seem to happen on FT. Coaching at the tables… Here we are grinding out our BB/100 and a couple of suckouts turn the better players into coaches, trying to stop the donks from calling to hit the flush on the river if they don’t have pot odds.

I used to do this myself, but having experienced a player that was a recipient of this information, suddenly start winning tourneys and having seen other donks that have received good advice turn into sharks, that it is –EV to coach at the tables.
You are teaching them to be better players, allowing them to take their money back and all of this without having to do any of the work that we have had to do, scouring forums and reading poker books, analysing hands and putting in the hours that it takes to be a better player.

So just a plea, leave them, let them call, in the long run they will be your best source of income… If they want to get better, let them do the work.

Cool Poker Vids

Here are a few links of classic poker vids:

The Micros - Episode 1: Pilot 

How to play JJ

 

Downswings and the nature of the game.

Over the past few days, work has really taken a bite out of my normal poker timetable. I am getting a few hands in a day, cos I know this is the best way to learn.
Over the past week or two I have had a bit of a downswing, and although I know that I should be looking at my swings monthly, I still feel the effects.
Work has therefore afforded me the opportunity to do what I normally do when I have a downswing of epic proportions.... Take a break.

Now I have the weekend to focus more on my game again and get those numbers up. Let's hope the break helped. :)

Step 2: What you need to know about your Bankroll

Ok, got some goals, so what's next? Your Bankroll.

We are going to look at why and when proper Bankroll Management is important, what stakes you should be playing and when it's recommended you should move up or down in Stakes.

First the why:

Because poker is a life long game with an element of luck. Therefore, even as a skilled player, you will have downswings. The idea behind proper BRM is to make sure that those downswings don't bust your BR. Thankfully, over enough hands, variance seems to even things out, and if you are a skilled player, you will profit if you have used proper BRM.

The other reason is twofold. One, you don't ever want to play with scared money. You know how you feel when you get a bad beat and the tilt starts to rise? Well, when you can't afford the losses, that tilt is magnified. The quickest way to go broke is to disregard your BRM and encounter on of those tilts...

The other reason is that without proper BRM, you will never be able to use big stack strategy. I like to think of it like this: On the poker table, chips are tools. You use these tools to extract chips from other players. And everyone knows it's better to have a big tool! :) But seriously, use whatever tools available in order to maximize your profits. In the end, that's the goal, isn't it?

You will see, after a few months, with some skill and proper BRM, you will turn a profit.
 

So when should you practice proper BRM?

Well, always. But when it's the most helpful:

When you are on a cooler - When you seem to just be losing and losing, it may be time to cut your losses and take a break. If you have set a budget and you lose 2-3 buy-ins(BIs), it wont seem nearly as bad as losing half your BR.

When you are on tilt - When you feel your emotions getting the better of you, you start playing mediocre hands OOP, and find yourself in pots with hands that look like feet, you are on tilt. Activate the kill switch! Get up, walk away, just take a break, remember that it's a lifelong game and that "more is nog n dag".(there's always tomorrow)

When you have moved up in stakes but you're getting hammered - Stay as long as you feel you are actually getting the hang of it. Don't be a hero and stay cos you can afford it. Most of the time I play way over rolled, just for the social aspect, the action and the table selection.


What Stakes should you be playing?

I like to conserve my BR, so these may seem a little low for you, but good for a starter and easy to work out.

You have quite a bit of cash:
Decide on a starting bankroll, let's use R2500 as an example.
With that BR, you are rolled for R100NL cash game (50c/R1 with a R100 max buy in), R25 MTTs and R50 SNGs. To work it out, for cash games take your BR divide by 25, that is your max buy in, divide by 100 for your big blind max. For MTTs take your BR and divide by 100. For SNGs take your BR and divide by 50.
This should see you through the downswings, but if you are a starter player, I suggest you try  the lower stakes first just to get the hang of things.


You have a bit of cash:
You will need a minimum of $50 to play 2NL on a US site or R500 to play 20NL on an SA site using proper BRM.


You have no cash:
You have 2 options, freerolls (better on SA sites) or a deposit bonus. For the deposit bonus, you must not have an account on Fulltilt. Go to http://www.pokerstrategy.com/u7TYTU, do the training, pass the quiz, register on FT and get $50. That will be enough for 2NL on FT.


Ok, a long one, but almost there, when to move up and down in stakes?

If you are crushing your current stakes, when you have 25 BIs for the next level up, you can try your hand at it.
If you move up in stakes and are losing consistently, once you are down 3 BIs at your new stakes, I would suggest you move down and grind it out on the lower stakes till you are ready to try again.


Well, hope you enjoyed Step 2. The next one in a bit...