Alcohol, Angst and Adderall

Variance is a Mother.

After running pretty well through the first 6 months of Mirco LHE on Merge I decided to take a shot at 3/6 with a $300 bankroll. It was a little high, but it was the only 6max game that was available. The table was great, as most of the players were 40/10ish passive fish. I sat down at 2 tables and proceeded to get my ass handed to me by the deck. 

Within the first 10 hands on one table, I ran into quads twice for medium size pots. Then, things started to spiral. 

It was one of those brutal sessions that can only happen in limit, where nothing holds up. I put a ton of action in on every hand and most of them survived to the river, before the nut "vomit" card comes off and I get to see a decent pot shipped in the other direction. A session where A6o outraces AQ every time, and I would put action in on all 3 streets before getting check raised on a river 6. You The part that makes my soul die a little during those sessions is that my opponents are necessarily making mistakes, The deck is just kicking me in the junk. 

I ended up losing 15bb in a session where I could've easily been won 30 (...and to add insult spellcheck is telling me that could've isn't a word).  

Looking at it now, the variance doesn't seem that bad. A 15bb loss considering that the deck was dick punching me could be a moral victory. A moral victory being one of those times where you dilute yourself into thinking that you didn't lose, despite the scoreboard clearly saying you suck. Poker is filled with a lot of moral victories. They don't really sit well with me. I understand the concept that the process is more important than the result, but seriously?

Losing when you are doing everything right, is equivalent to the hand of god reaching down from the heavens (confirming once, and for all, that it exists) then jamming its finger in your ass (confirming that it does in fact have a demented sense of humor). This is probably a subtle form of tilt. I should work on that, but   it's difficult to get to the shrink's office with the Hand of God groping my prostate. 

The one session seems bad, but that same session occurred again a couple of days later. I had moved down in stakes, but .5/1 is still a reach on 210. By the time the third session rolled around, I was on tilt (and back at .25/.50 which I was completely unprepared to play again). I had already lost twice in games where I was playing well. So I unconsciously over corrected, and started stacking bets on players that would cold call everything. The only thing I accomplished by moving down was functionally turning .25/.50 into .50/1. 

The third session was equally bad. By the time the 2 week period was over, I dropped from 300.00 to 10.00. Worst part? All this took place over the course of 1000 hands. 

Then I compounded a big mistake with an even larger one. I deleted my entire hand history from HEM. It's a huge cop out, and a loser move. I essentially erased any evidence of possible leaks for the sake of ego. I get that it's wrong. I'm mad I did it. I've moved on though. At the very least, I did study the hands for leaks and spots where I called down too light, or got too sticky. But I probably missed a lot. 6 months later, I wish I had those hands back.  

Anyway, fast forward about 4 months and I've run the that 10.00 back up to 80.00 through various micro 9max tables, and I'm curious about what my next step should be. 

Currently, I'm playing any combination of four 6max tables ranging from .05/.10 to .25/.50. Usually, I'm sticking to the lower side of things but I'm considering moving up again after watching BBB and reading so much about how the mircostakes are unbeatable because of the rake. It seems like the games don't play that much differently from stake to stake up to 5/10. 

But on the other hand, I think there is a lot to be said on refining my skills at the lower stakes, then taking another shot at 2/4 and 3/6 and just hoping I run better. 

I wonder if I'm missing anything.

I've been super busy this month and haven't had much time to devote to playing (maybe 2000 hands)

Highlights include: 

*Crushing a live $1/$2NLHE game for 500 in a couple of hours. I didn't show down much, but managed to check raise double pot and get called by AcAh on a KcQdTs 8c 6c board w/QcJc (I love live players)

*Cashing 200 off Players Only and got the check the same week.

*making 100 playing .50/1 LHE (6max)

I've been playing well when I've been playing, but games on Merge still seem pretty inconsistent. I'll get into a game when there are 3 tables going and then all 3 tables will be empty within 100 hands. I've been considering moving to the NL games, but the limit games seem so much easier overall...

I did tighten my late position opening range as of my last post and its worked out pretty well for me (small sample though). I have been getting stuck in a lot of Pair vs pair situations having the worst of it though, TT v AA happened a couple of times. 

I could use some advice on SB defense hands against button openers. I still feel really tight folding KJoff to a button raise just because I'm out of position against an Ax hand. I wonder how other people play those spots profitably. 

Also finished watching Elephant Tamer, so far my favorite series in terms of education/entertainment. 

Cheers

AP

I've been playing on Merge lately and have run into multiple problems with my late opening ranges. 

I've been opening any Ace, K6+, Q8+, J8+ and T8+, then double barreling most flops and turns because my opponents have been defending super wide. Stats for opponents are regularly 35/12 ish (except for regs) and often it's normal to have the SB cold call with 8 high. 

I was triple barreling but was getting called down with any two very often.

I'm still winning, but not as much as I could be over my last 2000 hands. 

I've considered tightening my late opening range back to A9+, K9+, QJ, JT and any PPs. 

Am I getting too tight, or not tight enough?

Thoughts?

ThanksAP   

In an effort to begin refining my limit hold'em game I have decided to list out my poker tool kit. These tools are the moves and strategies that I'm aware of to use over the course of a given hand. I'm also listing my known objectives during a hand. I figure this list is incomplete, so I welcome any additions to the list that I neglected.

Preflop Tools

* Calling 

* Completing (SB only)

* Checking (BB only)

* Opening (Raise)

* 3 Betting

* 4 Betting

* Squeezing

* Folding

Postflop Tools

* Donking

* Checking

* Check Raising

* C-Betting

* Calling a C-bet

* Floating

* Barreling 

* Raising a Donk Bet

* Squeezing

* 3 Betting

* Capping

* Check calling

* Bet Folding

*Check Folding

Objectives to Consider During Hands

* Betting and Raising for Value

* Getting a player off a hand

* Getting multiple players off hands

* Stacking bets to fold out draws

* Pot Control

* Value Calling

* Thin Value

Did i miss anything?

Thanks

AP

I have been watching the "Poker with Your Pants On" series lately and made a startling epiphany;

I Have No Clue What I'm Doing

I can play a hand. I can even play some right. But I never have a plan. Half the time I can't even explain my thought processes through a hand other than, "it seemed like he was bluffing" or "I didn't feel comfortable in that spot." I couldn't explain my thought processes because there were no thought processes. I've never thought a hand through before the flop. Never accounted for bad turn cards and made a contingency plan. Value betting the river thin is something I just learned about, but haven't fully employed to NL Hold'em. 

Every game I've ever played has been 100% instinct. When I learned how to play Risk I had no concept of strategy past the human element, yet I always managed to employ a winning strategy instinctively. The same goes for Magic, sports and all other strategy based games. This is a huge leak for me. I'm still a winning player, but I could be winning so much more if I knew how to approach the game the right way.

For my question is this; "What goes through your mind when you play through a hand?"

Thanks in Advance---- AP 

"I'm Alex, and I'm an idiot."

I'm not saying this demean myself in the eyes of any potential readers. I'm using this statement as a constant reminder that what I've been doing hasn't been working. If I want to improve as a poker player, I'm going to have to flush my brain of everything that I have learned thus far, and be willing to try new things and test new ideas. I'm an idiot, and I'm willing to try anything to succeed"

The reason I'm taking this journey to become a better poker player is because of a conversation I had with a friend. My friend had hosted a $1/$2 and $2/$5 home game my entire college and post graduate career. That conversation inevitability turned to talking about a mutual acquaintance's 2nd deep run in the Main Event and how other friends were crushing all manner of games around FL. It was at that moment that I realized that it wasn't me, and it should have been me. Worst of all, there was no reason why it shouldn't have been me too. I was a winning player in a home game that produced some great players, yet I'm toiling away behind a desk while they are all in Vegas right now playing full schedules. 

I'm not delusional enough to believe that I play as well as they all do now, but there was a point (not long ago) where we were all equal. This makes me confident that I can get to where they are now, if I put in the work. Now I just figure out how to put in the work.

This is what has brought me to Deuce's Cracked. I joined in an effort to grow my game and discover where my ceiling is. I thank you all in advance for the help I'm sure I'll receive.