Butterfly Blogs...

So Lock Poker moved over to Revolution gaming which unfortunately has Cake's software - not a big fan. Overall though Revolution seems to have weaker players overall than Merge, which leads to more $$$ (always a plus). I am also glad Hold'em Manager 2 can work on Revolution - it is definitely a nice tool to utilize. A year ago or so the Cake network did not allow HUD so I am glad they got stuff straightened out.

I cashed out for the first time 3 weeks ago because I did not want the larger swings of 50NL just yet - despite having a full-time job that provides enough income to where the swings won't affect me financially. I want to enjoy poker and still want to fill some leaks/improve my hand reading ability before I make the official bump up to 50NL. I hope to be playing 50NL by the end of summer but we will have to wait and see how variance will treat me. 

I think the bet/fold line is the nuts at 20NL as bluff raises don't happen frequently enough. I recognize the "standard" lines that most opponenets takes at 20NL which makes playing relatively stress free. Over the past months my mental game has improved dramatically and I have been playing my A game more frequently and for longer periods of time. I no longer "curse under my breathe" or physically abuse my mouse when I get "coolered" or sucked out on. In fact, I am more likely to chuckle at the outcome than "curse under my breathe". I am sure this mindset stems from my financial security and keeping the stakes low enough to where I don't stress about the daily wins/losses. I know this optimizes my play and makes me less tilt prone. My poker mental game has had a similar transformation as my tennis mental game - with time and experience you get used to the mistakes and realize the mistakes are inevitable. What happened in the past is in the past and the next point/hand is where my mental attention should be focused on.

All in all, I am having a good time playing while netting a small side income. My studying efforts have been lacking due to feeling confident about my game and results. My plan is to study (watch DC videos and post the occasional troubling hands) and move up to 50NL when my bankroll hits >$500. I know $500 is a small BR for 50NL, but I have been really good at dropping in stakes when I hit a predetermined amount - which will be $350. 

I will play some 20NL HU to increase my hand reading ability at a faster pace. I know HU will test my mental game, but if I am less proned to tilt than my opponent 20NL HU can be profitable. I know rake is a killer at microstakes, but I knowingly will sacrifice some EV in rake losses in return for a larger EV result of an improved hand reading ability.  

Hopefully my next Blog will be at the start of my 50NL rise