Poker in Finland

Lol, nothing. I'll write a recap of the summer when I'm in the mood. Meanwhile you can enjoy the following vid:

I just reached my 20k mark at micro gaming and oh boy what a ride it has been. I will include a screen shot at the end of this post.

Due to full tilt sucking at everything I still hasn't received my money after a month and I'm located in Europe!!! Man this is frustrating. Gladly a poker friend of mine loaned me 100$ after black friday which I decided to deposit to micro gaming. Aggressive BRM, not a terrible software (but nowhere near as good as FTP's or stars'), bad activity during the days, okay activity in the evenings so on so forth and maybe a tad more fish at the tables.

I want to test the waters at my regular limit (50nl) at micro gaming. That's why it frustrates my to death that I haven't received my full roll yet. The good thing is that I'm able to play poker and learn. Despite playing lower limits a poker player can always improve his game. So now the question is, what have I learned. And the answer is: I don't know.

I have a problem. I'm really bad at evaluating myself. Don't get me wrong. It's not like when I review my sessions I just nod my head and find no mistakes. It's just that I find those little mistakes here and there but the big picture of myself as a poker player is really blurr. Maybe I should write down every mistake I find and see if some error is being repeated over and over again. Any tips you guys might have?

The poker friend of mine who loaned me the 100$ asked me how am I able to watch videos and really learn from them. I gave him a simple tip: when watching videos and taking notes don't note something like "AKs is a good 3-bet against this villain because blaa blaa blaa" but instead write yourself a question. For example, "why is AKs a good hand to 3-bet from BB vs BTN against villains X, Y and Z". Now come back to your notes ~a week later and look at the questions. If you don't know the answer to a question you have written watch that part of the particular video again. Rinse and repeat. My friend replied that he will start using this method from now on. Let's see how it works out for him! In my opinion that's the most effective video watching+note taking system. (lol if this method is explained in some DC vid. I didn't copy it from there!!!)

Yep, yep. Here's my current favorite grinding song and after that the picture of my first 20k hands at the micro gaming. Like a rollercoaster. :)

It has (again) been a while since my last post. Mainly 'cause there hasn't been that much going on. Now the thing changed so I have yet another reason to post.

DC member D3rJack made a post a bit over a month ago where he was offering fee coaching because he wanted become a poker coach. Due to lack of coaching experience he offered 4 session for free to receive some feedback and to get his feet wet. I was one of the lucky members who he picked to coach. Anyone interested in getting coaching from him, here is a review of his work.

I'd like to start stating that I play mainly ~25NL. So the observations I made are from a micro grinder. Anyhow, the 4 session went as following:

- Vid review of my play

- HH reviews

- HH reviews

- Live sweat

So we started with a video review so that Adrian could get a quick grasp of my game and maybe spot some leaks. Due to the lack of huge, clear leaks we decided to spend the next sessions reviewing some hands that I found difficult or hands from a particular area that I thought I had the most problems with.

So the 2nd session we spent going through my 50NL hands where I had lost a bunch of money. I sent the HHs to Adrian before hand, he went through them and picked up hands where he thought I had messed up. It really boosted my confidence to hear Adrian say that I had run pretty bad during my shots at 50NL but he also made me realize that there were spots where I hadn't analyzed some situations thorough enough and that there's still a lot of work to be made in order to make my game better (like in everyone's game). He was able to point out a few bet-sizing tells from regs which will surely help me to handle them in the future.

3rd session was barreling/3-betting session.

4th session was live sweat where many times I would have done the exact opposite than Adrian. Those small mistakes that we didn't analyze during the HH reviews (opening and calling ranges, some cbetting situations etc.) got spotted during this session.

Then to the actual review of his overall coaching:

I'd like to start by saying that Adrian is a really nice dude. Even though he is from Germany his English is clear and well spoken (no offense to all Germans reading this!).

Adrian was able to logically explain his every action. Not once did we encounter a situation where he would be "Uhm, I don't know". Sometimes he said something like "Well I'd do this or that" and leave it there but when I asked "Why?" he explained his thoughts in a way that really made sense.

This applies to every coach out there: students, always ask why. I doesn't do you any good to just agree with your coach. Question him, make him think, change a card on the board and ask how does that affect your coaches action, "what would you do on a x turn or y river", "what is the worst hand you would vbet here", "what cards would you triple barrel", "what would your check/folding range be here or there". You can tell a lot of your coach from the way he answers these questions, more specifically, how does he answer questions related to ranges.

Adrian was more than pleasing with his answers. His explanations and logic where such that I'm sure I'll be following his reasoning in the future. I'm sure that I'll be re-watching my sessions with him many times in the future because I think he was able to really improve my game. His poker fundamentals are very well-built and he is able to pass that knowledge on understandably.

I felt really great working with him and it honestly felt like robbery to get those sessions for free. I'm really thankful to Adrian because of that. A huge plus in his way of coaching is a forum that he uses. He gave me the permission to post hands there on the private forum and he would look at them and reply. I think that every coach should use such a system.

I'm sure that working with Adrian will have an impact on my game and I'm sure that at least every micro player would benefit greatly from working with him. You could tell a bit from his style that he was new to being a coach but I'm sure that his style will improve/change in the future once he gets a bit more experience.

If you have any questions regarding my coaching experience with him I'm happy to answer.

Run good guys!

The writer is a bit under the influence. Apologies for bad grammar etc. :)

It's been a long time since I last blogged. Like a month at least. I don't know why I haven't written anything; lack of social life, lack of poker, or lack of skill to write. The reason must be the last.

Real life has been, well, standard. I finished my high school with way above average results. I've always been a smart dude but I've always had motivation problems when it comes to school. I'm glad that now that I'm qualifying to the uni, for the first time in my life, I REALLY HAVE TO STUDY. And I don't mean like "studying". Like opening your books and browsing facebook at the same time. I mean  real studying. I want to study economics and only 10% of the qualifiers make it to the uni. Competition is hard but so am I. I'm sooooo motivated to be able to study next year. I don't want to spend a year working at McDonalds just because I was too lazy or "busy" or stupid to study. I've said to my relatives that "I'm going to be studying at the uni next year", and I'm going to keep that mind-set for the noext 2 months. I'm gonna get in to the uni.

And then poker.

I've put a lot of effort into improving my game. 

I had a few coaching session with WalkOfLife and now I'm in the program of 5 sessions with threads13. Have nothing bad to say about either of the guys. They both are marvelous. They beat todays games, they are nice, they know how to coach. What more can I say to "advertise" both of them...?

I've had some mediocre results at 25nl. Even though my last month ended like -10BI I'm still healthy rolled and because I took some failed shots at 50nl last month I had a new clear plan for this month: New month, new limit. I'm going to start at 50NL. I'm comfortable of being able to show a profit at the limit so why not start at that limit? I can still move down. My roll can take a few BI loss at higher levels. After all, my goal is to move up. Why not use a bit more liberal bank roll management? No harm in it.

I have some great poker friends and I want to give credit to them. All of those guys who are reading this text will know who I'm talking about. Hand reviews, where the bluffalo roams late night reviews, home games, sweats and all in all good chat about anything. When it comes to internet friends, these guys are the best. Hopefully, someday, we can be like the Team Israel, dominating some limits at the great world of online poker. We'll see. The road will be long and tough but definitely worth it.

Wasn't able to come up with any creative ending to this text so this explanation shall be it. GL all of you guys out there playing this great game called poker.

This month at 25nl:

This month at 50nl:

A LOT has happened to me lately! Don't even know where to start my blog. Maybe I'll start with some real life things so that I won't bore anyone with the usual poker rambling. :)

So yeah, last thursday my high school ended. I mean now this year's graduates are on a study break. We have a 3-week-vacation before the final tests (matriculation examination) during which I should be studying but, hell, I'm too lazy (and smart haha) to. I have no pressure about the test whatsoever. Those will be a walk in the park mostly.

The last day before the vacation is a big day. In school we seniors just goofed around the school. We did the morning assembly, we arranged a show for the whole school (including a self-made movie that just mocked all the teachers and stuff). We also had a "backstreet boys" music performance in which I participated. Yeah, I have such a golden voice lol. After the school day it's a tradition in Finland that the seniors do a ride with trucks through the city the school is located in. To get the idea what the heck is that here's a video clip of it:

In the vid we are heading towards the center of Helsinki where there are lots and lots of people watching as we ride through the city, singing, screaming and throwing candies. :) The ride was super awesome to say the least. We all felt like celebrities due to all the people who came to the center just to watch us go by. :)

After the ride we had a cruise. 2500 seniors in one ship. Man it was WIIIILLLDDD!!!! Everyone super wasted (I wasn't that drunk because I have soooo bad hang overs), everyone dancing, everyone being super happy due to school ending and lots of hot girls. ;) The atmosphere was so great. That day was by far the best day of my life. :) 

Then to poker. I've been crushing 25NL this month. I've played 25NL at stars for only this month and I'm up a solid 22BI. :D I'll post the graph at the end of this text. I've taken a few shots at 50NL but I've been running super cold. That's karma, I guess. Hopefully my next shots at 50NL will go better 'cause I feel like the difference in play isn't huge and that I'm more than capable of showing a profit there. We'll se how it goes!

I had a few session with Jo (WalkOfLife) which where great! We did a video review and then he silent sweat me playing 50NL. He didn't find any major leaks which made me really know that I am doing the right things at the table. He did point a few spots where I'm missing aggression. He advised me to start barreling a bit more and to attack aggressively ranges that are very weak and kind of face-up. He said that I should have no problems beating 50NL which is definitely nice to hear. I seriously recommend Jo to every micro player who want's to improve. His rates are low, he's a good player (beating today's games), a good coach and most importantly a funny and super nice guy! If you haven't seen, he's offering group coaching at ridiculously low rates that are a good way to participate in coaching. :)

I think that was all that I have in mind. Oh yeah, here's the pic of my month so far at 25NL! Enjoy. ;)

Mother f*cker slow rolled me.

Poker Stars $25.00 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 1167386
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $26.15
BB: $54.69
UTG: $24.19
MP: $25.00
CO: $33.24
BTN: $25.66

Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is SB with Q A
2 folds, CO raises to $0.70, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.50, 1 fold, CO calls $1.80

Flop: ($5.25) 6 T 2(2 players)
Hero bets $3.00, CO calls $3

Turn: ($11.25) A(2 players)
Hero bets $6.00, CO calls $6

River: ($23.25) 7(2 players)
Hero bets $14.65, CO calls $14.65

Final Pot: $52.55
Hero shows Q A
CO shows 8 9
CO wins $50.55
(Rake: $2.00)

hero says: thx for the slow roll

villain says: I was so full of your constant 3-betting at both tables

villain says: you were targeting me

(Didn't say this on chat) HELLLOOOO!!!! Of course I'm targeting you if your fold to 3-bet is 40% and you call my 3-bets with junk like 89s and I have position on you on both tables... Get a hold of yourself and don't you dare to slow roll me again.

Man I got angry. Not because he caught his gut-shot but because he slow rolled me. He's making a -EV call on the turn so I'm fine with it. It just isn't good sportsmanship to slow roll someone just because you are tilted 'cause someone is running over you.

Any how, my results at 25NL are kinda cool thus far. I'm running about 3bb/100 after 10k hands + first deposit bonus money. My roll is big enough to take shots at 50NL but I think I'm gonna get a decent amount of hands in at 25NL before moving up. I want to make sure that I'm, for sure, beating 25NL. :)

It's 4am. I'm slightly tired. My friend is playing NHL11 online and I just finished a poker session. It was a bad decision to play.

Usually I play my best sessions in the evening. Like 8pm-midnight. Don't know why exactly. It would make much more sense if I played my best poker while being at my performance peak - refreshed and ready, but no. Anyhow, I lost two buy-ins in like 30min. Well AA vs QQ which was a standard cooler but other than that I played kinda bad. Just don't have the energy to concentrate enough. Especially now that I moved up in stakes I should try to play when I'm at least half aware of what's going on in the tables. Well, I'm still on the plus side at the new limit + all the bonuses so the situation isn't even bad.

I've noticed that people at 25NL on stars are pretty bad. I've seen a few competent players but other than that people play really weakly. They are scared. Scared of everything, which is great because my play style isn't the most passive one. I'm also picking up leaks on other people's game with a really high pace. Something has just clicked in my game or in my observation or the Holy Spirit has taken me (joke, don't get upset about religious jokes) or I don't know. But the most important thing is that I feel super confident and believe in myself and realize that even though the stakes are higher the players are mostly still as bad as they were.

My mind is so off atm so maybe it's best to just stop writing. My head isn't capable to produce anything creative or sensitive any more.

Sleep tight folks.

Gotta love PLO tournies. <3 Pretty nice payday with 4$.

It's not an exception it's a rule. One must run cold when taking shots.

I decided to take a 3 buy-in shot at 25NL 'cause my roll could easily handle it. I went, I played, I lost. I didn't lose due to bad play or better opponents. I lost because variance kinda killed me. It reminded me of when I was taking shots at 10NL: I was certain that I could easily at least break even at the new limit but the results just weren't what I wanted them to be. This time at 25NL I'm sure that the biggest reason was indeed variance and even though I realize it I still feel a bit disappointed. I felt really comfortable playing and the other players were mostly bad so I didn't feel like I had some kind of a lack of skill. I feel frustrated at the moment but I will be back in action and back at 25NL really soon (hopefully).

After getting my ass whooped and after clearing the holdem manager bonus at PartyPoker I came to the conclusion that there wasn't any reason for me to play at that site any more. So I withdrew my money. The next stop will be at PokerStars where I'm at least going to clear the first deposit bonus. I love PS's software and the player pool is so huge that it won't be a problem to find good tables and rape those fishes. :)

I bought the Omaha Manager because my plan is to start to learn the basics of PLO. I think I'm going to start to play occasionally 5PLO while my main game will still be 6max NLHE. At Party the lowest PLO tables were 25PLO so that was one reason more to switch sites. I'm really looking forward to playing Omaha 'cause the game seems really interesting and I think that there is a lot more value in PLO compared to NLHE. Hopefully I catch the basics of the game fast and run well during my first sessions. We'll see how that goes. :)

Any how, it takes a few days to receive my money from PP so I have time to study PLO a bit more before hitting the tables. I'm also going to leak bust my own game but given how lazy I am to actually analyze my own game I can't promise that I'll do it. Maybe it would open my eyes a bit if I looked through more than the biggest losing hands!

PokerStars, PLO and 25NL be ready for me. I'm ready to roll again. ;)