F
fx20736
Legend
Silver Level
According to Poker Tracker I now have logged 10335 hands of NLHE on Full Tilt (About 98% 5NL). It has taken me 17 days.
Here are some numbers:
Vpip: 15.67
PFR: 10.24
Now those numbers are skewed as I went on serious tilt for about 2k hands and was playing a LAGGY 24+vp.
I've lost $ 48.49. I was down about $ 63 before coming out of a nose dive and playing better.
However I feel like I have learned soooo much about Poker and myself. I have learned about the importance of table selection, the invaluable tool that Power Tracker is. I have also learned some key points:
I expect to be somewhat profitable at the 20k hand mark. I'll let you know.
Here are some numbers:
Vpip: 15.67
PFR: 10.24
Now those numbers are skewed as I went on serious tilt for about 2k hands and was playing a LAGGY 24+vp.
I've lost $ 48.49. I was down about $ 63 before coming out of a nose dive and playing better.
However I feel like I have learned soooo much about Poker and myself. I have learned about the importance of table selection, the invaluable tool that Power Tracker is. I have also learned some key points:
- Don't go broke with a single pair. As a general rule I will not call a river bet with one pair if I've faced agrression on 2 of the 3 streets unless I have a really good read that my opponent was on a draw that missed or I sense a bluff or perhaps someone who overvalues their hand, (like when I have AK on a A9963 board and an opponent has Ace-Deuce)
- Do not call 3 bets OOP. Period. Unless you are on the button it's Raise or fold preflop to determine the strength of your hand. It's better to muck QQ or JJ to 4 bets and lose 20% of your stack before the flop than to lose it all after the flop.
- Tight is right and tighter is righter. Especially for starting players. When you are in the pot make sure you've got the goods otherwise you will be in a lot of tricky spots with dominated hands.
- Try not to play your blinds at all. Especially the Small Blind. Set-mining is not profitable because even if you flop a set you might not get paid off. Calling to complete with pretty cards is a recipe for disaster. I don't know how many times in the beginning I played Q10 from the SB and caught middle pair and a gutshot or top pair weak kicker and a backdoor flush and start pouring money down the drain chasing draws OOP. Fold these hands, maybe complete with a sm pp but do not call raises with them. This includes hands like TT,99,88 which are just horrible hands in raised pots OOP. If you have JJ+ raise otherwise fold and save your money.
- Poker is a battle for the blinds. Steal often. If you have a TAG image it is easy with just about A2C. If action is folded to you raise and steal. This will allow you to keep your head above water for the right moment.
- You have to be patient. For a TAG player your moment may take hours to arrive. Be prepared to fold, fold, fold until the right moment comes and you take your opponent's stack.
- If you don't enjoy the mental challenge of Poker and want to think about it and analyze it constantly then don't play seriously.
- Set aside time for poker. Don't try to answer e-mails, look at porn, do work things, make dinner or talk on the phone.
- Remember most of all it is important to be the aggressor. If you bet or raise you can win two ways. If you call you can only win one. When in doubt raise you will gain information on the strength of your hand vs. your opponent. Sometimes you will fold the better hand but that is better to do sometimes than to constantly bleed chips and lose pots you had no business being in the 1st place. Once you have the nuts (like flopping a set on a rags and rainbow board, or making the nut straight or flush then you can call all the bets you want. Until then when in doubt raise or fold. There are exceptions to this like c/c a flop with an overpair or TPTK in order to control the size of the pot but be ready to test your hand's strength before the river. If you have QQ or KK and the flop has an Ace it is better to bet out when you are OOP because if you check and your opponent bets you won'y know if they're bluffing or have an Ace.
- Cash games are not tournaments so don't fall in love with AK. At 5NL I see lots of players try to get it all in with AK. At 5NL once a player gets to 3bets he is less likely to fold so without the FE you get with Big Slick in a tournament it's a pretty weak hand that usually can only make TPTK which is rarely going to take anyone's stack (well except the short stackers who wait for a pocket pair and shove) which brings me to the point of short stackers. Always look at your opponent's stack. Before you 3 bet a short stacker decide whether you are willing to get all in with your hand. If not don't bother. Also you can't set mine or play high implied odds hands (like suited connectors) because when you hit you won't get enough return on your investment for all the times you miss and fold.
I expect to be somewhat profitable at the 20k hand mark. I'll let you know.