ckingriches
Lucky Multiple League MVP
Silver Level
Background
I work full time and generally play poker in the evenings or on weekends. I’m a mathematician by degree (about 25 years ago), so I have a working knowledge of probability, expected value, variance, etc.
I’ve been playing poker online, exclusively at FullTilt for a little more than 3 years. I first won a few dollars by taking down a Razz freeroll and have turned that into about $1,800 by playing predominantly NLHE SNGs. I started at $1 STTs and now play $5 and $10 STTs, as well as some CardsChat freerolls and money-added MTTs when time permits.
I feel like I’m a pretty good recreational online player, although I know I’d be an easy read in a live game. That’s fine with me since I don’t believe they offer live events played in your underwear while Lost runs on TV in the background. I have never played ring games for money and almost never play more than one tourney at a time. I’m just not that good at multi-tasking, and I really need to pay some attention to my wife (she’s an avid reader but doesn’t play poker) and help my children with their homework.
I’ve never deposited using my own money, and since I started playing while ignorant of such things, I have no rakeback. I’ve also never used a hand tracking software program, mostly because of the expense and my sense that it would be more valuable in multi-tabling cash games.
Questions
How can I objectively assess my poker ability? Perhaps one of you has access to a tool that would illustrate my strengths, weaknesses, or tendencies. Since I’ve opened myself up here, I wouldn’t mind anything being posted, especially if it’s already public info.
Should I consider playing higher stakes? I’ve never played tourneys larger than $10, but I suppose my bankroll would permit it. I’ve kept it relatively low so I don’t get too uptight about the investment, especially since most of my play is on the weekend, where the play seems somewhat erratic (could easily be my imagination). What kind of differences could I expect at $20 to $30 limits? More of the same that I see at $5 and $10, or is the skilled level significantly better? Can I expect my current successes to translate into a similar pattern at higher stakes?
Lately I’ve noticed a significant number of my opponents have been multi-tabling these STTs. It seems like I have an advantage over them because I’m focused on just one table and the players and action around me. While my variance would certainly be higher, can’t I predict a higher expected return on an evening of four $10 STTs than I would for twenty $2 STTs (not even counting the extra buck saved in fees)?
I work full time and generally play poker in the evenings or on weekends. I’m a mathematician by degree (about 25 years ago), so I have a working knowledge of probability, expected value, variance, etc.
I’ve been playing poker online, exclusively at FullTilt for a little more than 3 years. I first won a few dollars by taking down a Razz freeroll and have turned that into about $1,800 by playing predominantly NLHE SNGs. I started at $1 STTs and now play $5 and $10 STTs, as well as some CardsChat freerolls and money-added MTTs when time permits.
I feel like I’m a pretty good recreational online player, although I know I’d be an easy read in a live game. That’s fine with me since I don’t believe they offer live events played in your underwear while Lost runs on TV in the background. I have never played ring games for money and almost never play more than one tourney at a time. I’m just not that good at multi-tasking, and I really need to pay some attention to my wife (she’s an avid reader but doesn’t play poker) and help my children with their homework.
I’ve never deposited using my own money, and since I started playing while ignorant of such things, I have no rakeback. I’ve also never used a hand tracking software program, mostly because of the expense and my sense that it would be more valuable in multi-tabling cash games.
Questions
How can I objectively assess my poker ability? Perhaps one of you has access to a tool that would illustrate my strengths, weaknesses, or tendencies. Since I’ve opened myself up here, I wouldn’t mind anything being posted, especially if it’s already public info.
Should I consider playing higher stakes? I’ve never played tourneys larger than $10, but I suppose my bankroll would permit it. I’ve kept it relatively low so I don’t get too uptight about the investment, especially since most of my play is on the weekend, where the play seems somewhat erratic (could easily be my imagination). What kind of differences could I expect at $20 to $30 limits? More of the same that I see at $5 and $10, or is the skilled level significantly better? Can I expect my current successes to translate into a similar pattern at higher stakes?
Lately I’ve noticed a significant number of my opponents have been multi-tabling these STTs. It seems like I have an advantage over them because I’m focused on just one table and the players and action around me. While my variance would certainly be higher, can’t I predict a higher expected return on an evening of four $10 STTs than I would for twenty $2 STTs (not even counting the extra buck saved in fees)?
