Back to Basics

I'm so irritated with myself. I keep consistently getting out of my system and trying to play or overplay hands that I know I shouldn't. What's worse, is I'm doing it over and over after having a pep talk with myself about how I'm not going to do that and I'm going to stick to my game plan. Of course, I get a couple of wins with lower cards where I should be calling and I'm playing my game plan and it suddenly goes to my head and I think that I make that 3/5 off suit work from the small blind, flop a pair and then over bet it and get caught with my pants down.

Poker can be a lot of fun, but when you lose, the fun goes out the window. To win, you have to be patient and suffer through some boring times, and some points in time when you don't want to fold, but definitely should (and if you're going to win, WILL fold). Seems contradictory to me, but I really need to get back to it, which was how I doubled my money at one point in about 5 hours. I have a very small amount to work with right now, but I think I can do it. This will be a good test for my mettle and a good way for me to prove to myself that I can play poker the way I want to play it.

But first, I must go to the bank. No, not to get more money for poker or anything, I have a check to deposit and bills that need to be paid with it. Sheesh, I'm not that stupid!

Apple doesn't learn

As anyone who knows me at all can tell you, I have little love for Apple. However, that said, they do some things very well. UI design, marketing strategies, and being innovative as can be about once every 5-7 years (iPod, aluminum casing for laptops, iPhone, etc.). The iPad is not one of those times however. It's an iPhone with a 10" screen, slightly better specs, and a few small improvements in the core apps. Nothing more. Not to mention the markup is nearly 100% on the baseline version (probably more on the higher end versions) which is just plain theft. But, this post really isn't about the iPad or it's failures.

No, what I'm talking about Apple not learning on is from it's past. In the early 80's, Apple was king of the world. Schools used their computers, so did law enforcement, and basically everyone in between. Then IBM/compatible took over. I would say this is due to choice. People like choices. Apple eventually got smart and conformed to the idea of choice in a small way by using Intel chips (making their computer capable of running windows). Let's not kid ourselves, Apple would sell a lot less units to college students without this ability. So many programs that college students use & need don't run well or at all on Macs. But, since you can use windows on it, you can still do those assignments on a Mac now. Apple now cuts a large slice out of Microsoft's pie in this demographic.

iPhone was an extremely revolutionary idea (much like the iPod was at it's time). There were things that did similar activities with similar functionality, but nobody quite had hit like Apple did. It's flown off shelves through 3 generations, despite being left behind in many departments. Such as multitasking and the depth of Exchange support given. And now, they are going to finally add some of those features (similar to adding landscape keyboards, MMS, and tethering before this). They continually leave things out. Simple slip of the mind, or a strategy to give you something new and fun about the time you're bored of your new toy? Or are they playing catch up? Well, they're doing the last even if they don't want to admit it.

Now, Apple decides to start buying up chip makers. This way they can have the "best technology" for the chips that are put into mobile devices. This is also the same thing as using the PowerPC chips for years in their desktops/laptops. That went well, didn't it?

The #1 challenger for smartphone dominance? Google and it's Android OS, which is the king on choice. Don't like a particular cell phone company like Motorola? Fine, don't buy Motorola, you can get the HTC. Want a new UI? No problem, since companies are making their own UIs for Androids and there are a few on the marketplace. It's all about choice and personal style and flavors.

In the face of this, Apple is tightening up the proprietary shield and hunkering down for a long war. A war it's going to lose, just like it did in the desktop/laptop market for years due to the same thing.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana

Sinking fast

I'm trying not to let this game get to me, but after the insanity of the past couple of days, it's tough.

I'm now down to just over $12 in my account. It really seems like poker is just plain out to get me. It's going to be a tough road to climb back up in the bankroll as my limited funds will force me into lower games. Such as 5¢/10¢ games. It's gonna take a bit before I can build any money up to get back into the games I want to be in.

That's assuming this run of bad luck doesn't continue until I'm broke...

When Poker Goes Wrong

I'm ready to punch my monitor at this point. I was in a tournament of 4300 people tonight. I made it to 97th place. When there was 100 people left, I was not far behind the big stack. 3 terrible bad beats in a row put me way down in the chips. I went all in with pocket Qs and lost to a call from a 10/J suited flushing out on me. Still not a bad venture, I made 5 times what the entry fee was by placing inside the top 100.

I was only slightly irritated at that point. I figured I could put it behind me and went to the cash tables. After failing miserably on 3 different tables due to just plain insane run of luck. 3 tables went by at the pass of about 10 hands. In every hand I played, I was ahead at flop, when getting reraised all in and lost all of them (I was only all in 3 times, but 2 players changed their luck via me). So in the span of about 30 minutes, I made $10, subsequently lost it and $40 more (2 tables at $15, one at $20).

I'm not bothering giving an update. I'm depressed even looking at this. I wish I had some other hobby worth putting time into, but I don't and instead will head to bed now. Anyone wanna take bets on if I have dreams about bad beats? Wait, nevermind, I lose either way.

Different world.

It was my first "poker night" since I started this new found love of poker and studying it. We only had 4 players, but I got to see how my tells and new found strategies and tactics played out.

I placed second, but was feared for a lot of the night. I noticed a few good tells and read them right. Won a couple of hands with it. Better yet, I folded correctly at least once due to it, and I'm fairly confident in 2 other good lay downs based on it. Not bad, considering it was less than 2 hours worth of poker. I think I played too conservative overall, but not too far off where I think is a good amount of aggressiveness for tournament play. I need to be more aggressive selectively and "slow play" a little less.

Do I feel the new knowledge, tactics, ideas, and tips have helped my game at an actual poker table? Undoubtedly. But I'm not satisfied with my level of play yet. I'm gonna work on it more and more every time I sit down at a real table.

Epiphany

I'm sitting in a game that's pretty tight. I don't have long to play, so I don't bother switching tables even though tight games are pretty tough to make good profit in. It's a 6 player table, instead of a 9 player table, which I tend to prefer.

So with it being a tight game, I'm being more selective about what cards I throw money into the pot with and especially about what position I'm in when I get said cards. Obviously, with 6 instead of 9 players, blinds are coming at you faster. So that's 2 ways I'm limiting (and possibly eliminating) my profits. Then it dawns on me that there is a 3rd way. With only 6 players, there is only 3 "mid positions". You know, those positions between the big blind & the button. This means 1 true mid, 1 late, and 1 early. Early needs really strong hands to come into the pot, while late needs less strength.

In 9 player, you have 6 "mid positions". This means there is no true mid, 3 early and 3 late. That's more positions where you can play more liberally. You have to couple this with the fact that there ARE more people waiting to act behind you if you're in that first late position, but you are still over halfway through the positions. This means that you have a bigger window of playing medium-power hands. You get a medium power hand as first to act (directly after the big blind), your most profitable decision is to fold it. Position matters. A lot.

With these things in mind, and the better chance of having a weak player at the table to siphon chips from (of course, there is also a better chance of an extremely talented player, but you can adjust strategies for him) a 9 player table is far superior to playing on a 6 player table on average. You can't say always, because you could have 5 weak players at the 6 player table and 8 strong players at the 9 player table. Then your profits will be far greater at the 6 player table.

I think I'm going to avoid 6 player tables I'm not moderately sure of from now on. Good lesson learned on this table today. Even if it did cost me money to learn it.

Started: $50, Low: $39.80, Current: $63.50, Time: 5 hours, Profit -$13.50, PpH: -$2.70

Goals: $4.0/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.$7.50/hour on 50¢/$1 tables

My Problem so far.

Well, I've now twice hopped on a table, done really well playing my game and just moving the chips slowly into my stack, only to lose them all on a monster hand to a bigger monster (often a kicker). I'm not playing stupid when doing it, but I am still losing them.

Today, 2 aces fall when I'm holding A/7 off suit. I got in by calling on the button (the big blind, who I would play, was prone to somewhat crazy raises and reraises). Flop is rainbow and awesome: 2d, 6s, and Jh. He checks to me, and I having a very powerful hand, check and hope he bets the next round. 8c falls on the turn and he bets $3 to me. I simply call and await the next card. 7d falls and I'm extremely happy. He bets $5. I see no real likelihood he could have me beat here, so I raise it to $10 and he reraises me all in. Now, I've said he was prone to crazy reraises already. I look at the board and think he's probably made a straight or possibly has the last Ace. There are no flush possibilities on the board. I call, risking $22 extra dollars into the pot after my initial $10 bet. He turns over A/8. I'm beat by a single rank on the inside of a full house.

This was approximately 10 minutes ago. I'm still slightly sick. I was over the $100 mark at the time too, marking a doubling of my money. Now I have more work to get back to that point. Sigh.

I'm also rethinking my updates on my game & goals. New format below.

Started: $50, Low: $39.80, Current: $69.20, Time: 4.5 hours, Profit -$19.20, PpH: -$4.25

Goals: $4.0/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.$7.50/hour on 50¢/$1 tables.

Slump at the Table

I get online earlier to play a little poker in celebration of getting another certification & fulfilling the last thing I need (other than passing my management class) for graduation.

I try the multi-table idea, thinking it'll be alright. Well, I'm not so good with that whole thing. I lost around $5 in about 25 minutes of attempting to juggle it. I did better at 2 tables than 3, but I felt like I was still wasting time & profit by doing 2 tables. It's much harder to spot betting patterns, and make any educated decisions at all.

I quit shortly after cutting back to 1 table. I'm down about $4.50 at this point. When I get back, I decide to try my hand at some larger fare and hop on a 25¢/50¢ table. I'm doing pretty good, going from a $15 start to just over $20. Then I catch a monster. I have pocket queens on the button. There is a raise just before me, I call, the big blind reraises (a player I've noticed to be quite liberal with raises and reraises with cards that do not justify them) and the original player (who so far has raised about 3rd hand and I saw once with a 4/6 off suit) reraises again. So far, they're not costing me much extra, but will be if I call here. Especially if there are more raises to come. I decide there is little chance either of them have me beat and put my money in with a call. Big blind reraises all in making the total bet $27. The original raiser folds out, which I found amazing in the first place. I take my use of the time out button. I think and I think, and I realize the only reason I haven't called already is that it's putting all off my chips in. If I had $50 in this game, I'd call in a second. And with not all of my true bankroll on the table, this becomes an easy decision. I call.

I'm dominating him. He has Jd/8h. Seriously, Jack/8 off suit. WOW. So glad I called this. Then comes the flop. Ac, 3h, Qs. This thing is over. I'm smiling from ear to ear at this huge win. Then the turn is a 9s with the river being a 10s. Giving him an Queen high straight. Runner Runner connects him up. I left the table, and walked away from the computer for a bit. I knew that loss would have put me on tilt and I'd have just lost more chips if I jumped back in.

I've caught much of that loss back up now, but the fluctuations are kinda crazy right now. I need to level this out. Much of it is my own fault for playing cards outside of when I should (too low, out of position, etc).

Bodog (experiments): Started: $3, Low: $1.98, Current: $10.91

Goals: To learn, test, develop, and master playing styles, image creation/management, etc.

Pokerstars: Started: $50, Low: $39.80, Current: $49.60, Time: 3 hours, Profit -$0.40, PpH: -$0.13

Goals: $2.50/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.$5/hour on 50¢/$1 tables.

Beginner's Luck

So I went ahead and bit the bullet and started my bankroll on Pokerstars a little while ago. I decided I'd go ahead give everything a shot and see how it all works out.

I played a total of 20 minutes.

Now, I'm wondering if you're thinking I got frustrated and quit. I didn't. I quit because I wanted to write a quick blog before heading off to work. Anyway, back to the story. I load up and set my filters lower. I'm looking for a 5¢/10¢ game for the moment. So I order the list to show me the percentage of players to the flop, a favorite way to select a game for me. I find one with an open seat that is at 67% with an average pot of 77¢. Lots of players, low bets/few raises. Perfect.

I hop in, and take the only available seat, putting the biggest bankroll at the table ($9) to my right. This can't get any better! I have position on the biggest bankroll! Min/Max for this table to start with is $2/$5. I decide, as normal, to go somewhere in the middle. More chips to play with, but less to lose if I get stupid on a hand. $4 starts me at the table. The 2 players to my left, those who have the best position to punish my bankroll by normally being in position on me have smaller chip stacks. Directly right of me is the smallest at a mere 76¢, and next to him is a $2.50 player.

I elect not to wait on the blinds to jump into hands. For one, I don't have a lot of time. For two, where I'm at in the rotation at this point is actually pretty good position and I'm probably at least going to call in this position anyway. I'm telling you, this was a perfect table at the perfect time. All the players are playing weak. Bad bets, bad calls, bad bluffs with marginal hands, and general overall ignorance of the "rules" of the game.

I get a couple of small wins, some by stealing blinds in position. I'm at about $4.35 and I get a monster flop out of a pair of pocket 8s I called out of the small blind. First to act, I begin the patented "check-call" scenario for 2 rounds getting increasing bets and subsequent calls with a seemingly blank on the turn. Good pot at this point, around $1.40. last card falls and pairs the 7 on the board making 3 clubs, a straight possibility on the board, and 2 pair on the board. Board looks like this 8c, 7d, 5h, Jc, 7c. I'm almost bouncing in my chair at this point. 2 players in the hand other than myself, I figure one of them had to have made something here, and I check. First player bets the pot, $1.40, second player raises to $2.15 all in, I merely call, thinking the first player is equally likely to fold or raise, but not likely to just call. I'm right, he raises all in at $3.10. I have it covered by a little and call, obviously. Very nice pot. They were both "bluffing" for the most part. One had A/5 off suit, giving him 2 pair, 5s & 7s. The other player, who did the last raise, had a pocket pair of 9s giving him 9s & 7s. Both rather weak hands considering the board.

The 20 minute session continued to be like that, though with smaller pots. Some got to around $1.75, but no others that big. And these players would continually bluff into my trips, large 2 pair, and nut flushes. It was insane. They might as well have flushed that money. I ended the session up $10.20. A crazy PpH (Profit per Hour). I expect that to go down next time I play, but it's a good start!

Bodog (experiments): Started: $3, Low: $1.98, Current: $10.91 Goals: To learn, test, develop, and master playing styles, image creation/management, etc.

Pokerstars: Started: $50, Low: $50, Current: $60.20, Time: 20 minutes, Profit $10.20, PpH: $30.6

Goals: $2.50/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.

$5/hour on 50¢/$1 tables.

The Big Switch

I get up this morning and decide not to go in for my internship despite still needing 20 hours and only having a total of 5 (7 if I want to really push deadlines) left to finish it. This mostly stems from having to work later today and not wanting to put in 6 hours at an internship and the 10-12 hours at my job today, not from the want of playing poker or not wanting to go exactly. I'd just really rather put in an extra 6 hour day later this week than put in a 16-18 hour day today. But I'm getting away from the purpose of the blog and my post.

I decide that now is just as good as any to put in an hour or so on poker, finish some homework then head to work. So I jump online and look around at 8am. There are a total of 2 games going in my range (which is up to a 25¢/50¢ blinds game of No Limit). There are never any Pot Limit games on no matter what time of day it is. And those 2 games, 1 has a total of 3 people in it. The other is a decently full 7/9. However, I watch the game for a moment, and everyone is playing tight and accurate. Nobody in that game to exploit. Wow, early mornings apparently suck for poker on Bodog.

On a whim, I decide to check out what other sites that I don't use have going this early. I do a little research and Pokerstars seems to have really good reviews and the highest player base. So I check it. WHOA! There are more games going in my range at this hour than I have ever seen on Bodog at any time. There are stats kept on games (which you can reset whenever you like), there is a filter function for searching for games. Now I can set my range and how many seats I want, then sort the tables for "% of players to flop" as a high percentage here usually indicates a lot of loose calls. A table ripe for profit.

I create an account and jump into a play money room to see how the interface is. It's kind of ugly. But I really don't care about that or I'd play the incredibly bad console (you know, Xbox and Playstation) versions of poker games that have pretty graphics. First thing I notice is there is no "text" indication of bets and raises on the table. I'm confused thinking you have to mouseover every bet to figure out what it is, which takes up a lot of time in a "turbo" game. Worse, it takes time away from strategic thought. Then I noticed that the chips didn't seem to be just a graphical representation of a bet being made. They're accurate. So you count the chips that come out to figure out the bet, like a real game. And if you're confused, you can mouseover, similar to asking for an amount at a real table. I actually like this. And the rakes are even less, except on the big time tables, where there is never a soul on at Bodog anyway. And I highly doubt I'll ever play in a $1000/$2000 game. But the max rake difference on a 50¢/$1 is a full 50¢! Half. That's nice and will make profits a little easier to get (though, I expect more skilled opponents, but also more loose opponents to hopefully even out decently well).

So, I've decided I'm going to open up shop on Pokerstars.com and see how things go. And I don't mean as a social experiment or anything. I'm really gonna play on there. I figure $50-$75 opening deposit (plus their nifty 100% bonus, which you have to earn by playing enough) and play at tables in the 25¢/50¢ to 50¢/$1 ranges (Maybe a little lower if that doesn't work as well as I hope it will). I will continue to use my account at Bodog to try strategies and social experiments and things of that nature, but serious playing will be done on Pokerstars.com from now on. I'm going to try to keep running totals and goals and how I'm doing meeting those goals. All goals are long term, so don't think I'm being insane if I say I'm doing alright at $.10 an hour through the first couple of hours at a 10¢/20¢ table or something.

Bodog (experiments): Started: $3, Low: $1.98, Current: $10.91

Goals: To learn, test, develop, and master playing styles, image creation/management, etc.

Pokerstars: TBD

Goals: $2.50/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.

$5/hour on 50¢/$1 tables.

Image & Profits

So, in an effort to see how well establishing an image at a table works, I tried not doing it today. I've come off 4 winning sessions (to varying degrees) where I was pushing image and working at establishing it and exploiting it.

First a bit of information. An image at a poker table is how other's perceive you. Queue smartass response here. But, this doesn't have to be who you really are, or how you are really playing. You CAN manipulate it. You SHOULD manipulate it. The image I'm using is a total rip-off from advice garnered through reading a book by Mike Caro.

It's a wild and unpredictable image. I want the other players at the table to see someone who will play anything, will bluff anything, plays crazy and unpredictable, but is always fun about it and never a sore loser or sore winner. I do this by playing some wild crazy stuff when it's cheap to do so and make sure I show my losing cards. I also talk a lot in the chat, without reaching the point of people saying "wow, won't that guy ever shut up?!" Friendly banter about things other than poker and of course friendly banter about the game. I do my best to be liked by everyone, but especially by the "weaker" opponents. Which is easy in the first 10-15 minutes and you've played a couple crazy hands for all to see. You're basically giving money away! And you're laughing about it and complimenting people on hands.

So, I'm in the hole to start. Say I get a big blind where someone has doubled the bet and I have a 2-3 off suit. I'll throw the money away hoping to either catch some rags on the board or for a check off until showdown. I'll even call minimum bets at this point. I want this hand to be seen. And the only way for it to be seen is to make it to the showdown. If someone comes with a big bet over the top that I can't justify losing for the sake of establishing the image, I cut the loss off right there and wait for an opportunity to present itself.

It's important to do this when first sitting down at the table, because people form "first impressions" which are hard to change. I do my best to get a couple of crazy hands to the showdown within the first 10 hands I'm at the table. I also make sure to show a losing bluff if one occurs during this period and then I'll find a cheap bluff or place to muck cards. This keeps me from being completely known, but what is known is that I bluff & play crazy cards. This will induce people to call me more often when I actually have the advantage. Much more often than if I had set down, played serious and dominated the table. I'm not interested in these players thinking of me as a big bad poker player that is good. I'm interested in adding to my chip stack at their expense.

2¢/5¢ blinds and $3 starting bankroll in the game. If I've gotten lucky, I'm only down about 50¢ to 75¢ by establishing my image. If I got lucky and won one of those crazy hands by catching some good rag flops, or I coaxed someone into folding with that complete stupid bluff, I could be even better off than that. If I got really lucky and did both, I could be up at this point with a good image established. Being down even $1 can be easily won back. You've now set this image in their mind and it's easier to keep it there than to put it there in the first place. A well timed dumb bluff or rag call about every 5th or 6th win will do this. Because it's much more memorable to see someone win or lose with a 2-3 off suit in a situation that it shouldn't have been played than it is to see someone win with a pair of Kings. I also show some of my good hands that get players to fold as well (though, never the really dominate ones, those are memorable too). Basically, I look to make my wins as forgettable as possible and my crazy calls as memorable as possible.

Once that image is established, you just keep milking the friendly banter in chat and working to maximize your crazy plays and minimize your winning plays in the opposing players minds. And instead of actually playing that way, you're playing decently tight and dragging as many chips as possible out of players without using advanced tactics very much if at all (things such as check-raises). Instead of a check-raise, just bet or check-call. If you check-raise, a red flag goes up and the opponent is likely to fold when he would normally call as much or more than that amount in subsequent betting rounds. Again, this advice straight from Caro.

So, how did my foray go without using an image at all? I lost. $3.45 in 1.5 hours to be exact. I had a bad beat in there or would have been a little better, but those go with the game and have to be counted just as when you give an opposing player a bad beat for a good stack of chips. I also switched tables twice to minimize the bad table effect in this experiment. I lost money overall on all 3.

I switched over to a new table with 6 players at it and immediately began working on the image. I dropped down nearly $2 establishing my image by overplaying a flopped 2 pair playing 2-5 off suit and losing to King high flush. But when I felt it was appropriately applied and working, I started playing real poker again. And, voila, I'm over my initial investment of $3 within 30 minutes of starting to actually play. I had spent about 15 minutes establishing the image at the table. I was up 25¢ at this point. I played another 15 minutes to satisfy my "minimum" 1 hour per session and ended up with 35¢ profit overall.

So does establishing an image, working to upkeep it, and exploiting the advantages it gives you really work? So far, in my experience it works very well.

What to expect

I've recently begun experimenting with new ways to play poker, mostly online. I've also been seeking advice about how to "profitize" poker. And experimenting with that advice, sometimes molding it to fit myself, while other times learning that the advice given works the absolute best.

All this has been accomplished in a couple short days.

I've been playing low stakes, but stakes. The reason for this is simple, with nothing to lose, players don't "play." They instead go for the biggest crazy bluff, refuse to be pushed out of pots, and play the most insane cards imaginable. There are still people who will do this at a "tiny stakes" table, but it's easy to just switch tables away from them to people more willing to actually engage in the game.

From every bit of advice I've read, heard, and thought about, a limit hold 'em game would be the best to try new tactics, build a "bankroll", and ease yourself into the idea of playing poker with profits in mind. Me being the impulsive fool I am, I picked the poison of no limit hold 'em instead. I've been experimenting and working the advice I've gathered into a playing style on a 5¢/10¢ no limit table. I sit down with $3 and see what works, what doesn't, how effective "imaging" works, and the best ways to portray an image in an online setting.

I had always thought of online poker & real world poker as miles apart due to the perceived idea that psychology, tells, and reads are pretty much nonexistent in an online game. This has turned out to be far from the truth. Tells are still there, they just aren't quite the same as tell from a player sitting in front of you, and you have to pay more attention online for longer to get a tell. Tells online are in the forms of betting patterns, tendencies to fold to large bets, and how often they tend to bet poor cards, etc. They are harder to notice, but most players don't bother adjusting their bets, styles, and tendencies online as much as in real life because they, like I did, don't believe psychology and tells exist online for the most part.

I'll go into setting up images online, how, why, and how effective it is at a later date, after I've had more time to really experiment with it.

At this moment, I've played a total of 4 sessions at an average of around an 1.25 hours each. I have increased my bankroll each time, though by varying degrees. I tripled my $3 initial bankroll earlier today in a 2 hour session. None of the other 3 sessions were near as profitable, but I did profit. I think the totals were 40¢, 75¢, and $1. Profit is profit I suppose. I'm extremely happy with all my sessions so far. if I had been wagering 100 times my amount ($5 / $10), I'd have made a total of $815 in roughly 5 hours of playing poker. Unfortunately, I don't have $300 to sit down and gamble with right now. Plus, I'm sure my margins would be lower due to better quality of players at that level, but even if it was only 25% it would have been roughly $200 in 5 hours or $40/ hour.

Now, I'm not stupid, I know these are crazy margins at the moment and I'm in no way guaranteed to continue like this. In fact, I'm almost guaranteed to go the opposite direction from here. Especially if I bump up levels in blinds. But for now, this is a good way to see what works on average and what doesn't.

So far, I think I'm well ahead of the curve on setting things up to profit online and playing the cards correctly. We'll find out as the adventures continue.