looking for spots of value no.2

I found this little value spot. I had a relatively tight image but had been stealing a little from the cutoff and button. The big blind was a 24/22 and had a 3bet% of 15%.


I made a standard raise and the button called. The big blind paused. In my mind I thought If I was him I would squeeze here.

$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($51.50)
UTG+1		($92.52)
Hero (CO)		($114.00)
BTN		($114.00)
SB		($109.00)
BB		($106.00)

Pre-flop: ($1.50, 6 players) Hero is CO

2 folds, Hero raises to $3.50, BTN calls $3.50, 1 fold, BB raises to $14.50, Hero raises to $36, BTN folds, 1 fold

Final Pot: $33
Hero shows:

Hero wins $54.50 ( won +$18.50 )
BB lost -$14.50
BTN lost -$3.50


The fact that I thought that he should squeeze made me repop him. He knows now that any bet from him now commits his stack. I, on the other hand, can still fold to any reraise. Im effectively putting the fear of playing for stacks without actually putting my stack at risk.

Fancy play syndrome ? or smart play?

100nl player only.

Well since moving to Wiliam Hill I have been given a beating at 100nl. I am a comfortable winner at 50nl but I am considerably under EV at 100nl.

I have made a decision this morning to stick it out at 100nl and not drop down to 50nl each time to rebuild. I am currently looking to get back into work so have a limited amount if time left playing poker. I have a lump of cash in the bank and am willing to reload if needed.

This will give me a good shot again at 100nl and will hopefully overcome the short term effects of variance.

Another shot, Another sick feeling.

Anyone that has been following me has seen my recent move to William Hill (ipoker). My move from 100nl, down to 50nl, back to 100nl, down to 50nl and my now try again at 100nl.

Well fuck me. Im once again 5 buyins under ev and am forced to yet again drop down to 50nl in line with my bankroll requirements.

The age old saying.. If only 1 would go my way.

I had this guy on my buddy list and was watching him bluff his way through a lot of pots. I was happy how I played this hand knowing his range included a lot of draws and he had been overbet bluffing other players.

http://weaktight.com/1196004
I was 90% on the flop, 78% on the turn when we got it all in for 411bb pot.

Time to beat up the 50nl players again..

This website sums up how i feel. :)
Fuck my life

Looking for Spots of Value

Its not just the big hands that require a lot of thought. By applying logical thought on the smaller hands can increase your winrate significantly.

$0.25/$0.5 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($55.20)
UTG+1		($48.50)
CO		($10.00)
Hero (BTN)		($61.77)
SB		($9.75)
BB		($63.35)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 6 players) Hero is BTN

1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $1.75, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.75, 2 folds

Flop: ($4.25, 2 players)
UTG+1 bets $2.50, Hero raises to $7.50, UTG+1 folds

Final Pot: $9.25
Hero shows:

Hero wins $13.79 ( won +$4.54 )
UTG+1 lost -$4.25


Now where this may look a little straightforward there was a lot of thought that went into this. I would like to explain to those that may not think that deep within basic hands.

Villian is 14/11/5 style. He is a tight aggro player raising from UTG+1. We can assume his range is very tight here. TT-AA, AQs+, AKo with a smaller chance of lower pocket pairs. I call for set value here, hoping the blinds will call too.

This flop is super safe. Villain will lead out with 100% of his range here. I dont see any hand that he doesnt lead here. Now the chances of him having a Ten in his hand is very very low. The chances of me, a caller to a pf raise on the button, having a Ten is way higher. So, how would we play a Ten here. Some would say call here. But I think that would give your range as a T or a flush draw, I think that if I had a Ten here I would raise to protect vs any flush draw that he may have. A raise here doesnt seem bluffy as this would be exactly how I would play a Ten. He is a thinking player and there is hardly any chance he can now just call out of position here. With the fact that I am repping a Ten here and the story is viable that my range includes a Ten then I dont see him rereraising here with overpairs.

Position, raising ranges and calling ranges vs a thinking player. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine how you would play in their position.

**Note that if he is a fishy player this play does not work. They will keep raising/pushing with any overpairs**

Just my ramblings.. hope it helps someone.

Ryver

Dealing it Simple for a Poker or Casino Night

If you are getting into gambling and struggling to learn the intricacies of dealing at games, there is new service that is aimed at making life a little easier at your next gambling session or fun casino hire night. At most gambling parties, friends will typically deal cards but certainly without the flair, skill and style of a professional dealer at a casino. Learning these all important dealing skills can take years of dedication and training.

Many people go to casinos to experience the environment and having a professional deal at a game is a significant part of creating that picture. A dealer who knows his cards well will add a certain dynamic to a game which otherwise would be missing and often leads to players
betting higher, creating a more electrifying game.

One website that is trying to bring this casino night magic a little closer to us, is a site called Dial A Dealer. The website resembles a social network for professional card dealers and casino croupiers. From the site, you can learn about the different card dealers in your area and choose to hire a true professional dealer for your next game.

All of the dealers on Dial A Dealer list their direct contact phone numbers to make it easy to get in touch and get a quote. Currently there is a growing user base of dealers from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand with no shortage of business in their local areas. Some dealers are even prepared to travel great distances to deal at your game.

The site is designed from the ground up to be easy to navigate and adds lots of useful touches like being able to see a list of tournaments that dealer have previously played at and their
specialities or areas of expertise. Most dealers are adept that the standard Black Jack, Poker, and Texas Hold-Em card games and a few are even comfortable with operating a roulette wheel and other typical non-card related games. Since the service attracts a large number of casino professionals, a few of the dealers can even arrange to book local venues or hire equipment for parties or corporate events in addition to private dealing services.

Alongside the dealer directory is a comprehensive article section covering all manner of gambling related stories including tips and trends including tipping etiquette and laying down the all important rules of the game. There is a wealth of information on the site and plenty of useful info for both novices and regular players. To further help visitors keep up to date with news from the gambling industry, there is a regular blog run by the creators of the site to keep visitors informed and the dealer community engaged.

The site’s design is aptly centered around a typical gambling card table you might find in your local casino. The design is quite innovative with careful attention paid to delivering the information contained in the site in the most friendly and approachable way.

You can find out how to book a professional dealer for your next game at www.dialadealer.com.

Live Poker and Alcohol

I played a live game at Eight Club on Thursday. £100 buy in with the blinds at 1/1. I must say this was by far the hardest cash game I have ever played in. We used to have atleast 2 or 3 big fish in the game but this time the standard was relatively good. This was until the drinking started

CardRunners midstake pro Alexdb was there. (he has a great CR video posted) I drew a seat to his right and luckily not his left. Most others were thinking (ish) players.

I lost a quick buyin on a speculative bluff but was called with a full house. I then managed to tread water for a few hours watching the alcohol start taking effect.

By midnight there had been a few buyins and of the 9 players on the table almost all had atleast 2-3 buyins in front of them. The raises had started standard 4xbb, by midnight this had turned into 10-12xbb. There was even an open 30xbb with AA who got called from the sb who held JT and flopped JJx. Brilliant.

This time of night is where you need to be most disciplined and focused as there is so much value. Ranges are wide enough to drive a bus through and players are more concentrating on barmaids and banter than the game in front of them. In the next 3 hours I managed to win 6 buyins making a total £500 profit. Approx 200 hands makes that a winrate of 250bb/100.

To be honest I do find live poker so tedious. Yes its easier and its fun to be at a table having a mind war with friends but its so damn slow. 20-25 hands an hour ? zzzz..... Yet I still almost always manage to make a better return/winrate vs playing the same time online.

I might spend a day at a poker room like the Empire soon and see how I go. Its not gonig to be as easy as the above but will be an interesting break from the norm.

100nl bad start

This is definately testing my patience. My first session, the first 150 hands over 3 tables.


$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($178.00)
UTG+1		($92.29)
Hero (CO)		($99.50)
BTN		($96.00)
SB		($29.20)
BB		($91.45)

Pre-flop: ($1.50, 6 players) Hero is CO

UTG raises to $3.50, UTG+1 calls $3.50, Hero raises to $13, 3 folds, UTG raises to $30, UTG+1 folds, Hero goes all-in $99.50, UTG calls $69.50

Flop: ($204, 2 players)

Turn: ($204, 2 players)

River: ($204, 2 players)

Final Pot: $204
UTG shows:
Hero shows:

UTG wins $201 ( won +$101.50 )
UTG+1 lost -$3.50
Hero lost -$99.50


And Then

$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

Hero (UTG)		($100.00)
UTG+1		($96.00)
CO		($28.70)
BTN		($94.35)
SB		($279.00)
BB		($85.54)

Pre-flop: ($1.50, 6 players) Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $3.50, UTG+1 calls $3.50, 4 folds

Flop: ($8.50, 2 players)
Hero bets $8.50, UTG+1 calls $8.50

Turn: ($25.50, 2 players)
Hero bets $16, UTG+1 calls $16

River: ($57.50, 2 players)
Hero bets $27, UTG+1 goes all-in $68, Hero calls $41

Final Pot: $193.50
Hero shows:
UTG+1 shows:

UTG+1 wins $190 ( won +$94 )
Hero lost -$96


$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
5 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($106.00)
CO		($107.00)
BTN		($100.00)
SB		($75.70)
Hero (BB)		($102.00)

Pre-flop: ($1.50, 5 players) Hero is BB

1 fold, CO raises to $3, 2 folds, Hero calls $2

Flop: ($6.50, 2 players)
Hero bets $6.50, CO raises to $13, Hero raises to $30, CO goes all-in $104, Hero calls $69.15

Turn: ($204.80, 2 players)

River: ($204.80, 2 players)

Final Pot: $204.80
Hero shows:
CO shows:

CO wins $205.85 ( won +$98.85 )
Hero lost -$102.15



It's a very small sample size and just variance. Its funny though, i've had this a lot of the time where the first shot you take moving up, or moving 'back' up, you always seem to run into bad variance straight away.

This could be the quickest step / step down ever.

Im back to 100nl

I spent a week away up in the Lake District and have come back with my head firmly screwed on. The 2 weeks before I went away I felt I had got my game back on track. I have reversed my downswing.

With my tight bankroll managment i had to drop to 50nl after my tumble. After 6 weeks of rebuilding I am now back rolled for 100nl again.

Its taken a while to get my head back in the game, taken a lot of soul searching after my first true downswing. Reading 'the poker mindset' helped me huge. It really brings back the facts that you know about long term poker, variance, tilt and BRM and puts them in a clear view again.

I recommend anyone having troubles with their game or sturggling with bankroll and variance to read that book. Invaluable imo.

The Non Believers

How many times have you tried to explain +ev and failed?

I tried this with the missus recently. She understand that poker is a skilled game that involves some luck. She even uses the word variance from time to time. What she fails to understand are basic odds. She refuses to put her money in when the chances of losing are high.

I offered this deal. Would she bet £50 with a 1 in 100 chance of winning £1m. She declined because she probably wouldnt win it.

This is an extreme example of course and a little amusing but this also rings true with people that do not understand poker being a long term game. In more realistic terms how about if the prize was £5500. How many times would you take that offer above before you started getting frustrated? Poker players know that they would take that bet as many times as they could as every bet they take they theoretically make money. Bad and non poker players cannot grasp this.

Theres nothing new in the above, I just felt like writing as Ive been a little quiet recently. I feel like the move down to 50nl has helped. I have had the beats, ive run into a ton of bad players and ive also had my fair share of suckouts but overall my bankroll is building again and my game feels like it is back on track.

There are always fish swimming in these waters..


50nl allows you to get away with these sort of plays.
x2 overbet for values against known fish. I wouldnt be doing this against a reg but look out for fishy bites like these ones.

http://weaktight.com/1128970 wtf is that call about. loool

http://weaktight.com/1121093 he calls with a very large range here.

Confused as Hell!

My game is broken.



That is my promised 10k hands at 50nl. The landslide at the beginning was the follow on from the losses I was suffering at 100nl. My game was tilted, I was over aggressive and ran into a shitload of bad luck.

The bottom of the graph was where I reigned in the aggression. I became a lot more passive which is not really my game. But the results speak for themselves.

I honestly believe that sites play differently. My days at AP were easy. My style of play must have fit in perfectly. I never had a losing week. At William Hill (ipoker) I am struggling bigtime.

I think I may stay at 50nl until im fixed.

Ive got a few interesting hand histories to talk about for the next post. Apologies for neglecitng this blog but I find it hard to write when my game is so fooked.

Positive state of mind does wonders.
Ryverrat

Stepping down to 50nl

April so far 100nl
16,000 hands -5bb/100 (-$800)

Thats right my game is screwed at the moment. Ive dropped $1500 from my high in the middle of this month. Im not sure what is wrong. I have reviewed hands and not found anything that stands out to how I normally play. I seem to be losing every coinflip and finding myself completed dominated in other hands. QQ vs KK on a low flop etc. AA/KK vs sets against Laggy players. I could post the hands but I dont feel like it woud do any help.

I will be moving down to 50nl for 10k hands. If my game has changed then I need to move to a safer level to fix the problems.

Poker is such an easy game when you are winning but its f*cking tough when you sit on a landslide. This is my first losing month in a very long while.

Step down, regroup and rebuild.

I would like to know if any readers have experienced such downswings and how they fixed it. Anyone ?

shorties!!

Ipoker is littered with those bugs we know as shorties. These players are a curse to the game of poker. These are the players that sit down with the minimum buy in of 20bb and play fold shove poker. They remove the fun and a lot of the strategy involved and only play 2 streets of poker. Preflop and the Flop.

Now most people complain about shorties but I'm not going to. I have been CRUSHING them recently. I have looked at my numbers from Mar 1st and used the criteria

- pot size less than 50bb and

- allin on the flop or before=true.

I believe this captures all my hands against shorties. Im never calling a shorties bet. I am either raising to get them in or folding.

Killing them. The secret ? Read this post on 2p2....

March

Last month was interesting to say the least. I made a profit of $1100 + $500 in rakeback. $1600 and it could have been so much more.

I started off on a great run, with the deck hitting me square in the face. Set after Set, making great calls, picking off bluffs and making great plays agains the regs. Then midway i had the complete opposite. From hero to zero, well not quite. I feel that tilted me a little and I started losing patience and pushing the action too much. Cbetting too much out of position, playing suited connectors too aggressively, calling lighter and refusing to lay down hands in bad spots. Heres my graph.






Ive started to feel a little reluctant to expose my game on my blog. Ive seen this written before on a few a few blogs. If you are playing a lot you feel as though you may be giving a little edge to players that may look you up online. If I post my position stats for example or talk about my 3 bet range an astute player can easily use that against me. Its not as though my identity at the tables is kept a secret, I use the same name (almost) for most sites I have played at. So for now I wont be putting anything up here that I dont feel necessary.


Apologies but if I am to take this seriously then I need to sharpen all edges no matter how small they may seem.


A question.... would you feel better if you lost 10 buyins at the beginng of the month and work back up to even or made 10 buyins and lose them to end even. Same result but i wonder how many of you would feel more pissed you had the money and lost it rather than feeling you dug yourself out of a hole.

School of Aces

With my recent job loss and past success at poker I have decided, with a partner, to set up a poker school in the city of London. Not just any old poker school, this is pretty damn special.

We will be teaching a 'winning style' based on my style of play and also offer a beginners only course.

We have the massive advantage of being able to use one of the city's exclusive members club, Eight club.The classes will take place at the club, within their plush poker rooms and I have written a full 16 hour course which will take place over 8 weeks.

With our members being UK based I have decided to become an affiliate of William Hill (ipoker). This will allow members of the school to access UK promotions and tournaments etc while also earning us referrals in the meantime.

Im really excited about this project and I have all the time in the world to devote to it. We have branded chips, coursebooks, website and great location.

Check out the website. www.schoolofaces.com (and no thats not me on the front page)

Back on track...

I think the players that stay alive in this game are the ones that can ride out the bad times and not lose control. After an 8 buyin downswing I felt sick. I stepped back and reviewed the key hands. There was definately tilt amongst 2 of my buyin losses, the others I would play the same.

With that in mind and a 24 hour break I stepped down to 50nl tables and regrouped. After a good win rate there for an evening it was back to 100nl tables. less than 1000 hands later I am back to where I started.

Hands played this month 19k with a profit of $1600 + $400 in rakeback. Only a few days left until the end of the month and im hoping to squeeze in a few more buyins.

I did play this one hand which I like.

http://weaktight.com/905949

UTG is a reg and im putting him on a strong hand here. Position is key though and there are a ton of scare cards on the river. My raise on the river is the exact amount i would raise if i had a Ten. He cannot call here without a Ten and chances of that in his hand are very slim.

This only works against a thinking player but just another show of how my game now includes playing back at the regs in certain spots

Oh im moving my bankroll to William Hill (ipoker network) for reasons which I will explain in my next post. big news to come..

Newtons Theory...

What goes up must come down.

Its March 23rd and ive played 16k hands. The first 8k hands were on fire, the next 8 hands turned me over and shafted me silly.

Profit for the month so far is now $830 + $360 approx of rakeback.
Running at 5bb/100 at 100nl.

This sucks

Playing a lot of hands means you see more of the good times and more of the bad times. There are also times in your game where you got a LOT of compounded bad times at once and it makes you really question your game. Ive been through it before and once the suckouts stop and the bad plays against you stop being paid off then your mind settles again. This is the bad part of poker. This is the part of the game that doesnt stop when you are on the floor bleeding, that kicks you into tilt.

I refuse to tilt.

For the rest of the month I will be at 50nl.

check out some of these bad boys.

http://weaktight.com/919561

http://weaktight.com/919556

http://weaktight.com/919570

http://weaktight.com/919562

http://weaktight.com/919566

http://weaktight.com/919568

all in a very short time....


Sorry for the note form. maybe I have blog tilt.

Damn its hot in here.

I am still running hotter than the sun at the moment. Im sure its unsustainable but ill be smiling all the way through it. Im beating 100nl for 36bb/100 so far this month over 4000 hands. With a small loss at 200nl im netting a profit of $1200 so far. I am the most comfortable I have ever been at 100nl and I hope this run continues.





Above is this years graph. I noticed 2 key moments which I have noted on the graph. The gradient of the graph since I gave up work and the point where my redline changed.

I am confused as to why my results would be so much better for not working. I can only assume that I am not as sharp after a full days work. Currently I am playing when im very relaxed and alert whereas before I would squeeze in a few hundred hands before I went to bed each night. Damn I dont want to go back to work for a while.

The redline is self explanatory if you read the previous post. CR videos rock. This redline really does make a big difference to your winrate and its all about betting correctly post flop.

As mentioned in previous posts I am in the process of setting up a business which is poker related. This has taken up a lot of my time over the past week and I will spill the beans to all very soon. We may be linked up with William Hill (ipoker) so I am considering moving the bankroll over there. Ill be deciding this over the next few weeks.

Looks like the durrr challenge vs Patrick Antonius has slowed to a halt. Check out the details here.

Feb Recap

I enjoyed February. Its easy to enjoy the game when you are winning. February has been a month of precision and manipulating bad players.


With precision I mean making more correct decisions on the flop. Reading the board well with opponents ranges and laying down or check folding when necessary. This has made my redline flat to slighty positive. I havent included it in the graph but you will just have to believe me. The redline is the amount of $ you win/lose without seeing the showdown. Zaitsev at Cardrunners did a 2 part series which explains this and how to improve it.


Manipulating bad players has been playing to isolate correctly and setting them up to hang themselves + a load of value betting. This has all added up to a very successful month.


I looked at the rake paid. The rake above of $1500 is incorrect as shown on my rakeback page. The rake is $965 where I have got rakeback of $289. Rakeback is invaluable and anyone that hasnt got it please use my link to the right and sign up asap. Its free money.


Its now March. My plan is to try to play a very formulated month as a 'pro'. Atleast 2 hours per day minimum to start. This will hopefully be a lot more but with a 3 week old baby and starting up a sideline business Im starting off on a low volume number to manage expectations.


2 x 100nl and 1 x 200nl will be my normal play.


Lets see if we can make some decent money.