August Thread: Goals, Winrates, Updates.

[Talking Poker]

Zybomb makes a good point with his - Firing second barrels at calling stations isn't typically a good idea. If they are calling you down with anything (Ace high?), I'd definitely be less inclined to bluff - especially twice.

[Boobie Lover]

I made a general statement about the amount of calling stations at Bodog compared to other sites. I generally don't two barrel bluff a massive calling station (and I generally stay away from continuation betting if I know they are weak and won't bluff me off if shown weakness). I second barrel bluff against people that I think can laydown second pair if shown aggression. But, if I am playing a maniac style, the people that laydown second pair against me becomes very small, so the amount of calling stations increases. I have been called a moron by at least five regulars because I play too aggressive for them, and they make some idiotic plays when facing me. I hope that made some sense (probably not).

As for results, -3K today. Lost $2K by making dumb moves at 600 NL and then took a shot at 1K NL. I would have been up for the day if I didn't lose a $3K pot as a 85-15 favorite. Sigh.

[Talking Poker]

Actually, that does make sense....

And yikes - that's one big pot. Beats like that go hand in hand with the maniac style though. But those are the kinds of beats you WANT to take once in a while. I know you know this... but getting your opponents to put all their money in drawing that slim, well, you can't ask for anything better than that.

[sjay2k]

+12800
gogogogogo

[Quint]

I should probably post this in a new thread, but it seems to fit here so,...

The Facts: My current BR is ~$1000. I play casually to build my BR and improve my skill, hopefully to the point that I can start generating some "mad money". I.E.- I have no aspirations of becoming a pro. I play 2-3 hours most nights after the kiddies go to bed. Most of the time I play a couple of $25NL tables or a multi-table SnG (27-45 players, $5-$10 buy-in) with the occasional MTT thrown in on the weekends. I don't use PT or any of it's add-ons to evaluate my play, choose tables, etc. so I have no idea what my $/100 hands or %ROI is. I used to keep my SnG stats in a spreadsheet, but I was never good at recording everything. Most of my BR has been built since my return to poker in May, when it was ~$250.

Questions:

How much am I handicapping myself by not using PT? Will it make this hobby seem more like work, or will counting the money won make me forget about the added work?

Should I be moving up in levels, $50NL and $20 SnG's?

What are realistic goals at this BR and time allowance? Many people posted in this thread about winning $X this month, and I'm sure that's based on the game they play and the number of hours/hands they expect to play, but I don't know how to equate that to my situation.

Yeah, that's enough for now. Thanks.

[melioris]

We are pretty much in the same situation as far as bankroll and the amount of time we can commit to poker. I am lucky to get in 10 hrs a week at this point. I mostly play ring games so my comments are addressed exclusively to that situation.

With that said I can state unequivocally that you are greatly handicapping yourself by not using PT and PokerAce Heads Up Display. They will pay for themselves very, very quickly and then make you much more money than you would if you didn’t have them. Sure they are great for evaluating your own game, that goes without saying. It is things like having the exact % that a player folds to a continuation bet displayed on the table that really helps you make money.

As for making a hobby work-like, it is actually more fun with PT and PAHUD. It allows me to play more tables at once without seeing a drop in the level of my play. I would spend that money right now and get them. If you have the hand histories on your harddrive, I think there is a way to import them into PT once you buy it, but I don’t know about that.

The standard line about bankroll is that you should have 20 buying per level. So to play $50NL, you would need a minimum of 1K. I like having 25 buy-ins and moving down if I drop to 20 buyins. Sometime I switch to 30 buyins per level, but I hate variance and desperately try to minimizing the amount if affects my bankroll.

[JDMcNugent7]

I dn if I'd call playing 2-3 hours a night "casual". I mean thats a good portion of ur time u could be spent doing something possibly more productive. I'm not saying theres anything wrong with that, but if ur gonna put in that many hours why not stop playing "casually" and really start trying to get much better.
I rarely have a session longer than an hour and rarely get in 3 hours per day.

[Quint]

Wow, this surprises me considering your success! Salud, Don JD.

Yeah, I should've qualified that that I don't play every night,after all I do have other interests. Their 'productivity' is arguable, especially if you ask my wife. Friday and Saturday nights are a given (unless my my buddies are holding a jack-ass poker, and I use the term poker loosely, game), and usually 2-3 of the other 5 nights a week. Although your point is well taken. What are your recomendations for trying to get much better? Reading books? Reviewing hand histories? Analysing PT stats? Using a sim program such as Wilson? Or, putting in hours at the tables?