Review: 5 months of ring.

Here is a review of the 5 months of ring games this year. 6 months would be a more normal point to do this at, but my database is full and I have to start a new one, so this is a convenient time.

None of the information below contains the results of S&Gs, MTTs, promotions, freerolls, non-holdem hands, or FTP.

Summary (559k hands)

I was fairly consistent with volume, which I ramped up in the last month. The reasons for that are, in Jan/Feb I still played some at FTP, and in Mar/Apr I took a week vacation in each month.

Hourly (515 hours)

We see I played ~25 hours/week in ring games and averaged ~$16/hour. I also earned ~400k FPPs (~$6,000-$6,400) for an additional ~$12/hour in incentives. $28/hour is not great, but not horrible either. If I included other types of poker it adds in some hours and probably lowers the rate a bit.

Heads-up (5k hands)

Heads-up is hard to multitable and the rake is large. I still made ~$27/hour over 11 hours with an MT ratio of 2, which is higher than I expected. With an additional ~$3/hour in player points (15% rakeback for heads-up). The sample size is very low, so can't draw too many conclusions about these results.

Limit (22k hands)

This chart speaks for itself. I obviously play too loose and I lose in limit and there is a reason limit is known as a game played by poo-flinging monkeys. The lesson - don't play limit.

.

6-max (219k hands)

I played ~219k hands of 6-max with an MT ratio of 12.6 earning ~$12/hour. It was primarily short stacking and was mind numbingly boring. You also don't earn as good of rakeback at 6-max as full ring.

Full ring (313k hands)

I played ~313k hands of full ring with an MT ratio of 18.1 earning ~$20/hour. This was a combination of all different stack sizes. It would look a lot more impressive if I didn't lose $1k at NL($1) this month, which caused me to play over 60k hands of NL($0.50) this month to get that $1k back.

Conclusions

Play full ring, full stacked, 24 tables, and play tighter.

Experiment with 2-4 tabling heads-up to estimate the hourly.

If playing 6-max, play more tables, but not short stacked.

Don't play limit.

Relative hand strengths.

Look at these 2 hand histories. One I have a fairly weak hand, but call huge bets based on my read. One I have a super strong hand (top set) and getting 4.5-1 I find a fold. Lastly, what is a guy calling 40% of his stack set mining with QQ against my range for 4-betting UTG LRRs (the range is AA).
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Stacks: SB with $30.30BB with $50.00UTG with $47.85UTG+1 with $72.40MP1 with $56.50MP2 with $8.00CO with $30.00BTN with $32.65

Dealt to MP1:Q♠ A♦
Preflop: 2 players fold. Hero raises $0.50 to $1 2 players fold. BTN calls [$1] SB calls [$0.75] 1 players folded. Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: $4

Flop: A♠ J♣ 6♠
SB bets [$14] 1 players fold. Hero calls [$14] 1 players folded. Total folds this street: 1
Potsize: $32

Turn: 9♥
1 players fold. SB bets [$15.30] [ all-in ] Hero calls [$15.30]
Potsize: $62.6

River: 2♦
Results:
SB shows a pair of Sixes: 6♣ 3♣
Hero shows a pair of Aces: Q♠ A♦
Hero collected $59.60 from pot
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Stacks: BB with $52.70UTG with $65.00UTG+1 with $23.70MP1 with $44.45MP2 with $21.45MP3 with $72.95CO with $30.00BTN with $59.85SB with $44.50

Dealt to UTG:A♦ A♣
Preflop: Hero raises $1.50 to $2 Hero+1 calls [$2] 1 players fold. MP2 calls [$2] 5 players folded. Total folds this street: 6
Potsize: $7.25

Flop: A♥ 7♥ K♦
Hero bets [$4] 5 players fold. Hero+1 calls [$4] MP2 calls [$4]
Potsize: $19.25

Turn: 6♥
Hero: checks Hero+1: checks MP2 bets [$5.50] Hero calls [$5.50] Hero+1 calls [$5.50]
Potsize: $35.75

River: 5♠
Hero: checks Hero+1 bets [$12.20] [ all-in ] MP2 calls [$9.95] [ all-in ] 2 players fold (converter problem, but big fold by me).
Uncalled bet ($2.25) returned to Hero+1
Total folds this street: 2

Results:
Hero+1 shows a flush, Ace high: J♥ Q♥
MP2 doesn't show. ... he had the wtf hand K♠ K♥
Hero+1 collected $53 from pot
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Do you really set mine with QQ to a 4-bet for 40% of your stack?
http://www.cardschat.com/hand/7761

Losing my zen patience?

Just as I said the beats were not bothering me as bad, this 5% shot happens for a 286 BB pot.

Stacks: BTN with $62.15 SB with $10.15 BB with $49.25 UTG with $33.30 MP1 with $19.75 MP2 with $47.25 CO with $50.00

Dealt to BTN:5♣ 5♥

Preflop: 2 players fold. MP2 raises $0.50 to $1 1 players fold. Hero calls [$1] 1 players fold. BB calls [$0.50] Total folds this street: 4 Potsize: $3.25

Flop: 5♠ Q♦ J♣
BB bets [$2] MP2 raises $3 to $5 Hero calls [$5] BB calls [$3] Potsize: $18.25

Turn: 4♠
BB: checks MP2 bets [$10] Hero calls [$10] BB raises $33.25 to $43.25 [ all-in ] MP2 calls [$31.25] [ all-in ] Hero calls [$33.25] Potsize: $146

River: Q♣

Results:
BB shows a full house, Queens full of Jacks: J♠ Q♥
Hero gets pissed.
BB collected $4 from side pot
MP2 shows a full house, Queens full of Jacks: Q♠ J♦
BB collected $69.50 from main pot
MP2 collected $69.50 from main pot

How did I only lose $100?

The hubris from my last post has cost me.
Luckily it was only $100, but really?

In this 3500 hand session:
Flop top set jacks vs. a bad nit-TAG icepaw1225(9%).
Flop top set jacks vs. backdoor Evangeleon.
Maybe I made an awful fold, but you can judge that for yourself.

AAvKK AIPF vs. a short stack.
AAvKK AIPF vs. a moron.
I am 2-3 with AAvKK AIPF over my last 12k hands. (should it be 4-1?)

I also got cold decked AJv88 on AJ8 board.
I made one bad play where I spazzed out with 88 on a 732 board.

These beatings used to bother me a lot more, it is not phasing me as much which is something posistive at least.

Post revelation results.

In the 4 days since my mini-revelation, here are the results:

I have gotten my VPIP to below 20 and my PFR below 15 in full ring for the first time since I can remember. When I decided to change styles my original plan was 11/8, but honestly I don't think I can make that happen. I have put in some good volume at NL($0.50) in the last 4 days, and will keep at it the remainder of the month and then I should be back to NL($1) with a vengeance.

The perfect-perfect.

I have played millions of hands, but I think yesterday was the first time I lost to a perfect-perfect, after the flop.

Stacks: BB with $137.50 UTG with $10.00 MP with $46.60 BTN with $43.85 SB with $50.00
Dealt to BB:K♦ K♠
Preflop: UTG raises $0.50 to $1 MP calls [$0.50] 2 players fold. Hero raises $3.50 to $4.50 UTG raises $5.25 to $9.75 [ all-in ] 1 players fold. Hero calls [$5.25]
Potsize: $20.25
Flop: 9♠ 4♣ K♥
Turn: 8♣
River: 8♥
Results: Hero shows a full house, Kings full of Eights: K♦ K♠
UTG shows four of a kind, Eights: 8♦ 8♠
UTG collected $20.20 from pot

An analysis.

I used to think it was fun to be the loosest most aggressive non-donk at the table. But guess what ... after nearly two years of playing that style and with the games getting somewhat tougher, I was slowly becoming that donk and my winrate was getting lower and lower. You know what is more fun than getting into marginal situations with tough decisions every minute when 24-tabling? ... making money.

I think all the marginal situations I have gotten into over the last couple of years will be a good foundation for tough decisions that most TAG-nits don't get into very often. I resolve to play better and make money. Every few minutes I will have to remind myself to play tight and solid. It can be barrels of fun raising extremely medium strength hands from any position 97s, A9o, KTo, etc. and I just have to get a tighter range especially in UTG+1 and UTG+2 where I think I have been leaking money. Not to mention having a 60+% ATS for over a million hands is another leak which players have adjusted to with their new HUDs. Maybe I will get one too.

Here are some interesting hands from today's sessions, as well as all my losing hands from NL50 and NL100 over 90BB this month. It is a somewhat pointless analysis, because big pots don't occur often, it is the leaks of bad calls of 3-bets, bad river calls, and bad play in 20BB pots that are far more critical since they occur all the time.

Today:

Really? AKv77 3 times in one session with TPTK v flopped set.
19:38 http://www.cardschat.com/hand/7692 AKv77 on Q7K...
20:15 http://www.cardschat.com/hand/7693 AKv77 on 79A. (folded)
20:51 http://www.cardschat.com/hand/7694 AKv77 on 72A...

AAvT7s AIPF for a full stack vs a regular.
http://www.cardschat.com/hand/7695

Lol I flop quads vs a guy who makes a running nut full house.
http://www.cardschat.com/hand/7696

NL50:

Cold deck QQvAA allin on J5AQ
Cold deck + mistake, nut v 2nut + flush draw (Could fold river?)
KKvAA - standard
QQvKK mistake calling turn shove
88v97 on T86 ... hmm, avoidable?
33vAA on 245 ... I never learn - no one folds

NL100:

I am too lazy to upload the 8 hand histories, but 3 of them were already posted in the blog.
AAvAA AIPF (posted), T9vAK on 98K (posted), KQvJJ on 5TJ (posted)
66v77 on 267, 22vAA on 25A
KKvAA, KKvAAvJJ, KKvAA.

Doing it wrong.

I am doing something majorly wrong this month with poker.
3 weeks into the month with significant volume and only breakeven.

One thing is I am playing too loose which no longer seems to be working. I think I may be playing too aggressive as well. I will have to analyze more to determine what else I am doing wrong.

Hit Supernova today.

I hit 100,000 VPPs for the year today earning me Supernova status lasting until 2/28/10. I did it playing NL($0.50)(6-max) where I ran good in flips short stacking +$250 (of course most of the flips were 80/20 and 65/35 because they are bad players).

I am still uncertain about my poker future.

Goodbye NL100, $1000.

Within 3 minutes I lost allin KKvTT, AKsvAJs, AKsvAQo.
I am sick of this.
Done with NL100 for the month.
$533 below EV, I am convinced of the doomswitch which was set on by either concierging points for dollars or the two large withdrawals.

I need 1400 more VPPs to get Supernova for the year, and if things keep going the way they are, I am going to be done for good, and just play the freerolls on Saturday for the rest of the year.

Losing.

I am losing bad this month. Haven't had a good session in 7 days ... ever since I cashed out my points from concierge.

I had my worst NL($1) session in over a year for -$500 (down $900 for the month), losing set over set, KKvAA, KKvAA in bvb, straight vs rivered full house, set vs rivered flush, 2 pair vs smaller 2 pair rivering the 2 outer - twice, not getting good cards (AA at only 50% frequency) , and other stuff I can't remember. Honestly, there have been more than 10 rivered hands where the guy had 5 outs or less. I cashed out most of my account and I am moving down in limits.

I take responsibility for about $150 of the loss making some bad river calls, and a stupid overshove with KQ on a JTx rag board where it was obvious he had a set.

That was annoying.

HOLD'EM NO LIMIT ($0.50/$1.00) - 2009/05/03 19:35:44 ET
Seat 1 : SB with $109.90. Seat 2 : BB with $39.50. Seat 3 : UTG with $18.70. Seat 4 : UTG+1 with $29.05. Seat 5 : MP1 with $18.50. Seat 6 : MP2 with $152.90. Seat 8 : Hero with $107.85.
Seat 9 : BTN with $104.60.
** Dealing hole cards **
Dealt to Hero :
UTG: folds UTG+1: folds MP1: folds MP2: folds Hero raises $2 to $3 BTN: folds SB raises $5 to $8 BB: folds Hero raises $16 to $24 SB raises $85.90 to $109.90 [ all-in ] Hero calls [$83.85] [ all-in ]
Uncalled bet ($2.05) returned to SB
** Dealing Flop ** [Potsize: $218.75]
** Dealing Turn ** [Potsize: $218.75]
** Dealing River ** [Potsize: $218.75]
** Showdown **
SB shows a flush, Ace high:
Hero doesn't show.
SB collected $213.70 from pot
*** SUMMARY *** Total pot $216.70 Rake $3
Board [Jd 5d 3d 5h 2d]
Seat 1: SB (small blind) showed [As Ad] and won ($213.70) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: BB (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: Hero mucked [Ah Ac]
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum

Bad regular?

What do you think about this hand? I played every street like a set, read his hand as AK, but misread that he would fold it. Do you like his turn play? Or stacking off with AK there?

Admittedly, I would probably normally fold to the raise preflop, but I was a bit on tilt after this cooler, where I had his hand as AA or AK, unfortunately it was the former.

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