This is my book

Well my feeble attempt at writing my thoughts on poker and the 6-max game. In no way will these be as in depth as they could be. What I write isnt absolute either. There are many other ways to play. Please do ask questions if you have any and check back frequently as I will be writing a daily piece till all streets are covered. aftyer that I will dive into concepts and theory.

Poker by street

To really get in depth on the game of poker you have to start to think about your action on every street and why you take it. I don’t think many consider pre-flop to be a street but is the driveway leading to the streets. This is where you decide what car you will take out of the garage and drive down the street. Certain vehicles will serve you better on certain days. OK enough with the metaphorical thinking.

Pre-flop

Pre-flop: This is a loose guideline to pre-flop play. The biggest thing to consider pre-flop is your position and next your hand strength. The hands I outline are strictly for being 1st in as well as isolating weak limpers. Your 3 betting range whether it be 3 betting or calling a 3bet will be drastically different. All discussions from here on out pertain to 6-max strategy. I don’t feel a lot needs to be said about pre-flop strategy but I will touch upon the most important. Position is number one. Everyone knows this yet few utilize it to its fullest potential.
UTG and UTG+1: In order to get action and loosen up your image from these two spots opening all PP’s is quite effective. It is nice to mix in a random SC as well but not entirely necessary. Yet I think I rather raise 87s here then QJs because it is easier to play post flop OOP. As for non pairs Ajo+ and Kqs+ work well for me. If my table is tight and my image is well I will expand upon this range.

CO: This is when my range begins to open up as I will more times then not end up with position post flop and will be able to play my hand profitably against my opponent. Our range is all of the UTG & UTG+1 range plus SC down to 65 and off suit connectors down to 89. Also A9o+ and Kto+. This is where we can begin to utilize HUD number as well. If the BTN and blinds are tight we can open our range up more.

BTN: This is the whore of position. She spreads her legs for any two cards. Due to your position sometimes your cards are irrelevant. This is where good hand reading skills and shear aggression will win you the pot 9 times out of 10. You can raise a lot of suited junk here as well as any Ace as long as the blinds arent 3 betting you often.

3 betting: This is by no means the know all end all on 3 betting but rather some observations of my own. If you look at the range of hands I just said we should be raising from the CO and BTN position it is obvious that the majority of them cannot withstand a raise. Therefore I think 3 betting from the blinds is something that isn’t being done enough by the average player, including myself. The toughest thing about 3 betting from the blinds is it goes against the idea of position. This is again a spot where we can use are HUD numbers. If the PFR has a high attempt to steal which I believe is 20+ then we should be 3 betting lighter from the blinds. The majority of the time we should take the pot down pre-flop. Also if called we can C-bet and show a profit as well but I do believe our c-betting frequency should decrease in 3 bet pots when OOP. When 3 betting IP I think we can stick to a pretty tight range depending upon our villains numbers. If villain looks tight then we shouldn’t be 3 betting light. If villain is loose then we should. Also you should be more apt to 3 bet a CO raiser light then a UTG or UTG+1 raiser due to the ranges we have discussed. With hands that flop well I tend to call IP against tight players rather then raise and open the door up for them to blow me off my hand. Calling IP also allows you to make moves post flop. Again HUD should show you villains c-bet number and if it 70+ we know that this villain is betting with air here often enough that a float or raise will show profit.

Flop play

This where poker begins. You can study starting hand charts but if you cant play your hand profitably post flop you will not be a winning poker player. The variables of post flop play are endless and to generalize isn’t easy but I will try.
HU to the flop: Whether in or out of position for the most part you want to c-bet on the flop. Flop texture and villains tendencies are something to take into consideration the times you feel a c-bet will not have success. As you move up the stakes villains are going to become a little more tricky and begin to float and play back at you. Experience will guide you in these times. If the flop texture is horrible and you feel the villain will not fold the majority of his PF calling range a delayed c-bet can be a profitable alternative. The profit in a c-bet is in its success overtime and the fact that it will help your image and increase the likeliness that you receive action when you flop big. I suggest varying your c-bet sizes at random by one more or one less bet every now and again so to not be robotic. I don’t recommend adjusting strictly based on your hand strength but rather on flop texture and the perceived skill level of villain. It goes without saying the cheaper the c-bet the less successful it has to be to show a profit. C-betting is so well known and expected these days that slowing down isn’t horrible. This doesn’t mean completely giving up when you miss a flop but rather trying to find a different line to take the pot down.

If led into in these situations you have three choices, fold/raise/call. I feel raising is actually over used. Yes a lot of the time you are going to raise and villain will go away and you take it down. This is great when you have air but what about when you flop MP or a draw? If I have air in these spots with no real outs I think giving up isn’t horrible. It allows villain to create an image in his own mind. I imagine that image of one who is raising loosely and is easily pushed around post flop. Good image to have? Yes and no. Another option in these spots is to take your draw cheaply and look to hit and then extract value. I don’t mind this line if you feel villain is capable of 3 betting you off your draw. If he is more passive raising is your best line. You build a pot for when you do hit, give yourself a chance to take it down without getting there, and lastly if you miss the turn you typically can take a free river. The spot I think that most people over look is when you flop a marginal hand like MP. Lets say I raise it up from the BTN with 89 and the flop comes down 479r and villain fires 2/3 pot into me. Raising here is wrong. Yes you have top pair and there are a ton of possible overs but those arent always bad for your hand. Villain is leading out here with such a wide range that you mosty likely are best. This is a perfect spot to take a passive line and call down. Yes you will get drawn out on occasionally or face to much heat on the turn or river to call but this is where hand reading will become key. I think more times then not by knowing your villains tendencies you will be capable of extracting quite a bit of value from aggressive opponents who have you on overs. These guys simply don’t know how to give up on bluffs. The 89 hand is just and example. There are times where I will make this play with AK when I flop TPTK. Aggression owns but being the aggressor isn’t always the best possible way to extract value.

Poise

A comment I left on a fellow card players blog.

Wow, as I titled my comment it clicked. Poise. This is the essential tool of a poker player. Here is the Dictionary definition. 1.To balance or be balanced. 2. Balance; stability. 3.Composure. 4. Dignity of manner. Next time you watch a video listen to how poised they sound. Nothing faulters there voice. They take everything in stride and play the winning game they know and trust.

No shame in my game.

September is behind me but I learned a valuable lesson and had a rough time of it at the tables. I could hide the results and make like it never happened but then I would not be able to learn and grow. There is a saying I have heard before about failures and it goes something like there is no such thing but rather each failure is only a failure if you fail to learn from it. With that said I have been doing some serious thinking and feel I have learned from this past month and will be taking October on with a fresh attitude and state of mind.

Even though it appears I got my ass kicked and lost a shit load of money in reality I actually did profit from poker in Sept with live play and rakeback and reload as well as coaching. Not as much as I would prefer but everything doesnt always go the way you want it to.

I would like to set some goals for myself for the month of October.

-1st and foremost I want to play winning poker at 100NL and look to move to the 200NL level before months end.

-2nd I will spend no less then 2hrs studying the game away from the tables.

-3rd I will continue to excercise and look to weigh under 200LBs by months end.

-4th I will live a balanced life mixing work and pleasure and leisure to maintain a positive fram of mind.

How I will achieve my goals

1st- I will only play my A game and quit if I am not. I will limit the number of tables I play to 4 so to stay focused and create reads on my opponents. I am going to tighten up my opening range OOP and get back to the style of play that has been proven successful. I will blog daily on 50BB blog.

2nd- I will watch videos, read books and post and reply on the forums from 10am-12pm daily.

3rd- I will monitor what I eat and cut down on my alchol intake while hitting the gym 3 days a week as well as doing cardio 5.

4th- I will follow my structured daily schedule and meditate regularly. I will be thankful for the things I have and not allow things which are out of my power to effect my emotional state.


Here is to a great month!!!

Peep the links.

I have put up a list of links to several of my other blogs, two of which I have updated. Also, there are a few links to some poker friends of mine.

WOW!!!!!

I had an amazing August and was feeling like I could beat the world heading into September and then it all came crashing down. In no way do I feel my game has changed and I know I have the skills and emotional control to crush the game. The only problem is when cooler after cooler keeps happening it makes you question yourself. The 1st week of the month was my worst ever and I was making some bad choices at the table. I did some serious reevaluation and started back strong the next week. I recouped a large chunk of my losses whihc had occured when I took a shot at the next level and this week I was nearing even for the month. In reality it isnt the money. I could give two shits. It is the helplessness I feel when I get it in good only to lose to a 2 outer. Wah fucking wah I know, but man it hurts.

Rather then bitch and moan and tilt off my roll I have decided the poker gods are simply telling me to slow down. I have decided I will not be taking anymore shots till my roll reaches 10K unless I decide to move sites. I am seriously considering after the whole AP scandal that is going on. Change is good! Also I am searching for leaks in my game and working on plugging them as well as opening up my game a little. Another thing I have decided is essential is to reread some of the poker bibles and really get that shit hammered into my mind.

I have to go as I feel sick at the moment and I dont know what to do. Here are the two latest coolers if you enjoy seeing them.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1499558 Villain is a complete fish. I got it in here knowing I had him crushed.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1493188 Villain again is a mega donk and I am looking to take him to value town on a blank river. I imagine I dont get much from him on the river because I out him square on a FD. Yeah, I cant call that river. GG sir.

Thoughts on thinking and feeling.

I know there have been several books on the subject and it is becoming more and more emphasized yet I still feel the mental edge is neglected still. If you are not capable of processing the information presented to you with a clean crisp mind how will you be capable of putting it to proper use? Simply put you wont. You can read every book and study hours on end while playing 3 thousand plus hands a day but if you aren't thinking clearly you are going to get nowhere.

Don't get me wrong you might see positive results but they will be sub par to the results you could get with a clean mind. When I say clean mind what do I mean? I am speaking of a mind that is not tired, not upset over a bad beat, not fearful of losing, not unfocused, and not functioning without processing. In order to play at your optimal performance level you must be thinking clearly. The 1st thing I ask myself prior to every session is if I am well rested and capable of performing at my best. If the answer isn't yes I don't play. How will I be able to play poker at the level I want with the success I want if I am not on my A game. Simply, I wont and neither will you. Know yourself and know when you aren't capable. Always start your new sessions with a positive frame of mind.

The mental edge comes from being capable to play bot like poker with no emotion involved in processing the situations we become involved in. We are human so this is much easier said then done but with practice you will go numb. Avoid singling out an opponent. I am not saying not to target the donkey at the table but don't go out of your way to play big pots with hands you shouldn't be playing big pots with just because this guy is a donk. This is not bot play. Bots process the information, retain it for future battles and play the game. Let the game flow, force nothing. Stay calm mentally and emotionally and if you feel yourself slipping, quit.

The other key besides knowing when to play is knowing when to stop. Much easier said then done. We might think are AA vs KK suck out loss has no effect on us but it does. Some more then others. Until you can become consciously aware of this effect you will be helpless. Learn to identify when your play has changed and acknowledge it. Once you begin to acknowledge it you will be able to quit at such times. Quiting a session when your mind state has changed is so fucking +EV it is not even funny. Think of those long sessions where you lost 5+ BI. How much of that could have been avoided if you had just turned off your fucking computer? I know I am guilty of tilting. But now I quit. I walk away and think about why my mind state changed and how I can control it. Get your mind right and your game will be tight.

August stats.

Pretty solid month as you can see. Didnt play as much as I would have liked but the results are still there. I am not satisfied though and will be looking to double my hands played and my results this month. With no school and finally getting settled in at my new place, where I have a home office, I am set for my biggest month yet. Also this month I am looking to start mixing in some 200NL probably the same way I made the transition from 50NL to the 100s, playing two tables of each.

The future is NOW!

I am not 100% decided on the purpose of this new blog but I will lay down some of the ideas I have. Writing about poker has been the best tool for my growth towards the player I aspire to be. Here is where I will be writing infrequent theory pieces on concepts and ideas I have about the game as I see it. Also I want to use this blog as a tool to help me learn and teach fellow poker players that aspire to be great too. Last night I met Daniel a 22 year old precusionist with a desire to improve his poker skills. Through conversation I offered my knowledge to him for a small fee and I am hoping a friendship and mentorship is in development. I am fortunate as Daniel has chosen me as his mentor and we will begin a semi-intensive coaching deal starting in September. I feel not only will Daniel benefit from the wealth of knowledge I have about the game of poker but I too will benefit from being forced to clearly explain my thinking behind my actions. I see this as a stepping stone on my way to becoming an amazing poker player and teacher, Daniel being my first student of many.

About me.

Just wanted to throw together a quick bio on me in regards to my poker life. Basically been a gambler since I was young but not a risk taking throw my money down the shitter type. Was more about finding an edge. Poker came along when I was 18 at an Indian casino my buddy turned me onto it. Then I found a local card room five minutes from my house and started playing regularly when I turned 21. Right away I bought books and started reading and was winning at 3/6 limit hold em. I never took it crazy serious but way more then anyone else I really knew. Dabbled a little online never making a withdrawal and always going busto. At the end of 04 I actually began dealing poker at the very casino where i started playing cards regularly and quickly realuized how great the cash was beaing a dealer but how sad the people around me really were. They stunk at poker and most of them life as well. I made a pretty penny and with that I took several hiatus from the working world. After reading the January Bluff article on Durrr I starting thinking about online poker a little more and decided it was time to dig deeper.

In late Febuary I found Cardrunners and on a $100 deposit on Absolute poker began grinding 25NL 6 max. I went on a heater and turned it into 1k fast. I jumped up to 50NL and did ok. Around this time the July grinders crew started and my game kept improving. I had also quit my latest dealing job and decided online poker would be my income. Fast forward to the present and I am still paying the bills (they are minimal) via poker. My winnings total somewhere around 15K from my play. Of course RB has been huge and the fact I got a table share of a badbeat jackpot for 5.6K was pretty sweet as well.

It hasnt been easy getting to where I have but it has been fun. I honestly think i could be alot further along if my mental strength was better as well as my work ethic. I have logged about 180K hands in that time. Thats nothing. I want to be doing near 50K hands a month this year. Currently I am playing 200NL and have been struggling till recently. Basically everytime I have a rough session I start to doubt myself. This is like the worst possible thing by the way. My latest breakthrough as far as poker goes is personal. Its the simple fact that when I do sit at a table I am making money because every decision I make will be +EV. I also have to realize it isnt money at the poker table just big blinds/big bets/buy-ins. If I can conquer these two things I should be able to continue to improve skills wise with ease.

I am definately playing slightly over rolled for 200NL at the moment but that is due to the fact that I feel I have to improve my mental game prior to stabbing 200NL. My win rate over 63K hands at 200NL is 1.5BB. This must improve as well.