Capping off a solid month

PT stats: (for new database)
23239 hands
Won: $2146.65
4.97 PTBB/100
56.48 hrs played
$38.01/hr

Rakeback: $385.72

Profit since 1st nov on old database: $350

Total profit: $ 2882.37


So the end of December caps of with a good run with 9.77PTBB/100 over a 10k 100nl hand sample. Definitely running well, as well as table selecting good tables that helps me to run well. When you have such postflop edge against weaker players, it's paying off even in the very short run.

December started off mehhhhh at 50nl when I came back to the game. Wanted to get my rusty gears started but hit a tilt/badrun in the middle of the month. I guess the turnaround for this month started when I decided to put in more study hours reviewing my plays, cutting down on tables, watching more videos, pokerstoving hand ranges and knowing where I stand in certain spots. I kinda like to review my plays more now as I'm making far fewer mistakes and more importantly, far fewer bigger mistakes.

I'm have subscribed to leggopoker for it's good selection of cash games videos and imho, they are of very high quality and worth the 1 year suscription fee of $299.40. I've also been working on my game by using this technique of thinking reciprocally - how the villian would play his hand given the way I've played. Such analysis allows you to know certain lines that average players would often take aganist a preflop raiser (usually me) and when they do something else, you basically become more aware of where you stand.

Poker has been great for me this year. I've got a sum of rakeback money that I plan to cash out. For 2008, I'm setting my sights on hitting 200nl and crushing it from march onwards, and hopefully be a regular at 400nl by the end of the year. It is a modest goal I suppose, I believe in taking it slow and having a conservative bankroll plan. While at the same time I'm taking coaching lessons to improve and correct any fundamental leaks of mine. I think I've a sound technical game, but there are definitely some spots for improvement.

Jan 08, I have a huge bonus to clear from the Ironmen bonus promotion. However, I'd expect many regulars to do so, as well as avg players. The standard should be slightly higher after the new year, with many players trying to make a fresh start to play better, resolutions of playing tighter etc etc. We will see how this affects things next month. Likewise this could explain my good run on December, with more players spewing off money during this festive month.

Well, thats it for December. Gdluck for the new year and hope everyone starts playing better! See ya at the tables

December updates

PT stats: (for new database)
22128 hands
Won: $1591.20
3.96 PTBB/100
53.92 hrs played
$29.68/hr

Rakeback: $358.06

Profit since 1st nov on old database: $350

Total profit: $ 2299.26


Poker has been going well for me at 100nl. Just like previous posts, I feel I'm playing real solid and always putting my money in when I'm ahead. I'm running at 8 PTBB/100 for past 9k hands of 100nl, small sample no doubt, but encouraging.

Of late, I have not been really motivated to play more poker. Probably just feeling the drain of playing. I remembered posting about playing poker only when I feel the desire to. Right now, theres almost zero desire, which is weird because I loved to play poker when I'm playing well and winning. And right now, I'm doing that, but can't seem to put in the hours and hands to do so. I guess I gonna take a few days break, play some MTTs with Chris, and some other weird forms of poker like 5 card draw just to take away the boringness of grinding NL holdem.

I've also started creating instructional videos, as a means to improve myself as well as helping out starting players at pkaki forums. I hope these videos serves as a good means for discussion, rather than one that is seen and be forgotten. I still think I've lots to improve, in terms of taking different lines with different hands, taking creative lines, making good plays. After reading jman's well in 2+2 especially on his root beer hand, I realise there is still so much for me to learn and pickup. It is quite a humbling experience and its so-called a one-off post in 2+2 that kinda affected me in a huge way. I'm beginning to increase the study hours of my game compared to playing, and I'm seeing the good results of it. I hope the coaching from Greg will elevate my knowledge of poker to a higher level, or at least, solidly build by fundamentals of the game.

Will be posting a year end review of 2007 someone soon, meanwhile, goodluck at the tables as well as for the new year!

Update

PT stats: (for new database)
18317 hands
Won: $1180.10
3.9 PTBB/100
41 hrs played
$28.79/hr

Rakeback: $283.22

Profit since 1st nov on old database: $350

Total profit: $ 1813.32

Havent been playing alot for the past few days cus GF is in town. Poker is going well as usual. I'm making less and fewer bigger mistakes and putting the money in when I'm mostly ahead. On another note, I'm excited to be coached by Greg, co-owner of leggopoker soon. Coaching is one area that I intend to go into next time, tapping onto the growing population in Singapore. I hope this exposure will give me a good experience towards coaching in SSNL. As well as plugging my leaks, strengthen my theory and gaining new insights, I hope this coaching practice will see me into 200nl and 400nl by the end of next year. Can't wait to get it started!

You gotta take the heater when it comes.

For last 6k hands. Guess it's long due. Totally estatic with my play, along with running well. Have been taking some sick sick lines that puts some regulars off-guard. Fishes are donating as well. Gotta attribute this to good table selection at 100nl. Hope it lasts longer and until my next bad stretch occurs, I'm gonna play well and make good decisions.

On Bankroll Management

Bankroll management is probably a key discipline that is highly mentioned but probably the least followed by most aspiring poker players. As new players, we all dream of playing higher stakes and start making a decent clip of change. Yet without proper bankroll management, the journey into higher stakes is often cut short prematurely. The maxim of "You can't go broke with proper bankroll management" is the holy grail in poker. It is probably one of the strongest reasons that I'm still able to play the games I'm playing and making a decent hourly rate.

This article shall briefly describe some management principles in relation to today's cash game. It is common to hear the standard 20x max buyin rule for bankroll management. Eg. to play 100nl comfortably, you should have 20 x 100 = 2000 bucks to start with. In my opinion, a 20x rule is considered a very aggressive approach to your bankroll management. It is probably decent enough to rise through microstakes all the way to 50nl or 100nl, but beyond that, considering the increase in competency and skills in todays game, 20x buyin is just not enough. I personally play with a 100x buyin comfort zone at 100nl. Definitely over-rolled and ready to go to 200nl with a 50x buyin cushion, but I feel I'm still not ready for that yet. Thus in brief, 20x is almost the lowest limit you can practice, but nonetheless, the more the better.

Next, a good bankroll management will always having the consideration of moving down in stakes when you are not doing so well. My 20x buyin drops to 15x buyin at 100nl, I should drop to 50nl and rebuild from there. The key issue here is having the discipline to drop a level and rebuild from there. Most newer players do the opposite instead, playing at higher levels in a bid to make back the money. This is a slippery slope situation. Not before long, they realise their bankroll is gone, and thats it, no more poker. My point is, as long as you still have a bankroll, there will always be an opportunity for you to make your money back (if you play well) as the games are always available, like wise for the fishes and poor players. Manage your discipline, manage your ego, it will do well in your own bankroll management.

Now, we move on to moving up in stakes. The first thing to consider is obviously your bankroll buy-in rule. Do you have the required number of max buyins for you to play in the higher stakes? Secondly and more importantly, is whether you are a real winner at the stakes you are currently playing. You can play for 10k hands at 100nl and win 4000 dollars, and you think you are ready for the next level given that your bankroll satisfy the minimum 20x buyin rule. Yet, many take the plunge at higher levels because they are not really winning and beating the games at their current stakes. 10k hands is not a good measure of your true winrate. People can have and will have breakeven stretches, downswings, poor play, tilt etc etc. Log a decent amount of hands, I'd say 40-50k hands and take it from there. By then, if you are a true winner even at a marginal winrate of 3PTBB/100, you would have been decently rolled for the next level, and would have a better appreciation of where you stand. Get pokertracker to track your results. For aspiring players, it is criminal if you don't use it, or plan to use it.

Another good strategy is to practice frequent cashing out. E.g, for every 5x buyin you won at the end of the month, cash 1x buyin out. Or to cash out your rakeback earned. I think this is one overlooked aspect for newer players because they are constantly wanting to grow their bankroll to move up. But by cashing out, it provides you with a safety net. Psychologically, this has helped me alot because I have cashed out more than my initial investment. My current bankroll is considered a "freeroll" for me to play poker, allowing me not to play with "scared money" and "scared poker" and hence make better decisions. When you are worrying things like "if i go all-in now, my bankroll will suffer if I lose" or "if i make this hero call, im gonna be stuck with 5 buyins left for my stake" during a poker session, then something is seriously wrong. Your decision making is hampered by your bankroll, and that is not helpful to your game at all.

Lastly, to put it all in perspective, have a solid bankroll plan written out, have it printed out in bold and pasted infront of your computer. E.g,

Current Bankroll| Current Stake| Bankroll for next level| Drop down when
500 25nl 1000 350
1000 50nl 2000 750
2000 100nl 4000 1500
4000 200nl 8000 3000

Say you are playing 25nl currently and aiming to hit 50nl. You would want to have a 1000 bankroll to start with. With a good move down plan if you lose, you move back to 25nl when your bankroll is 750. The simple strategy shows why you will never go broke if you practice sound bankroll management. With these tips in mind, I hope newer players can be successful in their quest in their poker endeavors.

Run bad, Tilt, and Comeback

PT stats: (for new database)
15460 hands
Won: $514.75
2.47 PTBB/100
32.73 hrs played
$15.73

Rakeback: $224.89

Profit since 1st nov on old database: $350

Total profit: $ 1089.64


Okay, I ran badly and tilted at around 10k hand mark. It was really silly, considering then, I was putting my money when I'm ahead, and getting out drawn by 2 outers, 5 outers, etc etc. I thought I was playing real bad, and it kinda made me tilted. Obviously the results ain't that good, just look at the graph, it sickens me.

I then decided to revamp my game and work on just 4 tables of 100nl from the 12k hand mark. I decided auto-pilot isn't the best for my own development, and hence playing just 4 tables. I've been developing better reads, and am no longer afraid putting my money in with any two cards given my reads. One of the key improvements I felt was that as a poker player, you really need to trust your own reads on your opponents. This is something I couldn't really have done when I was 8 tabling and on auto-pilot mode. 8-tabling ABC poker still netts a decent winrate for me though, but poker sometimes become a chore 8 tabling. You just feel like a robot going through the rounds. Perhaps when I start playing better, I'll go back to 8 tables and just grind it out.

Lessons learnt:
1) Tilt can be costly and time consuming. You just have to make up your losses with more time and hands.

2) Trust your reads. Results may be slightly off, but it's important to trust your read, and make decisions based on them. Losing a pot while going with your read is okay. I don't normally post hands because most of them dont really merit discussion, but below is one which I would not have normally done if I'm autopiloting.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.50/$1 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players

LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter



CO: $68.65

BTN: $100

SB: $33.90

BB: $104.30

Hero (UTG): $136.05



Pre-Flop: T T dealt to Hero (UTG)

Hero raises to $3.50, CO calls $3.50, 3 folds



Flop: ($8.50) K K Q (2 Players)

Hero bets $5, CO calls $5



Turn: ($18.50) 3 (2 Players)

Hero checks, CO checks



River: ($18.50) 8 (2 Players)

Hero checks, CO bets $16, Hero calls $16



Results: $50.50 Pot ($2.50 Rake)

CO showed J T (a pair of Kings) and LOST (-$24.50 NET)

Hero showed T T (two pair, Kings and Tens) and WON $48 (+$23.50 NET)





Firstly, pair board hardly hits anyone, however there is a flush and straight draw and in reality, this board hits much of villians calling range. My tens have very little equity in this pot here. Initial plan was just to cbet and give up on pot. However villian called my cbet superquickly, a significant tell that villian has either a weak made hand, or on a draw (quick calls is most indicative of draws at these stakes).

Turn goes check, quick-check. On river, none of the draws complete, I can bet out or check-call, check-fold. I decided to check, and villian tanks before making a fairly large bet. Trusted my read and called his bet. Luckily it was spot on and I took down a pot.

3) Swings can be brutal and harmful for your short term game. I had this 2 hands consecutively on the same table, me having KK vs AA preflop all in, on two consecutive hands against the same player. I'm totally fine with losing a 100bb stack preflop aganist the preflop nuts with KK, but to do it twice in consecutive hands can be damaging. The winner of both hands actually told me he felt really bad about it, but likewise I would too if I am in his shoes.

I've suffered more bad beats, and could have posted all the hands if I wanted. But to be honest, no one is truly interested in your badbeat story. We tell them to make ourselves better. This is the reason why I don't post such hands. In my opinion, bad beats, suck outs are contributors of your winrate. Your winrate (assuming you are a winning player to start) has to account and provide provision for suckouts and badbeats. Until one can learn to accept this idea, one can start accepting badbeats as commonality. It's okay to whine once in a while about your badbeats, but take it from me that no one really seriously care about your badbeat stories.

As promised..

PT stats: (for new database)
7879 hands
Won: $337.85
4.23 PTBB/100
13.53 hrs played
$24.96

Rakeback: $92.19

Profit since 1st nov on old database: $350

Total profit: $ 780.04

Back and running!

My new rig is all set up and ready for more poker action. Finally got my pokerace registered, gotta thank the support for assisting.

I have been playing about 4-5k hands multitabling without the use of PAhud, and it is certainly a software that I can do without. Firstly, its harder to spot the fishes. With the hud, within less than 25 hands, the stats shown can show alot of a player. Secondly, despite playing without a hud, a TAG-ABC style of poker still reaps rewards.

Before my previous rig crashed, I was up for about 350 for the month. Now with new PT database and an additional 6k hands, i'm up a total of 550 for the month. The last 6k hands included poor play as well as many bad beats, but I'm still running at 3.5 PTBB/100. This goes to highlight that winning poker is still somewhat a grind. You can't really force things and win pots when things are not going your way. Just have to log the hands and keep making +ev decisions over and over again.

Shall update soon with graphs

Back!

Apologise in the hiatus of post. Stopped playing much in mid october.
My computer also crashed sometime in mid november and my entire hand history database is wiped out, ouch. I figured I'm down around 1.2K in october. Right now my computer seems to be failing me, crashing and blacking out every hour or so. Fixing it right now, and hope it will be fine and good again.

This month started out quite well at 50nl. Will be playing a significant number of hands to start my gear, then i'll be back to grinding 100nl. Graphs should be up sometime soon, after my com is good and ready to go.