Had that small home game last night. We played 2 SNGs winner take all. I got HU in both. Lost a lot of pots in both all in with the best hand. Lost the 1st HU to a 3 outer I think. I won the last HU going runner runner flush so I was up on the night. Overall it was the 1st time in a long time I played and really enjoyed myself.
I'm debating where to start playing though. I've got about 42,000 FTPs at FullTilt. But I don't have a lot of cash on there and would have to start out playing the 3.80s for quite a while to try to get enough built up to move up to the next level. On Stars I've got enough to play the 6.50s already. I prefer Stars but on Tilt I'm wanting to get a 120GB Ipod and clear off all my points. I could do it in a month if I could get Iron and did all my play there. But I think I can do it at Stars and have enough FPPs to get the same Ipod. I may just let my FTPs sit there a while and if I go back to playing any HU games I'll just do it there to try and earn up the points. The reward system at FTP is really bad. I do get rakeback at Tilt though so maybe I should think more about it. But to get Iron level I'd have to play over 100 SNGs a day at Tilt at the 3.80s and this next week will be really hard for me to do that and work. Also I've always had an easier time multi tabling Stars. So I guess I just made my decision but I still want to use my FTPs on something other than lame t-shirts or another FTP Jersey.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Why stepping down in stakes can be +EV
OK I haven't played in a long time but it doesn't mean I haven't thought a lot about the game. Especially the last couple of months I've taken some time to rehash the last few years of my poker "career". I use that term loosely lol
If you read my last blog post I mentioned I wanted to get to the 6.50s and really put in a ton of volume but not move up regardless of my bankroll right now. Part of it is cause I got plans for the money outside of poker. Partly because I want to start off slow and get myself back into the SNG mindset and at the small stakes my mistakes won't be as noticeable and I can over come them easier because of the bad play and I shouldn't have to table select those games.
Lastly and most importantly for me is the variance. I think I can handle the swings better now than I did over the last year that I played. Losing some huge pots late in MTTs when I was running bad and needed those scores really crushed my spirit when Stevie staked me. And last year in Vegas when once again I got so close to the Main Event seat it took away all my desire to play anymore.
But anyway to get to the point of this. I think for most people playing in smaller games are probably more profitable and less variance than you think. I know as poker players we are always trying to get every little bit of +EV we can. And there's nothing wrong with it if you can handle the swings. But a lot of people can't. They get into a downswing and try to adjust their game. They start to doubt their play or make plays out of frustration and costs themselves more money.
I think sometimes we may be better off to stay out of higher variance games. I know I'd be more willing to pass up small amounts of +EV to play in games where my swings were lower. To me playing in a game where I know I could make a steady profit with smaller swings would be better. Just because I'd be less likely to tilt and enjoy playing more. If I enjoy playing more I'd be more likely to put in more volume, make less mistakes due to tilt, continue grinding out a steady profit, and keep myself in a better mood at and away from the tables.
You really have to find stakes that you can play and feel comfortable about. I think in the past I tried to squeeze out as much profits as I could and played in games where maybe I had an edge but it was smaller than I thought. Add in a bad run and not compensating enough for better players and playing less games because I was busy trying to table select and I bet my edge in those games was minimal. Where if I had stepped down a level I could have played with a bigger edge, less tabling selecting, and gotten in more games and steady profits. But anyway I'm rambling and need to get ready for my game tonight.
good luck at the tables...
If you read my last blog post I mentioned I wanted to get to the 6.50s and really put in a ton of volume but not move up regardless of my bankroll right now. Part of it is cause I got plans for the money outside of poker. Partly because I want to start off slow and get myself back into the SNG mindset and at the small stakes my mistakes won't be as noticeable and I can over come them easier because of the bad play and I shouldn't have to table select those games.
Lastly and most importantly for me is the variance. I think I can handle the swings better now than I did over the last year that I played. Losing some huge pots late in MTTs when I was running bad and needed those scores really crushed my spirit when Stevie staked me. And last year in Vegas when once again I got so close to the Main Event seat it took away all my desire to play anymore.
But anyway to get to the point of this. I think for most people playing in smaller games are probably more profitable and less variance than you think. I know as poker players we are always trying to get every little bit of +EV we can. And there's nothing wrong with it if you can handle the swings. But a lot of people can't. They get into a downswing and try to adjust their game. They start to doubt their play or make plays out of frustration and costs themselves more money.
I think sometimes we may be better off to stay out of higher variance games. I know I'd be more willing to pass up small amounts of +EV to play in games where my swings were lower. To me playing in a game where I know I could make a steady profit with smaller swings would be better. Just because I'd be less likely to tilt and enjoy playing more. If I enjoy playing more I'd be more likely to put in more volume, make less mistakes due to tilt, continue grinding out a steady profit, and keep myself in a better mood at and away from the tables.
You really have to find stakes that you can play and feel comfortable about. I think in the past I tried to squeeze out as much profits as I could and played in games where maybe I had an edge but it was smaller than I thought. Add in a bad run and not compensating enough for better players and playing less games because I was busy trying to table select and I bet my edge in those games was minimal. Where if I had stepped down a level I could have played with a bigger edge, less tabling selecting, and gotten in more games and steady profits. But anyway I'm rambling and need to get ready for my game tonight.
good luck at the tables...
Poker game tonight
Well I wasn't planning on playing until the layoff starts but tonight some guys at work are trying to get a small poker game going. Sounds more like a SNG cause I doubt we get more than 8-10 people and he was talking about a small buy in tournament. Mainly just for fun I guess but I thought it could be fun.
My plan after next week is to get back to grinding small stales SNGs. Probably try 12-16 tabling 3.40s for a couple days to get back in the swing then go back to the 6.50s. I'm hoping to make $2500 over the 5 weeks I'm off at those stakes. I'd like to 20 table but may stop at 16 and play continuously. I'm being optimistic about how much I'll end up playing. I'd like to try and do about 200 games a day. If I can 20 table the 6.50s then Thats roughly 30 games an hour. If I do 3 sets of 2 hours a day with the last set going over until I get to 200 I think I can do it easily enough. Honestly I expect to run close to 15% which is $1 per game which should be roughly $200 a day and I want to play 5-6 days a week. I may do some 1/2 days and go golfing or drinking at night but I'd like to get up and get some morning games in and be able to take some breaks in between each set.
I honestly don't plan to make a move up to the 16Ts during this run. I know I'll be over rolled for it but I'd like to keep playing the 6.50s at Stars for the 5 weeks I'm off and with a higher ROI I should have lower variance and be able to keep up my pace. After this 5 weeks I plan to pull most of my profits off for some projects I've been working on and to cover what my unemployment doesn't while I'm off. After that depending on what my work schedule looks like and what happens with GM I'll decide if I'm going to keep playing.
I'd like to keep playing some every week but there is a rumor that we may start working a lot of over time when we come back from the shutdown and I'm already working 50+ hours a week so playing during the week won't be doable if I work any more hours than I am now but might try to start back up on the weekends.
Also I was sweating Stevie444 and Bax late on Sunday night in tournaments and although neither remembered or responded to me, some of the PXF crew noticed me and asked about me coming back. I don't have any hard feelings with PXF ending my mod status and membership last year cause when I got the new job and had some personal stuff going on I just didn't have time to even log in my less contribute to the forums any more. I don't plan on asking to be a mod again if I do join. I'm not sure how active I'd be if I did sign back up. I guess I should talk to mindwise soon and see what changes have been made.
My plan after next week is to get back to grinding small stales SNGs. Probably try 12-16 tabling 3.40s for a couple days to get back in the swing then go back to the 6.50s. I'm hoping to make $2500 over the 5 weeks I'm off at those stakes. I'd like to 20 table but may stop at 16 and play continuously. I'm being optimistic about how much I'll end up playing. I'd like to try and do about 200 games a day. If I can 20 table the 6.50s then Thats roughly 30 games an hour. If I do 3 sets of 2 hours a day with the last set going over until I get to 200 I think I can do it easily enough. Honestly I expect to run close to 15% which is $1 per game which should be roughly $200 a day and I want to play 5-6 days a week. I may do some 1/2 days and go golfing or drinking at night but I'd like to get up and get some morning games in and be able to take some breaks in between each set.
I honestly don't plan to make a move up to the 16Ts during this run. I know I'll be over rolled for it but I'd like to keep playing the 6.50s at Stars for the 5 weeks I'm off and with a higher ROI I should have lower variance and be able to keep up my pace. After this 5 weeks I plan to pull most of my profits off for some projects I've been working on and to cover what my unemployment doesn't while I'm off. After that depending on what my work schedule looks like and what happens with GM I'll decide if I'm going to keep playing.
I'd like to keep playing some every week but there is a rumor that we may start working a lot of over time when we come back from the shutdown and I'm already working 50+ hours a week so playing during the week won't be doable if I work any more hours than I am now but might try to start back up on the weekends.
Also I was sweating Stevie444 and Bax late on Sunday night in tournaments and although neither remembered or responded to me, some of the PXF crew noticed me and asked about me coming back. I don't have any hard feelings with PXF ending my mod status and membership last year cause when I got the new job and had some personal stuff going on I just didn't have time to even log in my less contribute to the forums any more. I don't plan on asking to be a mod again if I do join. I'm not sure how active I'd be if I did sign back up. I guess I should talk to mindwise soon and see what changes have been made.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Looking for backers for World Series of Poker
OK its WSOP time again. Last year I had a backer put me up in Vegas and try to get myself into the Main Event and if not for a horrid run of cards late the night before the Main Event, I would have my entry. I'm looking for entry into the Main Event from one or more backers or I'm willing to do try the satellite route again if need be. I know this is a long shot but I got nothing to lose by asking. If you are seriously interested send me a message and we can discuss the details.
Thanks,
Dan
Jack of Heartz
Thanks,
Dan
Jack of Heartz
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