Mixed stakes confuses the numbers, it can swing either way, & the Rewards payments also mean the numbers don't seem to correlate. The only figure that matters really is the opening & closing balance.
Once we get comfortable with the stunning power of variance, the game becomes so much more enjoyable.
I want to win as much as the next player, but beats & bad runs happen, & I'm 100% comfortable with the ebb & flow.
Still think I can & should do better though, particularly as to concentration. Playing less games at a time - my normal is 6 - would probably help, too, but I really need 6 to (try to) aid my concentration. I deffo leave money behind by playing too many, but it's volume that smooths variance.
And there, in a nutshell, is variance. Once we get comfortable with the stunning power of variance, the game becomes so much more enjoyable. I want to win as much as the next player, but beats & bad runs happen, & I'm 100% comfortable with the ebb & flow. Still think I can & should do though, particularly as to concentration. Playing less games at a time - my normal is 6 - would probably help, too, but I really need 6 to (try to) aid my concentration. I deffo leave money behind by playing too many, but it's volume that smooths variance. Anyway, whatever, love the game. Posted by Tikay10
Turn chat off?
I know this would probably go against your instincts as you wouldn't want to appear rude. I'm sure there's always one reg at your tables who would let someone know that you didn't have chat on
And there, in a nutshell, is variance. Once we get comfortable with the stunning power of variance, the game becomes so much more enjoyable.
Very true, and can be a hard lesson to learn. I remember hearing a poker player say no player is that good that they are not effected to some degree when they go on a bad run.
I have personally found dropping the number of games to be really helpful. It's helped me developed elements like blind on blind action, being more observant, which can give you an edge against players who are excessively mtting and not fighting for every pot.
Great questions by Grumpy Paul & Happy Tim, & I'll return to them & reply soonest. Great comments/questions by both, & I could reply at great length if time permitted, but I'll deffo reply soonest.
Wonderful fun last night, so much craic & action, but.....
Players often kindly ask how I am getting on, "how many you won tonight?" sorta thing.
At the time, according to my little system, I had won 14 on the bounce, & replied as such, & everyone was "ooh, well done".
But when I ended my 30 game session, as always, I went to Sharkscope to reconcile my own data, and it did not have the same thing. I HAD won 14 on the bounce, but not in the same order as Sharkscope.
My "notebook" system* shows DYM's in STARTING order, whereas SS shows them in finishing order. Different things entirely. So apologies of I misled anyone.
Anyway, overall last night, I did have a 14 from 15 streak, & ended up with a most pleasing 20 from 30, spoiled only by losing 2 of the last 3, one of which was an unforced error, made a right blunder in an awkward spot & paid the price.
* My system?
An A5 notebook, in which, as I go along, I note, for each DYM...
The start time.
The buy-in.
The Reward Points tally to date, in the session.
The cumulative, to date in the session, profit or loss.
Then, using a Red (lost) or Green (won) marker pen, I highlight it.
Then, post session, I double check it all, & do a final summary of Game wins & losses, Reward Points, Account Balance, & Profit or Loss on the day.
All of which, of course, is completely useless, but it ticks my OCD box.
One notable absentee this week, despite plenty of £11 games running, which he likes, is Hotwheals. I was a little worried initially, but then I checked SS, & it looks like he is bashing everyone up on the NLH HU games. oioi.
We have a newcomer though, & a very pleasant one too.
Player "1al1" joined us, & I welcomed her, as most of us do to all "new faces". (The Pros should all do this, but don't start me off, or I'll start ranting).
Anyway, I said "hi", & she replied, somewhat surprisingly, along the lines of "is that the real tikay?" (bla bla), & then "my boyfriend respects you very much, & says "hi"".
Eh?
And it transpired that she is the young lady of a player you may remember from TSP days - "Gixxer".
Ali is a very tidy player, too, mainly plays NLH DYM's & does jolly well, but now she plays a handful of PLO8 DYM's every night, & I think she rather enjoys them, & is always scrupulously polite in the chat box.
So we have another regular.
"lumkmin", who usually plays HU PLO8 - & very successfully too - also joins us most nights now for a bunch of games, mainly the £11 games. He's fearlessly aggressive, & very good, & so I try to avoid taking him on if I can, but if I have a hand, yeah, we dance. When you play a pot with lumkmin though, you are playing for stacks, rarely less. Scary, but fun, like when you are on the M1 & want a wee, but decide "one more Service Station" before I stop. And the moment you pass this one, you regret it. I'm like that with lumkmin, don't really want to play for stacks early, but now & then I need that buzz. And we get to the turn, & he tries to get me off. *close eyes & press mouse*
One notable absentee this week, despite plenty of £11 games running, which he likes, is Hotwheals. I was a little worried initially, but then I checked SS, & it looks like he is bashing everyone up on the NLH HU games. oioi. We have a newcomer though, & a very pleasant one too. Player " 1al1" joined us, & I welcomed her, as most of us do to all "new faces". (The Pros should all do this, but don't start me off, or I'll start ranting). Anyway, I said "hi", & she replied, somewhat surprisingly, along the lines of "is that the real tikay?" (bla bla), & then "my boyfriend respects you very much, & says "hi"". Eh? And it transpired that she is the young lady of a player you may remember from TSP days - "Gixxer". Ali is a very tidy player, too, mainly plays NLH DYM's & does jolly well, but now she plays a handful of PLO8 DYM's every night, & I think she rather enjoys them, & is always scrupulously polite in the chat box. So we have another regular. "lumkmin ", who usually plays HU PLO8 - & very successfully too - also joins us most nights now for a bunch of games, mainly the £11 games. He's fearlessly aggressive, & very good, & so I try to avoid taking him on if I can, but if I have a hand, yeah, we dance. When you play a pot with lumkmin though, you are playing for stacks, rarely less. Scary, but fun, like when you are on the M1 & want a wee, but decide "one more Service Station" before I stop. And the moment you pass this one, you regret it. I'm like that with lumkmin, don't really want to play for stacks early, but now & then I need that buzz. And we get to the turn, & he tries to get me off. *close eyes & press mouse* Love the buzz. Posted by Tikay10
Just a bit. Great fun to play though, he really applies the pressure. When he plays, the game time is generally less than average.
His presence enabled me to do two very unusual things (for me) last night - doubled up very first hand in one, & busted very first hand in another. I can't ever recall busting first hand in these DYM's previously.
I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to FCHD, who goes by the nickname of "Barny", as in Barny the Barnacle. As in, he sticks like a barnacle, & you can't get rid of him.
We played a DYM together earlier in the week, it was Level 1, I had around 1,900, Barny about 2,100.
There was a flop of A-4-4.
I had the Aces.
Barny had A-4-x-x.
As you can readily imagine, even two nits are getting it in there. In fact Barny could possibly have folded if I had raised pre, but I had not raised & so he could not put me on Aces. They were not good Aces, & it was early doors - I very rarely raise early with Aces, though if someone else does, then I generally repot. So he could not get off the hand.
Anyway, that left him with 185 chips.
Well you know the story, he just clung & clung, & remarkably, was eventually chip leader. In fact I was the low stack 4 handed, but then the other two decided to get the lot in pre - both of them with low only hands which struck me as a little odd - & so we both cashed.
A welcome return to form for mmmchips, too. He's been running pretty bad for a few weeks, but was in fine form last night, & every time I looked he was sitting with a monster stack. BEAST Posted by Tikay10
Glad to hear Sir Chips had a bit of run good, his acerbic humour has me in stitches at times.
He might just be the most witty, laconic & clever guy in the chat boxes, always entertaining, especially when others give him a bit of grief, it's hilarious.
He's like Lawrence Gosney in some ways, wonderful table company, but he is so dry & deadpan that many people get whooshed.
He has a wonderful real like nickname, but he might get a bit cross with me if I reveal it, so I'd best keep schtum.
In the regular chat box nonsense, some folks asked me over the last few days, just convo really, "how are you running at the mo?", & I'd mentioned I'd been on a bit of a bad run. It's nice that people show interest in others, so here is a brief resume.
I have had a bad December, partly due to repaying my variance overdraft from October & November, my best 2 months ever, & by a long way, so a swong was due.
Even so, it did dent my confidence a bit, & then I started trying too hard, disturbing the balance of my game, & that made it worse.
So here's December in all it's glory.
1st, - £7.60
2nd, +£20.60
3rd, +£10.30
4th, -£28.60
5th, -£27.65
6th, -£18.30
7th, -£20.50
8th, +£42.60
So not a disaster, & I can pull it back with a bit of neutral or good run.
I started late last night - long & heavy day at the office - & only played 21, compared to my normal 30.
That included £3 @ £11, & I won all three. And here's a piece of run-good that we don't always recognize easily, as run-good is not just walking into bigger hands, coolers or general bad luck in play - it's also where we get seated.
In 2 of those 3 @ £11 last night, a chap played who limps EVERY hand. No matter what the blinds are, or what his stack size is, or other stack sizes, he limps into EVERY hand, then min bets on the flop. Every hand.
So the nut seat is to his direct left, & we can just pick him off. And I got that nut seat in 2 of the 3 games.
With stars making such significant changes recently on rakeback, do you think that more sites will follow suit to some degree?
I read the other day that a fantastic player from a little while ago has gone and got himself a job. I read that he maybe felt that the game had passed him by a bit. How and why do you think that this can happen?
Top 5 players who are good for the game?
Am I the only person interested in poker who isn't the slightest bit interested in reading Tendlar?
More questions With stars making such significant changes recently on rakeback, do you think that more sites will follow suit to some degree? I read the other day that a fantastic player from a little while ago has gone and got himself a job. I read that he maybe felt that the game had passed him by a bit. How and why do you think that this can happen? Top 5 players who are good for the game? Am I the only person in poker who isn't the slightest bit interested in reading Tendlar? Posted by Jac35
Blimey, some interesting ones there Paul.
I fear I may ruffle a feather or two in replying, & get myself in all sorts of trouble, but I'll give it a go.
Comments
Games Played in November
545
Games won in November
310
56.9%
£3.30 - P309, W185, = 59.9%
£5.50, P 158, W 83, = 52.5%
£11, P79, W43, = 54.4%
Profit per game £0.13
Sessions played - 16.
Winning sessions by Game Count - 9
Break even sessions by Game Count - 5
Losing sessions by Game Count - 2
Winning sessions by money -8
Losing sessions by money - 8
Biggest session profit - +£80.92
Biggest session loss - -£37.70
Daily detail, these are daily sessions.
P 27, W 12, 44%, -£28.08
P 30, W 19, 63%, +£35.50
P30, W 19, 63%, +£2.00
P 30, W15, 50%, -£26.60
P 60, W38, 63%, +£80.92
P 30, W15, 50%, -£18.10
P 30, W22, 73%, +£15.40
P 30, W18, 60%, +£4.60
P30, W15, 50%, -£17.40
P30, W20, 67%, +£44.90
P 45, W24, 53%, +£20.20
P35, W17, 49%, -£6.68
P30, W15, 50%, -£37.70
P30, W15, 50%, -£31.40
P48, W29, 60%, +£33.93
P30, W17, 57%, +£2.10
Mixed stakes confuses the numbers, it can swing either way, & the Rewards payments also mean the numbers don't seem to correlate. The only figure that matters really is the opening & closing balance.
And there, in a nutshell, is variance.
Once we get comfortable with the stunning power of variance, the game becomes so much more enjoyable.
I want to win as much as the next player, but beats & bad runs happen, & I'm 100% comfortable with the ebb & flow.
Still think I can & should do better though, particularly as to concentration. Playing less games at a time - my normal is 6 - would probably help, too, but I really need 6 to (try to) aid my concentration. I deffo leave money behind by playing too many, but it's volume that smooths variance.
Anyway, whatever, love the game.
Great questions by Grumpy Paul & Happy Tim, & I'll return to them & reply soonest. Great comments/questions by both, & I could reply at great length if time permitted, but I'll deffo reply soonest.
First though.....
Wonderful fun last night, so much craic & action, but.....
Players often kindly ask how I am getting on, "how many you won tonight?" sorta thing.
At the time, according to my little system, I had won 14 on the bounce, & replied as such, & everyone was "ooh, well done".
But when I ended my 30 game session, as always, I went to Sharkscope to reconcile my own data, and it did not have the same thing. I HAD won 14 on the bounce, but not in the same order as Sharkscope.
My "notebook" system* shows DYM's in STARTING order, whereas SS shows them in finishing order. Different things entirely. So apologies of I misled anyone.
Anyway, overall last night, I did have a 14 from 15 streak, & ended up with a most pleasing 20 from 30, spoiled only by losing 2 of the last 3, one of which was an unforced error, made a right blunder in an awkward spot & paid the price.
* My system?
An A5 notebook, in which, as I go along, I note, for each DYM...
The start time.
The buy-in.
The Reward Points tally to date, in the session.
The cumulative, to date in the session, profit or loss.
Then, using a Red (lost) or Green (won) marker pen, I highlight it.
Then, post session, I double check it all, & do a final summary of Game wins & losses, Reward Points, Account Balance, & Profit or Loss on the day.
All of which, of course, is completely useless, but it ticks my OCD box.
One notable absentee this week, despite plenty of £11 games running, which he likes, is Hotwheals. I was a little worried initially, but then I checked SS, & it looks like he is bashing everyone up on the NLH HU games. oioi.
We have a newcomer though, & a very pleasant one too.
Player "1al1" joined us, & I welcomed her, as most of us do to all "new faces". (The Pros should all do this, but don't start me off, or I'll start ranting).
Anyway, I said "hi", & she replied, somewhat surprisingly, along the lines of "is that the real tikay?" (bla bla), & then "my boyfriend respects you very much, & says "hi"".
Eh?
And it transpired that she is the young lady of a player you may remember from TSP days - "Gixxer".
Ali is a very tidy player, too, mainly plays NLH DYM's & does jolly well, but now she plays a handful of PLO8 DYM's every night, & I think she rather enjoys them, & is always scrupulously polite in the chat box.
So we have another regular.
"lumkmin", who usually plays HU PLO8 - & very successfully too - also joins us most nights now for a bunch of games, mainly the £11 games. He's fearlessly aggressive, & very good, & so I try to avoid taking him on if I can, but if I have a hand, yeah, we dance. When you play a pot with lumkmin though, you are playing for stacks, rarely less. Scary, but fun, like when you are on the M1 & want a wee, but decide "one more Service Station" before I stop. And the moment you pass this one, you regret it. I'm like that with lumkmin, don't really want to play for stacks early, but now & then I need that buzz. And we get to the turn, & he tries to get me off. *close eyes & press mouse*
Love the buzz.
^^^^
Just a bit. Great fun to play though, he really applies the pressure. When he plays, the game time is generally less than average.
His presence enabled me to do two very unusual things (for me) last night - doubled up very first hand in one, & busted very first hand in another. I can't ever recall busting first hand in these DYM's previously.
I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to FCHD, who goes by the nickname of "Barny", as in Barny the Barnacle. As in, he sticks like a barnacle, & you can't get rid of him.
We played a DYM together earlier in the week, it was Level 1, I had around 1,900, Barny about 2,100.
There was a flop of A-4-4.
I had the Aces.
Barny had A-4-x-x.
As you can readily imagine, even two nits are getting it in there. In fact Barny could possibly have folded if I had raised pre, but I had not raised & so he could not put me on Aces. They were not good Aces, & it was early doors - I very rarely raise early with Aces, though if someone else does, then I generally repot. So he could not get off the hand.
Anyway, that left him with 185 chips.
Well you know the story, he just clung & clung, & remarkably, was eventually chip leader. In fact I was the low stack 4 handed, but then the other two decided to get the lot in pre - both of them with low only hands which struck me as a little odd - & so we both cashed.
WP Barny.
A welcome return to form for mmmchips, too.
He's been running pretty bad for a few weeks, but was in fine form last night, & every time I looked he was sitting with a monster stack.
BEAST
He might just be the most witty, laconic & clever guy in the chat boxes, always entertaining, especially when others give him a bit of grief, it's hilarious.
He's like Lawrence Gosney in some ways, wonderful table company, but he is so dry & deadpan that many people get whooshed.
He has a wonderful real like nickname, but he might get a bit cross with me if I reveal it, so I'd best keep schtum.
Proper character.
In the regular chat box nonsense, some folks asked me over the last few days, just convo really, "how are you running at the mo?", & I'd mentioned I'd been on a bit of a bad run. It's nice that people show interest in others, so here is a brief resume.
I have had a bad December, partly due to repaying my variance overdraft from October & November, my best 2 months ever, & by a long way, so a swong was due.
Even so, it did dent my confidence a bit, & then I started trying too hard, disturbing the balance of my game, & that made it worse.
So here's December in all it's glory.
1st, - £7.60
2nd, +£20.60
3rd, +£10.30
4th, -£28.60
5th, -£27.65
6th, -£18.30
7th, -£20.50
8th, +£42.60
So not a disaster, & I can pull it back with a bit of neutral or good run.
I started late last night - long & heavy day at the office - & only played 21, compared to my normal 30.
That included £3 @ £11, & I won all three. And here's a piece of run-good that we don't always recognize easily, as run-good is not just walking into bigger hands, coolers or general bad luck in play - it's also where we get seated.
In 2 of those 3 @ £11 last night, a chap played who limps EVERY hand. No matter what the blinds are, or what his stack size is, or other stack sizes, he limps into EVERY hand, then min bets on the flop. Every hand.
So the nut seat is to his direct left, & we can just pick him off. And I got that nut seat in 2 of the 3 games.
Proper run-good, that.
I fear I may ruffle a feather or two in replying, & get myself in all sorts of trouble, but I'll give it a go.