Just a few little updates. The level of traffic (for a hot August) has been astonishing, & come the winter the games are going to be heaving. I can only manage 6 tables, & generally, that is just about right, the games run just enough that I can keep 5 or 6 tables on the go all evening. The last few sessions have been a bit of a headache, as 7, 8 & 9 games have suddenly popped up, & then I'm in a right mess & can't cope. So I think, once the traffic gets busy mid evening, I'll have to cut down on the smaller games so I can focus properly on the bigger (£5, £11 & £16.50) games. Last night 5 games ran at £11, & 3 at £16.50, & I won each by the odd game. But with so few of these (relatively) its important to do well in them as their value skews our results. Eon managed an amazing 8 from 8 on Tuesday, well done him. huuuume joined us last night, my word he is tough to play. I have a plan when I play against him, but he's a formidable opponent. Once he gets a stack, that's it, it all gets very awkward. We had him bang to rights in one game last night, but then someone doubled him up in ridic fashion, & once that happens, the going gets tough. Lovely to see such good players, & we can all learn from them. Jac has been playing a good few of these this last week, he's pretty canny, & completely gets DYM logic. He is inexperienced (so far) at O8, but his DYM abilities overcome that, & he does not make those silly mistakes that so many do. My last full session tonight until Monday, though I may manage a short session early doors tomorrow. I'm going away for a couple of days at the weekend, so that'll be it until Monday. I am hoping I get a few bob from the Premiership thing today. I missed Tuesday, due to work, but am hoping I just about clung on. I was in the £50 spot after Monday, but that won't hold, but I might cling on for £25. I stuck my jeans in the washing machine this morning, with all my credit cards in the back pocket. This is a bad thing. See you guys tonight. Posted by Tikay10
In Response to Re: Can an old dog learn new tricks? : No, that's Plan A. Plan B is fold everything. More seriously, yes, of course. Don't think I'm gonna be telling you what it is though. Not suggesting it works, either, but you have to adapt to these guys & try to find a way to combat them. Luckily, for every really good player there is a Jac, so it all balances out. Posted by Tikay10
A plan, sir?
Is it a cunning and subtle one?
As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?
In Response to Re: Can an old dog learn new tricks? : A plan, sir? Is it a cunning and subtle one? As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University? Posted by MattBates
Ahhhh Blackadder, but surely that should be FOxford University.
Just a few little updates. The level of traffic (for a hot August) has been astonishing, & come the winter the games are going to be heaving. Posted by Tikay10
They must all leave early for bed, I sat in the lobby from 10pm Tues and Weds, managed a total of 1 PLO8 DYM before finishing up about 12.30 each night.
In Response to Re: Can an old dog learn new tricks? : They must all leave early for bed, I sat in the lobby from 10pm Tues and Weds, managed a total of 1 PLO8 DYM before finishing up about 12.30 each night. Posted by bbMike
Hi Mike,
Well I was AWOL on Tuesday, so cannot comment, but at least 5 games started after 10pm last night.
It's a little geeky that I know this - don't ask - but I record the starting time (& other detail) of every game I play, & the games after 10pm last night started at.....
22.04 - £3.30
22.08 - £11.00
22.08 - £5.50
22.14 £3.30
22.19 - £16.50
There may have been more, I've no idea, as I stopped regging after that as I'd played 35 games by then, which is enough for me on a weekday evening.
Good going tikay, I think you promote the plo8 game really well. To the point I decided to try it out, and found it to be alot of fun. I need to do a bit more study before I try the higher buyins, but I thank you for bringing a new refreshing game to my attention.
In Response to Re: Can an old dog learn new tricks? : Hi Mike, Well I was AWOL on Tuesday, so cannot comment, but at least 5 games started after 10pm last night. It's a little geeky that I know this - don't ask - but I record the starting time (& other detail) of every game I play, & the games after 10pm last night started at..... 22.04 - £3.30 22.08 - £11.00 22.08 - £5.50 22.14 £3.30 22.19 - £16.50 There may have been more, I've no idea, as I stopped regging after that as I'd played 35 games by then, which is enough for me on a weekday evening. Posted by Tikay10
Interesting thanks.
I must have been a little later then as I don't think our paths crossed. I sat in two £3s and a £5 last night and only the one £3 got going. Perhaps the tables fill faster when you're still in the lobbies
I'd play the higher ones if I wasn't playing Holdem DYMs at the same time but tend to stick to 3 and 5 mostly.
Good going tikay, I think you promote the plo8 game really well. To the point I decided to try it out, and found it to be alot of fun. I need to do a bit more study before I try the higher buyins, but I thank you for bringing a new refreshing game to my attention. GL at the tables. Tim Posted by devil_tear
Thanks very much Tim, really appreciate that. That's the whole idea of the little Diary/Challenge really. Get a bit of buzz and zing going, namecheck the regulars, many of whom have become good friends, & help each other out.
When we begun the exercise, the PLO8 DYMs were very quiet indeed. Together, we have built this traffic ourselves, without moaning & groaning at Sky to do something for us, or pointing fingers. We just went & did it. A perfect example of player power used constructively. And all the more satisfying that we did it ourselves.
A lot more of the 2 card boys have migrated across recently.
For you, after playing so many £50 NLH DYM's, it must seem like small beer, but as you have seen, it's real fun, & the lads & lasses here don't take themselves too seriously.
In Response to Re: Can an old dog learn new tricks? : Interesting thanks. I must have been a little later then as I don't think our paths crossed. I sat in two £3s and a £5 last night and only the one £3 got going. Perhaps the tables fill faster when you're still in the lobbies I'd play the higher ones if I wasn't playing Holdem DYMs at the same time but tend to stick to 3 and 5 mostly. Posted by bbMike
As it happens, Mike had a point last night, as traffic was thinner than of late, & I struggled to get my usual 30+ games in, eventually upping stumps at 26.
After losing the first 4 games straight for 0-4, I'd have happily accepted a break even night.
It all turned though, & I ended with a run of winning 14 of the last 17 for a game count of 17 from 26, which is 65%, & a nice little profit of £22.
I had hoped to reach 500 points last night, to give me £5 Rewards Money, as I'm away all weekend, but I fell just shy & still need another 36 points. So the plan is to try & knock those off early evening this evening. Gill is due to arrive at around 8pm, so I'm supposed to be preparing tea & tidying the house before she gets here. Priorities, priorities....
Despite a short playing week last week, my Account ended the week £70 above where it began, though £45 of that was from the Premiership, & £5.02 from Reward Points. So only about £20 was from the tables, but I'll take that. I keep going forward 3 steps & back 2 steps, but slowly it is creeping up, & I think I'm close to my all time high at present.
Really enjoying my poker at the moment.
The games are variable in quality, but huuuuuume has been playing most of the bigger ones, & is a formidable opponent, but I do enjoy playing him as he makes you think all the time. And of course Eon is a very good opponent.
I got in a right tangle last night, when I suddenly found I had NINE tables open.
The most my Laptop can manage - & me, for that matter - is 6, so 15 minutes of button clicking followed as I tried high variance lines to "clear" some of the tables. Worked rather well actually.......
It took about 20 minutes before I got back on an even keel. I must have timed out, or nearly so, 30 or 40 times, so it was all a bit awkward.
Trying to forecast when the site will be busier (& so regging for fewer games) is a bit of a headache, as I like 5 or 6 minimum, but 6 maximum. Narrow range, that.
I plan to just reg for the bigger games after mid evening tonight, so I don't get in a mess again, 7 then "top up" with the £3 & £5 games as & when I have spare capacity.
Was pleasantly surprised after all the carnage to end up with a £6 profit, but that all rested on the night's final game, so it was a close run thing.
After a torried Tuesday & Thursday, I could barely put a foot wrong last night, so we head into Saturday & Sunday with a slim chance of recovering this week's losses;
Monday - £6 profit
Tuesday - £50 loss
Wednesday - £7 loss
Thursday - £29 loss
Friday - £49 profit
Only one game ran at both £11 & £16.50, & I somehow won both, & a remarkable 9 out of 10 @ £5.50.
The edges in these things are so small - I could have played identically, & lost £20.
With the final 4 in the £16.50 being huuuuume, Pompeynic, Nin777 & myself, it was real ding don g stuff & I got fearfully lucky twice v huuuume.
The sole £11 game was even better, with a final 4 of huuume, Pompeynic, Markycash & myself. This one swung & swong all over the place, each of us went from first to last & back again, before huuume got unlucky again.
I "won" both, but could equally have lost both. Such is variance.
I really had to change my standard "safety first" game in these two. When Markycash &/or huuume are in the final 4, ABC poker is no good, these boys play ultra high variance styles & we have to do the same, whether we like it or not. Ranges widened considerably, to put it mildly.
I generally don't over-defend my blinds, as I don't want to play OOP, but against these boys, all bets are off & it's going in pretty light at times.
When an all-in arises, whether it involves me or not, I like to try & guess what the 2 players are going to turn up with.
With most players, you can reasonably assess their range.
If a guy is first to bet, gets re-raised & is pot stuck, so has to call, he can literally have anything. You have to make these attempted steals with semi-air. That's correct play.
The ones that always fascinate me is when someone 3 bets - comes over the top of an open. Now his range is really very narrow, you'd think. And yet chaps playing a full stack & with not a chip invested often come over the top with complete poo, A-8-7-4 for example. I know the ranges run close, but that HAS to be behind both ends, surely? We could legitimately open with A-8-7-4, really it's an attempted steal or semi-bluff. That's fine. But 3 betting with that sort of stuff always causes an arched eyebrow or two. It's as if we look down at A-8-7-4 & decide to make a move, but can't change or mind when someone bets first. Might be because we are multi-tabling I suppose.
Comments
Plan B is fold everything.
More seriously, yes, of course. Don't think I'm gonna be telling you what it is though.
Not suggesting it works, either, but you have to adapt to these guys & try to find a way to combat them.
Luckily, for every really good player there is a Jac, so it all balances out.
A plan, sir?
Is it a cunning and subtle one?
As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?
When we begun the exercise, the PLO8 DYMs were very quiet indeed. Together, we have built this traffic ourselves, without moaning & groaning at Sky to do something for us, or pointing fingers. We just went & did it. A perfect example of player power used constructively. And all the more satisfying that we did it ourselves.
A lot more of the 2 card boys have migrated across recently.
For you, after playing so many £50 NLH DYM's, it must seem like small beer, but as you have seen, it's real fun, & the lads & lasses here don't take themselves too seriously.
You might just be right there, Mike.
As it happens, Mike had a point last night, as traffic was thinner than of late, & I struggled to get my usual 30+ games in, eventually upping stumps at 26.
After losing the first 4 games straight for 0-4, I'd have happily accepted a break even night.
It all turned though, & I ended with a run of winning 14 of the last 17 for a game count of 17 from 26, which is 65%, & a nice little profit of £22.
I had hoped to reach 500 points last night, to give me £5 Rewards Money, as I'm away all weekend, but I fell just shy & still need another 36 points. So the plan is to try & knock those off early evening this evening. Gill is due to arrive at around 8pm, so I'm supposed to be preparing tea & tidying the house before she gets here. Priorities, priorities....
Have a great weekend.
Despite a short playing week last week, my Account ended the week £70 above where it began, though £45 of that was from the Premiership, & £5.02 from Reward Points. So only about £20 was from the tables, but I'll take that. I keep going forward 3 steps & back 2 steps, but slowly it is creeping up, & I think I'm close to my all time high at present.
Really enjoying my poker at the moment.
The games are variable in quality, but huuuuuume has been playing most of the bigger ones, & is a formidable opponent, but I do enjoy playing him as he makes you think all the time. And of course Eon is a very good opponent.
Jac35 has been joining us too. He's an opponent.
I got in a right tangle last night, when I suddenly found I had NINE tables open.
The most my Laptop can manage - & me, for that matter - is 6, so 15 minutes of button clicking followed as I tried high variance lines to "clear" some of the tables. Worked rather well actually.......
It took about 20 minutes before I got back on an even keel. I must have timed out, or nearly so, 30 or 40 times, so it was all a bit awkward.
Trying to forecast when the site will be busier (& so regging for fewer games) is a bit of a headache, as I like 5 or 6 minimum, but 6 maximum. Narrow range, that.
I plan to just reg for the bigger games after mid evening tonight, so I don't get in a mess again, 7 then "top up" with the £3 & £5 games as & when I have spare capacity.
Was pleasantly surprised after all the carnage to end up with a £6 profit, but that all rested on the night's final game, so it was a close run thing.
After 4 consecutive winning sessions (£6, £22, £10 & £12= £50 dead) the game seems easier.
So I went into last night full of confidence. And lost £50.10.
Ran bad, played bad, did the easy things bad, did the bad things bad. I was badder than a bad thing on a bad day.
Pfft.
Only 1 game each @ £11 & £16.50. Lost both, obv.
Bad.
Managed to rattle up enough points to keep me on the Leaderboard - just - in the Premiership thingie, so at least a bit of damage repaired.
To explain what happened:
If I can get Heads Up with a real life mate, a bit of speech play, between mates, is generally good fun.
With 4 left in a DYM, & me in the Small Blind & Grumpy Paul in the Big Blind, I typed.....
"Who is in the Big Blind? I've got a monster, might have to attack him".
Whilst typing, I never noticed that mmmchips (button) had potted it. And I went ahead & re-potted.
Handy Hint to readers - when mmmchips pots it, get out of the way. Fast. His range is generally super strong.
So that was that. I blame Grumpy Paul, obv.
Progress this week has, shall we say, not been great.
Monday - £6 profit
Tuesday - £50 loss
Wednesday - £7 loss
Thursday - £29 loss
Plenty of run-good needed this weekend, then, to avoid a loss on the week.
Don't think I'm playing great, tbh, & that combined with a bit of run bad & some supremely optimistic re-shoves against me somehow getting there.
Won't be changing too much, try to play a bit better, but mainly just keep my discipline.
Traffic was extremely heavy on Mon/Tues/Weds, but very quiet last night.
Hoping for plenty of traffic this weekend, as I'm aiming for 1,000 Reward Points this week, & only have 620 so far.
All good.
Have a great weekend.
Variance continues to baffle, bemuse & tease.
After a torried Tuesday & Thursday, I could barely put a foot wrong last night, so we head into Saturday & Sunday with a slim chance of recovering this week's losses;
Monday - £6 profit
Tuesday - £50 loss
Wednesday - £7 loss
Thursday - £29 loss
Friday - £49 profit
Only one game ran at both £11 & £16.50, & I somehow won both, & a remarkable 9 out of 10 @ £5.50.
The edges in these things are so small - I could have played identically, & lost £20.
Best 2 game of the night were the 2 biggest ones.
With the final 4 in the £16.50 being huuuuume, Pompeynic, Nin777 & myself, it was real ding don g stuff & I got fearfully lucky twice v huuuume.
The sole £11 game was even better, with a final 4 of huuume, Pompeynic, Markycash & myself. This one swung & swong all over the place, each of us went from first to last & back again, before huuume got unlucky again.
I "won" both, but could equally have lost both. Such is variance.
I really had to change my standard "safety first" game in these two. When Markycash &/or huuume are in the final 4, ABC poker is no good, these boys play ultra high variance styles & we have to do the same, whether we like it or not. Ranges widened considerably, to put it mildly.
I generally don't over-defend my blinds, as I don't want to play OOP, but against these boys, all bets are off & it's going in pretty light at times.
When an all-in arises, whether it involves me or not, I like to try & guess what the 2 players are going to turn up with.
With most players, you can reasonably assess their range.
If a guy is first to bet, gets re-raised & is pot stuck, so has to call, he can literally have anything. You have to make these attempted steals with semi-air. That's correct play.
The ones that always fascinate me is when someone 3 bets - comes over the top of an open. Now his range is really very narrow, you'd think. And yet chaps playing a full stack & with not a chip invested often come over the top with complete poo, A-8-7-4 for example. I know the ranges run close, but that HAS to be behind both ends, surely? We could legitimately open with A-8-7-4, really it's an attempted steal or semi-bluff. That's fine. But 3 betting with that sort of stuff always causes an arched eyebrow or two. It's as if we look down at A-8-7-4 & decide to make a move, but can't change or mind when someone bets first. Might be because we are multi-tabling I suppose.
The different ways we play endlessly fascinates.