Hey Dues, without wanting to stray too far into grandma-sucking-eggs territory, have you been doing much studying/implementing new stuff into your game during this poker malaise? I've found that during periods of bankroll stagnation/depletion, if I'm learning new things and focusing on being a bit spicier/better on the tables then that kind of takes over and the financial aspect takes more of a back seat.
I find this approach helps because there still feels like some progression is going on, even if it's not reflected in a bigger bankroll. Plus, if you're getting better, then when the inevitable upswing does come you're in a better position to milk the **** out of it.
Just an idea and hopefully not a patronising one - you're a far more talented player than I am and seem to have much better b/r management and more experience; it's just that in the past if I shifted my perspective from 'making money' to 'getting better' during downswings then they were that bit more bearable.
Thanks for the post Steve.
The time I would have otherwise spent playing over the last week or two has mostly been spent watching tripe on Netflix (no, that is not the name of their latest original series) and seeing if it's possible to read Wikipedia in its entirety (I can confirm that it is not). Such important tasks have unfortunately left me with no time for working on my game away from the tables.
It's not at all patronising of you to suggest a shift in focus away from 'making money' and more towards 'getting better'. Having a wholly results orientated mindset is pretty nonsensical and if ones focus is solely on playing well and continually improving then the results side of things should take care of itself. One of my problems is that the mechanism I have found most fruitful (and stimulating) in terms of upping my game over the years is unavailable to me when playing on Sky - the detailed analysis of my own hand history. I really enjoyed (and greatly benefited from) being able to scientifically dissect my game in this way on other sites as I could get accurate feedback on how successful any changes I'd made had been. Whether or not it is profitable for me to continue opening 22 under the gun at 20nl on Sky is a question I'll frustratingly never be able to answer. The lack of being able to accurately measure the effects of any 'improvements' therefore makes it harder for me to focus on improving as I've no real way of knowing if those improvements are actually doing me any good (except in extreme cases of course). Obviously there are other ways I could be working on my game (I have a subscription to one of the big training sites which I haven't been making the most of lately for example), but the absence of tangible feedback does little to help the overall motivation levels.
I'm probably coming across as a bit of a whinger at the moment, which in all likelihood is a fair observation. However, my £10k challenge is undoubtedly going well and I'm far happier with how things are progressing than my overall tone may suggest. I started this diary/challenge to help lift me out of a bit of a funk with poker and it has certainly done that. The malaise that has crept back in over the last week or two is a tricky one to address though as it isn't necessarily tied into results. It's a funny old game really. I'm sure that within another week or two the mystical switch in my brain will flick back over as I finally remember that making a few quid by just sitting on my backside playing cards is actually pretty cool.
"It's not at all patronising of you to suggest a shift in focus away from 'making money' and more towards 'getting better'. Having a wholly results orientated mindset is pretty nonsensical and if ones focus is solely on playing well and continually improving then the results side of things should take care of itself. One of my problems is that the mechanism I have found most fruitful (and stimulating) in terms of upping my game over the years is unavailable to me when playing on Sky - the detailed analysis of my own hand history. I really enjoyed (and greatly benefited from) being able to scientifically dissect my game in this way on other sites as I could get accurate feedback on how successful any changes I'd made had been. Whether or not it is profitable for me to continue opening 22 under the gun at 20nl on Sky is a question I'll frustratingly never be able to answer. The lack of being able to accurately measure the effects of any 'improvements' therefore makes it harder for me to focus on improving as I've no real way of knowing if those improvements are actually doing me any good (except in extreme cases of course). Obviously there are other ways I could be working on my game (I have a subscription to one of the big training sites which I haven't been making the most of lately for example), but the absence of tangible feedback does little to help the overall motivation levels. "
I know exactly where your coming from, trying to study your game and make improvements but you like a very detailed analysis of your hand history which sky can't provide.Looking at the hand history through sky can be a confusing and daunting task for someone like yourself one minute you'll be looking at how a hand such as AK was played and what could be done to improve play, next minute you'll be looking at 22 trying to figure out ways that hand can be improved.
Have you every thought of copy/paste the hand IDs from a session into an excel speadsheet divided into a number of pages based on how good you think the starting hand is post flop. I've am looking into something like that myself, I had a good run the previous week but last week was a horrid run. The fault with searching hand history from a certain time has delayed my idea but once that gets repaired I start to place every hand I played from those two weeks into one of 6 pages on an excel speadsheet. The hands are divided into 5 main starting hand groups+6th page for occassional positional play hands. Once the hands are put into the spread sheet I will start to analyse all the hands from a certain page and figure out whether or not those hands are winning or losing me BB in the long term.
"It's not at all patronising of you to suggest a shift in focus away from 'making money' and more towards 'getting better'. Having a wholly results orientated mindset is pretty nonsensical and if ones focus is solely on playing well and continually improving then the results side of things should take care of itself. One of my problems is that the mechanism I have found most fruitful (and stimulating) in terms of upping my game over the years is unavailable to me when playing on Sky - the detailed analysis of my own hand history. I really enjoyed (and greatly benefited from) being able to scientifically dissect my game in this way on other sites as I could get accurate feedback on how successful any changes I'd made had been. Whether or not it is profitable for me to continue opening 22 under the gun at 20nl on Sky is a question I'll frustratingly never be able to answer. The lack of being able to accurately measure the effects of any 'improvements' therefore makes it harder for me to focus on improving as I've no real way of knowing if those improvements are actually doing me any good (except in extreme cases of course). Obviously there are other ways I could be working on my game (I have a subscription to one of the big training sites which I haven't been making the most of lately for example), but the absence of tangible feedback does little to help the overall motivation levels. "
I know exactly where your coming from, trying to study your game and make improvements but you like a very detailed analysis of your hand history which sky can't provide.Looking at the hand history through sky can be a confusing and daunting task for someone like yourself one minute you'll be looking at how a hand such as AK was played and what could be done to improve play, next minute you'll be looking at 22 trying to figure out ways that hand can be improved.
Have you every thought of copy/paste the hand IDs from a session into an excel speadsheet divided into a number of pages based on how good you think the starting hand is post flop. I've am looking into something like that myself, I had a good run the previous week but last week was a horrid run. The fault with searching hand history from a certain time has delayed my idea but once that gets repaired I start to place every hand I played from those two weeks into one of 6 pages on an excel speadsheet. The hands are divided into 5 main starting hand groups+6th page for occassional positional play hands. Once the hands are put into the spread sheet I will start to analyse all the hands from a certain page and figure out whether or not those hands are winning or losing me BB in the long term.
Thanks for the tip Craig. I don't think I'd ever have the patience to take the spreadsheet approach though - especially when it would still be a very poor alternative to a full poker database program like like Pokertracker or Holdem Manager.
Fingers crossed this week is a little kinder to you at the tables .
My procrastination abilities have been reaching new heights of late and very little poker has been played at all. I've got @SR23 on the case for finding a cure to cantbebotheredtogrinditis, but hopes remain low. I've therefore completely written off March in terms of reaching any of the goals set at the beginning of the month and find myself clinging to the vain hope that April will herald some kind of magical psychological reset from where the £10k challenge can be resumed in earnest. Having said all that, Ukops begins tomorrow and if I can tear myself away from such important tasks as reorganising my sock draw and defrosting the freezer, I may just secure a month saving tourney bink. That sock draw really does need getting at though...
In the spirit of continuing the theme of positivity, I'll start with rakeback. 374 points accrued over the previous week equate to £0.00 added to the rakeback total. That was at least enough for a £2.30 tourney ticket though!
I've jumped into a few MTT's here and there but nothing too thrilling to report. My best result was a second place in a small £5.50 freezout but that wasn't quite enough to keep me on the profitable side of things and total MTT results ended in a small loss of -£12.75.
There was also an occasional foray onto the cash tables for a smidgen of profit +£31.13.
He can still have some flushes too as played of course (despite your nice blocker). I suppose he can still have Qx combo's as well and still put you all in when you check river... you can have the same hand, he can still have some KQ sometimes and even Q10s might feel like a (thin) river value shove when checked to given the stacks and a bounty on the line (maybe you donk KJ/J10 on the turn and call river ... )
Comments
The time I would have otherwise spent playing over the last week or two has mostly been spent watching tripe on Netflix (no, that is not the name of their latest original series) and seeing if it's possible to read Wikipedia in its entirety (I can confirm that it is not). Such important tasks have unfortunately left me with no time for working on my game away from the tables.
It's not at all patronising of you to suggest a shift in focus away from 'making money' and more towards 'getting better'. Having a wholly results orientated mindset is pretty nonsensical and if ones focus is solely on playing well and continually improving then the results side of things should take care of itself. One of my problems is that the mechanism I have found most fruitful (and stimulating) in terms of upping my game over the years is unavailable to me when playing on Sky - the detailed analysis of my own hand history. I really enjoyed (and greatly benefited from) being able to scientifically dissect my game in this way on other sites as I could get accurate feedback on how successful any changes I'd made had been. Whether or not it is profitable for me to continue opening 22 under the gun at 20nl on Sky is a question I'll frustratingly never be able to answer. The lack of being able to accurately measure the effects of any 'improvements' therefore makes it harder for me to focus on improving as I've no real way of knowing if those improvements are actually doing me any good (except in extreme cases of course). Obviously there are other ways I could be working on my game (I have a subscription to one of the big training sites which I haven't been making the most of lately for example), but the absence of tangible feedback does little to help the overall motivation levels.
I'm probably coming across as a bit of a whinger at the moment, which in all likelihood is a fair observation. However, my £10k challenge is undoubtedly going well and I'm far happier with how things are progressing than my overall tone may suggest. I started this diary/challenge to help lift me out of a bit of a funk with poker and it has certainly done that. The malaise that has crept back in over the last week or two is a tricky one to address though as it isn't necessarily tied into results. It's a funny old game really. I'm sure that within another week or two the mystical switch in my brain will flick back over as I finally remember that making a few quid by just sitting on my backside playing cards is actually pretty cool.
I know exactly where your coming from, trying to study your game and make improvements but you like a very detailed analysis of your hand history which sky can't provide.Looking at the hand history through sky can be a confusing and daunting task for someone like yourself one minute you'll be looking at how a hand such as AK was played and what could be done to improve play, next minute you'll be looking at 22 trying to figure out ways that hand can be improved.
Have you every thought of copy/paste the hand IDs from a session into an excel speadsheet divided into a number of pages based on how good you think the starting hand is post flop.
I've am looking into something like that myself, I had a good run the previous week but last week was a horrid run. The fault with searching hand history from a certain time has delayed my idea but once that gets repaired I start to place every hand I played from those two weeks into one of 6 pages on an excel speadsheet. The hands are divided into 5 main starting hand groups+6th page for occassional positional play hands. Once the hands are put into the spread sheet I will start to analyse all the hands from a certain page and figure out whether or not those hands are winning or losing me BB in the long term.
"....and seeing if it's possible to read Wikipedia in its entirety (I can confirm that it is not)......"
Wiki is surely the world's best free-to-view resource. I love it to bits, & its a rare day when I don't visit it at least 20 or 30 times.
Has to be a good thing to educate ourselves, too.
Fingers crossed this week is a little kinder to you at the tables
I especially enjoyed the page appertaining to a Mr Tony Kendall - there are some real gems in there
My procrastination abilities have been reaching new heights of late and very little poker has been played at all. I've got @SR23 on the case for finding a cure to cantbebotheredtogrinditis, but hopes remain low. I've therefore completely written off March in terms of reaching any of the goals set at the beginning of the month and find myself clinging to the vain hope that April will herald some kind of magical psychological reset from where the £10k challenge can be resumed in earnest. Having said all that, Ukops begins tomorrow and if I can tear myself away from such important tasks as reorganising my sock draw and defrosting the freezer, I may just secure a month saving tourney bink. That sock draw really does need getting at though...
In the spirit of continuing the theme of positivity, I'll start with rakeback. 374 points accrued over the previous week equate to £0.00 added to the rakeback total. That was at least enough for a £2.30 tourney ticket though!
I've jumped into a few MTT's here and there but nothing too thrilling to report. My best result was a second place in a small £5.50 freezout but that wasn't quite enough to keep me on the profitable side of things and total MTT results ended in a small loss of -£12.75.
There was also an occasional foray onto the cash tables for a smidgen of profit +£31.13.
Progress so far:
Cash: +£1,403.65
MTT's: +£304.63
Rakeback: +£326.83
Total: +£2,035.11
gl buddy.
ps. I'll be playing a few of the £5 buy-ins so maybe see you in the cheap seats.
And that sock draw can dam well wait!
The RNG seems to be playing up again
Ukops event 1 - £22bh.
Didn't know much about villain other than he seemed to open from the btn and sb at any opportunity. Do we call or fold facing the effective river jam?
*shrugs shoulders*
I suppose he can still have Qx combo's as well and still put you all in when you check river... you can have the same hand, he can still have some KQ sometimes and even Q10s might feel like a (thin) river value shove when checked to given the stacks and a bounty on the line (maybe you donk KJ/J10 on the turn and call river ...
so... call??
Well done Dues, gg.