But back to happier thoughts. Lake Tahoe has been getting absolutely hammered by storm after storm; the conditions are awesome. Up until I met my wife, I skied 20-30 days a year. She doesn't care that much for skiing, so we didn't really go, and now with kids, it's pretty expensive to take the whole family. She and the kids would rather go to Disneyland or Palm Springs (and that's cool with me...I just golf instead of ski). So I'm down to like 5 days a year, and this is the big chunk. The last couple years, we've been really unlucky with the snow cover in Tahoe, but this year looks to make up for it. So, yeah, think snow.
Results for the month:
I love swongs. I ran absolutely terrible in the beginning of the month...the initial downwards motion. I feel like I ran neutral overall the rest of the month (some improbable hands, but split between going my way and against me). One thing is for sure: I suck at flips! If I have a combo draw, it does not get there, if I am against a good draw, it does get there. Pretty predictably. That said, I am not satisfied with the state of my game, either, and a lot of the down spikes after the initial one were at least as much due to my poor play. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I really need to learn.
In one group session, we were talking about those days when you were totally clueless, running well, and thinking that you had it all figured out. Now that I have learned more, and more importantly started to discuss things and sweat/be sweated, it is readily apparent that I have a long way to go, and it's totally appropriate for me to be at low stakes. I don't yet have the game for higher stakes. I'm not saying I totally suck -- I don't -- but although I am solid in a number of areas, I am not strong across the board. And I'm only talking about playing a fairly TAG game, not trying to get really fancy.
You can read a lot of posts by more accomplished players saying how easy it is to play ABC TAG (but that you can't keep doing it). It is pretty easy to play that style well enough to beat the lowest limits -- a lot of your competition is simply dreadful -- but I guess I'm still noob enough to think that it's not super easy to play ABC TAG to something approaching perfection. It's attainable, not easy. I believe (maybe because I haven't gotten to my potential) that even the guys with natural aptitude who have moved past simply ABC TAG actually had to work a decent amount to get to a rock solid ABC TAG mode. Realistic, yes. Easy, no. Anyway...
These are some pretty borderline stats, a little out of kilter with how I historically play. Could be sample size/bad stretch of cards, but it also looks like I'm playing a bit scared in some situations. Another possibility, and this is much more true for the 50NL hands, is that I'm table selecting better (I'll explain later). My overall VPIP is a couple points lower than it has been, and is on the very bottom of where I think I should be. It's OK, but barely. I think if I am table selecting well, my VPIP should be a tad higher than normal, not lower.
I may be folding to steals a little much in the BB, but maybe not. On the one hand, people are stealing wider and wider, and I'm trying to 3-bet wider too....so I should not be giving up the BB as much. On the other hand, I'm trying to get more loose-passive players with bigger stacks on my right and more tight players with smaller stacks on my left. If I've got a really passive button who does not steal a lot, I need to tighten up my defending range some. But this will bear watching.
I'm not stealing enough. True, if I'm trying to put shorter stacks to my left, I need to be careful because they'll be looking to get it in wider against a button steal. But still, 30% here should be an absolute floor, IMO. Also, my W$WSF is borderline low, but anything over 40% is acceptable to me. I'd like it to be closer to 45%, but this is not the worst of my problems. My W$SD is the same level it has been. This is somewhat out of my control, but I may still be making too many hero calls on the river. My river AF at 100NL specifically is too low. However, it's pretty good at 50NL where my W$SD is actually lower, so by stats anyway I'm not paying off on the river a ton.
Preflop raise is just a little low compared to my VPIP. I think this one is a result of some focus on table selection...if I'm able to get a couple limpers to me on the button or in the SB, I'm widening up my calling/completing range. I think I do a decent job distinguishing when to raise versus limp when I enter pots...the biggest thing I need to work on preflop is just which pots to enter at all, and make sure to look for some more spots, especially at 50NL when I have a better relative postflop advantage. I guess any win rate in the green is good, but I'd like mine to be higher :P.
Well, I don't have any problems sticking to tight UTG range, obviously. I'm pretty close to 3x looser on the button than UTG, so that's good. I probably need to loosen up throughout, as I alluded to above. But at least if I'm sticking to a tight style, I feel like the VPIP progression as I move towards the button is good. I always wonder what I limp UTG. This month, it was 86s when two people already posted. I guess that's not a huge leak.
Goals for the month:
10,000 hands
Easily beat this goal this month. After a bit of thought, getting through Elements of Poker, and discussing the implications of volume goals, I'm no longer going to set one. Crap, I play every chance I get, so if I fail a # of hands goal, it's not from lack of trying. Better to focus on quitting well and maintaining focus rather than sheer number of hands.
Review hands
I reviewed just about every session I played. I'm like two behind for the month, but I did a solid job reviewing hands. In addition, I spent some coaching time and some group discussion time going over my PT. I think that this is a super learning vehicle for me, actually, in some ways better than getting sweated. My plan with my coach is to have a healthy alternating rotation between sweats and PT reviews.
Actively study 5 videos
I sucked at video review. I made it through two. I am going to focus on this much more next month, even if it means giving up some other stuff like blogs and forums. I watched a few more than 2, but when I talk about active study, it's like treating the video as a potential sweat session, but pausing the action so I can vocalize what I would do (and why). I need to do more of that in general, because that's an area I don't do well enough in my own game. Might as well practice it with someone else's.
Raise W$SD
Got this one up a few points, but it's still too low. Yeah, not a lot of this is in my control, but making hero (or just plain dumb) calls is, and that's really what I want to eliminate.
One poker book
Finished Elements of Poker. Great book. Will probably read it again this month!
Regular sweat sessions
Been able to get in severals sweat and review sessions. As I mentioned above, it has been instrumental in showing me that for every part of the game I've got down pretty well, there's another area lurking that probably hurts me. Also, even though I am dropping one or two tables, I find that I cannot vocalize my thoughts about my opponents' ranges quickly enough. Guys that I am watching...notably Noel, but not only him...are able to vocalize their thoughts on villains' ranges much better than I am. I think I am accounting for a range or a type of hand at least, but not good enough yet, and it shows in some of the lines that I take periodically. So, just the act of forcing me to get them on a range and then act off it is pretty helpful. I notice that guys who go through lots of sweats get better at doing this.
3 comments:
Marc
Nice recovery after the slow start to the month even if your not happy with the way you played something I can definitely agree with from my game. I agree with your comments 100% about the more we learn, the more we realise we have to learn.
The point about the TAG style is an interesting one, obviously its the way to play at these levels but there are other factors that come into play as well and its how you react to them. I.e Reacting to how the table is playing and doing the opposite to a certain extent which won't necessarily mean us playing an optimal TAG style at times. Over the long run we will need to be playing a TAG style most of the time and in theory this should stand us in good stead and give us a solid base to work on and expand upon as we hopefully move through the levels.
Your comment about your VPIP regarding Table Selection and also playing a bit scared on occasion are valid especially the table selection which is a fundamentally important issue for me at the moment. Also, during your down swing at the start of the month, did you find yourself tightening up instead of playing your more natural game.
I don't know if you should be defending your blinds a bit more not really sure what the ideal figures are here. Mine are tighter than yours which is probably no surprise. As you rightly say though this comes down to table selection to a certain extent, If you have loose/passive people to your right, there are times when it won't be worth defending them. Also, is it better to just let them go and not run the risk of spewing cash oop when you could probably put it to better use in other spots.
One area on your position Stats and its an issue for me as well, is that your VPIP from the Cut Off is probably on the low side as is the button but these will probably be connected to playing with looser player's which will mean you can't get into pots you normally would have done if the table was tighter.
Good luck for February and hope you have a good week skiing
looks like a complete, solid analysis. good luck on the upcoming month.
One thing that i notice is your AF is lower in 100nl i know its a small sample but i would think 100 would/should be more aggrassive?
Good luck with the month and enjoy your hols!
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