GR1ZZL3R'S Diary Of A Fun Punter

[P0kerM0nk]

  

2 hours ago, GR1ZZL3R said:

Flop Number 3,000.

 

The bare facts. I won't 🥱 you with too many details, just the major ones. 

Eighty two hours played over 50 sessions, varying from 1-6 tables. (One table bad, six tables bad, I just can't find the sweet spot.)

23,892 hands at just under 300 per hour.

3,000 flops seen, one every 8 hands.  

€75.67 won at just under 8 BB/100.

   And at the end?  Should I be happy? Not exactly stats showing a crusher, more of a small winning 🐢(definitely me) but up till 4 days ago I was running at 16 BB/100 (🦁) and then hit the wall. If I'd started off losing then climbed back up I would be so much happier, but it's just a matter of perspective. 

   I think I'll stick at 2-4c at least for the rest of this quarter but not playing 3,000 flop tickets, they seem to take forever, at least for a casual rec anyway. I'd be interested if any of you, grinders especially, have some stats on those. 

   I can't say my original enthusiasm for poker has fully returned, the last few days just go to show how mentally strong you must be. Seriously I don't think I've played badly, I actually know I haven't, but there have been two serious tilt occassions only compounding the losses. At least with the ticket I couldn't move up in stakes to "win it all back" 🥴 something I could and have done in the past. The mental game is still a huge part of my problems anyway. 

Enough drivel, back to the (slow) 🏇🏇

Have Fun. 🥂

 

Looks like a decent profit anyway, don't think you have to stare blind on the actual bb/100 as 24k hands is I'd say still a relative small sample. Also 4NL is soul destroying with the amount of limpers, short stackers and multiway pots and you should only start to worry if you are barely winning on that stake as that means you haven't got the basics right.

Just build a bankroll and move up to 10NL and that's where is starts to become a bit more normal, more regs where you can play your range/position etc more instead of your actual hand.

Not sure if I regret buying 3k flop tickets now 🤣 I checked my 50NL stats and I see a flop for every 6.7 hands ish. And on 25NL it comes closer to 6. As long as I don't forget to play a hand every week I'll be fine I hope 😅

Edited February 27, 2022 by P0kerM0nk

[Samba]

Congrats on the success, I found this very insightful from about 15:00. May help with the mental game

 

[GR1ZZL3R]

Thanks guys. 

To be fair the BB/100 is the only way to keep score at the moment, as you say a small sample size so no real concern. 

I am actually more interested in some other stats highlighted by the game lab but none of them are too far from optimal. The only one I'm really concerned about is that I should raise more preflop and fold more...................the only two are I should raise more preflop, fold more to 3-bets and play more........................... The three main problems are playing too many hands out of position, not folding enough to 3-bets, not raising enough preflop and overvaluing too many....................... Four. there are four areas of concern, just four................................or maybe five at a push, that's all I can find................................definitely no more than six. Six definitely. Only six unless I count....................

I've already made my mind up, 2-4c for the rest of this quarter and the target is...........................

  

Nathan reckons any win rate at micros and you're automatically at least in the top 25%, probably higher. The win rates he suggests for micro stakes are for the elite table selecting HUD using regs playing more than 10 hours per week. I'm not a long way off that and we can't really table select or use HUDs so the only way is to up the volume, and I'm probably not going to do that by much if at all. I'm never going to get too serious, this is a fun blog. 

As always, Run Good. ▶️

[P0kerM0nk]

I wonder how current blackrain still is nowadays in the poker world. I don’t think  his videos are much value unless you are a beginner just starting out in poker.

Don’t think you need a HUD at all to beat 5NL for 10bb/100 either lol

And surely we can table select on Unibet as well, open more tables then you are going to play and pick out the best one(s)? Think it’s important to keep an eye on the table and re-value every 10min or whatever and leave if it’s full of regs.

[GR1ZZL3R]

12 hours ago, P0kerM0nk said:

I wonder how current blackrain still is nowadays in the poker world. I don’t think  his videos are much value unless you are a beginner just starting out in poker.

Don’t think you need a HUD at all to beat 5NL for 10bb/100 either lol

And surely we can table select on Unibet as well, open more tables then you are going to play and pick out the best one(s)? Think it’s important to keep an eye on the table and re-value every 10min or whatever and leave if it’s full of regs.

   Good points.

   Blackrain69  books may be a little out of date, but all the advice he gives is specifically on micro stakes, straightforward non fancy play to catch all those that only play what's in front of them. Always useful as a reminder. 🤣

   I only play on non HUD sites, here, Sky, PP and RIO when it was a thing. Makes us all equal. 🙂

   I've mentioned a few times about table selecting. I'll join a table with 1 big stack but not with 2 or 3 of them, and leave if they just become raising wars or familiar reg pools, why take the hassle. 🙄

   So onwards and hopefully upwards. The monthly community challenges are showing some real crushers out there so I'm going to have a look at the opposite end, life in the slow lane. I've said a few times I have no desire to play endless hours or sessions of poker, motivation has always been an issue. That could well be down to my results, but over the last couple of months I feel that I can win, if only in a small way, so I'm just going to keep crawling along. 

   One €4 ticket and one €5 play through, and playing only for as long as I want or running out of ticket funds. 

    

   Because I simply cannot decide what sort of target to set, hands played, flops seen, hours (minutes) played, profit or loss reached, I'm not going to set any. It might be nice to beat each day's target but that could lead to loss of motivation all too soon when it fails to happen, a weekly high might be better, but I'll simply see how it goes. 

Have Fun, especially all the crushers, see you on the high stakes tables in a few years. 🤣

[Samba]

You seem to already have all the table selecting and stats to optimise your profitability so I'd suggest improving your accuracy in regards to bet sizes and frequency.

I've found the best way to do this is to study flop textures since there are a finite number of them and you can approach them one at a time and check them off the list. You're an organised person with your numbers/record keeping so I imagine it would come naturally to you. 

BB vs BU & BB vs SB in single raised & 3b pots would be my starting point

[GR1ZZL3R]

Thanks for the feedback @Samba  👍

    It's fine studying flop textures and bet sizes and many other things but is it really worth it in the micro stakes madness levels. There are a few regs that I see every day that always seem to be winning but these are the exceptions, and they are the ones I try to avoid anyway. At the risk of sounding dismissive (and looking stupid when I crash and burn) the majority of players at these levels simply don't notice any plays you make, there are only two things they're looking at and thinking about, those two cards in front of them, and a lot of the time not even that. I can sit for 15-20 minutes and not play a hand then raise 5 BBs from UTG. To me this would scream "big hand incoming" but not for some of these, it's seen as an invitation to shove €2 with Q6o or something similar. I do do some studying (not a lot) but only for what applies at this level, but will take all these tips on board for such a time that I ever move up. 🙂

 

 

A micro session in the micro stakes. I've a feeling that things are only going to get harder. 

[GR1ZZL3R]

     Today's session was indeed harder and I got lucky twice. 

   2% to win 10% to tie on the flop. To be fair the money didn't go all in until the turn, but I was still only 80% for a tie, had to dodge a club and no outright win possible for me. 😱

 

The second was a straight forward all in pre flop, my AK  turned an Ace against KK. 😓  It was my bad play, exactly what I mentioned the other day, a tight player 3 betting from nowhere, strength written all over it, I should have folded. 🙄

 

 

At this rate I'll be going for the 2,000 BBs Community Challege sometime towards Christmas. 🤣

[GR1ZZL3R]

Really slow going today, a most unusual nit fest even when I swapped tables after 20 minutes of inaction, still very little to do. 

 

 

Seven flops in 118 hands, managed to stay awake for an hour. 🤣

AK once, a 3-bet won that, JJ once and a raise took that and the bulk of the massive profits courtesy of a QTo. 

Fun Factor:  2/10. Only because I didn't lose! 🥱

 

[HardGain]

i'm amazed how you manage those tickets 🧐 If I remember right I only cleared it once, with a profit of cca 30€. In other cases im getting rekt with monsters in my hand, and im talking only of AA and KK 😀

[GR1ZZL3R]

   I've had problems in the past trying to clear cash tickets but I think that's probably down to carelessness. Because they came "free" due to promos etc I think, like many others, I played them with a don't care attitude. Because I've found some motivation to make a profit I'm stepping with more care, not "playing scared," just more sensibly. Today's session illustrates that in another case of perfect timing, maybe "Patience is a virtue."

   After 56 minutes I was 29c up when this happened.

 

 

  Two pairs, my bogey hand, 😱 and I was €3.66 down, so back to work.

   Just short of 2 hrs, built back up, only about 80c down, then this.    

 

   So onwards once again. 

   And literally as the bell rings for the end of the 3rd hour when I'd decided I'd had enough for the day and willing to settle for a few euros loss, this. 

 

   I bet the flop hoping but not expecting another spade. I bet half pot on the turn, he called, and I bet him all in on the river except for 1c. He went all in for the extra cent, now you tell me what he thought I had. I don't know.

 

   At that point I shut down with a massive 8c increase on the ticket, 🤣  It's slow, it can be a touch boring, but it can (hopefully) be done. 

 

 

   Maybe 2 tables next week.

Fun Factor: ✅✅✅

[GR1ZZL3R]

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

I'm not happy with this one. I raised with JJ, villainA 3-bet to 40c, villainB shoved his small stack, so I called, villain A shoved. I should have folded but I had €2 in the middle so like a rec I called. 🙄

    So a very short session, cut off because I was annoyed at myself and the feeling that luck doesn't last forever.  I can't complain, a new high every day but only because I'm cutting sessions off completely arbitrarily and I'm still calling too quickly in situations where I have time to think and I know I'm highly likely to be wrong. I probably should stick to one table while making awful decisions but it is really just too slow. Patience is holding up well, as is the tilt meter. 

 

             

Fun Factor.  ✅✅✅✅✅   🙂

*  Disclaimer: The BB/100 column has been filled in for amusement purposes only and in no way represents my ability, either as a player or coach, of poker or life or otherwise. 😎

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by GR1ZZL3R

[P0kerM0nk]

Pretty hard to run up a 1 buy in ticket imo as you are kind of hoping to get off with a good start so you are doing well. That's the reason I bought 10 buy-in tickets for 25NL as I don't want to play this weird game with one buy in where it almost feel like you are playing a tournament lol.

JJ hand can be close depending on perception of the reg and the rec. Also the stack depths to start with. JJ is dodgy with a tighter reg behind but the rec putting more dead money in the pot might make this more of a jam than you think. Not sure about calling vs jamming. Calling looks strong and again I can't really make out the stack sizes but what if other villain just calls and an A, K or Q comes up on the flop, pretty crap with JJ and you can't really fold anymore. Think I prefer a jam as puts his non pair hands in a tough spot like AK. Could call when you have AA yourself I guess. Probably overthinking this spot though 😆

[GR1ZZL3R]

2 hours ago, P0kerM0nk said:

Pretty hard to run up a 1 buy in ticket imo as you are kind of hoping to get off with a good start so you are doing well. That's the reason I bought 10 buy-in tickets for 25NL as I don't want to play this weird game with one buy in where it almost feel like you are playing a tournament lol.

   I'm doing this the hard way to try to practice patience.  I'm way too guilty of getting impatient with being dealt nothing for what seems like forever, perking up with a playable hand then getting 3 or 4 bet on, and folding yet again. Eventually I snap, play a sub optimal hand sub optimally and lose yet another stack. I'm trying to find the balance between €4 meaning absolutely nothing and playing carelessly, and it meaning too much and playing scared. A €40 ticket of 3,000 flops gave me plenty of safety but at my pace of playing seemed to take far too long. The €4 ticket could go in one hand, I will probably try a 900 flop one next and 3 table. 

2 hours ago, P0kerM0nk said:

JJ hand can be close depending on perception of the reg and the rec. Also the stack depths to start with. JJ is dodgy with a tighter reg behind but the rec putting more dead money in the pot might make this more of a jam than you think. Not sure about calling vs jamming. Calling looks strong and again I can't really make out the stack sizes but what if other villain just calls and an A, K or Q comes up on the flop, pretty crap with JJ and you can't really fold anymore. Think I prefer a jam as puts his non pair hands in a tough spot like AK. Could call when you have AA yourself I guess. Probably overthinking this spot though 😆

   The AA guy had previously called a shortstack shove of 99 with AKs and won. The loser left but immediately another shortstack dropped in his seat and after a few hands I was fairly sure it was the same player. When he jammed over a raise and 3-bet with his €2 I thought "pair" and called without any thinking. When the other guy overjammed I just auto called, while even as I did it thinking "big pair." What annoys me (apart from the result 🤣) is that it's the same situation as the day before, and the day before that, and I still snap call without thinking, before or even at the same time  or even after "FOLD" screams into my brain. I "knew" he had me beat but still called. 😥  I have called with AA in that situation, thinking I have shorty beaten and hoping biggy comes along for the ride, probably shoving any flop. 

Your analysis puts it into better perspective, ty.

Edited March 6, 2022 by GR1ZZL3R

[P0kerM0nk]

Hard to really know he has you beat, what if he turned over AK. You can't just be too result orientated because he had AA.

If he turned over AK and you JJ... the shortstacker would have had AA 🤣

[GR1ZZL3R]

   This time I'm going to need a bigger boat. 😥

              

    

    After over two and a half hours, no premium hands, no decent flops, making some bad bluffs, getting outflopped or outdrawn regularly, chasing draws that simply don't come, then your best hand of this excruciatingly tortuous day is beaten, it's got to be time to call it a day. 

                             

   And yes, I know I played badly. The further behind I got the worse I played. I really should have stopped after 20 minutes. All those hours of solid discipline more or less wasted.  And that's enough self recrimination, going again tomorrow. 🙄

Fun Factor: ❎😱❎😱❎  

 

[Livertool]

That is downside of not having fold button in bb, only check.

I've been lured into big pot few times too with flopping something with total crap that otherwise would have gladly thrown away without even seeing flop 😄

[GR1ZZL3R]

2 hours ago, Livertool said:

That is downside of not having fold button in bb, only check.

I've been lured into big pot few times too with flopping something with total crap that otherwise would have gladly thrown away without even seeing flop 😄

That's true, but I've won some big pots off limpers when not needing to put extra money in. 

[GR1ZZL3R]

                                                                                  

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by GR1ZZL3R

[GR1ZZL3R]

                               

Edited March 11, 2022 by GR1ZZL3R

[FreedoM]

@GR1ZZL3R Maybe have a stop loss and play multiple short sessions. It seems you do best in 15-45 min and everything over 1 hour ends up in red. 🤔

[GR1ZZL3R]

1 hour ago, FreedoM said:

@GR1ZZL3R Maybe have a stop loss and play multiple short sessions. It seems you do best in 15-45 min and everything over 1 hour ends up in red. 🤔

I've been considering just that @FreedoM 👍

[GR1ZZL3R]

This one's inspired by @FreedoM

Twenty minutes, 85 hands. 🤣

[GR1ZZL3R]

It's not been much fun lately. From a high of €29 the ticket has slowly and silently been wasting away due to some serious neglect on my part. I wanted to run it out and have a fresh start for the new quarter but it looks like I'm running out of time, so I'm making a last ditch attempt today to revive it, without being overly concerned how or wether I do it. 🤢

 

  Time to get unstuck. 🙂

Edited March 31, 2022 by GR1ZZL3R

[FreedoM]