ScaryOne Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Great job! You might want think about your playing strategy. I have been in "burned out" place few times too. Its not optimal that you play 6.2k games one month and then you have to take a month free. Its way better if you feel out your limits - navigate between putting enough volume, not burning out and not being lazy. At least thats the way Im doing it. I might be bit too lazy tho Its way better if you can put, lets say 4.5k games each month (9k total in 2 months), play less but higher quality games. Not playing max you can - 6.2k games in your case and then have to take a break and end up less that 9k games in 2 months anyways, feeling worse yourself and playing bad. Anyways - you do what works for you Good luck 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted March 2, 2022 Author Share Posted March 2, 2022 Yes I need to make few changes for sure. Actually I think my biggest problem isn't volume, it's more how I spread it through out the month. Right now I'm basically playing every single day, and that is not healthy and leads to burning out quickly. I need to find a way to play same (or close to it) volume but take a days off where I dont even look at cards So more days with 300+ games, but instead playing 7 days per week with crappy volume, taking for example mondays off to mentally recharge. Thank you for your advice 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScaryOne Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Yea, thats one way to do it. I also plan my recharge time as effective as possible too. If I feel like watching some tv shows or play computer games or w/e is related to pc - I do it but I dont count it as "my relax time" because you are still in front of monitor, sitting on the same chair and doing something. Meeting friends, going for walks or what ever helps you to relax mentally would work way better IMO I have two things that has to be in my relax time: 1) Im away from computer 2) There is not any kind of gambling or playing for money with friends. Doesnt matter how big or small stakes are involved 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 just quick brag 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted June 23, 2022 Author Share Posted June 23, 2022 Hi, Last couple of months was not great for me. Volume was cut in half. At least.. In march I wasnt feeling very good, physically, went to a doctor, did couple of tests and they found some small tumors. Obviously removed them, but you probably can guess that waiting for the results back, I wasnt in the right mindset to play a lot. Thats probably excuse but feels like a valid one results came back and everything is fine now. When I started to think that it is gonna be smooth sailing from here on now, my dad had a stroke. So yeah.. my mindset wasnt right yet again. Worst is behind him now, slowly getting better everyday and Im thankful for that Trying to get back to my regular grind right now, sadly Ive lost l6 status for the next quarter. Next couple of weeks should be free from any distractions so you can expect to see me a lot more on the tables. Good luck to everyone! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1ZZL3R Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 Glad you're back and things are settling down in your personal space. L6 is just a number, you'll be there before you know it. 1 1 "It turns out that 75% of all poker players think they play better than the other 75%." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estzen Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 Very cool blog - more power to you man! Seems that your on a right track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Hi guys! . Decided to comeback to this blog because I feel like Im missing somekind of interaction with people doing similar things. (prize for best blog got nothing to do with it ). First let me tell you couple things about myself. I'm a 37-year-old from Poznań, Poland. I've been playing poker for a long time, starting with 3-max super turbos on Full Tilt. After Black Friday, I transitioned to 6-max hypers on PokerStars, playing up to $15-$30 buy-ins. The shift to Spin & Go games eventually led to a decrease in traffic for my preferred games, so I adapted and moved to those. Grinded them for couple of years but then I was banned on stars. This was due to my own mistakes, but after a three-year hiatus, I managed to get the ban lifted. During that period I was playin on Party poker and then moved to Unibet where I still grind those micros Though I haven't shared much about my private life, there have been some changes recently. Perhaps in future posts, I'll delve more into what I've been up to outside the poker tables. Spoiler - got engaged and currently planning wedding in Vegas. I don't really have a specific plan for this blog, but most of my posts will probably be about my wedding, USA trip, and upcoming vacation in Malta (Hi @Stubbe-Unibet). My micro grind is pretty boring and there's not much to talk about, so I'll probably only share results at the end of the month. Nobody wants to read about bad beats on $2 Since English isn't my first language, I will be using ChatGPT to create these entries. Cheers 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 Why I'm still playing micros? It was summer night of 1995... But in all seriousnes. It was 2020 and COVID had just hit. At that time, my girlfriend and I were renting a one-bedroom apartment. It was more than enough for us since she was working at the office, but when lockdowns forced her to work from home, it turned out that we couldn't stand working together in such a small place. We decided to buy a flat of our own! It was a good time since the interest rates on mortgages were at lifetime low levels. I'm not sure how it works in different countries, but in Poland, when you take out a mortgage, you still need to put down 20% of the price in cash. So there goes around 25,000 euros. Then you need to finish the flat because when they give you the keys, you receive something like this: So yeah... Our plan was to put in another 25,000 euros and move in, but due to some delays and rising prices caused by inflation getting out of hand, we ended up spending almost twice that amount. Then, before we could even move, the interest rate on our mortgage nearly doubled, so instead of paying around 400 euros, it was almost 800 euros. Fun times. That, and as I mentioned before, the ban I've got on Stars (they confiscated funds obviously) is the main reason why I'm stuck right now. What’s next? I'm not really sure. I've gotten lazy playing at low stakes and stopped studying because it was never really needed to beat those levels. My mindset also became a lot worse. Let's be honest here: I was never one of the best players by any means, but I was able to make a decent amount of money through poker (by Polish standards). Now, I'm probably the biggest winner at the 2s (at least I think so; I'll share my results for this year in the next post), but that’s not saying much, obviously. Enough for now. I know you guys have an attention span of a goldfish, and nobody reads that much text anyway. Cheers 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 22 Author Share Posted May 22 Hi! Since this is supposed to be a blog about poker and not an HGTV channel, here are some quick results for those of you who like numbers January Volume: 4906 games Profit: €1163.5 February Volume: 6135 games Profit: €1470 March Volume: 7638 games Profit: €1097 (it was a pretty rough month) April Volume: 6081 games Profit: €2000 (much better ;>) Profit is without any promotions, MTTs, rakeback, etc. It is purely from Hexa tables. So, the best way to know how much I actually won is via withdrawals. Since January 1st, I have withdrawn around €8000, so it's safe to say that is my profit. In terms of hours played, all four months combined is around 400-410 hours. I'm playing with a timer but sometimes forget to start it May is obviously in progress, but it's not going so well. For some reason (probably because April was too easy), I can't seem to sit down and play long sessions. Still hoping for a late push If not, this is going to be my worst month volume-wise since I can remember. Feel free to share if you're playing higher volume at any stakes. I'm curious if someone is playing more Cheers 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Is this considered cheating? I know technically it's one player per hand, but she just loves hunting fishes Besides, she always wants to go all in, so I'm not sure how much help she really is What about you guys? I know Stubbe has a horse (:D), but what about the rest of you? Send pics! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rentz Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Hey , I have a question. Why are you still playing 2 euros hexas and not 5 euro hexas? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 2 hours ago, Rentz said: Hey , I have a question. Why are you still playing 2 euros hexas and not 5 euro hexas? Hey, Short answer: because I'm lazy Long answer: As I mentioned in my previous post, I've stopped working on my game/mindset, and now it's very hard for me to step outside my comfort zone. I never actually dreamed of playing at the highest stakes. I've always been in poker just for the money. Currently, my hourly rate is around 15 to 20 euros, which is good enough for me, considering that I don't really have to compete with any regulars. Obviously, I know this is very short-sighted thinking, and sooner or later it's going to catch up with me. We have a saying in Poland: "A sparrow in the hand is better than a pigeon on the roof," although it's probably a universal saying, not just Polish. Sometimes I dabble in 5s, but to play them regularly I would probably have to decrease my table count. Considering there are probably a few better players there, I'm not really sure how that would affect my hourly rate. The swings would definitely be bigger there as well, which would affect my mindset, so I'm choosing the easier path. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1ZZL3R Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 36 minutes ago, marlini2 said: "A sparrow in the hand is better than a pigeon on the roof," Here it's "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". Basically don't let go of what you've got trying to catch something better, you might end up losing both. 41 minutes ago, marlini2 said: I'm choosing the easier path. Me too, but it ain't easy. 1 1 "It turns out that 75% of all poker players think they play better than the other 75%." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubbe-Unibet Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 On 24/05/2024 at 14:35, marlini2 said: Is this considered cheating? I know technically it's one player per hand, but she just loves hunting fishes Besides, she always wants to go all in, so I'm not sure how much help she really is What about you guys? I know Stubbe has a horse (:D), but what about the rest of you? Send pics! 1 1 Check the latest poker release notes. Have a look at our poker promotions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 That is one ugly looking dog what kind of chick it is ? Can you make a chicken soup out of them ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livertool Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Somekind of dane breed, headless chickens? I'm pretty sure i count three of them but only one head 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 26 Author Share Posted May 26 (edited) Quick update: Yesterday, I had my biggest losing day of the year, lost 40 buy-ins in 106 games before calling it quits. This showed me two things: first, I'm a lucky SOB , and second, I'm chasing losses. There's no other explanation for it. With my volume, I should be having days like that pretty often, but apparently, I'm not quitting when I'm losing. Yesterday, I decided otherwise. I'm not sure which approach is better, to be honest. Do you guys have any thoughts on that? Edited May 26 by marlini2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estzen Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Personally, its not question about, should I stop playng when I lose, its how is my mindset right now. Sure there are losing days and we can nothing to change them. But there are certainly some days where the worth of playng is just not optimal. I almost never let any Saturday go, but for instance I felt from mid day so bad, I was just so tilted, even tho the losses event werent that great, but it wasnt good. I was angry and really out of my mind... I couldnt just look and see these runouts on a losing train. I just ended my day , at mid day and told myself - "Im not able to play Optimally today, so screw it.. its enough" ... And played some video games and went out. Sure Ive had days, where you lose all, but end up winning in the end of the day - your hit. But do I wanna focus myself out of control, tilted as a 3 year old and scream even more to this screen? Do I think, I play my best when Im so out of line like that? Probably no, so its just "Not an optimal mindset" for a game day. And this can draw the line. Doesnt happen very often, but my guess is, if people never have such observations and thoughts over this, EV loss of these "I never leave" is proabably in a bigger loss margin than possible gains. Its almost like playng heavy drunk as a pro, could you win playng drunk - sure, maybe.. ... Should I play drunk? Probably no. The difference between humans and monkeys is that both have some intelligence, but monkeys are not as much self-aware. Dont be the monkey. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P0kerM0nk Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 You should know when to quit as that's part of your skillset as a poker player, if you don't know when then you haven't acquired said skill yet. It will vary per person and you have to find out what works for you, most important imo is to be able to have an objective judgement over your game and your mindset during a session. Ideally you want to be playing your A game as much as possible and if losing sessions affect this than you should quit. You said you are chasing losses so that is a form of tilt imo so you should quit or take a break at least. You can keep on grinding through the variance if you think you can still play your A game. Fact is you can play your best and still be losing as this is a part of poker and you have to accept you won't win every day. I can see how my own tilt has evolved over the years from terrible plays back in the days to a minimal impact nowadays but it is still there at times. It makes sense that when you improve your game, your results improve and therefor your tilt triggers reduce. Sometimes you just need to sit out for a min, breath in and out, remind yourself you can do this as you have done it before and just stay calm and remind yourself to engage your brain and not let your emotions take over 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Thank you for sharing your insight guys. 12 hours ago, Estzen said: Should I play drunk? Probably no. The difference between humans and monkeys is that both have some intelligence, but monkeys are not as much self-aware. Dont be the monkey. Yeah, that is the biggest sign for me that my mindset is getting worse every year. A couple of years ago, I would never sit and play even after one beer. Now, sometimes I play with a drink in my hand. It's not optimal for sure, and I'm trying to get back to my old self. If you want to drink, take a break and come back tomorrow. 7 hours ago, P0kerM0nk said: You said you are chasing losses so that is a form of tilt imo so you should quit or take a break at least. You can keep on grinding through the variance if you think you can still play your A game. Fact is you can play your best and still be losing as this is a part of poker and you have to accept you won't win every day. To be honest, I wasn't even aware that I was chasing losses. But after looking at my day-to-day results from this year and seeing that I almost never have losing days, that must be the explanation. It's kind of hypocritical of me; I was watching Brad Owen's vlogs and always got mad when he quit because he wanted to 'book a win.' It turns out I have been doing the same thing without even knowing, which is way worse. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1ZZL3R Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 4 hours ago, marlini2 said: I was watching Brad Owen's vlogs and always got mad when he quit because he wanted to 'book a win.' It turns out I have been doing the same thing without even knowing, which is way worse. Tommy Angelo has some interesting thoughts on how to improve at quitting. Personally I've been one for "booking the win" but am coming to realise it doesn't really mean much if you can't "book a small loss" rather than a larger one. I tend to quit too soon when winning and don't quit soon enough when losing, a bit "arse about face" if you ask me! 1 "It turns out that 75% of all poker players think they play better than the other 75%." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlini2 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 6 hours ago, GR1ZZL3R said: Tommy Angelo has some interesting thoughts on how to improve at quitting. Personally I've been one for "booking the win" but am coming to realise it doesn't really mean much if you can't "book a small loss" rather than a larger one. I tend to quit too soon when winning and don't quit soon enough when losing, a bit "arse about face" if you ask me! I'm not familiar with him. Are you recommending any of his books in particular? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1ZZL3R Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 2 hours ago, marlini2 said: I'm not familiar with him. Are you recommending any of his books in particular? Not familiar with him? The first one I bought was Rubber Band, then EoP, lots of the stories and articles in them are from his website and articles he's had published in loads of works. Not really how to play poker but very interesting and creative writing. I then bought PP, wasn't a fan but revisited it due to my current blog and my struggles with the mental side of poker. Tommy kindly sent me a copy of PP when I contacted him explaining I'd lost my version somehow during a phone change, asking if I would care to review them on Amazon (good or bad) which I did (excellent actually) also sending me a free copy of Dailyness. Top man that Tommy. The mental side of the game is also covered on his series on YT which I've revisited just this afternoon. Did I mention I'm a fanboy? 2 1 "It turns out that 75% of all poker players think they play better than the other 75%." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estzen Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Yeah, he is great. I havent taken all of him, but I have listened some of his lectures and it comes down to how we should think about all these kind of things. Also to be aware of the reaction, why do I react? Should I really react? Some things actually seem basic when listened, but the irony is, if someone hasnt heard it, hes in bigger trouble than he imagines... usually. Its very worth while. In the end many things are stuck in the grounding and development. If we wanna resist tilt to some rationale point, we need to develop it and we need be aware of it. Cant solve a problem that you dont know. Good stuff! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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