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SkilfulPoker

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Hello all, so given my habit of starting and stopping things here, I decided to just create a session blog, where I can share details of sessions I'm playing so mindset and maybe anything else that seems worth sharing. 

I'm on my way to the casino now, and this month has been really pretty nasty playing live. Live has lower variance than online so losing a number of stacks repeatedly is not that usual, but so far i've lost five stacks over the last two sessions I played, so -1K ! 

This is kind of annoying as I don't have a job amymore after 4 years (my employer's company went bankrupt) - so my plan was to make some money playing live poker. My main income eventually will be self employed IT copany web and app design, but I still need to start business development for that to attract some clients. As I just have one client at the moment who I already knew for very ad-hoc work. 

Any way so this is the first session of the blog it's sunday and i'm off to play 200nl. I'm just playing with 2 stacks today, so if I lose both of those it'll be a sad journey home and i'll have to restart next week :classic_sad:

One thing I've started to do is distract myself when it's getting boring, (dry spells) by watching content on my phone and that really helps. 

Anyway here we go - I'm going to play as well as I can and hopefully things will turn around today. 

Just having a coffee to finish waking up as I had out:

IMG_20221009_154918_302.thumb.jpg.afe42c023a5d06184f0e3cec8e85b9a5.jpg

 

good luck if you're playing. have a good sunday guys!

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3 minutes ago, SkilfulPoker said:

One thing I've started to do is distract myself when it's getting boring, (dry spells) by watching content on my phone and that really helps. 

You could aswell just pay attention to what's going on in hands you're not involved in... Try to figure out how everyone is playing...
There is tons of value in that. Especially in live games playing exploitative is way more recommended than a more GTO based playing style.

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1 hour ago, SkilfulPoker said:

One thing I've started to do is distract myself when it's getting boring, (dry spells) by watching content on my phone and that really helps. 

 

1 hour ago, KrustyTheClown said:

You could aswell just pay attention to what's going on in hands you're not involved in... Try to figure out how everyone is playing...
There is tons of value in that. Especially in live games playing exploitative is way more recommended than a more GTO based playing style.

   giphy.gif.e8c8db6cb94ae7f916821da3766c1596.gif 

   All I've ever read over the years is to switch off distractions ( I mostly do, only having background music on when playing ) and pay attention. Really concentrating on what's going on shouldn't be boring and could leave to making or saving money. 

   I'd call losing 1K more than annoying. While I don't know your financial situation and maybe it's not really my place to comment on anyone's particular bankroll management, I personally wouldn't be risking £400 on poker while out of work and not much on the horizon. There again "Who dares wins." 

   Good luck and run good. 

 

   Studying GTO.

giphy.gif.ba2f311082ae41efca2223db2456ad8b.gif

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"It turns out that 75% of all poker players think they play better than the other 75%."     image.png.99a4e82708d54abfc527324e8836768e.png

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Well the whooping continues getting a bit sick of this to be honest!
 

hand 1)

One of the hands in first hour recreational player sits down with 100bbs , open limps, 3 limpers I make it 16 from blinds with JJ. He calls everyone else folds.

flop 552 i cbet 20 he calls , turn 8 i cbet 50 he calls , river he has like 30 behind I put him all in, and he had turned the 88s…

hand 2)

player sits down reg , first hand raises late position I call A7s from BB —- flop flush he bets retardley small - 6 into 23 I raise to 20 he calls. 
 

turn is another spade I still have nuts I bet 40 he calls. River pairs the board , I bet 100 he puts me all in for another 40… he rivered a full house GG!

im taking tomorrow off and going into office. Then will try again from Tuesday provided I’m paid the £600 I’m owed. 👍

im pleased with my emotional control it doesn’t feel nice losing session after session especially when your playing because you want to earn money. But I think I played as good as I could have and have just been pretty unlucky!

 

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Unlucky session! Good luck in the future (though seems risky like the others have said).

6 hours ago, SkilfulPoker said:

Just having a coffee to finish waking up as I had out:

Why 2 cups. 😂 Doesn't one cup insulate well enough? I think GTO is to buy/bring your own reusable cup if you go often 😉

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  • 2 weeks later...

What’s up guys talk about bit of a delay updating.

personally I think 4k for 200nl live is overkill a healthy starting bankroll would be about 2.5k imo. Also I am playing a continuous bankroll don’t forget for example I’m 1k down , but topped up 1k today, so it’s not as if I’m bust for long if I don’t win (as I have other source of income than poker). 

Having said that I do need to make money about 15 stacks would be nice. Obviously can’t go into the game with a results orientated mindset but just saying that’s a key motivation for playing (when I’m away from the tables). 

poker has been rough! I’m down about £1,000 since I started this. 

i think I’ve been playing ok, I do have much to improve though. For example I adjusted to bad players today by 3betting stacking off a bit wider, when really what I should have done with hindsight is open up tighter on the looser table and just been more patient. Especially if I’m looking to reduce the variance which I am after already losing 5 stacks, last 3 sessions have been losing!

I’ve played live poker on and off for ten years , so it’s not as if I’m clueless. 

today I was gettting frustrated so ended my session early - played 7pm -1.30am instead of 7pm - 8am 🙂 

Ended up breakeven (despite being 2 stacks up at one point). 

Anyway I’m going back to basics because my confidence has taken a whack lately so I’m going to study some ABC post flop strategy and just look to play well and not take needless risks next session which will be in about 12 hours time. 
 

It’s 3am now so I’ll be heading to bed in about 2 hours.

In other life stuff I’m 1 month alcohol free pleased about that. So that’s 8 months, 5 months and now another 1 month no alcohol in last 2 years. I think I’m just going to stay off alcohol now. 

I also started some therapy and it went really well if there’s anything bothering you in your life I highly reccomend it! Got another session booked for next week.

i really need to clean this room up lol. 

I’ll leave you with a photo of my dog. He has a bed (in about every room in the house 😂 )but has decided to sleep on the washing that has collapsed from the pile I was forming (when I opened the door)… 

4D679726-DEEF-4A51-8E8D-B82891CBF3B5.thumb.jpeg.c06acc8a06727d3c849ac533bcedf777.jpeg

So I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow ! 

Have a good weekend guys!

Edited by SkilfulPoker
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On 10/9/2022 at 10:16 PM, CuteRaven said:

Why 2 cups. 😂 Doesn't one cup insulate well enough? I think GTO is to buy/bring your own reusable cup if you go often 😉

Haha I think that for sure is the GTO coffee solution , yes the cup was too hot lol I got inside a shop costa machine so I used the second one to be more comfortable holding it.

My sleep has been terrible lately so I started a new rule today no coffee 12 hours before bed. So I’m just having a couple in morning now. 
did you know the maximum half life of coffee is 12 hours!!  Which means it can take upto 12 hours just for half the caffeine to leave your system. 

meaning if you have had six cups of coffee in the day … it could be like you have just had 3 before going to bed! I’ll let you know if this improves my sleep! 

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Hey guys so I can’t post as they occur as there isn’t enough time I realised. But here are two big pots so far:

Blinds 1/2

HAND 1
___________

pf:

I have 9Td pf

I open raise to 10 from MP

Co and blind calls

flop:

876mono

I bet 20 into 33 with flopped straight, get called 

turn:

pairs the 6

I bet 35 into 73 and get called 

9 river 

No flush possible , I bet 25 .. villian raises to 75

I’m  losing to full house and TJ , I call the 50

———

HAND 2
_________

I have QQ pf

MP Raise to 10

I make it 30 in Co

Bb aggressive fish calls  

MP folds

Flop:

82J two tone 

I bet 35 

BB aggressive Fish shoves for 180 (effective I have him covered)

haven’t seen him shove before but he’s repeatedly pot pot flop turn or pot pot pot in earlier hands showing down middle pair or something 

I call flop 

——

currently 75 up and have £275 in front of me

 

will update again tomorrow ✌️

 

 

Edited by SkilfulPoker
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Hey fellas , and ladies. Well pleased to say at laaaaaast I booked a winning session. 

+2 stacks so £400 profit. 

Nearly 6am and just celebrating with a McDonald’s breakfast before I get the train home  😀

I signed up for a poker training site membership on Saturday morning and it’s already helping a bit, I also really tightened my ranges up. 
 

So after splashing out 50 usd for a site membership im pleased I profited to reimburse it straight away. 
 

Thanks for following guys, about -£600 now since I started the thread, so the rebuild is in progress 🙌

Edited by SkilfulPoker
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Hey guys so really having a great weekend at the tables here. But before I tell you about yesterdays session let me tell you about getting there…

I was literally just about to leave my home to get to the casino, and a torrential downpour started. Thunder and lightning and buckets and buckets of rain ️ 

Not to be put off from the session of course… I called a cab to take me to train station so I didn’t get drenched. When I got to the station I tried to find the shallow parts of the lake that had formed across the entire station entrance, but that didn’t work out too well and I ended up with drenched all over the bottoms of my trousers, shoes and socks. Not the best of starts!
 

Then I cross the platform for my train but it says delayed… after 30 minutes waiting, the driver from another train tells us there will be no more trains as a tree has fallen down over the line forward on in the journey on the tracks…

Soaking wet I leave to find an alternate route via buses and more trains. On my way I see this beautiful sight. I found myself thinking all the hassle so far was worth it to have seen it 🙂

1C1F0D9C-2660-4CB5-8D87-2A568D452476.thumb.jpeg.9c79870feb1c1ad1e2f36bd4a2d29c37.jpeg
 

How beautiful is that! All those little branches against that amazing sky, like all the different ways our day can travel in any one day. 

When I got to the casino 💦soaking wet, i thought I’m not sitting in these soaking shoes, socks and trouser bottoms all night… so I went to the toilet… took my socks and shoes off and dried them on the air dryer 😂

I then took my trousers off and dried them 😊

I did feel a little odd doing this and wondered if security would see a guy stripping in the toilets and think wtf, but pleased to say all was well,  so I didn’t have to sit soaking wet for the session!

I then played for eight hours, continuing my tighter style of play and really trying to extract some value when I hit decent hands. 

I had aces twice (and they held) and also managed to get it in with AK vs AQ 🙏 which also held. 

I also got paid off with a 100bb value bet on the river in another hand, against a player who I knew was on tilt. I’m pleased with how I played and at end of the session cashed out £1600 !! So profited by £1400 which added to yesterdays profit makes for a profit of £1700 for the weekend after deducting expenses. 

I was getting bashed about so much in these sessions in this thread before this weekend I’m so happy I’ve managed to turn it around. 

My sleep is really messed up at the moment (I’m seeing a doctor at hospital about it on Thursday), so I need to get my sleep back to regular night hours, so I just had a two hour nap this morning and am staying up until tonight when I can hopefully get some sleep!

On way back to casino now , will let you know how this session goes!

Edited by SkilfulPoker
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Hey all just another quick update , I played my last session today until Friday (if I feel like playing again then which I’m sure I will!)

The run good continues and I won 2 stacks in 6 hours. For another £400 profit. 

Which brings profit from Friday-Monday to :

£1700 + £400 = £2100  - (10.5 stacks!)🤩

Poker  can be insane I felt so dejected with poker the previous 3 sessions before Friday, the losing was relentless now I seem to be printing money! 

Tomorrow I’m going back to trying to start a business and will be working on that at least until Friday 🎓

Thanks for reading, have a great week 👊

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thanks HardGain mate.

_______

What is up people, hope your weekend has started well. Today I went to play but was feeling a bit unwell, bit of a sore throat.  I got over a really bad sore throat just a few weeks back so this is kind of annoying.

Tonight I felt a bit tired and wasn’t 100% focussed. I lost one stack , after bluff shoving when I got raised on QQ6 as the PF aggressor. 

I don’t like the play I shouldn’t be running large bluffs. 

But I’m pleased with my play overall, that’s because I took it on the chin, and despite it being Friday - prime time for playing, I got up and left.

If you’re not on your game just don’t play there will be plenty more opportunities when you are!

So am on my way home now. 

-£200 today. 

I am thinking of getting away for a couple of days to a travelodge just to chill for rest of weekend. Between work , poker and hospital/doctor visits lately, I think I should just give my brain a rest 🙂

You need to be able to lose without feeling bad in this game, it was one stack I mean c’mon son! Lol. I’m not too annoyed just a little deflated, which shouldn’t be so! But maybe it’s just down to being a bit unwell. 

Wil be ordering a Chinese tonight I think !

Thanks for listening 🙂 and good luck if you’re playing and have an awesome weekend!

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I like your attitude, not dwelling on your mistakes and having the self awareness to leave when you need to! I think QQ6 is underbluffed as a checkraise. I think big bluffs are fine if you choose the spot and the opponent carefully. Good luck and hopefully your weekend was awesome like you wished for others 😎!

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