This is a long one.. but well worth it if you can work your way through it!Trip update..
So the work is going ok, doing my stuff... but managed to have a bunch of Deuces Cracked videos while working which has been pretty awesome.
I have watched:
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The eightfold path to Poker enlightenment (quite old I think - 2008 or something)
Fantastic series by Tommy Angelo, which takes the eightfold path to enlightenment from Budda. This is really a great watch/ listen for ANY poker player who plays at any stakes as it deals with life and self and improvement. I am geniunely going to be investigating the path myself as the idea's i've heard so far intrigue and interest me.
I am employing some of the techniques mentioned and will be when i play live from now on... so thanks Tommy.
-
Search and Destroy (recent and appropriate)
This is a leakbusting series which I think is essential watching for all <200NL players and anyone who wants to understand how to use HEM2 better to improve themselves, at any stakes! I will be rewatching this after 50k hands with Pads and probably again at 100/150k etc.. in order to self improve and analyse effectively.
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Creative Grinders (recent)
This is a new series which will have a group of grinders who work with Krantz to analyse and improve their game with the analysis of each other and K. Looks pretty good but the 100-400NL stuff isn't relevant to me yet.
-
G Man Talking Theory (recent)
VERY good HU discussion about certain ideas with regards to betting and adapting to players tendancies and things to consider.
Not finished it yet,
- Finished watching
DOGISHEADSUPThis is also a fantastic HU series, from a while ago - with Gman and DOGISHEAD. They have one theory episode and then one playing... at 3 different levels... and then a bonus one where they play each other and explain every hand of interest.
Helped me start 50NL HU with a slight 'advantage' over the bad regs or poor players, but im not yet good enough to crush the good regs!!!! YET!
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So that's the videos, and after watching the S&D series which had 2 people with similar leaks and styles to myself I played last night with one slight 'tweak' to my game in play. I was going to use a 'structured' opening range, which would only be adjusted if there was a necessity to do so. (For those of you who do not understand what I mean, I was going to only play hands that appeared on a 'pre-chosen list' of starting hands).
Now I realise this is a simple and almost robotic idea which doesn't allow for game flow and table dynamic range changes.. but tbh I need the fundamentals of something like this first as my post flop play is clearly creative and aggressive enough already.
I then proceeded to play the best session of online poker of my life so far...We made only one error, when we 5bt shoved utg+1 56cc vs utg KK... woops. I managed to win $60 in one hour and hit a $50 first deposit bonus.
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Then Nigerian live poker in the hilton!
We then went downstairs with a renewed and instatiable want for live poker which we knew could be provided if the guys I'd met the other night (while a little drunk) were there...
I went down and two guys were playing HU ... I found out they were playing 1000/2000 and without reminding myself what the stakes were in ££ i decided to get out 100k and sit down. They had 100k (player A) and 80k (player B) respectively and were both shockingly bad at the pokers.
I knew this wasn't going to be 'if' I could get the money from them, merely how long it would take could I beat the rake?
We then had a roulette player sit with 30k (minimum) and proceed to do his first buyin in first hand with a full house.... But he went back to the roulette table until he won again when he returned to play some more.
In the meantime I played a few hands but mainly decided that 3 handed I ought to be very tight pre as these two would not fold pre at all...
- My AK was beaten by Q7 on Q7xxx when I checked flop and he checked back, I took one stab ott and he called so I gave up, he then checked back Q7 and I knew I was in for some interesting spots.
A few hands later I found

and opened to 6k (playing 80k).. I was called by player B (playing 80k) and then the roulette fish (playing 30k) who'd come back, player A then squeezed to 36k and I was in a tough spot. I'd already seen him play one strong pre flop hand by raising small pre and therefore read this as a weak raise and that my A high was good. I didnt like reshoving here but I was 100% that I had the best hand right now and the two players behind would have to fold when I did reshove. I take a couple of minutes and reshove... player B folds and the roulette fish snap calls, with player A snap calling also (oh shit) and exposing those magical #gotemwhenuneedem

Fuck my life!
#goingtoneedsomethingherethenwishihadntshovednowilooklikearighttitaments
FLOP

OMFG... the guy takes it really well but laughs it up as I expose my

instantly.
We hold and I get a decent double..
I play really solid from this point on, with my new read of 'he literally bets the strength of his hand' in play and knowing he always calls with any pair I owned him for a good few rounds.
I then decided its 1230 and I have work today I'll go home and lock up a 60k win (turns out this is close to £300....) I felt like a king and a real poker player, properly - for the first time I think.
I then managed to lose a decent sized pot with

on

vs his

with the roulette player all in. I protected my stack and relunctantly called his river bet, but after review today I don't think he'd made a bet that big at any point and I should have stuck to my read that he could beat top pair in this spot.
I then played really well, dodging 4 situations where I would normally stack off 3 handed without any thought, based entirely on live reads and hand reading -
[X] They were all sickly good folds and he showed every time.
[X] Literally playing my A game.
[ ] winning pots
I then lost 2x 30k pots where I was 70-80% favourite and took it as well as possible, especially after my

hand.
And eventually got all in with a K10 shove over his AJ open, he made the nuts of course and that was gg to 100k Nigerian - or £400 sterling. - woops.
As much as I know I can take the money off him in the long term... esp with his tells, I am not rolled for that game and that one 'shot' is all im taking this trip. The overtime of the trip will pay for the shot and I am proud of myself for not going back.
I'm now going to tuck into my Salmon, rice and broccoli for the 3rd night in a row.... - its magic, honest!
And then play a session.. maybe playing the 9pm DTD150 mega sat also.
GL us. and let the long term, real grind through 25NL commence!
All you need to do is be tight pre and semi- thinking postflop and people literally give you $$$!