Road to being a pro

[shipitgood]

Why don't you look at getting staked for cash games, if moneys tight in the real world?

[tikay]

Played on friday and managed to find aa when utg had qq and mp had kk. With the help of that and some other pots I'm now having some shots at 30nl. Plan is to get the bankroll to 500 by the end of the month without rakeback. I've been way too tired to play that much yesterday and today and at this point I'd rather not play than not play well and concentrated. Gonna look through a few hands tomorrow then get at least 4 days grinding in the next week.

Do you not feel that you're playing under-rolled for 30nl?

I'm a bit of a BR nit, and even on 888 I wouldn't play 30nl without 25 buyins or more in the account. If you're on more reg-heavy sites like Sky, I would probably want £1k behind or so before I played 30NL.

You don't need to try and force your way up the limits, it'll all come in time. I've had to drop down limits a few times to rebuild, and the first couple of times I was more focused on getting back to playing the stakes I was used to rather than playing lower and trying to fix the leaks that caused me to drop buyins. No shame in grinding 10NL if in 6 weeks you'll be a more well rounded player and better equipped to attack the next limit.

Definitely under rolled, not sure it matters too much though as I'm trying to have the biggest hourly and as long as I'm happy to move down I should be fine. Wouldn't call Sky a reg heavy site either by any stretch of the imagination. As far as fixing leaks goes I study and use crev a lot which I think is much more effectove than playing. Also, have you gotta skype if you want to talk over some hands?

Hate to reignite the old debate, but are you positive the juice is still worth the squeeze? You've worked really, really hard by the sounds of it definitely cannot begrudge you that, and i want you to come through but it's just so difficult to make it as a professional poker player from scratch nowadays and the idea of shot-taking 30nl at this stage sounds a bit grim. Can't imagine your intelligence and work ethic won't be far more productive to you in another field that also wouldn't result in ever increasing time out of your cv and and usually no acknowledged transferable skills. It's not a disaster now ofc but worth thinking ahead a bit if you want to discuss that.

I understand this and I may have to put it on the back burner in the near future. I still want it though, bad.

It's a long road to being a pro starting at 30nl. I did it 7-8 years ago and people said it was tough then. Guess you could still do it, take a lot of work though.

I'd play a few sites and only the best tables. Rake is a killer at lowstakes, especially now with RB and good bonuses hard to come by!

Done it before, well aware it's no walk in the park. Agree about the rake that's why I'm shotting at higher stakes than most recommend.

Lost a couple of buy ins at 20nl yesterday. One really standard spot where I make the second nut flush on the river and he makes the nut one. The other hand was more interesting as I bluff shove over a bet on the river, I'll probably put it up on the analysis forum. May have been the nut hand I hand I have in my range to do it with but judging by hwt he turned up with I should have just folded. Can't be that bad though. Up a bit so far today.

I was wondering what everyone does when they grind online, do they watch shit? Do they listen to music/podcasts? Or just play?

100% agree with you on that.

[KingPush]

Got up to 240 then back down to 180. Can't win at 30nl for some reason, don't think it's the competition so either it's mental or just variance maybe a bit of both. Weird though considering how I've been doing at 20nl but obviously not putting in a shit load of hands 2 tabling. Gonna look over some spots tomorrow and then hopefully grind hard. Problem with today was playing an extra session which I've just finished really need to learn the difference between when I should play and when I want to play.

Why don't you look at getting staked for cash games, if moneys tight in the real world?

Most people seem to think it's not worth it at the micros.

[KingPush]

Up to 250, gained a bit at the start of the day and then lost a buy in and a half to a guy after kt lost to at on ttxx board after I 3bet utg and he called from the small blind. Then it came kxxss he check called xx s turn and he lead out on k river not sure I can do anything but call with kq here, he had aqss. Started going on tilt after these, notice I start calling rivers way too light and bet, raise and call a lot higher frequency and fold at a much lower one. It's weird that you can see all these subtle nuances which go unnoticed even if they aren't that subtle when you multi table.

Had a break and dinner and watched sons of anarchy. Felt much better and then started playing again and ran up one stack to 90 and one to 60 at the 20nl tables to get the BR to 250. Not playing tomorrow but will grind sunday, which I may punt in some tourneys, and I'll play a full day monday too.

[pleno1]

Just read this. STOP right now.

Delete crev off your computer. Don't load it up until you get to 200nl. Small stakes is all about playing exploitatiely. Punish the fish and don't pay off the bits. You don't need to worry about protecting your range or doing this that or the other with your range.

It's a very simple game, make good hands and value bet and fold if somebody raises you on the turn or river and you have less than a set.

[SuuPRlim]

Got up to 240 then back down to 180. Can't win at 30nl for some reason, don't think it's the competition so either it's mental or just variance maybe a bit of both. Weird though considering how I've been doing at 20nl but obviously not putting in a shit load of hands 2 tabling. Gonna look over some spots tomorrow and then hopefully grind hard. Problem with today was playing an extra session which I've just finished really need to learn the difference between when I should play and when I want to play.

Why don't you look at getting staked for cash games, if moneys tight in the real world?

Most people seem to think it's not worth it at the micros.

It isn't.

[tikay]

Just read this. STOP right now.

Delete crev off your computer. Don't load it up until you get to 200nl. Small stakes is all about playing exploitatiely. Punish the fish and don't pay off the bits. You don't need to worry about protecting your range or doing this that or the other with your range.

It's a very simple game, make good hands and value bet and fold if somebody raises you on the turn or river and you have less than a set.

Patrick is 100% correct.

You are over-thinking it at these levels.

It's no good applying Level 4 thinking to Level One players.

People laugh at nitty play, no street cred & all that, but if you want to beat these levels, just play basic ABC.

Tilting? A terrible, terrible, leak. Read "The Mental Game of Poker" & it'll cure you, as it has cured thousands of others. Tilt is a really, really bad weakness.

Good luck.

[Rexas]

Just read this. STOP right now.

Delete crev off your computer. Don't load it up until you get to 200nl. Small stakes is all about playing exploitatiely. Punish the fish and don't pay off the bits. You don't need to worry about protecting your range or doing this that or the other with your range.

It's a very simple game, make good hands and value bet and fold if somebody raises you on the turn or river and you have less than a set.

This, probably the biggest leak in micro stakes poker is calling too many rivers. I know it feels exploitable, and I know it's not GTO, but they just have it like almost every time, it is not going to show a profit to call with bluff catchers vs the vast majority of the player pool. Yes, you want to be good at all the game theory stuff and there's no reason why you shouldn't, but at the micros use that knowledge to exploit people.

[vegaslover]

Would add ditto for bluffing river's too. Unless you have decent notes suggesting they will fold, they just call so much it becomes expensive

[SuuPRlim]

KEEP
IT
SIMPLE

:-)

Can be such an easy game sometimes

[KingPush]

Up to 270 was up a lot more but then lost JJ v aa bvb. Not sure i should delete crev, its good for exploits and I don't understand how it can hinder your play, I understand that most people are very exploitable though.

Just read this. STOP right now.

Delete crev off your computer. Don't load it up until you get to 200nl. Small stakes is all about playing exploitatiely. Punish the fish and don't pay off the bits. You don't need to worry about protecting your range or doing this that or the other with your range.

It's a very simple game, make good hands and value bet and fold if somebody raises you on the turn or river and you have less than a set.

This, probably the biggest leak in micro stakes poker is calling too many rivers. I know it feels exploitable, and I know it's not GTO, but they just have it like almost every time, it is not going to show a profit to call with bluff catchers vs the vast majority of the player pool. Yes, you want to be good at all the game theory stuff and there's no reason why you shouldn't, but at the micros use that knowledge to exploit people.

Agree with this a lot.

Would add ditto for bluffing river's too. Unless you have decent notes suggesting they will fold, they just call so much it becomes expensive

Not sure about this think most "regs" understand the first part and so adjust to that. Pretty sure most overfold rivers.

[Rexas]

Up to 270 was up a lot more but then lost JJ v aa bvb. Not sure i should delete crev, its good for exploits and I don't understand how it can hinder your play, I understand that most people are very exploitable though.

Just read this. STOP right now.

Delete crev off your computer. Don't load it up until you get to 200nl. Small stakes is all about playing exploitatiely. Punish the fish and don't pay off the bits. You don't need to worry about protecting your range or doing this that or the other with your range.

It's a very simple game, make good hands and value bet and fold if somebody raises you on the turn or river and you have less than a set.

This, probably the biggest leak in micro stakes poker is calling too many rivers. I know it feels exploitable, and I know it's not GTO, but they just have it like almost every time, it is not going to show a profit to call with bluff catchers vs the vast majority of the player pool. Yes, you want to be good at all the game theory stuff and there's no reason why you shouldn't, but at the micros use that knowledge to exploit people.

Agree with this a lot.

Would add ditto for bluffing river's too. Unless you have decent notes suggesting they will fold, they just call so much it becomes expensive

Not sure about this think most "regs" understand the first part and so adjust to that. Pretty sure most overfold rivers.

Imo the main reason they're still at the micro stakes is because they haven't learnt that yet.

[KingPush]

Not sure which part you mean now mate

[Rexas]

Would add ditto for bluffing river's too. Unless you have decent notes suggesting they will fold, they just call so much it becomes expensive

Not sure about this think most "regs" understand the first part and so adjust to that. Pretty sure most overfold rivers.

Sorry, bit of a quoting fail, meant that bit. Basically I don't think the regs do adjust properly, and the ones that do aren't gonna be playing micro stakes for long.

[KingPush]

Up to 440, started playing some 50nl and lost 2 BIs, first buy in was from bad play and was down to me just not being fully concentrated at the start of my session. the second buy in was jacks vs aces in a 4bet pot, which seems fairly unavoidable. Now at 340.