100nl to 1000nl: Learning NLHE and Making a Living

Hey guys,
You may remember me from such threads as Learning PLO and 500-5000 PLO

Since these threads, I have gone on a whirlwind of variance in poker and life. In 2018 I got married (upswing) and in poker, I got into some backing situations that went awry (downswing). I lost most of my bankroll. It didn't help that I was spending money frivolously, down swinging, and not working on my game as diligently as I had in the past. The combination of bad decision making, bad variance, and big games destroyed my bankroll.

So... As I have done before it's time to rebuild. It will be a challenge to rebuild a bankroll while learning and playing one of the most solved games out there (6-max NL) but I do have a reason for choosing this format.

I've been a mixed games player since the start of my poker playing, and it pains me to say that I don't see a future in mixed games online. The action is very sparse, and the people I wanted action from wouldn't play me. There may be some action at small-mid stakes, but to play anything higher than 10/20 8-game you'd have to find a game at a casino or private app game, and that's not what I want. I'd like to be able to grind primarily online poker and have the option to move up stakes gradually on my own. I want to be able to load up a poker room and start playing immediately, and I don't want a ton of variance. So NLHE seems more suited to me than PLO. PLO is very high variance, and the fish aren't nearly as bad as NLHE fish. I climbed the PLO ladder in my earlier threads, and I like the new challenge of NLHE. So where's the best place for me to play NLHE?

With Pokerstars getting rid of their rakeback system (chests are a slap in the face) Pokerstars and GGpoker are the best regulated options for NLHE online. Partypoker has a built-in rakeback system (up to 40%) which doesn't require an agent or some run around system. You grind, you earn the rakeback and it's in your account on Monday. Partypoker 6-max NLHE it is.

Figuring out how I was going to approach strategy was painstakingly long, but I feel like I've figured out the best approach for me. I initially started with Poker Snowie. I see a lot of value in it starting in NLHE. The features and visuals are amazing for a new player. The method of Snowie is a bit outdated but still very valid. I won't go into why I think Snowie is great and underrated, but if anyone is interested I'll elaborate. After using Snowie to come up with a strategy, I was able to beat up to 1/2 fullring NLHE on stars. I learned fullring first because I thought I could play live as well, but then obviously COVID hit and I quickly realized I needed to learn 6-max as it's way more prevalent online and offered on our favorite site Partypoker.

I deposited on Partypoker and started at 100nl 6 max. It took a bit of adjusting from fullring, but I developed a strategy using Snowie, and a knowledge of theory. From there I decided I needed to increase my knowledge and improve my strategy if I was going to start moving up, so I bought Modern Poker Theory and dove into GTO strategy. The book is game-changing. It helped me realize how to apply theory to NLHE (something I did for PLO). It comes with hand charts and ranges, so that was a huge bonus. From there I hired Michael himself and bought PIOsolver. I worked out a simplistic strategy (very similar to his book) and have been running sims and studying since.

Now here I am, struggling to beat 200nl, but believe I can do very well at it as long as I keep improving and putting in work.

Luckily Party has such great rakeback that I've been able to hit the $480 rakeback a week tier and it helps to build the bankroll. Ideally, I'd be winning at 8bb/100 at 200 (what Modern Poker Theory suggests is what a solid winning player would win at) so that's what I'll be striving for. I do feel like the beginning of my hands was when I was still learning a lot, so time will tell if I can achieve my goal. As the thread states the end goal is to be able to beat 1knl online. If I'm able to achieve that I will be very happy, and from there re-evaluate my goals.

This thread will contain strategy, weekly-ish updates, and any interesting macro poker stuff I experience.