Starting with 100 bucks! I am back after 9 years
Hello everyone,
I will try to keep my introduction somewhat short:
I started playing poker around 2007 after Jamie Gold won the WSOP Main Event for 12 million in 2006. I played a sometimes excessive amount during the vast majority of my twenties, dabbling around in pretty much every micro-stakes format, from all sorts of SNGs to MTTs to 9-max / 6-max / HU cash games. My success was often small and sometimes nonexistent, as I struggled for a very long time with the mental side of the game, blowing several small bankrolls. And to be honest, I probably did not put enough study into my game, although I tried pretty hard at times to get better.
In hindsight, I wasted a ton of great opportunities over all those years. But like they say, hindsight is 20/20, right? Anyway, I quit playing for a few reasons in 2015 and thought I was done with poker forever.
Fast forward almost a decade later, and I felt a strong desire to get back into poker after a dream (no joke) so I opened an account at GGPoker and deposited 100 Euros. I got hooked on All in Fold pretty fast after playing some hands to complete one of their honeymoon missions. It also did not help that I hit the jackpot twice in my first few thousand hands haha. Anyway, I have a ton of time at the moment and realized very quickly that I could take a real shot at the German leaderboard for low stakes (runs from Wednesday to Wednesday). So I finished 3rd for C$100 after playing for only five days and now I finished 2nd for C$200. I thought that I could take 1st place (pays C$300) this time but the guy in front of me is just insane.
So yeah, that's pretty much where I am right now, grinding $1 (5c/10c) AoF, chasing a top spot on the leaderboard to build a decent bankroll while clearing my first deposit bonus, and accomplishing the honeymoon missions for some extra cash.
I finished the leaderboard week with 50.6k hands:
- roughly down $65 on the tables (including All-In Fortune payouts)
- won the jackpot three times (two times within a few hundred hands) for $84, $77, and $70 for a total of $231
- 2nd on the German leaderboard for C$200
for a total profit of $366 not counting any rakeback and first deposit bonus. I am not really pleased with my on-the-table results although the rake is obviously pretty insane. There is probably enough room for improvement left to bring that figure closer to breakeven at least. I am not quite sure how much longer I really want to grind AoF but right now it is decent enough money. And at some point, I will have to convert all that C$ into actual $.
Be that as it may, I will take another shot at 1st place on the leaderboard this week while also playing some GG World Festival tournaments, but more on that in another post. I really enjoyed the sense of camaraderie on 2+2 and especially in this section of the forum. And who knows, maybe some people from back in the day are still around here? If so, please say hi!
The daily AoF grind is not super interesting but I will probably give at least some short updates, especially to where I stand on the leaderboard.
Last but not least, after two weeks my bankroll sits at a total of $740:
- $420 in actual cash,
- another C$300 and
- about $20 in T$ and tickets.
I also have $68 deposit bonus left 14 days of honeymoon missions for some really nice payouts.
This post is already way too long, so thanks everyone for reading!
All the best
Quick reality check if I am really that bad ...
I guess there is a strong argument to x/c river instead of shoving and there are def some rivers (J-A) I am probably x/f (vs a shove) and cry. But even when the 7 isn't a really great card for us, as played my line is fine or?
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG (Hero): $6.09 (305 bb)
MP: $2.03 (102 bb)
CO: $2.00 (100 bb)
BU: $2.00 (100 bb)
SB: $1.80 (90 bb)
BB: $1.51 (76 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is UTG with K♦ 9♦ 9♠ 8♠
Hero raises to $0.06, MP calls $0.06, CO calls $0.06, 2 players fold, BB calls $0.04
Flop: ($0.25) 9♥ T♠ T♣ (4 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.13, MP calls $0.13, CO calls $0.13, BB folds
Turn: ($0.64) 2♦ (3 players)
Hero bets $0.43, MP calls $0.43, CO folds
River: ($1.50) 7♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $1.50, MP calls $1.41 (all-in)
Spoiler
Total pot: $4.32 (Rake: $0.09)
Showdown:
UTG (Hero) shows K♦ 9♦ 9♠ 8♠ (a full house, Nines full of Tens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 50%, Flop: 58%, Turn: 75%, River: 0%)
MP shows 7♥ A♠ J♠ T♦ (a full house, Tens full of Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 50%, Flop: 42%, Turn: 25%, River: 100%)
MP wins $4.23
Quick reality check if I am really that bad ...
I guess there is a strong argument to x/c river instead of shoving and there are def some rivers (J-A) I am probably x/f (vs a shove) and cry. But even when the 7 isn't a really great card for us, as played my line is fine or?
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG (Hero): $6.09 (305 bb)
MP: $2.03 (102 bb)
CO: $2.00 (100 bb)
BU: $2.00 (100 bb)
SB: $1.80 (90 bb)
BB: $1.51 (76 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is UTG wi
Think exploitatively going for the XR OTT is best. By barrelling turn you fold out draws and get called by Tx that have plenty of equity.
As played I see nothing wrong with jamming river for value although it looks very strong and good players could find a fold with trips.
I guess XC OTT and again OTR can work vs villains who are aggressive enough
Think exploitatively going for the XR OTT is best. By barrelling turn you fold out draws and get called by Tx that have plenty of equity.
As played I see nothing wrong with jamming river for value although it looks very strong and good players could find a fold with trips.
I guess XC OTT and again OTR can work vs villains who are aggressive enough
Thanks for your advice, it's deeply appreciated. I never thought about x/r OTT because I was just focused on value betting against the fish but now I see the merit of it. Thanks again!
A real update is coming soon, but I am just not playing a lot of poker at the moment because life outside of poker continues to be super rough. I am just playing for one hour here or there to free my mind for a bit. It is what it is but there is no need to force myself to put in volume when I have so much other **** on my mind.
Anyway, in the meantime another hand.
In PLO, sometimes it's not enough to flop EVERYTHING ... 😉
Villian is 46/12 (28 hands)
1) I do not think that's a spot where your average PLO2 player is bluffing a lot and I block some of his bluffs?
2) I guess I am never good here because his line screams like 9♠ 7♠ / 4♠ 7♠, K with BD hearts or Q♥ T♥ ?
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG (Hero): $4.98 (249 bb)
MP: $2.27 (114 bb)
CO: $1.73 (87 bb)
BU: $2.00 (100 bb)
SB: $2.08 (104 bb)
BB: $4.66 (233 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is UTG with T♠ Q♣ 8♠ 8♣
Hero raises to $0.06, 3 players fold, SB calls $0.05, BB calls $0.04
Flop: ($0.18) 8♥ J♠ K♠ (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.18, SB calls $0.18, BB folds
Turn: ($0.54) 6♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.54, SB calls $0.54
River: ($1.62) 5♥ (2 players)
SB bets $1.30 (all-in),
Spoiler
UTG (Hero) folds
Total pot: $1.62 (Rake: $0.09)
SB wins $1.53
Ok, another hand. This one is more funny than anything and yeah, my call pre isn't very good.
Not sure about his turn call 
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG (Hero): $2.14 (107 bb)
MP: $3.11 (156 bb)
CO: $1.66 (83 bb)
BU: $2.00 (100 bb)
SB: $1.82 (91 bb)
BB: $6.47 (324 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is UTG with K♥ 3♦ T♠ K♠
Hero raises to $0.06, 4 players fold, BB 3-bets to $0.19, Hero calls $0.13
Flop: ($0.39) 8♠ 6♣ A♠ (2 players)
BB bets $0.30, Hero calls $0.30
Turn: ($0.99) 5♠ (2 players)
BB bets $0.99, Hero raises to $1.65 (all-in), BB calls $0.66
River: ($4.29) J♣ (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $4.29 (Rake: $0.13)
Showdown:
UTG (Hero) shows K♥ 3♦ T♠ K♠ (a flush, Ace high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 64%, Flop: 83%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)
BB shows 9♣ T♣ 3♣ 5♥ (a pair of Fives)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 36%, Flop: 17%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)
UTG (Hero) wins $4.16
It's time for a little update I guess.
About 1,5 weeks ago, I switched to PLO2 Rush&Cash. That doesn't mean I will never play reg tables again, but I enjoy R&C for the moment for a few different reasons. As mentioned previously, not a lot of volume because real life is a bitch.
However, for the last 4-5 days I am dedicating 100% of my time to study. I bought RIO's "PLO from the ground up" course, taking many notes and doing a lot of preflop solver stuff. Obv I can not fix all my preflop leaks at once, so I will try to focus on some specific areas, mainly LP and blinds play.
On another note, GG's Micro Festival started today (Sunday). Of course, I am not gonna play a full schedule, but I will probably play a few events here and there. Not sure about PLO events because I do not feel like my PLO tournament play is strong enough yet but we will see.
Besides that, I am not doing a lot of other stuff right now besides playing some xDefiant and I started to rewatch The Blacklist which I stopped after season 4 or 5 back then.
Anyway, that's all for now. GL everyone!
June Recap
June is in the books so it is time for a recap. As already mentioned ITT, I struggled to get any real volume in after some serious bad variance irl. Anyway, I did play a little since the last update and am still working through the "From the Ground Up" course, where I have almost finished the preflop part.
PLO2 overall this month:
Rush&Cash only (switched Mid-June):
So yeah, I am still pretty bad at PLO, but at least my EV WR in Rush&Cash is a little bit encouraging. Besides that, not a ton to report. I lost about $20 in tournaments, mostly PLO and some NLHE microFestival events.
So let's have a look at the goals I set for myself in June:
Main Goals:
[ ] 20k hands
Got close with 18k hands, but only because I switched to R&C
[ ] At least 25hrs grinding/week
Played only a total of 52 hours this month
[X] At least 7 hrs study time/week
Study time was around 28hrs this month
[/] Get more familiar with Hands2Note
Too vague of a goal, I got a bit more familiar with it but there is still a ton to learn
Bonus Goals:
[ ] Take a shot at PLO5
I could have taken a shot according to my BRM rules but there is not really a point to move up atm
[X] Dabble into PLO tournaments
I played five PLO tournaments in total, but my short-stack game isn't good enough
And that's it already for June, nothing too exciting but that is how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
I will post my goals for July tomorrow (Monday).
GL all!
July Goals
Alright alright, time for some July goals. But first:
I cashed in the ThanksGG-Freeroll yesterday! Not the worst way to end June.
And now, my goals for the month of July:
Main Goals:
[ ] 20k hands (minimum)
[ ] 80hrs playing
[ ] 40hrs studying
Bonus Goals:
[ ] Take a shot at PLO5
[ ] Build a proper HUD and some individual reports in H2N
Basically, I plan to play another 10k hands at PLO2 R&C (finished by mid-July at the latest) and then take a 10BI shot at PLO5. But first and foremost I want to keep improving my game. I still have many videos of "From the Ground Up" left to watch. And I still have a lot of work to do on my preflop ranges.
Anyway, I am looking forward to see where my stats are after the next 10k hands:
One last note:
I should have converted the rest of my C$ in a few weeks, which is nice.
That's all for now, have a good July!
I did a horrible job of updating this month ... But nothing too notable happened and I barely played for the first 10 days of the month anyway.
However, I am pretty close to taking a shot at PLO5. I only need like 500 more hands at PLO2 R&C. I will take tomorrow (Friday) off from playing because I have some stuff to do at noon and then I will go to the movies in the evening but I will study for 2-3 hours. So I will need until Saturday to finish those last few hundred hands.
I am not quite sure yet if I want to attack PLO5 right away or if I should work on my game for the rest of the month and attack PLO5 fresh and rested in August. And toe be honest, I am also really tempted to buy the new NCAA 25 which would be a huge time commitment obv lol. I never played the old ones, but I saw some of the gameplay and the game looks really good, better than Madden IMO.
Anyway, I will post a graph once I have hit 20k hands at PLO2 R&C. In the meantime, some hands from this month so far:
1) Biggest pot won this month:
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG: $2.00 (100 bb)
MP: $0.49 (25 bb)
CO: $4.73 (237 bb)
BU: $1.97 (99 bb)
SB: $1.50 (75 bb)
BB (Hero): $5.57 (279 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BB with J♠ 4♦ A♦ A♠
UTG raises to $0.06, 1 fold, CO 3-bets to $0.21, 2 players fold, Hero 4-bets to $0.70, 1 fold, CO calls $0.49
Flop: ($1.47) 3♥ 9♣ 7♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $1.47, CO calls $1.47
Turn: ($4.41) 6♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $3.40 (all-in), CO calls $2.56 (all-in)
River: ($9.53) 6♥ (2 players, 2 all-in)
Total pot: $9.53 (Rake: $0.13)
Showdown:
Spoiler
BB (Hero) shows J♠ 4♦ A♦ A♠ (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 65%, Flop: 55%, Turn: 63%, River: 100%)
CO shows 5♣ 9♦ T♣ Q♣ (two pair, Nines and Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 35%, Flop: 45%, Turn: 38%, River: 0%)
BB (Hero) wins $9.40
2) Biggest pot lost this month. Nothing you can do, people go really crazy in those cash drop hands lol
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG: $17.59 (880 bb)
MP: $2.04 (102 bb)
CO: $1.62 (81 bb)
BU: $1.90 (95 bb)
SB: $2.02 (101 bb)
BB (Hero): $2.00 (100 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.23) Hero is BB with A♠ 5♦ J♠ A♣
UTG calls $0.02, MP raises to $0.16, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.16, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to $0.80, 1 fold, MP calls $0.64, BTN calls $0.64
Flop: ($2.63) 6♥ 7♦ Q♠ (3 players)
Hero bets $1.20 (all-in), MP calls $1.20, BTN calls $1.10 (all-in)
Turn: ($6.13) 4♥ (3 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($6.13) 7♥ (3 players, 2 all-in)
Total pot: $6.13 (Rake: $1.27)
Showdown:
Spoiler
BB (Hero) shows A♠ 5♦ J♠ A♣ (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 52%, Flop: 50%, Turn: 6%, River: 0%)
MP shows K♦ 8♥ 4♦ K♠ (two pair, Kings and Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 27%, Flop: 27%, Turn: 14%, River: 0%)
BU shows 7♠ 9♠ 4♠ 4♣ (a full house, Sevens full of Fours)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 21%, Flop: 23%, Turn: 81%, River: 100%)
BB (Hero) wins $0.20
BU wins $4.66
3) Villian just flat called AAxx SS BB vs my UTG RFI ... I probably find a fold vs bigger river leads
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG: $2.21 (111 bb)
MP: $1.69 (85 bb)
CO: $2.00 (100 bb)
BU (Hero): $3.65 (183 bb)
SB: $1.74 (87 bb)
BB: $0.38 (19 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BTN with Q♥ 7♥ Q♣ T♣
UTG calls $0.02, 2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.09, 2 players fold, UTG calls $0.07
Flop: ($0.21) K♥ A♦ J♥ (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.12, UTG calls $0.12
Turn: ($0.45) 4♣ (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.36, UTG calls $0.36
River: ($1.17) A♣ (2 players)
UTG bets $0.36, Hero calls $0.36
Total pot: $1.89 (Rake: $0.09)
Showdown:
Spoiler
UTG shows 9♠ A♠ A♥ 5♣ (four of a kind, Aces)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 62%, Flop: 37%, Turn: 25%, River: 100%)
BU (Hero) shows Q♥ 7♥ Q♣ T♣ (a straight, Ten to Ace)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 38%, Flop: 63%, Turn: 75%, River: 0%)
UTG wins $1.80
4) Not sure if he is shoving for value or if he decided to turn his hand into a bluff?
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG: $5.97 (299 bb)
MP: $6.25 (313 bb)
CO: $2.00 (100 bb)
BU: $3.44 (172 bb)
SB: $6.02 (301 bb)
BB (Hero): $3.01 (151 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BB with J♦ 9♠ 8♦ 7♠
1 fold, MP raises to $0.06, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.06, SB 3-bets to $0.26, Hero calls $0.24, MP calls $0.20, BTN calls $0.20
Flop: ($1.04) T♠ 2♥ 3♣ (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP checks, BTN checks
Turn: ($1.04) J♠ (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.04, MP calls $1.04, BTN calls $1.04, SB folds
River: ($4.16) 4♠ (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $4.16, BU folds, Hero calls $1.71 (all-in)
Total pot: $7.58 (Rake: $0.13)
Showdown:
Spoiler
MP shows T♥ 5♥ A♣ J♣ (a straight, Ace to Five)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 52%, Flop: 83%, Turn: 50%, River: 0%)
BB (Hero) shows J♦ 9♠ 8♦ 7♠ (a flush, Jack high)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 48%, Flop: 17%, Turn: 50%, River: 100%)
BB (Hero) wins $7.45
5) His call on the flop is pretty ... ambitious?
GGPoker, Omaha Pot Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Pokeit
UTG (Hero): $2.72 (136 bb)
MP: $2.00 (100 bb)
CO: $2.00 (100 bb)
BU: $2.41 (121 bb)
SB: $0.16 (8 bb)
BB: $2.40 (120 bb)
Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is UTG with A♥ 5♦ J♥ A♦
Hero raises to $0.07, MP calls $0.07, 4 players fold
Flop: ($0.17) 2♦ 6♥ J♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $0.09, Hero raises to $0.44, MP calls $0.35
Turn: ($1.05) 4♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.53, MP calls $0.53
River: ($2.11) 7♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $0.96 (all-in), Hero calls $0.96
Total pot: $4.03 (Rake: $0.13)
Showdown:
Spoiler
MP shows A♠ 4♦ 3♦ Q♠ (a pair of Fours)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 31%, Flop: 13%, Turn: 18%, River: 0%)
UTG (Hero) shows A♥ 5♦ J♥ A♦ (a pair of Aces)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 69%, Flop: 87%, Turn: 83%, River: 100%)
UTG (Hero) wins $3.90
