A New Beginning

Swingy day, flips are hard to win

Few hands

H1 - Wanted to be a nit for once

iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 100 BB
Hero (BTN): 145.8 BB
SB: 105.6 BB
BB: 39.6 BB
UTG: 206.35 BB
MP: 114.55 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♠ 4♠

UTG raises to 2.5 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 2.5 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (6.5 BB, 2 players) 4♥ T♥ 4♦
UTG bets 4.55 BB, Hero calls 4.55 BB

Turn: (15.6 BB, 2 players) 3♦
UTG bets 10.9 BB, Hero raises to 36.2 BB, UTG calls 25.3 BB

River: (88 BB, 2 players) Q♥
UTG checks, Hero checks

UTG shows Q♦ Q♠ (Full House, Queens full of Fours)
(Pre 67%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
Hero mucks A♠ 4♠ (Three of a Kind, Fours)
(Pre 33%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
UTG wins 85.35 BB

H2 - Disgusting but if I fold AA here I am folding way too much?

iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 22.95 BB
SB: 140.1 BB
BB: 74.55 BB
UTG: 217.7 BB
Hero (CO): 225 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♥ A♣

UTG raises to 2.2 BB, Hero raises to 6.6 BB, fold, fold, fold, UTG calls 4.4 BB

Flop: (14.7 BB, 2 players) 2♠ 5♣ 4♦
UTG bets 4.85 BB, Hero raises to 29.25 BB, UTG raises to 211.1 BB, Hero calls 181.85 BB

Turn: (436.9 BB, 2 players) 4♣

River: (436.9 BB, 2 players) K♠

UTG shows 5♠ 5♦ (Full House, Fives full of Fours)
(Pre 20%, Flop 80%, Turn 95%)
Hero mucks A♥ A♣ (Two Pair, Aces and Fours)
(Pre 80%, Flop 20%, Turn 5%)
UTG wins 431.9 BB

H3 - blastin

iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 110.3 BB
MP: 100 BB
CO: 234.1 BB
BTN: 102.1 BB
SB: 64.25 BB
Hero (BB): 151 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♦ K♦

fold, fold, CO raises to 2.2 BB, fold, SB calls 1.7 BB, Hero raises to 12.4 BB, CO calls 10.2 BB, fold

Flop: (27 BB, 2 players) Q♥ 3♣ 8♠
Hero bets 8.9 BB, CO calls 8.9 BB

Turn: (44.8 BB, 2 players) 6♥
Hero bets 33.6 BB, CO calls 33.6 BB

River: (112 BB, 2 players) 6♦
Hero bets 96.1 BB, fold

Hero mucks J♦ K♦ (One Pair, Sixes)

Hero wins 108.65 BB

H4 - Villain was agrofish so I decided to look him up

iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 100 BB
SB: 200.85 BB
BB: 101.2 BB
UTG: 100 BB
Hero (CO): 152.6 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 5♥ 5♠

fold, Hero raises to 2.2 BB, BTN raises to 7 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 4.8 BB

Flop: (15.5 BB, 2 players) T♠ 2♦ 3♦
Hero checks, BTN bets 4.45 BB, Hero calls 4.45 BB

Turn: (24.4 BB, 2 players) 3♠
Hero checks, BTN bets 22 BB, Hero calls 22 BB

River: (68.4 BB, 2 players) 7♣
Hero checks, BTN bets 66.55 BB, Hero calls 66.55 BB

Hero shows 5♥ 5♠ (Two Pair, Fives and Threes)
(Pre 51%, Flop 71%, Turn 86%)
BTN shows Q♥ J♠ (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 49%, Flop 29%, Turn 14%)
Hero wins 196.5 BB

H5 - Folding pre 90% of the time but HJ was 3betting really loosely all the time. Had like 5 sec timebank on flop so didn't really have time to make the correct decision. Doubt that he is capable of slowplaying AA & KK pre and would mostly slowplay Qx. Checked GTOw and my hand calls 45% of time so ig not a total blunder.

iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: 286.65 BB
CO: 38.4 BB
BTN: 122.25 BB
SB: 100 BB
Hero (BB): 100 BB
UTG: 159.8 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T♦ T♥

UTG raises to 3 BB, MP raises to 9 BB, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 23 BB, fold, MP calls 14 BB

Flop: (49.5 BB, 2 players) 9♥ Q♠ 5♥
Hero bets 12.35 BB, MP raises to 263.65 BB, Hero calls 64.65 BB

Turn: (203.5 BB, 2 players) 8♦

Players agreed to run it twice.

Turn #2: (203.5 BB, 2 players) K♦

River: (203.5 BB, 2 players) 9♣

River #2: (203.5 BB, 2 players) A♠

MP shows Q♦ A♥ (Two Pair, Queens and Nines)
Board #1 (Pre 43%, Flop 88%, Turn 86%)
(Two Pair, Aces and Queens)
Board #2 (Pre 45%, Flop 88%, Turn 86%)

Hero mucks T♦ T♥ (Two Pair, Tens and Nines)
Board #1 (Pre 57%, Flop 12%, Turn 14%)
(One Pair, Tens)
Board #2 (Pre 55%, Flop 12%, Turn 14%)

MP wins 99.25 BB
MP wins 99.25 BB

Depends on the type of opponent. Against a fish who can overplay his Over Pairs, it looks okay. But against a reg, I would be inclined to fold with such deep stacks.

Games were going well in NL20 so I decided to mix NL50 today.

February so far = +794.93€

Congratz! Can I ask u in which room do u play and %of rakeback?

Thanks mate

I play on Stars and IPoker. Unfortunately I get no rb on IPoker and I think my Stars rb% is less now bcuz of the wnb supernova update 😀(

NL50 shot

Ran really good at the start then got hit by variance. Running it twice has saved me countless times lately 😀

I still feel pretty confident playing that stake and the most of the players there don't seem to be that tough. Sessions have been a bit swingy but there is sometimes nothing much to do when getting AK vs AA in pre 3 times in 2 minutes. Just kept it cool and played my A game regardless of previous beats.

Let's see if I can keep my winrate after 50k hands :P

February so far:

Sunday graph

In poker everything can go wrong in a span of few minutes which resulted in me having my first losing session of this month. Honestly don't even mind the loss because I couldn't really do much in the spots where I lost money. I should have kept to my 3 buy-in stoploss rule since I felt like I wasn't playing my A-game anymore after losing so much in a span of 5 minutes.

While it's hard to study how to win preflop flips, I believe that a losing session can be really beneficial for my progress as a poker player and it gives me motivation to review my play more deeply and notice & fix possible leaks. While being on a heater for multiple days in a row it can feel unnecessary to study alongside playing due to already having good results. Todays session actually gave me a reason to go drill some common spots in GTO Wizard since I noticed some leaks in the hands I played recently.

I hope in a few months I can look back at my previous self and laugh at the fact that a 300€ loss seemed substantial. I am still proud of myself for the progress for the fact that I only started 2 months ago with just a 20€ bankroll. I set a goal of making 2500€ this month from poker and I believe I have a chance of achieving it. After 11 days the result is + 1025.64€
Staying optimistic 😀

H1 - Felt stupid after this hand but it seemed correct after all

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (SB): 104.18 BB
BB: 102 BB
CO: 126.22 BB
BTN: 130.5 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T♦ T♥

CO raises to 3 BB, fold, Hero raises to 12 BB, fold, CO calls 9 BB

Flop: (25 BB, 2 players) K♥ 9♥ 7♦
Hero checks, CO bets 12.5 BB, Hero calls 12.5 BB

Turn: (50 BB, 2 players) 8♥
Hero checks, CO bets 25 BB, Hero raises to 79.68 BB, CO calls 54.68 BB

River: (209.36 BB, 2 players) 6♣

CO shows A♥ 5♥ (Flush, Ace High)
(Pre 33%, Flop 43%, Turn 100%)
Hero mucks T♦ T♥ (Straight, Ten High)
(Pre 67%, Flop 57%, Turn 0%)
CO wins 206.36 BB

H2 - Thought about checking the river to allow him to blast off missed draws but decided to just jam to get value from weak aces...

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: 104.24 BB
CO: 113.12 BB
BTN: 228.78 BB
Hero (SB): 106.24 BB
BB: 40.3 BB
UTG: 51.3 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♠ K♠

fold, MP raises to 2.2 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 11.4 BB, fold, MP calls 9.2 BB

Flop: (23.8 BB, 2 players) A♥ 8♦ 2♦
Hero bets 7.84 BB, MP calls 7.84 BB

Turn: (39.48 BB, 2 players) 3♠
Hero bets 19.74 BB, MP calls 19.74 BB

River: (78.96 BB, 2 players) 5♣
Hero bets 67.26 BB, MP calls 65.26 BB

MP shows 4♣ A♣ (Straight, Five High)
(Pre 30%, Flop 13%, Turn 16%)
Hero mucks A♠ K♠ (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 70%, Flop 87%, Turn 84%)
MP wins 206.48 BB

H3 - This hand actually tilted me because the villain was super passive and nitty shitreg who I considered terrible. I think I can actually consider folding AK here because solver doesn't take in account the fact that villain might miss a chromosome

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): 100 BB
UTG: 111.5 BB
MP: 184.52 BB
CO: 107.42 BB
BTN: 114.32 BB
SB: 133.42 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♣ K♥

fold, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to 4 BB, Hero raises to 10 BB, SB raises to 133.42 BB, Hero calls 90 BB

Flop: (200 BB, 2 players) 7♠ K♣ Q♥

Turn: (200 BB, 2 players) 3♦

River: (200 BB, 2 players) 3♥

SB shows A♠ A♥ (Two Pair, Aces and Threes)
(Pre 93%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
Hero mucks A♣ K♥ (Two Pair, Kings and Threes)
(Pre 7%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
SB wins 197 BB

I don't think i would of played any of these hands differently except of TT, he double barreled and i would just fold TT on turn and fight for another day, i always tell myself to avoid crazy plays on micro stakes because putting large sum of stack on a bluff catcher always makes me lose in the long run.

Nightmare graph indeed, wish you luck next sessions but you still up 1k so it's all good, you're on right track.

NL50 update

At one point I basically lost around 12 buy-ins in a row in a span of <1000 hands Wasn't even tilting just constantly running into nuts and losing flips.

I somehow have been more passionate about learning solver outputs than actually playing. I have done a fair share of drilling practice mode in GTO Wizard daily.

Gonna grind some NL20 for a few days then try NL50 again

Gave NL50 one more try just because weekends are filled with recreationals. During the session I just couldn't win a hand. Few thousand hands is a really small sample but its starting to create a mental barrier when every session lately ends up in me losing 100% of flips and facing always the top of villains range. I'm not sure if I should deviate a lot more from theory and just be super nitty with calling villains because lately I have only seen them betting the nuts. Starting to feel afraid to raise for value because villain seems to always have the 1 combo of trapped nuts they shouldn't even have in their range according to theory 😃

I noticed that one of my leaks is sometimes being way too theory-oriented in spots vs unbalanced shitregs. I just need to learn to fold when the 15/10/5 nit starts blasting.

H1 - vs weekend funplayer

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 100 BB
BB: 108.86 BB
UTG: 352.9 BB
Hero (MP): 100 BB
CO: 144.78 BB
BTN: 103.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♥ J♠

fold, Hero raises to 2.24 BB, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 1.24 BB

Flop: (4.98 BB, 2 players) J♣ 7♥ 3♦
BB bets 2 BB, Hero calls 2 BB

Turn: (8.98 BB, 2 players) Q♠
BB bets 3 BB, Hero raises to 13.48 BB, BB calls 10.48 BB

River: (35.94 BB, 2 players) T♦
BB bets 7 BB, Hero raises to 82.28 BB, BB calls 75.28 BB

Hero mucks J♥ J♠ (Three of a Kind, Jacks)
(Pre 68%, Flop 94%, Turn 91%)
BB shows 9♣ K♣ (Straight, King High)
(Pre 32%, Flop 6%, Turn 9%)
BB wins 197.5 BB

H2 - Never saw a bluff in this spot. Idk honestly how I could have played this differently

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (SB): 100.5 BB
BB: 198.12 BB
UTG: 131.66 BB
CO: 101 BB
BTN: 481.42 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♣ A♠

fold, fold, BTN raises to 2.5 BB, Hero raises to 11.6 BB, fold, BTN calls 9.1 BB

Flop: (24.2 BB, 2 players) A♥ 2♦ 7♣
Hero bets 6.04 BB, BTN raises to 16.08 BB, Hero calls 10.04 BB

Turn: (56.36 BB, 2 players) 8♦
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (56.36 BB, 2 players) 4♦
Hero checks, BTN bets 453.74 BB, Hero calls 72.82 BB

BTN shows T♦ 9♦ (Flush, Ten High)
(Pre 23%, Flop 6%, Turn 30%)
Hero mucks A♣ A♠ (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 77%, Flop 94%, Turn 70%)
BTN wins 199 BB

H3 - Fold pre

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 69.78 BB
Hero (BB): 105.14 BB
UTG: 111 BB
MP: 100.96 BB
CO: 103.42 BB
BTN: 100 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♠ A♣

UTG raises to 2 BB, fold, CO calls 2 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 14 BB, UTG raises to 34 BB, fold, Hero calls 20 BB

Flop: (70.5 BB, 2 players) 5♥ 6♦ 9♦
Hero checks, UTG checks

Turn: (70.5 BB, 2 players) K♥
Hero bets 17.62 BB, UTG raises to 77 BB, Hero calls 53.52 BB

River: (212.78 BB, 2 players) K♠

UTG shows A♥ K♣ (Three of a Kind, Kings)
(Pre 7%, Flop 1%, Turn 5%)
Hero mucks A♠ A♣ (Two Pair, Aces and Kings)
(Pre 93%, Flop 99%, Turn 95%)
UTG wins 209.78 BB

H4 - Honeslty I wasn't even paying enough attention to the board midst playing. All options seem a bit tricky. Ran the hand in GTOw afterwards and my specific combo was the only one pure jamming river :P

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (MP): 148.66 BB
CO: 154.4 BB
BTN: 103.6 BB
SB: 111 BB
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 105.7 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K♥ A♣

fold, Hero raises to 2.24 BB, fold, BTN raises to 7.5 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 22.76 BB, BTN calls 15.26 BB

Flop: (47.02 BB, 2 players) J♦ K♠ 4♠
Hero bets 11.76 BB, BTN calls 11.76 BB

Turn: (70.54 BB, 2 players) T♥
Hero bets 23.26 BB, BTN calls 23.26 BB

River: (117.06 BB, 2 players) 4♣
Hero bets 90.88 BB, BTN calls 45.82 BB

Hero mucks K♥ A♣ (Two Pair, Kings and Fours)
(Pre 74%, Flop 83%, Turn 3%)
BTN shows Q♦ A♥ (Straight, Ace High)
(Pre 26%, Flop 17%, Turn 97%)
BTN wins 205.7 BB

H5 - Villain was a station rec. Thought that he shouldn't have many Kx and if he somehow did, most recs would just donk them. Decided to bet river for "value" all facts considered

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 125.08 BB
UTG: 109.92 BB
MP: 302.8 BB
Hero (CO): 169.4 BB
BTN: 107.4 BB
SB: 250.04 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♦ Q♣

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.22 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 1.22 BB

Flop: (4.94 BB, 2 players) K♣ 2♠ A♥
BB checks, Hero bets 6.18 BB, BB calls 6.18 BB

Turn: (17.3 BB, 2 players) 9♠
BB checks, Hero bets 21.62 BB, BB calls 21.62 BB

River: (60.54 BB, 2 players) K♦
BB checks, Hero bets 39.96 BB, BB calls 39.96 BB

Hero mucks A♦ Q♣ (Two Pair, Aces and Kings)
(Pre 63%, Flop 82%, Turn 89%)
BB shows K♥ J♠ (Three of a Kind, Kings)
(Pre 37%, Flop 18%, Turn 11%)
BB wins 137.46 BB

H6 - Saved some money. Could honestly have just folded since villain was really loose n bad and has all the straights

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 400.48 BB
UTG: 177.88 BB
MP: 129.28 BB
Hero (CO): 105.2 BB
BTN: 100 BB
SB: 329.24 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K♦ K♣

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.22 BB, fold, fold, BB raises to 6.44 BB, Hero raises to 22.54 BB, BB calls 16.1 BB

Flop: (45.58 BB, 2 players) 8♦ 4♠ 7♣
BB checks, Hero bets 11.4 BB, BB calls 11.4 BB

Turn: (68.38 BB, 2 players) 6♣
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (68.38 BB, 2 players) 3♦
BB bets 34.18 BB, Hero calls 34.18 BB

Hero mucks K♦ K♣ (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 79%, Flop 64%, Turn 0%)
BB shows T♣ 9♣ (Straight, Ten High)
(Pre 21%, Flop 36%, Turn 100%)
BB wins 133.74 BB

No can do back to grinding NL20 for real this time

After being stuck for a while now I have been doing some self reflection on my results and found the spots where I have been bleeding the most money. My current playstyle has been mostly GTO-oriented and I have been doing my best to play a balanced strategy. However opening and defending a balanced range of hands have its downsides especially when it comes to low to medium pocket pairs and suited connectors. Ik I'm not supposed to pure open / defend them vs 3bet in every spot but I feel like I should just be way nittier than in theory when it comes to playing those hands.

Reviewing my PT4 stats I found that I keep losing so many BB's in the long run calling 3bets with hands the solver calls 100% of the time and inevitably completely miss the flop. Can't recall the last time I hit a set and stacked villain in 3bet pot. Obviously I do more folding against players who have a very low 3bet% but even against somewhat competent players I just keep losing money defending when "getting a good price to hit my hand".

Found that this thing exists and I just get depressed every time I look at it.

I guess I'll become a nit for a while and check if my results improve

Light at the end of the tunnel

After 6 days of stagnant results it felt really good having a +16 buyin day. Felt like I was running good and playing really focused so I just decided to keep going for multiple hours. Pumped up the tables from 6 to 9 and found it to be a bit too much. Constantly timing out on other tables while trying to make a decision. Didn't really make any drastic changes to my game, just kept playing overall solid.

One more +ev change is me finding Jarretman's old 500zoom play n explains. I feel like I know certain spots way better now and understand the reasons for different actions / betsizes for specific boards just from watching a couple of videos daily.

If the heater continues I'll be back to NL50 soon.

Sick session man! Yes Jarretman's videos are really good value. I wouldn't try to 1-1 copy solver like he does, but he shares a lot of concepts and reasoning for his actions. What works for me is while watching his vod, sim all the spots on the side. And see if you can make sense of it.

GL

February 2024 recap

Poker is slowly starting to become a profitable side hustle. Cool to make even 4 figures playing cards in a month. Grinded most of the hands during the first 2 weeks of February then slowly decreased the volume due to my finals approaching quickly and spending more time studying for them. I also didn't want to force myself to play and mainly played when I really felt like it. Got stuck for almost a week and it kind of depleted my motivation for a while. Alongside working on my poker game, I have also done a lot more focus on my physical health. Stopped skipping workouts and nowdays I workout every day by either going to the gym or running.

Almost 99% of my profits this month came from NL20 since I ended up exactly breakeven from NL50. Played around 1500 hands of NL10 and won around 61,40€. I'll keep stay on NL20 for a while then maybe try to shot NL50 again next month.

NL20

NL50

Another amazing NL50 shot

Last 3 NL50 shots have gone terribly. Just keep losing every big pot and constantly facing coolers. I have been printing money in NL20 after a big sample but somehow I just can't win in NL50. I doubt that the players on one level higher are just suddenly 100 times better however I could be mistaken. Feels like every big pot I play I am against either AA or a set even when the villains have loose / normal stats. I am getting really paranoid to play NL50 due to recent negative variance on that stake. Last 7-9k NL50 hands are just straight down while winning in NL20 with around 13bb winrate.

I guess my biggest enemy in NL50 is variance but grinding a 5k br playing NL20 doesn't seem appealing. It just feels frustrating to win 4-5 days in a row then lose all the profits in an instant running terribly while shotting a higher stake. I gotta start being way nittier than in theory calling when down bets from villains because they basically had it every time. I have been occasionally watching gameplay from higher stakes and made the mistake of assuming the regs in my limits are also capable of critical thinking. "Regs" 2x donkoverbetshoving immortal nuts IP is indeed a thing.

On a positive note I have been eating healthier and working out consistently lately and I am in the best shape of my life 😀

H1 - Probably a mistake. Not sure if I am getting called by anything worse, A3 & 6s7s?

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (CO): 105.22 BB
BTN: 17.88 BB
SB: 113.06 BB
BB: 120.88 BB
UTG: 149.62 BB
MP: 111.04 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 5♦ 5♣

fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.3 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 1.3 BB

Flop: (5.1 BB, 2 players) 5♥ 3♠ A♠
BB checks, Hero bets 2.54 BB, BB raises to 6.98 BB, Hero calls 4.44 BB

Turn: (19.06 BB, 2 players) 7♦
BB bets 23.82 BB, Hero raises to 95.94 BB, BB calls 72.12 BB

River: (210.94 BB, 2 players) T♠

Hero mucks 5♦ 5♣ (Three of a Kind, Fives)
(Pre 66%, Flop 72%, Turn 23%)
BB shows 4♥ 6♥ (Straight, Seven High)
(Pre 34%, Flop 28%, Turn 77%)
BB wins 207.94 BB

H2 - Vs the same weekend whale iirc. Villain has both flushdraws and few straights and even 99 it seems like.

iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 100 BB
MP: 192.4 BB
CO: 361.25 BB
Hero (BTN): 153.75 BB
SB: 161.4 BB
BB: 113.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T♠ K♠

fold, MP calls 1 BB, CO calls 1 BB, Hero raises to 5 BB, fold, fold, MP calls 4 BB, CO calls 4 BB

Flop: (16.5 BB, 3 players) T♥ K♦ 3♥
MP checks, CO bets 2 BB, Hero raises to 11.25 BB, MP calls 11.25 BB, fold

Turn: (41 BB, 2 players) 9♦
MP checks, Hero bets 51.25 BB, MP raises to 136.3 BB, Hero raises to 137.5 BB, MP calls 1.2 BB

River: (316 BB, 2 players) J♦

MP shows 9♥ 9♠ (Three of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 53%, Flop 13%, Turn 91%)
Hero mucks T♠ K♠ (Two Pair, Kings and Tens)
(Pre 47%, Flop 87%, Turn 9%)
MP wins 311 BB

H3 - BB was a obvious rec and CO was a bad reg. Feels too nitty to fold top top when he could easily have the same hand or a worse top pair.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 129.16 BB
Hero (BTN): 364.54 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 159.9 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q♣ A♥

CO raises to 2.3 BB, Hero raises to 6.9 BB, fold, BB calls 5.9 BB, CO calls 4.6 BB

Flop: (21.2 BB, 3 players) 2♣ Q♥ 4♠
BB bets 1 BB, CO calls 1 BB, Hero raises to 16.96 BB, fold, CO calls 15.96 BB

Turn: (56.12 BB, 2 players) T♥
CO checks, Hero bets 28.06 BB, CO raises to 105.3 BB, Hero calls 77.24 BB

River: (266.72 BB, 2 players) 4♦

CO shows 2♠ 2♦ (Full House, Twos full of Fours)
(Pre 53%, Flop 96%, Turn 100%)
Hero mucks Q♣ A♥ (Two Pair, Queens and Fours)
(Pre 47%, Flop 4%, Turn 0%)
CO wins 263.72 BB

Torrid variance at 50, this game can be dumb sometimes.

H1) nothing wrong, just ridic cooler. if this was vs a fish id look to fast play flop at a decent freq and 3bet/gii. they will stack off with 33/A3/FDs/Ax, seen fish flatting AKo in BB and they flat AQ basically 100%. obv standard to flat & shove turns IP

H2) id raise flop to 15/16 vs these whales. turn id go under pot but pretty close to it then look to jam brickish rivers. always sucks getting x/raised as they likely have a made hand, im not seeing these players x/r draws, its always a made hand. not solid enough evidence to deviate from though, just always seems the case. we are never folding here

H3) yeah again, same as above. it never seems to be a draw. never a fold in theory but real life it gets closer with Ah. really doubt I fold either. thing is he has QT and all sets bar QQ

Sucks, you're definitely winning at 50nl hang in there

Fold H3, A♥ is a horrible card to have vs a bad reg who probably just has combo draws and 2p+

Quick month update

Have been really busy with finals this month and have not had time for poker, only played occasional 45m-1h sessions from time to time. However they are completely over after the end of March. This basically means I have nothing to do for the rest of spring and I decided to put all my efforts into poker and try to get into NL200 by the end of the year.

I am going to start a proper study routine for poker next month and actually produce a relevant graph

gl

GLGL

GLGL, keep up the good work!

Ty for support

Sessions were going well in NL20 this week so I once again decided to shot NL50 today. You can probaly guess from the this weeks graph when the shot took place.

This is my 4th or 5th attempt to play NL50 but for some reason I just always lose there. I have played around 80k hands of NL20 and still have a 13.5bb/100 winrate there but I am unable to book a win playing higher. Starting to feel really frustrating being stuck in a babystake for multiple months now. I guess there is nothing else to do than keep working on my game and perhaps give a sacrifice to the poker gods. My mental game is usually pretty strong but today I was definitely in passive tilt. Started to play faster and made bad decisions mostly out of impulse.

All big & interesting hands from today. Would like to hear feedback

H1

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 115.02 BB
MP: 195.18 BB
CO: 38.7 BB
BTN: 117.58 BB
SB: 153.78 BB
Hero (BB): 101.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 9♦ 7♦

UTG raises to 2.2 BB, fold, CO calls 2.2 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 1.2 BB

Flop: (7.1 BB, 3 players) 4♦ 8♦ 9♠
Hero checks, UTG bets 2.34 BB, fold, Hero raises to 14.12 BB, UTG raises to 37.08 BB, Hero raises to 99.3 BB, UTG calls 62.22 BB

Turn: (205.7 BB, 2 players) Q♦

River: (205.7 BB, 2 players) 9♥

UTG shows 4♠ 4♥ (Full House, Fours full of Nines)
(Pre 48%, Flop 67%, Turn 20%)
Hero mucks 9♦ 7♦ (Flush, Queen High)
(Pre 52%, Flop 33%, Turn 80%)
UTG wins 202.7 BB

H2 - Solver isn't a fan of the 50% size on flop and really dislikes shoving there. It just felt awkward playing certains turns with low spr and I just preferred to get it in given the amount of equity I had on the flop.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 101.94 BB
UTG: 100 BB
MP: 100 BB
Hero (CO): 148.3 BB
BTN: 100 BB
SB: 100 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q♠ A♠

fold, MP raises to 3 BB, Hero raises to 9 BB, fold, fold, fold, MP calls 6 BB

Flop: (19.5 BB, 2 players) T♦ 6♠ K♠
MP checks, Hero bets 9.74 BB, MP raises to 34.1 BB, Hero raises to 139.3 BB, MP calls 56.9 BB

Turn: (201.5 BB, 2 players) 8♥

Players agreed to run it twice.

Turn #2: (201.5 BB, 2 players) 3♥

River: (201.5 BB, 2 players) 5♦

River #2: (201.5 BB, 2 players) 2♥

MP shows 6♣ 6♥ (Three of a Kind, Sixes)
Board #1 (Pre 52%, Flop 67%, Turn 77%)
(Three of a Kind, Sixes)
Board #2 (Pre 50%, Flop 66%, Turn 76%)

Hero mucks Q♠ A♠ (High Card, Ace)
Board #1 (Pre 48%, Flop 33%, Turn 23%)
(High Card, Ace)
Board #2 (Pre 50%, Flop 34%, Turn 24%)

MP wins 99.26 BB
MP wins 99.24 BB

H3 - Really annoying spot. Felt nitty folding everything except a straight but in hindsight I should have just sighfolded instead of chasing a boardpair like a fish.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 130.7 BB
UTG: 156.5 BB
CO: 62.16 BB
BTN: 187.86 BB
Hero (SB): 118.1 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♠ J♦

UTG raises to 2.5 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 11.2 BB, fold, UTG calls 8.7 BB

Flop: (23.4 BB, 2 players) A♦ Q♥ T♣
Hero bets 7.72 BB, UTG calls 7.72 BB

Turn: (38.84 BB, 2 players) J♥
Hero checks, UTG bets 30 BB, Hero calls 30 BB

River: (98.84 BB, 2 players) 3♠
Hero checks, UTG bets 107.58 BB, fold

UTG wins 95.86 BB

H4 - Not sure of the turn sizing. I like my giveup

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 178.32 BB
CO: 141.66 BB
BTN: 239.94 BB
SB: 108.28 BB
Hero (BB): 123.44 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K♦ 9♦

fold, fold, fold, SB raises to 3 BB, Hero raises to 10 BB, SB calls 7 BB

Flop: (20 BB, 2 players) 6♦ J♠ 5♠
SB checks, Hero bets 10 BB, SB calls 10 BB

Turn: (40 BB, 2 players) A♦
SB checks, Hero bets 26.4 BB, SB calls 26.4 BB

River: (92.8 BB, 2 players) Q♠
SB checks, Hero checks

SB shows T♠ A♠ (Flush, Ace High)
(Pre 62%, Flop 83%, Turn 80%)
Hero mucks K♦ 9♦ (High Card, Ace)
(Pre 38%, Flop 17%, Turn 20%)
SB wins 90 BB

H5 - Really dislike this. My already tilting brain gave me excuses to call and my thought process was that villain was an aggressive reg and UTG shouldn't open that much 33-55 & 76s. Actually solver calls here more than 50% of the time but in reality my call is just awful and JJ is never good here.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 130.62 BB
MP: 148.5 BB
Hero (CO): 100 BB
BTN: 100 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 139.94 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♦ J♠

UTG raises to 2.2 BB, fold, Hero raises to 6.6 BB, fold, fold, fold, UTG calls 4.4 BB

Flop: (14.7 BB, 2 players) T♥ 5♠ 4♣
UTG checks, Hero bets 11.02 BB, UTG calls 11.02 BB

Turn: (36.74 BB, 2 players) 3♦
UTG checks, Hero bets 24.24 BB, UTG raises to 113 BB, Hero calls 58.14 BB

River: (201.5 BB, 2 players) A♣

UTG shows 4♥ 4♠ (Three of a Kind, Fours)
(Pre 19%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
Hero mucks J♦ J♠ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 81%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
UTG wins 198.5 BB

H6 - Yeah this was terrible from me even when ignoring the outcome, dislike my play in every street. I usually dont flat the SB but the BB was a passive fish who wasn't 3betting. Raised too small on the flop. I was actually suprised that I should check the turn 99% of the time in theory. I usually shove the river but in this time I opted for a block which doesnt make any sense. This specific villain had really agro stats and had been raising me in every hand so I hoped that he would turn some pairs with a heart into a bluff. In retrospect this was just terrible.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 76.7 BB
Hero (SB): 136.14 BB
BB: 124.52 BB
UTG: 101.8 BB
MP: 153.48 BB
CO: 116.04 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 3♠ 3♦

fold, MP raises to 2.2 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 1.7 BB, fold

Flop: (5.4 BB, 2 players) 3♥ 4♣ 6♥
Hero checks, MP bets 1.78 BB, Hero raises to 5.54 BB, MP calls 3.76 BB

Turn: (16.48 BB, 2 players) 6♠
Hero bets 12.36 BB, MP calls 12.36 BB

River: (41.2 BB, 2 players) 8♥
Hero bets 10.3 BB, MP raises to 133.38 BB, Hero calls 105.74 BB

MP shows 4♦ 4♥ (Full House, Fours full of Sixes)
(Pre 81%, Flop 94%, Turn 98%)
Hero mucks 3♠ 3♦ (Full House, Threes full of Sixes)
(Pre 19%, Flop 6%, Turn 2%)
MP wins 270.28 BB

H7 - Table was breaking up. I recall HU-ranges being wider so I just went for it.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 2 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 109.3 BB
Hero (BB): 138.8 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 9♥ 9♦

SB raises to 2.5 BB, Hero raises to 11.2 BB, SB raises to 24.9 BB, Hero raises to 138.8 BB, SB calls 84.4 BB

Flop: (218.6 BB, 2 players) 4♠ 5♥ T♦

Players agreed to run it twice.

Flop #2: (218.6 BB, 2 players) 3♣ A♥ 3♦

Turn: (218.6 BB, 2 players) K♥

Turn #2: (218.6 BB, 2 players) 8♥

River: (218.6 BB, 2 players) 8♦

River #2: (218.6 BB, 2 players) 8♠

SB shows K♠ K♣ (Three of a Kind, Kings)
Board #1 (Pre 80%, Flop 92%, Turn 100%)
(Two Pair, Kings and Eights)
Board #2 (Pre 78%, Flop 90%, Turn 95%)

Hero mucks 9♥ 9♦ (One Pair, Nines)
Board #1 (Pre 20%, Flop 8%, Turn 0%)
(Two Pair, Nines and Eights)
Board #2 (Pre 22%, Flop 10%, Turn 5%)

SB wins 108.8 BB
SB wins 108.8 BB

H8 - Felt ******ed winning the absolute minimum in set over set scenario. Doubt that there is much merit in 3betting the flop with a diamond in my hand. On the turn I was honestly a bit afraid of getting check-shoved on. Also wanted to reignite bluffs on the river. Not sure if I should have raised the river.

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: 170.2 BB
CO: 143.16 BB
BTN: 242.64 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 145.24 BB
Hero (UTG): 100 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 6♣ 6♦

Hero raises to 2.3 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 1.3 BB

Flop: (5.1 BB, 2 players) T♦ 6♠ 3♦
BB checks, Hero bets 3.82 BB, BB raises to 12.64 BB, Hero calls 8.82 BB

Turn: (30.38 BB, 2 players) 2♦
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (30.38 BB, 2 players) 7♣
BB bets 10.02 BB, Hero calls 10.02 BB

Hero shows 6♣ 6♦ (Three of a Kind, Sixes)
(Pre 81%, Flop 96%, Turn 98%)
BB shows 3♥ 3♣ (Three of a Kind, Threes)
(Pre 19%, Flop 4%, Turn 2%)
Hero wins 48.9 BB

Moving forward I am definitely increasing my study ratio. Also going to stop these 5 BI shots since I don't believe my edge over the NL50 field to be large enough.

NL20

NL50

Ran really well for the first 2 days of shotting NL50 then the hell started. I honestly feel paranoid that I am somehow getting massively exploited even when trying to play balanced, however I am usually getting the money in good :(

Variance can be ugly and I am a bit terrified after reading about the lenghty downswings of some actually good players.

Yeah most likely.

Thanks for feedback!