1 million zoom hands in 2026

it's unbelievable how these regfish have been running in my sample. they call 3b and 4b OOP with literally any two cards and hit a hand that's just enough to beat me, what the fuck.
if i'm bluffing, they call down their stack with 4th pair because they got some fucking soulread on me taking a second too long or too short, who the fuck knows. if i'm not, they have the effective nuts and always find the exact line in which i'm going to get stacked, and of course i have the combos to pay them off.

and i do mean literally any two. you've seen the Q9o, now enjoy this one...

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 100.72 BB
SB: 223.68 BB
BB: 124.8 BB
UTG: 157.08 BB
MP: 184.24 BB
CO: 41.4 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has Q♠ Q♦

UTG raises to 3 BB, MP calls 3 BB, fold, Hero raises to 12 BB, fold, BB calls 11 BB, UTG calls 9 BB, MP calls 9 BB

Flop: (48.4 BB, 4 players) 8♦ Q♥ 3♣
BB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets 8.4 BB, BB calls 8.4 BB, UTG calls 8.4 BB, fold

Turn: (73.6 BB, 3 players) 3♠
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks

River: (73.6 BB, 3 players) K♣
BB bets 94.88 BB, fold, Hero calls 80.32 BB and is all-in

BB shows 3♦ 5♦ (Three of a Kind, Threes)
(Pre 20%, Flop 4%, Turn 2%)
Hero shows Q♠ Q♦ (Full House, Queens full of Threes)
(Pre 80%, Flop 96%, Turn 98%)
Hero wins 226.24 BB
Rake paid 8 BB

yes, i won this one.
i have a personal whining quota and i'm already way over it, i'm not going to post the losers.

i bet you're thinking "that's not a reg". it is a reg, 21/17 12k.
what is it that makes a player look at 53s (OOP not even fucking closing the action) and think "looks good"? what the fuck?
how the fuck am i just barely beating this pool pre-rakeback? this is fucking insane.

not the first time, and it won't be the last.
in the end, the will of the cards is absolute. this is exactly what we signed up for.

No again, Hands people showdown are worth much more then hud numbers. Only way guy is a Reg if he misclicked.

what we're really getting at here is into how to categorize players... i am one of those people who use multiple colors for different reg and fish types.
i've seen plenty of evidence that this guy is a reg-fish type, but i still wouldn't put him in any of the fish groups.

tagging and note-taking is an art, and it needs to make sense to you. if you'd go with fish tags, i can understand that too.

month 1 is done!

what's good:

✅ 88320 hands (105 hours)
✅ rolled for NL25, even after cashout
✅ sunrunning above EV

what's bad... you'll see what's bad.

complete graph:

NL10:

NL25:

of course, i'm not just going to blame running bad and pretend that i'm playing well.
february will see some adjustments 😀

Gl in February, 40k hands is nothing maybe it’s just variance.

i'm just posting to prove that i'm not dead.

frankly, the first 10k hands weren't played well at all.
the effect of accumulated emotion was very clear.

after some personal investigation, and discussing with other players (for which i am very grateful)... it's obvious that i'm far from my very best, but i've adjusted my style accordingly.
i'm passing on some smaller edges to reach lines where i do well more often, and i've been feeling much better at the tables. and i'm still keeping up the volume, we'll see where that leads.

it had been a while. give it to me...

<15 VPIP fish. no money in zoom

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 294.96 BB
Hero (SB): 100 BB
BB: 112.12 BB
UTG: 182.04 BB
MP: 102.2 BB
CO: 101.56 BB

Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has A♠ Q♣

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 2.68 BB, Hero raises to 12 BB, fold, BTN calls 9.32 BB

Flop: (25 BB, 2 players) A♦ 2♦ 3♥
Hero bets 8.4 BB, BTN raises to 24.28 BB, Hero calls 15.88 BB

Turn: (73.56 BB, 2 players) J♣
Hero checks, BTN bets 36.12 BB, Hero raises to 63.72 BB and is all-in, BTN calls 27.6 BB

River: (201 BB, 2 players) A♣

Hero shows A♠ Q♣ (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 45%, Flop 90%, Turn 95%)
BTN shows 6♣ 6♥ (Two Pair, Aces and Sixes)
(Pre 55%, Flop 10%, Turn 5%)
Hero wins 193 BB
Rake paid 8 BB

more quads. it never ends...

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 92.8 BB
SB: 185.2 BB
BB: 196.96 BB
UTG: 100 BB
Hero (MP): 100 BB
CO: 98.6 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has T♠ T♣

fold, Hero raises to 2.04 BB, fold, fold, fold, BB calls 1.04 BB

Flop: (4.48 BB, 2 players) 7♣ 8♦ 7♦
BB checks, Hero bets 3.48 BB, BB calls 3.48 BB

Turn: (11.44 BB, 2 players) 8♠
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (11.44 BB, 2 players) T♦
BB bets 25.6 BB, Hero raises to 94.48 BB and is all-in, BB calls 68.88 BB

Hero shows T♠ T♣ (Full House, Tens full of Eights)
(Pre 84%, Flop 90%, Turn 2%)
BB shows 8♥ T♥ (Full House, Eights full of Tens)
(Pre 16%, Flop 10%, Turn 98%)
Hero wins 192.4 BB
Rake paid 8 BB

just kidding.

after some deep personal consideration, i'll be moving down and mixing limits (NL10/NL25) for the near future.

busto?
no, i'm winning and still EV sunrunning... 25z results for this month:

whether i ran bad or not outside of EV for this year is debatable.
but i've been feeling miserable on the grind, and it's been getting to my game. add to that a few stressful life circumstances, and you have disaster brewing.
the redline shows... 😂

we shouldn't attach to an identity as a "player of X limit".
we should just do what makes us happy. and we should be able come back eventually, anyway.

Cool you're able to move down when needed and not feel unable because of ego, or something else.
I may also move down. After almost 4 months travelling I'm very poor! I've had to withdraw a portion of my roll to keep me going, then once I'm home I'll have to withdraw more if not all until I start earning money. I will be re-depositing and attempting to climb through the stakes once I'm able, unfortunately money and needing it is my obstacle at the moment.

Moving down if I decide to has the benefit of getting to battle you still at least haha.

GL on your own poker journey.

why does 25 have to be difficult?

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 46.6 BB
SB: 36.4 BB
BB: 101.3 BB
UTG: 146.1 BB
Hero (MP): 251.2 BB
CO: 167.3 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8♠ 7♠

fold, Hero raises to 2.1 BB, fold, BTN calls 2.1 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (5.7 BB, 2 players) Q♥ 3♥ 8♣
Hero bets 2 BB, BTN raises to 8 BB, Hero calls 6 BB

Turn: (21.7 BB, 2 players) 2♣
Hero checks, BTN bets 19 BB, Hero raises to 77.7 BB, BTN calls 17.5 BB and is all-in

River: (94.7 BB, 2 players) T♥

Hero shows 8♠ 7♠ (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 32%, Flop 26%, Turn 14%)
BTN shows 8♦ 9♠ (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 68%, Flop 74%, Turn 86%)
BTN wins 90.4 BB
Rake paid 4.3 BB

nut air. 88% on the turn against three players, too damn strong

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 100.8 BB
SB: 100 BB
BB: 70.5 BB
Hero (UTG): 101.5 BB
MP: 87 BB
CO: 53.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

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

Hero raises to 2.5 BB, MP calls 2.5 BB, CO calls 2.5 BB, BTN calls 2.5 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (11.5 BB, 4 players) A♦ 6♠ 3♠
Hero checks, MP checks, CO checks, BTN checks

Turn: (11.5 BB, 4 players) J♠
Hero checks, MP checks, CO checks, BTN checks

River: (11.5 BB, 4 players) 3♥
Hero checks, MP checks, CO checks, BTN checks

Hero shows Q♦ K♥ (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 37%, Flop 59%, Turn 88%)
BTN mucks K♣ 9♣ (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 23%, Flop 10%, Turn 5%)
MP mucks T♥ 9♥ (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 22%, Flop 14%, Turn 0%)
CO mucks Q♥ 5♥ (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 18%, Flop 17%, Turn 8%)
Hero wins 11 BB
Rake paid 0.5 BB

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 244.24 BB
SB: 99 BB
BB: 74.44 BB
UTG: 116.2 BB
MP: 173.24 BB
CO: 122.76 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has 9♦ 9♣

UTG calls 1 BB, MP raises to 4.4 BB, fold, Hero raises to 13.72 BB, fold, fold, UTG calls 12.72 BB, MP calls 9.32 BB

Flop: (42.56 BB, 3 players) T♣ 2♠ 3♣
UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets 12 BB, UTG calls 12 BB, MP calls 12 BB

Turn: (78.56 BB, 3 players) 3♦
UTG bets 20 BB, fold, Hero calls 20 BB

River: (118.56 BB, 2 players) T♦
UTG bets 28 BB, Hero calls 28 BB

UTG shows A♦ K♠ (Two Pair, Tens and Threes)
(Pre 45%, Flop 25%, Turn 14%)
Hero shows 9♦ 9♣ (Two Pair, Tens and Nines)
(Pre 55%, Flop 75%, Turn 86%)
Hero wins 166.72 BB
Rake paid 7.84 BB

these mfs, i swear

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 100 BB
SB: 104.72 BB
Hero (BB): 133.92 BB
UTG: 133.2 BB
CO: 57.32 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has A♦ A♠

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, BTN raises to 4.4 BB, fold, Hero raises to 13.6 BB, fold, BTN calls 9.2 BB

Flop: (28.6 BB, 2 players) 2♦ 5♠ 8♥
Hero checks, BTN checks

Turn: (28.6 BB, 2 players) 9♣
Hero bets 16.8 BB, BTN raises to 38 BB, Hero calls 21.2 BB

River: (104.6 BB, 2 players) 2♥
Hero checks, BTN checks

Hero shows A♦ A♠ (Two Pair, Aces and Twos)
(Pre 86%, Flop 98%, Turn 100%)
BTN mucks Q♥ K♣ (One Pair, Twos)
(Pre 14%, Flop 2%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins 99.88 BB
Rake paid 4.72 BB

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 97.44 BB
SB: 229.68 BB
BB: 161.48 BB
UTG: 34.52 BB
MP: 109.96 BB
Hero (CO): 100 BB

SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has K♠ K♣

UTG raises to 2 BB, MP raises to 8 BB, Hero raises to 100 BB and is all-in, fold, fold, fold, fold, MP calls 92 BB

Flop: (203.4 BB, 2 players) 5♦ 9♥ A♣

Turn: (203.4 BB, 2 players) 5♠

River: (203.4 BB, 2 players) 3♥

Players agreed to run it twice.

Flop #2: (203.4 BB, 2 players) 8♣ J♥ 6♦

Turn #2: (203.4 BB, 2 players) Q♣

River #2: (203.4 BB, 2 players) 8♦

MP shows 7♣ 7♦ (Two Pair, Sevens and Fives)
Board #1 (Pre 20%, Flop 10%, Turn 5%)
(Two Pair, Eights and Sevens)
Board #2 (Pre 21%, Flop 13%, Turn 5%)

Hero shows K♠ K♣ (Two Pair, Kings and Fives)
Board #1 (Pre 80%, Flop 90%, Turn 95%)
(Two Pair, Kings and Eights)
Board #2 (Pre 79%, Flop 87%, Turn 95%)

Hero wins 97.72 BB
Rake paid 8 BB
Hero wins 97.68 BB

nice

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 300 BB
Hero (SB): 100.4 BB
BB: 98.48 BB
UTG: 124.16 BB
MP: 80.08 BB
CO: 432.64 BB

Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has K♠ K♦

fold, MP raises to 2.4 BB, fold, BTN calls 2.4 BB, Hero raises to 14.24 BB, fold, fold, BTN calls 11.84 BB

Flop: (31.88 BB, 2 players) 4♠ 5♦ Q♣
Hero bets 8.48 BB, BTN calls 8.48 BB

Turn: (48.84 BB, 2 players) J♣
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (48.84 BB, 2 players) 3♦
Hero bets 77.68 BB and is all-in, BTN calls 77.68 BB

Hero shows K♠ K♦ (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 82%, Flop 95%, Turn 89%)
BTN shows J♥ 7♥ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 18%, Flop 5%, Turn 11%)
Hero wins 196.2 BB
Rake paid 8 BB

reg

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 67.5 BB
SB: 137.7 BB
Hero (BB): 104.2 BB
UTG: 176.9 BB
MP: 72.1 BB
CO: 382.7 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, fold, SB raises to 3 BB, Hero calls 2 BB

Flop: (6 BB, 2 players) Q♥ 6♥ K♦
SB bets 1.7 BB, Hero calls 1.7 BB

Turn: (9.4 BB, 2 players) 7♠
SB bets 2.7 BB, Hero raises to 10 BB, SB raises to 33 BB, Hero calls 23 BB

River: (75.4 BB, 2 players) T♥
SB bets 100 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 66.5 BB and is all-in

SB shows 5♦ 3♦ (High Card, King)
(Pre 38%, Flop 7%, Turn 7%)
Hero shows K♥ 9♥ (Flush, King High)
(Pre 62%, Flop 93%, Turn 93%)
Hero wins 199 BB
Rake paid 9.4 BB

he had me on most rivers, not gonna lie. i didn't see the turn 3b coming...

it's that time of the month.

i failed the volume goal. the main reason is psychology.

as you may remember, z25 has been a fucking curse.
while this month has been "better", it's been hard to shake off the fucking doomswitch at that fucking limit.
about one of three sessions starts like this:

they have exactly just enough to beat me so fucking often, it's utterly bizarre.
i'll consider it an achievement that i didn't fucking uninstall everything and took all my cashout money to hire a hypnotist. it sounds nice to not only forget i ever learned the rules but also make sure that i never want to see a deck of cards again, holy fucking shit.

it's probably the sunrunning above EV that's keeping things together.
all in all... it's a reasonable month. stop the fucking whining.

another reason for the lower volume is that i've listened to the devil's whispers and put some roll in untracked sites, as some friends have recommended.
god damn, they are so fucking soft. but if i had to play that as my main game for a living, i'd probably rather turn my resignation letter to the poker gods and fucking beg my first 9-5 to have me back, what a mind-numbing experience.

i won't be posting untracked updates here, but it can help with cashing out less from stars...
not that the main roadblock to play 25 is bankroll at this point.

TL;DR: february was annoying, but still normal. i'll continue to main zoom but add some untracked sites on the side, so expect lower volume than the 1 million/year pace for the near future.
but my plan still is to make at least 500k zoom hands in 2026, and most likely 750k.

Why don’t you play only regular tables, man?

You’re good, you’re winning at 7bb/100 over almost 70K hands in Zoom.

If you play regular tables and do table selection, your winrate will be even higher.

Gl bro

my z10 is at over 10bb/100 for the last 300k hands.
but money is only part of it.

i want to do things my way. i like zoom.
if i can become a pro, but at the cost of having to main reg tables, i wouldn't do it... at least, not at this moment.

it's true that my hourly in those untracked sites seems to be considerably higher.
i know better than to say "never", but it's just not that stimulating or interesting to me.

i do understand that's a "me" problem... i'm sure that there's plenty of room for growth in those environments. but they are not to my liking.

But will his hourly be higher?

I think you got the logic backwards. Your suggestion would make a lot of sense if his winrate was low and he was struggling, but with a high winrate going for max volume at zoom is totally fine.

Impressive results, gl bro

What I mean is that on regular tables it would be much less stressful, because the variance would be lower compared to Zoom

yes, the hourly seems higher for untracked sites reg tables.

maybe i just like the stress and stimulation of competition. 😂

i've been too lazy to keep up here. but i promised a graph per month, and i sure am going to keep that up.

volume is low, but we saw that coming.

what else is there to say?
NL10 is basically an infinite money glitch.
i kept NL25 to short sessions when feeling good, started cold but ended hot. i still don't want to main it, though...
i also made a bit of a mess with the withdrawals on an untracked site, hope i don't lose $420 from that somehow... but it's not the end of the world, regardless of what happens there.
life is good 😀

the untracked withdrawal went fine.
this month... not so much.

it's a very standard month, except for the fact that i got sick and felt burnout symptoms.
it makes march seem professional in comparison...

luckily, i've made enough overall to be well covered for now.
it's still a setback, but it's not so bad.