Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Curse of the Backer?

Profit: $110




It's been a while since I updated the blog and I can't blame myself. From July to December is was just one long struggle, never getting any traction and slowly bleeding away the $200 stake I was playing with. I ended the staking deal with $100 and returned it with thanks to my backer.

I attempt to regain some confidence I dropped backed to 10NL, although I have kept 20NL tables running as well so I've actually increased my multi-tabling from 4 to 6. I'm surprised at how easily I can manage it actually. It must just be that, after three years of online experience, a lot of the decision I make are second nature and require a simple and immediate click. The problem has been more with the software. Ipoker doesn't always tell you when you've got to make a decision on a different screen so I occasionally drop some hands which can be quite frustrating. I could cascade the windows but if I did that my HEM settings wouldn't work and I like them the way they are.

So for the past two weeks I have been playing 10NL and 20NL and I have been crushing.... 10NL. Anyway. In 2.5k 10NL hands I've made $107 (that's 40bb/100). I'm definately running hot, there's no question of that. But if I look at my 10NL stats back in June, just before I moved up, I won $166 in 8k hands. Again I was running hot then but I also think I've simply got 10NL nailed down and have done for quite a while.

I know I'm running well because my KQ is busting AA when we get it all in preflop for 10bb (short stacks shoving) and when I have KK on a K236 board and I call a raise, the board pairs on the river and we get it all in and the oppo has 45.

Switch to 20NL though, and things instantly turn the other way. I've played 1k hands since New Year's day and I'm up $3. My aces ran into a set of threes yesterday. What is going on? I'm starting to think that the difference in quality between 10NL and 20NL is significant and that hoardes of micro-grinders roam around that limit on ipoker. The answer is, I guess, to radically change my game at 20NL. I'm playing 17/13/3 at 10NL which is quite tight and cagey (aggression is probably a bit high because I'm running hot). At 20NL maybe I need to have that range up to 20/18 with a lot higher aggression on the flop and turn to win hands without showdown.


So lots of stats there but the bottom line is that I've wiped out all the losses I made over the past six months (although it strictly my bankroll anyway) and ponder again how to make fundemental changes to my game in order to move up the limits. Videos I guess.


Final note, the MAD series has started at raise the river. I played in the first event and I think I was second in chips going into the final table. Top three got paid so I was still looking to build a stack for the bubble as the blinds were pretty silly. Got 60% of my chips in with JJ v 55 and a 5 popped on the river. Next hand shoved a raise with AJ and got called by AK. Nice.


Get on over to RTR though, every tourney has an overlay and we have a superb loyalty deal with Cardoza.










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