The Well: Aba20
 

Isura asked me do The well and I look forward to answering all your questions. 2+2 really helped me grow as a poker player and even tho I don't post much strategy anymore initially posting in the small stakes forums really improved my game. Anything is fair game, I will answer anything you wish to know. I am going to go to bed in about an hour but I will answer more questions when I get up.


[ QUOTE ]

A stranger is being shown around a village that he has just become part of. He is shown a well and his guide says "On any day except Wednesday, you can shout any question down that well and you'll be told the answer" .

The man seems pretty impressed, and so he shouts down: Why not on Wednesday? and the voice from in the well shouts back: Because on Wednesday, it’s your day in the well .

Well this is my Wednesday in The Well which will consist of Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

You may ask me any question about whatever you like. I will answer to the best of my abilities if I choose to answer your question.



[/ QUOTE ]

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

How much do you play each day (hours & hands) and do you typically multitable the bigger games?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

-how many years did you age when you had that absolutely INSANE day?

-how old are you?

-what is your profession?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

It's almost lunchtime, what the hell are you going to bed for?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
How much do you play each day (hours & hands) and do you typically multitable the bigger games?

[/ QUOTE ]

It really depends because I go in spurts of very intense play, but probably around 2K hands over 6 hours a day. Often there aren't alot of bigger games running, so I fill downtimes by playing 25/50. I also can't do more than 6 tables and even then my play really deteriorates. I am best with 3 or 4 tables that I am really concentrating on.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Of the big name name online pros who do you consider your toughest opponents(Celebs and hsnl'ers)?

Paul

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
-how many years did you age when you had that absolutely INSANE day?

-how old are you?

-what is your profession?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am 24, and I am a graduate student at University of California at Santa Barbara, but it is looking like poker is going to be my profession. I took this summer off from my grad studies to pursue poker fulltime and see where it took me. I have a spot in my group until september when I have to deciede what I want to do about my grad work.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
It's almost lunchtime, what the hell are you going to bed for?

[/ QUOTE ]

I stayed up all night, when I play I get on really bad sleep schedules.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
Of the big name name online pros who do you consider your toughest opponents(Celebs and hsnl'ers)?

Paul

[/ QUOTE ]

Dags is the best "pro" at fulltilt. He is miles ahead of the rest of the name pros.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

For those in SSNL that don't know, you can find one of aba's many credentials right here ----> http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...rt=all&vc=1

Aba, would you be willing to participate in a contest to see who could make more money in one day, you or all of SSNL?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

At small stakes, do you think it is better to play at a 6 max table with 4 regulars deepstacked or 4 fishes who don´t have even 50 BBs?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

this is [censored] awsome. Nice run at the PLO table on FT right now

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

How the heck did you go from SSNL just a year ago to playing what you are now? Can you give us the key factors in your success? Playing? Studying? Sweating? Reading?

What's the biggest adjustment going from LHE to NLHE?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
Aba, would you be willing to participate in a contest to see who could make more money in one day, you or all of SSNL?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like a fun experiment but it would be a lot of work tallying up everyone from small stakes winnings.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

lol that's a terrible challenge SSNL would lose definately

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Thanks for doing this aba20.

Longest breakeven stretch?

Biggest downswing?

PTBB when you played at 50NL, 100NL?

Your at 6 max table, your in the SB w/ AKo, UTG is TAG raises it, weak tight CO calls, the LAG button calls, what do you do?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

haha aba would murder us unless we all took shots at like 3 levels up and ran very very well.

Also aba, what do you do here?

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=0#Post6968284

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

You've moved up really fast, and I assume your game had to evolve quickly as well. On your journey, what "ssnl conventional wisdom" did you have to shake at what point? And what conventional wisdom from SSNL do you think you still need?

What is your group's area of research at UCSB?

Could you elaborate on your hand-reading style. In the last well, El D said he likes to try and put people on exact hands, which I found surprising. How do you read hands and what is your thought process like during a hand?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
At small stakes, do you think it is better to play at a 6 max table with 4 regulars deepstacked or 4 fishes who don´t have even 50 BBs?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a feeling that at small stakes you can find fish with deepstacks.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

1. Coke or Pepsi
2. Monica, Rachel or Phoebe
3. How are you so awesome
4. How does it feel to win $171k in one day?
5. How does it feel to win $170k(?) in one pot?
6. GP or Mahatma
7. Coffee or Tea
8. How are you so awesome

There's a few to get the ball rolling.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Aba: What single advice improved you most as a pokerplayer?

What's your nick on Full Tilt? (so I have on to chear for, when I'm railbirding!)

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Aba, what can you tell me about shot taking- how, when, etc.

Thanks

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Aba,

thanks for doing this.

Can you give us a quick summary of your poker career? How did you move up? Did you have a certain number of buy-ins for each level or just take a lot of shots? When you first moved up did you feel like you could beat the high levels, or were you outclassed at first and had to improve?

At SSNL I feel like 90% of my profit comes from targetting fish and maybe 10% comes from bad TAGs, does that balance change at high levels? eg. to beat 25/50 do you have to profitable vs. the regulars, or is it okay to just be break-even against them and make the profit from the fishes?

Did you play rugby for SB? Are you injured? (I played wing for SLO)

It also seems like at the highest level a lot of the +EV situations come when someone like Matusow or Mahatma go on mega-tilt. Do you have any tricks/rituals to keep yourself off tilt?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

why do u guys talk about me in this forum like i wont read it

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

first throw. villain is unknown. rock, paper or scissors?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

aba,

thanks for doing this.

How many hands of $25NL-$200NL do you think you played?

Could you maybe try to point out some things that we don't do enough at these levels and also maybe do too much?

Are you ever going to play the 25/50 game on PP?

Who is the toughest regular(s) you play against and who do you find the easiest?

Can you maybe talk a bit about cbeting and frequencies at SSNL and HSNL and also playing back at cbets

thanks

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Sorry, I'll explain my question re: shot taking better. I now have more than 20 buy-ins for my level, so do I take a shot w/ whatever I have over the 20? Or wait until 30? Or 40 and move for good? I'm just curious since i've never moved up to the 200 before and want to give it a fair shot yet not destroy my br.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
How the heck did you go from SSNL just a year ago to playing what you are now? Can you give us the key factors in your success? Playing? Studying? Sweating? Reading?

What's the biggest adjustment going from LHE to NLHE?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well A year ago I was mainly playing limit. I didn't really dedicate myself to NL until last december. I have spent alot of time playing poker in the past year. I completely immersed myself in poker. I have read every poker book, spent countless hours browsing and reading forums, spent even more hours analysising my play and my opponents plays. And then beyond this I have played endless hours. I really enjoy playing and I think if you don't you will never reach your fullest potential. You really have to love to play the game.

I think diferent people excel at limit vs no limit holdem. I personally found NL much easier and more exciting because I could really think about every big decsions and in the end making good decisions in big pots is crucial in NL holdem, while in limit it is more of small jabs. I would experiment with both and see which fits your personalitly better.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Is hand reading the key skill in NL?
What is the best way to get better at it - is 1/2 tabling and focussing real hard better than double the hands but 4 tabling so concentrating 1/2 as much per hand?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for doing this aba20.

Longest breakeven stretch?

Biggest downswing?

PTBB when you played at 50NL, 100NL?

Your at 6 max table, your in the SB w/ AKo, UTG is TAG raises it, weak tight CO calls, the LAG button calls, what do you do?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know my longest breakeven strench, but I would guess around 20K hands.

Biggest downswing was 9.5 BI just recently.

I dont' remeber but it wasn't that great, I would guess around 4 or 5.

80% reraise 20% call

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]

Also aba, what do you do here?

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=0#Post6968284

[/ QUOTE ]

I start by checking and probably folding to a river bet by him. I woudn't have checked the flop if I were you and I would also have reraised to $4 since you are out of position.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
You've moved up really fast, and I assume your game had to evolve quickly as well. On your journey, what "ssnl conventional wisdom" did you have to shake at what point? And what conventional wisdom from SSNL do you think you still need?

What is your group's area of research at UCSB?

Could you elaborate on your hand-reading style. In the last well, El D said he likes to try and put people on exact hands, which I found surprising. How do you read hands and what is your thought process like during a hand?

[/ QUOTE ]

I see tons of posts here talking about pot control or some other catchy phrase. Although some of these catchy phrases are nice they are usually misapplied to the problem at hand.

I think posting hands is key to your sucess, everone should post, think about, and discuss as many hands as they can. It really improves your game.

My group is researching light emitting diodes and I am in the college of electrical engineering and material science.

I tend to put people on ranges as you can never know exactly what someone has. From there it I do equity calculations based on there range vs my holdings.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. Coke or Pepsi
2. Monica, Rachel or Phoebe
3. How are you so awesome
4. How does it feel to win $171k in one day?
5. How does it feel to win $170k(?) in one pot?
6. GP or Mahatma
7. Coffee or Tea
8. How are you so awesome

There's a few to get the ball rolling.

[/ QUOTE ]

1) I don't drink soda
2) Rachel then in a close second monica and in a distant third phoebe
3) I dont know
4) about like every other day
5) It was just another pot
6) I personally have more trouble with mahatma but I think green plastic is a better all round player since he hardly tilts.
7) green tea
8) Again I don't knwo

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
My group is researching light emitting diodes and I am in the college of electrical engineering and material science.

[/ QUOTE ]

Any paper publications? I just finished up some research at Lehigh University working for a group that was involved in photonics, LEDs, Quantum well lasers, etc. We were growing the first Blue LED samples out of the MOCVD when I left.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Aba, thanks for doing this. Do you play primarily on Full tilt?? There's much discussion on here about not laying down KK preflop to a bnig raise or an all in. Are you a player who doesnt lay down KK preflop at the stakes you play??

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

1. What would you say is the most important trait in nosebleed stakes NL players? E.g. fearlessness, not tilting, hand reading, disregard for money or other.
2. What transition in stakes was the most difficult for you (e.g. 50/100 -> 100/200)
3. Is 100/200 the highest you've ever played?
4. Can we expect to see you vs. bad_ip at 200/400 any time soon?
5. How's the PLO going? Do you think the transition from HSNL -> HSPLO is a hard one to make?

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
Aba: What single advice improved you most as a pokerplayer?

What's your nick on Full Tilt? (so I have on to chear for, when I'm railbirding!)

[/ QUOTE ]

I am aba20 and sbrugby everywhere I play. Your results are the direct result of your performace. Don't point any fingers when things aren't going well since there is no one to blame but yourself.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
Aba, what can you tell me about shot taking- how, when, etc.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Right now your whole bankroll come to the 100/200 NL table at fulltilt, I am waiting. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Aba, what can you tell me about shot taking- how, when, etc.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Right now your whole bankroll come to the 100/200 NL table at fulltilt, I am waiting. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

nnnnnnnno, be serious and learn me something! i dont think i can even buy-in there, anyway.

Re: The Well: Aba20
 

Aba20: right now you are playing against Gus Hansen.

What do you think is his greatest strenght/weakness?

What do you have on him in your notes?