The Well: Whale
 

[ 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 tuesday, 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 tuesday? and the voice from in the well shouts back: Because on tuesday, its your day in teh well .


[/ QUOTE ]

Hit me with it. Answers will come and go.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

What's the most degenerate gambler thing you have ever done?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

What's the most degenerate gambler thing you have ever done?

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Well, when I sucked I used to ask everyone for money at home games so that I could keep playing, it was pretty bad.

Then there was going busto like 4 times.

Then there was asking my dad to stake me.

So yeah, theres a few

Re: The Well: Whale
 

should I get really drunk on thursday night for my friends 21st or study for my Tax exam the next day. Its at 230 if that matters.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

should I get really drunk on thursday night for my friends 21st or study for my Tax exam the next day. Its at 230 if that matters.

[/ QUOTE ]

def study all day in the afternoon and party post-studying and pre-exam. You'll feel like you earned it for all the hard work you did that day.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

How do you feel after just getting penetrated via the anus by me on PokerStars just a few minutes ago? [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

How do you feel after just getting penetrated via the anus by me on PokerStars just a few minutes ago?

[/ QUOTE ]

pssh

I earned my 45 bucks and I am proud of that.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

What single most important thing did you do to go from being busto to being succesful enough to now beat up higher stakes for lots of monies.

Clayton says that the only 2 players that give him trouble at $400NL are you and Jam.

What do you do that gives people so much trouble? (has your "Call" button been removed from your s/w ? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

How well does the "keep raising till they fold" strategy work at uNL/SSNL levels cos down here I find they call way too much.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Poker career?

Favorite posters on 2p2? Some favorite posts you have linked?

Goals for the year?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

1. GP or Mahatma?
2. Aba or GP?
3. Patrik Antonius vs. anyone else in the universe, is there anything that Antonius doesn't lose at (other than maybe a being ugly contest)?
4. Yvesaint or BalugaWhale?
5. SSNL or uNL?
6. MSNL or SSNL?
7. HSNL or MSNL?
8. BBV or OOT?
9. Donkaments, poker or not poker?
10. Get a university degree or online poker pro?
11. Coffee or Tea?
12. Coke or Pepsi?
13. Beatles or Rolling Stones?
14. Favourite SSNL poster?
15. Favourite 2p2 poster?
16. Favourite bands, movies, tv shows, books, etc.
17. Dikshit or Lee Jones?
18. Stars or FTP?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

What single most important thing did you do to go from being busto to being succesful enough to now beat up higher stakes for lots of monies.

Clayton says that the only 2 players that give him trouble at $400NL are you and Jam.

What do you do that gives people so much trouble? (has your "Call" button been removed from your s/w ? )

How well does the "keep raising till they fold" strategy work at uNL/SSNL levels cos down here I find they call way too much.


[/ QUOTE ]
The single most important thing was to manage my bankroll appropriately during huge rushes and huge downswings. I was very aggressive moving up from 25nl to 400nl in a matter of like 2 months, and very quick to move down to 200nl and even 100nl when I had a really bad couple of weeks at the end of the summer.

In terms of strategies for MSNL, I am raising and 3betting a ton in position, and playing very tight UTG. This aggression puts people in really difficult spots vs me, and a lot of the standard TAGish players get frustrated and make big mistakes.

at lower stakes, FE is greatly reduced. That's okay, you just need to remember to value bet the hell out of your hands and learn how to read people. Learn how to spot someone with TP who won't fold, or with a FD who will bluff the river, or who is floating and will bluff the turn but won't call a turn bet. People don't change so quickly or so much as you increase stakes that the reads you develop from uNL and SSNL don't absolutely apply in most cases.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Poker career?

Favorite posters on 2p2? Some favorite posts you have linked?

Goals for the year?

[/ QUOTE ]
Poker career:
Was bad live game 50nl, lost a few hundred bucks in the long run, became bad online limit player, built up a roll at 1/2 limit and lost it, built up a roll at .5/1 limit and lost it, etc. (ps limit sucks). Decided to play 25nl with my last 25 bucks, built up a roll, lost it, but by that point I was so psyched on NL that I had to learn and get good. So I built up another roll and lost it all. Then, I built up one more roll at the start of last summer, and thats where I am now.

favorite posters:
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]orange[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], i think Gildwulf is pretty funny, Big_Jim and Jamougha probably have the best advice, although 2paul2 is about as solid as it gets for his SSNL advice. I am sure he is playing higher now though, so he is probably giving good MSNL advice too.

Goals:
Beat 3/6nl for the rest of the year, make 25k+ per month.

EDIT: Forgot to add that I was brought to 2p2 by Jason Strasser and Sports Illustrated! Thanks Jason!

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Does developing a theorem and having others name it after your online persona help you pick up chicks at the bar? I think it should.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

1. GP or Mahatma?
2. Aba or GP?
3. Patrik Antonius vs. anyone else in the universe, is there anything that Antonius doesn't lose at (other than maybe a being ugly contest)?
4. Yvesaint or BalugaWhale?
5. SSNL or uNL?
6. MSNL or SSNL?
7. HSNL or MSNL?
8. BBV or OOT?
9. Donkaments, poker or not poker?
10. Get a university degree or online poker pro?
11. Coffee or Tea?
12. Coke or Pepsi?
13. Beatles or Rolling Stones?
14. Favourite SSNL poster?
15. Favourite 2p2 poster?
16. Favourite bands, movies, tv shows, books, etc.
17. Dikshit or Lee Jones?
18. Stars or FTP?


[/ QUOTE ]

1. not sure, haven't seen them that much, I like GP's name better
2. aba is tiiight
3. probably patrick antonius
4. balugawhale no doubt
5. SSNL
6. SSNL
7. SSNL
8. BBV for sure
9. not poker
10. both?
11. tea
12. coke
13. beatles
14. not sure, orange/AJ/Isura/4_2_it/jam/Emc/many others have all been instrumental
15. probably Big_Jim
16. very into Vonnegut, i like trashy pop music and stupid emo shtt, HELL YES 24 is so good, also Scrubs
17. Fcck Dikshit
18. FTP definitely because of unmentionable

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Does developing a theorem and having others name it after your online persona help you pick up chicks at the bar? I think it should.

[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Alright, I have a more serious question. How many hands did you play to get from 25NL to 400NL. How has your game evolved from 25NL to 400NL?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Alright, I have a more serious question. How many hands did you play to get from 25NL to 400NL. How has your game evolved from 25NL to 400NL?


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Probably 80-100k.

I became significantly tighter and significantly more aggressive. I learned how to use the board effectively to pressure my opponents and get a ton of extra value.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

KK UTG, open 4BB, CO calls, BTN calls, blinds fold.

Flop Axx rainbow.

Bet or check? How many callers behind before you definitely check?

Edit: 100BB stacks. Stakes matter?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

KK UTG, open 4BB, CO calls, BTN calls, blinds fold.

Flop Axx rainbow.

Bet or check? How many callers behind before you definitely check?

Edit: 100BB stacks. Stakes matter?

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Sakes dont really matter, players matter.

I probably would check the flop. If a passive player in the CO bet, I'd just fold. If CO checks, and aggressive BTN bets, I probably call with the plan to check/evaluate turn.

Also, i suppose at higher stakes players are more likely to reraise pf with a strong A.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

In that 2 months where you went from 25 NL to 400 NL, what were the the things that finally clicked in your head to get you there, in terms of fundamentals?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

In that 2 months where you went from 25 NL to 400 NL, what were the the things that finally clicked in your head to get you there, in terms of fundamentals?

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1) learning pot control
2) learning when to 2nd barrel
3) reading villains and taking advantage of what I know they have (i.e. vs. a donk villain, if you have 44 and the flop is AA4, and you bet the flop and he calls, I usually just open push any turn cause they're not folding)
4) learning to have a range for a turn c/r
5) Not cbetting into multiple opponents (this helped my game/winrate a ton)
6)value betting the river
7) learning how to induce bluffs (this one is simple at low limits--i.e. c/c when an obvious flush draw busts on the river--and complicated at higher limits--using bet sizes to manipulate what your villain is thinking)

thats all I can think of right now, those are in no particular order

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Thanks, BW, and could you expand a little on number 4 , please? What kind of range did you find to be effective for your game?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

1.Where's the best place to get info on paying taxes for a poker player?

2.What is an approx percentage that poker players should be paying?

3.Did you see Borat?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

study for tax exam its +EV

Re: The Well: Whale
 

You have a blonde woman inyour left hand, and a brunette in your right hand. Do you choose:

a) left hand
b) right hand
c) put your hands together

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

KK UTG, open 4BB, CO calls, BTN calls, blinds fold.

Flop Axx rainbow.

Bet or check? How many callers behind before you definitely check?

Edit: 100BB stacks. Stakes matter?

[/ QUOTE ]
Sakes dont really matter, players matter.

I probably would check the flop. If a passive player in the CO bet, I'd just fold. If CO checks, and aggressive BTN bets, I probably call with the plan to check/evaluate turn.

Also, i suppose at higher stakes players are more likely to reraise pf with a strong A.

[/ QUOTE ]


Why not just bet out? What other hands besides KK do you check/call check turn with? I find this line turns my hand face up against aggro opponents :/ I still do it occasionally though, especially against passive guys....

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Thanks, BW, and could you expand a little on number 4 , please? What kind of range did you find to be effective for your game?


[/ QUOTE ]
Once upon a time, I would only c/r the turn all in with a set, straight or some other kind of monster (occassionally a really strong overpair depending on the board)
In fact, at low limits this is probably best, because your villains are extremely likely to call when you use stackadonk if they have anything good at all.
However, when you get to 200nl, the TAGs all recognize stackadonk (cause they used it to get to 200nl), so I started c/r the turn with Pair+FD, pair+SD, SFD, NFD, along with the other monster hands I used to. It adds balance to my game and puts other players in a difficult spot for their stack.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

1.Where's the best place to get info on paying taxes for a poker player?

2.What is an approx percentage that poker players should be paying?

3.Did you see Borat?


[/ QUOTE ]
1. not sure, haven't paid taxes on it yet, will shortly
2. no clue
3. Yes, amazing

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

You have a blonde woman inyour left hand, and a brunette in your right hand. Do you choose:

a) left hand
b) right hand
c) put your hands together


[/ QUOTE ]
I think you know the answer to this one

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Why not just bet out? What other hands besides KK do you check/call check turn with? I find this line turns my hand face up against aggro opponents :/ I still do it occasionally though, especially against passive guys....


[/ QUOTE ]
Betting out is a pure bluff. If I am called, I have to give up. However, if I am on the button and a pfr and another player check to me, I often bet ATC depending on the board. So, lets say we check, CO checks, aggro button bets with QJs, we call, CO folds. Turn is a J, we check, he usually checks behind, then we can bet the river and gain some value. Just an example, I think betting out is okay sometimes too. This isn't a situation that really strongly affects the level of your play imo.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

You have a blonde woman inyour left hand, and a brunette in your right hand. Do you choose:

a) left hand
b) right hand
c) put your hands together


[/ QUOTE ]
I think you know the answer to this one

[/ QUOTE ]

The correct answer is - put a redhead in the mix and we have the makings of a fun party [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Thank you for doing this, BW. It really helps.

What style of player gave you the most fits at the micro levels and what did you do to combat them?

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

What style of player gave you the most fits at the micro levels and what did you do to combat them?

[/ QUOTE ]
TAGs did then and TAGs do now. Playing tight and aggressive is the best strategy to win at poker in my opinion. However, at microNL, I rarely found myself at a table with more than 1, maybe 2 TAGs. At 400nl, I am lucky to find myself with 1, maybe 2 donks.
Figuring how best to play at each limit is crucial, because I could take the knowledge I have and probably kill 25nl or 50nl badly if I ever needed to. I can do that because once upon a time, I had to learn that game... now I am just better at hand reading and using the board.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

What has been your top month in $ and your worst in the last 6 months and at what levels?

Thanks for doing this too.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Have you ever folded KK pf?
Have you ever wanted to fold KK pf but still called/pushed because SSNL'ers say you should never fold? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: The Well: Whale
 

Here are a few:
1) Name what you think are the biggest mistakes by µNL and SSNL players (List all you can think of, preferably in order)
2) Name what you think are the most OVERRATED qualities in µNL and SSNL.
3) If you could teach a mediocre player one thing (and you wanted to) for him to get better and move up, what would it be? (Just one!)
4) When moving up, did you have any trouble handling the increasing amount of munies at stake? How did you handle it? Did you have more pressure playing in the beginning?
5) A player has been stuck at a certain limit for an extended period of time (Say, one year on say... NL50 or NL100). What do you think is the most likely cause of this?
6) How do you think poker will do in the future? Will the NL600 games get so tough it won't be profitable anymore or do you think the poker boom will continue despite the legistation?
7) What are your long term goals with poker - are you going to try to move up to 300/600 games and such or make a decent money, finish studies and start a fulltime job?
8) Now that you're rich, what do you do with say... $10k a month? I figured that 2k goes to living, 5k for buying your family presents and it still leaves 3k extra! And you make even more!

Perhaps I'll leave the rest of the question for my next question post! Cheers!

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

What has been your top month in $ and your worst in the last 6 months and at what levels?

Thanks for doing this too.

[/ QUOTE ]
plus 10k at 1/2, although so far this month I am already plus 10k at 1/2 and 2/4 so hopefully this will get me over the hump into 3/6.

I dropped about 10k in 3 weeks once also.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Have you ever folded KK pf?
Have you ever wanted to fold KK pf but still called/pushed because SSNL'ers say you should never fold?

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope and not really. I have come closer to folding a set cause I was sure the guy had AA than folding KK pf. However, people have tighter ranges pf the lower you go, where nobody squeezes and few people even reraise. Still, KK is too good. I raised with KK the other day, and another guy 3bet, and then an unknown pushed. I called, other guy folded, guy pushing had Q4o. I just try not to be results oriented and remember how many times I've had KK vs AA, cause when I look through my DB i find out that its never anything not statistically likely.

Re: The Well: Whale
 

[ QUOTE ]

Here are a few:
1) Name what you think are the biggest mistakes by µNL and SSNL players (List all you can think of, preferably in order)
2) Name what you think are the most OVERRATED qualities in µNL and SSNL.
3) If you could teach a mediocre player one thing (and you wanted to) for him to get better and move up, what would it be? (Just one!)
4) When moving up, did you have any trouble handling the increasing amount of munies at stake? How did you handle it? Did you have more pressure playing in the beginning?
5) A player has been stuck at a certain limit for an extended period of time (Say, one year on say... NL50 or NL100). What do you think is the most likely cause of this?
6) How do you think poker will do in the future? Will the NL600 games get so tough it won't be profitable anymore or do you think the poker boom will continue despite the legistation?
7) What are your long term goals with poker - are you going to try to move up to 300/600 games and such or make a decent money, finish studies and start a fulltime job?
8) Now that you're rich, what do you do with say... $10k a month? I figured that 2k goes to living, 5k for buying your family presents and it still leaves 3k extra! And you make even more!

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn these are a lot of questions. ok here goes:
1) in order:
-cbetting into too many players
-bluffing
-paying off with medium strength hands (this is a handreading problem)
-not value betting the river
-being afraid to raise with draws

2) overrated qualities:
-playing loose OOP. This is absolutely the most common mistake made at uNL and SSNL. Probably the most common mistake in all of poker.
-raising with air
-slowplaying/trapping
-making big laydowns (this is a personal feeling of mine)

3)
two things I am going to say, I know its cheating:
-manage your bankroll as your top priority
-play tight and raise.

4)I definitely felt more pressure at first. My first all-in at 50nl scared the hell out of me, haha. My first all-in in a 4k pot scared me less I think. Once you have a full bankroll and no longer view it as money, it doesnt really matter what limit you are playing.

5)poor bankroll management, not taking chances, serious leaks in play. You can't move up until you try--i spent less than 10k hands at 100nl, ran well, had like 18 buyins for 1/2, so gave it a shot. Just analyze your play and think about the game, and post a lot. Remember: its not what you think but how you think.

6)I haven't played a ton of 3/6, but I think it probably isn't that much harder than 2/4. I think 5/10 and above may not be worth it (as per Gildwulf's post), but if you practice good game selection, an array of 2/4, 3/6, 5/10, and 10/20 can be extremely profitable.

7) I plan on trying to make 250k in poker, starting my own company, and retiring before I am 30. If I ever need cash, could always just go to vegas no?

8)haha I use it to travel, buy sweet electronics things, take care of my family, and plan for my future and my business' future

whew

Re: The Well: Whale
 

1. Age, occupation?

2. Toughest level while moving from 25 to 400?

3. Stats over the last 3 months?