The Well: Whale

[matrix]

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FT NL50 seems snugglesoft in comparison(is that the FT doomswitch I hear) to NL100 where we all seem to have hit a bad run of variance (I get that impression).

Coinicdence or are there certain changes required for SSNL?

(FWIW I've only played 7k hands net +3buyins after a 6buyin swing and lost my confidence so went back to NL50 to recover it)

Any advice or should we just play more hands and get through it?

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The games really are not that much different imo. Slightly more aggressive players, slightly more thinking players. It wasn't until 200nl that I really had to rehaul my game to deal with all the pretty bad TAG's that play poorly postflop.

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I'm with orange on this one 100NL *is* a bit of a jump it's the first time I've started getting 3-bet preflop regularly and to combat that you need to be able to read hands well.

I'm at 8K hands +2.5buyins my graph is *very* swingy but I'm improving and learning much faster than I was at 50NL and am way too stubborn to move down.

Emc:

The money doesn't matter (no i am not sending you a transfer [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]) - I mean of course it's a lot of cash but I don't think of it as money - I think of it as chips and BB's. It doesn't actually exist as money until I cash it out and it gets to my bank account. It took me a good while to get past this but now I have and am playing like the money amount doesn't matter (being properly rolled helps here a lot) I am playing better and can thnk more about poker decisions and less about "zomg that pots nearly a weeks wages I need to push here and all I have is a combo draw so if he calls this is a coinflip!!!" e.g. Yesterday I get limp re-raised all-in by some idiot who's posted UTG+1 - I have QQ. I instacall he shows AK - I celebrate. I lose the hand when he flops a K and turns an A for good measure but if I keep getting the money in as a favourite in the long run I win - and the more money I can get in the middle on thin edges like this the more I will make (55% of $200 is better than 55% of $100) I think no worries I played it OK it doesn't effect my game I play another 100+ hands at this table and leave table eventually with a $300 stack - up $100 on the session - not to long ago I would have monkey tilted after losing a hand "I should have won" and played worse as a result - it's only BB's tho - it doesn't really matter and I have a bankroll for exactly that reason.

I've really tightened up in the last week I looked through my db and noticed I am playing way too many hands from EP making frequent small mistakes preflop that are landing me in tricky spots postflop. at $100NL it's the first level I've played at where some players really put you to the test can a) pickup on your mistakes and b) know how to exploit them. That just never happened at lower limits I was making bad preflop mistakes all the time (limping with speculative rubbbish from EP for example - badbadbadbadbad) and getting away with them, partly cos I was outplaying everyone postflop and making up for some of them and partly cos the other villains didn't notice/know and couldn't exploit them) so didn't I notice I was making so many.

I am not moving down till I hit an awful downswing - I seem to be getting varianced lots and nailed with 3 outters - and sets have dried up - and less idiots overplay TPTK and call off stacks

BUT it's not *really* that much harder a lot of this is shell shock and just getting used to the new limit. Running good would be nice [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Maybe the 100NL level is more aggro now that Frist has done his thing, a little tougher maybe but I have nothing to base a comaprison on so don't know.

I do know that since moving up has forced me into improving a lot more I'm more confident now that I could kill 25/50NL for easy monies I'm sure that after I move from here to 200 I'll think the same about $100NL.

BW:

great well thread - [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[HitNRunPoster]

BW, I spew like a moran. Often when I have no hand at all. Should I move up to where they respect my raises, or just learn to play the game? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Seriously, though, I don't know why I want to win every pot, but I do. How do you beat that within yourself?

[Khaos4k]

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BW, I spew like a moran. Often when I have no hand at all. Should I move up to where they respect my raises, or just learn to play the game? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Seriously, though, I don't know why I want to win every pot, but I do. How do you beat that within yourself?

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I'm not Baluga, and defiently don't have the experience that he has, but I find that sticky notes on the monitor help a lot. "DON'T bluff/c-bet/semi-bluff calling station" was on mine for a while. When it's staring you in the face, it's easier to remember.

[BalugaWhale]

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BW, I spew like a moran. Often when I have no hand at all. Should I move up to where they respect my raises, or just learn to play the game?

Seriously, though, I don't know why I want to win every pot, but I do. How do you beat that within yourself?


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Definitely don't move up. People at higher limits don't "respect your raises", they just know how to trick you into making moves when they have hands.

I went through that for a little bit, but just remember that poker is a game of patience and aggression, not just blind aggression. Picking your spots is absolutely crucial. In short, stop playing loose and you'll find yourselves with cards more. Spew is a greater problem for those in tough situations a lot than it is for those who are refining their skills on similar tough choices over and over again imo. Loose is good for excellent players, tight is good for everyone who wants to win consistently imo.

I never used sticky notes, but i don't see how they could hurt.

[HitNRunPoster]

Thanks guys.

[munkey]

Thanks Baluga.

In a way it's goot to know your not alone in this Nl100 transition thing and there are many others.

Matrix
I agree with your post , alot of what you say has occured to me recently so excuse the tl;dr post.

I was rarely 3bet with < QQ at NL50 and have become a much wider 3bettor myself.

I was thinking about what eMC said - I don't think about the money in terms of WOW that pot was £150 I only play what I think is the best move like you say Matrix.

eMC try and think just in terms of chips nominal value -its' probably harder for you yanks seeing dollars -us Brits used to pounds have it slightly easier. However, i think you raise a point that Villans may view the money as OMG I can't call on the flop for 100$ with a nut mega-draw and I may have to adjust to this more regard for the sums of money.

This reminds me of Professional traders that trade 100s contracts at a clip where each contract is say 50k think in terms of risk/reward and have to be willing to trade large when they feel they have the best of it though often risking <2% portfolio.

(There's an article I've got somewhere about MM/traders 'moving up' when their trading limits double and how they cope with it - I'll see if I can find it.)

You will also hear they often refer to their results as
' I'm down 10 ticks this morning' not 'I'm down 50 squillion' so I try to think in terms of buyins in poker too and fractions of the pot and PSB preflop raises at the table.

I believe Chipstorm has knowledge/experience of option markets so he may be better placed to talk about this.
And no i am not sending you a transfer too [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

I too have also become tighter OOP -both UTG+1 which I often play too loose and tighter in the blinds - I rarely call with SCs unless pot is multi-mulitway.

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Maybe the 100NL level is more aggro now that Frist has done his thing, a little tougher maybe but I have nothing to base a comaprison on so don't know.


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I'll be interested to hear what pre Frist Nl100ers think.
There's more players @ FT for sure, may be theTAG/fish ratio hasn't changed?

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I'm improving and learning much faster than I was at 50NL and am way too stubborn to move down.


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The games really are not that much different imo


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These comments have made me change my mind. I too was improving and learning much faster so am going to play mostly NL100 with some NL50 thrown in and just try and get through this and become a better player.

If I can run at 3ptbb/100 then thats a respectable 6 at NL50 so it may also be more profitable solely in terms of $$$ to stay @ NL100.

reminds me of the time when I struggled to go from NL10 to NL25 LOL [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[vabogee]

any reason your name is spelled "BalugaWhale" instead of "BelugaWhale"?

[Fazz86]

Thanks for this thread Baluga its really awsome that a player like yourself would put time in to help other developing players. Ive only read to about page 6 so far of this thread so Im sorry if i repeat a question. Thanks

1. What do you feel is the tool/exersise that has helped you grow as a good player the fastest? Ex. Books, 2p2, tutor.

2. What books have you read, and which of those has prepared you for NL the most.

3. You said your 19. In High School/College what were your grades and what subject(s) did you seem to excel in. What games/sports did you seem to win at throughout your life.

4. What approach do you take towards NL. Is it more of a mathematical approach or relying more of reads and strategy.

Thanks for your time.

[netstorm]

What would help a player improve the most in micro / small stakes?
Put them in order of your preferance:
- Reading books
- Posting hands / being involved in discussion at 2p2
- Lurking on 2p2, read all the old digest posts and archives
- Putting in some crazy amount of hands.

[BalugaWhale]

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any reason your name is spelled "BalugaWhale" instead of "BelugaWhale"?

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cause i'm a baller and belugawhale is ghey