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What you are Doing Wrong as an SSNLer

I think snowbank summed this up really well. The contents of this article are not mind-numbingly new, but they need to be read and re-read, and really taken seriously. With that said, I hope you enjoy.

Greg

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What you are doing wrong as an SSNLer

In my first draft of this article, I had over a page long introduction. A friend told me to cut all the excess crap out, so here it is: You’re playing poker for one of two reasons: a) to become the best poker player you can be or b) to make the most money you can make

Although the on the surface A and B appear radically different, they are actually the same thing! Improving your game to its maximum will make you the most money possible. Yet, every single month I hear about all the “big” SSNL players with goals of 100k hands or month or more, knowing that their winrates will suffer, and they won’t get too much better. Sure, they might grind out 50 or even 100 dollars an hour, which is great by real world standards, but I’m pretty sure everyone has already realized this isn’t the normal real world when you can sit in front of your computer screen and click buttons to get this hourly rate.

Essentially, I am saying that many times your hours are better spent doing something else than playing SSNL. That’s because, even moving up to 2/4 or eventually 3/6, and maybe 5/10 will make you so much more money, EV-wise it’s profitable to improve as a player as quickly as you can, versus putting in lots of hands. Yes, I realize the games are harder, and the players are harder, but I’m pretty sure everyone started out at SS at some point. Last June, I was playing NL200 on Party Poker, and now I am a winning NL2000 and NL5000 player.

You won’t like to hear me say this, but you need to hear it: Get better, and move up. Don’t be afraid. I was afraid of moving up to 2/4, and then 3/6, and then 5/10. I had to have someone kick me in the ass and push me the whole way. But I’m so glad he did it, because in the end it was completely worth it.

Now, I know what you are saying. “That’s great that you can sit here and tell us to get better, Greg. Really helpful.” Well, I can’t tell you exactly how to get better/make more money (well, not all in this article [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]). I can give you some pointers.

1) Stop playing so many tables
I know that when I was trying to improve my game I would play 4 tables. That’s the maximum I play now. Not coincidentally, I am trying to get better. Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not a machine with multitabling, but if you are going to try to sit here and tell me that you can improve as much playing 9-12 tables on autopilot compared to 4-6 I will laugh at you and tell you you’re very likely mistaken.

2) Table Select Better
I know you’ve heard this countless times, but there is a reason that it is #2 on the list. You’re not doing it well enough. I don’t care if you are the best player at NL200, there are juicer tables out there than a 4 handed table between you are 3 weaker regs. It’s NL200 – there are millions of fish. You have FTP AND PS to choose from, so it’s not that hard to table select really, really well.

3) Rethink the idea of a “goal”
A goal should be something that pushes you in the right direction, NOT something that CONTROLS YOU. When I see someone set a goal for example, “200k hands this month,” I know that they will hate poker by the end of the month, regardless of if they reached their goal or not. One of the most overlooked aspects of poker is being in control. If you are a slave to a goal, you will not enjoy poker, you will play sessions when you are tired or in poor shape to reach your goal, and you will lose money! So, I suggest setting a goal with the idea that it be a little kick in the butt to push yourself a little more, not a complete ass-beating.

4) Control the game
Piggybacking off #3 is the idea that poker can be a very controlling game. If you wake up and must play, or you must play during the day and at night, then poker controls you. If you can’t take time off, then poker controls you. Something that I would suggest doing if you have this problem is to find another hobby or something that you are passionate about. This insures that poker does not consume your life. You will be in a better mood and state of mind when you play, and your results will be better. Other things that go into this category include the idea of playing when the games are good. Not only must you get up if you are not ready to play, or not in a good state of mind, or not playing well during that current session (ie don’t chase losses when playing poorly or even if you have a negative mindset) but you shouldn’t sit if the games are bad. If the tables are full of regulars or a ratio of regs:fish that is abnormally bad, just don’t play. Go do something else. Go outside. Go exercise. Or, if you must do something poker related, do the most underused form of improvement….

5) Review your sessions.
After my sessions, I review EVERY HAND that I played. That means I put the table into PT and look hand by hand. I look at every hand where the pot was over xbb. I look at the action, and I take notes on my opponents. Even playing only 4 tables, I don’t pick up on everything. I save these notes to a text document, or import them to the site directly if applicable. This is especially helpful if you play vs the same people a lot. Of course, if you play a session late at night, you can always go to bed after and review it in the morning or afternoon, before your next session, generally when the games aren’t as good.

Additionally, I write down every hand during my session that I found myself in a difficult spot, and I look at it afterwards. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll ask some people (either AIM or posting it), and come to a consensus.

If I am having difficultly vs a particular opponent I will look at EVERY hand I have from them when I click on their name and I will make a big file with every little note I make. I will then make generalizations from the notes and write them onto the player note for this player, so I have them next time I play them.

6) Pay attention when you are playing
Turn off the TV. Log out of 2p2 and AIM or whatever you use to talk. Don’t have a browser open. Focus on poker. Take absolutely stellar notes, and make sure you are focused. If you aren’t focused, it’s time to quit.

7) Don’t be afraid to move up. If you are cruising along in your limit, and you have a decent bankroll, don’t be afraid to move up. I know personally how much it hurts to lose “2x” the money and have to rebuild, but you’re beating your current stakes pretty well, so it’s not the end of the world. I’m pretty sure no SSNLer has had a 60k downswing like yours truly, so I don’t really want to hear it. You can handle the loss, and you will rebound.

*BONUS*
If you aren’t playing well, just get up. If you start to feel tilted, just get up. I know that you are +EV with the huge fish with 300bb each to your direct right even though you are tilted or playing your C game, but I promise you will lose money. It might be from making some terrible play vs a good player at your table, or it might be from incorrectly adjusting to the fish. At the end of the day, I cannot even tell you how many times this has happened to me or people I know. Just get up. It’s actually the most +EV thing to do.