DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

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.

James asked me to make a well post and I'm happy to do so. I grew up in poker and in life from micro stakes, through SS, and on forward, I'm happy to answer any questions you guys might have.

Going to put this up and go to sleep and will get to all questions in the morning and keep up with this thread until the well dries up [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

What do you do to compensate for your image when playing against 2p2ers?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

As they ask the NFL/MLB rookies, "What was your 'welcome to the big leagues' moment?" as in, when was the moment that you said, "Ah, I get it, I can do this?" Such that, and influential post, a hand you played or something you read, etc.

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Based on our HU session, what limit should I be playing?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

are you perfect at LHE? if not, what is the aspect(or aspects) of your game that could use improvement? anything specific you do(or are doing) to achieve this goal?

what other poker games do you play? which ones are you best at? how's the NL development coming?

what's the biggest leak you notice when reading posts in the small stakes(or any other) forum?

what's the biggest theoretical misconception that you notice in the small stakes(or any other) forum?

what is something most average 2p2ers fail to do that, if they did, would have the greatest positive impact on their game?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

where the hell is everyone this morning?

what 2p2 poster influenced you the most in your hold em development?

who is the best LHE player you've played against?

what are the highest stakes you've played?

what are the normal stakes you play?

what is your UTG raising range at a full table? UTG limp range(do people actually limp UTG anymore)?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Terrible player limps from MP. Oddly enough no one follows. One or more of the blinds are fairly loose and because this is a live game even fairly sane players are more inclined to call and play it out.

You're on the CO, what range are you raising?
You're on the BN, what range are you raising?

I used to get away with highway robbery here online, struggling with this spot in live games.

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

not LHE related but whatever...

Do you plan on writing more on 2-7 or badugi?

How do the players from the bigger mixed games compare to those from say the low limit UB 2-7 games. If you could comment on how most people seem to fair playing the standard games in the mix that would be awesome...ie EOTB...

Did you play a fair amount of these 'other' poker games online before you jumped into the bigger mix games? or did you just 'dive in' with some of them.

Thanks

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Hi DD,

just one question for now - could you tell us about your journey thru the levels of limit hold em? Like, where/when did you start, how long did it take you to progress through each level, did you have moments of difficulty along the way, etc.

Do you feel you've completely mastered limit as well as one could hope to master it?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Thanks for doing this.

For any format of LHE:

Are you aware of which of your skills are due to talent; what do you think your talents are (directly or indirectly related to poker skill)?

What poker things that you do well are from hard work and/or experience?

What are a couple that you struggled most with acquiring and why?

Having worked from the very bottom, what are the most important things you either did or should've done along the way?

Besides the hand value and before betting starts, what are you thinking when you're dealt a hand?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Hello DeathDonkey,

I'd like your opinion on where (in the US) an aspiring LHE pro will consistently find the softest live games. What bankroll do you recommend?

Thank you...

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Hi Mr. Death.

1. At what limit of LHE live did you first notice a disinct difference in the skill level?

2. Which(if any)are your favorite poker books?

3. Tell us about your transformation from a low limit player to a higher limit player if you could. Such as: what was your style early on, uber tight, loose, weak tight etc. Did you slowly change your style?

4. Who do you consider some of the better Live pro lHE players?

5. Do you like Gladiator movies?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'd like your opinion on where (in the US) an aspiring LHE pro will consistently find the softest live games.

[/ QUOTE ]

In a public cardroom, California and it's not even close. (for Limit.)

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Do you think moving up in limits, is like the experience people have while they are going to math classes?

For me, it went something like this....

I get this, I get this, I get this......I'm never going to be a mathemetician, because this is an alien language.

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

DD, thanks for doing this!

1. In a recent thread (either here or DC, don't remember) we were talking about raising suited broadways if the pot had not been raised yet. What guidelines do you have regarding this? Your're not opening UTG w/ QTs right, so where does one draw the line? The hand specifically discussed in the thread was raising KTs in SB after a few limpers.

2. I am primarily a limit player beginning to dabble in NL. The LHE->NL forum is off to a good start and it is nice to see your presence there. What has been the most difficult part in transitioning from playing limit to playing NL?

DD, thanks again.

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
What do you do to compensate for your image when playing against 2p2ers?

[/ QUOTE ]

Value bet very thin and find creative ways to play a hand so that my hand range is balanced with good hands and bluffs. Use my LAG image but don't tilt and be vigilant of when they are ready to try and mess with me because I'm out of line.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
As they ask the NFL/MLB rookies, "What was your 'welcome to the big leagues' moment?" as in, when was the moment that you said, "Ah, I get it, I can do this?" Such that, and influential post, a hand you played or something you read, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

So many...I was playing 2/4 and 3/6 full ring on Party and there was no 6 max between 1/2 and 5/10, so the first times I took shots at 5/10 6 max and didn't get killed were pretty awesome. I felt on top of the world. During that same stretch I found an 8/16 on UB that was absolutely incredibly juicy and sat with a short roll and ran pretty hot and felt great and then 5/10 didn't seem so scary.

The first time I played 15/30 live (while playing micros online) and realizing my 1/2 full ring game online was tougher. Playing in an old 50c/1 2+2 game with people that were high stakes 2+2er legends to me at the time and having (I think Clarkmeister but it was sooo long ago) tell me I played a few hands expertly. Realized then how interesting poker is when you play against other thinking players and realized many of my opponents do think about poker in some fashion and life is easier if/when I understand how and what to do about it.

Josh / Sthief once made a trip report post about playing 7.5/15 in AC all night and being a degenerate and missing his GFs something or other, and how he was quitting poker and he felt awful. I always used that as motivation to be safe with bankroll management and control my play and never really felt too degenerate in all my pokering.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Based on our HU session, what limit should I be playing?

[/ QUOTE ]

We played in the micro tourney right? If so you'll probably be fine up to 2/4 or 3/6 if you avoid regulars who will be LAGgy and frustrating. You just need to log a lot of hands and develop a feel for how often you run into pairs, etc. in certain spots so that your hand reading will be strong intuitively.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
are you perfect at LHE? if not, what is the aspect(or aspects) of your game that could use improvement? anything specific you do(or are doing) to achieve this goal?

what other poker games do you play? which ones are you best at? how's the NL development coming?

what's the biggest leak you notice when reading posts in the small stakes(or any other) forum?

what's the biggest theoretical misconception that you notice in the small stakes(or any other) forum?

what is something most average 2p2ers fail to do that, if they did, would have the greatest positive impact on their game?

[/ QUOTE ]

In order...

Definitely not perfect. Just general hand reading / reactions against tough thinking LAGs that populate the higher stakes games, not trying to outplay fish and having patience (this is a tough one when you get "good" because you start thinking you can profitably play tons of hands vs fish - Ray Zee's stages of a poker player discuss this well). I'm practicing by talking to tough players about tough high stakes hands and hearing the way they think about a hand, and just playing and gaining experience I guess. I don't think that ever stops.

My second best game is probably 2-7 TDL, I think I am good at stud/8, and competent at Badugi and NL hold'em. I suck at Omaha in all forms and I never play stud high or razz really. NL I've gotten to the point where I don't feel I am a "limit player playing NL" anymore which is huge. I can beat smaller games with no problem and lots of live games because they are so soft. I have a tough time against smart good TAGs and LAGs but an easy time against the really mediocre ones. So I feel without putting in lots of thought / hands / etc. that I can beat any small stakes game and if the game is very soft, any size game where there are enough fish to compensate for me having to avoid the better players, which I would never feel is the case in limit.

Biggest leak I notice...well Ed Miller has written about it in micro but people still fold too damn much (good players I mean, fish clearly don't). Being very pessimistic in counting outs. A big one is thinking your opponents think and play like you do, and making faulty assumptions / conclusions because of this.

Biggest theoretical misconception...um, that higher stakes players / games are tougher? The only thing I can guarantee about high stakes players is they are generally wealthier than low stakes players [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

You ask tough questions, wow..average 2+2ers probably tilt too much and don't game select well enough. People like to think of themselves as a "2/4" or "3/6 6max" player which causes you to play in worse games or limit your options. They also tilt too easily and in subtle ways and don't realize that the game will still be there tomorrow.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
where the hell is everyone this morning?

what 2p2 poster influenced you the most in your hold em development?

who is the best LHE player you've played against?

what are the highest stakes you've played?

what are the normal stakes you play?

what is your UTG raising range at a full table? UTG limp range(do people actually limp UTG anymore)?

[/ QUOTE ]

A case of the Mondays?

I would say Entity because we both progressed at around the same speed and would play together and talk all the time about hands and about the process of trying to move up and be great at poker. We both loved to outplay each other and rub it in if one of us had a big score or moved up first and that motivated both of us. I need to also mention Shillx because he and I used to talk about poker a ton and play together and I always felt he was the best micro poster never to break through for whatever reason.

Infrequent 2+2er Nikla owned me too many times to count when we'd play together online. Live, MadCaddy and Devon / SavageGamble both played flawlessly whenever I've seen them/ played with them.

I've played 400/800 live both straight hold'em and mix games, 100/200 online.

I normally play 100/200 live these days and online fluctuates a ton, 10/20 to 30/60 ring, 5/10 to 15/30 HU, 400 NL, etc.

Um, rarely play full table but I'll guess something like: 88, AJo, ATs, KJs, KQo, QJs. UTG limp range if the game deserves it could be any pair, or could just be 77, 88 (tough game), JTs, T9s (maybe), A8s, KK, AA, AKs (sometimes, LRRing obv).

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Terrible player limps from MP. Oddly enough no one follows. One or more of the blinds are fairly loose and because this is a live game even fairly sane players are more inclined to call and play it out.

You're on the CO, what range are you raising?
You're on the BN, what range are you raising?

I used to get away with highway robbery here online, struggling with this spot in live games.

[/ QUOTE ]

CO: 66, A8o, Axs, K7s, K9o, Q9s, QTo, JTo, JTs.
Button: CO range + 55, 44, Axo, Kxs, K7o, Q8s, J9s.

That sounds approximately right but I adjust for the button and blinds somewhat situationally.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Based on our HU session, what limit should I be playing?

[/ QUOTE ]

We played in the micro tourney right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I was the one who played you in the HU quarterfinals and put up a fight right up until HORSE started and I decided paying attention to that was more profitable than trying to beat you. You had said "I played well" until that point and realized I didn't know exactly what that meant since you were playing against microers, most of them fullring players. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
not LHE related but whatever...

Do you plan on writing more on 2-7 or badugi?

How do the players from the bigger mixed games compare to those from say the low limit UB 2-7 games. If you could comment on how most people seem to fair playing the standard games in the mix that would be awesome...ie EOTB...

Did you play a fair amount of these 'other' poker games online before you jumped into the bigger mix games? or did you just 'dive in' with some of them.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll write if something strikes me as article-worthy and I find time. I'm not a great player so I have a hard time deciding how much to write on what I feel are sort of basic concepts.

Some of the big mix players are terrible, LP as it gets, just playing their hand, calling and drawing and never going past level 0, others are very tough and will be very creative and aggressive. Most people are decent to good at omaha (ironic that I suck at it) and competent at TDL and badugi but this varies a lot and play stud games horribly.

I played a lot of low limit TDL online and some stud/8, I've played big live mix games a few times with omaha in them and tried to play squeaky tight. The first time I played 100/200 BT I had never played badugi, just knew the rules and sort of figured it out. I won like 17k in that game running sick hot at badugi but I realized with my TDL knowledge I could do ok and that I should snow a lot more than everyone was.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hi DD,

just one question for now - could you tell us about your journey thru the levels of limit hold em? Like, where/when did you start, how long did it take you to progress through each level, did you have moments of difficulty along the way, etc.

Do you feel you've completely mastered limit as well as one could hope to master it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Copying some of this from an old post as there is a lot...

I was a product of the Rounders era of poker, before the Moneymaker era. Probably 5 years ago I started playing in the dorms during college and at the local indian casino, when I discovered I could play online and opened an account at UltimateBet. I played play chips and at that time they had weekly freerolls at 2:30 in the morning with real money prizes, so I'd stay up late and play in those hoping to make a big score. After a couple months I won one of those tournaments and had myself a $15 poker bankroll on UB. The thrill of winning that tournament is still one of the memories I'll never forget.

I began to play penny limit and NL holdem and around then discovered 2+2 and with the help of this micro forum, I moved up to 25c/50c and probably had a bit over a $100 bankroll. Then, one Sunday morning I played a $3 satellite on UB to their weekly $215 tournament (which was one of the biggest online at that time) and made it. I played the tournament later that afternoon and lucksacked my way to the final table! I took fourth for $4410 (I'll never forget that number), first prize was over 16k.

Suddenly I had more money in my UB account than I did in my bank account! I resolved that day to get serious about poker, started a Party poker account (hadn't earlier because 50c/1 was the smallest game they had) with an ambition to move to higher stakes. Playing lots of micro to small stakes limit holdem, and reading and posting in this forum and the Small Stakes forum during the golden age of SS in my opinion. bisonbison, chris daddy cool, evan, guyontilt, sfer, entity, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting were playing huge games online like 3/6 and I really thank them for inspiring me to get better and work hard and play a lot and try and reach those same levels.

I kept taking shots at higher full ring games until I was doing well at 3/6 and then at the time the only choice was 5/10 6max on Party. As would be a recurring theme I ran hot right away and got comfortable playing 6 max in no time, I was taking shots at 10/20 6max within a few weeks of starting at 5/10 and wound up doing pretty well there too and the money felt huge to me (as it really was in real world dollars). Right around then the party and empire split occurred and I wasn't sure what to do for a month or so, then everyone stayed on Party and I somehow checked out Empire and realized the games were amazing. Within 3 months I went from 15/30 to 100/200 on Empire, and played every 20/40 and 30/60 game going every day. I had 3 months straight of huge winnings and I've still never duplicated that which was almost 2 years ago but the games were amazing, I ran very well, and everything just came together. The sites re-merged and there were no more 100/200 games as soft as I was accustomed to so I don't really play that high now because I have too many responsibilities and other things taking up time to play in games where my edge would be so small (if any) but big live games still hold that edge for me IMO so I will play much bigger live.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for doing this.

For any format of LHE:

Are you aware of which of your skills are due to talent; what do you think your talents are (directly or indirectly related to poker skill)?

What poker things that you do well are from hard work and/or experience?

What are a couple that you struggled most with acquiring and why?

Having worked from the very bottom, what are the most important things you either did or should've done along the way?

Besides the hand value and before betting starts, what are you thinking when you're dealt a hand?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi downrange,

I truly don't believe I had any poker "talent" but I did have an inclination for: strategy games, doing stuff online (I played online computer games forever before poker and it was just the next video game to me), fast mental math (which now is sort of intuitive math, I rarely make calculations while playing), and I guess gambling but I really never was a gambler before poker. I wouldn't say talents but my biggest strengths are creative strategy (thinking of lines no one would consider), not tilting (though I'm not perfect at all), and I guess just enjoyment of poker - I still love playing and don't think of it as a "job".

I feel pretty much everything is from experience, but you can enhance the experience by thinking about the game away from the table, reviewing hands, and talking to other similarly skilled people about the way you play and what you can consider doing differently. I know the biggest jumps I made were in the old 2+2 games that were filled with tough thinking players, and by chatting with people on AIM as one of us played and discussed hands / the table dynamics / etc.

I struggled with not being results oriented a lot at first I guess. I wanted poker to be simpler than it was and I was used to playing games where I could point at something and say "see! this is because of this..." and it rarely works that way in poker.

I think I did a good job of taking shots at higher levels and maybe wish I did it a bit more so. You learn soooo much seeing how the game is played the next level up and even if you have to return to your previous game you find it so much easier. I should have been more social right away, not chatting with people about strategy on AIM or in person until later, I would have picked things up quicker probably.

I'm thinking about what has happened in the recent past, who is likely to be on tilt, what that will mean they will be more likely to do (some get weak tight, most get LAGgier), my position, whether I want to quit or not, what I will do with various hands in this spot (for instance UTG in tough big game I'll decide before looking at my cards if I am going to LRR AA/KK or not).

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hello DeathDonkey,

I'd like your opinion on where (in the US) an aspiring LHE pro will consistently find the softest live games. What bankroll do you recommend?

Thank you...

[/ QUOTE ]

The answer for game quality is Phoenix / Casino AZ, but then you'd have to live there. I've never played anywhere on the east coast but I can't imagine California being the wrong answer [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

To be a pro you need to have 500 bb to play with, as well as separate money for living expenses for at least 6 months. Maybe that is too conservative.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Mr. Death.

1. At what limit of LHE live did you first notice a disinct difference in the skill level?

2. Which(if any)are your favorite poker books?

3. Tell us about your transformation from a low limit player to a higher limit player if you could. Such as: what was your style early on, uber tight, loose, weak tight etc. Did you slowly change your style?

4. Who do you consider some of the better Live pro lHE players?

5. Do you like Gladiator movies?

[/ QUOTE ]

1) Live? Well its funny the first time you take a shot, you feel they are all much tougher, but then later you change your mind a lot. I found some big differences between 3/6 and 10/20 but now they don't seem so big to me. Now I guess I'd say 40/80 and 100/200.

2) Ace on the River (greenstein) and Inside the Poker Mind (feeney) - both are about psychology of a poker player and really taught me / made me think about issues besides "how to play hand x in position y at game z".

3) I am the type of person to try and figure something out right away, I wasn't a true "fish" for long because I knew there was skill to poker and I went looking for the answers in books very quickly. I'm sure I was too loose and too passive at first but never ridiculously so. I've never been accused of being too tight but I think truthfully I'd rather have a LAG student than a weak tight one, because the LAG is doing a lot right and can easily be fixed.

4) Lots of people I don't even know probably are quietly raking it in, but Devon / Savagegamble, MadCaddy, Tommy Hang, Hansu, and CMO are all some monsters I've played live with that are no fun to have in the game.

5) I liked Gladiator, not sure what other Gladiator movies I can think of.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Do you think moving up in limits, is like the experience people have while they are going to math classes?

For me, it went something like this....

I get this, I get this, I get this......I'm never going to be a mathemetician, because this is an alien language.

[/ QUOTE ]

No I disagree with this hugely. There is nothing mystical about any limit of poker, its just about bankroll and aggression.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
DD, thanks for doing this!

1. In a recent thread (either here or DC, don't remember) we were talking about raising suited broadways if the pot had not been raised yet. What guidelines do you have regarding this? Your're not opening UTG w/ QTs right, so where does one draw the line? The hand specifically discussed in the thread was raising KTs in SB after a few limpers.

2. I am primarily a limit player beginning to dabble in NL. The LHE->NL forum is off to a good start and it is nice to see your presence there. What has been the most difficult part in transitioning from playing limit to playing NL?

DD, thanks again.

[/ QUOTE ]

1) Well I play 6 max or shorter so often that its pretty much correct for me to open any two suited broadways in any unraised pot. In full ring though yes you have to draw the line at the weakest ones but its honestly not a big mistake if you raised them all. Hands such as these don't have very bad reverse implied odds (RIO) because they are capable of playing well in big pots and/or small pots. If you can win with one pair, they are fine for that, if you need a straight or flush to win a big pot, they will hold their own too, so there isn't much risk in building a pot with hands like this. The key to remember is if I raise in the SB with KT of clubs in a 5 way pot and the flop comes 345 all spades, I DON'T HAVE TO BET.

2) Just overcoming your natural tendencies and to stop and think about your action. Like on the river you will quickly go to value bet what you feel is the best hand but you need to ask in NL "how much should I bet, if any" and "what hands WILL CALL this bet and is that a good thing or not". In limit some decisions are so easy you don't care what calls you, you know that you are usually going to win and if they call they call, in NL this is hardly ever the case and many "easy value bets" just aren't profitable. This is just one example of a limit tendency that you have to stop and think deeply about before acting in NL.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Based on our HU session, what limit should I be playing?

[/ QUOTE ]

We played in the micro tourney right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I was the one who played you in the HU quarterfinals and put up a fight right up until HORSE started and I decided paying attention to that was more profitable than trying to beat you. You had said "I played well" until that point and realized I didn't know exactly what that meant since you were playing against microers, most of them fullring players. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh I remember now. Well you didn't let me run you over as easily as the others did. You realized how difficult it is to make a hand you feel confident with and played back at me some and kept me off balance. I seem to remember you still making some simple mistakes such as choosing awful board textures to try bluffs on but in general you were more aggressive and less afraid than the others and that served you well. I think that shows me you will do fine at the low to mid limits as long as you game select well and could easily improve enough to crush everyone in those games and be ready for bigger.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Hi DeathDonkey. Thanks for doing this.

How are you going today?

How often do you play poker?

What was the longest single session you have played?

What is the largest pot you have ever won?

What are the biggest BB downswings you have had at a couple limits? How did you feel about them?

What winrate do you believe is possible for online and live games today?

What do you think are optimal default stats in HUHU games in today's climate?

WITHEG recommends default open-raising from the button with a certain 41% of hands (22+, A2s+, A3o+, K2s+, K9o+, Q5s+, Q9o+, J7s+, J9o+, T8s+, T8o+, 97s+, 98o+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s+) in full to 3 handed games. What do you think of this?

What to you think is the greatest piece of music of all time?

Who is your favourite intellectual figure of all time?

What is your favourite pizza topping?

If you could be any other person in the world, who would it be?

You are hosting a limit hold 'em home game. You may pick the number of seats and the stakes. You can choose to invite absolutely any person ever living or deceased and they will accept. Who do you invite and what stakes will you play?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Tough questions this time...

-I'm fine, just got back to my computer after a few days away and all caught up on forums / email / poker happenings.

-I play in spurts, I'll play 6 days in a row for a few hours a day when I'm enjoying it and in poker mode and sometimes I have other stuff going on, working on other projects or just being lazy and only play for an hour a day 3 days of the week.

-Online probably 10 hours or so, live maybe 13 or 14 hours, never anything totally crazy.

-Hmm, I've won several around the 10k range at 400/800, none stand out as much bigger than that, though I did lose one that was over 25k when I had the underset in a 3 way pot, ouchie.

-200-300 BB I'd guess, nothing to rival some of the graphs I've seen on 2+2 over time but not quite as happy as the "rarely over 100 bb" as I used to be able to claim. They obviously don't feel good but if they happen fast they are almost laughable, there is just so little you can control and downswings in poker remind you of that. I usually just want to get back to playing right away. Contrast that with break even stretches of which I've had some last 50k hands and then I just want to die, never play again, every session is a struggle.

-Online anywhere positive is good, but I guess the best players can win 2 bb/100 or so. HU I feel I can win more than that with good game selection. NL I wouldn't be able to say. Live 1.5 bb/hr to possibly 2 bb/hr given how soft the games are.

-Mine, which are 80/55 I feel are pretty optimal. If I didn't think this I'd hope I'd change them.

-I think given their methodology for determining that hand range, it can't be far from correct. That said I think it doesn't properly adjust for the way your opponents play differently in a full ring vs 3 handed game. For instance, many small blinds will 3 bet you with a damn wide range in a 3 handed game, feeling that you are stealing too often and they need to fight for pots, but they are more willing to let it slide when the game is more full and you steal from the button (though whether they are correct to do so obviously depends). Given this the big blind often overadjusts 3 handed as well, and you'll find decent players who play reasonably full ring have a vpip of 100% in the BB in a 3 handed game. If these things are occurring you need to adjust your range.

-I suck with these type of questions because I am young and unrefined. The Star Spangled Banner is pretty good.

-Ummm, Darwin.

-Black olives not close.

-Everyone says no one here so I'll say Bobby Flay.

-I'm sure I should invite some famous historical figures and learn about their lives and all that, but if I'm playing poker I want to play with poker people. So now I guess I'd invite a couple tournament donkeys like Phil Hellmuth and John Juanda to feel good about myself for being better than them, then I'd invite a couple awesome players so I can inflate my ego by holding my own against them and playing way too LAGgy vs them, so how about Schneids and CMO, then I'd invite Tommy Angelo because he's awesome to watch play live poker. I'd invite mike l. and Joe Tall because I run hot against those two bitches in homegames. That's 8 handed already? Ok get rid of the good players and we'll play 6 max with the two tourney fish say 75/150 or so.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

DD,

If you had to pick one adjustment to your game that you've made over the years that you feel has most dramatically increased your winrate, what would it be? Thanks!

Kit

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
DD,

If you had to pick one adjustment to your game that you've made over the years that you feel has most dramatically increased your winrate, what would it be? Thanks!

Kit

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't believe there is any one thing that will start someone on the path to limit holdem monster, just lots of experience and learning from that experience (ie not just grinding 8 tables and breaking even or winning slightly, but figuring out what it takes to crush a game and then with the help of some good luck doing it). If I had to say one thing it would be quitting when I tell myself its time to quit THE FIRST TIME. This is more noticeable live but there is a moment when you get tired, or tilted, or just plain ready to quit, and if you blow past that time, nothing good ever comes from it. Online I am the same way now, if I feel for any reason I should stop, I STOP. Even if I go grab a drink and come back to my computer in 10 minutes and start a new session, that break is enough to refocus me and give me a fresh start.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

DD -

When you have your losing sessions and run bad, how do you deal with getting or not getting "tilty"? Have you noticed a difference in the way you handle it as you have moved up in limits?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
DD -

When you have your losing sessions and run bad, how do you deal with getting or not getting "tilty"? Have you noticed a difference in the way you handle it as you have moved up in limits?

[/ QUOTE ]

It depends, I aspire to have it happen all the time but there are certainly days where I'm just concentrating on making good decisions and the game is good and I want to play and I'm not even paying attention to my stack (or online using tiltblocker) and I'll quit and think "that went ok" and be stuck a bunch and almost surprised.

Other times it definitely is noticeable to me, I mean how could it not be usually, but I just focus on making good decisions and frequently re-evaluate the game conditions and decide whether to stay or not (especially if my image is crap as a result of the running bad, might be time to quit). The biggest thing is just not letting minor things distract you, like if I miss a bet I say to myself "take it easy, breathe, you should have bet there, remember that guy is a calling station, next time you'll get it right" but then go on and not dwell. Or if I get rivered where I obviously played the hand fine, if you aren't able to take a single beat like that and just shrug and say "that's poker" I don't know what to say to you, you will go nuts and you just need to find a way to not feel entitled to anything I guess.

When things are going really badly there really isn't much I or anyone can do except pack it in and never get to what Caro calls the "point of no return" where you are so demoralized and stuck that you lose a whole bunch more all the while thinking "who cares I'm stuck so much already". The difference between stuck 3k and stuck 5k may not seem like a lot at the time but the next day it sure will.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Hi deathdonkey -

1. Great/useful poker posts you've written? Do you have links or some way to find them in search? Any pooh-bah-style dissertations?

2. How important are the bets you save in the overall picture? Do bad folds dent win rate more than bad calls? How do you know?

3. If it's true, can you describe how thin the line is between winning $$ and losing $$ in poker? How do you know? Please describe in a manner someone w/none of your experience/exposure can relate to.

4. For little limits like 3/6 and lower, can you break down percent-wise what impacts win rate most? Like x% is blind defense, y% is turn play, z% is value bets, etc.? Those are just examples to give you an idea what I mean, I'll leave it to you to define the real categories.

5. Besides dc.com, what other poker forums are useful for expanding perspective? Or is man meant to live by 2p2 mantra alone?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

Round 2 if you dont mind DD:

1. Name some times(if any for you) that you like to just limp or call with big pairs in LHE(in regards to mid or high limits)

2. So do you have a routine when you are playing live as far as what do you like to do when you are dealt your cards? Where do you look, do you look at your cards right away or wait, etc. what are you looking for when you look at other players preflop when they are checking their cards. Things along those lines.

3. Do you recall any blatant live tells that might be amusing for us to read about here?

4. Do you find that the hands that you remember most that you have played are the ones where you made mistakes and not the big winning hands?

5. Is Celery overrated?

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hi deathdonkey -

1. Great/useful poker posts you've written? Do you have links or some way to find them in search? Any pooh-bah-style dissertations?

2. How important are the bets you save in the overall picture? Do bad folds dent win rate more than bad calls? How do you know?

3. If it's true, can you describe how thin the line is between winning $$ and losing $$ in poker? How do you know? Please describe in a manner someone w/none of your experience/exposure can relate to.

4. For little limits like 3/6 and lower, can you break down percent-wise what impacts win rate most? Like x% is blind defense, y% is turn play, z% is value bets, etc.? Those are just examples to give you an idea what I mean, I'll leave it to you to define the real categories.

5. Besides dc.com, what other poker forums are useful for expanding perspective? Or is man meant to live by 2p2 mantra alone?

[/ QUOTE ]

1) Not really I'm afraid, I just don't save this stuff, I tend not to write super long posts too though I have occasionally. My articles would be the only thing I could really point at to answer this.

2) They are obviously important but I tend to err on the side of paying off, not because of the common-but-incorrect mantra that "its just one bet if I'm beat but it's the whole pot if he's bluffing!" which is just a function of his bluffing percent and the pot odds you are receiving, but because I'd be more likely to tilt if I lost the big pot rather than the one bet and I prefer to have an image of "unbluffable" and you have to pay to acquire that image. I think against any sort of tough LAGs you would rather be seen as "unbluffable" because it forces them to play a bit more straightforward against you which dilutes the skill that they have. It's certainly possible to succeed with an image of "foldable" but I just don't have much experience with it and would probably not use that image as effectively.

3) I think you are asking for a reminder that our edge is precariously small in poker and anything that can happen will happen to you at some point? Yes, it's true. Barry Greenstein wrote about it in a way I really related to, where he gives an example of all the little coincidences that add up to a certain result in a poker game. The point he is making is that there are so many things out of our control, you better be prepared for some of them to happen to you but also not freak out trying to control them all (because you'll fail) and focus on what you can control.

4) Tough one...50% preflop decisions. 25% appropriately playing draws (raising for free cards, value raising at the right times) 15% value betting (thin on the turn and river), 10% not tilting. Hmm, maybe 20% each for playing draws and value betting.

5) I haven't really ever used any other forums, more out of laziness than out of lack of quality. 2p2 just seems to have the best quality all in one spot, though it will never have the same feel to it that it did when I was first learning here, but that's ok, things have to change and expand. I would hope the same will happen with our DC forums one day though right now everyone enjoys the low noise we have there.

-DeathDonkey

Re: DeathDonkey is in \"The Well\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Round 2 if you dont mind DD:

1. Name some times(if any for you) that you like to just limp or call with big pairs in LHE(in regards to mid or high limits)

2. So do you have a routine when you are playing live as far as what do you like to do when you are dealt your cards? Where do you look, do you look at your cards right away or wait, etc. what are you looking for when you look at other players preflop when they are checking their cards. Things along those lines.

3. Do you recall any blatant live tells that might be amusing for us to read about here?

4. Do you find that the hands that you remember most that you have played are the ones where you made mistakes and not the big winning hands?

5. Is Celery overrated?

[/ QUOTE ]

1) UTG or UTG+1 in a full ring tough or squeaky tight limit game. That's about it, though I've seen good players do the smoothcall in the SB vs a late position raiser etc. I just never do it, maybe I'll start someday.

2) Usually I look at them both at the same time after I receive my second one and then hold them in my right hand ready to muck (regardless of if I'm going to play or not) and focus most of my energy on seeing if my neighbor to my immediate left is going to call, raise, or fold. The rest of that crap that tournament players do (staring at each player checking their cards) I've never felt was worth anything.

3) Hmmm, I've seen a lot but trying to think of something that springs to mind. The best ones always come from total fish, because they just hollywood everything to death. Flop comes down 777, BB bets and says "I hope no one has a seven" - you do moron. They also get genuinely excited when they make a big hand on the end. If a fish ever just bets or raises with glee and a big [censored]-eating grin on his face, he is never bluffing, though he might be bad enough to think the second best hand he made is the nuts. The best "tell" I ever saw was just a super excited guy who clearly thought he had the nuts, playing 400/800 triple draw (which you have to understand is a lowball game where 23457 is the nuts and aces are high and bad) and he puts in like 5 bets on the turn vs a good player and both are pat, then the good player decides to bet into him once more and gets insta-raised and everyone at the table was just sure the fish had the wheel (23457) so the good player just called with #2 (23467) and the fish proudly turned up aces full. Yeah you can't count on a fish not knowing the rules.

4) I most remember bad beats in big pots, but I try to forget all of them. I also remember hands I played against good friends and we wind up talking about them weeks later with amazing clarity.

5) I'd say its a bit under-rated if anything.

-DeathDonkey