[StellarWind]

[ QUOTE ]
talk about it all you want. why dont you play 10k hands 40/30?

[/ QUOTE ]
And what would you say after I did? Depending on the result I'm betting on "I told you so" or "sample size".

Pursuit of statistical goals is foolish. Poker is still a game of individual hands and decisions. I'm not going to randomly add a whole bunch of hands at once and hope it works out. They have to be the right hands and right now I don't have 40% worth of ideas that I want to be associated with.

But I do have 30% worth of ideas and in retrospect that seems incredible. Not so long ago 30/20 seemed impossible to me. I got there not through crude measures but by carefully analyzing many aspects of preflop play and gradually adding new hands and new raises. I've also deleted a few too because even tight players do some things they shouldn't.

That's what I'm going to continue to do. Researching, analyzing, and trying new things in a controlled way while trying to make some money at the same time. If that leads to 35% or 40% someday then so be it.

My statistical research using PT and my essays in these threads serve two purposes for me:

1. Game selection: A year ago I had fundamentally wrong ideas about who the fish are. This is one of the most deadly strategic failings a poker player can have and it got me in some trouble. I now have a much better understanding of where I should be sitting.

2. Areas to explore: Most of the LAGs are pretty haphazard about which preflop ideas they embrace. Bad hands are included while some good ideas get left out. Understanding why they are successful is much better than simply copying them. I want to find and add the good ideas without picking up a bunch of new leaks. This thread has helped me figure out what changes to investigate next.