[Idiotex]

I really appreciate what you're doing here Jay and love the concept of the community. Perhaps what you will end up with is 25 / 50 players coaching 10 / 20 players, 10 / 20 players coaching 5 / 10 players, and so on and so forth, all the way down to 25/50c. That would be pretty cool.

Nobody is perfect but I believe I fit your selection criteria for suitable applicants. So, to the questions.

1. How you are currently improving your game

Superficially, I play roughly 1k hands per day, watch cardrunners videos, and discuss hands with other poker players. But I think more important than of this is the time I spend analyzing the game in my head. I try not to think about what I should be doing, but what I should do and the reason for it. I try to balance ranges against regulars even though I am a lowly 100nl grinder. I also started talking in chat with one of the only few really good regulars on ladbrokes (at the applicable stakes), and we are now discussing hands daily on AIM after our sessions. We are also looking to start making a one hour video of our play for each other to give an audio critique (Bryce style).

2. Your poker goals.

My poker goal is to beat 5/10NL for 4BB's/100, 4-tabling and playing roughly 1k hands per day. I might have to reassess this goal and bring it down to 3BB's if I found that I am simply not capable of this. I certainly believe that 4BB/100 is possible for a good player, it's just a question of whether they can maintain focus during downswings, and manage their lifestyle such that they are always playing their best.

The main reason that my ambition only extends this far is that it would provide for a comfortable lifestyle, but perhaps allow me to avoid the stress of long break-even stretches at higher stakes (see: better players).

However, as with all things, if I were to succed in meeting this goal over 100k hands, I would certainly re-eveluate my situation, as with all things.

My short-term goal is to move up to 200nl on January 1st.

3. Your current stakes and past earnings

I'm currently grinding 100nl. I'm away for 10 days in Melbourne (starting tonight). My goal for December is to win 20 buy ins and then move up to 200nl on January 1st. I started playing poker seriously a year ago, and after rakeback, bonuses and gross winnings, I guess I've made $8k or so.

4. A few examples of good strategy posts you have made.

I'm not a big strategy poster. I have tried to get into it many times. But while there may be some excellent posters in small stakes no limit, they are few and far between. I think I certainly have a competent understanding of hand ranges and the like, and in most cases I have found that people don't usually tell me something I don't already know. Often big decisions are very close, and when you make the decision you are aware of that. I am more concerned with more insidious mistakes, like c-betting too much or too little vs various opponents. Not check raise bluffing frequently enough. Stuff like that. Things that can't really be described in a simple strat post.

So to provide some insight into the strategy I have been thinking lately...

Minraising the flop in 3-bet pots: I have given a lot of thought to it and been working into my game recently against regulars. Minraising in a 3-bet pot tends to induce a fold or shove. No one has just called me as yet. The theory behind it is the usual mathematical stuff. If I raise to $4 in the cutoff, button 3-bets to $13.50, and I call, there is $27 in the pot. Button then c-bets for $21 which makes the total pot $48.

Now let's say the flop is an A 9 6 rainbow, and that the button raiser has a very wide range. To minraise it costs $42. The pot is $48. Thus, the minraise needs to cause a fold marginally less than 50% of the time to be profitable, in and of itself.

Doing some basic poker stove work with hand ranges, it is easily determined that given his solid range of 3-betting hands, this play will be profitable, given the assumption that he folds without top pair or better. KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, some suited connector, KQs , KQo etc all fold out.

However, it also has the effect of making opponents stack off lighter, especially in 3-bet pots. I have been targeting one solid regular specifically with this strategy and had great success in deep stacked situations. If I flop a set in a 3-bet pot he cannot find a fold w/ top pair or an overpair for 160BB's+.

My minraises are always compatabile with my range as I never 4-bet regulars. So on any board I could have AA or KK. I only 4-bet fish who I am certain will shove.

I don't want to waste your time writing 10k words on one aspect of the game, but hopefully this offers some insight into the way I analyze the game.

5. A little about yourself.

I live in Australia. I'm a 24 year old male. I have two degrees. One in commerce and one in social sciences. At present I am just playing poker to make some cash while I consider my future. I have applied to do a dip-ed (a one year grad degree in education) that will allow me to teach high school. I hope to just teach relief two days a week and play poker to make extra money.

I appreciate your consideration.

James.