Listen to the drummer or the number?

[pooh74]

I haven't been very active until lately but just wanted to mention something regarding the excellent tool "SNGPT". Its a great way to get better at this game of ours, but I am really coming to the conclusion that at a certain point it gets overemphasized.

When I used to go back and review HHs (never did that enough, but it was known to happen), I used to just plug in ranges based on stacks, reads etc...But when I'm in a game, I have a whole different set of criteria I am using. Someone once referred to something called the "rhythm method" (I think schwza) and that is what I do more or less.

Its not as though SNGPT cannot take EVERYTHING you give it into account, but it does not notice the flow of the game, nor does the reviewer, you, afterwards, remember what the tone was...if you look at a hand in the context of the 5 preceding hands you may, but I for one never did this as well in a review session as I did in gametime.

Anyway, "rhythm". I think of it more as a person lying on their back and breathing, or ocean waves...the most active player (or player perceived as most active) on the bubble will cause calling ranges to rise and fall. When they are pushing more than others, calling ranges obviously go up in general...when, the active player is YOU, you must take this into account obviously and pull back slightly, but also "feel" when you are hitting a trough in the wave again after you have rested...IOW, calling ranges have leveled out against you. You will start to see patterns of how stack sizes are ordered etc...that will affect greatly when you are on a "peak" or in a "trough". I know we say things like "I have been pushing a lot" or "I've been quiet till now" but against who? who HAS been active? What are the calling ranges if you don't get involved and the guy after you pushes? Where does sngpt factor this in (we know it doesn't). I hate saying things like "feel", but because I have trouble articulating what in fact is happening, I use analogies and words like "feel", "intuition" as fillers for things that are difficult to encapsulate.

This to me is the essence of the game...yes, i know, I am not saying anything new, but I just wanted to reiterate that when we post and discuss bubble hands, (and AMT mentioned this) SNGPT should merely be there afterwards to help you confirm your hunches, know-how, and intuition and not be the almighty God telling you what to do. Of course when you are new to the game, you are shocked at plays that are +EV that you never thought would be, but at a certain point, experience and memory are your best friends.