Grinding it Out!

[Andy_Aces]

Two days ago I put $100 dollars on PS. I've only been able to play roughly 5 1/2 hours between both days. I've only been playing 2 tables at a time - trying to get better reads on people. I've been playing at the $0.05/0.10 tables and seem to be grinding my way up. I'm up to $138.23 * I don't think it's to bad considering I'm playing only 2 tables, and haven't put in very many hours the past 2 days. I've been playing very tight. I've stuck to the suggested starting hands in HoH:V1. Should I maybe loosen up a bit to win more? Should I play a 3rd table? Or should I just keep to the grind? Thanks.

-Andy_Aces

[OziBattler]

your sample size is way too small to judge whether you are beating the game or just getting lucky.

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Should I maybe loosen up a bit to win more? Should I play a 3rd table? Or should I just keep to the grind?

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let me ask, do you consider yourself to be patient? Im getting a vibe from your post that you are looking for an excuse/reason to 'hurry up' to win more money and/or move up in stakes. Unfortunately, poker is a funny game and a house of cards can quickly come crashing down.

it might be prudent to play many thousands of hands at said limit in order to show you have the potential to consistently beat the games.

if all the things you mention, it might be better to add a third talbe and play your same game (whcih you are winning with) rather than change your starting hands etc.

goodluck

[Peleus]

The problem is, its incredibly difficult (relatively) to slowly grind up money in hold'em, and there is very little you can do to win quicker. It is however incredibly easy, to loose your months of hard work, in a matter of hands.

Take your time, be patient, and remember you're slowly walking up that mountain, but there are big cliffs either side of the path, so don't be in to much of a hurry [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[TheSauce]

My suggestion at this level would be to stay fairly tight. The fish at PS 10NL will pay you off when you hit big hands. If you want to loosen up a bit, do it from the CO and BTN and when you do raise from the CO and BTN make sure you are raising 4x BB + 1BB per limper. Punish those limpers and then Cbet when they check to you on the flop. You'll take down alot of pots this way.

Also, i agree 100% with the first reply. You seem a bit impatient. 10NL is not a place to make alot of money but an excellent place to develop a nice foundation and a solid, winning game. Keep logging in the hands at 10NL until you have a decent sample size (like ~20Kish or more even). Then you'll be able to move up in limits with confidence in your ability.

I also play 10NL at PS right now. I logged 50K hands at 5NL and am at about 12K hands at 10NL. I'm certainly not rich lol but i feel like i've improved ALOT and am now comfortably rolled for 25NL although i'm not moving up until i feel like my game is good enough. Granted, i'm sure i am being much more cautious than necessary and i'm not suggesting spending that many hands at 10NL, i'm just stating that it is best to be patient and just focus on improving in the beginning and the micros are a good place for that.

Good luck.

[TheSauce]

Also, regarding # of tables... just add a table when you feel it won't adversly affect your play. If you can play 3-4 tables and maintain a good winrate, then go for it. But again, establishing a winrate takes playing alot of hands and putting in the time. You just can't say that you are winning or losing with such a small sample size.

[Manomanman]

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Take your time, be patient, and remember you're slowly walking up that mountain, but there are big cliffs either side of the path, so don't be in to much of a hurry [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

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Words of wisdom.

[ev_slave]

[ QUOTE ]
The problem is, its incredibly difficult (relatively) to slowly grind up money in hold'em, and there is very little you can do to win quicker. It is however incredibly easy, to loose your months of hard work, in a matter of hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

These are the words of a sage.

OP, maybe you can loosen up a little, but for the most part play brain-dead at the low stakes. If you get creative you'll just move your chips to another stack real fancy-like. Just because the play is pretty doesn't mean the results will be.

Also, you're up 3+ Buy-Ins in 5.5 hours of play. Playing 100 hands an hour at 2 tables, that only 1100 hands, for a 13+PTBB/100 hands. This winrate is probably too high to be sustainable. It's great that you're doing well, but recognize that this is probably "a heater," or just positive variance over a small sample size. Keep doing what you're doing to see how your play does for the next 10 or 15 thousand hands, and then when your stats start to stabilize try and figure out how your game needs to change for your stakes. Not to bring you down, but not getting too excited is key to not blowing all your nearly acquired money away.

[Andy_Aces]

After I posted last night, I logged on for a good 30 minutes of play. I am now up from 138.23 to 160.18. I'm not really getting that great a run of cards as some of you suggest. I am a tight player and I'm very patient at the table. I'm just wondering if I should loosen up and play a little more aggressive to get my tight image paid off.

-Andy_Aces

[gedanken]

Why? Sounds like you're getting paid off now.

a good 30 minutes is irrelevant, by the way.

patience is the skill everyone else is trying to learn -- embrace it.

[Splossy]

"a goog 30 minutes" LOL!

Mate, you need many thousands of hands to know what sort of winrate you are on.