The Well: CCUUURRSE

[steveJ]

Good advice on having a backup plan. What is yours?

[cameronbarry]

Hey BigBiceps

I definitely remember seeing you here way back in 2005 just as a lurker. I bet we've played once or twice throughout the years without knowing it.

My turn checkraise frequency is extremely high in all three stonebluff/semi/and value. I can't really get into this in depth because this aspect of my game is one of my most powerful weapons.

Due to the weaktight/straightforward nature of 1 2 full ring games I am much more inclined to reraise before I would flatcall any bet PF. I couldn't give you an exact range because the conditions are just too specific. Obviously I'm much more inclined to flatcall from the CO and button with an extremely wide range as my opponents will often make my hands very easy to play in position. Players are very rarely ever CR bluffing as the initial raiser and therefore I can bet literally 100% of the time when checked to and play near perfect as their ABC game style allows me too.

Generally I don't have specific ranges or positions where I will or will not play ATC. If I feel like I can play effectively given the opponent(s) and table dynamic I'm going to enter the pot with initiative. But I do also tighten/loosen up under extreme conditions relative to the not so rare very tight or very loose players. I'm going out of my way to play as many pots with either ends of that spectrum.

Very very rarely. This is a line I use often to get paid, so logically this isn't an effective line to bluff for me. My opponents fold such a high % of the time to my flop CB's and they more often than not require an extremely strong hand to continue in future streets that it just doesn't make sense to bluff this way.

The exception being when I have my opponent on 66 on a board of 3d3sTd after I raise PF he calls in position I CB he calls turn 2h checked through river Ad. Obvious things like that present good bluffing opportunities for me but even still due to the ridiculously high success rate my flop CB's I'm much more inclined to shut down entirely unimproved.

[cameronbarry]

hehe I wish I had some more impressive figures for this one but unfortunately the most I was ever down at one point was around $1600 and the most I've made in a session was around $2800. That might have been the same day now that I think about it hahah!

This figures would be a lot higher if I still played 12 hours a day like a crazy loser as I used to, but now a days I rarely play more than eight hours.

Like I said I used to play a lot more, most hands I've played in a day at these limits probably 9 or 10K.

In the old days, 13K I'd say.

Longest breakeven stretch... hmm.. A couple hours?

In the old days never as I had massive variance, I was either winning or losing huge.

Biggest downswing... 1K but this is only cuz my internet connection sucks and I couldn't continue playing. In the the three or four months I've been playing 1 2 full ring at FTP I've had four losing days, three times because my internet died and I had to quit, once because I went on massive tilt.

Old days.. [censored] 100K


I think poker is a very subjective game much like anything else. I don't subsribe to any rigid or narrow way of looking at what is optimal poker. Everyone must find what works for them, as in all things in life. If a player has success, and is happy with what they're doing with a 15/7 style so be it, whatever works for them.

I've developed a game which is optimal for me and one which I enjoy immensely. I don't necessarily think it better or worse than a more by the book strat it's just what I want out of poker. I have encountered a few TAG players in my day that were very tough to exploit. The key with a player who is tight is maintaining an image to the contrary. A big contribution to my success in these games is that these so called "tight" player really just don't put me to enough decisions. They're just never four and five betting me without the goods, thus making my decisions easy against them.


Absolutely do not think it would work at higher limits, which is yet another reason I'm going to hang out at 1 2 for a long time (I hope). Players at higher stakes could very easily exploit my style forcing me to adjust and most likely play a much nittier game. None of the 1 2 regs effectively adjust to my aggression whereas virtually all competent 3 6 regs and up definitely would know how to handle me. I would need to develop a different style.

[cameronbarry]

I never actually deposited online when I was 17, as I had no way to do so. I entered a freeroll with a 1K prize pool, one of those private freerolls on 'Stars. Ended up taking second for $250. I think that night I played 4 tables of .25c .50c and I remember that I cooled A3 with J3 on 983 3 J hahaha. Despite that cooler I managed to lose all but $20 of that $250. From those days on I played everything from .1c .2c 6max with 7 dollars up to 1 2 full ring with 5K, back down to .67 cents and hit the ol .2c 4.c limit games (cuz 'Stars won't let you sit at any NL game with less than $1.)

This was all over the span of 8 months probably, until eventually I found a home at 2 4 6max which I 8 tabled all day everyday for about 4 months. I had some great success there for that time but as soon as I made my first big cashout I became subject to the dreaded DUNDUNDUNNN CASH OUT CURSE. No that's not where my full tilt handle comes from, that came from Meatwad.

Anyway, right around that time I was on a major downswing with 0 zero cash in my account and I decided to buy a sunday mil ticket with all the FPP's I had accumulated. I was going to put my friend and excellent poker player Kevin in the tourney and we'd split whatever he made. Much to my chagrin he cancelled due to a softball game and I was forced to play. Poor me.. I ended winning haha weeee.

And thennnnn I played 10 20 6max and 25 50 full ring for about 3 months which was easily the most miserable period of my life. Fast forward a few months after a hiatus from poker and here I am.

At one point I was trying desperately hard to win the weekly MTT leader. To this day I don't know why, it was one of the stupidest poker endeavors I ever attempted.

I hate MTT's because the luck factor is so huge in them, and because my edge is so small. I love MTT's because of the thrill and potential earnings they represent.

I love cash games because they're always fun and challenging and profitable. I take cash over MTT's because it's a money in my pocket whereas MTT's usually is an expense incurred and frustration neverending.

[cameronbarry]

Hmmm that's kinda like asking a drummer how to do the one handed roll. The answer to both is the same. PRACTICEPRACTICEPRIACITICPAIRATICEPRACTICEPERATICE .

Yeah, play a lot, read 2+2 and sklansky, analyse all in hands with friends of equal or greater skill and more important than all enjoy the game.

[cameronbarry]

Thanks I appreciate that. Who are you?

No. I belive it is optimal for me. That assumption is dead on.

Despite your database, I made $1900 yesterday in around 6K hands.

[cameronbarry]

hey the nogre!! we have played a lot together

you remember me from my old handle on FTP imrussian?? we had some fun few months ago eh?

187K

beat I made a deal with fishleader/HIV before the tourney to trade 5%

so far in return he bought me a 20 dollar lunch at turning stone

[cameronbarry]

lol ummm

ummmm

move to somewhere that I CAN play internet poker legally?

no all in seriousness, if poker died I would kick start my drumming career. poker is just a way for me to ensure that I can play music all day and not have a care in the world.

[sick0fbe4tz]

Have you had any moments in your career where you got a light bulb over your head?

What's teh main difference between nl200 and nl100?

[cameronbarry]

Absolutely I have. The gap concept for one. I remember reading all about it and I really thought I understood it, but until a year or so and about 2 million handslater something just clicked and I truly understood it.

I also remember years ago when I was starting out at 1 2 full ring on 'Stars with the 2+2er -Skeme- and he told me I should muck KQ and A3s UTG. I didn't listen, and at the time I didn't understand why. "Those are both playable hands," I thought. Again, many months passed and hundred of thousands of hands and at one point that light bulb came on and it all made sense.


Can't say as I haven't put in more than a couple hundred hands at 100NL.