The Well: TheMetetron

[TheMetetron]

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Met:

How comfortable are you playing poker over various internet connections while traveling?

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I'm very comfortable with it. Some of you guys go way overboard with your freaking out about security via public wifi.

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What kind of security precautions do you take?

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The only thing I do is make sure my virus/firewall are up to do along with anti-spyware. I use KeePass to store all my passwords to protect against any key logger or drunk people accessing my accounts.

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How do you typically connect while traveling?

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Usually, I prefer to stay in a place for several months so I rent an apartment with high-speed internet. When I'm doing side-trips I just go down to an internet cafe or book a hotel with wifi.

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What kind of mobile setup do you have? (I have a mental image of a large metal case with a 30" Dell + Superloaded Laptop.)

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My traveling items consist of:

- One backpack (think greasy backpacker kind) with all of my clothes + Dell 2001FP stand.
- One bag I picked up at an LA hotel for my 20" 2001FP + 2 external 500 gig hard drives + my Canon HV20 camcorder
- One laptop case with my 17" Inspiron 1720 that I recently bought.

That's it. Keeping it light is very important.

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What is a good resource for fully understanding all legalities associated with extended travel, say several countries over the course of a year? What do I need to know regarding US taxes, visas, visit length, etc. I'm completely clueless regarding this type of thing.

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The travel forum here is good. The immigration departments of the various countries you want to visit are good for discovering what kind of visas you want. The IRS web site is good for all things tax related.

Generally, I only stay in countries as a tourist so a visa isn't needed. This does generally put a 90 day limit on the amount of time I can stay there, but some countries have ways around that (Argentina & Australia for example).

[TheMetetron]

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What languages do you speak fluently? Is it a neccesity to speak the language of the country you live in? Or can you get by using only english in a city like Paris?

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I only speak English truly fluently. I speak Spanish at what I'd consider an advanced intermediate level. I can do just about anything I need to in this country and can read / listen to fairly advanced Spanish, but in an in-depth conversation I flounder. I'm just not comfortable having conversations and it is my biggest problem with Spanish at the moment.

I also speak beginner Danish & Italian, but I'm currently working on getting the Italian to an intermediate level in the next year before I move to Florence.


In Buenos Aires, I'd be fine moving here without knowing Spanish (and I did) but the desire to want to learn the language is essential to enjoying your time here.

In Paris, I'd imagine the same is true. As a tourist, I got by fine with people speaking English to me. If I intended to stay there for several months I'm sure I'd find it 100x more rewarding to attempt to learn the language.

[fitnessfreak]

waaaay too much hate for the metetron in this well. i take particular issue with a few things:

1) coaching fees: as met has said, this is a free market, and he has clearly explained his reasons for charging what he does. if you dont like it, then just dont get him as a coach. if what he charges "offends" you or irritates you for whatever reason, then you need to suck it up coz it aint gonna change and hes doing absolutely nothing wrong.

2) general abuse: the whole cliquey msnl thing is getting ridiculous.

3) lack of poker content: there were bugger all poker questions ffs!

this well just seems like a lot of people coming out of the woodwork to [censored] on met either to sabotage his coaching plans, or just to make themselves feel better. for christs sake just give it a rest.

oh and fwiw, i got a hand analysis session with met a while ago, and upon rereading the notes again it is clear to me now that he is a very solid poker thinker and with this new method of teaching i believe it could be invaluable to people struggling with modest winrates at 2/4 and 3/6.

thanks for the well met, been a good read so far. i hope we can get some more interesting discussion going in future, and all the crap flinging calms down.

[TheMetetron]

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why are you such a douchebag? i dont know 1 person that likes you.

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pretty sure 99% of the forum would like him if they met him IRL

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Note: Deleted my original post. Not going to get into this.

MSNL is like a schoolyard recess time clusterfuck. The cool kids don't like me, who cares.

Meet me in real life without preconceived notions of what I'm like and decide for yourself.

[TheMetetron]

fitnessfreak,

Thank you for the kind words.

[spivey]

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The fact people think that the way I conduct myself on a forum is related to the way I truly behave in real life is laughable.

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FWIW, having not seen anything that goes on in those threads, this may same more about your immaturity than them taking themselves too seriously.

[TheMetetron]

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You had 20k roll without any savings when you quit your job for poker and you said it's not recommenced. At how much should someone consider turning semipro and live fully with poker?

When you quit your job, were you thinking for a while on what could that mean to you in a near futur (not being able to get back on a 'normal' working schedule etc)? Have you ever considering not quitting your job because you thought poker isnt a secure way to live your life?

Woud you recommend to someone to become a pokerpro? What would you tell him that you think is important to understand when you're starting your poker career?

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Hey, just reading over your well, good stuff. Just wondering if you could answer those questions by theplux. My question is kind of similar, just wondering what kind of schedule you follow, if any. How do you balance your life with poker, do you just play when you want or play x amount of hands a day/week? Thanks.

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Definitely be fully rolled for their game + 6 months of living expenses saved up. The usefulness of this cannot be understated.

I was stupid when I went pro and didn't consider a lot of the ramifications of it. I sort of lucked out in that I got good enough quick enough to make a good living from it.

It is a personal choice. For me, I wouldn't give the lifestyle up for anything. Being able to have the attainable goal of breaking half a million dollars in income next year at age 24 is amazing to me. Couple that with 20 hour work weeks and the ability to travel the world and be my own boss... it's amazing.

That said, it isn't all fun and games. You have to be disciplined enough to actually get the hours in and improve your game. It's important to have that savings to fall back on so you aren't looking month-to-month and killing yourself over variance. Variance happens and you will lose money, be prepared for that.

For my schedule, I try to work 25 hours a week usually between noon and 9pm local time. Sometimes in happens, mostly it doesn't. I'm not sweating it too much because I make way more than I spend, but I realize I really should be working more. I have the problem of having too much of a personal life with not enough poker.

[TheMetetron]

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Also, I don't only play at Party Poker (but "American" sites too!) and do so for a reason: Party Poker isn't some sort of golden promise land where money grows off trees. The regulars there, are surprise, surprise, better than the regulars on any other site. I know, who would've guessed.


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the datamining i've seen suggests that there are very, very few players at any level on stars & full tilt sustaining long-term winrates > 3-4ptbb/100. in fact, there really aren't many sustaining winrates even that high.

yes, players sometimes enjoy 30k stretches at 6ptbb+, even 50-60k. but over 100k+ hands, winrates that high just do not appear to be sustainable.

have you played 100k+ hands at any one level on a US site at > 6ptbb/100? have you played 100k+ cumulatively on US sites at > 6ptbb/100?

if you say you have, i'll believe you. but i just want to confirm this before i proceed to additional questions. you've described yourself as a >6ptbb/100 winner, but i just want to make sure that you've truly established that to be accurate on US sites.

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My push towards incorporating other sites into my game is fairly recent so I don't yet have 100k hands at non-US sites. When I do, I'll post results.

[TheMetetron]

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This isn't an exact hand but something that I've been put into alot recently that has left me a little confused.

I'm on CO with AdTd

folded to me I raise to $1
Button calls
SB and BB fold

Board comes 8h Ts 5s

I make a standard continuation bet of $1.50
Button calls

Turn comes Qs

What do you do here?

Betting seems like a bad idea, it folds out every hand you are ahead of. Doesn't necessarily fold out draws. Although it does mean you get value from hands like KT with the king of spades. I guess you fold to a raise, what do you do on the river, continue to bet or check/call or check/fold? What river cards change your action?

If you check a good opponent is going to bet with/without the flush, thats an overcard to the board and completed the flush. So do you call a turn bet?

River comes 3d

What is your plan here? If it has gone check/check do you blocking bet thinking he is unlikely to raise without a hand that has you crushed? Do you check with the intention of calling a bet thinking that he will bluff a large part of his range?

Similarly if it has gone bet/call or check/bet/call on the turn do you bet out? Or do you check/fold or check call.

What sort of villain tendencys change your decision?


How do your actions change if the turn does not complete the flush but just brings an overcard? I would usually bet again if it didn't complete the flush hoping to get value from draws/worse 1 pair hands then check call the river.


Thanks for this TheMetetron.

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Since you said you raise to $1 I'm going to assume this is $25 NL with 100bb stacks.

Given that, I'd bet the turn again as well partially as a feeler and partially as a "this donkey might give me more money with a worse hand".

Without improvement I probably check/fold the river since a player at these stacks is almost never going to play around here as a bluff.

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Thanks Metetron,

how would your above advice change as you moved up in levels and your opponents became trickier (say NL100+)?