I have a problem...

[bozlax]

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As far as playing with money you don't care about, I hope everybody on this board is doing that. But I also hope everybody on this board is caring about winning/playing better than their opponnents.

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The two are not mutually exclusive, as I know you know I know you know, Benny. In fact, I'd say that the latter is dependent on the former, as tilt will do worse things to your winrate than any opponent ever could.

As to being over-educated, take a break for a week, and when you come back play straight ABC poker for a couple thou hands. Does wonders for the old noggin, hitting TP on the turn and just betting out rather than trying to c/r the [censored] laggro two seats to your left who won't cooperate.

[bennyhana]

[ QUOTE ]
As to being over-educated, take a break for a week, and when you come back play straight ABC poker for a couple thou hands. Does wonders for the old noggin, hitting TP on the turn and just betting out rather than trying to c/r the [censored] laggro two seats to your left who won't cooperate.


[/ QUOTE ]

I know that you know that I know this is what I should be doing, but gosh darnit I don't want to. I'm gonna give it 2 more weeks and then I'm on vacation and will take some time off from poker too.

[HouseCalls]

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I know that I play well (1 or 2 or 5 missed value bets in a session is normal, and not enough to account for a large loss), so I don't tilt.


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Its getting to the point where you know you play well regardless of the results that is the hardest part. I have been break even for about 25k hands now and had been very frustrated and feeling much like you describe Benny - "I used to win at these games; maybe I was just lucky; do I really know what I'm doing?; blah blah blah." Finally I got so frustrated I decided I would got to where the "easy money" is and play NL. Predicatbly I got crushed and I felt completely clueless. Instead of not knowing the "right" play a couple of times a session I didn't know what to do a couple of times a hand (ok maybe not that bad but you get the idea). I limped back to limit and just plain felt comfortable again - even when I have losing sessions.

I think the handed you posted is pretty standard Benny and I know you know how to play. Take some time off or go play something that you don't know what your doing and come back to it fresh.

Good luck bro!

[bennyhana]

OK, this was theraputic(sp?). I didn't really "learn" anything from it, more like mindless donking. I raised every hand for an orbit, then played raise or fold for an orbit. I think the names you are called are the best. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

"you're a moran"
"you're a idiot"
"what a donk"
"nice 3 betting hand"
"it won't last"

I know it wont jackass. CYAAA!!! I'm taking my 7 dollars and running!

L
O
L

[OziBattler]

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I know it wont jackass. CYAAA!!! I'm taking my 7 dollars and running!

[/ QUOTE ]
go benny go

I have a similar story. I donked around with some 6max NL the other night. I raise 3xBB with 55. the SB makes it 3x more (so 6BB in total), I call, flop is Q5x, he insta pushes, I install call and stack his AA.

He proceeds to call me a [censored] idiot etc....I say 'shipit' and since i was about to quit anyway I say that since he abused a fish that Im leaving and not giving him a chance to get his money back. He went wacko. I left and lolled alot...way to play aces bud.

unrelated to that, I always giggle when some 60/10 player berates other players for sucking out on them or makes some comment about other players calling their AA preflop raise with random junk. pot kettle black.

anyway, as you were. ozi out.

[Smurph64]

You should learn something about the hands you play if you go back and look at them from a different perspective in the next few days.

Study the betting patterns of the players and you will notice more than likely a subtle change in all of their play.

They adjust to your play without knowing it. Everyone reacts to an aggressor. The thing is most players don't know how to react fast enough to benefit from your play and those that do tend to over react and not realize you aren't playing wild anymore when you stop.

In the last month I have focused on table selection and position and reading of players by taking lots of notes.

is a huge factor here but the numbers have been very positive.

[/URL]


I have noticed that the more I study a table the more I am able to understand how to react to the action in front of me beneficially.

If you practice at different times against different opponents you will notice how certain players react instinctively and then you can counter them really easily.

Most of the guys who think they are good get tricky and slow play big hands by check/raising the turn or donking the river.

They get to win pots of course but they don't realize they miss so many value bets and call so much more when they are behind that its negative for them or break even at best.

They win 33 hands I win 23 hands, they win 17 bucks off me and I win 26 off them.

It happens time and again.

Other player types react differently but for the most part they just call more. They don't notice your inaction when you stop because everyone else continues to play lots of hands.

You start showing down pocket KK's when you are in the hand again and then they all get quiet again and fold whenever you raise preflop again....

It's a big cycle of opportunity.

I am sure these techniques don't work nearly as well against better players.

There is a fine line between spewing and making strategic manuevers that is easy to cross if you aren't careful.

So that is why I always pay very strict attention to their reactions, however subtle they may be so that I know when I can get off the roller coaster and not give back the value I stole by going hyperaggro.