Stoxtrader is "In the Well"

[stoxtrader]

I thought it might be fun to do an in the well here. Maybe i can get thebryce to do one in a week or two.. I'll try to be as open as possible, but cannot promise I will answer every single question.

"A stranger is being shown around a village that he has just become part of. He is shown a well and his guide says "On any day except Wednesday, you can shout any question down that well and you'll be told the answer".

The man seems pretty impressed, and so he shouts down: Why not on Wednesday? and the voice from in the well shouts back: Because on Wednesday, it’s your day in the well."

[DrewOnTilt]

How about a nice summary of your experiences moving from Limit to NL? There are some interesting discussions that pop up in the new Limit --> NL forum, and if you post a summary then we could get some good commentary and questions. I can beat the limit games online up through 15/30 (30/60 when I'm really feeling my Wheaties) and 100/200 live but can barely eek out a living at the Stars $200 NL after over 60k hands.

[Kyle]

I am always curious as how different players got into poker a brief description would be nice. Also How many hands were you able to log in the big crypto games and who did you think the best players in that game were?

[Joe Tall]

Have you ever had a poker coach? If so, what did you learn from him/her?

[stoxtrader]

[ QUOTE ]
How about a nice summary of your experiences moving from Limit to NL? There are some interesting discussions that pop up in the new Limit --> NL forum, and if you post a summary then we could get some good commentary and questions. I can beat the limit games online up through 15/30 (30/60 when I'm really feeling my Wheaties) and 100/200 live but can barely eek out a living at the Stars $200 NL after over 60k hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

in 2005 and 2006 I actually played a lot of both. I was playing 100-200 LHE and wasnt always able to get that many games so I was also part of the generation of players that 8-12 tabled the party 10/20 games. MY screename there I think was miamia and I was able to log maybe 250k hands in that game. My first 100k hands I won 6ptbb/100, next 100k I won 1ptbb/100 and last 50k i don't remember really around 3 i guess.

If you are beating LHE at 15/30 I would *think* that you have the poker skills/thought process to beat 200NL, but there are a few different skills needed. Tilt control probably a bit more important in NL, as its both more tempting to get tilted and probably more costly on average when you do. It's possible variance has turned the wrong cheek to you as well (see my winrates above for party), but I would suggest grinding on your game and continueing to give both a shot until one or the other really becomes the clear choice.

as far as learning a new game, I simply grind on the math/pokertracker/hands and probably spend more time than most from that vantage point (though not near the type of grind leatherass has).

if i didnt really hit on what you were looking for let me know.

[stoxtrader]

[ QUOTE ]
I am always curious as how different players got into poker a brief description would be nice. Also How many hands were you able to log in the big crypto games and who did you think the best players in that game were?

[/ QUOTE ]

I started poker when I somehow found pokerroom online I think in 2003, I remember christmas of 2003 I think it was I was 4 tabling 25/50c at empire poker and thought it was great when i won 50 bucks or whatever. By the spring the party 15/30 was my main game and then the other dates that really stick out to me is march 2005 was my first 6 figure month and also the month I made 300/600 LHE my main game, and january 2006 was my first 250k month, a lot of it won playing 25/50 and 50/100 HUNL and 300/600LHE.

I played a lot at crypto and played approx 150-200k hands at the 150/300 pound game. Some of the best players there were bengt sonnert (pkrbt I think), juha helppi, steve95 (his real name is not steve and he is the nicest guy ever, i kept calling him steve anyways), tore lagerborg, todd witteles, forget his name, and honestly I can't really remember the others and don't have my DB to refer too (I might come back and edit in others if i remember them).

Crypto let ppl change screenames as much as they wanted so everybody had many names it seemed, except for me at the start. I almost always used miamia or stoxtradr there. Some of the guys I enjoyed playing with would have been sansone, he was a crackup, also spitter, lazysomething, marrakes, and I can't really remember the others also. I think some of the best NL players there were emile (he always had moviestar names I think), prikken, kirderf, mafews, durr played some, brian townsend played some, can't remember who else.

crypto had awesome customer support and I got to meet most of their team, such a shame the games there dried up and they can't allow americans anymore.

[stoxtrader]

[ QUOTE ]
Have you ever had a poker coach? If so, what did you learn from him/her?

[/ QUOTE ]

Other than discussing hands over and over with 2+2 and now more often with friends of mine, I have never had a poker coach.

[DrewOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are beating LHE at 15/30 I would *think* that you have the poker skills/thought process to beat 200NL, but there are a few different skills needed. Tilt control probably a bit more important in NL, as its both more tempting to get tilted and probably more costly on average when you do. It's possible variance has turned the wrong cheek to you as well (see my winrates above for party), but I would suggest grinding on your game and continueing to give both a shot until one or the other really becomes the clear choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd say my problems are twofold:
1) firing continuation bets on the wrong boards, and not knowing when to fire a 2nd barrel
2) going broke postflop with AA and KK

I don't know which of the two problems is worse. Cumulatively they have probably cost me about the same amount, though problem #2 is certainly more dramatic.

Here's a sample of problem #2. In this hand I know that I didn't reraise enough preflop (not sure why not in hindsight), but I did end up taking the flop with a decent SPR of about 5. The button is a LAGTARD idiot. The SB is a TAG. My image sucks because the button got his big stack by stacking me three times - once with set over set, once with flush over flush, once when he outflopped my KK.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Button ($1045.75)
SB ($265.50)
Hero ($212.80)
UTG ($13.10)
MP ($79.90)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls $2, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to $4</font>, SB calls $3, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $20</font>, UTG calls $11.10 (All-In), Button calls $16, SB calls $16.

Flop: ($73.10) 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players, 1 all-in)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $60</font>, Button calls $60, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises to $245.5</font>, Hero vomits.

[BStinson]

Hey Stox!

How do you think your former job has prepared you for becoming that good of a player and helped you to handle the step of going pro?

Did you ever have more than marginal psychological leaks? How did you get rid of these (doing yoga, reading books about psychology or s.th.)?

[scorer]

Het stox thanks for doing this, will you be writing a NL book and or another limit book?? A god thinking player who plays lets say 1/2 NL- 2/4 NL can expect to have approx what kind of ptbb?? Have games changed alot in limit and NL in the last yr since the usa ban?? Thanks