A Day at the Aquarium

[Kuso]

Comments on Session 7

First, I agree with the boredom thing. Party $25NL puts me to sleep, too. The occassional fish dumps some money, but I find lots of weak tight players that make playing the game a bit of a chore.

I personally think VPIP is good... 18-22% is tight without being too much so. That's good for my style anyway. What do you mean with PFA (pre- or post-)? A good pre-flop raise for 20% VP$IP is about 5-6% (here is a ), while good total aggression is over 2 (iirc).

Hand 1
With two others in the pot, I would almost bet on someone having the A. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if someone had 2p b/c their A was soooooted (this happened to me today with AKo when A4s flopped 2pr and called down to the river). I wouldn't even bother calling the flop bet. A raise (to push someone off a weak A or drawing hand) or a check-raise (same reason) are possible, but I think this might be a little too fancy for Party $25NL (does anyone else agrees with this... or not?)

Hand 2
I find this kind of situation to be tricky at Party $25NL. It seems like some people play any A, lots of people play any suited A, so TPTK here is not a holding that allows you to drive the betting (imho). As such, I like your small bet and call on the flop. The turn was good as you have T2PTK-- he would have pushed with a boat (A8). I wonder about the river. I personally would have bet $5 or so while calling any reraise due to my top kicker. It seems like I rarely get callers on the river for big pushes like this. If you had the read that he would call, then I think that this is a good push. Otherwise, 1/3 to 1/2 pot value bet seems like it would get more action in the long run.

BTW, I encourage others to critique my analysis. I have become so bored with Party $25NL that I have taken up PLO8. As such, I am a bit cynical about $25NL.

[Kuso]

Session 8 Comments

I agree with you analysis... you were getting great odds on each street, and you would have likely felted someone with a Q on the turn or xQ for turn and river.

After the J fell on the turn, I would discount the pot odds of the broadway str8. The probability of chopping takes a little bit of value out of that calculation. That being said, I think you still had the proper odds to draw to the str8.

Also, you only had 3 outs on the river that would allow you to bet aggressively or call big pushes... the Td _could_ be trouble (in fact, it was). A flush draw had great odds to draw to the river, and I find that lots of people at Party $25NL chase flushes with or without proper odds. As such, calculations would need to be adjusted accordingly. You still had the proper odds to call, so nothing changes.

[BigPhish]

Session 9

Playtime: 2:30
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Good. bit tired at the end
Party BR: $172 -> $198
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 1,820 VP$IP: 19.29% BB/100: 20.22 PFA: 3.27


Started out painfully. Had QQ in late position, put in a good raise, got min-raised back by the calling station to my immediate left. Re-raised. He called. We do that back and forth again on the flop (which was rags) and all of a sudden we're both all-in. He has KK. I don't improve.

Got back to even on that table in the first hour, had a few suck-outs. Lost a bit more than 1/2 a buy-in when I took a boat up against quads (will post for comment in the NL section).

Not a bad session overall, I think, given my present skill level. I just need to stop paying off. It's soooooooooo hard to do on Party though. They could (and frequently DO) have NOTHING,

[briachek]

just remember, calling station raising you preflop = BIG Pocket Pair. Since you got QQ, you have to think KK or AA. I would call his raise, bet into him on rag flop and probably fold if he raised me again against a typical passive calling station.

[BigPhish]

Session 10

Playtime: 5-ish hours
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Good throughout
Party BR: $198 -> $294
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 2,897 VP$IP: 19.85% BB/100: 19.37 PFA: 2.80 (eep! slipping!)


This was my first time at the tables in about a dozen days. Had a very nice vacation in Virginia Beach, thank you. But boy was I rusty. Low low aggression at the start of the session caused me to start out in the hole $5-$10 per table. It took me a good while to realize what my problem was. Once I figured it out, things went much better.

That's quite the interesting randomizer at Party. I wound up with the exact same hand in the exact same order on two tables at the same time twice in 5 minutes. First up, [Js]. Second up, [Ks]. Strangeness. Wonder what the odds of that happening are... I wonder what the odds of that happening and winning all four hands are (I did, luckily enough)...

I paid off two I shouldn't have. One I knew it. KNEW it. Rock raises me on the river. The odds looked good, but I should have folded and saved myself $4. The other will be posted for comment.

So... My BR is again big enough to take on the Party NL$50 tables (Party Poker Challenge). After the debacle last time, and because I'm still paying off when I shouldn't, I don't think I want to do that yet...

[BigPhish]

Session 11

Playtime: 1 hour
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Good early, Tilty toward the end
Party BR: $294 -> $254
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 3,427 VP$IP: 20.60% BB/100: 14.05 PFA: 2.71

Hopefully this is a variance session. I felt like I made good decisions. The cards were just running against me. I was dealt aces twice. Once I had them cracked by AKs (all-in preflop, board brought one ace and the final 3 kings!). The other I lost to a set. I took KK up against AA once. So in all, being down $40 instead of 3 buy-ins is a good thing I guess.

Toward the end I saw myself pushing with hands that I really shouldn't have been. If I can keep making good decisions, I can play when down. It's how you come back up. I wasn't making good decisions, so I exited earlier than planned.

[BigPhish]

Session 12

Playtime: 2:30
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Good, but a bit tired
Party BR: $254 -> $275
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 4,245 VP$IP: 21.79% BB/100: 12.66 PFA: 2.67


I can't believe I misread my own boat. Cost me stacking someone with a flush. $30. I need to hit myself in the head with a hammer. Or do 100 push-ups... something.

Also took my middle 2 up against top 2 for a stack.

Posted a couple hands in the NL section for comment.

Overall, an OK session I suppose. I felt like I made good decisions except for that one misread. New lesson: Tell myself my hand before I take any River action. Verbally. At least when I'm playing online. *sigh*

Lots of bad beats. Lots. Oh well, that's Party I guess.

I've started playing a bit differently, would like some comments. Started this the latter half of the session.

I play pretty loose pre-flop. I ratched my calling standards down several notches from what most BTP'ers might consider prudent. From late-ish position, I'll limp with just about anything that can make a straight. I've also begun to limp with AK and AQ, suited or otherwise, though I'll call raises with them depending on their size. Then I deal with whatever comes post-flop, hopefully intelligently.

So far, in my one-hour sample size (heh, hardly representative), I seem to be "up" doing this.

Limping with the big drawing hands hides their value. LAG's don't bet too much into me on ragged flops when I have these hands. And when I hit, people usually bet at least the first bet for me.

I've also hit a couple of 2-pair hands that have made me a bit of cash as well, playing the late position connectors.

So I spew quarter after quarter chasing flops. But I win plenty of dollars when I hit 'em...

So it looks like my profile is headed more toward loose / passive / aggressive. I don't know if you'd call that right or wrong, but I'm very comfortable with it right now and I seem to be winning with it. Could I win more playing more tightly and aggressively pre-flop on Party NL $25 tables? Maybe someone could, but I don't think *I* can at this point.

Thoughts?

[BigPhish]

Session 13

Playtime: 4:00
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Good
Party BR: $275 -> $357
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 5,007 VP$IP: 22.51% BB/100: 13.99 PFA: 2.71


Lost a stack to quads. I had a boat. That one is posted in NL for comment. I watched another stack go to quads when he had Aces full (over 10's). Variance is a bitch. At least I'm not the guy that was married to Shannon Elizabeth but is now dating Annie Duke. Now that variance is really a bitch!

Anyway, between losing to quads and all the suckouts, I gave back way too much of my winnings for the day. Horrible. But... I didn't tilt to the suckouts. In fact, I got better I think.

Wow, even after all the suck-outs, my BB/100 is up from last session!

Another thought.. my VP$IP seems to be getting up there. This seems to be the result of my continued effort to limp in with a wider variety of hands pre-flop. As long as I maintain the discipline to play well enough with it after the flop (i.e. my BB/100 continues to increase), I intend to keep doing it. I hit some nice hands doing it tonight, and never once did I lose more than 0.50 on any one hand doing it.

[BigPhish]

Oh, I should probably clarify the more hands seeing flops. I believe my post-flop play needs work. It's far more important to play well there than pre-flop, I think. So many more things can happen.

So I'm not just doing it because I want to play more, I'm doing it to educate myself.

I suppose another way to do it is to do what Daniel Negranu did. Take a session a week at lower limits and enter every flop, then try to win every hand. *shrug*

[BigPhish]

Session 14

Playtime: 5:30
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Good, tired at the end
Party BR: $357 -> $381
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 5,904 VP$IP: 22.46% BB/100: 12.7 PFA: 2.82 WtSD: 18.77 W$SD: 48.81

Played way too long for the weak results I got.

[BigPhish]

Session 15

Playtime: 2:00
Tables: 3x Party $25NL
Mood: Pissed off at the wife
Party BR: $381-> $413
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 6,295 VP$IP: 22.43% BB/100: 13.01 PFA: 2.76 WtSD: 18.26 W$SD: 48.69


I know, I know, don't play poker when you're having problems with the significant other. Well... I was pissed off. And when I'm pissed off, I'm focused.

I made one big mistake on the session, overplaying (heh, even playing) AQ offsuit from EP. Cost me $5.

Otherwise, a nice session. Deck started out so cold there was frost on my monitor in the spots it shows my hole cards. About halfway through, I started getting playable hands, including AA thrice in the span of 15 minutes.

Identified a handful of LAGs that I added to my friends list. I love playing with those guys! Problem is they keep bustin' out and re-buying until they're flat broke and I don't get enough hands against 'em. :S

[BigPhish]

Session 16

Playtime: 4:00
Tables: 4x Party $25NL
Mood: Good throughout
Party BR: $413 -> $460
PT Stats (NL25): Hands: 7,168 VP$IP: 2.66% BB/100: 12.76 PFA: 2.82 WtSD: 18.07% W$SD: 48.99%

Started out giving away about $30. There are just some bets you shouldn't call... like when a Fish or Calling Station bets more than $1into you on the River... regardless what the board says... unless you have the stone cold nuts.

[AZAce]

Did I read your VP$IP correctly? 2%???

[BigPhish]

Oops! Missed a 2. 22 point something. Rather high by BTP standards.

[AZAce]

Well so is your BB/100 so you're doing something right!