The last time I blogged here was over ten years ago. Wow! One is certainly getting old.
Anyway, I'm reactivating this site now. And a lot has happened since. Pokerwise, I've stopped playing with any ambition sometime in 2007 in order to focus on my studies.
Since then, I once returned to playing somewhat seriously around 2010/11. However, I was quickly put off by how much the games had changed (damn were the games easy to beat at the boom's peak!) and the rumblings about GTO play (around that time, PokerSnowie was released to much fanfare and some frightening comments on the DeucesCracked boards). It just didn't appear a useful time invest anymore.
But the games are still around in 2017 and my professional situation now allows me to invest some time into playing and - importantly - learning and catching up with the modern game. Thus, I intend to challenge myself yet again and see what it leads to.
For now, I'm grinding the micros in order to work on my game. I'm in the process of developing my ranges for different situations and solidifying my post-flop game. I'll stay in the micros until I solidly beat them. I didn't invest any new money since I still had a few bankrolls from back in the day. Once I feel comfortable with my game, I'll see how I'll continue. I might cash some money in to play at more meaningful stakes but I find it somewhat attractive to grind my way up as well. We'll see.
I'll use this blog mostly as a personal journal to document progress. If some people happen to stumble upon the side and engage, all the better.
Let me finish with some practical matters which I'm currently figuring out. (In case that someone reads this and wants to chime in: awesome!)
The best HUD software?
What HUD should I use? For now, I reactivated my old HoldemManager 1 which luckily still works with PokerStars. I've learned that there are several more options than back in the days. On the one hand, PT and HM merged (but still have two softwares, both with a shitty business model). Then there are the new kids on the block: Jivaro and DriveHUD. I've been reading about both of them but I might have to use their trial versions eventually. What I like about them: Having a true (Jivaro) and semi (DH) software-as-a-service business model - that is, they get regular, recurring payments - both companies will be able to invest a lot more into product development than the old players. If PT/HM don't alter their approach, I expect the newcomers to built better products over time.
The best games?
Right now I'm playing on Stars since I still had a bankroll there. From what I heard, Stars still is the site with the biggest marketing invest, which should render it a good choice in terms of finding fish, particularly at the micros. However, their rake appears to be somewhat of an issue. Since I'm currently primarily concerned with my game, not my win rate, finding the site with the best deal is not at the top of my priority list right now. But it's certainly relevant soon.
On a related note, there are all those new game types a la Zoom. I suppose fish love them. I haven't tried them, though. I always liked the exploitative part of the game where you figure out player tendencies and stuff. Zoom seems to reduce that element of the game. I get why it's appealing to hobbyists but I don't like the idea. However, I haven't tried the new game modes, so I can't really judge them. I guess I'll test them soon. After all, playing simple poker (of the modern variety) should work best at the micros anyway and the new games seem to favor this approach.
The best training content?
Back in the days I had a subscription at DeucesCracked. But, as with the software, there are many new players in the field. After doing some research, it appears like RIO might be the best choice at the moment. Also, I like that they offer a small/micro-stakes focused subscription at a lower fee. Upswing, however, looks interesting too. But, maybe, the incumbents - DC and CardRunners - are still worth it as well? Much choice doesn't always make things simpler.
I also liked the general idea of BPC (basically, they give you coaching for equity, i.e. a percentage of your winnings). It's an innovative business model and a fair one. Also, it includes personal coaching which I never used but which I assume might be very helpful indeed. But I also came across some remarks about the structure of their contracts which made me somewhat skeptical. Once I consider coaching an option - i.e. after I have fixed the most obvious leaks in my current game which I'm confident I can do on my own at first - I'll definitely look into the details of their offering.
When it comes to current books, I found Peter Clarke's The Grinders Manual which I intend to buy soon. From what I read on twoplustwo and elsewhere, it appears to be a very solid and comprehensive book that covers current poker strategy quite comprehensively (except, apparently, the more math-heavy GTO stuff - which I find interesting but don't suppose it's particularly useful at the lower stakes since exploitative strategies should still be favorable there).
Hand reviews
Last but not least, I find hand reviews a super important part of learning. Yesterday, I launched a little experiment and posted the same hands on 2+2 and the Pokerstrategy forums. I want to learn which community provides better feedback these days. However, there might be some better alternatives around. I'll likely expand my test to a few other places as well...
So far for today. #off #cooking #grinding
Anyway, I'm reactivating this site now. And a lot has happened since. Pokerwise, I've stopped playing with any ambition sometime in 2007 in order to focus on my studies.
Since then, I once returned to playing somewhat seriously around 2010/11. However, I was quickly put off by how much the games had changed (damn were the games easy to beat at the boom's peak!) and the rumblings about GTO play (around that time, PokerSnowie was released to much fanfare and some frightening comments on the DeucesCracked boards). It just didn't appear a useful time invest anymore.
But the games are still around in 2017 and my professional situation now allows me to invest some time into playing and - importantly - learning and catching up with the modern game. Thus, I intend to challenge myself yet again and see what it leads to.
For now, I'm grinding the micros in order to work on my game. I'm in the process of developing my ranges for different situations and solidifying my post-flop game. I'll stay in the micros until I solidly beat them. I didn't invest any new money since I still had a few bankrolls from back in the day. Once I feel comfortable with my game, I'll see how I'll continue. I might cash some money in to play at more meaningful stakes but I find it somewhat attractive to grind my way up as well. We'll see.
I'll use this blog mostly as a personal journal to document progress. If some people happen to stumble upon the side and engage, all the better.
Let me finish with some practical matters which I'm currently figuring out. (In case that someone reads this and wants to chime in: awesome!)
The best HUD software?
What HUD should I use? For now, I reactivated my old HoldemManager 1 which luckily still works with PokerStars. I've learned that there are several more options than back in the days. On the one hand, PT and HM merged (but still have two softwares, both with a shitty business model). Then there are the new kids on the block: Jivaro and DriveHUD. I've been reading about both of them but I might have to use their trial versions eventually. What I like about them: Having a true (Jivaro) and semi (DH) software-as-a-service business model - that is, they get regular, recurring payments - both companies will be able to invest a lot more into product development than the old players. If PT/HM don't alter their approach, I expect the newcomers to built better products over time.
The best games?
Right now I'm playing on Stars since I still had a bankroll there. From what I heard, Stars still is the site with the biggest marketing invest, which should render it a good choice in terms of finding fish, particularly at the micros. However, their rake appears to be somewhat of an issue. Since I'm currently primarily concerned with my game, not my win rate, finding the site with the best deal is not at the top of my priority list right now. But it's certainly relevant soon.
On a related note, there are all those new game types a la Zoom. I suppose fish love them. I haven't tried them, though. I always liked the exploitative part of the game where you figure out player tendencies and stuff. Zoom seems to reduce that element of the game. I get why it's appealing to hobbyists but I don't like the idea. However, I haven't tried the new game modes, so I can't really judge them. I guess I'll test them soon. After all, playing simple poker (of the modern variety) should work best at the micros anyway and the new games seem to favor this approach.
The best training content?
Back in the days I had a subscription at DeucesCracked. But, as with the software, there are many new players in the field. After doing some research, it appears like RIO might be the best choice at the moment. Also, I like that they offer a small/micro-stakes focused subscription at a lower fee. Upswing, however, looks interesting too. But, maybe, the incumbents - DC and CardRunners - are still worth it as well? Much choice doesn't always make things simpler.
I also liked the general idea of BPC (basically, they give you coaching for equity, i.e. a percentage of your winnings). It's an innovative business model and a fair one. Also, it includes personal coaching which I never used but which I assume might be very helpful indeed. But I also came across some remarks about the structure of their contracts which made me somewhat skeptical. Once I consider coaching an option - i.e. after I have fixed the most obvious leaks in my current game which I'm confident I can do on my own at first - I'll definitely look into the details of their offering.
When it comes to current books, I found Peter Clarke's The Grinders Manual which I intend to buy soon. From what I read on twoplustwo and elsewhere, it appears to be a very solid and comprehensive book that covers current poker strategy quite comprehensively (except, apparently, the more math-heavy GTO stuff - which I find interesting but don't suppose it's particularly useful at the lower stakes since exploitative strategies should still be favorable there).
Hand reviews
Last but not least, I find hand reviews a super important part of learning. Yesterday, I launched a little experiment and posted the same hands on 2+2 and the Pokerstrategy forums. I want to learn which community provides better feedback these days. However, there might be some better alternatives around. I'll likely expand my test to a few other places as well...
So far for today. #off #cooking #grinding
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