November 25, 2008
Mohegan Sun, 10/29/08
I recently got to take my first trip to the Connecticut casinos (a Foxwoods Trip Report will follow shortly). The visit was part of a really nice trip that my fiancée planned for us during a short break in her med school schedule.
Basically she planned out a trip to a nature conservancy where we got to hike and see some fall foliage, a stop by a really cool aquarium (what I learned: beluga whales are gigantic), some time at the casinos, and a chance to just generally relax.
Anyway, so we got to Mohegan Sun on Wednesday evening, which meant the biggest limit hold ’em game running was $3/$6. I decided to put my name on the $5/$10 list of interest, but I knew that game was unlikely to materialize as I was only the second person. I did hear from some of the players that they’re trying to run a $6/$12 game, but there was some confusion about it maybe being only for Stud.
In any event, I was happy to play $3/$6. I just wish I had known the casino had special $3 chips (that’s actually pretty obvious but still brilliant – I don’t think I’ve ever seen that denomination in Atlantic City). Basically I ended up buying in for a few hundred and sitting at the table with a mound of red $5 chips. It really wasn’t a problem on the big bet streets, but I did feel pretty stupid posting blinds and acting on the small bet streets.
Play was about as terrible as you would expect, perhaps best epitomized by a player calling me down with A2o on a KQQJx board. I guess I played pretty straightforwardly as a few players commented that, ‘you can always tell when he [me] has something.’ Needless to say their amazing powers of perception did not stop them from paying me off when I had KQ on a KK4K8 board or when I had AK on an AAK69 board.
After a few hours I met back up with my fiancée as we had planned to head over to the Godiva shop before it closed. Needless to say I think a few well-timed truffles can do much to improve the happiness of your average poker player.
Following dessert my fiancée joined me at the table where she continued to pad her head-to-head winnings versus me. She did pretty well and had a better overall night than me. The only other thing of interest was that I was told I looked like Kid Rock. That was a new one to me. Mostly I get told I look like Jesus (both the Westernized version of the biblical figure and the poker player Chris Ferguson).
We ended up staying pretty late and then stopped by the Krispy Kreme on the way out. We didn’t want to eat any, we just find it fascinating to watch the conveyor belt. It’s crazy to watch all the unhealthiness as they are fried in oil and then slathered in glaze. Plus we like cheering for the misfits – the ones that get caught in the turning wires or fall into the wrong slots. Often they are just doomed to be thrown out when they reach the inspection area, but it’s very satisfying when they are able to self-correct and fulfill their happy little doughnut destiny.
November 24, 2008
Site Selection Video 1
The first site selection video is up now at DeucesCracked.
This video uses Excel to analyze the value of playing at Poker Stars.
November 23, 2008
More on Seat Selection
Or, reason 437 why you need the loose passive players on your right. Imagine you’re the MP Villain – here’s what happens when you accidentally let one sneak in on your left:
Full Tilt Poker $5/$10 Limit Hold’em – 6 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is BB with 9
7
1 fold, MP raises, CO calls, 2 folds, Hero calls
Flop: (6.5 SB) 9 9
2 (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets, CO calls, Hero calls
Turn: (4.75 BB) T (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets, CO calls, Hero raises, MP calls, CO folds
River: (9.75 BB) 7
(2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls
Final Pot: 11.75 BB
Hero shows 9 7 (a full house, Nines full of Sevens)
MP mucks Q Q
Hero wins 11.45 BB
(Rake: $3.00)
Why did MP Villain lose this hand? I would say it’s because he had a loose passive fish sitting on his left, which allowed some jerk to come along with a marginal hand because he was getting 5:1 pre flop.
Let me put it this way – MP Villain was really tight, especially with his pre flop raises. To the point that I would have strongly considered NOT defending this hand had it been folded to me. But the presence of the terrible CO villain gave me better odds pre flop, and better implied odds post flop.
I mean, let’s look at this hand from the perspective of the MP Villain. I don’t see how he can play it any differently. He has to get value on the flop and turn given that it’s three ways and the board becomes draw heavy. By the time I check raise the turn the pot’s much too big for him to ever fold queens.
And of course I make the totally unnecessary full house on the river…maybe that’s the spot where I need to check raise…
November 19, 2008
Common Coaching Questions
Over the past year a lot of people have asked me about various aspects of coaching. I’ve compiled some notes from different threads and private messages I’ve received and thought it might be interesting to address some of the most common questions.
How often do you have a session?
While Entity and I have put out a series of videos as part of a DeucesCracked Season (RLMG Season 1 ran in DC Season 2, RLMG Season 2 ran in DC Season 4, and RLMG Season 3 is currently running in DC Season 6) we usually do about one session per week (unsurprising given our production schedule demands one video per week). During the off season times we have probably met on average every other week.
How long is a session?
I would say our average session has been ~1.5 hours.
What software is needed?
You probably already have a lot of it (a poker client, Skype, a database manager like Hold ‘Em Manager, and Poker Stove).
We use Mikogo as a screen sharing application.
For hand history review we use the Universal Replayer, but you can get by just using the HEM replayer if you would rather.
For recording, we use Camtasia Studio, and Entity runs Pamela, which allows him to sync up the audio later.
Do you have any other advice?
Put a lot of effort into choosing a coach as it’s a big decision. Try to get a feel for if their teaching style will work for you – watch their videos, read their posts, talk to other students they have, etc. And make sure they’re available! Not just that they’re accepting students – make sure your schedule aligns with theirs so you can get regular sessions in. For example, I’m three hours ahead of Entity, which is occasionally an obstacle, but not really a problem. I imagine that being on different sides of the pond may make scheduling difficult.
Figure out what kind of coaching you think would be best for you, and discuss it with your prospective coach. This is where your friends can help – try doing sweat sessions and / or video swaps with them and see what techniques really benefit you.
Consider recording your sessions (of course get the okay from your coach first). Preferably a full recording, but I think even just audio would be valuable as a reference.
Lastly, get coaching assistance as often as you can. Besides the above, one of the most common questions I heard was something like, ‘I can only get coached once or twice a month – is it still worth it?’ Absolutely it is. Coaches are coaches for a reason – they’re very good at what they do. That said, realize that if you were getting coached once a month I think that bumping that up to twice a month would be more than twice as beneficial to your poker game.
A Typical Coaching Session
Entity and I usually get on a Skype call, catch up a little bit, clear up any outstanding business from our past sessions, and come up with a plan for the current session.
Then one of us fires up a Mikogo meeting, which allows us to both view the same desktop.
As far as format of the session, those of you who have watched our DeucesCracked videos already know, but we have used three main coaching techniques: hand history review, live sweat sessions (which we have done both with me playing, and at other times with Entity playing), and post hoc video analysis (taking a pre-recorded video of one of us playing and then analyzing it together). Each format has it’s own pros and cons.
Hand History Review
This format is really great for in depth theory analysis. If you have a one hour session you may only look at 4-6 hands, which means you can take each one and thoroughly evaluate different lines, talk about plans for alternative (hypothetical) board cards, etc. I would say the main downside is that you often lack the context (table dynamic, recent history with other players, your image, etc.) that you would have in most poker situations.
Live Sweat Session
The strength of this method is also it’s weakness. Having your coach with you and discussing plays as you make them can be a boon because it forces you to be aware of your thought process and explain your rationale for certain plays. Some people can really benefit from bringing the way they think about the game under closer scrutiny. Others may find it stressful to articulate their thoughts in the moment or uncomfortable to be observed so closely.
Video Analysis
In some ways I regard this as a hybrid between the two previous methods. You have a lot of flexibility to pause and rewind, meaning you can discuss any point as in depth as you please. At the same time, the coach is able to see you in a normal poker setting making real time decisions. I would say the only real downside of this method is that it may be difficult to remember exactly what you were thinking during the play of a given hand.
November 18, 2008
Borgata, 10/11/08
This trip report is now somewhat old, but I still thought it’d be fun to post.
Actually, this trip was initially conceived as something of a DeucesCracked meet up. Unfortunately that never materialized, though I did get to meet DC coach Messiah, who came down from New York. We didn’t share a table as he plays No Limit, but it was still great to meet. So to any DC members out there who live on the East Coast, join us next time!
All in all it was a pretty typical trip to the Borgata for me. One bright side was that they had a $5/$10 game running (previously when I had been there during the middle of the week the game wasn’t going, but this time I was there on a Saturday). It was my first time in a live $5/$10 game, but I’d say for the most part it was similar to the $2/$4 and $3/$6 games I’ve seen. Perhaps the one exception was that people seemed a bit more capable of being aggressive (a few more raises and even the occasional three bet pre flop and a higher percentage of continuation bets). But all in all play was unsurprisingly very poor.
Not too much interesting happened poker wise. I sat at the tables for a few hours and never made more than a pair (well once I made two pair but was counterfeited on the river). And that was fine with me given the slow pace of live play. Really the highlight of the trip was breaking off for dinner and enjoying some gelato for dessert with my fiancée (who accompanied me on the trip).
When I got back to the poker room I found the $5/$10 game had broken. I was a bit disappointed by that but very impressed by how professional the floor handled everything. I had never had my stack picked up before and was pleased to find that recovering it required only a minimum of time, effort, and paperwork on my part.
Fortunately I was able to get in a short handed $3/$6 game which I absolutely dominated until it filled. Live players just don’t have the experience to compete at a less-than-full table. I didn’t stay too late, but was troubled that the $5/$10 game didn’t go again while I was there. I talked about the problem not having games at all limits can present for players and poker rooms (or sites), so it was a bit disheartening to see so little action on a Saturday night.
Lastly, I just need to share two pseudo-poker related observations.
Despite this being my third time in the Borgata I still struggle to find my way from the parking garage to the poker room, or to any specific place in between. I swear the casino is built in a deliberately labyrinthine manner as part of a plan to distort the patron’s sense of reality (note the complete lack of clocks throughout the casino) and more quickly part them from their money. Or maybe it’s just to literally prevent anyone from leaving. Ever.
But undoubtedly more disturbing was the behavior of the old people playing slots. All of them have Borgata cards so they can accrue comp points. For quick access many of them opt to keep their cards on lanyards that are then anchored to their pocket or kept around their neck. The effect is perhaps the most Kafka-esque thing I’ve ever seen – scores of old people unhappily sitting, tethered to machines that they are apparently doomed to play for the rest of their days.
TK421, why aren’t you at your post?
Episode 3 of Real Life: Microlimit Grinder, Season 3 is coming out today, but it almost wasn’t made.
Entity and I had some fairly cumbersome technical problems (actually they were really just on my end) in trying to get the episode recorded. It’s actually not uncommon to have something go wrong during our sessions. We’ve dealt with slow computers / internet connections, Skype malfunctioning, Pamela (the voice recording software Entity uses) magically deleting half of a Season 1 video, and other SNAFU.
Today’s episode involved a Skype problem. When I called Entity he could hear me, but I couldn’t hear him. To complicate matters, during our second call my voice dropped off of his end inexplicably. But nothing seemed to be wrong on Entity’s side (our technological problems usually stem from my incompetence).
Anyway, the culprit was Skype (and me). We later discovered that Skype automatically defaults my headset to be muted when I plug it in if I was previously using any other sound device (which I was – I had iTunes playing through speakers).
So that took some time to resolve, but we got the episode out and I did not get punched in the face by a Wookie.
November 15, 2008
Two Observations
I posted my October results graph the other day and was a bit surprised by the downswing I showed at the beginning of the month. Obviously not because a ~75 big bet downswing is by any means rare, but more because I don’t remember suffering through it. Really my only recollection from October is that I ran well, posted good results, and was very happy with the overall quality of my play.
So I decided to dig into my records a little bit. I discovered that the October graph actually only shows the tail end of a 150 big bet downswing. Again, a downswing of that size is totally unremarkable as it is well within the expected (and accepted) realm of normal variance.
What is unusual is that I took essentially no notice of it while it was occurring. I remember being in the black for September too, so I wasn’t necessarily aware that I was posting such negative results over the short term. I consider it a pretty big psychological victory that I was more or less immune to a 150 big bet downswing to the point that I took no notice of it.
Yesterday I was on Full Tilt Poker scouting out the $8/$16 games. I was hoping to find a good one to jump in and build on the shot I took the other day. Oddly, during most of the mid-day Happy Hours (3pm-5pm EST) there wasn’t a single 6 Max game available (oddly enough one $8/$16 Full Ring game was running – when do you ever see more Full Ring than 6 Max action?).
In terms of getting some hands in that wasn’t really a problem as I had no trouble finding a good $5/$10 game and I was happy to play at that limit. But the lack of an $8/$16 game could bode very poorly for the future if that trend continues (especially because during this time there were also no $10/$20 6 Max games running).
Not having a healthy pool of games at every limit really hurts the poker site and a lot of players. Without ‘connecting’ games between bigger stakes it is difficult for the player pool at the higher limits to receive injections of fresh money. At the same time, players at lower stakes will have trouble bridging the gap between the limits. And of course having a stagnant pool of higher stakes players and many others stuck in smaller games hurts the poker site.
That said, it was just one day (but it was a Friday) and I haven’t really been monitoring the status of the $8/$16 and $10/$20 games, so yesterday may have just been an anomaly. I may try to pay more attention to game availability in the future. In any event, I was glad to see a couple of $8/$16 games went in the evening.
November 14, 2008
Shot at $8/$16
I was on Full Tilt Poker last night looking for good games and an $8/$16 table caught my eye. I recognized a few of the players – a few very bad ones and a regular or two who I didn’t think would give me much trouble. So, I decided to sit down with 50 big bets and take a shot.
The table ended up being about how I expected – in other words, not different than a good $5/$10 game that I selected. The only real adjustment was in forcing myself to count the pot as bets went in. I quickly learned that forgetting to do this is very bad as dividing the pot size by $16 is not particularly easy in the heat of the moment (at least, it is much harder than at $5/$10 where the bit bet increment is very forgiving).
Also of note was the rake. In my database for $5/$10 I show the rake as 2.47 BB/100. In a very small sample at $8/$16 it was only 1.77 BB/100. That’s almost a 30% reduction! Perhaps I am on the cusp of escaping the dreaded rake trap.
Other than that the session was unremarkable. I played well and believe I was unaffected by the increased stakes. I’m especially proud that I kept my cool when I got a ton of value with top set only to lose to a runner runner straight. That was a very early hand, but I stayed on my A game and made a couple of really nice opponent specific adjustments.
Full Tilt Poker $8/$16 Limit Hold’em – 5 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is CO with K 9
1 fold, Hero raises, 1 fold, SB 3-bets, 1 fold, Hero calls
Flop: (7 SB) A K 6 (2 players)
SB bets, Hero calls
Turn: (4.5 BB) 4 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB raises, Hero requests TIME, Hero calls
River: (8.5 BB) 8 (2 players)
SB bets, Hero calls
Final Pot: 10.5 BB
SB shows T Q (Ace King high)
Hero shows K 9 (a pair of Kings)
Hero wins 10.312 BB
(Rake: $3.00)
Real Life: Microlimit Grinder 