Overall the trip was a huge success, I ran way above expectation. I played exceptionally well the first week but my game and focus seemed to fade the longer I was here. Part of it may have been running bad but I didn't have the same motivation and focus the last three or four days I was here. I took a much more targeted approach the whole trip though. Instead of 4-5 tabling for 8-10 hours a day, I game-selected mostly at 30-60 and higher. Often I was 2-3 tabling and as a result was able to really hone in on what my opponents were doing and adjust. It's made me wonder whether this would be a better approach for next year instead of going for SNE and subjecting myself to endless hours of grinding at lower limits. We'll see how the games are when I get back on in January, that will likely determine the path I choose.
It's back to California tomorrow. I have a couple of one pocket matches scheduled with Jose Parica this week. I played him earlier this year for two days, about eight hours each day, and ended up down 7 games total. It's was a very competitive match at times and I played really well. I'm out of stroke at the moment but plan on doing a lot of practicing in the next couple days to get ready. It'll probably be my last opportunity to play pool for quite a while.
I don't mention pool too much in this blog but it's the only activity I enjoy more than poker. If only there was some money in the sport.
After California, it's off to Boston for Christmas and then Cancun for New Years and Jamena's birthday. After Cancun, it's off to the Bahamas for the PCA and then Costa Rica to play poker for at least three months. It's going to be a really busy first half of the year for me, hopefully I can continue improving and have another solid year at the tables.
Happy Holidays everyone.
Congrats on the awesome trip Tony! Hope you fare well against Parica. He is tough. Have them raise the Diamond up about 2-3 inches and I really like your chances. lol
ReplyDelete"Solid". You need adjective lessons. I'll trade you for poker lessons?
ReplyDeleteHa thanks, I try not to overdo it talking about myself.
ReplyDeleteNo need to trade, you can email anytime with questions - you know that though.
Thanks for this blog, which i read the last couple of days, some great advice in here.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your ship btw :)
your my idol !!! Fixed Limit god !
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys like my blog, thanks.
ReplyDeletecan you take requests about blog topics? i would like to know what kind of adjustments you made in live play from online
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea, this is actually something I had thought about writing about. My next strategy post will be about it.
ReplyDeleteI think you should write a book!
ReplyDeleteSomeday maybe, it would be too costly to write one while I'm still playing.
ReplyDeletewhat approach do you take/would recommend for a 25/50c limit player. any videos that is a must see or any reading. how to analyze hands/leaks and all that goofy stuff .. My goal is to get to play you :P would be a huge honor playing against such a good player (even though its probably -EV / not a good idea)
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure what videos are best for that limit but I'd recommend watching as many as possible. Mr. Bunny's videos on CR are the best I know of, they're geared towards higher stakes but still would be worthwhile to watch. I'm not really sure about books either, the Intelligent Poker Player is a very good one but a little advanced.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to keep in mind is that it's going to be nearly impossible to win after rake at those limits so don't be discouraged with poor results. Try to look at your pre-rake winnings and focus on that - the rake at middle to high limits is about 2 BB/100 or less and that's what you should ultimately shoot to play. Also if I were you I'd really focus on heads up play and mastering that first since you can have huge edges over your opponents, up to 10 BB/100 - as a result you could actually beat smaller stakes for a significant amount playing heads up as opposed to 6-max.
Good luck.
thanks ill check those videos out.
ReplyDeleteone thing though. you say i should go play heads up ? I thought HU Limit was dead. I got a friend who is a midstakes reg telling me hu limit id dead. so i dont really know what to say except ill follow your advice regarding the videos. but yeah not sure about the hu play thing as opposed to 6 max ?
It's all subjective, people say limit poker is dead. I think heads up players on a whole have improved a great deal over the last few years but so have 6-max players. The fact that you can actually beat a heads up game after rake at lower limits makes it a better choice than 6-max, just make sure you game select.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying not to play 6-max, you can do both, just be aware that it'll be extremely difficult to show a profit at 6-max until you get into the mid/high limits.
what exercise do you recommend to improve your stroke/follow through?
ReplyDeleteHa, good question. I don't know really, I think flexibility is important but I'm not sure what specifically would be best.
ReplyDeleteI've actually thought about this subject before, i.e. what would be the best workout for a pool player? And I have no idea but if you think about all the other sports there are pretty specific workout plans depending on the sport and position.
guess i'll keep jabbing inside a coke bottle (old school) hehe
ReplyDelete