Why Pokerstars is better for the micros despite Full Tilt Rakeback.

First off. I've gone from $2 to $139 in a month!! Wow! Move over Chris
Ferguson. I was at $36 dollars at Full Tilt last time I posted. The new
approach has worked wonders. My full tilt bankroll balance is now $139.

I'm playing a tighter, more solid range, and it is working.

My bonus at Full Tilt has now expired. I still have 27% rakeback at Full
Tilt, but from a purely effective rake point of view, its better to play
the micros at Pokerstars without rakeback until I hit NL25. This is
because Pokerstars rakes $0.01 per $0.20, as opposed to Full Tilt's $0.01
per $0.15. Because of the rakeback percentage, it would normally be close
to a wash, but the difference is made up via the respective to vip points
programs. The pokerstars points are unencumbered, whereas using the full
tilt points will incur a rakeback penalty. This means that when you
factor the bonuses, etc. for a person on the lowest end of the VIP scale,
I come out on top with pokerstars.

In addition, Pokerstars points are currently doubled for NL10 and below,
which makes it an even sweeter deal. I don't know how long this will
last, but it makes pokerstars clearly the number 1 option right now.

But I still like Full Tilt better in a few key ways. Here are the reasons:
1) Full Tilt has Rush Poker. On regular tables, you inevitably have to
wait a lot for the multi-tabling types who play too many tables, and
make every hand last > 1 minute, even when they are folding pre-flop.
Rush does away with this for 80% of the hands dealt with the quick-fold
button. My only issue with Rush Poker? It starts at NL5. I really
wish there was an NL2 Rush Poker table. Its also challenging to learn
to play your opponents properly when you're not sitting at the same
table as them over long periods of time.

2) Full Tilt has a greater range of buy-ins at the micros. This is
more a problem with Pokerstars than anything else. At Pokerstars, the
NL2 buy-in is $5, and the NL5 buy-in is $12.50. That's 250 big blinds.
Oddly enough, the standard 100 bb buy-in starts at NL10. So a
standard buy-in at NL10 is $10... which is less than a standard buy-in
at NL5 of $12.50. Something's wrong there. I wish pokerstars would be
more like Full Tilt here. Full Tilt has short-stacked, standard, and
deep-stacked buy-ins at EVERY stake level, including NL2.

So which site will I play at?

I will play at both right now, and leave it to pacing. Right now, a
standard buy-in at NL2 is a bit low. I've got enough accumulated to play
NL5. But at a standard buy-in table.

So, I will play NL2 at Pokerstars (with a $5 buy-in) when I feel like a
properly paced, slower game where I can analyse my opponents properly.

I will play RUSH NL5 at Full Tilt when I feel more focused, or have less
than 30 minutes to play.

This seems like a good compromise for now.

Anyways, total Bankroll at Stars and Full Tilt leaves me at -$328. This
puts me back to where I was at the end of July, but at least it is on an
upward trend now. My goal is to see this number at breakeven or better by
Christmas.

Whoa! A Donation!

Now that's something completely unexpected. I've received my first donation to the tune of $5. I suppose I had better find the time to play an MTT to spend it on. I'll play a $5.00+$0.50, and I will kick in the rake portion myself.

I will keep you posted on how it goes. No charity was specified, so I will donate 1/2 of proceeds to the Humane Society if I win.

Up from the Gutter

The fluctuations to my bankroll have been challenging.

I played Rush NL5, and lost just over 4 BI's a few weeks ago. Down to $20
left in my FTP account, I attempted to play $2.25 SnG's, where I can
usually eke out a small, but reasonable profit. With less than 10 BI's, I
was in rough shape when I failed to cash in 5 in a row. The fact that my
EV line was climbing was cold comfort.

With just over $8 left, I was forced to play NL2, and a few beats later I
was down to $2. Yes, $2.

I stopped. I read more Harrington, and I decided to tighten up -- a lot.
I was not playing LAG well - my Won $ at Showdown % was 40%, which is not
enough to win.

And then I started to play at NL2 short-stacked tables ($0.80 max buy-in).
I built the $2 up to $10. I then played NL2 for full Buy-ins, and
continued winning. The tighter play has been working.

When I hit a $20 bankroll, I had a tough decision. I had $7 of bonus left
to clear a full $20 worth, and I have a deadline of 2 weeks. I determined
that I wouldn't be able to clear the amount at NL2 in that amount of time,
so I decided to play NL5 Rush again - faster clearing rate at higher
stakes. Again, a bankroll issue, but in this case a bit of a necessity
with a $20 carrot at the end - $20 which would represents a very
significant increase in my current bankroll.

Thus far, it has been going very well with the tighter approach. I'm up
to $36, and I feel I can beat this now. I have only $4 left to clear for
the rest of the $20 bonus. After that, I will likely drop down to NL2
again until I can get to a "safe" bankroll level to play NL5 again (at
say, $100).

I am purposely trying to keep the pot smaller. I'm keeping a lot of the
reraising shenanigans I used to participate in to a minimum, especially
with unpaired high cards (like AQ), and waiting for a flop. This
weaker/less aggressive approach seems to be safer and involve a lot less
variance.

I will keep you posted on how this evolves. I never thought I could climb
from $2 to $36 in cash games though. Its amazing what a tighter approach
can do!

Up to NL5 - but for how long?

Anyways, I've moved up to NL5. Over 7 sessions and 700 hands, I am about even. But, I've also been paid about $7 in rakeback, and another $20 worth of bonus cleared, so my FTP account is getting a good start on the long road to recovery.

Anyways, why do hands like this happen?! My big chance for the night. I flop the nuts and get two players willing to go all-in, and THIS happens.

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 838246

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



SB: $10.19

BB: $5.00

UTG: $10.53

MP: $5.00

Hero (CO): $6.28

BTN: $5.00



Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is CO with K J

UTG raises to $0.15, MP calls $0.15, Hero calls $0.15, 1 fold, SB calls $0.13, 1 fold



Flop: ($0.65) Q T 9 (4 players)

SB checks, UTG bets $0.55, MP calls $0.55, Hero raises to $2.85, SB folds, UTG calls $2.30, MP raises to $4.85 all in, Hero requests TIME, Hero calls $2, UTG calls $2



Turn: ($15.20) 6 (3 players - 1 is all in)

UTG bets $1.92, Hero calls $1.28 all in



River: ($17.76) K (3 players - 2 are all in)



Final Pot: $17.76

UTG shows Q A (a pair of Queens)

MP shows J A (a straight, Ace high)

Hero shows K J (a straight, King high)

Hero wins $2.39

MP wins $14.19

(Rake: $1.18)

Still moving along nicely

Bankroll: -327

Tonight was another great night. I'm trying to limit myself to 2 tables, and only a couple of hours a night. I had some wonderful hands tonight. I'll post a few of the gems here now, and I'll try to fully analyze them tomorrow to see if I played them as well as I thought.

Full Tilt Poker $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em - 5 players - View hand 829600

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



CO: $2.09

BTN: $1.87

SB: $1.75

BB: $1.96

Hero (UTG): $2.34



Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is UTG with 8 8

Hero raises to $0.07, 1 fold, BTN raises to $0.14, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.07



Flop: ($0.31) J 8 8 (2 players)

Hero checks, BTN bets $0.20, Hero calls $0.20



Turn: ($0.71) 6 (2 players)

Hero checks, BTN bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40



River: ($1.51) 3 (2 players)

Hero requests TIME, Hero bets $0.77, BTN raises to $1.13 all in, Hero calls $0.36



Final Pot: $3.77

BTN shows A J (two pair, Jacks and Eights)

Hero shows 8 8 (four of a kind, Eights)

Hero wins $3.52

(Rake: $0.25)




Here, my opponent has been playing a 20/8 game over 60 hands. When he 3-bets my UTG raise, I know he's got something decent, but he min-3-bets it. Given that he has a full stack, I'm going to call at 3:1 odds and hope to hit an 8.

When I flop TWO Eights, I can only hope he hit his hand. I'm not concerned about flush draws here, so I check and hope he leads out. He obliges and I call. Same with the turn. At the river, I'm fairly certain by the way he's betting that he has either one or two jacks in his hand, which means he's dead in the water. If he's got 2 jacks, he'll put it in. If he only has one, then I need to simply milk as much as I can, given that by now he must suspect that I have one eight in my hand (or at least a jack). I lead out with a half pot size bet hoping that he'll call. He was nice enough to push, and I scoop after he shows AJ. I'm surprised he allowed things to get this far out of hand, and I was lucky enough to flop the nuts while an opponent hit a strong (but not monster) hand.

On the next hand, I flop a monster draw and hit. With some unusual betting, I manage to eeke out almost a full stack once I hit my flush.

Full Tilt Poker $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 829605

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



MP: $2.03

CO: $2.05

BTN: $1.47

SB: $2.02

Hero (BB): $5.24

UTG: $2.75



Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BB with 8 7

3 folds, BTN calls $0.02, 1 fold, Hero checks



Flop: ($0.05) 4 T 9 (2 players)

Hero bets $0.04, BTN calls $0.04



Turn: ($0.13) K (2 players)

Hero bets $0.02, BTN raises to $0.19, Hero calls $0.17



River: ($0.51) 9 (2 players)

Hero bets $0.04, BTN raises to $0.20, Hero raises to $1.11, BTN raises to $1.22 all in, Hero calls $0.11



Final Pot: $2.95

BTN shows K T (two pair, Kings and Tens)

Hero shows 8 7 (a flush, King high)

Hero wins $2.76

(Rake: $0.19)




Here, I don't have a lot of history on my opponent. Just 6 hands, and he's called in 4 of them... so maybe loose, but can't be sure at this stage. I flop a draw to an open ended straight and a flush (or a straight-flush). I bet out, and hope he'll call.

I hit my straight, and now the issue is how to extract as much as possible. I want to seem like I'm betting weakly, in an effort to draw him in. The danger here is that another heart could drop on the river, and then I've got some hard choices. After I lead out for 0.02, he decides I'm bluffing and bets the pot. I will either raise or call. If I raise, I think he'll see the flush and fold, so I simply call, and hope to make more money on the river.

A second nine falls, but not another flush card. I no longer hold the nuts any longer. If he's got a pair of 4's, 9's, T's, or K's, I've lost. Same with any number of better flushes. Given his betting so far, any of those hands is possible, but so are a multitude of other one-pair or two pair hand. I'm still trying to get some more money into the pot.

To be consistent with the turn, I bet 0.04. I'm afraid a larger bet may wake him up to the possibility that I actually hold the flush. Luckily, he takes the bait and reraises. His reraise is only 40% of the pot, so I don't think he's got one of the monster hands I described. I reraise nearly his whole stack, he puts in the rest, and shows me two pair, losing the hand.

My whole night has been like this and its been wondeful.

Anyways, my bankroll at Full Tilt has grown to $46. That covers the 20 Buy In's at NL2 I need, plus an extra $6. $6 is more than I need for an NL5 Buy In, so I will take a shot at NL5 next time I play. Wish me luck.

How the NL2 plan is going

BR = -$330

So far, the NL2 plan is working out well. I can usually eke out 50 bb's
in about 100 hands. If I include all of the hands in my HEM, my NL2 win
rate is 30bb/100 hands for a sample of nearly 6000 hands.

I feel that winning at NL2 is not a challenge. I feel I'm at sufficient
skill at NL2 that I'm simply crushing most of my opponents. I'm actually
looking forward to giving NL5 (non-Rush) a try.

The only times that something bad happens is 1) when I get accustomed to
playing loose/bad opponents, and fail to give new opponents appropriate
credit/benefit of the doubt when I first see them and, 2) when I'm playing
deep stacked again super loose and aggressive opponents. They seem to
want to go in every other hand. Inevitably, the hand I pick to take to
battle loses to the one time they actually DO have a set, flush, or FH,
etc. either that or they draw out on me with 2 outs.

So, to mitigate, I think I'll keep things to normal 100bb BI's for now,
and try not to get involved in the deep stacked games. I think I can
probably beat a deep stacked game quite easily, but the my FT BR can't
take the variance right now. As for the other problem, I'll try to
tighten up against new opponents until my HUD registers at least 20 or so
hands.

Anyways, I only have a couple of dollars of bonus to clear before I get
$20 released, and the approx $10 in rakeback should be paid this Friday,
so my BR should be in fine fighting shape for the future soon. I just
have to play in a more disciplined fashion. And the first step towards
that discipline is resisting the urge to clear off that remaining bonus
release by playing higher stakes - the universal mistake I have repeatedly
made in the past.

More Bankroll Management Lessons

Current BR: -336

Let's just labelled that day or revelation I mentioned yesterday as "D-Day".

The NL2 plan worked, and I was gaining quite nicely, until I jumped in for
some quick Rush Poker action at NL5.

D-Day +1: +$9 on NL2 (+450 bb's)
D-Day +2: +$2 on NL2 (+100 bb's)
D-Day +3: +$2 on NL2 (+100 bb's), -$8.50 at NL5 (-170 bb's)

So, I'm above where I started, but thanks to a little NL5 Rush jaunt, I'm
not above by much. Overall, that's a positive 380 bb's.

I suppose that one thing I've noticed is that the jump in skill level is
remarkably high. I think I can beat NL5 rush, but marginally so, and at
this BR level, I cannot do that due to the increased variance when you're
a near-breakeven player. I hope this is just a Rush phenomenon, and not a
general ring game thing for when I move up from NL2 to NL5 ring.

So, long story short, NL5 is above my BR level. Rush seems to be at a
higher skill level, lowering my ROI significantly and thus increasing my
variance. Ergo: Rush is a no-no for now until I'm properly rolled.

I might have a new strategy for quick-launching the bankroll back up.
Since I'm so confident I can beat NL2, I believe I will implement it this
way:

Once I've reached 20 BI's for the level I'm playing at, once I earn one
excess BI at the next highest level, I will play at that level until I
drop to 20 BI's at the lower level again.

E.g. For NL2, a proper roll of 20 BI's is $40. Once I achieve 1 NL5 BI
above this ($45), I will play at NL5 until I drop to $40 again. This
should quick-launch the bankroll more quickly, assuming I can continue to
win at each level... which we will see. If I hit a wall at a certain
level, where I find myself frequently having to drop down, then I'll
increase the limits at which I can take shots.

In the meantime, I've incorporated Harrington's pre-flop ranges for 6-max
at NL2 and it seems to be going well enough. I'm raising/stealing off the
button much less than I use to. I'll abide by his strategy, until I see
opponent specific numbers in the HUD which warrant an increased stealing
range.