Ahhh, the zig-zag. Or as my friends and I call it "the wiggle waggle." One of the great moves in any Tecmo enthusiast's arsenal.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Confidence
Ahhh, the zig-zag. Or as my friends and I call it "the wiggle waggle." One of the great moves in any Tecmo enthusiast's arsenal.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
When Vilian's Gin Card = Hero's Gin Card
Quick update from last night. Played 16 sngs and finished up $39. Not bad. Played cash for 22 hands, yes, 22 hands. Finished up 2.5 buyins. One big hand was AA vs KK so nothing special there. The other big hand was TT and I thought I played it pretty well...
I open on the BT, BB 3bs, and I flat in position. Flop comes T73 two tone. He cbets and I contemplate raising to protect against straight/flush draws. Then I decide that his range is more likely strong As and JJ+. JJ+ I'm probably going to stack regardless of what I do, barring a scare card on the turn. The hands I need to keep in are his bluffs, especially w/ strong As, and hope he either a) 2barrels or b) catches his overcard. The turn is an offsuit A and I'm pretty pleased with it. It may have killed my action against JJ, QQ, or KK, but if he is a thinking player, I don't have too many As in my range after calling the flop, unless I'm on a total float. On the other hand, that A smashes his range and he is thinking he just hit his gin card. He checks the turn. This is player dependent, but a lot of players will bet that A as a scare card if they are bluffing, and they will put a feeler bet out there with JJ-KK. However, I've seen so many players bluff a flop, hit their A on the turn, and check behind. Therefore, his check actually indicates more strength than weakness to me. If I bet the turn, he could easily be going for a checkraise w/ a strong A, and he might call once w/ JJ-KK, and he may call with draws as well. So I think betting here is clearly the best option. I bet, he snapshoves, and if it were possible online, my chips would have been in the pot quicker than his, Hellmuth-style. He flips over AJo and his gin card on the turn left him drawing dead. Ship it!
I open on the BT, BB 3bs, and I flat in position. Flop comes T73 two tone. He cbets and I contemplate raising to protect against straight/flush draws. Then I decide that his range is more likely strong As and JJ+. JJ+ I'm probably going to stack regardless of what I do, barring a scare card on the turn. The hands I need to keep in are his bluffs, especially w/ strong As, and hope he either a) 2barrels or b) catches his overcard. The turn is an offsuit A and I'm pretty pleased with it. It may have killed my action against JJ, QQ, or KK, but if he is a thinking player, I don't have too many As in my range after calling the flop, unless I'm on a total float. On the other hand, that A smashes his range and he is thinking he just hit his gin card. He checks the turn. This is player dependent, but a lot of players will bet that A as a scare card if they are bluffing, and they will put a feeler bet out there with JJ-KK. However, I've seen so many players bluff a flop, hit their A on the turn, and check behind. Therefore, his check actually indicates more strength than weakness to me. If I bet the turn, he could easily be going for a checkraise w/ a strong A, and he might call once w/ JJ-KK, and he may call with draws as well. So I think betting here is clearly the best option. I bet, he snapshoves, and if it were possible online, my chips would have been in the pot quicker than his, Hellmuth-style. He flips over AJo and his gin card on the turn left him drawing dead. Ship it!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
What Goes Down Must Come Up....right?
I started to write the following paragraph yesterday and just never finished it. After last night, I'm happy to say that I have some new paragraphs to add :)
On a bit of a downswing lately with both my cash and sng games. Lost 5.5 buyins in cash and hit a cold streak in sngs, finishing 4th twice and 5th last night. (AJ vs A9 flop K99 = 4th) Not a big deal tho. The silver lining in all of this has been my "inner game" (thx Ragz) improvement. I'm currently reading Tommy Angelo's Elements of Poker and have been continually working on my attitude towards poker. Accepting beats and variance with a smile is my goal, as well as maintaining my A game throughout. My recovery period from taking beats is getting smaller as well.
NEW UPDATE - UPSWWWINGG! WAHOO!
I played a 1.5 hour session, 2 tabling 100NL last night and finished with my biggest win ever! Really goes to show that if you keep your head during the downswings, things always turn around. I was running pretty hot, but also managed to play well. One of the sweeter hands actually ended up being two consecutive hands.
Fish limps utg, tag/reg isolates, and I 3b w/ KTo on the button knowing that my bet will be too big for the fish to call and that the tag/reg most likely can't stand the heat either. They both folded and it worked to perfection.
Very next hand - tag/reg opens utg, I 3b w/ AA, fully knowing that he's not going to fold to my 3b two hands in a row. He 4bs me and I "think about it" and just flat. My range is still somewhat wide when I flat, as is his, whereas if I 5b shove he's only calling w/ big hands. It also helped that he cbets 80%. Flop is a dry Qxx board. He fires a cbet, I call. Turn is a J. He thinks about it, then checks. I've got about 50 left at this point and the pot is already 100. I timebanked and decided that if Villian has any hand, it's going to be tough for him to fold getting 3:1. He knows I'm capable of floating, and If I shove here, it really looks like a float. Also, people love to put you on AK any chance they get. So I shove, he timebanks, and eventually calls w/ TT. My AA holds and I fistpump for stacking this guy w/ two overs on the board.
Here is my 100NL career so far.
SNGs
On a bit of a downswing lately with both my cash and sng games. Lost 5.5 buyins in cash and hit a cold streak in sngs, finishing 4th twice and 5th last night. (AJ vs A9 flop K99 = 4th) Not a big deal tho. The silver lining in all of this has been my "inner game" (thx Ragz) improvement. I'm currently reading Tommy Angelo's Elements of Poker and have been continually working on my attitude towards poker. Accepting beats and variance with a smile is my goal, as well as maintaining my A game throughout. My recovery period from taking beats is getting smaller as well.
NEW UPDATE - UPSWWWINGG! WAHOO!
I played a 1.5 hour session, 2 tabling 100NL last night and finished with my biggest win ever! Really goes to show that if you keep your head during the downswings, things always turn around. I was running pretty hot, but also managed to play well. One of the sweeter hands actually ended up being two consecutive hands.
Fish limps utg, tag/reg isolates, and I 3b w/ KTo on the button knowing that my bet will be too big for the fish to call and that the tag/reg most likely can't stand the heat either. They both folded and it worked to perfection.
Very next hand - tag/reg opens utg, I 3b w/ AA, fully knowing that he's not going to fold to my 3b two hands in a row. He 4bs me and I "think about it" and just flat. My range is still somewhat wide when I flat, as is his, whereas if I 5b shove he's only calling w/ big hands. It also helped that he cbets 80%. Flop is a dry Qxx board. He fires a cbet, I call. Turn is a J. He thinks about it, then checks. I've got about 50 left at this point and the pot is already 100. I timebanked and decided that if Villian has any hand, it's going to be tough for him to fold getting 3:1. He knows I'm capable of floating, and If I shove here, it really looks like a float. Also, people love to put you on AK any chance they get. So I shove, he timebanks, and eventually calls w/ TT. My AA holds and I fistpump for stacking this guy w/ two overs on the board.
Here is my 100NL career so far.
SNGs
I also decided to start my SNG challenge over in a sense. I had basically broken even anyway over the course of 100 or so sngs, and I wanted to rededicate myself to the challenge. I played 10 $6.50 9 man sngs. Didn't cash in 6 of them, but won the other 4! Finished up $43.
Graph from last night...
Red Light Green Light
So I was driving to work this morning and was almost there. I was running a bit late (as per us.) and it was approx 8:30 am.
Red light.
I was sitting there when a group of about 10 black dudes got off of a bus to my right. Average age seemed to be late teens, early 20s. They proceeded to walk across the street to an empty grassy area. They formed a circle...eh, maybe more of an elliptical shape, but whatever. Two of the dudes took off their jackets and got into fighting stances, one with the traditional "I'm a badass and look cocky and have no use for technique" style, the other with a clear boxing background.
Green light.
I reluctantly drove off, leaving myself wanting more. Not more fighting, although who isn't intrigued by a good fight, but wanting more in the terms of an explanation. IT'S 8:30 AM. WTF are these guys doing? Is this a regular thing? Did each of them wake up and say "Ahhh, Monday, what's on the agenda today? Gotta eat some Trix, stop by the dry cleaners, then it's off to bareknuckle brawl with Andre, then I've got a meeting with the Bobs, oh and I can't forget to pick up milk."
Silly thugs, Trix are for kids.
Red light.
I was sitting there when a group of about 10 black dudes got off of a bus to my right. Average age seemed to be late teens, early 20s. They proceeded to walk across the street to an empty grassy area. They formed a circle...eh, maybe more of an elliptical shape, but whatever. Two of the dudes took off their jackets and got into fighting stances, one with the traditional "I'm a badass and look cocky and have no use for technique" style, the other with a clear boxing background.
Green light.
I reluctantly drove off, leaving myself wanting more. Not more fighting, although who isn't intrigued by a good fight, but wanting more in the terms of an explanation. IT'S 8:30 AM. WTF are these guys doing? Is this a regular thing? Did each of them wake up and say "Ahhh, Monday, what's on the agenda today? Gotta eat some Trix, stop by the dry cleaners, then it's off to bareknuckle brawl with Andre, then I've got a meeting with the Bobs, oh and I can't forget to pick up milk."
Silly thugs, Trix are for kids.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
2 Quick Humorous Events
Urinal
I recently began working at a new job and I must say that the bathrooms here are magnificent. Marble floors, automatic towel dispenser, and each stall has it's own floor-to-ceiling door. Yea, be jealous. So anyway, I headed to the head, walked up to the unoccupied urinal, and quickly realized my boxers were on backwards as there was no hole available haha. A guy who just finished was behind me washing/drying his hands. I couldn't just stand there doing nothing, so I assessed my options. Pull down the boxers completely in the front? Nah, that would look really weird. I went with the "hike up one side and go out the side" approach. Wasn't the most comfortable idea, but it worked. I gotta stop getting dressed in the dark...
Subway Cups
Went to Subway for lunch to pick up a 5 dollar, 5 dollar, 5 dollar footloonnngg. The dude in front of me orders a drink and they have 4 options. 3 are all the same, and the correct, normal size drink cup. One is all the way on the end and is much smaller and is for coffee. He asks which one to get and the lady tells him "any, they are all the same." He goes for the normal size cup in front of him, then decides against it, and picks the smaller coffee cup on the end. She says "no! not that one!" He looks confused, eventually picks the right one, and I shake my head at the human race....
I recently began working at a new job and I must say that the bathrooms here are magnificent. Marble floors, automatic towel dispenser, and each stall has it's own floor-to-ceiling door. Yea, be jealous. So anyway, I headed to the head, walked up to the unoccupied urinal, and quickly realized my boxers were on backwards as there was no hole available haha. A guy who just finished was behind me washing/drying his hands. I couldn't just stand there doing nothing, so I assessed my options. Pull down the boxers completely in the front? Nah, that would look really weird. I went with the "hike up one side and go out the side" approach. Wasn't the most comfortable idea, but it worked. I gotta stop getting dressed in the dark...
Subway Cups
Went to Subway for lunch to pick up a 5 dollar, 5 dollar, 5 dollar footloonnngg. The dude in front of me orders a drink and they have 4 options. 3 are all the same, and the correct, normal size drink cup. One is all the way on the end and is much smaller and is for coffee. He asks which one to get and the lady tells him "any, they are all the same." He goes for the normal size cup in front of him, then decides against it, and picks the smaller coffee cup on the end. She says "no! not that one!" He looks confused, eventually picks the right one, and I shake my head at the human race....
6Max NLHE Update
I recently moved up to 100NL and things went really well until the past couple of days. I hit a nice 5.5 buy-in downswing where I managed to get coolered quite often. I had to pull off some really nice bluffs just to win what little I did.
My goal this month was to hit the gold mark for the Iron Man Challenge on Full Tilt. I still may go for that, but I took yesterday off just to have a break. I recently started reading Ryan Fee's 6max guide, per the recommendation of my coach, and it is filled with amazing stuff. I'm hoping to finish it soon.
Speaking of my coach, his name is Vincent and I recently started working with him. He offered me two free sessions, then a 5 session package at an affordable rate. He's a really nice, funny guy, and he really knows his stuff. In fact, my friend hired him as well. Things are going pretty well on that front, and I'm hoping to continue learning from him.
Improva, one of DC's coaches, also just finished his book. Being a former student, I received a pre-release copy and I'm excited about reading it.
My goals for March regarding 6max NLHE:
1. Finish Fee's book
2. Start Improva's book
3. Finish watching the Unconvential Wisdom series
4. Continue working with Vincent
5. Finish the month up 10 buy-ins (I really just want to play well, but having a goal helps me do that)
My goal this month was to hit the gold mark for the Iron Man Challenge on Full Tilt. I still may go for that, but I took yesterday off just to have a break. I recently started reading Ryan Fee's 6max guide, per the recommendation of my coach, and it is filled with amazing stuff. I'm hoping to finish it soon.
Speaking of my coach, his name is Vincent and I recently started working with him. He offered me two free sessions, then a 5 session package at an affordable rate. He's a really nice, funny guy, and he really knows his stuff. In fact, my friend hired him as well. Things are going pretty well on that front, and I'm hoping to continue learning from him.
Improva, one of DC's coaches, also just finished his book. Being a former student, I received a pre-release copy and I'm excited about reading it.
My goals for March regarding 6max NLHE:
1. Finish Fee's book
2. Start Improva's book
3. Finish watching the Unconvential Wisdom series
4. Continue working with Vincent
5. Finish the month up 10 buy-ins (I really just want to play well, but having a goal helps me do that)
SNG Challenge Update
Things started out really well with my 500 to 10k SNG challenge. I planned to play 9 man $6.50 turbo sngs until I had run my 500 up to 600, then I would move up to $12 sngs. After approx 50 $6.50 sngs, I had run my roll up to just over 600. As soon as I moved up, I began running bad. The past few sessions have not gone well and my roll is back down to about 520. I have been studying each of my sessions in SNGWiz, reviewing any mistakes that I have been making. Most, if not all, of my mistakes seem to be not pushing enough in situations where it's any two cards. These "mistakes" don't necessarily account for the wide calling ranges at these microstakes tho. I still believe that shoving a bit tighter and waiting for others to make mistakes is a winning strategy at these stakes, but I will continue to evaluate my play. It will help to learn the normal pushing range for when I move up in stakes anyway.
So I'm just going to keep playing, keep learning, and keep pressing on. I'm hoping to take AMT up on his offer to help me out soon. Also, MrMillions, SootedNinjas, and some others have started a SNG study group. Check out DC's Secret HQ forum for more info if you are interesting in joining. I will be attending the first meeting with them, and hope to continue as much as I can with it.
So I'm just going to keep playing, keep learning, and keep pressing on. I'm hoping to take AMT up on his offer to help me out soon. Also, MrMillions, SootedNinjas, and some others have started a SNG study group. Check out DC's Secret HQ forum for more info if you are interesting in joining. I will be attending the first meeting with them, and hope to continue as much as I can with it.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Power of Self-Confidence
This blog was inspired by Tommy Angelo. If you don't know who he is, learn.
Middle school was an interesting time. They say that these are the years when you develop your identity and learn who you really are (as much as a 12 year old can). I'm not here to refute that, but I can say that I personally did not find out who I was, rather I found out who everyone else was.
It's August, right before school starts. I go with my dad to pick out some school clothes for the year. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to look cool. I wanted No Fear shirts, Nike shoes, and Nike socks. Yea that's right, name brand socks. I don't play. I desperately wanted to mold myself into the ever-present junior high myth that a 7th grader can actually "look cool." I got the clothes I wanted, thought I looked cool, and ultimately, all that mattered was no one made fun of me.
Middle school kids can quite possibly be the meanest group of individuals since....well, since elementary school kids. Maybe not the best analogy, but you get my point. Kids are mean. So anyway, you pretty much spend "the formative years" of 6th-8th grade trying to avoid any sort of adolescent mob-mentality stoning. If you survive, you make it to high school, and for me at least, it gets a little easier. You've made friends, you know which group you think you belong in, and the frantic identity search starts to mellow out. By the time you are a senior, you're pretty much the shit. I know I was. Knowing you're the oldest grade in school, possibly with a car, makes you the precedent setter. It's a caterpillar-like transformation from scared peon, adapting to whatever trend is popular, to badass butterfly who bucks the trend if he so chooses. Cuz F underclassmen.
If you're lucky enough to go to college, as I was fortunate enough to do, a weird thing happens. That overconfidence gets shaken a bit as you enter a big bad university. You're back trying to fit in again. Something is different this time though. What's this? People don't give a crap about how you look? Oh sweet, sweet apathy. Long gone are the days of fitting in based on your sweet Adidas socks. A new day has risen. A day where a person is judged on the content of his character, not the color of his Jordan's. At least, this was my experience in college. I was amazed at how I could be myself and no one cared. You start wearing random old t-shirts, shaving half of your face, and oversleeping for a 2:00pm class (thanks to my roommate for attending said class and calling me afterwards so I could run and find the TA to hand in my Discrete Math homework haha). The point being that no one cares anymore about how you look. You are freed from grade school fashion shackles. And that's only the beginning.
Once I stopped caring about how I looked, I began only caring about being me. It was a slow process, but I eventually realized that I was, in fact, the shit. That sounds arrogant, and I am joking, but until you feel like you deserve better things in my life, you'll always struggle with self-esteem issues. Restricting yourself out of the fear of another's opinion gives other people power over you and your actions. The minute you release these shackles, you'll feel empowered. The first few times are the toughest, but trust me, it gets easier. Just like in poker, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. With self-confidence however, you can put yourself out there and not risk anything. Does it get any better than zero risk and self-fulfillment as the reward? You may do something stupid, but you know what? Who cares? This attitude towards life has allowed me to stand up for what's right, live my life by principle - not by popular opinion, and has instilled in me a vast amount of self-confidence.
Translate this attitude towards poker and you set yourself up for success. You don't care about asking dumb questions while learning a new game, so you learn quicker than those hindered by the opinion's of others. You're willing to try new strategies, new bluffs, new crazy lines, and you don't mind having to show your hand. You'll make a "sick call" with 9 high, only to lose to Q high (an actual hand against a friend of mine haha). Sure, you may look stupid calling with 9 high, but deep down you actually look stronger because you are willing to make such a play. Who do you fear more at the table - a guy who folds everything but the strongest of hands, or someone willing to look stupid in order to win your chips? This attitude towards poker, and life, is definitely +EV in the long run.
Middle school was an interesting time. They say that these are the years when you develop your identity and learn who you really are (as much as a 12 year old can). I'm not here to refute that, but I can say that I personally did not find out who I was, rather I found out who everyone else was.
It's August, right before school starts. I go with my dad to pick out some school clothes for the year. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to look cool. I wanted No Fear shirts, Nike shoes, and Nike socks. Yea that's right, name brand socks. I don't play. I desperately wanted to mold myself into the ever-present junior high myth that a 7th grader can actually "look cool." I got the clothes I wanted, thought I looked cool, and ultimately, all that mattered was no one made fun of me.
Middle school kids can quite possibly be the meanest group of individuals since....well, since elementary school kids. Maybe not the best analogy, but you get my point. Kids are mean. So anyway, you pretty much spend "the formative years" of 6th-8th grade trying to avoid any sort of adolescent mob-mentality stoning. If you survive, you make it to high school, and for me at least, it gets a little easier. You've made friends, you know which group you think you belong in, and the frantic identity search starts to mellow out. By the time you are a senior, you're pretty much the shit. I know I was. Knowing you're the oldest grade in school, possibly with a car, makes you the precedent setter. It's a caterpillar-like transformation from scared peon, adapting to whatever trend is popular, to badass butterfly who bucks the trend if he so chooses. Cuz F underclassmen.
If you're lucky enough to go to college, as I was fortunate enough to do, a weird thing happens. That overconfidence gets shaken a bit as you enter a big bad university. You're back trying to fit in again. Something is different this time though. What's this? People don't give a crap about how you look? Oh sweet, sweet apathy. Long gone are the days of fitting in based on your sweet Adidas socks. A new day has risen. A day where a person is judged on the content of his character, not the color of his Jordan's. At least, this was my experience in college. I was amazed at how I could be myself and no one cared. You start wearing random old t-shirts, shaving half of your face, and oversleeping for a 2:00pm class (thanks to my roommate for attending said class and calling me afterwards so I could run and find the TA to hand in my Discrete Math homework haha). The point being that no one cares anymore about how you look. You are freed from grade school fashion shackles. And that's only the beginning.
Once I stopped caring about how I looked, I began only caring about being me. It was a slow process, but I eventually realized that I was, in fact, the shit. That sounds arrogant, and I am joking, but until you feel like you deserve better things in my life, you'll always struggle with self-esteem issues. Restricting yourself out of the fear of another's opinion gives other people power over you and your actions. The minute you release these shackles, you'll feel empowered. The first few times are the toughest, but trust me, it gets easier. Just like in poker, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. With self-confidence however, you can put yourself out there and not risk anything. Does it get any better than zero risk and self-fulfillment as the reward? You may do something stupid, but you know what? Who cares? This attitude towards life has allowed me to stand up for what's right, live my life by principle - not by popular opinion, and has instilled in me a vast amount of self-confidence.
Translate this attitude towards poker and you set yourself up for success. You don't care about asking dumb questions while learning a new game, so you learn quicker than those hindered by the opinion's of others. You're willing to try new strategies, new bluffs, new crazy lines, and you don't mind having to show your hand. You'll make a "sick call" with 9 high, only to lose to Q high (an actual hand against a friend of mine haha). Sure, you may look stupid calling with 9 high, but deep down you actually look stronger because you are willing to make such a play. Who do you fear more at the table - a guy who folds everything but the strongest of hands, or someone willing to look stupid in order to win your chips? This attitude towards poker, and life, is definitely +EV in the long run.
Hodgepodge
I have a hodgepodge of stuff going on involving poker these days.
-My friend and I, in our quest to crush 6max NLHE, have both hired the same coach. It has worked out great so far. He is friendly, funny, affordable, and most of all knows his stuff. Also, he's not playing high stakes and teaching us stuff that we can't use at our stakes.
-I'm still grinding out SNGs as part of the challenge w/ Bones at DC. On a bit of a downswing lately with them, but still plugging away and learning throughout.
-Currently ranked 1st in our weekly home game tournament standings and looking to capture my 2nd title in a few weeks.
-Still dabbling in StudHi and once I get some time, I'm considering hiring the newest DC coach, Rusty, to help me learn the HORSE games. I really want to be a well-rounded player, but I don't think I can fit that into my schedule right now.
-And with all of that, I'm still trying to stay active in the DC forums, watch videos, and learn as much as I can.
Headed out to Vegas for my 2nd time in June. I'll probably try to play between 5 and 10 tournaments while out there. I cashed in 2/10 last time. I'm just hoping for a big score this time. Also hoping to meet some other DC members and pick up a DC hoodie!
-My friend and I, in our quest to crush 6max NLHE, have both hired the same coach. It has worked out great so far. He is friendly, funny, affordable, and most of all knows his stuff. Also, he's not playing high stakes and teaching us stuff that we can't use at our stakes.
-I'm still grinding out SNGs as part of the challenge w/ Bones at DC. On a bit of a downswing lately with them, but still plugging away and learning throughout.
-Currently ranked 1st in our weekly home game tournament standings and looking to capture my 2nd title in a few weeks.
-Still dabbling in StudHi and once I get some time, I'm considering hiring the newest DC coach, Rusty, to help me learn the HORSE games. I really want to be a well-rounded player, but I don't think I can fit that into my schedule right now.
-And with all of that, I'm still trying to stay active in the DC forums, watch videos, and learn as much as I can.
Headed out to Vegas for my 2nd time in June. I'll probably try to play between 5 and 10 tournaments while out there. I cashed in 2/10 last time. I'm just hoping for a big score this time. Also hoping to meet some other DC members and pick up a DC hoodie!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Time of Your Life
Just finished watching a rerun of Seinfeld's best clips show. Is it lame that when they play Green Day's "Good Riddance" at the end I get all sentimental? It's not just thinking about the show being over, but also thinking about cherishing the good times in my life with friends and family. Ok, so it probably is lame, but I don't care :)
My SNG Challenge - 500 to 10k
As part of a challenge on Deuces Cracked, I am taking part in trying to turn a $500 BR into $10k. Beginning with 9 man STTs at the $6.50 level, I will play as many as necessary to increase my BR to $600. Once I hit that mark, I will move up to the next highest stake, and maybe throw in some 18, 27, and 45 man SNGs. I will grind from there until I hit about $1k, and then move up again. Who knows how long this will take, but I'm sure to have fun and learn a lot throughout the process!
An additional perk is that I will receive occasional coaching from Bones and AMT, two SNG specialists from Deuces Cracked. With their help, I feel confident that it is a matter of when, not if, I reach my goal!
An additional perk is that I will receive occasional coaching from Bones and AMT, two SNG specialists from Deuces Cracked. With their help, I feel confident that it is a matter of when, not if, I reach my goal!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
DeucesCracked Review
The month was October 2008. A fellow poker player and I decided that we wanted to join one of the many training sites out there. We did our research and soon narrowed the list to a few of the top rated sites. We then compared the content of each, startup fees, and monthly prices. We discovered that DeucesCracked had a free 7 day trial so why not try that? Talk about a smart business move on their part. I quickly learned that their videos were DRM free! This means you can download them, put them on your ipod, burn them to a cd - all without being handcuffed by DRMs! Their philosophy is one of freedom and I can't tell you how refreshing that feels. Throw in the fact that they don't charge a startup fee and their prices are very affordable and you've got yourself a very promising start.
How is the actual site you ask? AMAZING. I'll get to the poker content soon enough, but first let me say that there are other things to consider. First, technical support. The moderators of the forums reply to any problems you have almost instantly. Can't get the videos to work? Having problems logging in? All of your issues will be addressed in a very timely manner, often by some of the top guns for the whole site, Entity and Joe Tall.
Another facet that you should consider when selecting a training site is the community. Are members active in the forums? Are coaches active in the forums? The answer for DC is a resounding yes and yes. Once you start posting, you'll join a poker community with which you can share ideas, have a laugh, and grow as a player and a person.
Now to the poker content (I know, finally). I come from a tournament background and came to DC to learn how to play cash, which is their specialty. My game has improved by leaps and bounds since joining thanks to their educational videos, such as Real Life MicroNL Grinder, The Coaching Tree, and Unconventional Wisdom. What came as a complete surprise, however, was a little series called Last Man Standing by AMT (Alex Triner). This series focuses on SNGs and proves to be a seemingly hidden gem among cash game videos. Over the course of 8 videos, AMT single-handedly turned my SNG game inside out and took me from a break-even player to a regular winner at stakes from $6.50 to $60. He explains the "bias against confrontation" concept and describes how a chip in your stack is worth more than winning other chips early in the tournament. The idea that doubling your stack early doesn't double your equity in the tournament made perfect sense and seems simple now, but I must say it was revolutionary when I first heard it. These are just a few of the concepts explained (I'm not sure I want to share any more!). AMT teaches in a manner that is very easy to understand, and his articulate style combined with the depth of his knowledge will most likely result in me hiring him as a personal coach in the future.
So in conclusion, DeucesCracked gives you a free trial, no startup fee, affordable monthly prices, amazing and quick technical support, and pure, unadulterated poker knowledge in an interactive environment. And after all of that, they are still working to improve every day, and it shows. Beat that.
How is the actual site you ask? AMAZING. I'll get to the poker content soon enough, but first let me say that there are other things to consider. First, technical support. The moderators of the forums reply to any problems you have almost instantly. Can't get the videos to work? Having problems logging in? All of your issues will be addressed in a very timely manner, often by some of the top guns for the whole site, Entity and Joe Tall.
Another facet that you should consider when selecting a training site is the community. Are members active in the forums? Are coaches active in the forums? The answer for DC is a resounding yes and yes. Once you start posting, you'll join a poker community with which you can share ideas, have a laugh, and grow as a player and a person.
Now to the poker content (I know, finally). I come from a tournament background and came to DC to learn how to play cash, which is their specialty. My game has improved by leaps and bounds since joining thanks to their educational videos, such as Real Life MicroNL Grinder, The Coaching Tree, and Unconventional Wisdom. What came as a complete surprise, however, was a little series called Last Man Standing by AMT (Alex Triner). This series focuses on SNGs and proves to be a seemingly hidden gem among cash game videos. Over the course of 8 videos, AMT single-handedly turned my SNG game inside out and took me from a break-even player to a regular winner at stakes from $6.50 to $60. He explains the "bias against confrontation" concept and describes how a chip in your stack is worth more than winning other chips early in the tournament. The idea that doubling your stack early doesn't double your equity in the tournament made perfect sense and seems simple now, but I must say it was revolutionary when I first heard it. These are just a few of the concepts explained (I'm not sure I want to share any more!). AMT teaches in a manner that is very easy to understand, and his articulate style combined with the depth of his knowledge will most likely result in me hiring him as a personal coach in the future.
So in conclusion, DeucesCracked gives you a free trial, no startup fee, affordable monthly prices, amazing and quick technical support, and pure, unadulterated poker knowledge in an interactive environment. And after all of that, they are still working to improve every day, and it shows. Beat that.
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