Goal Update

So I've played 11,043 hands @ PL/NL50 6-max so far this month. My goal was to have +3.5 ptBB/100 after 10,000 hands before I could move up. Well, I'll be playing another 10K hands. In those 11K hands, I had a ptBB/100 of -2.64!! Woo-hoo! Nice start. I'm not too down about it because I know I'm playing a more open, aggressive game (compared to my old ways, not compared to the good players). My VPIP/PFR is at 13.12/10.8 is improving as is my aggression (Total AF is 3.47). I still would like to get my VPIP/PFR up to 17/14ish but 13/11 is a big improvement over last month. Last month I was at: 12/8. My AF was 2.69.

In order to get my VPIP/PFR up to where I want it, I need to work on opening up my range even more from the button and cuttoff and 3-betting lighter. I get nervous doing that because it puts you in awkward spots when called and what I REALLY need to work on is my post-flop play. Being over-rolled for NL/PL50 really helps because I can absorb the bumps I'm encountering. I think my biggest post flop leaks are not 3-barrelling enough, and when I do, not picking the right spots. If I take my time, and think the hand through, I do pretty good. But if I don't look at the board, at my opponents stats/tendencies closely, I find I'm doing the opposite of what I should be doing. And the other biggest problem I'm having, and have had for a long long time is letting go of big hands when I'm probably beat. I get awfully stubborn at times and don't make laydowns that I should. I think that if I could fix that leak, that'd put me over 3 ptBB right there. If I fix all the aforementioned leaks, I may just do pretty decent.

I'm also not too disappointed because if I take away just the times when I got my hand in good and was outdrawn my ptBB/100 would be nearly exactly opposite of what it is. Now I realize I can't help those and I really can't count 100% of those because if I get it in 80/20, I can really only count 80% of that, and some of the situations were closer than that. The point is, I've had more than my share of set-over-sets and and KK vs. AA so far this month. I know I can't focus on the bad beats and use that as a crutch - there is nothing one can do about losing when you get it in ahead and over time the variance evens out. The great players face variance but they still manage a great ptBB and that is because they offset those with making the right plays and fixing leaks. So ultimately, if I am going to have a good ptBB/100 I need to fix these leaks. And, I probably need to play better than the average player because my family has passed down the "Fieselman Luck". :-)

I have been watching a ton of CR videos but focusing on pre-flop and flop situations. I need to re-watch the videos and see how the pros handle turn and river situations that I run into a lot.

And, on a positive front, my $1,003 rakeback deposit should be hitting my account in the next 5 days and I've already earned $141 so far this month. Its crazy to think that over the last 4 months I've been averaging over $500 in rakeback. That's 6g's a year. If I never withdrew and broke even, I'd have one heckuva nice bankroll....

Another cool thing is that rakebreak.com has revised how they cash out and now I can cash out whenever I want vs. only once per month. Nice feature. If the one (ok, zero) person out there is looking to sign up for an account at any of the major poker rooms, please check with me first so i can get you and me some moolah for signing up through rakebreak.com. And if you dont' want to go through me, definitely get a rakebreak account before signing up to a poker room. Rakeback Rules (6K a year for a 50/NL player should be all that needs to be said.)