Day 20

Hands Played Today: 4537

Total Hands Played: 127644

Hands Needed: 72356

Pace: 133332 (-5688)

Jog: Yes (11/20)


Comments:

I have now officially played more hands of poker this month, than any month ever. And theres still a 1/3 of the month to go. Excellent. Got started late today. Blew a bunch of time watching the olympics, waiting to see Bolt's 200 meter performance (well worth it tho). So I just played one long session.

It started off poorly like every one it seems this month, with beats and coolers. But then things picked up. I decided to just apply an extremely nitty approach and it seemed to work. It goes against everything I know about how to play this game, but its just the only way to optimally exploit calling stations.

I think a lot of people (including me) end up banging their head against a wall at the lowest limits (especially when running bad), b/c the forums and books all preach aggression, aggression, aggression. Well yes, aggression is the key to beating semi competent players. The take a trip to the casino twice a month middle aged guy who thinks he's good.

It is not the way to beat the total beginners that I play against. They think only about their own hand, and nothing about what I can have. You can't scare them out of pots. You only end up betting their (often weak, but better than yours) hand for them. And basically giving them money, that normally they would have no way to make.

So my new approach is similar to what I wrote the other day, but I will define it better here. I still play as many decent hands as I can. Around 15% VPIP, with a high positional awareness, but a little less raising. Just AQ+ and pairs in EP. Limp the low pairs 22-66. Raise everything else. My range widens as I get closer to the button, and I am opening anything I play, if I'm first in the pot.

Limping behind more often if I'm not first in the pot, with the weaker speculative hands like low pairs and SC's and small suited Aces. I'm never going to ISO over 3+ limpers unless I have a top 10 hand. Over 2 limpers, ISO with a top 15 hand. With one limper ISO with a top 25 hand. If that one limper is a nit reg, add SC's and small pairs to the top 25 ISO range.

On the flop, I'm checking behind with broadway cards and low to mid pairs much more often on missed flops. I am always checking to them when I'm OOP and have missed. Bet folding turns more with TPTK and overpair hands. Checking turns to them most of the time, OOP, with the weaker end of my TPTK and overpair hands. Value betting rivers if they have shown no aggression in the hand.