One Step - 25nl to 50nl

[FailedHero]

Hello,

Long time reader, first time poster.

A quick background:

About 18 months ago, I did not kow how to play poker but for some unclear reason, I wanted to learn. I deposited a small amount on Pokerstars and started to play. I quickly realized that the way to go for me was "one step at a time". So I slowly learned to beat 2nl, then 5nl, 10nl and I am now at 25nl.

I have been stuck at 25nl for a while now and I am getting somewhat frustrated. I have a microscopic positive winrate at 25nl. Hence this blog and increased activity in these forums to help me move up to 50nl ... hopefully.

I obviously have many leaks but I think that my main problem is spewing on the river. It seems that once I reach the river, I become unable to use the Fold button. Probably due to some childhood issues .... Anyway, due to the size of the pots, mistakes on the river tend to destroy most of the winnings I may have. So if you want to stack me, just shove the river and I will call with the stupidest hands.

The plan:
- Post hands in the BC forum: I hope this will help me refine my lines and the ranges I put villains on.
- Every week, I will write a postmortem review of my play: stats from PT3, things that tilted me, lessons learned, ...
- Write video reports: each time I watch a training video, I will write a quick synopsis of what I have learned from the video.

If this does not work, I will cash out my bankroll and buy a dunce cap.

Cheers,

FailedHero

[FailedHero]

Video write up

Just watched a training video (theory). Here are the main points that I have learned or that I am considering.

1- People do not bluff "enough" (from a theorical sense): After betting, if you are shown aggression, you should be quick to fold. Unless you have the nuts, your hand becomes a bluff catcher and since people do not bluff "enough", bluff catchers should be used only sparingly. This is a huge leak of mine.

2- Most people are not good enough to pass up a +EV bluff opportunity.
Example:
UTG opens and we call from BTN. Flop comes K72 rainbow:
if UTG checks, most likely done with value hands.
if UTG CBets, done with whole range.

Obvioulsy, a few sentences do not do justice to a one-hour video but I am hoping that by writing this here, it will help me keep this info fresh in my mind.

Any comments appreciated.

[Shizu]

GL, will follow this, since I'd like to tackle this level in a (hopefully) not too distant future.