ITH Poker Forum

[AlamedaMike]

It seems the lowest buy-ins casinos seem to have for NL is around 200, although some have 100. Just be weary of the blinds. The local casino I used to live by had 100NL, but the blinds were 1-2, so the max allowed was only 50x BB which in my opinion is not enough. Rake is a punk...

Same problem here - some NL 100 and NL 200 a few greater and two NL 100 minimum that I know of. I think that Lucky Chance has a NL500 max and a NL1000 min.

I'm playing micro limit NL now to get a feel for it and see how I like it. I have to shift my brain a bunch. But at $15 buyin I can play all day to see how it goes.

[doubleup]

Yep, good luck. I've adapted and cannot stand playing HLE. I've entered a few HLE SNG's on accident and wanted to slap myself silly the entire time...in my opinion, HLE isn't as strategic as NLHE, so I wish you luck and hope you begin seeing +++++ #'s...

[AlamedaMike]

Yep, good luck. I've adapted and cannot stand playing HLE. I've entered a few HLE SNG's on accident and wanted to slap myself silly the entire time...in my opinion, HLE isn't as strategic as NLHE, so I wish you luck and hope you begin seeing +++++ #'s...

Thanks - I need to check the game out at AJs - I hear it is a good NL game 100-300 buyin. I have plenty of time, I think. The games are not going anywhere soon.

[AlamedaMike]

Try

Mastery (Plume)
by George Leonard

excellent book

GL

BTW, I was re-reading Zen and the Art of Poker - this book was mentioned on page 29.

[Bluedaq]

Try

Mastery (Plume)
by George Leonard

excellent book

GL

BTW, I was re-reading Zen and the Art of Poker - this book was mentioned on page 29.

What did it say, here is an interview with George Leonard

http://www.aikiweb.com/interviews/leonard0400.html

[AlamedaMike]

Try

Mastery (Plume)
by George Leonard

excellent book

GL

BTW, I was re-reading Zen and the Art of Poker - this book was mentioned on page 29.

What did it say, here is an interview with George Leonard

http://www.aikiweb.com/interviews/leonard0400.html

Take the long view.

Writer George Leonard, in his book, Mastery, refers to this as the "goalless journey." In other words: there is no finish line; the journey itself is the destination.

A Zen concept I guess. Like if you think you are insane then you must be sane for an insane person would not think of themselves as insane? What happens if you think that you are sane? You might be insane or sane.

This is very impressive... fifth dan is way not easy - my Tae Kwon Do sensei was a 5th dan and boy was he awesome to watch - but that was 30 years ago and it seems like it was another life.

George Leonard sensei has been studying aikido for nearly thirty years and currently holds a fifth dan. He has written numerous books relating to aikido including "The Ultimate Athlete," "Mastery," and his recently published "The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei" Leonard sensei currently shares the chief instructing responsibilities with Wendy Palmer sensei at Aikido of Tamalpais in Mill Valley, CA.

[aspie8]

I still get a lot of bad beats - that is loses where I was way ahead and the other player made a bad call (in my opinion) and sucked out.

recent is I flopped a set and he got a runner runner gut shot blah, blah, blah and I am still trying to come to terms with it and almost there.

It still takes me a few minutes to let these go because I miss the money that I was 95% going to win - results oriented still. I have been watching Eckhart Tolle on Oprah.com. His attitude is a little like a Zen buddhist monk in my opinion. Things do not bother him. I want to be there with my poker playing.

Some of what he says in his book an online does help me with my emotional non-reaction to the loses.

I believe that negative thoughts and feelings effect the outcome of hands. Loses beget loses and winning begets winning.

Hi there Mike. I have been reading a lot of posts today, trying to gain insight to better my play. I must say, I see so much of myself in you given what I’ve read in this thread. In that I am experiencing everything in the same manner as you. I am new to ITH forum, and my initial posts were to do with the Luck factor, and how much of a downswing I was experiencing (even though I know they don’t really exist) was and still am having trouble with the emotion side of things even though I’ve been playing for 6+ years.
Like yourself, I played mostly live; more of a recreation approach which quickly turned to a healthy determination and passionate goal to get better. The only games offered locally are the good old pub poker. Mostly tourneys….free or for minimal cost. I did try the casino which is approx 1hr each way for couple of months to test….(1/2 NL) but did not have a good run and ended up almost even for 100hrs played. I would prefer the Limit games but it was only on offer as interest and hardly anyone wanted to play as most are lining up for NL, which seems to be the craze for the past several years. Not to mention the only FL offered if they did manage to start a table was a 5/10 game which was more than I wanted to try.

I am also forever trying to have a zero reaction to bad beats and not be so results oriented and think, especially recently that I am not getting my fare share of +ve variance. I started online approx 4 weeks ago with $570 BR and with deposit bonus got up to $840 in approx. I and half week; only to befall to string of bad beats for successive sessions for the next 2 and half week (still cont.) with no end in sight!.....after the dust of anger and disappointment has sort of settled; and now a roll of $450 playing 1/2FL I am, gathering myself and re-evaluating stuff. I do admit now if not before that I did cherry bomb off some money due to tilt, however minor it may have been, and the fatal mistake in losing more than I should have by changing games to NL ; going up and sown in limits….now I look at it, it seemed desperate and without any goal or control. I know now I would have saved money (don’t know how much) if I just eliminated emotion and just played each hand independently and with the positive edge as pre planned.
I came undone at the seems as they say, and well; you can guess the rest.
I also want to find ways of plugging holes as soon as I find where they are.
The link to William Chen’s comment, and Zach from another forum helps to remind me of what I am suppose to do and how to think and behave….Also, The Poker Mindset is a very good book on this topic and expands on the attitudes needed. Good luck to you mate
P.S - My relatively short experience tells me that often I run better when I am positive and not so tense. Things appear to work out better. And worse if negative. It’s still difficult to assume positive frame of mind even with this in mind when in the midst of a large downswing. I agree, it would be fantastic to have the ability to feel less. We could definitely work on that.

[aspie8]

Thanks Willem. I’m still using XP and it works fine. Gonna hold off with Holdem Manager as soon as I figure out what to do next; which brings me up to the following:

I stated suffering a somewhat long & hard hitting losing streak, been way too emotional/results orientated, experienced and acknowledged various forms of tilt…etc) and now left with $450 in poker acc.(from reaching 840 with initial deposit of 570) approx 4 weeks; playing games including FL, NL. Mostly FL. Someone pointed out correctly in that I am essentially playing with the amount I have set out for my BR whether this is entirely within the poker account or not. I can dedicate 2k for my BR, however I wanted to seek advice as to what would be the correct and dare I say, the successful path of approach?

Given my current situation and recent history; which is the best approach? Another word, which game do I play? @ What stakes? How many tables, if more than one? How often? And so on…..given I focus 100% and am aware of tilt creeping in and play at my best.
I noticed someone else with similar plight, and it was suggested by another (doubleup) with a definitive reply of “two words, No Limit” another words, forgo the Limit game as you continuously get drawn-out on. Now I understand also, that this suckout situation; especially in low-limit games is common & part of the game.

However, given our recent history and the fact that I have mostly played NL and have just recently begun the FL journey, would this suggestion be somewhat correct? And that perhaps I would be better off playing NL?? The reason I started playing FL online and at the low stakes (even though I could afford higher, was to gain experience and to learn and log in lots of hours so by the time I am playing in the middle limits I would be ready for the much tougher opponents. Also, many noted professionals are making their living from FL, and many Books written with Fixed Limit in mind for the wannabe Pro. But unfortunately, due to the above-mentioned factors, I am suddenly and steadfastly on a slippery slope backwards.

NL is fine except that any errors are magnified and your whole stack is at risk, should you make a bad read or make the wrong decision in the heat of the moment…..FL is more controlled, in that you can simply play the Long Run statically and hopefully make profit without much mistakes using your small edge. The issue with FL in my opinion; in an admittedly short period (low-stakes) is that although you want the bad players to keep chasing and calling; that your against several aggressive players who are drawing and you have to dodge so many cards therefore your small edge is almost nullified especially in the case where your losing the coin-flip when you where favourite. Offcourse, you reply would be that in the Long Run this wouldn’t matter caus you would eventually take the lead in those coin-flip scenarios and be once again in the profit providing you eliminated tilt to a degree and played well. In which case you would be correct. I guess the decision is up to me and anyone else, in a similar situation to consider and choose between, more risk with NL or develop a thicker skin to being drawn out on in FL.

I still would like for anyone to offer their opinion to my question. I will state it here again:
Given my current situation and recent history; which is the best approach?
Which game do I play? @ What stakes? How many tables, if more than one? How often? When to move up or down?….And so on…..given I focus 100% and am aware of tilt creeping in and play at my best.

[Willem]

Aspie8, I've posted a small reply to this in the Limit section. ( http://www.internettexasholdem.com/poke ... l?start=15 ) I think it's best to continue any discussion there.

I'll give some more advice as soon as I'm sober.

[SamTHorn]

Thanks for the insight. It's always interesting to see it from an others perspective.

~ Sam.