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My NL4 Challenge Diary!!!
During the last few months i've had a bad time of it on the cash tables.
So im going to go back to basics and yes back to the bottom of the ladder..... yes NL4.
Starting tommorow (4/02/14) i will give myself a side bankroll of £20 and set myself a target of taking that to £150.
I will use this diary to keep an up to date record of my progress!!!
Any words of wisdom and advice would be much appreciated!!!
Let the fun Begin!!!!
Comments
GOOD LUCK MrCoxy.
I think you are doing the right thing mate. why continue playing nl10 & nl20 if you are struggling.
I know that feeling from playing nl10 myself last year.
beating nl4 is easy, or so everyone says?
no it's not, you have to work it out, but it then becomes easier.
And yes you still get bad days... I've just had a couple myself, so it does happen.
my advice; play 1 table to start off with, then if that goes ok add a 2nd... NO MORE
make notes on every player at your table... who limps who slow plays..and trust me MANY DO, (I have changed them to pink so easily spot them, I had 5 on 1 table last night ha ha
then I go red for good regs. the others are yellow...weaker players limp/passive.
all this info is VERY IMPORTANT as this determines how you should play them.
also raise all pairs... I've been pressing the POT BUTTON which raises about 18p- 24p normally-this will get rid of most of the limpers and build pot nicely for when you hit. if you miss c-bet anyway, then assess if called.
also raise ak aq aj at least 12p if not 16-20p or again press pot button.do not play A 10 or under, could be stretched a little if on the button. A suited is a tricky one... can win you money or lose you money too, as you get drawn into pots, imo, just bin them, again in position it's ok, but unless we hit our flush... be careful.
avoid just limping in yourself...I've done it of course, but raising I have found is better.
I still limp in though sometimes, just to mix things up. (old habits die hard he he )
haven't mention position, most important don't play too many hands oop, in position it is so much easier to play any hand. also use the button well, steal blinds by raising 12p.(also add 4p for each limper to steal their money too.
bluffing; again that's up to you, keep it to a minimum and it should work quite well. the more you do it, the more likely we are to get called and caught out.
also when tight/passive players (pinks) & loose/passive players(yellows) suddenly 'go mad' and bet big, (quite often waiting until the river to do it,) they usually if not always, have a very strong hand, so be very careful.
anyway mate,
that should be enough to get you going the right way,
best of luck.
look forward to seeing your progress.
dev
well done on your win... as Tiger Woods says..'a w is a w
that's the problem playing 1 table.. boredom sets in so you really have to stay disciplined, which will pay off in the long run.
use all your spare time in between hands watching the other players and making notes, that will not only help you playing against them this session but again in the future.
if you can get your br to £40 I'd suggest, then think about the 2nd table.
best wishes,
dev
I echo all of Devon's comments. all true for nl4 even though I forget them myself sometimes.
not sure when you are playing but sometimes when starting out (less so now) I used to open a 2nd table just to watch them and makes notes while playing one table. used to pick tables with large average pots.
With the bluffing I sometimes try one and see early on in joining the table just to see, although it usually works better after they've seen you win a big pot and shown the cards.
be interesting to know which colour I am in Devon's scale!! Or perhaps not
(must admit I didn't know you could do that)
GL
Hi walesboy ha ha they haven't made your colour yet he he.
(i'll let you work it out... kind of brownie colour is close enough
only joking, you know that. I can't recall your real colour off hand, probably a pinky red
be lucky
dev
yes playing 1 table does/can get boring, but I'm sure you will be adding the 2nd very soon, which does help a lot.
better to play 6 hands strong than 25 hands weak!!! he he.
best wishes for tomorrow,
dev
top pair top kicker nut flush draw, don't think you did anything wrong mate, just unlucky.
hope you have better luck tomorrow,
dev
Personally i,d start with a slightly bigger BR. I started myself with £40 at NL4 and was prepared to put some extra in if i went bust, which luckily never happened. But when you start a BR challenge you shouldn,t be contemplating going bust so to be on the safe side i,d start with around £60 to allow for an early downswing.
I,d also start adding 1 table at a time as you start to feel more comfortable with the current tables your playing. You mentioned one of your recent sessions being quite boring. This suggests a good time to be adding another table
GL with it
starting with a small br is always going to be a bit of a gamble, and you do need some run good to start off with.
MP33 has a good point, might be worth putting in a bit more and maybe play 2 tables.
I got lucky this time in my challenge but it could quite easily have gone the other way.
anyway mate, hope you run better today,
gl,
dev
As we're on similar challenges I'll no doubt be seeing your name at my tables on a regular basis in the next few weeks - so GL in all those hands where we aren't both in the pot
I admire your patience at the 1-table option, I genuinely just couldn't do that at NL 4 any more, even if it would help eliminate a few more silly errors from my play.
With regards to the notes, I guess it may be good practice for when you move up levels, but IMO I'm not convinced they add enough value at NL4. On the one hand it is very rare to see the complex plays you see on TV hands at higher limits and on the other, the player pool is that much larger that you'll not often have regular battles with more than a handful of players (who may be the exceptions that warrant more detailed notes).
That said, the addition of colours to player notes is a great addition under the new software. Similar to DF, the idea of tagging players based on standard groups (maniac, rock, bluffer, station etc) is of much more help and quickly alerts you to when you shouldn't c-bet a missed flop, shouldn't blind steal etc.
And make sure you win the 1st 5 sessions, easy game
GOOD... SO I AM A 1/2 DESCENT PLAYER THEN...AT LAST!!!
he he