CARDRUNNERS
What's Your Edge
verneer's Poker Blog
I have been struggling with what to eat over the last few months. There are a few sides of the issue, but I feel like every day I fight a battle on multiple fronts and I'm simply tired of it. I want to make some decisions in the coming weeks and go with it. I'll try to outline the issues I have.
1. I love fast food. One of my favorite meals is a McDonald's # 1 Big Mac Value Meal with a Classic Coke. After a friend and I watched "Super Size Me" we both go a craving for McD's and went out to get some. I eat the Chick Fil'A # 5 8 piece nugget meal with Value Sized waffle fries and Powerade 3-4 times per week these days. I love that Burger King has Whopper Juniors for $1. I crave this food.
2. I love good meat. Few things taste as good to me as a good burger or steak. I love chicken legs. I love fish. We are omnivores and I have yet to find a real substitute for the way good meat tastes.
3. Good meat is hard to find. The meat that you get at most restaurants is not good meat. True - it is meaty and has calories, but I don't believe that's it's good meat. I've seen the conditions that most of today's meat comes from. Cows that are knee deep in their own feces eat corn which they get allergic to (since their natural diet is grass, not corn), get antibiotics to keep their stomachs from swelling too much (a reaction to the corn) and steroids to speed up their growth (due to high demand). They put on mass an unnatural rate and soon have trouble moving around because their bones cannot keep up with the rate that the rest of them is growing. This whole time they are simply stressed - both physically and mentally. You end up eating the meat of a sick animal. I feel like there is something innately wrong with this. The same is true with chickens and pigs.
Of course there is the moral issue to this as well. Not to eating meat (it's natural), but to the conditions for most of the animals that we eat. I was thinking about how I would feel if I knew that a product I was using (say ... a pencil) was made by young (8-12) year old slaves who have to work 18 hours per day in a sweat shop. There is just something wrong about that, and I can only continue to ignore it for so long before there is something wrong with me as well.
Not all meat is like this, but most is.
4. I still don't really know what food is good for me. Lot's of people say lots of different things. Katy is a vegetarian and we usually eat a pretty basic diet, but I still find myself having low energy and massive cravings every day. I feel like diet is a big part of this and I am simply tired of having to think about it. I want to get some basic nutrition rules for myself and come up with a menu and diet that I can stick with for a while. The one rule that keeps on popping up again and again is no processed foods. That's really hard to do though. Fruits and vegetables are supposed to be good for you, but how much of the stuff that we find at your grocery store is really natural? The story here is pretty similar to the story with meat.
5. I have a gluten allergy which means I am not well after eating anything made from wheat. Yes - breads, pasta, cakes, etc. As you can imagine, this is a nightmare and I don't always stick by that. I always pay for it afterward though.
6. I don't know if I can actually stop eating junk food. I really don't. I have very strong physical cravings for sweets and fats and this worries me. If I eat fast food, I want to do it on my own terms, not because of an addiction (which it pretty much how it feels for me at this moment). But ... it tastes ... so ... good.
So ... those are my feelings on the subject matter at this point. I have a lot going through my head and I hope to clear some of these issues up in the next few weeks, make some decisions, and get some inner peace. I ordered "You - the Owner's Manual" which seems like a very basic place to start and hopefully I can get some further reading from that later.
Cliff Notes: Confused on what I should/shouldn't be eating from a nutritional, moral, and deliciousness of certain foods standpoing. Have strong cravings for things which are bad for me every day and would like those cravings to stop. Would like to have more energy and diet is a good place to start.
Need a plan and going public for sake of accountability and motivation.
Mar 16, 10 09:44:08
Substitute in gluten free items for wheat, fruit and healthy fats for sweets, and free range organic meats for other meat.
It's not that complicated.
Mar 16, 10 10:13:11
@ OnSight - it's very difficult to find gluten-free products and fruit is no substitute for ice-cream for me. Thus, while not complicated on paper, here I am ...
Mar 16, 10 11:29:23
Wow Verneer... I think I have the same exact problem you do and have been looking for ways to really conquer it since the start of the year...
Mar 16, 10 11:42:12
Its really hard the first couple weeks or maybe month of starting a diet of trying to cut out most junk food/fast food. I did the p90x plan last year but I also have major cravings for a coke or sweets on a daily basis so my goal was to last the entire week and have basically turkey/chicken/fish/egg whites as proteins with each meal.
I would also eat snacks such as peanuts and banana with peanut butter to satisfy some "sweet" cravings.
If I could follow the diet the whole week I would give myself one "cheat" meal where I basically allowed myself to satisfy the fast food urge.
Try something similar to ease into the diet instead of just going cold turkey. The cravings will eventually die down and after not eating them on a regular basis, you will feel so much better physically. And as an aside, after not eating mcdonalds or similar food for a month or so and eating healthy, you will regret eating mcdonalds the next time you do.
Mar 16, 10 12:04:10
How did u get cravings for mcdonalds after watching supersize me?? I got the total opposite. I never really liked macdonalds, burger king and the like, but since watching supersize me, I don't think I've eaten anything from mcdonalds, burger king or anything like that ever.
Mar 16, 10 12:45:19
Hey Verneer,
As far as gluten free diet goes have you tried any quinoa products? I know that lots of people find it to be a fine subsitute for wheat flour products. As far as the meat goes you don't need to go free range or organic for it to be what you would consider good meat. You just need to look into the practices of the companies you buy from. The practices you describe are usually the small minority of what goes on though it does happen wiht people who care about certain things more than others. However if your interested in great meat that costs a little more I know some great farms I could give you info on that provide personalized meat services.
Mar 16, 10 13:00:52
as soon as you start eating better (say for a couple weeks), you will of course be feeling better (more energy and all that), but most importantly, the junk food literally will not look or sound as appealing.
this effect is doubled if you are eating for a specific purpose (eg losing body fat, or building muscle) because when you start to see results you will be way past the cravings. you likely wont even want to 'reward yourself' with any of it because it just wont sound good.
Mar 16, 10 13:01:14
as soon as you start eating better (say for a couple weeks), you will of course be feeling better (more energy and all that), but most importantly, the junk food literally will not look or sound as appealing.
this effect is doubled if you are eating for a specific purpose (eg losing body fat, or building muscle) because when you start to see results you will be way past the cravings. you likely wont even want to 'reward yourself' with any of it because it just wont sound good.
Mar 16, 10 13:23:29
Gluten free stuff is pretty easy to find in any decent city.
And jpeterson is dead wrong. The vast majority of meat in this country is produced through unethical practices.
Mar 16, 10 13:53:01
OnSight, your comments are highly subjective regarding "the vast majority of meat in this country being produced through unethical practices". May I ask what you do, or what your source to make that claim are? I'm personally not a red meat eater, but I do partake in pork, chicken, turkey and fish which I'm sure each have their own issues. As for jpeterson, he happens to be a farmer and very involved as a writer in Canada for progressive techniques.
Mar 16, 10 14:28:47
@ jpeterson - What are some of the things you look for when deciding which meat to eat and not eat?
@ Zimba - No read meat, but you eat pork? For taste reasons or health reasons? Isn't pork generally considered more unhealthy than beef?
@ jjdodd - Is the Alton Brown diet about weight loss? If anything, I could stand to gain a few pounds, so that's not a big motivator for me.
Mar 16, 10 14:32:51
I think that switching to an all organic diet will solve most of your issues.
Mar 16, 10 15:07:33
It all depends on how much you want to spend. But really just do some research on what your looking for. You should be able to find out if you want what they are feeding them and the conditions of the feedlot. I'm not sure how much you know about the actual process of calf to market. You shouldn't have to look too hard to find some good stuff that is made without growth hormones and an all corn diet(which it should never be for certain reasons). And now any restaurant will tell you were they get there meat so don't be afraid to ask before you sit down and leave if it doesn't suit your purposes. I mean I could go on and on about what makes good meat from as soon as the calf comes out to the finishing process. I did a little research and there are plenty of local shops and restaurants in Athens for you to go to. There is also this farm http://www.naturesharmonyfarm.com The are a little to the extreme end of things but have the qualities in animal husbandry you are looking for. However it will taste different than what you are used to because of an all grass diet. Any questions don't be afraid to ask, always willing to talk about the the industry.
Mar 16, 10 16:06:10
I might be misinterpreting what jpetserson is saying, but from a quick read he seems to be right. It is generally way better to get to know your farmer and buy directly rather than getting from a store. With a store you are generally unlikely to know what you are getting(the majority is from factory farms), but if you get involved with a local farm you can know how the animals are raised etc.
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/02/17/ethical-meat-vs-meat-hype-a-look-at-all-natural-grass-fed-and-other-half-truths/
That is a really good article on meats showing what labels mean what, what labels are regulated and which ones aren't(hint : free range doesn't really mean anything).
As far as the moral standpoint, I do not think that "Its natural" is a good argument. It was natural because it was the only way to get the proper nutrients to live on a long time ago.
Now that we can get proper nutrients from other sources while also negatively impacting the earth less(both from an environmental standpoint and from the killing other creatures), meat is really no longer necessary. I personally love the taste of meat more than anything, but after a while I couldn't really use that as an excuse anymore.
Some quotes/food for thought
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." - Albert Einstein
"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security" - Albert Einstein
----------------------------------------------
As far as healthy foods go, just eat lots of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats(nuts/olive oil), various kinds of beans, quinoa(grain that isnt wheat and is also very healthy). Try to keep dairy products to a minimum(preferably no milk, not much cheese).
If you eat meat, make sure you know your farmer..meat fat is healthy, even steak fat. Steak and salmon are probably the best meats for you. Chicken and other poultry is good, but in my experience it is a lot harder to find it from any source that doesn't come from a factory farm. Heres an article on saturated fats in meat and why it isn't bad for you, and is actually good for you
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/06/06/saturated-fat/
If you ever decide to not eat meat, it definitely requires research and some consulting with a nutritionist and/or doctors. For what its worth, I used to get sick a lot, and ever since becoming a vegetarian I haven't gotten sick once.
As far as the cravings for sweet and unhealthy things, if you keep eating healthy and don't cheat for a 3 week period or so, eventually you won't crave it anymore. I used to drink like 12 cans of pop a day, eat tons of candy/chocolate/chips, etc. Now I'm barely interested in that stuff.
Mar 16, 10 16:29:50
Everyone keeps talking about factory farms however I find this statement to be misleading especially for beef(as you can produce more chickens or hogs in a smaller area and they are usually kept indoors anyways). Around 70-80% of beef is produced in herds of under 1000 head and the herds around 1000 head could inflate that percentage closer to 80%. No one with this size of herd is going to be running a full scale feed lot the size of which you guys are thinking anyways.
Mar 16, 10 18:59:44
Hey Verneer, you are on my Skype Hortz888 we did some coaching a while back...
i got some coaching re- food from a Danyelle Demchock she is based in NY expert on nutrition. Her website is
http://www.innerclarity.net
Her Skype ID: ddemchock
All the things you mentioned she sorted for me..
Any question shout me on skype..
All the best
Dean
Mar 16, 10 19:16:57
ive designed food programs for friends before because i bodybuild/understand the importance of diet, I'm also friends with few personal trainers.
From my experiance people with junk food issues often have a lot of sugar highs and lows in their day to day diet. I.e they dont eat for several hours (the body then is craving a fast source of energy i.e sugar) The person then binges on sugary foods (junk) This satisifies the cravings however it inevitably results in another sugar high/low and more cravings. Theres alot more too it than that but essnetially if you can level out your sugar levels i.e eat 5/6 smaller meals a day then you can remove alot of these induced junk food cravings.
Mar 16, 10 22:06:05
Ignore the guy pushing organic food, organic food is total bs, tastes worse, costs more and still uses pesticides that are worse for the environment than non-organic farming.
Good luck with the plan but goddamn giving up big macs? I dunno big macs are sick!
Mar 16, 10 22:06:42
Ignore the guy pushing organic food, organic food is total bs, tastes worse, costs more and still uses pesticides that are worse for the environment than non-organic farming.
Good luck with the plan but goddamn giving up big macs? I dunno big macs are sick!
Mar 17, 10 18:16:01
From a moral stand point I would cut out completely Vegetable oil/fat and Palm oil.
Mar 18, 10 13:08:30
To answer your question, Verneer, I have the attitude that I would rather reduce the amount that I eat, than remove things that taste good from my eating choices. Personally, red meat has never tasted as good to me, or been digested by my system as well. I don't make a grand moral or ethical statement on what I eat. I like having a diversity of choices. Personally I'm not into fast food much and I'm blessed to have a wonderful cook as my wife. Balance and moderation are the keys to me, not what is right or wrong to eat.
Mar 18, 10 23:14:04
My brother beacme so much more healy after finding out he was a coeliac. Now he eats tons of salads and stuff an dhis energy is through the roof.
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Mar 13, 10 09:37:13
Nice graph, you put in those hands in what timeframe? How many tables are you grinding?(in 6max and heads up) Anyway great video series.
Mar 14, 10 06:10:30
how come you don't play on stars anymore? don't you get more rakeback there?
Mar 14, 10 14:34:56
awesome results! would love to post something like this some day. (the sooner the better! ;))
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If he continues this tomorrow, I will become 65% corn and 15% Coca Cola.
Mar 11, 10 05:10:41
@ Bazuko - I'm not shaving until the end of track season. Katy isn't thrilled about that though.
Mar 12, 10 13:22:20
lol, classic. good to see I'm not the only one. My uni work stopped for a few weeks when he first appeared on the scene.
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As part of my Climbing Mt. Micro Challenge, I blew through 5NL, 10NL, and pretty much 25NL, only to get rocked at 50NL when I started. I really don't think it had much to do with the toughness of 50NL games - the profit there is still fairly straight-forward. Something else was going on. I got more insight into this when I examined my play strictly this month (all pretty much 50NL):
** Note: My 50NL results as part of the Mt. Micro Challenge previous to this month were pretty bad, so the graph above does NOT represent my overall 50NL results **
Right around hand 1,500, something happens and I drop 5 BI's in a matter of a few hands. When I reviewed those hands, I honestly felt that another person played them because upon review, if I was to post that hand to the forum and then (w/o seeing the results), ask myself to review it, I would dislike how it was played. Yet, somehow I still played the hand the way I did.
The other part of these hands was that at the time that I played them, I made some SNAP decisions on turns and rivers. It's like I hated seeing certain turns and rivers and wanted to just get the hand over with so I would SNAP call, SNAP shove, or SNAP check. Anytime you SNAP anything you are unlikely to be playing your A-game.
So this brings me to the subject of the post. Since I felt like this other entity was taking over my play for certain hands (and certain stretches), I decided to name it The Monster. The Monster is impulsive, only hears what he wants to hear ("I want to win this pot!"), is paranoid ("They are all 3-betting me light!") and in general clouds the information you process and thus the plays you make. The Monster also totally lives in the moment, and is ready to re-enter your life and your game as soon as you give it an opportunity.
On the other hand, there are times when I am able to consciously elevate my game. It seems like every decision I make, I do for the right reasons. I feel like I'm playing in what athletes describe as playing in the Zone. It has nothing to do with winning and losing money, but everything to do with winning poker. This entity takes me over from time to time as well, and I've decided to call it The Nute. It's a def step up from my standard game. It is marked by clarity, a long term view of poker ("Any single hand you play will just be a blip in your poker career graph."), and not being concerned about leveling.
In the last episode of HSP, I saw Gus play a 6s4s hand vs. Eli's Kh8h and then talk about it afterward with Kara. It's the very first hand in this clip:
Even though his flop and turn are ok, his river decision is awful and he knows it. If he was to go back and examine this hand in the vacuum, he would not make the same play vs. Eli. The Monster took over.
I leave you with a battle which will continue to happen each and every session I play. An epic struggle for control:
I am sure I have not heard the last of either.
Oh ... and one more thing. I don't drink (I won't go into the reasons for why I don't here), but I imagine that The Nute transforms into something completely different after throwing a few down. And by a few I mean this:
This third entity transcends poker, but alas, I don't have access to it :(
Mar 8, 10 09:58:33
So I was writing my Russian essay, and I meant to type "veneer" and ended up typing "verneer" and couldn't figure out why MS word was telling me it was spelled wrong.
Of course this is probably cause it's 8 AM and I've been up all night but I still blame you.
Mar 8, 10 11:38:15
I don't think the river decision is that bad, Eli's favorite line is call call with medium strength hand then fold river.
Mar 8, 10 14:37:43
same here. I like Gus's line on all streets.
Repping Ak or Ax.
I would def value bet thin with Ax on the river vs 95% of players in popo.
both played the hand fine in my book.
Mar 8, 10 14:57:24
I agree with gus' analysis. The Ace on the river polarizes his range to AK KK and AA.
Mar 9, 10 10:10:56
great post. i am constantly reminding myself to take my time, and it's when i make snap decisions and don't think things through that my poker game turns ugly.
Mar 12, 10 12:34:00
surely you can throw in KQ and KJ into gus's range, cause eli calls with some real crappy cards.
made me laugh when he said that card was the worse one in the deck, total bollocks. Eli never as an ace but gus could have one.
Mar 15, 10 16:06:29
The reason the Ace is a bad card is because any Kx is now a split pot, which means Eli's kicker doesnt matter any more, of course Gus can have an Ace, but its pretty unlikly, plus if he did i think he would value bet smaller, maybe half pot hoping to get paid off, as Gus said (or someone said) in earlier shows Eli would call twice and fold to a big bet on the river
Mar 15, 10 16:06:41
The reason the Ace is a bad card is because any Kx is now a split pot, which means Eli's kicker doesnt matter any more, of course Gus can have an Ace, but its pretty unlikly, plus if he did i think he would value bet smaller, maybe half pot hoping to get paid off, as Gus said (or someone said) in earlier shows Eli would call twice and fold to a big bet on the river
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This isn't directly related to poker, but more of a thought I had in general. I have had a variety of jobs so far in life, and have had the opportunity to work with and for a variety of people. The times where I've excelled often haven't had to do as much with me as with the people around me. I need external motivation to truly work at my highest potential. Right now I'm involved in two major groups - CardRunners and coaching track.
The track coach that I work for has won multiple state championships in Georgia and is just a fantastic guy to work for/with. He's incredibly positive, competitive, competent, and organized. He is the epitome of what one would look for in a leader. He also surrounds himself with qualified positional coaches and trusts them to do their jobs.
As far as CardRunners, I feel blessed to work with people that really push me to continue working hard. Two that specifically made me think about this are Jeff and Andy. I continue being amazed at how hard these two work. It's clear that the job isn't a 9-5 for them and that is the kind of environment that I love working at. I love being around people who push me by in my eyes working harder than me.
So that's the crux of the post. I cannot imagine working at a place where people come strictly "to work". Lee Jones would often refer to work as "that 4-letter word I try to avoid" and it showed in the way he handled himself. If I worked for a company where people show up, do exactly what they've been hired to do an not an ounce more, and then leave, I don't think I would last. A piece of me would die every day until I would just be this empty shell showing up to work. This is a big reason why I quit teaching high school full time.
It also makes me feel good knowing that most people reading my blog probably have jobs they really enjoy and while not every day is a perfect one, the have found things they love to do and found a way to get paid for this. This is clear from my conversations that I have with people that have written me at some point or another. Tons of them are in business for themselves or work at a small company. I would imagine that out of people reading this blog, 90%+ of them like what they do as their primary income. Maybe there is a correlation between poker and having overall job satisfaction because poker players aren't afraid to take calculated risks with their happiness and continue looking for what they want instead of settling ...
Mar 4, 10 00:22:01
Hey Verneer, I completely agree with you. My last job was a boring mindless courier, job where they really didn't expect much of their employees and I hated it. Now that I work for CR I feel like I'm not working for completely moronic boobs. I also coach a high school sport, swimming. Keep up the good work Verneer.
BTW my old sn was Hackbandit.
Mar 4, 10 12:08:39
"take calculated risks with their happiness and continue looking for what they want instead of settling ..."
In the process of doing this right now :D
Mar 5, 10 18:04:04
Ah come on now Verneeer. I think your pushing the 90% figure. I would say of the people who read this blog, 50% are students, 10% poker pro's, 10% unemployed, 30% working. Of the 30% working i would say 70% hate their job. Only the lucky few can say they truly love their job. I am happy that you are one of them. I on the other hand am a IT consultant and hate every minute of the BS that surrounds the 9-5 office existence.
Mar 7, 10 14:45:50
i like the euro guy you did the rush poker vid with....
Love his accent..." I will turn in to a bluff catcher"
lol
I love watching that part
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I volunteer at a local high school as a cross country and track (distance - 800m, 1600m, 3200m) coach. It's my second year at this school and I have a group of guys who never ran before I came and are now in their fourth season with me (xc 2008, track 2009, xc 2009, track 2010). One of them, after having a poor region meet in November, fully committed himself to try to go to state in track (top two people from each region go per event. We have 11 teams in our region). Him and I have been working all winter, except for the month when I was in Los Angeles where he was on his own.
Our first meet was on Tuesday, and this guy ends up running a 4:57 mile (PR) and 10:46 2 mile (another PR) on a freezing evening. Everyone else on the track just looked like a scrub from the two teams that were there. When I was looking at him go, the difference between him and the rest of the field was huge. His approach and overall look was that of a pro running among amateurs.
Now - for those of you who have raced in very competitive programs, these times might not be that impressive, but this is a 100 lb kid with confidence issues and other problems who only started running as a junior. For him to be running those times is truly a reflection of his effort and general approach to training. He simply trains harder and cares more than the others. His results reflect this.
When I got home from the meet, I told Katy the whole "He looked like a pro running among amateurs" angle and while we talked about this, I started thinking about the general differences between pros and amateurs. Before the movie 300 came out, I remember reading Steven Pressfield's book "The Gates of Fire" which to this day is one of my favorite books. It's about the battle of Thermopylae and talks about how the ways in which Spartans, who were professional soldiers, differed from other armies they matched up against. Discipline was a huge part of it. Early on, the two sides might be evenly matched (or the Spartans seemingly overmatched), but as the battle went along, the professionalism shone. There was a funny scene in 300 which hinted at this. An Arcadian leader talks to the Spartan king Leonidas about the small number of soliders the Spartans brought (which was historically inaccurate - the Spartans initially brought over 2,000 men and only kept 300 for the last day). Nevertheless, the quote captured the general feel of what I was talking about:
Daxos: I see I was wrong to expect Sparta's commitment to at least match our own.
King Leonidas: Doesn't it?
[points to Arcadian soldier behind Daxos]
King Leonidas: You there, what is your profession?
Free Greek-Potter: I am a potter... sir.
King Leonidas: [points to another soldier] And you, Arcadian, what is your profession?
Free Greek-Sculptor: Sculptor, sir.
King Leonidas: Sculptor.
[turns to a third soldier]
King Leonidas: You?
Free Greek-Blacksmith: Blacksmith.
King Leonidas: [turns back shouting] Spartans! What is your profession?
Spartans: HA-OOH! HA-OOH! HA-OOH!
King Leonidas: [turning to Daxos] You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.
So all this got me thinking about professionals and amateurs in other ... well ... professions - specifically in poker. What are some of the things which make one player able to be a professional and others simply seemingly stabbing around. We know that overall skill level is important, but I would say secondary. Case and point are all the break-even/losing players who are able to make seven-figure incomes from poker on Stars by becoming an SNE. The line is so thin because as I've said many times before - I don't think the overall thought process of a solid winning player at your limit is that different from yours in 95% of the cases. I also refuse to believe that the remaining 5% is what separates a pro from an amateur. There has to be something much more fundamental.
I think part of it comes down to passion, discipline, and commitment. This is what my runner has. He has a dream of going to the State meet and it drives him. He is not the most talented runner on our team, but he is smart and disciplined. He does the little things right - brings gloves and a hat to a cold practice (where others even forget a long sleeve shirt and suffer). He puts in an extra lap here and there knowing that it will make him better in the long run. He is committed to excellence.
Recently, I hit a really bad downswing in my Climbing Mt. Micro Challenge. I felt that I didn't handle it professionally and felt ashamed. I should know better. A professional would have dealt with the matter better than I did. So ... in what ways do you feel a poker professional differs from an amateur?
Feb 27, 10 22:37:07
1.) Game Selection
2.) Tilt control
3.) Bankroll Management
4.) Ability to focus intensely for sustained periods of time
5.) Ability to maximize your winnings when things are going your way, and minimize losses when things aren't going your way.
Feb 28, 10 00:34:00
other than ability its hard to say. Commitment? It might be similar to your runner in that they do the little things (make slightly better % plays that add up)
Feb 28, 10 01:37:41
If you can commit yourself,control your emotions and understand the realities of being a poker player then you will be very well rewarded for relatively little effort.
Feb 28, 10 10:33:49
nice post :)
playing live it is easy to see lack of quitting skills and poor bankroll management. i have seen several "pros" come and go in the past 2 years. the number one thing i see is a "pro" who plays all night/morning because they are stuck. I think they feel like they have to get even because their bankroll is too small
Feb 28, 10 14:34:00
Remember the pacino speech from any given sunday:
.."Because in either game life or football the margin for error is so small. I mean one half step too late or to early you don't quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in ever break of the game every minute, every second...
..I'll tell you this in any fight it is the guy who is willing to die who is going to win that inch. And I know if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch because that is what living is. The six inches in front of your face..."
Feb 28, 10 18:00:03
Recognising when your are not playing A game and walking away is number 1, number 2 is being able to play your A game more often and for longer periods.
Mar 1, 10 08:46:36
I'm a SNG Player...
1. Focus on Making Correct Play over and over and not on the short term result of making the correct play but rather the long-term result
2. Game Selection
3. Mental ability of staying in the present
4. BankRoll Management
5. Acceptance of Variance
6. Accepting that I can always improve and constant analysis of my game via talking with other players/watching videos
7. Learn the ICM calculator
no particular order
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I've been playing some HU for my Mt. Micro Challenge now that I'm at 50NL. In general I expect HU to be the most profitable format for me as I move forward, but I'm quite rusty as I haven't played it at all in months.
I was quite struck when I looked at my results up to this point:
The great thing about HEM is that you can start filtering all sorts of options and try to figure out where you are bleeding money from. I started with the most obvious. Looking positionally:
It looks like I'm bleeding money equally from both positions. To be down 17.5 BI's w/o showdown over 5.3K-ish hands is definitely call to analysis. So now ... what happens if I actually put money into the pot? So ... what if "VPIP = True"?
The change is huge but I'm still an overall loser w/o showdown. Nonetheless, it does point to playing more hands. So ... just what was my VPIP/PFR initially?
Wow ... I was only opening 57% of hands from the SB. I figured I would open good hands vs. players who never fold, but clearly this wasn't the most optimal strategy. I decided to start opening many, many more hands. I also decided to be a bit more of a monkey postflop and cbet and DB a lot more. So ... back to the drawing board - time to open up my BTN range as well as my BB range.
I am convinced that winning a lot w/o showdown has huge benefits to your overall winrate that a lot of people don't realize. For one, people end up paying you off much, much lighter. If you continue taking down pots and they don't see the hands that you are doing it with, they will continue getting more and more curious and will look to call you down lighter and lighter. You are then able to value bet thinner and thinner.
Because you are doing your fare share of bluffing, you will eventually get caught. Vs. most weak players, once they catch your bluff, two good things will happen.
1. You will see what type of hands they are calling you down with. Was it top pair? What kicker? 2nd pair? What kicker? You get to learn a lot about their bluff-catching range and all they learn is that they caught your bluff.
2. Once a weaker player catches you bluffing, they will dub you as a "bluffer" and their range for calling you down will plummet to pretty much any pair (as long as you don't bomb flop, turn, and river). It's even better if you go ahead and let them catch you with a bluff a few hands right after that. Now they will think that you are a serial bluffer and will simply look to call down. They will go from aggro to passive (usually) and take the c/c, c/c, c/c lines. This means they are going to be in a reactive mode instead of an active one because they are going to look to pick off your bluffs. This is great because we will now control the action.
So ... I'm off to be a bit of a looser monkey in my next few HU sessions. It's funny how even taking two months off from HU has stagnated my game.
Feb 20, 10 17:36:09
For fun and learning purposes start min raising 100% of your buttons. Players at 50nl do not adjust to this and it will provide a ton of opportunities for you to work on your post flop game. You can pick up on your opponents tendencies fast because they just call oop so much and don't 3bet as much as they should.
Just my 2 cents.
Good luck
Feb 20, 10 17:56:18
yah i think at 50NL you can get away wtih opening 90%+ of your buttons
Feb 20, 10 19:04:34
Playing 24 tables of FR and then hit the HU tables, of course you're going to be nitty at first, haha.
I think 100% btn range is pretty basic against most players who don't 3b 30-40%.
Good luck!
Feb 21, 10 00:49:49
Hey verneer, I have about 30k hands logged of 50nl HU with an inclining redline, but I dont feel like I'm running huge bluffs or anything at any point. It's just a lot of picking good spots to cbet, or delayed cbet. Also, 3betting from the bb will help a lot. Are you playing with fish a lot or more regs? Feel free to ask away, I'll try to help out.
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So ... if you've been stuck at the micros for too long and are ready to make the jump, I expect this series to be just for you.
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His rate is $45/hr for one lesson, $40/hr for 5 and $30/hr for 10 lessons. If you like the first lesson, he'll credit you that price towards a package. Those prices are an absolute steal given the market and since I'm not sure how long they will stay like this, I would recommend booking some time with him. He himself has been coached by Brendan K.
Here is some more info about him from his blog.
http://blogs.cardrunners.com/falko/videomaking-res...
Falko and I did a two part 25NL series for CardRunners (no clue when it will go up ... there is a lot of 25NL content that's going up right now), but through our discussions, reading his posts on forums, and an analysis of his results, I feel very good recommending him.
He is what I would call a "low volume, high quality" player which means he doesn't get a lot of hands in, but those that he does he plays very well. This is what you want from a coach anyhow. Here are his last 30K hands or so:
Feb 15, 10 17:50:47
Falko is a very good player and someone who I have worked a lot with. He is very friendly and smart player I would highly recommend him for uNL.
Feb 16, 10 08:02:38
My game really was falling apart so I contacted Falko for a first coaching session which we had yesterday. He already helped me get my head back in the game and I have the feeling I'll be finally moving up to NL100 with his help over the next 9 lessons. I definitely can recommend him as well.
Feb 18, 10 07:06:29
For everybody who's struggling and wants to become a winner in the games I can highly recommend Falko as a coach. I got about 3 weeks of intensive coaching and I can say that this was one of the best decisions in my pokercareer! He always got a fast and precise answer to all of my questions - thats what I mostly expected from a good coach!
I wish you all the best for your upcoming career as a video instructor and coach!
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24-tabling 100NL FR on Stars to clear bonuses, etc:
Feb 14, 10 12:11:29
Hey verneer, didn't you used to play 2/4 like two years ago?
Why did you change to playing the micros?
Feb 14, 10 21:26:47
is that substainable at stars?
that's about 100\$ hr right if you dont include bonuses? playing 13/10 means you dont have to think much so its like .. watching tv for 100\$ an hour which is way better than playing nl400 for 200-300\$ hr for 2-3 hrs a day tops.
Rather just sit at nl100 24 table eyes closed 7hrs a day
Feb 15, 10 06:53:56
JetFuel - I don't think my FR winrate is sustainable. Also, you would be surprised at how many decisions you have to make even playing a pretty tight preflop style.
I do agree that for the most part, it's much less stressful and you have many fewer thin decisions to make than playing 400NL 6-max.
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