Baby Steps

Raising Pots

So, I ended last week saying that I was determined to come here posting a positive win rate. Well, that ain't gonna happen but I can certainly post here in a positive frame of mind. You see, for although my win rate this week is negative I feel giant steps are being made forward with my game, not the least the understanding in my mind of two core principals that I have attempted to install in my brain this week, they are:

• Poker is all about small edges

I'm forever chasing that big hand and the big river payoff that I neglect the fact that most of my winning sessions have come from small consistent pots, stealing at the right time, isolating and outplaying. Not getting it all in in a full house over flush situation (though they are sweet). So, to this end stuck as I am approximately $40 in a hole this seems like a mountain to climb, bearing in mind I will see a break even BR at this stage as a huge accomplishment, however, let's break this down, I need only play 20,000 hands (just over one month at my current volume rate) at a smallish +4BB/100 to near enough break even. Winning +4BB/100 seems very small and it is, but see how this accumulates? So, it's the small edges.

• Big hand, big pot; small hand small pot

Another key principal that I overlook. How many times have I had TPTK and thought I'd flopped the world and played it to death? A lot. You only have to see that I'm currently losing , across my entire database, -1.24BB/100 with TT yet still win 60% of the time with it. So maybe you'll be missing value occasionally when you check behind on the river on a scary board when you have the winning hand. Pot control is a new one to me and I can now, more than ever, see why position is so massively important.

So, the tale of the week:

Hands: 3,434
Hours: 13.13
BB/100: -3.99
$/hour - -$0.16
Total winnings: -$5.48
Total rakeback + bonus: $4.79

Total for the week: -$0.69

Lifting Weights

Another good week at the gym Really feeling the motivation for it again now. Went down 3 times this week, so not great but much better, and did a body split consisting of arms and shoulders in one session and back and chest another with squats every session of course. Much like the poker is baby steps right now and look for t he small edge the gym is the same. I can't lift like I could earlier in the year, I'm not as big or as strong. That's frustrating, but I know I can get there and will get there.