Lhe Challenge(?) Thread

[DinkDonk 1]

LoooooooooooooooooooolGod it was such a predictable and linear progression from that point on. I'm now pretty good friends with said "drug dealer," though he is in his words "retired from the game." We still smoke together when he's around, though. But, yeah, I've got 7.5k hands in so far this month and if it weren't for weed, I'd have no fewer than 20k. I'm happy with it for now, though. I'll grind when I gotta grind.

[checkymcfold 0]

just wait till i introduce you to smack!

[bbgun 0]

=

[DinkDonk 1]

May results:+$865 in Fpp's.June goals:Play 20k handsCrush

[kobe2odom8 14]

dink donk you are an animal

[FCP Bob 1,312]

May results:+$865 in Fpp's.June goals:Play 20k handsCrush

Image what you could accomplish Dink if you weren't such a slacker.

[Chris-LFC 0]

sick graph dink, i finally made it to 3/6 last month but i hit a big downswing near the end then started to climb out of it,still feel like im in it though :(been very frustrating! my game is pretty good now since i started LHE 5 months ago and im table selecting andtaking notes great too

[DinkDonk 1]

I miss you, Bob. How are things?

[Flushgarden 0]

I miss you, Bob. How are things?

I miss Bob too.

[FCP Bob 1,312]

I miss you, Bob. How are things?

I miss Bob too.

I'll be here all week.Try the veal.

[Whatever 1]

Bob is good people.

[Amnestia 0]

Hi, I've never played LHE until recently. I don't have a big bankroll, I play micro limits and I am not a very good player I think, but eager to learn and improve, hehe. So far so good, yet every small session was in the plus, so that's good i think ^^ I am reading here and there in this massive thread, and I think I learn something on the way. The videos from Looshle (from a year ago) are quite informative for me, too, thanks for that.One thing I didn't find an answer to is: I was wondering what the correct way for playing small pocket pairs would be in LHE? I feel like everytime I get one dealed I don't know what would be best. Limpy and hope for a set? Raise and c-bet in case I'm good because nobody hit? No clue... maybe you can help me out? Thanks

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Hi, I've never played LHE until recently. I don't have a big bankroll, I play micro limits and I am not a very good player I think, but eager to learn and improve, hehe. So far so good, yet every small session was in the plus, so that's good i think ^^ I am reading here and there in this massive thread, and I think I learn something on the way. The videos from Looshle (from a year ago) are quite informative for me, too, thanks for that.One thing I didn't find an answer to is: I was wondering what the correct way for playing small pocket pairs would be in LHE? I feel like everytime I get one dealed I don't know what would be best. Limpy and hope for a set? Raise and c-bet in case I'm good because nobody hit? No clue... maybe you can help me out? Thanks

Like most things in poker it depends on the situation.Are you playing full ring or short handed makes a big difference.In general terms small pocket pairs play best either heads up where the value of the pair is high or with a lot of people seeing the flop where the value is in flopping sets.I would suggest posting some hands where you aren't sure what to do either in the strategy forums or in this thread and then get involved in the discussion that comes from it.

[Amnestia 0]

Thanks for the reply. I play SH only, I don't really know why, but I feel more comfortable there. Plus it's more fun I think ^^I will try to get some hands to post, where I'm not sure about it. I can't play for the rest of the month, because I'm in the studio with my band from monday on, but I'll post some hands in July when I'm back.One hand I remember, was something like this, I don't remember the exact suits, but they weren't important:Hero: :5hI raise preflop, everyone mucks, the one to the right from me calls, so I'm heads up.Flop: :7sVillain bets, Hero?Now what? What can he have?He could have flopped a straight (34 or 89, no read, no clue ^^ )straight draw (a4 a8? possible I guess)tptk (a7? would be good for me)total air with maybe 2 overcards (?)a bigger set (less likely I guess)miss with a pocket overpair (unlikely, he would have raised pre flop I guess)I can tell you the outcome if you are interested.

[TheCinciKid 0]

Thanks for the reply. I play SH only, I don't really know why, but I feel more comfortable there. Plus it's more fun I think ^^I will try to get some hands to post, where I'm not sure about it. I can't play for the rest of the month, because I'm in the studio with my band from monday on, but I'll post some hands in July when I'm back.One hand I remember, was something like this, I don't remember the exact suits, but they weren't important:Hero: :5hI raise preflop, everyone mucks, the one to the right from me calls, so I'm heads up.Flop: :7sVillain bets, Hero?Now what? What can he have?He could have flopped a straight (34 or 89, no read, no clue ^^ )straight draw (a4 a8? possible I guess)tptk (a7? would be good for me)total air with maybe 2 overcards (?)a bigger set (less likely I guess)miss with a pocket overpair (unlikely, he would have raised pre flop I guess)I can tell you the outcome if you are interested.

Raise this flop. Never, ever fold on any street of this hand. If the board pairs, raise and re-raise until the cows come home.

[opie 0]

Amnestia - raise this flop.Your opponent having 66 or 77 is very unlikely. Don't worry about that (unless the villain reraised you a couple of times later in the hand).Even if your opponent has flopped a straight (again, unlikely, but I supposed possible), that's not all that bad. There are 7 cards in the deck (one 5, three 6s, and three 7s) that make you a full house or quads on the turn. If the board doesn't pair on the turn, you have 10 cards that make you a full house or better on the river. That is a whole lot of cards that help you out. It isn't a big mistake for you to raise if this is the case, since you will win the hand a decent percentage of the time.But what else would villain bet out with here? He could easily bet with any 5, 6, or 7 (he has one pair) in his hand. Or maybe 2 pair. He could easily bet having just a 4 or an 8, betting his straight draw. He could have an overpair or two overcards. Or he could be bluffing. In ANY of these cases, you are ahead a favorite to win the hand, and it is a HUGE mistake not to raise. You want him putting in more money when you are the favorite. That's how you make money at this game.You could wait and raise the turn, but I don't like that idea. There are lots of draws he could be on with this hand, and I'd rather put in the money when I know I am almost certainly ahead.Peace,Opiep.s. And no, I don't want to know how the hand turned out. That is irrelevant to the discussion of how to properly play the hand. We want to play the hand the correct way regardless of the result. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you should always try to play correctly.

[Amnestia 0]

Thanks for the replies. At the time I played the hand, I wasn't so sure about my actions, we ended up capping every street and afterwards I felt like a retarded donkey, getting lucky on the river.But what you two posted was my thinking while I was posting the hand a few hours ago. I realized my outs I have, even if he flopped his straight and that I will be a favorite winning the hand in the long run. LHE is a fun game, I'm really getting into it and will stick with it for a while. I've only played like 500 SH LHE hands in my life so far and I'm up 200BB, so that's a good thing I guess (knowing that's because people at micro limits know even less about LHE then I do )Still don't really know what to do preflop with my small pocket pairs, lol ^^

[CobaltBlue 662]

Still don't really know what to do preflop with my small pocket pairs, lol ^^

You should be open-raising almost all of them at SHLHE, though some people prefer folding like 22 and 33 from UTG. I'm usually defending most of them to a single raise in the BB. Depending on your opponent, you may want to 3-bet them in some cases. Generally speaking, don't be the first cold-caller with them.

[Chris-LFC 0]

okay, this is a question for players like Bob and Dink and any other LHE grinders who know what it takes to play for a living ect,but even if you don't feel free to add your 2 cents too!!so heres the situation, im 19 and have been unemployed for a few months now due to being laid off at my last job and i live at home with my mother (sigh), all i've really wanted for the last year or so is to play poker for a living, i really got into LHE and my game is pretty good (big headed i know) i am playing 2/4 and the odd 3/6 when the games are good. i was thinking of starting to play LHE for a living....but im not sure if its a good idea. i have 600+ BB for 2/4 and i am running at +2BB/100 after 25000 hands,i do realise it is a small sample size.I'm not looking to make thousands each week and anything i do make will be better than what i am getting now, i would like to make atleast $170 per week,this might not be a lot to some people but it is a hell of a lot better to what i am getting now, all that matters is i have some money for my mother for my upkeep and i can pay off my internet bill at the end of the month and have a bit of money for going out with friends...i also do get rakeback which is usually about $120 per week,i also play between 2-4 tables and dont mind putting in long session but i try to play a couple of short 2 hour session a day.i have a few questions i would like to put forward if some of you would be good enough to answer for me :)1. is this a good idea and is it actually possible?2. am i rolled enough for playing for a living?3. what sort of cashout scheme should i use, withdraw everything over a certain amount every week,withdraw just what i need and let my roll grow etc...(or monthly)any other advice would be great, thanks in advanced gl all

[Amnestia 0]

give it a try if you are up to, but maybe for starters, try to get a (not to stupid) half time job, so there is some fluent income each month and play poker the other half. that way you maybe have a better time increasing your bank roll, maybe cash out halve your winnings of the month, leave the rest to add to your bankroll or something. if it doesn't work out, you are still young enough to check other options in life, if it does work out, fine and gg :)just my 2 cents, others here will have some smarter thoughts about that. am

[Bessel 0]

okay, this is a question for players like Bob and Dink and any other LHE grinders who know what it takes to play for a living ect,but even if you don't feel free to add your 2 cents too!!so heres the situation, im 19 and have been unemployed for a few months now due to being laid off at my last job and i live at home with my mother (sigh), all i've really wanted for the last year or so is to play poker for a living, i really got into LHE and my game is pretty good (big headed i know) i am playing 2/4 and the odd 3/6 when the games are good. i was thinking of starting to play LHE for a living....but im not sure if its a good idea. i have 600+ BB for 2/4 and i am running at +2BB/100 after 25000 hands,i do realise it is a small sample size.I'm not looking to make thousands each week and anything i do make will be better than what i am getting now, i would like to make atleast $170 per week,this might not be a lot to some people but it is a hell of a lot better to what i am getting now, all that matters is i have some money for my mother for my upkeep and i can pay off my internet bill at the end of the month and have a bit of money for going out with friends...i also do get rakeback which is usually about $120 per week,i also play between 2-4 tables and dont mind putting in long session but i try to play a couple of short 2 hour session a day.i have a few questions i would like to put forward if some of you would be good enough to answer for me :)1. is this a good idea and is it actually possible?2. am i rolled enough for playing for a living?3. what sort of cashout scheme should i use, withdraw everything over a certain amount every week,withdraw just what i need and let my roll grow etc...(or monthly)any other advice would be great, thanks in advanced gl all

I think the answer is: if you have to ask, you shouldn't turn pro.That said, if you don't need much money and don't have many responsibilities, low stakes poker is a decent way to go. I would imagine being a low stakes pro is a much bigger grind than a regular job though.GL

[FCP Bob 1,312]

okay, this is a question for players like Bob and Dink and any other LHE grinders who know what it takes to play for a living ect,but even if you don't feel free to add your 2 cents too!!so heres the situation, im 19 and have been unemployed for a few months now due to being laid off at my last job and i live at home with my mother (sigh), all i've really wanted for the last year or so is to play poker for a living, i really got into LHE and my game is pretty good (big headed i know) i am playing 2/4 and the odd 3/6 when the games are good. i was thinking of starting to play LHE for a living....but im not sure if its a good idea. i have 600+ BB for 2/4 and i am running at +2BB/100 after 25000 hands,i do realise it is a small sample size.I'm not looking to make thousands each week and anything i do make will be better than what i am getting now, i would like to make atleast $170 per week,this might not be a lot to some people but it is a hell of a lot better to what i am getting now, all that matters is i have some money for my mother for my upkeep and i can pay off my internet bill at the end of the month and have a bit of money for going out with friends...i also do get rakeback which is usually about $120 per week,i also play between 2-4 tables and dont mind putting in long session but i try to play a couple of short 2 hour session a day.i have a few questions i would like to put forward if some of you would be good enough to answer for me :)1. is this a good idea and is it actually possible?2. am i rolled enough for playing for a living?3. what sort of cashout scheme should i use, withdraw everything over a certain amount every week,withdraw just what i need and let my roll grow etc...(or monthly)any other advice would be great, thanks in advanced gl all

I almost always try and dissuade people from turning pro.Being a semi-pro and making money at poker on the side if somebody is a winning player is a different thing and I encourage this. A hobby that makes money is a great thing.You're in the UK so I don't know if you are on some sort of unemployment insurance or government support. If you aren't I would suggest getting some sort of part time job if you can. Just playing poker, especially low limits can be a horrible grind and if you have some other modest income source it will really help you. Also, it will most likely help your poker game to have varied interests away from the poker table.My biggest suggestion to you would be to try and figure out what you would like to do with your life other than play poker. You're only 19 and for the vast majority of people they will be much better off in a traditional job or career than grinding poker. Take some courses, get some vocational training and find a good trade that you like. If you are going to have poker as a major source of income then you have to treat it seriously. Your bankroll is like a mechanic's tools. You have to be careful with your spending when you're running well. Never assume that flow of money will continue. But don't be afraid to take some limited shots at the limits that are just above the one that you're currently playing. If you can get into slightly higher limits and out of the low limit rake trap that can be huge.Good Luck

[Chris-LFC 0]

thanks for all fo your opinions and advice, great advice as usual. i hope some others can give advice also.i hear what all of you are saying and i have applied for a part time job at a local bar, its only for a few hours a week but should bring in some money for me. then i can use poker for some of my income, for the next two weeks i have decided to play like i depend on poker for my income and see what it is truly like to get myself to grips with it so that i know what to expect if i do one day go "pro". as for the courses that you were talking about bob, i have tried a few in the past that never really worked out, i have had a quick look and do like the look of psycology and might give that a try when the next course starts.i thank you for the advice and guidance, every1 here has helped so much since i've been here,most probably do it with out realising,thanks again and gl all

[checkymcfold 0]

okay, this is a question for players like Bob and Dink and any other LHE grinders who know what it takes to play for a living ect,but even if you don't feel free to add your 2 cents too!!so heres the situation, im 19 and have been unemployed for a few months now due to being laid off at my last job and i live at home with my mother (sigh), all i've really wanted for the last year or so is to play poker for a living, i really got into LHE and my game is pretty good (big headed i know) i am playing 2/4 and the odd 3/6 when the games are good. i was thinking of starting to play LHE for a living....but im not sure if its a good idea. i have 600+ BB for 2/4 and i am running at +2BB/100 after 25000 hands,i do realise it is a small sample size.I'm not looking to make thousands each week and anything i do make will be better than what i am getting now, i would like to make atleast $170 per week,this might not be a lot to some people but it is a hell of a lot better to what i am getting now, all that matters is i have some money for my mother for my upkeep and i can pay off my internet bill at the end of the month and have a bit of money for going out with friends...i also do get rakeback which is usually about $120 per week,i also play between 2-4 tables and dont mind putting in long session but i try to play a couple of short 2 hour session a day.i have a few questions i would like to put forward if some of you would be good enough to answer for me :)1. is this a good idea and is it actually possible?2. am i rolled enough for playing for a living?3. what sort of cashout scheme should i use, withdraw everything over a certain amount every week,withdraw just what i need and let my roll grow etc...(or monthly)any other advice would be great, thanks in advanced gl all

this is kind of what i've been doing for the last couple years, and the short way of responding is that it's really, really not fun. i wasn't playing LHE exclusively (except when i had a special arrangement with, ahem, a bad site ), and basically scouted games of all kinds on all sites to make sure that i had at least a 2-3BB/100 edge (or the plo equivalent) before sitting down. even then, it's a hell of a lot of work. granted, my lifestyle is fairly expensive, and my monthly expenses were closer to 3-4k than what you're looking at, but i had to play and scout games actively for over 60 hours a week really, really often. and if you're working that hard, even if you like poker, why not get a real job and take the pressure off? (hint: i did, and i'm a lot happier since i did )i should say, too, that playing poker full time without a really sizable financial cushion is beyond stressful if you can't really afford to have a bad month. like, to a ridiculous degree. if you enjoy what you're doing, i honestly wouldn't even consider changing your setup until you were playing at least 10/20, tbh. if you want to treat yourself to something, then by all means make a withdrawal on a whim, but if you're forcing yourself to take out 2k or something every month, even after you've had a 200BB downer at low stakes, that can really be mentally taxing, to say the least.add to that the potential ramping-up of withdrawal problems in the coming months, and i really wouldn't consider it until you had at least a few months of savings on top of a large bankroll.i don't mean to sound like a downer, but having done pretty much what you're looking to do over an extended period of time, i can say with pretty close to 100% certainty that it's not nearly as much fun as it sounds. there's simply a huge difference between viewing poker as recreation, even profitable recreation, and viewing it as a full time job. there are pluses and minuses to both, but i'd say that at anything below midstakes, it's really not worth considering the latter.also, bob's post is goot .

[Chris-LFC 0]

this is kind of what i've been doing for the last couple years, and the short way of responding is that it's really, really not fun. i wasn't playing LHE exclusively (except when i had a special arrangement with, ahem, a bad site ), and basically scouted games of all kinds on all sites to make sure that i had at least a 2-3BB/100 edge (or the plo equivalent) before sitting down. even then, it's a hell of a lot of work. granted, my lifestyle is fairly expensive, and my monthly expenses were closer to 3-4k than what you're looking at, but i had to play and scout games actively for over 60 hours a week really, really often. and if you're working that hard, even if you like poker, why not get a real job and take the pressure off? (hint: i did, and i'm a lot happier since i did )i should say, too, that playing poker full time without a really sizable financial cushion is beyond stressful if you can't really afford to have a bad month. like, to a ridiculous degree. if you enjoy what you're doing, i honestly wouldn't even consider changing your setup until you were playing at least 10/20, tbh. if you want to treat yourself to something, then by all means make a withdrawal on a whim, but if you're forcing yourself to take out 2k or something every month, even after you've had a 200BB downer at low stakes, that can really be mentally taxing, to say the least.add to that the potential ramping-up of withdrawal problems in the coming months, and i really wouldn't consider it until you had at least a few months of savings on top of a large bankroll.i don't mean to sound like a downer, but having done pretty much what you're looking to do over an extended period of time, i can say with pretty close to 100% certainty that it's not nearly as much fun as it sounds. there's simply a huge difference between viewing poker as recreation, even profitable recreation, and viewing it as a full time job. there are pluses and minuses to both, but i'd say that at anything below midstakes, it's really not worth considering the latter.also, bob's post is goot .

great post,thanks, yeah i've just applied for 2 part time jobs, hopefully i can get one of them,if not ill search for another, another concern of mine was begining to hate poker, i love it now and would hate to not like it anymore because of stress. im just gunna get a part time job and then use rakeback for a bit extra money and just build my roll with profits, untill i can play a higher game where i wouldnt have to grind out a ton of hands a month to get the money i need. thanks again all, some quality posts as usual