Plans through the next 5k NLH hands.

#1. Tighten up my starting hand range towards 12/12 UTG and a little looser in the hijack. I don't need suited cards in my range UTG (I don't need balance) and few things besides big aces and pairs. I want it to be moronically simple to play OOP for now.

• Make a starting hand chart (or print Brystmar's) and abide by it.
• Review my hand frequency after every session and track it.
• Make a results chart of "before", "before w/ good hands", and after.

#2. Work to Control my "nano-tilt". Meditation has clearly improved my ability to recognize and stem my emotional responses, but I occasionally slip back into a loose-taggro, -EV style. Unfortunately, the pot sizes are not sobering enough to bring me back into focus (they were at higher stakes). I will also implement additional approaches.

• Re-watch Jared Tendler's videos, once to browse, and once to make "crib notes".
• Continue to practice zazen.
• Write weekly goals and read them before every session.
  
• Plan sessions more thoroughly. 1) Have an ETD and a duration in mind. 2) At least two unchanging qualitative goals and no more than 1 quantitative goal.
• Write and think more consciously about the process of tilting (or not tilting).
  

#3. Play better in pots that get big on the turn and the river. I feel quite comfortable playing in three bet pots, at least compared to my opponents. However, I feel a little out to sea in many large pots. This by no means surprising; they are hard streets to play against weak players without many stats and the variance can bet stressful. Also, much of the advice is too conservative compared to the style advocated by microlimit gurus. In game theory terms, the style is minimax, rather than maximally profitable. Since I play with larger bankrolls than most- I rarely start at a new limit with < 30 buy-ins- and I bet the turn more frequently than most players, I need to improve my bet-sizing and decision making there.

• Post every tough river decision and more tricky turns.
• Watch 2 videos per week on turn and river play.
• Design an in-game checklist for big pots. Test it, perfect it, memorize it.
• Design an in-game checklist for AFTER big pots. Test it, perfect it, memorize it.

Implementation strategy.

1. Continue to lightly play .5/1 and 1/2 limit to pass the time.
2. Continue to play turbo SNGs as a break and to stay in practice.
3. Sleepy Bastard Challenge continues. Videos + MTT 6am, most days per week.
4. Scheduled afternoon sessions. Log hours using Databases, etc.
   

I think these will keep me busy for now. More updates to come.

Sleepy Bastard Challenge.

.... Challenge indeed. I am not winning in the morning tourneys. Partly this is a little bad luck- I think I am running at about 5-10% below EV in shoves and calls. These are crucial at stars b/c stack sizes spend more time in the 8 or lower BB stages.

A sure indication that things are not the way they should be are my results (swongy and -EV over the last little while) and my finish positions. I am not playing the correct game in high blinds against callers. Thus, I frequently double up or go out at the 50/100 and higher levels with 5-9 players left. No good. Further, I am crashing into the bubble way too often and playing in a style that encourages confrontations. This increases 4th places, reduces second places and causes major frustrations. See images.

I need to adjust to a few things.

1. The jump from a BB of 50 to 100 is exactly as bad as PES says. Thin steals demand a stack of about 2.2k. At FTP, you can steal thin for a couple levels with a stack that his been blinded off. No chance here, it's all just shoves.
2. I see a ton of mediocre players limp calling with open shovable hands.
   
3. The good players try to gain EV from players who cannot recognize commitment thresholds.
4. Resteals and blind on blind are always serious business here. I would estimate that I barely get 2:1 when I am three bet by a reg. I guess the time spent with stacks of 8 BB or less hones different skills.
   
5. The Moshman/Vandweller (shoves = QQ rarely, KK+ all the time) model is clearly in effect at $10 and above
   
6. People take flops (wtf?) with JJ and AK, even in the 8-15 BB stack sizes. Why don't they just set the money on fire instead?
   
7. All-in (semi-)bluffing is always suspected and hence (correctly) rarely done. Ex. I steal raise from the cutoff with 12 BB left and Qs6s, raising 2.5 BB. BB calls. Flop comes 567 rainbow. I am clearly committed, since the board is too dangerous to check. BB leads out for 2/3 pot, not quite committing. I shove. Villain tanks and rolls Th9h, for a gutshot, possible overs and a backdoor flush.

I hate every decision villain made, but these seem marginal to the regs here. I have to adjust.

Homework for myself:

1. Look at actual fold equity with effective stacks of 3, 5, 7.5, 10, 12, and 15-20.
2. Extract all cold shove hands from the DB at let wiz have a day with them. (Prereq, I have to reinstall wiz).
3. Start grunching more hands.