Long Time Gone

Well, it's been a while since I posted here. Let's start with a fantastic weekend. I made nearly $500 this weekend capped by a 10 buy in winning session for $277 last night. I also started playing mostly 50NL (with the exception of last night due to volume needs), and have continued my run good there. I also reached over $1300 in winnings for the month last night! Sadly, a decent portion of that has gone to my stakers, but it still feels really really good.

I will also be posting my first month in well over a year where I will be over EV, so no more whining from me in that regard! OK, Well, not for at least a week then.

I will also have to eat some crow. I had always thought that a 10 buy in down swing at 25NL would be pretty damn hard to accomplish without some really bad play. And while I will admit to bad play, since my last post I went through a 10 buy in down swing (actually 12, but I recovered 2 before the end of my final session). And, just to show that it was in large part due to variance, I was on a 12 buy in up swing at 50NL with 1/3 of the hands at 50NL. Just goes to show how little a part time grinder really understands variance.

On the strategy note, I have had a philisophical change in my 3 betting theory. Until recently I wouldn't 3 bet in situations where I would fold to a 4 bet. Basically the theory is that if your folding to a 4 bet, then your turning your hand into a bluff. After doing some thinking, I don't like that much anymore. If their calling with worse and 4 betting better, then 3 betting is optimal because you get away from your hand cheaply when your behind and get in more money pre-flop when your ahead. It has also increased my 3 bet percent quite a bit (never a bad thing). I am now running closer to 4%, and am getting less and less worried about getting KK in pre-flop.