GL bro!!

glgl!:)

goodluck!

After a one-week break where I thought a lot about what to do with poker, I come up with the first idea:
Don't look at results anymore (while I still level up)

I want to establish myself at NL50 and never look back at NL25, I'm sick of that level, as I should be tbh. Also, at NL100 sometimes the action is pretty fishy and I want to take shots at it. As long as I move down if I lose, there won't be any problem. Also, in my career I've never break a money managment rule, so I'm pretty confident that I will continue to do it

Since I suffer from swings, as I sad above, I don't want to look at my results anymore. Losing 4 BIs in an hour would affect my day, as well as continue losing for few days in a row. Even make BE for a few session will hurt me my real life, so I gotta do something about it.

So I made a PT4 stat that tell me what level to play, without checking the cashier.

Obv I know the ranges, but it doesn't matter, what counts is that I won't my achored to my short term result as before

Best of luck!

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lol run it once poker what a fucking disaster you are

Gl man. Would love to talk hands. I'm looking for poker friends to discuss strategy etc.

Crazy automation

December goals:
- 90 hours of playing
- 30hrs off the table poker related
- Become a RIO elite member
- Read 4 books

90 hours of playing
I’m not a consistency king, so I struggle to keep up the work, even if I always longed to be an efficient man. Initially I wanted to log 40k hands in but, considering PS’s table cap and my willpower issues, tracking hours seems a better idea

30hrs off the table poker related
I will focus on strategy, since this is my main leak. But I will add some mental game work. I use a custom pomodoro technique to track my progress

Become a RIO elite member
Although this is pretty self-explanatory, I don’t plan to buy a membership but I want to earn it via forum points. It’s pretty important to post and to post meaningful things. I strive to get 100 points and I use points to track my progress

Read 4 books
I’ve improved my reading habits and I upgraded my method of “reading”. First and foremost I’ve allocated 4 20 minutes slots to this activity.
1. Just after I wake up, after I took coffee
2.3. When I drive
4. Before bed

I use Google Play Books to take notes, but I primary listen to the audiobook version. This is great when I drive, I can use that spare time to do something useful. Only in the morning I use my ebook reader, that’s because I hide my phone as I took the coffee, to prevent distractions.
I used to read a lot of self-help, psychology and similar books but I don’t want to do that anymore. I accrue so much info that I can’t even bear, and if I don’t apply that knowledge it’s pretty much useless.
I will focus on biographies and non-fiction (not self improvement)

I use Google Sheets to track results, if someone is interested to know how I'm doing, you can check it here

Poker results

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Using the xbox Controller in the way you do it sounds awsome. Never had the idea to do this. Keep the good work up!

Nice blog, like it a lot. Keep it up!

We all know BOTs threat is real, the AI is pacing at a very high speed and the poker outlook isn’t very promising. This is kinda depressing, pretty much I think you are feeling exact as I’m feeling right now.
Defeated.
You have devoted so much energy to this game and the dream begins to fade.

BOTs are like real-world nuclear weapons

Tons of countries have nuclear weapons but that doesn’t mean they can launch them without any hesitation. It’s imperative to showcase the warheads, it is a deterrent, it should prevent an attack.
BOTs are the poker nuclear alike weapons. Potentially they could disrupt poker, but it will be the case, if and only if, poker rooms won’t be something about it.

Let’s talk about the recent hyper HU scandal

I think there’s a lot on info we can talk about

PS showed that something can be done, and probably what they did is a simple database query. I think they just have a system that raise a flag if players are too similar. This is simple statistics and could be easily done, especially if they have all the data, as poker rooms have. It is very very cheap and quick.
This method would eliminate the majority of the BOT rings, period.

Worst case scenario for a game would be to be completely solved obv. But what happens when you know the full strategic tree? In theory you can deploy a BOT and profit, but you can only deploy one and one only BOT. You cannot solve a game and set up different accounts to play strategically different, it isn’t just possible. Now, just before someone jumps in and say that they can change their play sometimes… yes they can, but stats will converge in the long period.

If the developer used only one, he wouldn’t get caught ever, but you know what greed is right?
Well, cheaters weren’t greedy at all, they just exploit other poker rooms leaks, ie rooms don’t give a fuck about robots, so why they shouldn’t deploy a BOT ring if they are somewhat protected.
Obv, I don’t condone their actions, they damaged and continue to damage poker economy, but from a game theory perspective, they are incentivized to continue… there’s no reason to stop if rooms let they do it. If Villain continue to fold to your 3bets ATC, why the hell would you stop?

There isn’t a crime penalty for cheating at online poker
The risks are relatively small, if not, they would be far more cautious leaving a lot of money online, from the convos we can infer they much pretty much deposit and not be too concerned about it. C’mon we are taking about thousands of games.
No damage for the reputation, well, probably in the poker world, but not outside of it. As you saw in the xrab’s post, he isn’t afraid of taint his or other names. He know full well police won’t knock at his door

The scandal is depressing but the uncover is a blessing in disguise

Poker isn’t chess, there’s a lot of money involved and poker rooms don’t want to lose their business. Yes, some poker rooms just don’t care, since now. Simply, they aren’t incentivized enough to develop some counter measures. But as these shits are going public, they cannot ignore the problem anymore. There will be too much at stake and they will be forced to do something.
It’s easy to avoid or state the BOTs aren’t a problem if they are somewhat hidden, but when they are at surface, they can’t denial it.
Fishes don’t deposit like in the past, they are skeptical and skeptical about cheating and HUDs, so in the end, they won’t deposit anymore and everything will die.

Rooms could did more to avoid this outbreak

If all rooms were like PS, cheaters would be much less in number and the risk of getting caught wouldn’t justify the operation. Hypers are infected because poker rooms allowed them for a long time, if they would shut them down at the beginning, developers would had a huge deterrent.
But it wasn’t the case, PS banned them? Who cares? Let’s spread in the euro sites since nobody give a fuck. And they succeeded, effortlessly.

What players can do?

The Hyper Scandal, highlights a human flaw, money changes people’s value. It’s pretty astonishing that everyone in the HUSNG community know about it but kept for themselves. There’s something I’m missing here, why players would just quit instead of fighting? I don’t mean fight at the table which would be a losing proposition, but to fight posting the truth before, alarming the poker rooms over and over again.
I don’t want to attack anyone but I think, many players got ‘bribed’ for their silence. IMHO, there isn’t any other way. I might and I hope I’m wrong.
We tend to think poker players are very intelligent, but they are humans and they have the same biases like other people. I think they continue to prefer the short term gain (some money) instead of the long term (longevity of the game, slower but bigger profits)
Again, I’m not attacking anyone, but I’m missing a puzzle peace. Maybe some HS reg can reply to my question and let me understand.

Players should police their games even more. While I’m confident that poker rooms will deploy some measures, we cannot wait and hope for salvation, we have to fight for ourselves. Probably, database sharing is the short term solution, at least. If you combine hands regularly with other regulars and you have enough understanding of the game, you will recognize the cheating. Basically, have a huge database allows the players to have much more info, closes to the poker room’s data available.

Players should go public more. There’s a common thread along posters, if the info goes public their bottom line will be hurt so it’s better to be quiet. Nothing could be more far from the truth. The fish will deposit again if he knows he is somewhat protected. Real world scandals are a very good example of it. If someone got scammed by a bank, by a fund or by another company doesn’t mean he won’t have business again with them. In fact, people got scammed by a fund, so they invest in another one. But they return.

What rooms can do?

Stop ignore the facts
Xrab post about the BOT vs BOT war and all the accounts involved. It’s pretty much guaranteed that all the accounts from a group used the same strategy. Basically, if PRs would open up their HM they would see they 4 groups with the exact same stats. How can it be ignored? Well it can, if they don’t think about the long term.

Fight a BOT with a BOT should be the only viable solution.
Even in the worst case scenario, which is that GTO solution is known for a format, something can be done comparing the player stats with the GTO ones.
I guess AI will be used by cheaters ofc, but it will used by PRs also.
Regarding expensive costs, c’mon, this isn’t true… we are talking about companies that makes millions in rake each day.

There always will be the war between human and machines, but the demise could be prevented or at least slowed down by acting accordingly.
We don’t have to eliminate the hazard, it is pointless, we should strive to make cheaters’ life as tough as possible. Clearly, poker BOTting is a source of huge profit, but if the potential profit would be much less because they get caught often, funds got confiscaded more often it would be different.
Let’s say the reward to risk ratio for cheating is 5:1, if we reduce it to 2:1 it won’t solve the issue, but the incentive isn’t there anymore, there wouldn’t enough profit to justify the risk.

I'm running bad and I'm affected a lot by that. Not only I'm running below EV in my small sample, but I'm losing all the spots where I have big hands

Some stats of unlucky spots

Got dealt a lot of KK, much more than expected, but I've lost about 1 stack with them

Apparently I'm not doing better with QQ

Instead of whine I should work my ass off, that's all.
If I want to aspire to be a truly professional, I gotta play and study like a pro, not like a fish. I don't treat poker like a job and this is my fault, I cannot whine because I'm unlucky with my work ethic. All the blame is on myself.

However, it's hard to keep pushing yourself when you don't feel motivated, like I am now.
My habits tracker don't help me because it does what is supposed to do: tracking the activities.
I need motivation, the sense of going forward, so I created a really basic flowchart.
Let's see how things go from now on

Habits tracker

Flow chart

Cya

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From a week I deployed a new real life strategy and it seems to work out pretty well. Now I have time slots where I cannot use my phone.
I want to establish solid routines and avoid any distraction while working or doing something productive. I found myself, counteless of times, surfing IG, Twitter, FB just because of boredom, and as you know, many apps are designed to be addictive.
There’s no one single reason I should use my phone when I am at home. I don’t need to be in constant touch with anybody and there’s no reason I should be available for others at every moment. I don’t have any girlfriend, any dying parents or other things that requires me to check the phone constantly.

So:
- I wake up and put my phone in the car, just before take coffee
- I only check it just before leave the house
- When I’m out I want to engage in networking and connecting for real with people, so I don't have it at hand
- When I return home instead of bring me the phone in the house, I leave it in the car
- I take it back only before sleep

I feel no urge to check notifications while I don’t have my phone within reach, so there’s no willpower spent toward it.
I actually gain a lot, I’m more focused while working and studying, I’m more social when I’m among other people and at the end of the day I don’t feel that I’ve wasted another day

Good blog.

And yes following some kind of routine and leaving up to the goals you set makes you feel great. It is therefor very important that you set goals that you can achieve and are in your control. It looks like you did just that and now feeling the benefit from it. Keep up the routine.

B.t.w. I don't know any commercial apps that are not designed to be addictive.

I don't have much updates beside I've change my plan to focus entirely on poker.

I don't check my results since a week now, but I can share with you how much profit I'm doing with JJ-KK :(

Best of luck guys

01-01-2020

I just want to post my updated roadmap, highlighted with the things I've been focusing on.
Anyway I feel I'm moving forward... a lot of things are and will be tweaked to meet my requirements and probably, for the first time in my life I don't feel overwhelmed as before. Rather, I feel that everything is falling in the proper place

Best of luck for the new year

Can you explain what software is used for those notes and what underlines the squares in the middle?

lol it's not that simple at all

it's the black background and the squares which confuse, I only do a simple budget in open office, browsed piosolver aggregation reports too

After 40 days that I begin to play and study more seriously I got pretty much BE results. As you can imagine, is really defeating when you put a lot of efforts in something you don't get out as much as you deserve.
I feel terrible, I really want to isolate myself and work work work.
I want a different poker career and a completely different life... something gotta change.
I'd like to write a lot of other things, but I feel lost so I leave you just with the results

Results since I opened the blog

I don't really care about running below EV, what truly shatters me is the amount of coolers I'm getting which isn't capture by the AI-adjusted stat.

Pretty std run draws/set wise

All in all, my impression of you is very meh with some friends who perhaps owe you favours. Ur not as big as you are trying to appear. Compared to other two camps, ur not impressive, not annoying, just very mediocre. Did you expect me to be like 'wow' with those plays?

GL. I cant see pictures is it about me?

Long time I don’t post here, because well, life isn’t going well. I wake up everyday with the knife in my teeth ready to battle, but I end up getting beat by life. So the next day begins, seems things are a little better but another issue pops up from nowhere and you feel like starting anew, again.
For a week seems has been going nicely, I started to smile again but when I was eating I lost a tooth. Got to the doctor in 30 minutes and he told me it was an old fake tooth and now I have to do an implant, the only problem is that it took 6 months to get my tooth up and running. I told you I started to smile again, well, I won’t smile without being embarrassed for a long time. Depressing

This is my roadmap for February, I try to do my best, gl to me and to you

COVID-19 - A Blessing in Disguise

… for my work ethic.

I though about make a clickbait thread but it would be too much and it isn't time to joke.

I live in Italy where, as you might know, italian goverment went all in against this threat
Basically we have a 25 day period where you have to stay at home, unless you have something important to do. I don’t live in a big city, but nearby, up on the hills and I don’t have much to do. Obv, I have to do my own part, so I will follow the rules for my population safety, cliffs: no more parties, gatherings, training in the gym etc.
Well jogging and other outdoor training activities are allowed as long as you stay 1 meter away from the other persons, and that’s I’m going to do it.

I haven’t made my mind up yet about this situation, I really cannot grasp whether the threat is very very dangerous or it is overvalued. Yep, it is scary since we don’t have any defence like cures or vaccines, beside that I don’t really have an opinion.
I’ve recently reread Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (if you haven’t read you have to do it right now) and it highlighted once again how, even the most top-notch scientists, are biased. Could the all thing be an exaggeration? Could Elon Musk nail it?
Again, I’m really confused, as I’m sure almost all people are, since some countermeasures are drastic and we haven’t seen in our entire life. Obv, media lean toward bad news because is where the appeal is, so it’s very difficult to understand the spot properly. TBH, I don’t think even the experts have a real view on it.
I’ve just read about this, and this sound really really scary though

Anyway, this measure forces my to stay at home, in one of the moment where I really need it the most. I have very little money available due to another unexpected event, I’m not running good and my motivation is very low, but the work must be done.
After a few weeks where I was very happy about my work, I’ve returned to my bad habits and seems I’ve clicked the reset button and I have to do it all again, but the umpteenth time.
There were some times that worked and other things that didn’t, for example having a roadmap that highlight the next steps to complete worked like a charm so I’m going to use it again

Top #1 priority is to gain money (have a 2k bankroll). This would allow me to put aside some stress, if you have little money you can go broke. Well, I have a very very long experience and I’ve been staked for a couple of years successfully. If I have some problems I can still go back to my backer and he will work again with me. Obv I still prefer to play with my own money, not only because this means more money from me, but because I am my own boss, once again.
But meh, issues are part of life and thankfully, get a stake again won’t be a real problem. I can see benefit from it since it would mean I have to be accountable so my work ethic could skyrocket. Let alone the fact I had a wonderful experience with the stable

That’s it for now, I don’t want to write anymore because all bad news are coming up from any side and it’s really hard to withstand.

Best of luck to me and to anyone who is and will fighting against the desease

In bocca al lupo :)