(This is cross-posted from 2+2 but the threads may end up going separate directions)

Learning how to try hard and maximising winrate at nl500-nl2k
I’m a mid-stakes grinder from Australia, playing mostly nl500-nl1k (with some nl2k mixed in recently) and also a full-time student with two part-time roles. There are a lot of legitimate and self-proclaimed sickos in this community who smash out 70k hands per month while running sims every day. That’s not me, and that’s not what this thread is gong to be. Instead, I’m going to be aiming for having the highest winrate I can achieve while managing my other responsibilities. Here are my results from nl500-nl2k last year:

And in BB

I lost (or at least can’t be bothered to find) my nl200-400 hands, as well as my 50k hand stint in PLO, when I changed to HM3. I think I had a ~4ev/bb winrate before rakeback over ~200k hands. This year, as I’m taking a lot more on outside of poker and won’t be able to get the same volume, hence the new focus on winrate.
It’s been a rough start so far, with breakeven results ev bb/100 but the losses predominantly coming from nl2k. I’m going to turn that around with:
- Each session including a warmup using the Elliott Roe tapes (highly recommend the mental game course!)
- More attention to each spot and marking hands to review
- Playing intentionally slowly and thoughtfully

I’ve never had a particularly stable or systematic approach to poker, with somewhat poor volume and inconsistent study habits. That’s gotta change this year, so with that in mind my goals are:
- Play 20k+ hands per month (4-6 tabling Ignition + Apps) with high focus and aiming for a high win-rate
- Studying at least 5 hours per week
- Gym three times per week
- Performing adequately at part-time roles
- First-class honours at Uni, with stretch goal of getting the medal for topping my cohort
Another thing I’ve thought about but always avoided is coaching. I had a lot of fear that strategy could spread, but I’m less concerned these days given the amount of information out there and the difficulty mostly coming from individuals’ ability to find the right info and executing on it. So, eventually I’ll look more into that.
Looking forward to the journey! Will post semi-regular updates with results, possibly also some productivity/volume freerolls. Might also add some rants on certain topics, maaaaybe a few hand histories if there are requests, but I’m still a little wary of sharing much strat.