Self Improvement

Another Month Another Level Another Challenge!

November is looking good so far. I've been doing ok online and I've moved up another stake. The games are considerably tougher though and it looks a little bit like reg-town so I gotta step up my game and get rid of those bad habits. It's harder to push players around and it doesn't pay to play chill and slightly passive anymore. HUD use would be essential, and studying the intricacies of the game will feel necessary and compulsory real soon.

So first stop we have to set some new playing goals. As you can see on the widget on the right I've changed some of my target stats (thanks coach Ron). I guess the extra PFR will come from squeezing, employing blind gambits (squeezing limpers, picked up this term from 2p2) and restealing. Maybe I can 3bet lighter in general but that needs some study and some decent hands sample size from my opponents. Turn AF will probably take care of itself as I don't plan to be on the calling end as often as in the micros. And that W$WSF would probably be easier in this stake since there'll be less limp pots or multiway raised pots. I've also bookmarked a list of poker readings that can help me move up easily. I guess one reading a day will do me loads of good.

I've been playing to "not lose" as opposed to playing to win or making the right decisions some weeks ago, but I don't feel it as strongly now. I have a long blog entry draft on the subject but I decided not to publish it since I felt it's only a phase. The next time I feel it I guess I'll have to go back to that draft and see what I did to overcome it or what triggers it in the first place. I've decided to put a mantra widget on the bottom of every post to remind me how I should be playing. For now I'll borrow coach's article on the proper mindset until I need to remind myself about other things.