March graph porn - 20NL

15 buy-ins in winnings, another 12 or so in rakeback. Not too shabby considering how much most of the month sucked. I'll try to play a bit more in April but that might be a bit difficult since I have some friends coming over. I was contemplating grinding 20NL for another month before taking a shot at 50NL, but then realized that I only need to break even to make as much in rakeback as I'd make winning about 5bb/100 + rakeback at 20NL, plus I have a decent sized roll so I think I'm going to start April by spewing 7ish buy-ins at 50NL before going back to 20NL.

Texas hold'it - the game of the retro-future

Hey guys, I thought I'd introduce you to a relatively new form of poker that is currently gaining popularity in cardrooms around the world (except for South Korea where they still spread nothing but jigsaw puzzles and badugi, but I digress).

Texas hold'it is one of the more recent variants of texas hold'em. There are two notable differences between these two games: in hold'it you get dealt only one hole card, and there is a sixth community card, The Pond, followed by a fifth betting round. Other than that, the game proceeds exactly like texas hold'em.

No-limit betting structure is used nearly always; a deuce-to-seven high-low split fixed limit version was spread in LA cardrooms for a while, but the reception wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

There has been much debate over the best starting hand in no-limit hold'it (or NLHI for short); the consensus seems to be that whilst any suited Ace (often referred to as the "pre-flop nuts") has the best hot-and-cold equity, a suited Ten (also known as the "post-flop nuts") has so much post-flop potential that in many instances it can be considered a preferable holding.

Because of the seeming simplicity of the game ("any one card can win") and the lack of quality instruction available, win rates of good NLHI players are typically much larger than in hold'em, often exceeding 150 bb/100. Most tables are populated by players who find hold'em too complex for their tastes, making NLHI one of the most profitable forms of poker at the moment.

If this post sparked your interest and you want to learn more, I offer personal 1-on-1 NLHI coaching and beginner courses starting at $250/hour. I am also currently writing a NLHI book titled Let there be the memoirs of an easy game puzzle, co-authored by one of the biggest BBV posters on 2+2. More info to come, so stay tuned!

DeucesCracked review LDO

Okay, so I've decided to start a blog, completely spontaneously, just like that (like every other micro grinder drooling for a BFP membership, what a coincidence huh?). In my first post I'll review my favourite DeucesCracked series ever, but in case you're in a hurry, here's the CliffsNotes: superlative-riddled verbal fellatio in honour of The Coaching Tree.

The DC boys and girls are churning out top notch poker videos like there's no tomorrow and the amount of quality content available on the site can be pretty overwhelming, especially to a newcomer. However, if your game of choice is unlimited texas hold them, there's one series that I think stands clearly above the rest - The Coaching Tree (and its imaginatively named sequel, The Coaching Tree, Part 2).*

In a nutshell the idea of the series is this: Internet pokers superhero BalugaWhale and his trusty sidekick tubasteve (seriously these guys are like Batman and Robin of poker, only without the sexual undertone) go through member submitted videos. Steve explains what he thinks is wrong with how the members play, and Baluga then explains what's wrong with how Steve thinks. They pause the video every couple of minutes and discuss various topics, and usually go through a total of three minutes or so of the member video while Baluga elaborates on his thought process, introducing you to concepts such as isolation theory and table dynamics and putting them into easily understandable terms.

This series basically changed the way I think about poker and turned me from a weak-tight TAGfish into a high stakes** postflop baller. Instead of hudbotting and nutpeddling with no understanding of the stuff that happens after the flop, I learned to start thinking about the game and asking all the relevant questions; "Why am I 3betting? What is his range in this spot? Can I get called by worse here?" Baluga is a phenomenal teacher, and if you want to get better at NLHE all you need to do is watch these videos on repeat all day and listen to them while you sleep to really hammer it into your subconscious. The content of each episode is pure gold with a diamond coating, and the series as a whole definitely warrants a re-watch or three.

Baluga also has a book coming out in the very near future, and unless you hate money you probably should check it out as well.

Does that make sense?***

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* My next choice would have been Storytime with Joe Tall
** Read: 20NL
*** I really like these little stars