I took my first hand of the Cake Challenge almost 24 hours ago. Since then I've played one SnG and about 220 hands of cash game spanning five sessions. Observations so far from an admittedly relatively small sample:
* People are serious (enough) at micro-stakes. I've seen some loose play but not substantially different from other higher stakes.
* I've had AA versus AK in three huge hands so far.
* As pointed out by Ryan and Marsh, there is basically zero folding once someone puts substantial money into the pot. This often reduces the game down to card catching/flop catching exercises.
* I'm still getting a feel for how to play in this environment. Calling off a shove from a loose player when I had AKos was apparently a mistake. The huge shove with premium pairs (and sometimes AK) is a recurring theme. I am looking forward to getting comfortable with these tables so that I can start grinding away.
* Despite the stakes, I am playing for my life here. Every cent is critical at this juncture and I was really bummed to have my AA cracked in my first session. I have had bankroll sugar once in the middle of my first session and that has been it. My high water mark is being up six cents. I am way more concerned about dodging a four cent big blind than I ever have been about any other blinds even at a 1/2 table.
* I am really glad that I am strictly keeping to the 5% rule, even to the extreme that I'm buying in for $2.36. Limiting my exposure has prevented me from dinging my roll. Yes, I know that's what bankroll management is all about but starting out and at these stakes it is all too easy to exceed the 5% and start the snowball of chasing losses.
* Cannot wait until I have a bigger roll so that I start multi-tabling. Staring at one table is trying at times especially when I am card dead. But I just check my hand against "the list" and fold accordingly.
That's it for now. Thanks all for helping me get started on my Cake Challenge.
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9 comments:
Calling with AK wasn't a mistake. Yes, people play better than you might think at microstakes, but this guy was willing to get it all in PF with KJo a couple orbits earlier.
You make a good point that he shoved outright here instead of making a standard raise and then calling off the rest of his stack to a reraise (as he did with KJ). Worth noting the difference in your player notes.
Still, I didn't hate the call with AK, but you can fold to those shoves if you want until you have a book.
I would normally be a lot more inclined to fold since that could easily be one of those overbet with the nuts type moves but it was because I DID have a book on the guy (specifically that KJo hand) that got me to call. Plus he had been making a ton of horrible calls previous to that like calling off his stack with second pair to an all in. Oh well, live and learn. More notes.
That's the thing. I knew you were paying attention and saw how the guy was playing, which is why I like the call. You are +EV against his realistic range...
I think once you get used to the stakes and play it becomes much, much less stressful.
It still sucks to get AA cracked though, but at least with the rules we follow it doesn't take down a huge part of your bankroll as opposed to a small portion. You certainly don't move up the ranks nearly as fast (as is evidenced by Jason's play), but it's at a much more stable rate (as is evidenced by Ryan and Marsh's play).
Good luck with this Martin. I'm curious how your play is going to be against all of ours since you have a slightly different style.
* It's about whether or not they are serious, it's about whether or not they will pay you off if you have a hand. And they will.
*AA is cool.
*It can be very much a card catching exercise.
*Get a feel, then grind.
*You are not playing for your life, and you are doing yourself a disservice with that mentality. We have all taken the Cake Challenge seriously (obvious exception Royal{oh snap}). But one of the great points of Jesus' guidelines is that it lets you play real poker, not scared poker, because you aren't risking enough to scare yourself. You shouldn't be sweating tiny amounts, it affects your play negatively.
*Keep to the 5%, it works.
*Your roll has nothing to do with multitabling, you can do that now. You just aren't supposed to have that much exposure on one hand at once. If you don't feel comfortable having X amount of money on different tables at once, then that is different. But you are well within Jesus' rules to multi, as long as you stay within the 5%/10% rules for each table.
We have all taken the Cake Challenge seriously (obvious exception Royal{oh snap}).
No “no snap” necessary, Marsh, as you definitely nailed it. Of course I wasn’t taking it seriously. Otherwise I would have re-bought and lost another $50 while I was in OK.
Eventually I’ll enter the Cake Challenge seriously — seriously. I’m just waiting for my machine to get upgraded to Leopard, when my IT guy will hopefully leave the install of Boot Camp on there.
$51.81 suckas! Just want to take a moment to commemorate my first DOLLAR. I'm going to make a virtual frame for it and stick it on my virtual wall.
Limp in on the button with JhQh. Flop an open ender, turn adds a flush draw, river the nuts with a broadway straight. SHIP IT!!!
Got the ship nudged in the right direction. Getting a better feel for stuff. Just need to keep churning away and get a head of steam going.
First place in a 30 person tourney. $1.10 > $12.00. Picked up KK, KK, AA, JJ, KK, AsKs, AcKc within the 177 hands of the tourney. Made quads. Bankroll is up over a third from the start. Digging deeper trench and plan to play with other people's money for the duration.
Exciting real time blogging during tourney.
Great work on the tourney win! I never had anything like that happen to my roll, but what a great thing to happen so early. Nice work dude.
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