Rate my Play - DrTyore
Hey all
This is a completely selfish thread, and I"m hoping that it won't be (overly) highjacked or mocked, but I'm gonna try it anyways. Basically, I have one question.
What's wrong with me?
Allow me to explain. I have played with many of your forumers regularly now for upwards of three years. Many of you know me well enough and my game well enough to provide me with the feedback that books and hard-knocks just isn't helping. I want to know where my weaknesses are, and although I know that this may sound like flaming waiting to happen, I trust and respect enough of you to believe that this will help my game (and I am willing to do much the same in return)!
Please don't think you'll hurt my feelings or nothing, I really am looking to fully improve myself here, and need feedback on my poker game on par with the feedback about your personality that a girlfriend would give you (ouch! Harsh!
) Allow me to give examples....
Am I too aggressive (i.e. not selective enough)?
Do I get married to hands?
Do I bet too much / not enough?
Do I have tells?
Am I too scared /easily tilted / bully-able?
Do I play position poorly? Overvalue hands (yea yea.. 78..)
Do I bluff too much? Not enough?
Stick to tournaments / cash game?
Too impatient?
Anyways... I guess this is basically the equivalent of a criticism of hand histories, but in a macrocosmic kinda way... gestalt if you will!
Seriously, I want this feedback, I think I need this feedback right now, and I know that a lot of you play me often enough to give some (lookin at you beanie42!). I think that this may help anyone willing to step into the spotlight, and I"m willing to contribute (with full asbestos suit on).
Mark
This is a completely selfish thread, and I"m hoping that it won't be (overly) highjacked or mocked, but I'm gonna try it anyways. Basically, I have one question.
What's wrong with me?
Allow me to explain. I have played with many of your forumers regularly now for upwards of three years. Many of you know me well enough and my game well enough to provide me with the feedback that books and hard-knocks just isn't helping. I want to know where my weaknesses are, and although I know that this may sound like flaming waiting to happen, I trust and respect enough of you to believe that this will help my game (and I am willing to do much the same in return)!
Please don't think you'll hurt my feelings or nothing, I really am looking to fully improve myself here, and need feedback on my poker game on par with the feedback about your personality that a girlfriend would give you (ouch! Harsh!
) Allow me to give examples....Am I too aggressive (i.e. not selective enough)?
Do I get married to hands?
Do I bet too much / not enough?
Do I have tells?
Am I too scared /easily tilted / bully-able?
Do I play position poorly? Overvalue hands (yea yea.. 78..)
Do I bluff too much? Not enough?
Stick to tournaments / cash game?
Too impatient?
Anyways... I guess this is basically the equivalent of a criticism of hand histories, but in a macrocosmic kinda way... gestalt if you will!
Seriously, I want this feedback, I think I need this feedback right now, and I know that a lot of you play me often enough to give some (lookin at you beanie42!). I think that this may help anyone willing to step into the spotlight, and I"m willing to contribute (with full asbestos suit on).
Mark
Comments
One thing I have seen in the past is that you will get, not married, however emotionally attached to hands/results and not use the information given to you to make rational decisions because of it. Example: bristol on Wednesday when Nik came over the top of you for a 2nd or perhaps 3rd time. In this instance you were clearly thinking that Nik had done this to you already a couple of times and you were no longer going to stand for it. Result: you overplay a pair of tens looking to race (at best). When what you could have possibly done if thinking rationally, was to think that Nik likely knows just as well as you do that you're getting frustrated with him and that he likely wouldn't be coming over the top of you yet again if he didnt have a hand. I'll try to think of afew more things while here at work and offer some constructive advice/analysis. Hope that helps for now, interested to know if you agree at all.
stp
I totally disagree.....don't listen to Shannon at all! Trust your instincts!
i don't know if you are just going through a slump (which we all do from time to time) or if there are some underlying fundamentals you need to adjust. if i notice something in the future i'll be sure to point it out.
I'm not really feeling a slump or anything here, and I'm not trying to disguise whining (since when do I disguise that?!). I'm just thinking that I play with you all quite often, and want to see what I may be missing... I guess I'm kinda "coach-whoring" here.
Mark
As a general comment, I think you take the losses way too hard. There is a reason everyone jokes about all the 21-outers you miss - cuz we keep hearing about them (I'm the same way whining about losing coin flips). Relax a little and just accept that these anomalies will sometimes look like trends, but they really are normal, so don't take it personally.
For example, a flush draw comes down on the board. You bet to take away the odds, and the villain calls. You bet again on the turn to take away odds, and get called again. Of course, the flush hits on the river, villain shows some suited garbage to take the pot, and you go on mini-tilt (proceed to review the hand, confirm that your bets were appropriate, complain about how bad the other players are, etc etc).
But why did they call? At the limits I've seen you play, maybe they have no clue about odds. Or maybe they were just bored and wanted to play a hand, and the money does not matter. Or maybe this is live, and they know you will tilt if the hand hits. Or something else.
So what exactly does this mean? I'm not good enough to say. Others are better qualified to comment on specifics and playing styles. But maybe it means to expect bad play sometimes, and to not give other people credit for solid play. Or to trust your gut and fold even if the odds say you shouldn't. Or not to over-analyze individual hands.
Regardless, as already said, don't take it personally, and don't obsess over specific hands.
Hope that helps.
Dave
You can do everything right and still lose, isn't it a great game?! I think Trevor and Dave make a valid point when I see you get off your game a bit it's usually after someone has made a mistake in calling you but has sucked out. I think this is hard to deal with for most people....look at me I threw a puck through a wall for crying out loud?
....oh and you hug too much
I think over confidence can be your weakness as well. If you think you are better than someone you don't often allow for the possibility that they can beat you. It goes along with what Trevor said about taking the beats poorly. It is doubly so when you think an inferior player just beat you. I have seen it more than once.
P.S. Booze and poker are bad for you too.
Oh and I always know to fold if 7 8 are the nuts.
aside from the amplification effects of the alcohol on Mark's voice I disagree with the first line.......I do however completely agree with the second line!
What's wrong with me?
[I NEED A FEW DAYS FOR THIS, BUT I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO ABOUT THE POKER SIDE NOW]
Allow me to explain. I have played with many of your forumers regularly now for upwards of three years. Many of you know me well enough and my game well enough to provide me with the feedback that books and hard-knocks just isn't helping. I want to know where my weaknesses are, and although I know that this may sound like flaming waiting to happen, I trust and respect enough of you to believe that this will help my game (and I am willing to do much the same in return)!
[OK, NO FLAMING, GOT IT!]
Please don't think you'll hurt my feelings or nothing, I really am looking to fully improve myself here, and need feedback on my poker game on par with the feedback about your personality that a girlfriend would give you (ouch! Harsh!
[YOU MEAN BOYFRIEND RIGHT?]
Am I too aggressive (i.e. not selective enough)?
[NOT AT ALL]
Do I get married to hands?
[SORT OF, NOT LIKE A 50K WEDDING WITH YOUR MOM THERE, BUT LIKE A VEGAS QUICKIE.]
Do I bet too much / not enough?
[MOST, IF NOT ALL BETS ARE MATHEMATICALLY CORRECT. YOU KNOW THAT.]
Do I have tells?
[WE ALL DO]
Am I too scared /easily tilted / bully-able?
[I HAVE SEEN YOU PLAY SCARED. I HAVE SEEN YOU SEMI-TILT. AND YES, SOMETIMES YOU LIE DOWN AND GET BULLIED.]
Do I play position poorly? Overvalue hands (yea yea.. 78..)
[YOU PLAY POSITION WELL. WHEN OUT OF POSITION YOU DON'T LEAD OUT WITH A CONTINUATION BET ENOUGH.]
Do I bluff too much? Not enough?
[YOU BLUFF?]
Stick to tournaments / cash game?
[TOURNAMENTS!!!! BUT I'D SAY A 90/10 SPLIT. YOU ARE A GOOD PLAYER. BUT TOURNEYS ARE YOUR STRONG POINT FOR SURE.]
Too impatient?
[NOT SURE.]
Anyways... I guess this is basically the equivalent of a criticism of hand histories, but in a macrocosmic kinda way... gestalt if you will!
Seriously, I want this feedback, I think I need this feedback right now, and I know that a lot of you play me often enough to give some (lookin at you beanie42!). I think that this may help anyone willing to step into the spotlight, and I"m willing to contribute (with full asbestos suit on).
MARK, ALL MY RESPONSES ARE IN CAPS.
HERE'S WHAT I HONESTLY THINK. YOU PLAY THE MATH GREAT, YOU KNOW YOUR OUTS AND POT ODDS AND ALL THAT IMPORTANT STUFF. AS YOUR FRIEND AND POKER FOE, I HONESTLY THINK YOU NEED TO GET SOME BIGGER BALLS. YOU WON WESTSIDE A MONTH AGO...YOU CAN'T BE NEARLY AS BAD AS YOU THINK. HOWEVER, YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE GUY WHO MAKE IT DEEP USUALLY. MAKING IT DEEP IS GREAT, BUT YOU SELDOM ARE TOP 3-5 IN CHIPS AT A FINAL TABLE OR FINAL TWO TABLES. YOUR RECORDS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. YOU PLAY THE CARDS (MOSTLY), YOU PLAY THE ODDS AND THE LOW VARIANCE ALLOWS YOU TO GET DEEP. YOU ARE A WINNING PLAYER I ASSUME, AS AM I AND WE BOTH HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFERENCE APPROACHES TO A TOURNEY. I FIND YOU SIT AND WAIT FOR THE CARDS TO COME TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN, WHERE AS I MAKE THINGS HAPPEN WITHOUT CARDS (MOST OF THE TIME). THE OTHER NIGHT AT BRISTOL THAT DUDE ON YOUR LEFT RERAISED YOU ALL THE TIME AND YOU JUST SAT THERE AND TOOK IT. PEOPLE NEED TO FEAR YOU, THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU JUST MAY COST THEM ALL THEIR CHIPS WITHOUT HAVING A BIG PAIR.
I'M RAMBLING, SORRY, YOU ASKED ME TO POST AND I DIDN'T THINK IT THROUGH AT ALL. I JUST THINK YOU NEED TO TAKE MORE CHANCES AND RUN WITHOUT THE BALL A BIT MORE. THE TOP 15'S WILL BE SMALLER BUT YOUR TOURNAMENT PROFITABILITY SHOULD INCREASE. ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BRISTOLS. I'D RATHER WIN 2 A SEASON AND BUST OUT FIRST THE REST, RATHER THAN BUBBLE EVERY TIME.
IF YOU HATE THIS, THAT'S COOL. JUST THOUGHT I'D CHIME IN.
I DIDN'T BOTHER TO READ THE THREAD SO IF I JUST SAID WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING, MY BAD...I AM A SELFISH FORUMER.
WERRRD BRO!
HADDON
When you can snatch the chip from my hand, you will be ready to play! Seriously, I think you're going down the wrong road to find the solution. You need to look within to solve this puzzle.
1) Why are you seeking this advice? Are you losing overall? Are you losing in the long run in tournaments? Are you winning, but have no consistency?
2) Before you can answer (1) you really need to figure out why you play. I know everyone says they play for the money, but that's not why most people play. If you play for the money, then finding the best games to play should be your first and foremost critereon. So, playing the Bristol, Westside, etc., are fun but they are not likely the most profitable for most folks. If fun is your main objective (don't discount this), then playing these games are good. Add in the drinking and don't worry too much.
3) You read the books, read the forum, but how closely do you examine your game? Do you keep a journal of bad plays/good plays? Do you review your play once a week and find at least one leak to fix? Imagine how much better you would become if you fixed 52 aspects of your game! Do this once a week and you'll be amazed at the trends you will spot.
4) Don't take advice from others. I might say you always get your money in with the worst of it -- this may be true for the hands I've seen you play. However, it's a very small sample and biased towards the way I play. You need to look at your play. You need to be self critical.
5) set some goals and see how far you get.
Cheers
Lou
When you're looking within, try and figure out whether you need knowlege (knowing what to do) or discipline (actually doing it). Discipline can come in many different forms -- ie. working on your game, being realistic when you evaluate your play, figuring out starting hand requirements (for many different situations), etc. etc.
When you are working on your game focus on the things which make the most impact. So, don't worry if you're not able to fold KK pre-flop. Focus on why you would fold a pair pre-flop and under what circumstances. That would have much more impact and happens almost every tournament. Sklansky talks about this in one of his essays (on his site). He says worrying about exact pot odds really doesn't make that much of a difference -- instead figuring out to fold KJo in early position will make more of a difference.
Good luck on the journey dude!
Cheers
Lou