While I haven't been playing high stakes poker competitively since Black Friday, I still have been playing some poker - primarily in the form of micro and small stakes training videos for DC. These videos have me building my bankroll from scratch as I work out all the leaks in my game acquired from disengaging my brain from the dailyness of thinking and obsessing about hand histories, 3bet percentages, and which avatar suits my screenname best (clown, long may he reign). What I like about these videos is that they've allowed me to open up a dialogue with other players at these levels, where they can help critique my game and follow along as someone with a lot of experience approaches sharpening his skills in the modern era of online NLHE.
OK, so what skills am I sharpening right now? On DC there has been a lot of geeky discussion led by a group of super smart poker minds - blah234, improva, shuttle, and sthief - in a new poker theory forum that's been created. These dudes are working on applying a GTO approach to their game, which really intrigues me as it seems like a) this is where the best players are headed and b) applying math and theory to my decision making has always been the weakest part of my game. Lately I've found that I'm making too many wild guesses about my opponent's ranges and blah has pointed out repeatedly that guesswork is a losing proposition and the GTO approach could give me exact answers.
So in the coming months I'm going back to school and attempting to unlearn all my old habits, replacing them with a new foundation born from mathematics. Since I can't spend 8 hours/day doing this, it's going to be a long, tough road... but I plan to simultaneously chart my path in an extensive video series on DC (where I'm under the tutelage of blah) in order to help others who might also dare to remake their game. In the end, I think this will provide a sweet guide for players who might find this stuff interesting but are also intimidated by all the math and work away from the tables. And I think it will make me a deadlier player than I ever was, even at my peak.
For awhile before Black Friday I felt like I had hit a ceiling in terms of achievements, but these days I'm older and wiser and realize that poker is a game that's miles deeper than most people think. The challenge of mastering it over the course of my lifetime is something I now relish, and knowing that challenge lies ahead has done a lot to renew my passion for playing cards. So that's where I'm at and where I'm going - I'm rethinking poker, and I hope to have more frequent thoughts to share as I continue to do so.
I'm jumping on the wagon too! Looking forward to revamping my game through DC!
ReplyDeleteTJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwogM2DL99o
ReplyDelete-dani
nice to know you are still learning! I will make sure to check out teh DC poker fourms.
ReplyDeleteHey Jay, cool to hear you are back at it. I am in a pretty similar spot (needing to unlearn relearn poker, GTO sty), but also interested in pursuing another route professionally. what are ur thoughts on balancing this equation of IRL ventures vs. online poker? and how much time do u plan to spend on poker per week? Thanks man.
ReplyDelete@Ben the right balance is different for everybody and is something you need to find through trial, error and a relentless drive to analyze and improve yourself. It depends completely on what goals you have for your profession and your poker playing and how realistic you can be about how to achieve them. Set ambitious goals, forecast how long they will take to achieve and come up with a strategy for how to get there by breaking the goals down into manageable, short term steps. Personally... I hope to spend about 1.5 hours/day on average on poker and take it from there. But I don't feel the clock ticking on poker like I do with writing - I want to make great leaps forward there in the next few years.
ReplyDeleteManageable short term steps - Absolutely. Thanks for the thoughts man. Also, gl with the film next month!
Delete"poker is a game that's miles deeper than most people think. The challenge of mastering it over the course of my lifetime is something I now relish, and knowing that challenge lies ahead has done a lot to renew my passion for playing cards."
ReplyDeleteRemember poker =/= No Limit Hold Em. Or is there a lifetime worth of depth to that single game?
How's the screenwriting going anyway? Some of your older posts are on my to do list. Was thinking about doing a project based after an apocalypse but that doesnt look like The Terminator apocalyptic landscape. What are you up to.
I mean poker itself, but with NLHE, who knows. There's still a lot to discover. All I know... is that I don't know anything.
DeleteScreenwriting is going well. Working on an ambitious project, and I'm about to do this next month in an effort to crack the story open and push myself: http://campnanowrimo.org/
Will definitely be posting about it, it's going to be nuts!