I think its important in life to take time to reflect on our past. If you really think about it, most things we learn come from mistakes that have already happened. Whether thats our own mistakes, or a strangers that have been chronicled in a text book, life is really a series of trial and error. If were patient and observant we can avoid some mistakes, or more likely at least avoid repeating them. In this light I think it's time for a new blog entry, a review of the last seven months.

Sometimes playing more isn't always better...

One lesson I learned this summer is that sometimes playing optimally is better than playing often. That is not to say volume isn't crucial but sometimes we need to sacrifice a night of volume to help keep our game sharp. I have been making a considerable effort to take off more weeknights and I think it's paid off. Give it a shot, see if you don't like the game a bit more.

Hard work really does payoff

If you've been following the blog you'll remember that I decided to seek professional help. I hired Jennifear and honestly its the best poker decision I've ever made. I worked very hard and I feel I have improved quite a bit, we would have to ask her for an objective opinion but I'm sure you'll take my word for it. I've heard the dissenting opinions about her but I'll tell you this, I know many pro's who dont have the push fold game she does. I know veterans who have been playing for years that could use a brush up, which brings me to the next point...

Poker is still very profitable

Yes it might be harder now, but it is still very beatable. I have had the good fortune to meet and talk with many players that are much better than I am over the last seven months and do you know what I learned? No one's game is perfect. Some are well rounded but often they focus too much on one aspect of their games and neglect others. If your still out there wondering if you could ever play at the upper level, wonder no more. You absolutely can. Understand that I mean to take nothing from them, its not easy, but it is still possible.

Practice makes Perfect

I have found out that poker is like many other things in life, the more you review\practice, the better you get. I would often fore go reviewing for the sake of putting in more volume but I have learned that the real gains in my poker game often come when I'm not playing poker! Even if your game is at its peak reviewing helps keep it there.

Calling an Audible isn't enough, knowing when to call it is crucial

I watched Payton Manning and the colts play the Houston Texans the other day and while I have always respected Manning's results I was never really a big fan. What I saw was a game quarterbacked as perfectly as possible. I saw a hard count where one linebacker barely flinched, he stepped back and called the perfect audible. He knew the defense so well that it was second nature to him, it would benefit us all to have a bit more Payton in our work ethic.

Results

While I know I have a long way to go I am very proud of what I accomplished this summer. If you OPR me you'll find my total's look pretty good for the last 3 months. I have a 46% ROI over about 1500 games. My numbers are largely due to taking down the Rush Super Turbo KO a few weeks back, which was a great time. While I am ecstatic that I was able to do that, the number I am must proud of comes from sharkscope. Since my last blog I have played 1,295 90 man's @FTP and have a ROI of 21%, not the best by far but I'm still very proud. These results are combining the 3.30's and 6.60's.

My goal all along has been to find consistency. I dont need to be the "best" but I do need to prove to myself that I can consistently win. Currently I am working on beating the 6.60's for 1k games so I can move up. My bankroll is easily large enough to play the $24 dollar version of these but it's not about that. It's about proving to myself that I belong when I eventually work my way up to playing them.

So I've been wanting to work on all the great stuff I have learned from Jennifear but honestly with tax season its just too much. The idea of doing tax returns for 10+ hours and then focusing for longer than a few minutes on anything is just draining. Fortunately Rush PLO has provided another option for my poker fix. By nature, short bursts of attention seem to work and I seem to be doing ok so far. I promise we will get back on track in a couple of weeks. I have a few interesting thoughts and observations about the importance of STT's I hope to share when we do.

On a side note if you haven't already, be sure to pick up a copy of apestyles' new book. Do yourself a favor and calculate the BB's per stack while your reading, you'll get even more from the book (I actually wrote them in if they were involved in the hand.) The guys did a great job as usual.

You can only search for your own leaks for so long without going mad. I had stalled a bit and was nearing the end of my ability to find my own leaks. I finally decided to do what I should have a long time ago, seek professional help. Jennifear is a good friend of mine and since I know that push fold is a major part of any poker players base, and IMO there is no better push\fold coach (amongst her many other specialties,) I dropped Jennifear a line.

Even if I didn't consider her a friend I would still say, if you ever need a coach, she's worth way more than every penny of her modest fee. I learned a good deal, much of which I am still digesting. I also referred another friend of mine who had equally raving reviews. In short, if your on the fence please go for it already!

Until last night I was playing some 9 mans but mostly Rush PLO to help clear my bonus, which I cleared all $100 last night. Starting tonight I will be focusing on playing 9 mans and using my bankroll system to try and build enough of a roll to jump to the 90 mans on FTP, hopefully skipping the 45's this time. I deviated a few times and took a few mFTOPS shots so I'll start the stat tracking over as of tonight, so we have some definitive numbers to put with our "restart."

I am going to focus on the 9 mans for now because IMO there is no better push\fold or short handed training available. It's no coincidence that all the great closers in MTT's started out playing STT's!

All the coaching talk made me recall another article that didn't quite make the front page, I'll stick it hear. Enjoy!
Coaching to elevate your game

Most people who know me well know that when I was in college I had the opportunity to play baseball. I loved the experience and above all the life lessons that I learned. My coach ran a youth development organization (AAU) and it so happened that my freshman year a graduating senior had left a coaching position vacant.

The “head coaching” job for this team was performed by my head coach, however as busy as he was the task fell to me. When he asked me to accept the position I couldn’t figure out why he chose me. I told him that I didn’t feel I knew enough to teach others, and he simply replied “You know enough to get started.” I immediately began to wonder if he had been hitting the bottle just before practice. I reluctantly accepted the job despite being more than just a little uneasy about my new task.

My first day of practice as the new assistant coach all of my fears were realized when coach said I would be running practice because couldn’t make it. Holy crap, here I am not even sure if I can fake my way through an assistant coaching spot and now I have to actually perform the duties of a head coach. As I arrived at the field I saw that even though I was early my entire team was already there and stretching for practice. I was excited, these kids were serious about the game I loved and for the first time I begin to see the real opportunity that I had been presented with. I called them in to start practice and as they all stared at me I realized I had to tell them what to do, but I didn’t know. So I started thinking about what my coaches did, and more importantly why they did it that way.
For years I had been doing what I was told at practice but for the first time I had actually stopped to ask myself why. When you are presented with the challenge of coaching you are forced to not only figure out what to do but why you are doing it. While you’re improving the game of your players you’re also taking yourself to that next level of thinking. Now the question you begin to ask yourself before you make a decision is not just “what is the best move here” but at the same time your asking “why is this the best move.” This process alone will begin to deepen your understanding of the game.

Ok, back to my story. After the first several practices I got the opportunity to work with my catcher one on one as coach had actually showed up that day. It’s not an easy position so I felt I really needed to spend some time teaching him. Over the next few weeks as I worked with him something amazing began to happen, not only were his skills improving by leaps and bounds but I was showing improvements in my game as well.

As we progress as poker players it is often easy to forget the fundamentals of the game. When we coach a player the first thing that we must do is evaluate his understanding of the basics. The beautiful thing about this is that while you’re doing that you’re also reviewing all of those things that our more advanced skills are built on. Even though I had a great understanding of the basics it had been so long since I had spent time on them that I had a whole new set of experiences and knowledge allowing me to view them in a whole new light.
While I was honing the basic skills in my boys I was gaining a whole new understanding of the game and it was showing in my play. So much so that my catching coach had commented “you know Doyle, I really feel like you’re starting to get what I’m trying to teach you here.” This one took a little longer to hit me but several weeks later I had an epiphany, by gaining the experience of coaching my players I was better prepared to learn what my coach was trying to teach me.

As you move through your progression in poker you should always be looking for the opportunity to better yourself. One of the best ways to do that is to befriend players of all skill levels. If what someone has to say is completely wrong, try to understand how they came to their conclusion and perhaps you’ll find you’ve learned something new from them anyway. Never pass up the opportunity to learn, whether it’s through coaching players or getting a little coaching yourself through the discussion of a Hand History or other situations you experience.

Getting inside the head of someone I’m helping and understanding why they make their decisions has resulted in breakthroughs within my own game. I think this was mostly the result of being able to step back and look at a situation from a different point of view. In addition, the coaching/mentoring experience can you help narrow down hand ranges, spot tells, and see through particular plays. Working with players of different levels should give you a better idea of moves\plays that might be in an opponent’s arsenal, giving you the opportunity to adjust your play. Having this experience will give you a better idea of how a player is valuing their hands; giving you the chance to adjust your bet sizing accordingly as he will be more willing to allow you to build bigger pots against his overvalued holdings.

Finally, I’ll leave you with this; pride is deadly to your poker game. Just because you feel that you are better than someone, and even if you are, that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn something from them. Everyone has something to teach. Are you ready to learn?