Haha love it!

A great poker player, community giver and blogs like myself about something he does off the tables!

I totally agree tho that this forum does have an ultra different feel to all others. I kinda see it as a place where everyone legit wants to learn poker and actually cares about helping others.

Ready to follow your journey for start to ....

Go get it!

Cheers Jon.

For those who can't be bothered ready right through the linked 2+2 thread, here was my OP on that thread, just to give a run down of my story and poker goal for 2015.

Hawk23's (MinerBoy23) 2015 Zoom Grind (6 max) - From $100 to ???



History/Info:-


I'm a working and family man who plays evenings and weekends and used to get in about 20-25 hours a week or about 15,000-20,000 hands per month usually 2-3 tabling.

I really want to get rolled to consistently play at 50NL and perhaps higher. Used to be there a quite a few years back but cash outs and poor decisions inevitably held me back and the past few years have seen too many $100-$200 deposits that see me grind well for a time before blowing it all in one or 2 sessions of poor BRM or monkey tilt.

Patience has been problem #1 (get sick of grinding 5NL, 10NL etc to rebuild where I used to be). A month’s grinding often gets wasted when I get bored/inpatient and try my hand at a higher level I’m not rolled for. Hey, I THINK I can play there but that’s what BRM is all about. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bad beat…..you lose a stack it cripples you. Problem # 2 is a severe case of tilt. All kinds of tilt – the angry bad beat version, the “I’m getting no hands version” etc etc…. I do believe I have got much better at tilt control when I've played in recent months but it is always there and with a PG&C thread, hopefully the desire to post good results doesn't see it creep back in.

My Game of Choice

Pokerstars - 6max Zoom

Long Term Goals
* Progress from 10NL to 50NL (Starting with $100) by end of 2015 with a BR healthy enough to look at moving further.
* Control tilt and accept variance. Adopt a “**** happens” mindset, rather than a victim mindset. I realise I will still get angry/frustrated….the goal is to be able to maintain control and stop playing immediately if I feel that’s not possible.
* Progress through the levels passing through each level maintaining disciplined BRM. Move up when rolled and move down when required.

January 2015 Goals
* Start at 10NL Zoom on Pokerstars. 2 Table for entire month. Concentrate on playing this stake only and making good decisions.
* Post hands for review, both in this thread and the Micro forum.

Do's and Don'ts
* Don’t become consumed by the game. If I don’t feel like playing I won’t. Better results come from playing when in the mood rather than trying too hard to force matters.
* Don’t let the game affect my real life moods. Family is more important than poker. This isn’t my job. It’s fun. When it stops being fun, stop.
* Employ Bank Roll Management. haven't determined a strict policy yet but I MUST beat a limit well before moving up and must also move down if required.
* No loss chasing.
* Don’t vent in the chat box.
* Do try to adhere to the aggression and initiative mantra. Not over the top. I’m a nit. Always been a nit. I think this is half the reason I tilt so hard when I finally get a hand that then gets cracked. But I need to improve. 15/11 type number at 6 max (where I will start) need to improve to a degree. Looking to get the VPIP at least into the 16-20 range with the PFR not too far way.
* Do not think aggression and initiative means you have a right to therefore waste your money blindly. Adjust to your opponents. Fold when it’s right to fold. * No FU shoves or FU calls when you know absolutely that it is 100% the wrong thing to do to the point of being terrible.
* Don’t post bad beats. If I can’t win it’s because I’m not good enough.
* Do post hands that trouble me. Use the thread to improve. Ask for advice.

Bankroll Management

Yet to be determined. I do like the "Stairways to Highstakes" system but it does seem overly cautious and I'm not sure I have the patience for it. I'd like to be a little aggressive with shots but always need to maintain a reasonable BR for the stake I'm at. I'm starting with only 10 BI at 10NL and will see how I go. I may need to move back to 5NL if I start poorly but hope to be able to put in a solid first month at 10NL and hopefully build well enough to be able to re-assess at the end of January.

My Playing Mantra
* Abuse the Button.
* Bet for value. (Don't miss those opportunities for that extra bet by playing scared).
* Fold with discipline. (Don't make the frustrated call....The I have to see if he has it call when I know they've outdrawn me).


For those that thought this was tl;dr I apologise for boring you but for those that managed to make it right through I hope you enjoy following my progress and can contribute to the thread in helping me progress. I'd love any advice on game play, tilt control, bankroll management or any other area you feel you can help and if you're embarking on a similar journey in 2015 I'd love to hear about it and perhaps we can share experiences to help each other improve together.

Thanks, and here we go.

Here's the link to my video review by Jon Leak Finder Vid

This is a snap shot of where I am right now.

Hey Miner, defo in for this mate, enjoy reading your running thread when I have free time. Feel free to post hands and stuff, I don't have nothing better to do than giving people wrong advice anyway :

Abuse the Button.
Bet for value. (Don't miss those opportunities for that extra bet by playing scared).

That is two huge things I never see micro players do. The amount of times I see regs betting AA on K25rXX and then check the river in the fear of getting check raised or called by two pair is still pretty high at the lower stakes.

Then you have others who have a btn raise open of 18%.

I used to coach a few guys before and they had a huge problem of not value betting enough and opting to check instead.I think it comes down to getting raised and put in a tough spot, so checking is the easy route to a showdown.

Awesome mate thanks.

Love having you on board. I'm definitely too tight. It's a work in progress to loosen up and I find even when I have for a while that I tend to clam up and really nit it up if I'm running bad for a while.

Just posted my year to date stats. If I look at April in isolation it is more 19/15 now so a bit looser but still a battle to get it to the ideal.

Yes stats on the tighter side. When I see a 17/13 3 barrel me I am pretty much folding everything but the nuts. 19/15 is defo good progress, 20/16 is pretty solid numbers at the mircos so you ain't far off.

How your flop and turn cbet looking for April?

The good thing is you're making money, so don't adjust too much too fast. Seems you're doing well with a $500 + roll. Not thought about shooting at 25nl?

Haha - 25NL. The funny thing is that most of my profit is at 25NL but I'm too stubborn to make the move to that level permanently until I've beaten 5NL and 10NL for a better clip than I have so far. For whatever reason, it's been a struggle to get anything going at those levels.

Jon reckons I should just keep at 25NL if I'm winning there but I'm more worried that's it's been good luck rather than good play so far so want to comfortably satisfy myself that I was able to beat the lower limits before leaving them behind.


Winnings by Stake






March Leakfinder Stats







April Leakfinder Stats

So I've just quit a poker session. Didn't tilt but just lost 2 big pots at once and thought it would be a good time to blog about myself and how I tend to spew after a few bad beats / coolers.

Now it's something I've improved out of sight at over the past few months and I'd like to think it is an issue I'm in control of now but this is the sort of thing that has seen me absolutely spew off the majority of my roll in the past. Having a nice session, up a few BIs and then bam.......in quick succession a few bad beats or a few coolers that sees the session back to scratch. In this case it was a couple of coolers that absolutely nothing could be done about but in the past it has been enough for me to just start spewing, moving up to chase the losses etc...




$0.05/$0.10Zoom No Limit Holdem/6PLAYERS /PokerStars


$0.05/$0.10Zoom No Limit Holdem/6PLAYERS /PokerStars

I love your title. I am a 2 + 2 refuge who has started a thread over here with the good people of Poker VIP. I closed my beloved thread over there, and will reopen in the future as Im in deep over there with many things, but its unreal the amount of abuse that is allowed on that site. Thumbs up to the Poker VIP community for the positive support and encouragement that takes place over here...

Yep obvious ones here are now to just start smash opening the CO and BTN way wider and also 3bet the btn a little more. Being this tight over so many hands you will get some serious respect.

Hand 1: Just flat turn. If he is ever bluffing we can just call turn and let him hang himself on river. He will also value bet Qs anyways and probably call off. Min raising just might put him off doing anything stupid.

Hand 2: Did you just 4b jam with KK ?Would probably just make it 2.5x or something then call it off.

Yeh 2+2 no doubt have a massive forum over there but i do find there can be a few more trolls there than on other forums. Probably just due to the size of it and how many sub forums there are. No doubt it is probably hard to manage.

Good advice thanks. Don't normally 4bet jam there. Not sure why I did. Sometimes you just feel like you can get it in...........unfortunately had the hand I didn't want to see.

So the 2 days play since I kicked this thread off I'm about break even but feel like I've played pretty well without luck.



Have lost only 4 big pots, two of which posted above. Have also lost with 2 other flopped sets. Overall probably not a terrible result to break even considering the big pots haven't fallen my way.


Not sure if I can find a fold when he jams over the top on the river. Of course JJ is in his range but so is 44, 22, AA-QQ I guess. Interested on thoughts.

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $10.44 (VPIP: 26.82, PFR: 18.77, 3Bet Preflop: 9.26, Hands: 273)
Hero (SB): $10.75
BB: $12.13 (VPIP: 15.37, PFR: 12.34, 3Bet Preflop: 8.57, Hands: 479)
UTG: $11.82 (VPIP: 19.05, PFR: 11.90, 3Bet Preflop: 5.26, Hands: 130)
MP: $11.92 (VPIP: 14.29, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 14)
CO: $11.18 (VPIP: 13.04, PFR: 13.04, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 23)

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 55
UTG raises to $0.30, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.25, fold

Flop : ($0.70, 2 players) 548
Hero checks, UTG bets $0.44, Hero raises to $1.20, UTG calls $0.76

Turn : ($3.10, 2 players) 2
Hero bets $1.98, UTG calls $1.98

River : ($7.06, 2 players) J
Hero bets $2.40, UTG raises to $8.34 and is all-in, Hero calls $4.87 and is all-in

UTG shows JJ (Three of a Kind, Jacks)
(Pre 81%, Flop 10%, Turn 5%)

Hero shows 55 (Three of a Kind, Fives)
(Pre 19%, Flop 90%, Turn 95%)

UTG wins $20.63





PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $16.59 (VPIP: 26.47, PFR: 14.71, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 34)
SB: $14.84
Hero (BB): $10.75
UTG: $15.70 (VPIP: 66.67, PFR: 66.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
MP: $10.00 (VPIP: 41.67, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
CO: $23.03 (VPIP: 22.73, PFR: 13.64, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 77
fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.30, SB calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.20

Flop : ($0.90, 3 players) 7J6
SB checks, Hero bets $0.57, BTN raises to $1.50, fold, Hero raises to $10.45 and is all-in, BTN calls $8.95

Turn : ($21.80, 2 players) 8

River : ($21.80, 2 players) K

Hero shows 77 (Three of a Kind, Sevens)
(Pre 52%, Flop 74%, Turn 23%)

BTN shows AQ (Flush, Ace High)
(Pre 48%, Flop 26%, Turn 77%)

BTN wins $20.82




Not sure what this bloke is thinking.

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $15.77 (VPIP: 18.33, PFR: 16.25, 3Bet Preflop: 4.49, Hands: 248)
SB: $6.27 (VPIP: 10.64, PFR: 4.26, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 47)
Hero (BB): $10.76
UTG: $21.31 (VPIP: 20.93, PFR: 16.28, 3Bet Preflop: 10.00, Hands: 90)
MP: $11.41 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
CO: $10.00

SB posts SB $0.05, Hero posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has AK
fold, MP raises to $0.30, fold, fold, SB calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.20, fold, SB calls $0.90

Flop : ($2.70, 2 players) 4A10
SB checks, Hero bets $1.30, SB raises to $2.60, Hero raises to $9.56 and is all-in, SB calls $2.47 and is all-in

Turn : ($12.84, 2 players) 2

River : ($12.84, 2 players) 3

SB shows 4A (Two Pair, Aces and Fours)
(Pre 27%, Flop 70%, Turn 86%)

Hero mucks AK (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 73%, Flop 30%, Turn 14%)

SB wins $12.26






Did manage a few wins though.


Not sure what this guy is thinking but happy he was thinking whatever it was.

PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $10.07 (VPIP: 23.14, PFR: 20.29, 3Bet Preflop: 12.40, Hands: 362)
SB: $8.26 (VPIP: 15.00, PFR: 15.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 20)
BB: $19.19 (VPIP: 16.49, PFR: 13.92, 3Bet Preflop: 3.17, Hands: 201)
UTG: $35.50 (VPIP: 28.57, PFR: 28.57, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 7)
Hero (MP): $11.05
CO: $14.13

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has AK
fold, Hero raises to $0.30, CO calls $0.30, fold, fold, BB raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1.20, CO calls $1.20

Flop : ($4.55, 3 players) 826
BB bets $2.20, Hero raises to $9.55 and is all-in, fold, BB calls $7.35

Turn : ($23.65, 2 players) 8

River : ($23.65, 2 players) 5

BB shows QA (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 24%, Flop 7%, Turn 10%)

Hero shows AK (One Pair, Eights)
(Pre 76%, Flop 93%, Turn 90%)

Hero wins $22.59






PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $16.34 (VPIP: 10.11, PFR: 5.62, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 90)
SB: $20.29 (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
BB: $10.00 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
UTG: $10.32 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 17.50, 3Bet Preflop: 8.33, Hands: 44)
Hero (MP): $10.00
CO: $18.93 (VPIP: 22.64, PFR: 18.87, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 55)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 89
fold, Hero raises to $0.30, fold, fold, fold, BB calls $0.20

Flop : ($0.65, 2 players) 4K10
BB checks, Hero bets $0.30, BB calls $0.30

Turn : ($1.25, 2 players) J
BB bets $1.20, Hero raises to $9.40 and is all-in, BB calls $8.20 and is all-in

River : ($20.05, 2 players) K

BB shows 10J (Two Pair, Kings and Jacks)

Hero shows 89 (Flush, King High)

Hero wins $19.15




PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $18.08 (VPIP: 16.67, PFR: 14.81, 3Bet Preflop: 5.88, Hands: 56)
Hero (SB): $10.95
BB: $9.83 (VPIP: 11.00, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 2.78, Hands: 103)
UTG: $15.28
MP: $15.79 (VPIP: 18.92, PFR: 15.14, 3Bet Preflop: 2.43, Hands: 511)
CO: $10.00 (VPIP: 27.78, PFR: 22.22, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 36)

Hero posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has Q9
fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.20, Hero raises to $0.80, BB calls $0.70, BTN calls $0.60

Flop : ($2.40, 3 players) 9108
Hero checks, BB checks, BTN checks

Turn : ($2.40, 3 players) 5
Hero bets $1.25, fold, BTN calls $1.25

River : ($4.90, 2 players) 2
Hero checks, BTN bets $3.20, Hero calls $3.20

BTN shows J10 (High Card, King)
(Pre 62%, Flop 38%, Turn 23%)

Hero shows Q9 (One Pair, Nines)
(Pre 38%, Flop 62%, Turn 77%)

Hero wins $10.79





PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $10.47 (VPIP: 31.82, PFR: 21.21, 3Bet Preflop: 3.70, Hands: 70)
SB: $29.87 (VPIP: 66.67, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
BB: $18.10 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
UTG: $9.50 (VPIP: 30.77, PFR: 23.08, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 16)
MP: $10.00 (VPIP: 20.31, PFR: 16.15, 3Bet Preflop: 6.64, Hands: 595)
Hero (CO): $11.02

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has 10A
fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.30, fold, SB calls $0.25, BB raises to $1.30, Hero raises to $3.00, fold, fold

Hero wins $2.90

Continued playing. Run bad continues.


PokerStars - $0.10 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $24.23 (VPIP: 22.45, PFR: 20.41, 3Bet Preflop: 5.56, Hands: 50)
SB: $9.90 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 50.00, Hands: 3)
BB: $37.45 (VPIP: 27.27, PFR: 18.18, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
Hero (UTG): $13.35
MP: $14.38 (VPIP: 13.79, PFR: 8.05, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 89)
CO: $20.17 (VPIP: 19.00, PFR: 18.18, 3Bet Preflop: 11.43, Hands: 103)

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop:(pot: $0.15)Hero has KK

Hero raises to $0.30, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to $0.60, fold, Hero raises to $2.10, SB calls $1.50

Flop:($4.30, 2 players)6K9
SB bets $2.05, Hero calls $2.05

Turn:($8.40, 2 players)J
SB bets $4.01, Hero raises to $9.20 and is all-in, SB calls $1.74 and is all-in

River:($19.90, 2 players)3

SB shows Q10 (Straight, King High)
(Pre 14%, Flop 15%, Turn 77%)
Hero shows KK (Three of a Kind, Kings)
(Pre 86%, Flop 85%, Turn 23%)
SB wins $19.00

All seems like legit run bad! The 55 and we know we are beat but find it incredibly hard to fold in game! Just pray they have 444 basically.

Keep a positive frame of mind and keep getting it in as you are and it will equal huge profits going forward. Nothing you don't already know!

You seem to run better in your other thread Minerboy (sorry couldn't resist!)


As for the 25nl comments, I agree with Jon. As long as you feel ready to play 25nl and have the BR I would move there ASAP. The higher you move up the more money you can make, the more rake you generate and the less rake you pay. Just makes sense for all standpoints, however, if you are worried about playing that high then stick to 10nl until you think you are ready.

Haha - I read this as soon as I got out of bed and I was like WTF???

Couldn't stop laughing when it finally clicked.

I reckon I still play a little scared/tight at 25NL just because I'm not as well rolled. It's obviously working ok but I'm really picking my spots carefully and probably not playing optimally.

Think I might make it a goal to add about another $100 at 10NL, which would get me to around $650 and then move to 16NL for a period and see how I go, with the intention to start getting more 25NL sometime soon after that if things go well.