Q & A with HoLLLLLaments

Mr.Plough

Danny aka HoLLLLLaments has agreed via pm to jump in the well. :pac:

One of the younger players on the forum at 20, he is one of the rare regular posters in bbv/nvg who regs online levels 400nl to 1000nl, and aspires to make it into the hendon mob database someday.

I'll start off with some standard Q's, have some theory ones later

1. When did you start playing online? Did you start at the micro levels (20-50nl) and grind your way up to where you are now, or did you jump straight in at 100-200nl?

2. Were you a losing player to begin with? If so when did you start to take the game seriously and work on your game?

3. What would you regard as the best poker article/pooh bah/carpal post you have read?

4. Are you in college/work or is poker your sole source of income?

5. On average how many hands would you play in a month?

6. Running good or bad?

RedJoker

How do you deal with all the laughing from other players, family members, etc. since you're not in the HMD?

Does the pity ever get to you?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

1. Who do you like and dislike on this forum and why....dont be shy now
2. Who are ye, newcomer or have you been playing for a while
3. Tourney or Cash
4. Biggest winning and losing day
5. What aspirations in poker & life do you have
6. PLO or HE which do you like more and why
7 Winnie the Pooh or Paddington Bear and why

GL hope you do not drown in the well

RedJoker

1. What poker books have you read?
2. Any training site subscriptions?
3. Ever get coaching?
4. Do you have a group of poker friends you discuss strategy with?
5. Who has had the biggest influence on your game?
6. Favourite NVG/BBV posts/threads?

nicnicnic

gl in the well


do you spend much time looking enviously at players results on the HMD

Best poker advice you've read

concept you feel tournaments players just don't get

your vvip/pfr/ag

Requiem4adream

Holla, sup.

1. What county do you live in? corollary: which town/village?

2. When are you 21?

2(b). Any vegas ambitions?

3. Some generalised donkament matchups:

Westmenlo v BeLoWAboVe
Bax v Sheets
lilholdem v zangbezan
Tmay420 v PearlJammer

4. Some generalised cash game matchups:

Cts v Threeven
Aba v Hallingol
snake8484 v peachykeen
adz124 v dariominieri

5. Food/drink matchups:

Pizza v pasta
chinese v indian
Coke v Fanta
Milk v Water
vodka v Tequila

6.

boards v 2+2 (why?)

phantom_lord

were u playing poker back when we were in funtasia? miss it at all?
how come u never post strat, either here, or on 2+2?

HoLLLLLaments

1. When did you start playing online? Did you start at the micro levels (20-50nl) and grind your way up to where you are now, or did you jump straight in at 100-200nl?
started playing online at 17. i deposited 50$ on to party with my mammys credit card. i won the first 3$ 9 max sng i played and was like ship it yo. I promptly lost all of it the same night. same story the next day. 55$ i think. then i didnt play again for a while. I deposited 100$ a few weeks b4 i turned 18 on tribecca. Ran this up to 9k over the next year or so playing sngs. i had really ****ty bankroll mangement. like if i went on a 1k swong from 7k to 6k id jump in a 1knl game and try and double up to get even. I then went to college in manchester but was still grinding. Came back maybe 6 months later and was working for like 10$s an hour. I was still really bad at poker tho. roll mangement wasnt my only problem. I remember talking to phantom lord in fusion in drogheda one night about a year or so ago and telling him about a hand where i called a raise with k4ss out of sb vs btn and got it in on K104 flop vs aces and lost. i obviously thought the guy was a lucky idiot. the softness of tribecca sngs were enough to keep my roll growing even with these spewy roll shots at cash. I eventually went busto tho. few weeks later i started with 100$, a new found sng pro friend and a new outlook and just havnt looked back.

2. Were you a losing player to begin with? If so when did you start to take the game seriously and work on your game?
I think i answered this above

3. What would you regard as the best poker article/pooh bah/carpal post you have read?
A bunch of stuff on the stt forum on 2+2. Just theory and such, but really helped. I really liked jmans well and also his article on gbucks for bluff. Probably a bunch more gr8 ones i forgot.

4. Are you in college/work or is poker your sole source of income?
just playing now. going back to college in manchester in sept. i hope. i probly wont do. any1 wanna go to thailand or something?
5. On average how many hands would you play in a month?
really depends. i dont have a set target or goal. if we talk about it in days, some days i could play for 10 hours+ and play 10k hands others i could play 500 hands. usually tho ill do the same thing for a few days-->a week so if i play 7k hands on a monday ill probably put a tonne of hours in that week. i dunno maybe 70k hands a month.
6. Running good or bad?
its all in your head. i live for the variance.

HoLLLLLaments

RedJoker wrote: »

How do you deal with all the laughing from other players, family members, etc. since you're not in the HMD?

Does the pity ever get to you?

crying myself to sleep every night helps.

Duff Man Jr.

How'd you get into poker?

Do you play live?

What are your assperations in poker? i.e. stay at a level you can beat easily(without much varience) or keep moving up till you get to the nosebleed games.

You seemed (I could be wrong) to start posting here and 2+2 at the same time, was that in a effort to get "noticed" by the community.

You have no problem getting stuck into a arguement or fighting your side, do you find it surprising you and hj have'nt clashed yet?

Most overrated player on boards/in general?

- gl

HoLLLLLaments

1. Who do you like and dislike on this forum and why....dont be shy now
peace and love to all. i use to think r4ad was a dick. just kind of got the impression he thought he was the king of the forum. he seems like a good guy tho. just doesnt like to be wrong same as me. Finding nemo seems a bit of a nut. not sure if we got our wires crossed but in the thread where he said he was consistently losing and i said he should reevaluate his game trying to help, he went nuts so he obv wants me dead but w/e. I use to work with phantom lord and hes sound. talk to reggie on msn a bit. also sound. van dice is also sound. Nicnicnics posts are always good and he seems like a really nice guy. Ian, valor and some others post really good strat. el stuntmans blog is really good. loads of others too for various reasons.
2. Who are ye, newcomer or have you been playing for a while
i think i answered this in first post, lemme know if u wanna know anything else.
3. Tourney or Cash
horse mtt>cash>mtt
4. Biggest winning and losing day
-18k +24ishk
5. What aspirations in poker & life do you have
to not play poker for the rest of my life and do something that doesnt soulcrush you. learn some foreign languages. travel, this will be happening soon i hope. sick of the site of this ****hole. lick meg whites face.

6. PLO or HE which do you like more and why
i like playing deepstacked hu plo. alot of people feel 6max nlhe is the most neutral game emotion wise. recently im getting really bored of it, probably because the lack of emotion both positive and negative. Somedays if i havnt play hu nlhe in a few weeks i absoultely love it.
7 Winnie the Pooh or Paddington Bear and why

winnie the pooh cos of tigger

HoLLLLLaments

1. What poker books have you read?
most, havnt read tommy As new one yet. will soon
2. Any training site subscriptions?
cardrunners,leggo
3. Ever get coaching?
had a friend who played sngs for a living coach me for free after bustoville.
4. Do you have a group of poker friends you discuss strategy with?
on msn/aim/mostly on phone i prob have 5 people i discuss strat/hhs with on a reg basis. irl i dont talk poker with anyone, not more than once anyway.

5. Who has had the biggest influence on your game?
guy in Q3
6. Favourite NVG/BBV posts/threads?
a bunch, i like the drama ones in nvg. the whole brandi **** etc. its like the way women read ok/gossip mags. just an entertaining read that doesnt use much of your brain. theres loads of really funny ones in BBV, OOT etc. best ones are probably stickied there. And cardshark broke thread LDO.

mormank

hey. first things first, i didnt realise you were so young when we 'spoke' last month on here. you probably dont even remember but hey. still very impressive ive gotta say given my own situation...

anyway, what level do you find is the easiest that you have played from 1/2 up??
i find at the minute that a cannot lose at the standard micro level im playin but whenever i take a shot at a higher game like 3/6 or 5/10 i flunk out badly..you have done this i take it, what do you think is the best way to get up to these levels? continue to take shots with a % of my profit or just wait and wait etc...

my last question and probably most important, can liverpool make it a hat trick of wins over chelsea in the semi finals of the champion's league?

HoLLLLLaments

do you spend much time looking enviously at players results on the HMD
probly like 20 hours a week
Best poker advice you've read
well nothing sticks out that ive read but in one cardrunners video where sbrugby was playing stinger in hu plo he talked about a concept that is simple enough really but i just hadnt really thought about it before. He bet the river with top 2 with a broadway sr8 on board and he said he fully intends to call a raise because stinger knows its really hard for him to have KQ here so therefore its a good spot for stinger to bluffraise. that really got some good thinking and discussion with players i know. actually something similiar i have read was when Jman was playing antonius HU on roland de wolfes account and jman bet the river with like 745th pair because he thought antonius would turn 746th pair into a bluff. that hand was pretty sweet and also generated a lot of good thinking for me.

concept you feel tournaments players just don't get

probably the fact that tournaments are not as profitable as people think they are. in relation to cash games i think tournament players dont think on a high enough level. maybe not on a high enough level because people cant think on a level they are not on but sort of a level within a level. Like if someone raises preflop and tournament player calls from bb and raiser chks back flop and then bets when a flush card hits on turn a tournament player will think well he cant have a flush because he would have bet the flop. seasoned cash game players are thinking about so much more. Basically i think tourny players think about the game in a simple sr8forward way. Thats a good thing for them tho because if you start trying to merge your range in a 5k person sunday major it probably wont end to well but thinking in a sr8forward way against good players in cash wont work. theres a bunch of other obvious stuff like playing poorly deepstacked etc.

your vvip/pfr/ag

im playing 35/26/2 over last 20k hands. too nittty imo

Mr.Plough

lol You's used to work in funtasia! I worked up there for a couple of summers. As an apprentice electrician though, not on the monkey jump.

HoLLLLLaments

Holla, sup.

1. What county do you live in? corollary: which town/village?
louth
2. When are you 21?
october, you can come
2(b). Any vegas ambitions?
coke and whores
3. Some generalised donkament matchups:

Westmenlo v BeLoWAboVe
menlo and its not even close. the few mtt players i know say saul is a spewtard
Bax v Sheets
bax probly
lilholdem v zangbezan
not sure, sorel cheats(lol), but chad batista apparently rapes people.
Tmay420 v PearlJammer
dont know who tmays is, i think ive heard of him tho.......so jon turner

4. Some generalised cash game matchups:

Cts v Threeven
cts
Aba v Hallingol
aba
snake8484 v peachykeen
p3achy
adz124 v dariominieri
adz is scum but probly better at nlhe. i like dario tho

5. Food/drink matchups:

Pizza v pasta
pizza
chinese v indian
chinese
Coke v Fanta
lilt
Milk v Water
water, i love ice cold milk tho
vodka v Tequila
after 10 vodkas tequila

6.

boards v 2+2 (why?)
boards prob, every forum people always want to be right but on 2+2 its a new extreme.

HoLLLLLaments

were u playing poker back when we were in funtasia? miss it at all?
how come u never post strat, either here, or on 2+2?
rough timeline of poker/funtasia in first post.
was good fun during the summer. me and peg(danny(on floor)) used to have unreal craic. but after he left to join the gards, i was like wtf am i doing here? lucky enough i had gotten good enough from poker by then.

really hate getting into arguments on forums re strat. like when someone on here posted something about waiting for better spots, i felt compelled to show him the light but its hard to have debates with people who think they are right. everyone always thinks they are right on forums. I like debating moral/gossip issues tho. basically for posting in strat forums the juice isnt worth the squeeze for me. I do post sometimes here tho. will try and post more

stevire

In regards to your goal to get on the HMD...

What big ranking/buyin games have you previously played? And how would you rate your live tournament game?

What live tournies do you plan to play/ always had an ambition to play and why!

HoLLLLLaments

How'd you get into poker
saw gus hansen, devilfish on tv, watched pokernitelive for a while. won my first 9man sng i played
Do you play live?
like 4 times
What are your assperations in poker? i.e. stay at a level you can beat easily(without much varience) or keep moving up till you get to the nosebleed games.
i want to quit poker as soon as i can find something else. i was talking to reggie about this on msn recently. i like new challenges. if i get bored of somthing well its just boring. pokers starting to get like that. id prob take a break for a few months if i could find something else to give me a challenge for a bit. was playing backgammon for a bit but didnt get into it. if i dont go travelling im hoping college in sept will fulfill my need for a challenge.

You seemed (I could be wrong) to start posting here and 2+2 at the same time, was that in a effort to get "noticed" by the community.
not really noticed, more be a part of really. i kind of slowly started lurking 2+2 then b4 long i was reading all the strat posts. then when i moved to 3/6 i stopped reading so much strat. when i finally started posting i used the name "holllllaments" because a friend and i were high one night and doing flips while talking on the phone and i crushed his KK or something(real bad beat) and he said lol donkaments and i said hahahahah holla and he said lol hollaments and i just thought it was hilarious and took it for my forum name and set up accounts here/2+2/p5s the next day.

You have no problem getting stuck into a arguement or fighting your side, do you find it surprising you and hj have'nt clashed yet?
hj=hectorjelly? if so he seems like a smart articulate guy. cant remember a post of his i read that i thought was bad so probably nothing to argue about yet. tell him to call my sister names or something

Most overrated player on boards/in general?

halibut2;)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Danny are u often in either poker club in Drogheda if so we have probably played at a table?

HoLLLLLaments

hey. first things first, i didnt realise you were so young when we 'spoke' last month on here. you probably dont even remember but hey. still very impressive ive gotta say given my own situation...
you pmd me about HU strat?

anyway, what level do you find is the easiest that you have played from 1/2 up??
2/4 is where alot of people start playing for a living. there always seems to be alot of fish at 2/4hu and 3/6hu tho. 5/10 is usually alot of people taking shots from 2/4 and regulars who have made it at the expense of people taking shots. i could be wrong but i always thought the fishpool was smaller than expected at 5/10. 10/20 is a big game. u can make a mil a year playing 10/20.

i find at the minute that a cannot lose at the standard micro level im playin but whenever i take a shot at a higher game like 3/6 or 5/10 i flunk out badly..you have done this i take it, what do you think is the best way to get up to these levels? continue to take shots with a % of my profit or just wait and wait etc...
you probably have what i coined the golf habit theory. You know when you start golfing your supposed to get a coach right way to avoid falling into bad habits which are very difficult to get out of. pokers a bit like that especially at 2/4+. good players will punish these bad habits. id say some good coaching would be a nice idea. think of it as investing in your game.

my last question and probably most important, can liverpool make it a hat trick of wins over chelsea in the semi finals of the champion's league
lol. im neutral. suppose they can if the ref gives them goals when the ball is still 1890 yards in front of the line

HoLLLLLaments

Mr.Plough wrote: »

lol You's used to work in funtasia! I worked up there for a couple of summers. As an apprentice electrician though, not on the monkey jump.

lol yuh. i didnt work the rides tho. thats peasants work for people like phantom lord.

HoLLLLLaments

In regards to your goal to get on the HMD...
Im only taking the piss. i couldnt give a **** tbh

What big ranking/buyin games have you previously played? And how would you rate your live tournament game?
never played a live donkament. i think id have to make some adjustments no doubt. probably just getting used to exploiting fields where 95% of people suck. i think id adjust pretty quickly tho.

What live tournies do you plan to play/ always had an ambition to play and why!
dont plan on playing any. prob will if im in the right place at the right time. was seriously considering playing the IO but coudnt be arsed really.

HoLLLLLaments

Dorothy Gorgeous Dandelion wrote: »

Danny are u often in either poker club in Drogheda if so we have probably played at a table?

only played a couple of times, not in like a year tho

mormank

my last question and probably most important, can liverpool make it a hat trick of wins over chelsea in the semi finals of the champion's league
lol. im neutral. suppose they can if the ref gives them goals when the ball is still 1890 yards in front of the line[/QUOTE]

doesnt sound very neutral!!

RedJoker

How do you approach a new opponent HU. Sit back and feel them out, try not to drop too much early. Or come out all guns blazing, create an aggro image and put them under pressure early?

Favourite training site video and instructor?

Also two of the great HU NL questions of the time:
1. Open every button or not?
2. 33 on 852; check call, check raise or check fold?

max_power

Hi Holllllla, I don't usually post in the wells but you seem like an interesting guy so heres a few q's.

When did you make the transition from sngs to cash? What was the catalyst?

Is there any reason in particular that deters you from playing live?

Do you still live at home?

What do your family think abot you playing poker?

Coolest (read extravagant and unnecesary) thing you've bought from poker monies?

Do you play any sports?

Favourite music to listen to while grinding?

Do you have any investments from poker monies?

Go travelling and get the **** outta louth lol.

TY and Gl.

HoLLLLLaments

How do you approach a new opponent HU. Sit back and feel them out, try not to drop too much early. Or come out all guns blazing, create an aggro image and put them under pressure early?
i usually play really aggressive. i think some people make a mistake by "feeling an opponent out". most people take this to mean just play nice and tight and see how hes playing and try and find the right style to combat that. thats ok but i prefer to feel opponents out by being really aggressive right of the bat and see how they respond. i think being the aggressor HU is really optimal so if i can be i will if someone is 3 betting alot then ill adjust and either snug up or start4 betting depending on opponent. its usually start 4betting. against weak opponents i dont mind getting caught firing a few barrells early on it a match because it doesnt matter what happens after they will always think u have air when u fire multiple streets again.

if im playing someone who is also really aggressive and i dont think they make many mistakes postflop ill just leave.

Favourite training site video and instructor?
I liked sbrugby1, about taking responsibility for your own results. AEjones maybe, i hear timex is going to be making vids for cardrunners so itll probly be him even if his vids suck. also actionjeffs sng vids for cardrunners were great

Also two of the great HU NL questions of the time:
1. Open every button or not?
no, this is not profitable against most, even 1st level, thinking players. im going to start experimenting with min raising as my opening raise otb. A couple of successful hsnl guys do this.
2. 33 on 852; check call, check raise or check fold?
all these spots are player dependant but c/r>>>>>>>c/c. if your going to continue in the hand, c/r is best. whether u continue in the hand really depends on alot of things.

RedJoker

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

im going to start experimenting with min raising as my opening raise otb. A couple of successful hsnl guys do this. [/B]

Yeah, JimmieG in his recent LP video discussed good times to switch to min raising.

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

all these spots are player dependant but c/r>>>>>>>c/c. if your going to continue in the hand, c/r is best. whether u continue in the hand really depends on alot of things.

Does your opinion change if it's 6max or do you just lean more heavily towards a fold?


Also what's the biggest difference between a winning 1/2 reg and a winning 3/6 or 5/10 reg?

HoLLLLLaments

When did you make the transition from sngs to cash? What was the catalyst?
around $200+sng level. new challenge.

Is there any reason in particular that deters you from playing live?
its really slow/boring. online=>$p/h. i guess some people just like playing live because its real poker or w/e. i just dont really crave it.

Do you still live at home?
no

What do your family think abot you playing poker?
think w/e. i paid of my mams 5k credit card bill a while back so shes cool with it. dad wants me to go back to college but doesnt hate it. i dont really talk about it with them.

Coolest (read extravagant and unnecesary) thing you've bought from poker monies?
1964 jb hutto airline guitar. dont even play it but its the same one as jack white uses.

Do you play any sports?
beer pong

Favourite music to listen to while grinding?
white stripes, beatles, black rebel motorcycle club, the clash. bunch of other stuff. i like some rap but usually only 1 or 2 songs by an artist so ill have lika big rap playlist of different people.

Do you have any investments from poker monies?
one. this is something ill probably look into more in the future. seems boring tho

Go travelling and get the **** outta ireland lol.
ill try lol

max_power

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

[/B] get the **** outta ireland lol.

.

HoLLLLLaments

RedJoker wrote: »

Does your opinion change if it's 6max or do you just lean more heavily towards a fold?
i dont really lean towards a fold. like if villian is weakish player who chks back a tonne of flops he misses then its probly an easy chk fold. if villian cbets a tonne of flops then c/r is fine. in spots like this by c/r your basically eliminating all the hands that you beat which is usually not a good thing(see raising for info) but because playing this hand oop will be so difficult its not a bad result to take the pot on flop. i probly chk call 0% of the time here.


Also what's the biggest difference between a winning 1/2 reg and a winning 3/6 or 5/10 reg?
work ethic/experience. thought process

RedJoker

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

your vvip/pfr/ag

im playing 35/26/2 over last 20k hands. too nittty imo

Is that HU or 6max, or a mix of both?

HoLLLLLaments

RedJoker wrote: »

Is that HU or 6max, or a mix of both?

mix of everything in my newest db, think theres even some 3 handed 10/20 minbet in it.

RedJoker

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

mix of everything in my newest db, think theres even some 3 handed 10/20 minbet in it.

lol, what are your typical numbers for 6max, hu and, most importantly, 3 handed limit?

HoLLLLLaments

RedJoker wrote: »

lol, what are your typical numbers for 6max, hu and, most importantly, 3 handed limit?

hu 46/41
6 max 25/22 this is from my old db, numbers a probly a little bigger. maybe like 30/27 after i play enough hands
3 handed limit 58/50 small sample tho lol

Hitman Actual

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

vodka v Tequila
after 10 vodkas tequila

Good answer. Some from me:

1. How hard are the stakes you're playing now compared to a couple of years ago?

2. A couple of good players here (robinlacey and ianmc, iirc) talked about playing more at 3-6 rather than 5-10 these days as it's less stressful. Are you of the same opinion?

3. Pick 5 other boardsies that would make a really tough 6-max NLHE table to play at. Would you have an edge at that table (or is that a silly question?).

4. Would you agree that most players have an idea what folding equity is, but very few can give a good 'technical' explanation of it? What's your definition of folding equity?

Some non-poker:
5. What are you studying in College? Is it something you're interested in, or is it just a grind?

6. Do you, or have you in the past, played any sports?

7. Opinions on "The Raconteurs"?

Best of luck, HoLLLLLaments.

RoadSweeper

Maybe it was answered:

Where you playing at the moment?

Do you rely on Rake back as an income?


Since you became good (when you got coaching from the pro after going busto) and were practising good br management, did you have any bad downswings, details please?


Why dont you post hands and theory here? Do you post much on 2+2


You seem to have only come as a new member here recently, how did you find us>?

Ste05

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

against weak opponents i dont mind getting caught firing a few barrells early on it a match because it doesnt matter what happens after they will always think u have air when u fire multiple streets again.

Until they hit and run you, it's my biggest pet peeve playing HU... :mad: If everyone stayed til they were broke it would be swell.

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

I liked sbrugby1, about taking responsibility for your own results. AEjones maybe, i hear timex is going to be making vids for cardrunners so itll probly be him even if his vids suck. also actionjeffs sng vids for cardrunners were great

Watch Ansky's video's, they are better then everyone I've ever seen, incl. CTS and Aba (although I haven't seen aejones, who I hear is good)

Re: you're post about thinking about changing your open raise to a min bet, something I've been experimenting lately with is opening to 4-5x BB's instead of pot or 3x and have found it good, playing bigger pots in position is good, as opposed to stealing blinds for as cheaply as possible. Discuss.

Also, top 5 strat posters on 2+2. And who do you have on ignore in NVG?

HoLLLLLaments

1. How hard are the stakes you're playing now compared to a couple of years ago?
probably alot harder. By all accounts party was a goldmine a year ago. I think lolol pulled like 3 million in a year out of the 10/20 games there. if you put the best players now into those games it would be really sick. The fishpool is getting smaller because players are getting better. I dont think its that the fish are stopping playing, just that they are getting better. Like on party some of the sng players use to 8 table the 200s and maintain a 20%roi. That would be impossible to do now.

2. A couple of good players here (robinlacey and ianmc, iirc) talked about playing more at 3-6 rather than 5-10 these days as it's less stressful. Are you of the same opinion
I dont really get stressed out. I prefer playing 3/6 hunl because i think its alot softer than 5/10 and even 2/4 but if theres a bunch of fish sitting at 5/10 hunl tables as oppsoed to the usual regs im going to play.Suppose if your winrate was alot smaller at 5/10 then its a good idea. I think good regs who are beating 3/6 for a decent earn should be able to beat 5/10 tho. It might just be a mental thing. like 1knl isnt a much bigger game then 600nl so maybe its like a mental thing that causes the stress factor.
3. Pick 5 other boardsies that would make a really tough 6-max NLHE table to play at. Would you have an edge at that table (or is that a silly question?).
Ian, halibut2, cardshark, phantom lord,valor,. anybody whos a winner at 2/4+ basically. Like a table full of solid regs who dont make many mistakes is tougher than a table of 2 of the best players in the world and 3 fish. Maybe not exactly that ratio but you understand what im saying. Id rather be at a table with CTS,Antonius,uberdonk1,uberfish1,uberwhale1 then be at a table with 5 winning 10/20 players.

4. Would you agree that most players have an idea what folding equity is, but very few can give a good 'technical' explanation of it? What's your definition of folding equity?
im sure alot of people understand what it is but dont know the word for word definition. Alot of poker concepts are like that tho. like im sure people who have never heard of fold equity have some basic understanding of what it is. if i was explaining it to a newb: fold equity is when your range for pushing+the times your opponent folds will have enough equity over his range for calling to make it profitable. maybe one thing is people dont put enough thought into narrowing down a range for opponent. I always try to work in "the spite call" factor. people probably dont explain it in depth very well because it gets a little complicated. not the most complicated of concepts but to people who have only a basic understanding of it the math might be a little confusing

5. What are you studying in College? Is it something you're interested in, or is it just a grind?
i was studying electrical engineering, no will do something different if i go back.

6. Do you, or have you in the past, played any sports?
played football when i was younger. not since about 14 for a club.
7. Opinions on "The Raconteurs"?
i liked the first album. havnt heard the second one yet. i prefer the white stripes tho.

HoLLLLLaments

Where you playing at the moment?
all over, i was thinking about rounding up all my money tho and just playing on stars, ipoker. Ill probly keep a few k on ftp for horse games and mtts.
Do you rely on Rake back as an income?
no, altho its part of my income on some sites i suppose. if there was no rakeback id still make a nice living so i dont rely on it.

Since you became good (when you got coaching from the pro after going busto) and were practising good br management, did you have any bad downswings, details please?
nothing crazy. ive had + or -20bi days. i never really had a bad swing when i was playing sngs. everyone was ridiculously bad. i lost a bunch of money playing 4k in like 20 mins playing 100/200 limit before. that was pretty sick.

Why dont you post hands and theory here? Do you post much on 2+2
i answered this in other post i think. i do post a little in the hhs section tho. not alot. i have like 300 posts there maybe.

You seem to have only come as a new member here recently, how did you find us
i always knew about this forum. not sure how. i might have just googled Irish poker forum. then when i started posting a bit on 2+2 i did here also.

HoLLLLLaments

Until they hit and run you, it's my biggest pet peeve playing HU... :mad: If everyone stayed til they were broke it would be swell.

everyone gets so pissed about shortstackers HU. they are usually terrible. obviously its frustrating when someone buys in for 200$ vs your 1k doubles up 3 times and sits out but that doesnt happen alot. most of the time they just spew money away.
Watch Ansky's video's, they are better then everyone I've ever seen, incl. CTS and Aba (although I haven't seen aejones, who I hear is good)
ill probly join pokersavvy soon.

Re: you're post about thinking about changing your open raise to a min bet, something I've been experimenting lately with is opening to 4-5x BB's instead of pot or 3x and have found it good, playing bigger pots in position is good, as opposed to stealing blinds for as cheaply as possible. Discuss.
i talked about this for hours one day on aim with livb112.opening 4-5X. i think it works against bad players. in hunl good players will adjust but playing bigger pots in position is obviously a good thing.

Also, top 5 strat posters on 2+2. And who do you have on ignore in NVG?
i like jman, gigabet has some amazing posts. so did samo before em2 chased him away. dj sensei, oh and riverboatking is awesome

Mellor

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

nothing crazy. ive had + or -20bi days.

You say you have never had crazy swings, I supose its relative, but I'd consider +/- 20 BI days on the crazy side.

How many buy-ins do you consider necessery for a level. I'm guessing it increases with level, so what kind of BI would ou recommend for say, 50nl, 200nl and 600nl

colquhom

good well, cheers for doing this,

When did you decide to play predominantly heads-up?

What were the reasons for the switch?

How did you develop your heads-up game, was it through talking with friends, videos, forums etc or just lots and lots of practice?

Do you feel that long term, there is more money to be made and a greater future in the game for someone concentrating on heads-up?

I pretty much never call from the bb when playing heads up, i either 3bet or fold in an effort to never play pots out of position. I sometimes feel however, that by taking hands towards the top of my range and flat calling rather than 3 betting, i could get to play pots against his weaker opening range in comparison to my calling range, albeit at a positional disadvantage.

Is there any argument for doing this?

Basically my point is, i sometimes feel that given i have a fairly wide 3bet range from the bb, whenever i get called, i'm playing oop against a range of hands that is generally ahead of me. Essentially, i'm turning hands that would do very well against calling a raise, but that don't do well when called in a 3bet situation. What could i do to combat this or is it standard?

What are your thoughts on floating in position in 3 bet pots, is it something you do often heads-up? What would be the criteria for a good situation to do this? I find myself that i have trouble in this regard with assuming that i can take almost every pot away from people who 3bet me heads up and then end up spewing quite a bit.

HoLLLLLaments

You say you have never had crazy swings, I supose its relative, but I'd consider +/- 20 BI days on the crazy side.
like if you play 10k hands in a day sometimes and are running above or below expectation big swings can happen pretty easy. i say nothing crazy because its pretty standard to run hot or cold over 10k hands. other days i could play 10k hands and breakeven.

How many buy-ins do you consider necessery for a level. I'm guessing it increases with level, so what kind of BI would ou recommend for say, 50nl, 200nl and 600nl

for 50nl id say 40bis which is 2k, id step up to to 100nl around 4k and drop back if i dropped below 3800. id move to 200nl when i had 8500-9k and drop back if i dropped below 8k. I woudnt move to 400nl until i had 20k. i woudnt even take shots around 19k. Ill explain this in a second. for 600nl id want 30k to be a reg in those games. Id drop back to 400nl if i lost 2400/4bis.

The reason i dont think taking shots is a good idea at higher levels is because the money is starting to matter. When you take 35 bi shots or w/e at 100nl the games will be softer so you have more of a chance to succeed. Also if you dont succeed its easier to grind back up. If you take 35 bi shots at 600nl and lose 6bis, thats a big chunk of money and its harder to grind back. Also people think that taking shots or w/e will be a process over a couple of weeks. alot of the time its not the case. Sometimes youll take a 35bi shot lose 4 bis in an hour and right then and there have to sit out at all your tables and drop down. some people have trouble doing this. When i was moving from 30$sngs-50$sngs i had switched levels 5 times in day. dropping back down to the 30s and grinding then playing the 50s, losing and dropping back down to the 30s for an hour.

RoadSweeper

Thanks again danny for answering.

Im impressed with you BR ideas. Looks like youir a bit of a nit compare to your starting out ways.

Just a few more, you dont have to answer them if ya dont waanna expose anything.

Whats your vpip/pfr/agg for 6 max?

Do you use Holdem manger or PT?

Screen shots?

RedJoker

HoLLLLLaments wrote: »

5. What aspirations in poker & life do you have
to not play poker for the rest of my life and do something that doesnt soulcrush you.

Why do you think poker soulcrushes you? Do you think reading all those NVG drama threads adds to this view?

I used to waste so much time in BBV/4Life, even had an undertitle, do you ever wish you spent less time on BBV/NVG or do you view it as entertainment and a way to let off steam?

zuutroy

Wow, your bankroll reqs are tight....I thought I was nitty for moving up to $200nl at $7k and dropping back down at $6k (1k hands later, lol ty poker). I do think you need 40 bi to be comfortable at a level, but I think shots at 35, drop down at 30 is ok....I guess this goes up for MSNL.
Some good answers btw.

HoLLLLLaments

When did you decide to play predominantly heads-up?

not sure, more of a gradual process, i still play 6 max tho. i never play fr.

What were the reasons for the switch?

i play mostly HU because its more profitable if you do the right things. Not as in poker skill. But game selection, tilt control etc.

How did you develop your heads-up game, was it through talking with friends, videos, forums etc or just lots and lots of practice?

playing alot. talking strat with people. a few of taylor cabys videos were really great. you really cant beat just playing as much as you can. I remember reading a quote from greg raymer saying you should educate yourself as much as you possibly can on poker. Thinking back i cant really remember a poker book or such that really helped my hu game. Lots of small things combined with playing a tonne of hands.

Do you feel that long term, there is more money to be made and a greater future in the game for someone concentrating on heads-up?

yeh HU is definitely where the moneys at at higher stakes. once you get to a certain skill level game selection is really the biggest thing for maximizing profit.

I pretty much never call from the bb when playing heads up, i either 3bet or fold in an effort to never play pots out of position. I sometimes feel however, that by taking hands towards the top of my range and flat calling rather than 3 betting, i could get to play pots against his weaker opening range in comparison to my calling range, albeit at a positional disadvantage.

Is there any argument for doing this?
I think your going to lose value by not 3betting the top of your range especially if your always normally 3betting. Playing any hand oop can be difficult even premiums. I think you have to remember you cant win every pot HU. like you dont have to 3bet every Suited one gapper.

Basically my point is, i sometimes feel that given i have a fairly wide 3bet range from the bb, whenever i get called, i'm playing oop against a range of hands that is generally ahead of me. Essentially, i'm turning hands that would do very well against calling a raise, but that don't do well when called in a 3bet situation. What could i do to combat this or is it standard?

In HU alot of people confuse position with being the aggressor in the pot. Your problem is that when you 3bet and get called your hand does not fair well vs their range. First like i said you cant win every pot. If your 3betting every pot your going to win it right there a lot but your going to get called sometimes and put in a difficult spot. This is unavoidable if your going to 3bet a lot. So what your asking is how to minimize the difficulty of the spots you get into when your 3bet gets called. Theres a few small things you can do like figure out there range for calling 3bets and dont cbet flops that hit it etc. but alot of the time you will just have to try and successfully maneuver the hand oop. My solution to avoid getting to these spots in 3bet pots oop is to not 3bet so much. Like you say you never call oop. I think you should maybe try calling. Alot of people think about it wrong when they smoothcall preflop. On an A72r or K83r flop they will just chk fold. Well if someone has a really wide range for opening the button they will be cbetting these flops almost 100% of the time but most of the time it wont hit their range. I really bluff raise peoples cbets an absolute tonne on these flops. They either have it or they dont and most of the time they dont. Its also really hard for them do put you on anything they beat or can get you to fold. Your range is usually air or a strong top+. that was a bit rambly but basically dont try and win every pot preflop. try and take some away postflop. Its easier and it will help if your getting into tough spots in raised pots oop.

What are your thoughts on floating in position in 3 bet pots, is it something you do often heads-up? What would be the criteria for a good situation to do this? I find myself that i have trouble in this regard with assuming that i can take almost every pot away from people who 3bet me heads up and then end up spewing quite a bit.
Really sounds like your trying to win every pot. Floating a lot of pots HU is a leak. Theres only a few rare occasions when floating is profitable. Just because someone cbets 100% of their range in 3bet pots doesnt necessarily mean that its a good idea to float. Always have a plan for every card that can come. Not just "well if the flush fills im going to bet". think about every possible situation that could occur. Also try and determine what your repping. Like if you float his cbet in a 3bet flop on a QJ4r board and he chks a 2 on turn to u and u bet what are you repping? In general id say float and 3bet less

HoLLLLLaments

Why do you think poker soulcrushes you?
lack of interaction? i went to a therapist about this and she said i was unhappy with poker because all of my interaction with people was under social circumstances going out with friends etc. and poker was the cause of this.
who knows, maybe subconsciously the swings get to me but i dont think so.

Do you think reading all those NVG drama threads adds to this view?
i dont read nvg as much as you think i do. maybe like a combined 1-2hrs a week. less even

I used to waste so much time in BBV/4Life, even had an undertitle, do you ever wish you spent less time on BBV/NVG or do you view it as entertainment and a way to let off steam?

i like tv poker/ am a fanboy or w/e so i like reading about durrr vs hellmuth hu for rollz or w/e else is going on. Its just entertaining. most of the **** their is crap. I usually skim tru the title page and open w/e will look interesting. usually thats 1-3 threads a day

HoLLLLLaments

Whats your vpip/pfr/agg for 6 max?
anwsered abover
Do you use Holdem manger or PT?
pt