Dan's April

I start off every month predicting that this one is going to be different, I'm going to do $20k+, etc. This month I'm making no such predictions. Instead, I want this month to form part of the journey back to the above goals, and I'll be doing that through several small steps.

First of all, my current problems do not stem from mindset or other non-tangible poker things. I have been doing, and will continue to do going forward, things like 2 hour max sessions then a review. I've been eating before playing, sleeping when too tired, and for the most part avoiding tilt.

My major worry right now is that the technical aspects just aren't there. Or, if they are there, they're not coming to the fore when I need them most, as in when I'm actually playing.

So, technical aspects. I'm going to start this month with a renewed interest in my red line. Typically, what that means is the following:

• I don't put much money into a pot (a single call of a PF raise, then one bet on the flop either cbetting or calling a bet) unless I'm either going with the hand to showdown, or planning to 3 barrel bluff.
• I don't bluff in big pots without the right of last initiative.
• In big pots with a marginal hand and sensing weakness, then shove all in.

Now, the above can cause me problems. It can cause me problems when I find myself in a big pot, without a hand, and probably no FE. I shove all in anyway, but usually this can be spew if I'm not repping anything. What I constantly need to be aware of on the flop is the PSR, and whether calling flop/ shoving turn, or jamming flop is viable given stacks and everything else. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the decision has to be made extremely early.

To make decisions like the above easier, I need to concentrate a lot more on people's 3bet ranges from the blinds and tendencies thereafter. Do they cbet AK on a low board? Do they bet once then give up? What do they percieve as my range?

Another technical aspect to be aware of is: don't reward the nit. If TradebyDay raises on the flop, and I have AA, it's just a fold. Don't reward the fact he literally never puts in money without the goods by paying him off, ever.

In terms of PF, I need to keep up the constant pressure, but ease off from 3bet/4bet jamming 77 etc. I used to pride myself on being one step ahead of this game, and by doing stuff like the above I just play into their hands.

One last thing, I need to get more creative in certain spots. Now, I don't know what that means exactly, but I do know it means opening up my mind more in certain spots, taking weird lines with hands and repping bluffs with my big hands.

Before anything else, I'm going to play at least 1000 hands of 200nl. A number of goals:

• the red line should be extremely skyward
• not too many ridiculous call downs to try and affect the above (early planning)
• nits not ever rewarded
• in general, just being more aware of reg 'animal types' and what this means
• no PF spew- JJ+ for the most part
• some creative play in there.

Those are my goals for the 1000 hands. This will be made up of around 3-4 sessions most likely.

So, about to play session 1. I'll play then review the hands here, and grade myself out of 10 for the each of the afformentioned bullet points.

April starts here.

dan