Changeaments

My poker focus has completely changed. From primarily a SnG player, to a cash player. I just haven't had the urge to fire up those variance riddled SnG's, like a used to. Especially on Pokerstars. I just feel my edge is so small now due to all the regs killing the games, that there is no point using them to try and make money anymore.

I remember when a decent SnG grinder, of the 9 mans, was probably looking at like a 7-10% ROI over a decent sample and maybe a little higher for the 18's. Well I'd bet my ass that only the top players are grinding that sort of ROI out now for those games, with the majority of decent grinders looking at more like 3-6%. That means to make decent dosh you need to be really smashing the volume hard and putting the hours in.

Thats not something I have time to, or want to do. I think from now on I may play them for a bit of fun or for a change of scenery. TBH, I never thought I'd hear myself say that.

The games have just gotten ridiculously rock-like on stars. I mean in the 16's where I played a lot, you either had to play off US times, like midday to early afternoon UK time, to avoid the American and Canadian grinders and even then there were some very good Euro grinders frequenting, but if you play like 6pm UK time until like 11am then the games are just stuffed with very good regs.  What's the point of playing against the better players in SnG's? Reducing your EV is crazy IMO.

TBH now, the only way I think I'd ever move back to grinding sng's on Stars is if the UIGEA was repealed and all the American casual players started returning online, other than that, there is no point.

So, I have withdrawn most of my cash on Stars back to Neteller, till I decide what to do with it next. If you wanna make money in this game, you gotta gotta go where the worst players are IMO.

Speaking of the worst players...

I am back to playing/running hot on the microgaming cash tables. Its simply about the table selection. One good thing about cash games is that you avoid the good regs. Just don;t sit at their table, pretty fucking simple!!

So, after my horrible crack at NL100, I returned to the NL50 tables and its all gone pretty good. I really wish I had never spunked off that money on the roulette or my roll would be back to where it was before the NL100 horror show. I have manage to make about 7 buy-ins over the last couple of days, simply by bum-hunting. Nothing finer that sitting at a table, getting QQ first hand and some fish stacking off to you on the Jack high flop. ofc he can't fold his KJ!

I am starting to enjoy the cash, especially the 6-max. Building up my laggy image by raising loads pre flop and then getting paid when I smash really feels good. Ofc there are bad beats, but I always have the feeling I'll get it back, which is something I could never do in the SnG's. It's pretty weird actually, I just don;t get the tilt the same way. Yes I sometimes leave feeling frustrated, but rarely angry.

On top of all that I love getting my rakeback payments twice per month (55% RB ftw!) and they feel like a bonus to your roll.

I am actually enjoying cash poker right now!! fuck those horrible, soul crushing SnG's!! hehe.

I was looking through my Pokerstars stats on Pokertracker the other day and it turns out over the last year I have paid over $5k in rake and what for? two shitty cash bonuses, a few wank satellites and the odd turbo takedown.  Oh and some earphones! lolololol. I would have much preferred having cash in my account. On my microgaming account that would have been like $2.7k back, thats a lot of money for a casual grinder.

Yes stars has the best CS, the best software and biggest player base, but for anyone who understands rakeback and such it should be avoided like the plague. It just gives low volume players, fuckall for all their rake. It really is piss poor IMO. With rake being so high anyways (especially in SnG's) the games are tough enough to beat. It's the industry standard though, so fuckall we can do about it.

Anyways, I am just hoping my enjoyment of the game continues, as does making the wonga!

ATB

BM