Greetings,I'm pleased with my success at the microlimits as I'm consistently winning at limits ranging from one Euro to six US dollars. More importantly, I haven't panicked when I've suffered several consecutive losses. I'm not playing negative progression and trying to quickly recoup my losses. It helped to Sharkscope some of the coaches on this site and realize that long losing streaks are simply a normal part of HUSNG poker. This wasn't always the case. HUSNG converted me into a winner and I royally mucked everything up about a year ago. I ended up losing a couple thousand dollars and forced myself to take a one year break from the game. I've never had problems with ring games, but these HUSNG's are a different beast. Anyway, I recently rejoined HUSNG with a standard membership after watching some of the new freebie videos. On my old computer I stored about fifty HUSNG videos. When I was a member I downloaded almost every video and kept them on my computer just in case I wanted to return to the game. Unfortunately, my old computer suffered a meltdown and I lost all of my old videos. Back in the old days, there was no such thing as a standard or premium membership. So it was a real bummer not to have backed up my files. Fortunately, HUSNG created an affordable option so I could download many of my favorite videos. But I'm missing out on the 'cream of the crop' by not having the premium membership.So anyway, before I keep rambling I want to articulate my problem and see if anybody has any ideas on how I can best appropriate my poker winnings. I started out with a $195 bankroll and have doubled it in the last three or four weeks. There are so many different options that I feel overwhelmed and don't know to prioritize what I need and don't need. As it stands, I have the standard membership at HUSNG, which expires in less than two weeks. Also, I'm using the 15.99 sharkscope package, which expires on March 1st. I only need 150 searches per day, but the HUD might be a more convenient option. Futhermore, I've thought about using either Pokertracker or HEM, probably the latter. I have some experience with Pokertracker from a trial offer that I did about four or five years ago. Next, I've used HH reviews from three different coaches (about a year ago) and felt I got value for my money. Because of price constraints, paying for coaching might not be a major priority unless it's just for an hour or a HH review or two.So anyway, I would appreciate some feedback on how to best invest in my game without deciminating my small bankroll. Here are my priorities (right or wrong) in order of perceived importance:1) Continue standard $25 membership at HUSNG2) Continue $15.99 package at Sharkscope3) Do a free trial of Pokertracker or the 14 day free trial of HEM.4) Consider purchasing the three month premium membership at HUSNG5) Pay for a HH review from a HUSNG coach6) Pay for more intensive coaching. Perhaps the 'live video' option that gets posted on HUSNG is a cost-effective alternative. I just don't want other members exploiting me after watching me play live ;-)7) Purchase HEM or PT3 for game play after exhausting the trial periods.8) Purchase the full version of Sharkscope with the HUD.Anyway, my ability to make future purchases is going to be somewhat contingent on my winnings at the micro/low limits. I'm very conservative w/ my bankroll and have enough money to make some modest investments. The original $195 I bought in with should be enough for my current limits. I think keeping $250-$275 (of my current $400) would be ideal as I like to have 50 buy-ins minimum for the 5.25 limit. That means I can spend between $125 and $150 dollars right now. If I really wanted to dig deep I'm sure I could find a few extra bucks outside of my current bankroll, but ideally I want to pay with my winnings. It's hard to know how much money to appropriate and how to spend it given available options. I can beat Pstars games w/ relative ease up to $10. However, I would like to improve my skills so as to minimize my risk of failure and maximize my profits. I'm sick of paying the high rake on the ultra-micro stake games and have recently tried playing the $5 games with good success. I'm just looking for a cost-effective pathway that increases my probability of success as I move up to higher stakes.Thank you,Jeffrey (REBTgenius)
Hi Jeffrey,I won't weigh in on your choices personally, but I would look hard at Sharkscope HUD before deciding to purchase, assuming you play on Stars or FTP. Last I heard, it was banned on both rooms and that they were taking that ban a little more serious than actually using Sharkscope to search. My information could be outdated though, so hopefully some other users can clarify for us.Best of luck with your choices!
Greetings Ryan,A couple of weeks ago I contacted Pokerstars and asked them to clarify their position on the use of Sharkscope. I told them my understanding was possibly outdated and I needed clarification as I didn't want to suffer negative consequences as a result of using Sharkscope. My understanding was that while Pokerstars would prefer players not use Sharkscope while playing, they weren't taking any enforcement actions. However, if players were using Sharkscope stats to harass other members they could have their chat revoked.They explained that my understanding was correct. They said using Sharkscope is a technical violation of their rules, but they are not banning accounts or taking any punitive measures against players. HOWEVER, I did not ask them about the Sharkscope HUD. They may automatically screen for this software as its involves substantially more 'brute force' than looking up individual members stats. I'm not sure-I will have to email Pokerstars to get their feedback. But thanks for bringing this point up as it would be dangerous for me to infer that using the HUD is OK based on their current decision not to punish players for using the traditional program. If I were to use it I would have to have it in writing that I wouldn't lose account priviledges. In fact, I've saved a copy of my previous correspondence just in case I were to suffer any negative consequences for using the 'regular' version. Thank you, Jeffrey
Hey Jeffrey, My advice for you would be to invest in "knowledge" rather than in sharkscope,If i were in your position I would continue the HUSNG standard member ship in first place. this would be 30 $coaching or HH is too much for u r bankroll yet,(otherwise it might boost u that much that ur crushing u never know) try to post some hands inst4ead here or on 2+2.If u think you are a good winner at the 10s I would consider to move up when u hit the 500$ mark and after playing there for a while purchadsing other tools.HEM and PTR are very good to controll your own action and to realise what your opponent is doing (loose opening/3betting s lot/folding a lot...) and to realize which hands they and you playbut with the vids u should get a good feeling which ranges to play aswell.and which hands to play in which situations. Just actively watch them and realize what they are doing.download free pokerstove for example and look how a 80% opening range looks like or what a 10% 3bet range might look like.stuff like this ah and peolple normally wont be able to exploit you just because u are on a vid ;) there are too few HUSNG members compared to the whole poker sng society it wont affect u 2nd u should anyway try to play optimal and adaptive against each different opponent.hope this helps Good luck
Greetings Value, I really appreciated your post and think it contained some really practical advice. Perhaps I'm getting a bit ahead of myself and should simply focus on getting more play in, boosting the bankroll, and maybe purchasing the 'bells and whistles' when and if my bankroll warrants it. I've cultivated a winning strategy and there's no good reason to tinker with it until a situation arises where it's necessary.BTW, I already use Pokerstove and frequently use it to evaluate interesting hands I've played against various opponents. Prior to Pokerstove, I used twodimes.net, which I sometimes open up as well. I think I have a great sense of how well various hands play against each other. Also, I think analyzing various hands and ranges has made me more cognizant of the importance of domination and avoiding or exploiting my opponents in certain spots.Your advice on continuing with the basic membership makes obvious sense. I'm undoubtedly going to continue my standard membership for at least one month and maybe buy a 3-month continuation. I would really like to buy the 3-month premium package but that will have to wait until my bankroll merits this situation. Lastly, I've become absorbed with watching videos, even ones I've seen multiple times. I've downloaded almost every video that is available to me and I have watched some of them multiple times. I even take notes on some of them. Before I have a session I start off with a movie or two. It helps me stay focused and often times gives me a specific skill to work on for a given day.With respect to Sharkscope, I'm having mixed feelings w/ respect to its use. I've found that it can be misleading, even when I adjust the settings to less than 3 mo's and HUSNG's 2-4 players. Sometimes I'm prone to overcompensating for a villains poor stats and end up out-thinking myself! But, it's still useful in various spots. Two that come to mind are players with horrible ROI's (like -29%) and the winning regulars. But for opponents with middling stats it's often best to just wait and see how they play and make adjusts based on specific behaviors without many assumptions.And w/ respect to software, I would like to understand how to use HEM and Pokertracker and better gauge my opponents behavior. As it stands I'm very focused on taking notes and try to have a clear head when I'm playing. I don't do anything but play poker (no IPods, TV, cellphones, etc.) when I open up a tournament. This works for the time being. At some time in the future I think it might be advantageous to get a thorough understanding of how to use these programs, but at my limit it's not essential. My biggest battle is psychological and right now I'm pleased with how I've set limits and abided by them.Thanks again for your feedback,Jeffrey
Good points about the exploitation part.Given that it's not a big concern to the coaches who make dozens of videos here (and most of which have had more success since making videos than prior to), it should not be a concern to lower stakes players, espeically if it's just a single video (though even if you made a few dozen videos theoretically I do not think it would be a major concern).There's other reasons why I think it's much less of a concern than some people think (and the opinions do vary), but it's not particularly relevant or interesting to this thread.
Greetings Ryan,I appreciated your vantage point on the relationship between making videos and being 'exposed.' I've always wondered if higher stake players were reluctant to make videos as they fear their opponents will have a window to their soul. On some level, simply playing gives your opponents access to your thought processes. But making videos seems to make it much easier for various opponents to pick up on your little idioscynracies. Furthermore, it could give certain villains direct access to your poker ideologies and enable them to invade your 'phenonenal field.' I really wouldn't know the impact as I'm not a high-stake player who has dealt with this scenario. But I still have my suspicions.This wouldn't seem to be too much of an issue for beginning on intermediate opponents, especially ones who are continuing to adapt their game. Perhaps the player that might be most exposed by videos (and I'm talking about several videos) is a player who tends to auto-pilot or has a systemetic approach? I might guess that players who continually adapt and modify their strategies wouldn't have as much to worry about. At my level, most players simply haven't developed such a nuanced game and most don't have a HUSNG membership anyway. My personal ideology is that it's always best to remain intellectually flexible and shy away from dichotomous ways of viewing life and poker. This could lessen the threat of videos undermining ones success at the poker tables. Again, thanks for injecting your perspective, which weighs heavily in my own calculus of whether or not to select this option as a means of saving money (and getting feedback) on coaching fees. Jeffrey
No problem.There are a number of prospective players that have given that primary reason for not wanting to make videos. It's a valid concern for them and I understand that.I would of course lay money if it could be proven beyond all doubt that the impact is minimal to non existent. However, it's not an easy thing to prove and it doesn't make sense for players that make 100-200k to risk their primary source of income, even if they only believe it's a 10-25% chance of happening.Other people feel less strongly about opponent's figuring them out and exploiting them. Mersenneary is a good example. He makes videos, discusses some very advanced end game concepts, yet he's just exploded in profit and success since joining the team. I try to alleviate some concerns with specific players (particularly high stakes ones) by telling them that we can use their knowledge and expertise for low to mid stakes videos, since that is the majority of the audience here. If we get a 1k-5k coach on the team that has these concerns, he's worth plenty to this site making $50-200 level videos.Other people simply just don't want to participate in anything that has a chance of making the games tougher (this one is particularly interesting) and still others just don't want any public attention (guys that do very well but you never see posting on forums most commonly feel this way).There's been a few language barrier issues as well from some other players. And that basically makes up most of the major reasons people do not want to make poker videos for this site (or for other sites I presume).On a side note, I'd just recommend continuing the standard membership and maybe basic sharkscope search package. With $400, keep as much as you can in your bankroll, spend as much time as you can playing, and use your other time to study videos and hands that can help you. My two cents, couldn't resist since I posted so much in this thread.
Based on what you have said I would guess acquiring knowledge is the number one goal. I would think that makes membership the number one priority.I also suggest getting Holdem manager. I like Holdem manager but not just for the hud or stats. My number one reason for holdem manager is the ability to review my matches. The database don't lie.It amazes me how often I don't apply the knowledge I have acquired from this site. Reviewing my matches absolutely amazes me. How could I play someone who is open raising 85% of their hands and only three bet them when I had 99+, Big Aces or Big Kings. If you ask me do I three bet loose open raiser I would tell you most definently. I watched the videos. I know to to do that. But the database don't lie.Since it appears you were a successful player in the past and that you have a good understanding of the fundamentals, I would suggest Holdem Manager so you can do Hand History reveiws of your own game. Once you are doing what you to know to do, then get hand history reveiws from a coach to find out what you should be doing that you don't know about.PaulIB_FishingRealizes he is still a fish every time he does hand history reviews!!!
Greetings Ryan and IB_Fishing,I think I'll respond to your thoughtful posts in one fell swoop. Ryan, thanks for giving your feedback on what you think constitutes a rational course of action, even though you may have been reluctant to chime in when I started this thread. Also, you obviously aren't trying to oversell the site by telling me to purchase unnecessary services. I think you're very classy and I trust your judgment. You seem to have a good moral compass. When and if I do get the coaching services I think I'll start off with a new hand history review as its been a while. But for now I think I'm going to do what you and IB_FISHING have suggested as the most basic move: renew my standard membership. Also, thanks for offering further analysis of why some coaches and players are reluctant to make videos (and why some of the fears are possibly exaggerated or unfounded).There is way too much value on this site both in terms of videos and the community. I think this site helps me feel connected to other players and creates a sense of accountability. When my membership is about to expire I'll renew. Also, I think I'm going to keep my basic Sharkscope membership as it has some value in helping me profile players, especially ones who are very good or very poor. So those two services are my current priorities and I can purchase both for $42/month. I have several other ideas, but they are contingent on future success at the tables.IB_Fishing, thank you for recommending Holdem Manager. This is an area of my game that is seriously lacking. I don't know if it is called 'metrics' or what not, but statistical analysis of my game is not something I currently do. My knowledge of HEM and PT3 is very limited and I would like to improve this area of my game. I know Holdem Manager offers a 15 day trial so I think I might download the software (when I have adequate time) and use it in concert with some of the videos devoted to 'metrics.' It might be easier to use PT3 as I do have some experience with a past trial version, but it seems that HUSNG'er are much more enthusiastic about HEM. Again, thanks for the recommendation, which really might be useful as I move up to higher limits and face more competent opponents.Thank you,Jeffrey
i have tried the sharkscope hud but didnt like it at all, first of all it was very unstable and crashed several times for me. and i think is better to sharkscope ur opponents before u play them instead of when u sat down with them. not worth it for husng, but its different if u play other sngs with more people, then it can be handy.
A tip from me, which I found extremely useful esp playing low stakes games ($5-$30's) is to get a rakeback deal here. I'm not sure where you are from and what sites you are already signed up to (which can obviously restrict you). But, even it it means moving sites for a while, it's a very good idea and definietely helped me alot.This way, as long as you put in some decent volume (def not hard to do for standard membership) you will get your membership here for free and if you have a particularly high volume month or move up a level or 2, you can also get a premium membership for free and download all the vids so far aswell as also getting your rakeback of course. Also on some of the smaller sites, you do not need to earn much rake to get on the leaderboard of the promo's and get extra $'sPlaying on another site will not effect traffic or amount of games you get in too much (if at all) at low limits and if you wanted to move back to stars when you started moving up more then you will probably be earning enough to pay for membership easily and also then the worthwhile bonuses they offer will be much more obtainable.Def worth think about, I wish I had done this sooner