4 posts / 0 new
Last post
kiroman's picture
About me and HU

Hi Bro and Sisters, As a new member of this prestigious forum, I feel in duty to introduce myself and give a bit more about myself. Once again, my apology if post in the wrong session but this is my second post and I am still try to become familiar with the structure of the forum and the fact that I am a donk, it may means that maybe the time will be longer :) Btw, I am absolutely astonished with the worm, calm and pleasant tone of welcome received on my first appearance on this forum far away from the joke, superiority and some time insulting tone and tones of criticism that are primary characteristics of other notorious poker’s forums.  Very good, as it gives me the courage to ask things without the fear and the embarrassing to appear more donk then I am already. As you may well intuiting, I am a bit novice of this specific format (HU Poker) and maybe of the poker in general as I am only play this fantastic and lovely game, on one year in total, so, that make me a beginner explorer of the matter.   Anyway, without take to longer, I would like your kind advice about something that dancing hardly in my mind all the time by given out only head each and nothing else. As I mentioned previously, I am not a lot in the game and I have almost dedicated my study and time to the SNG’s in prevalence ST with some rare appearance to some Multi-table Tournament. I am a marginal winner as I don’t really grind at sufficient the game and for that I am still staked at micro-limits and in few occasion I have build a satisfactory bankroll that I have cash-out as my private life is in a bit of mess at moment consequently the lost my business (dental laboratory) due the mad recession of an year and half ago that left me with poor finance and big issue in my head, in two words, I have cooped very well with all lot, so … any time I got a penny more instead to lift up the level I am going to extract for other purpose and that leave me in the gather of micro-limits. But, I am sure you don’t have time to waste by reading my sad life and so I will arrive (finally) to a conclusion. I am a very tight player, in fact my first approach was to the DoN where I felt very comfortable to waiting to build the bankroll but conscious that it was good enough for learning the game, I have spend time to study, learn and play the more classic format ST and MTT with a consistent prevalence for the single table. Recently, I decide to try to come close to the cash games, as I have been always attracted from it. I haven’t play many hands of cash game as I am still jump from SSS to BSS and vice versa with the incapacity to take the right decision but, as my life wasn’t enough complicate, I have been come close to HU in occasion of the freeroll tournament organized by HUSNG.com. Even I didn’t win the tournament I manage to finish ITM and I really discovery the great fashion of this format. Everybody keep repeat to me that I should play for a certain period of time the BSS before dedicate exclusively to the HU but I cannot take a decision, plus, I did another tournament couple weeks ago and again I didn’t win but ITM as well there. Now, I never played an HU game before, apart in the end of a tournament or SNG and I wonder if I should leave all the rest and focus straight on Heads Up Poker. In the another hand, I feel disturbed by the thought to give up SNG tournaments after an year of study and dedication especially now that I start really have an edge at the table and after hours spend on books, online and by watching videos without count the money gone to software specific for SNG’s. Also, I am afraid that be a tight player and hot blood Latin with high temperature expose to tilts may influence in negative my results and success in HU games. In few words, I really cannot take a decision by myself as I would love grind SNG, training ICM and beat the game but at some time I really enjoy cash game and totally love HU. Can you help please? What you will do in my place? Thanks again guys in advance for any help given wish you all the best and GL to the tables! P.S. Sorry about the poor quality of my English but, even I am living in UK, I am Italian so, English is only my second language.  

qattack's picture
Hi Kiroman!  First of all,

Hi Kiroman!  First of all, don't worry about your English. English is my first language and I don't have a second language, so you're doing better than me. I am learning Tagalog now though, the language of the Philippines. Even though many people in the Philippines know English (and some very well!), many are still embarrassed to communicate in English.As you may have noticed, the people of this forum are very kind and patient, too.And by the way, from reading your introduction, maybe you should be a poet! hehe.I'm very sorry about the loss of your dental laboratory. The recession has hit many hard, and we are also feeling it in online poker. There is still plenty of money to be made; you just need to try harder now.I've been playing poker professionally for over 14 years. I started playing online in late 1999 and played many different forms of poker. I moved into Limit Holdem SNGs around 2003 or 2004 and quickly settled in at 18-man NL SNGs, which I played for almost three years. Very little good information was available back then and I played a very standard tight game and did very well mass tabling small stakes SNGs. I played up to 28 tables.I moved to cash games about three years ago, again mass tabling. I did OK, but not as well as I wanted to because I didn't take enough time to really study my game and figure out what adjustments to make against certain player types.Earlier this year, I was struggling with making money and decided to quit poker altogether. Thankfully, a short time later, I became interested in HU poker, a form which I had never really tried to play, other than for relaxation.I found this site and was very impressed.I am now studying HU SNGs exclusively and hope this will help me continue to earn my income from poker.I think I have learned more about poker over the last two months than the whole previous 6 years. I am improving my thought process daily and really learning to adjust against various opponents.After I have studied HU SNGs for a few months, I expect that it will help all of my other games very much also.Unfortunately, this learning takes time. If you need immediate income, it's going to be hard to get from HU SNGs. If you are very persistent, then maybe it will take three or four months before you really start seeing results. But it is very much worth it. As I said, it will improve your other games as well.Tilt is something you need to keep under control, because it affects HU SNGs more than most other forms of poker.Welcome to the site and I hope to see you around!

adam266's picture
Heads up is the nuts. If I

Heads up is the nuts.If I were you I would start taking it seriously (learning, watching vids and playing), and if you really enjoy it, fully devote your poker time to it. I used to be a SNG grinder too for 2 years, and I too was reluctant to "waste" all my knowledge of those games. However, looking back, deciding to move to heads up was the best decision I have made.There is much more money than SNGs, but just as importantly HU is SO much more entertaining. Indeed, SNGs seem so lame now - its just a case of waiting till blinds get high and push/folding. However HU is so complex and so much more satisfying to play.As the most skillful form of poker, HU also has great earning potential, and depending which HUSNG format you play, you can get a very large edge indeed. It is the purest form of poker - I would not say I really properly understood poker until I got into HUSNGs.I actually only ever play HU now. All other poker has become seriously boring.Welcome and good luck

 

dzikijohnny's picture
Welcome welcome.  Your

Welcome welcome.  Your English is fine.  Very formal though was almost like reading Shakespear :).  HU is great.  I came from regular sngs too and hu are so much better.  The other sng format are basically a form of video poker.  HU is real poker.  Funny I am reading a copy of a book I found online on google books from 1900 about poker "Stand Pat" and in it they have hu competitions and they called them freezeout back then too. Cool!