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mersenneary's picture
Essential Viewing List (video questions can go here, too)

I'm in the process of compiling lists from other HUSNG.com coaches of their best work, and hope to turn this into my own guide for what's most important to watch for all of the best coaches. For now, I'll just detail my own work. Mersenneary Video 1 - End Game StrategyThere are better, more advanced strategical videos as my game has developed, but my first video here continues to be one of the best reviewed on the site. It set of a firestorm of controversy: spamz0r refused to talk late game strategy with me for a month or two, and PrimordialAA (an idol at the time, and still, really) was furious, telling me that the video was too good to put out. That's how I really started to know that I knew what I was talking about.I'd change some strategy decisions in this vid (we can talk about what), but the fundamental strategy is still a very good one and one I use every day against the right opponents: If your villian is 3bet shoving a wide range, use a polarized (big hands and junk) raising range and a limping range of middling hands that flop well and can deal with getting 3x raised. If your opponent doesn't adjust, he jams way too wide over your opening range that now has a much higher percentage of monster hands.Mersenneary Video 6 - Advanced End Game Play: The Small BlindA powerpoint presentation entitled "From NASH to ROFL" (sometimes minraising, sometimes openshoving, sometimes folding, sometimes limping), I argue that most of my small blind success has come from deviating from NASH and maximally exploiting my opponent's tendencies. I talk about which hands are best to put in which range, how to adjust against different player types, and theory behind why NASH, an equilibrium for perfect players with perfect information who aren't allowed to limp or minraise, is useful to know but a poor strategy to blindly employ. Mersenneary Video 9 - Turbos against FishLet's face it: Most of your games are going to be against fish. You shouldn't really spend most of your studying time learning how to 4bet bluff the flop against Isuldur1. In this video, I talk about my balanced-yet-exploitative 3betting range (bigger with bluffs that don't flop as well/big AK/AQ/TT/99/88 type hands that are calling off a jam, smaller with big pairs/weaker stuff that flops well) and how just playing "ABC" isn't going to win you the most money against these players. Mersenneary Video 11 - Compilation Video of Key PointsFor this video, I do something a little different, collecting 10 hands against different opponents (some against the best players, some against worse players) and go through a list of 10 concepts I think it's really important for developing players to learn. Triple barrel bluffing, leading turns OOP for value, and a host of other topics are discussed in this unique format. Mersenneary Video 17 - Advanced End Game Play: The Big BlindThe companion to Video 6, I use a PowerPoint talk about optimal end game play from the big blind. I start by talking about the value of 3bet shoving, but argue that far too often people compare the equity of a 3bet shove to the equity of folding, when really, we should be comparing against the equity of flat calling, in most cases. The most important thing to think about from the big blind is your opponent's opening frequency at different stack sizes - that determines a massive part of your decision making from the big blind. To get to the specific, I provide a chart that gives you a good sense of how deep to jam Ax hands over minraises at different stack depths and against different opening ranges. Some of the terminology in this video can get a little heavy: I introduce the concepts of what I call "f value" (the opening % necessary for 3bet jamming to be better than folding), and "h value" (the opening % necessary for 3bet jamming to lead to us having more chips than at the start of the hand, a useful benchmark when trying to calculate if flatting might be better), but I'm happy to answer any and all questions if you get confused.Mersenneary Video 23 - An Introduction to MetricsThe first of a 3-part series detailing how I use my statistics to improve my play. Parts 2 and 3 can be found by searching my video history. A good introduction for those who are interested in the concept - but to be completely honest, if you're not a numbers guy, I'd focus on studying what you are interested in learning (although there is a cliffnotes in Part 2 and Part 3). These videos have gotten high reviews and are some of HokieGreg's favorites.Mersenneary Video 24 - End Game Live ShowI'll be making more and more live commentary videos since this one got such a good reception. Here's me talking on-the-fly versus some fish and some very good players at high stakes superturbos. It's true that the game definitely opens up when you're playing against a thinking player - I talk about how and what adjustments are necessary. Mersenneary Video 26 - Dominating Domsnuts at the $5600sThis video really helps to drive home the point that playing perfect poker isn't making pretty, unexploitable betsizes, but rather exploiting the hell out of whoever we're playing, no matter what the stakes are. Our opponent is a regular high stakes fish who likes the call button a little too much and doesn't 3bet jam very wide. We take that and run with it to a 9-5 victory over the series of 14 games. This video is footage from near the end of duel after I really had established good reads and put them to use at the highest stakes FTP has to offer. Always feel free to post video questions here. Happy watching!

meatwad's picture
Mers, Being a little cheeky

Mers,Being a little cheeky here but are there any videos you didn't make that are worth watching? :)

mersenneary's picture
Yes. I haven't had time to

Yes. I haven't had time to write up commentary, but here's a list I made for HokieGreg and ITRIED2WARNU. I'll write up descriptors later. This is what I think are their best videos that are really worth spending studying time on.HokieGreg:- HokieGreg Video 22: Single Tabling $230s - HokieGreg Video 21: Member Leakfinder for 'John521'- HokieGreg Video 13: $345s vs a Regular- HokieGreg Video 33: Live Play in $570 and $1130 HUSNGs - HokieGreg Video 31: $1130 Level Match Review- Hit-and-Running the Legends: Jovial Gent- HokieGreg 32: $520 Regular Speed with Bluffing DiscussionITRIED2WARNU -Video 36 – Bluff Catching Concept    -Video 37 – Maniac Video Concept   -Reg Wars – Part 1, 4, 5   -Video 18 – Two Plus Two Forum Tournament Series Part 2   -Video 1 - $210

kingkong's picture
Video 1 "I'd change some

Video 1 "I'd change some strategy decisions in this vid (we can talk about what)"Hi Mers,I enjoyed this endgame video. Nice story with primo. Could you shortly describe, which strategic decisions you would change now. Or maybe you refer some spots in the video and I can try to think about it.

mersenneary's picture
I just remember that there

I just remember that there are a couple, not where they are or anything like that. Maybe after watching the video you can guess/ask questions where you might have taken a different line :)

nicoasp's picture
Second-last video

Hey Mers,In your second last vid, you openjam A6 15,6bbs deep (vs Sar Nevesht I think), and say on the commentary that you think it plays better that way than mr-calling. Are you always jamming it that deep? Seems very counter-intuitive since you always say 20bbs deep is too deep to 3bet-shove ace-rag, even vs wide openers. I know they're different things, but still, you're openshoving 15-16 times your opponents' BB, but not 3bet-shoving 10 times your opponents' 2BBs when he minraises?BTW is there a word for "second-last"?

mersenneary's picture
penultimate means second

penultimate means second last.20bb deep is going to be a jam vs most over a minraise with A6, and very often any Ax (it's 22-25bb where that's not as much the case).Your math is a little misleading. If our opponent only minraises 50% of hands and calls his top 20%, then we might expect to get called 40% of the time when we jam over a minraise 20bb deep, whereas we expect to get called 20% of the time when we openjam 15bb deep. Those are very different things.

reallymonkeyish's picture
mers, curious about what you

mers, curious about what you think of a line of reasoning in one of the vids there (hokie's #13 where he adapts heavily based on reads).He doesn't 3bet KJo at one point when the other guy 3x's (about 40BB deep iirc), and says that it's because the other guy was 3x'ing strong hands and 2x'ing weaker ones. iirc "strong hand" in this case was like T9/JT+ type stuff.  Would you agree with that reasoning?It seems different from the situation in which we want to 3bet KJ because lots of junk that isn't stacking off when we hit TP folds and we pick up chips, and lots of dominated hands continue. So would that make flatting better as his range becomes stronger?

mersenneary's picture
Definitely. Against a lot of

Definitely. Against a lot of people's 3xing range, which contains a lot of Ax and pocket pairs, we actually do fantastically flatting preflop. If we 3bet though a lot of his range (his pocket pairs and better Ax) gets a chance to jam and we end up folding like 40% equity or something like that which is never a great result after 3betting (or calling with 40% equity a lot if the math works that way, which obviously isn't a great result overall either). Basically we really don't want pocket pairs to be able to jam on us, protected by all the AK/AQ/AJ/KQ/AT type hands which are also jamming and have us in really bad shape.Your reasoning is good in the last paragraph.

jackoneill's picture
Just watched your Domsnuts

Just watched your Domsnuts video and really enjoyed it :-)It's really great to know that there are still fish at these super high limits - and it also made me realize how little I was actually paying attention on my oppent's tendencies, especially his bet sizings.I just wish I had completely ignored the chat though - as it reminded me of a horrible night of getting completely destroyed and run over.  Wasn't that the divisional playoffs game where the Patriots got kicked out of their first playoff game, after a fantastic season ?


mersenneary's picture
Yep, it was. "It's really

Yep, it was."It's really great to know that there are still fish at these super high limits - and it also made me realize how little I was actually paying attention on my oppent's tendencies, especially his bet sizings."This is a very important realization to make - I hope it sticks with you.

nicoasp's picture
Hey Mers, My question above

Hey Mers,My question above left me thinking I'm not as clear as I though about 3-bet-shoving stack-sizes for Ax hands. I'm rewatching the BB endgame vid and would like to know if it's possible for you to share the villain types' calling ranges you used as aproximation.Also (you didn't quite make it clear on your answer above): Is A6o a standard openshove for you as high as 15-16bbs deep? I'm shoving it at 12-13bbs but not higher usually. What about A2? And for higher aces, what's your cutoff for minraising to induce instead of shoving, A8?Thanks!

mersenneary's picture
The great thing about Ace-rag

The great thing about Ace-rag hands is that it doesn't really matter all that much what their calling range is (see the slide in that video about that). I don't have the exact calling range I used unless it's in the comments, but it's my best guess at a reasonable one the composite villain uses. I think A6o is a standard openshove up to 15bb, 16 is pushing it. It's a hand where the skates calling point really matters though in terms of when you have to start minraising. A2o is probably closer to 14bb. A8 is a decent approximation for when minraise/calling is best for 13-15bb but again very reads dependent.

mersenneary's picture
wrong thread :)

wrong thread :)

zZzTILT's picture
Just one thing I always

Just one thing I always wondered a bit about. Especially in "Mersenneary at the $105 and $230 Levels". There you say sth like "I prefer mr/calling A6o (? idk the exact hand) for 15bb but it's close... at 14,5bb I would have openjamed it." Or limping a hand at 11bb but openjamming it for 10bb.Where do you get these numbers and how do calculate (?) these cuts?

mersenneary's picture
I prefer openjamming A6o for

I prefer openjamming A6o for 15bbs now vs most (but it is close), but my views have evolved a little bit.Those numbers come from a combination of calculation (what's my expectation if he calls with this range?) and gut instinct after playing so many.

ServerBTest002's picture
the link to the Mersenneary

the link to the Mersenneary Video 6 - Advanced End Game Play: The Small Blind doesn't work, I mean... wrong link

mersenneary's picture
Fixed, thanks.

Fixed, thanks.

kingkong's picture
Yestersay I watched your

Yestersay I watched your video 31 (turbos and ST). First hand of the first ST you call a 3x with K3s. I wondered a bit because I think that you metioned in vidoes before that weak Kx shouldn't call a 3x. Could you explian it deeper?My calling range for a 3x is something like A2s+, K9o+, K7s+, QTo+, Q9s+, JTo+, J9s+, T9s and jamming all pairs and A8o+, A6s+, KQ.Is this too tight? 

mersenneary's picture
K3s is pretty loose, but I

K3s is pretty loose, but I would call with Q9o, K6s, J9o, J8s, T8s, T7s, 89s, 97s, etc for sure. That range does look too tight. I'd also 3bet/call KQ rather than jam.

PrimordialAA's picture
fml, not even 1 video listed!

fml, not even 1 video listed! ;)

RyPac13's picture
^ He told me the other day he

^ He told me the other day he did not like a single one of our combined 100+ videos on this site.He only likes ITRIED and Hokie vids.  And mindonmind's infamous SNE video.

mersenneary's picture
Primo: Put together a list of

Primo:Put together a list of your best and I'll get it on here :) Hokie's and ITRIED helped out with theirs.

PrimordialAA's picture
Thats not for me to decide

Thats not for me to decide Mers, its for the people! :D

soulouri's picture
Do i have to sign up for

Do i have to sign up for husng.com premium to view these?

mersenneary's picture
Yes, this is just a

Yes, this is just a recommendation list for those who are subscribers.

mersenneary's picture
I really recommend my latest

I really recommend my latest video, on poker life coaching, for those who are at all interested in the mental game of playing your best and making poker a good part of your broader life.

jackoneill's picture
SuperTurbo videos

Decided to rewatch all or at least the most important videos that deal with ST's.Any specific recommendations for me ?