Hey guys! ;)
My name is Fábio, I have 24 years old and live in Portugal. This post introduces my quest to crush Spin and Go’s and, once I do that, to show Amaya who is the boss. ^^
Some people know me for the previous HU thread. I decided to open a new one exclusively dedicated to Spin and Go’s.
The following presentation is pretty similar to the one I made before. Skip this part if you’re familiar with it.
Poker Background
I started playing 4/5 years ago, without any deposit. I played on Everest, Titan, Party, FTP until I decided to stick with Stars. I played a lot of formats like DON’s, 18max, 180man and finally HU (turbo/hypers). I was a micro stakes player, mainly playing during university vacations. Actually, I never thought about being a professional poker player. I just played because it was fun and I was having some profit (nothing crazy).
Life Background
I finished my nutrition degree 2 years ago and worked for 6 months before I quit and started my own endeavors. It didn’t go the way I expected so I took the decision to embrace Poker on a more professional manner. I’ve been playing for 7 months now, trying to adapt to the current environment and so far so good.
I started playing HU Hypers at the 3.5$ level. I’ve managed to climb stakes until 15$ and after a while, I decided to transition to Spins (mainly because I wanted to avoid reg warring and it seemed a good challenge to embark on).
This is my 15$ HU Hyper graph since my comeback (I didn’t include 3.5$ and 7$ results).
As far as Spins are concerned, I’ve played around 800 games in April and although it didn’t start well, I manage to recover from the initial losses. Right now, I am playing 2 tables at the same time and I look forward to adding another once I have a better grasp of the strategy.
Graph below:
I will keep this thread updated with my results and general thoughts (maybe some hands). You can follow my blog at fabioramos.me if interested in more information about other things related and unrelated to poker.
That’s it fellows, let the games begin and gl to everyone. See you at the tables!
Hey guys! ;)
This month has been really good! I am more confident about the strategy behind Spin and Go's and my results are starting to confirm that fact. After 1.5k games, I added one more table (I'm 3 tabling right now) and although it is a new experience for me, I find it manageable (still plenty of time to make decisions).
I haven't played any really big prize pool but I managed to win a bunch of 10x multipliers (4 of them, to be more exact).
This month, I had challenged myself to achieve Platinum Star status for the first time in my life but as I am playing 3 tables now, I will obtain it with relative ease. Hence, I decided to make things a little bit more difficult and I will make a small challenge in order to pump my motivation for the rest of the month.
I have to play a certain amount of games before I am able to move up to 30$ stakes so I decided to play that amount until the end of the month.
I will try to achieve these points:
(I know the sample is small, but my main goal is really to motivate me and make things a little bit more interesting).
I will update this thread every 2 days with my results and some thoughts. Today was day one so tomorrow will be updating day.
That's it guys, hope the grind is rockin'.
Visit fabioramos.me. GLGL!
And also, my May results until now:
Well done Fabio, keep up the good work!
Thanks Ryan, appreciate your support!
Hey guys!
First 2 days are completed!
Main thoughts:
Even though it doesn't seem too difficult to play more than 120 Spins a day, it took me between 7 and 8 hours to get that amount (I generally make 2 pauses to eat something, go to the bathroom or simply to get a bit of fresh air). I really don't like to play more than 8 hours because I think it's super important to have other interests outside of poker that are important to living a balanced lifestyle).
Today, at some point, I was feeling tired, but I didn't have the required amount of games. Normally, I would just stop for the day but for the first time in my poker career, I decided to stop for half an hour and return to finish the required amount of games, which I did successfully.
Still, probably not the + EV short term decision but I believe that going the extra mile (while facing some discomfort) will strengthen my ability to endure difficult situations that may arrive (not only in poker btw). Therefore, I am 100% sure this mindset will be really important when we think on a long-term basis.
Results Day 1&2:
Games played: 252/1260
Profit: 90$
Ev ROI: 7.23/9 %
Graph:
GL GL!
Hey guys, 4 days of the challenge are completed!
Main thoughts:
At the start of the 3rd day, I won a 375$ multiplier! BOOOOM! And then, when it seemed I was about to begin a winner killing strike, everything felt apart. Gods of Poker conjured against me and decided that I was not worthy of their run good.
As soon as I became aware that divine forces were attempting to destroy me, I had lost 600$ in 150 games. I couldn’t stand on my feet, I embraced defeat and returned to my shell to recover strength.
Still, I feel grateful that I got the chance to win the multiplier. Next time though, I will demonstrate that I deserve a spot between the glorious “run good” Spins warriors. :D
(I didn’t play on the weekend, thus the challenge continues today.)
Results Day 3&4:
Games played: 210
Profit: -165$
Ev ROI: 4.76/9 %
Results Day 1-4:
Games played: 462/1260
Profit: -75$
Ev ROI: 6.11/9 %
Graph:
GL GL!
Hey guys, 6 days of the challenge are completed!
Main thoughts:
Oh man, how swingy this game can be. I fully recovered from the losses of the previous 2 days and I am now only one step away from being officially readmitted into the "run good" PokerStars legion.
As I said in the previous post, I usually play more games than what I'm intending for when I'm winning and feeling more confident so that's what I ended up doing these last 2 days. I'm still running a little behind pace but I will certainly recover until the end of the challenge.
Results Day 5&6:
Games played: 263
Profit: + 615$
Ev ROI: 9.3%
Results Day 1-6:
Games played: 725/1260
Profit: + 540$
Ev ROI: 7.27/9 %
Graph:
It's nice to see you playing more when winning, when you're feeling good you're likely playing better, so extending those sessions (and keeping the bad, negative ones shorter) is a nice habit!
Yeah, exactly. And really what this means is that I prioritize quality over quantity.
I won't try to play more games than I should if that decreases the quality of my grind. One thing I can guarantee is that all the games I played were at the peak of my focus performance.
Actually, I rarely tilt while playing but when I do, it's because I realize I should've stopped earlier. Certainly a nice habit to master!
Hey guys, 8 days of the challenge are completed!
Main thoughts:
Last 2 days were fun. Yesterday I had a 400$ upswing and today a 500$ downswing. Up and down, up and down.
Today, I struggled to get the needed daily volume. I booked the morning to get most games but PokerStars decided to present me with a maintenance break and I had to change my plans for the day. I ended up playing by night, which I am not a big fan of but I actually felt in the right mood, despite the bad run.
283 games to go, 2 days left. I am confident I will meet the required volume. Ev Roi is a different story, but I still believe it's possible to achieve the 9% mark.
(In the meantime, I achieved PlatinumStar status for the 1st time ever. Yay!)
Results Day 7&8:
Games played: 252
Profit: - 90$
Ev ROI: 2.1%
Results Day 1-8:
Games played: 977/1260
Profit: + 450$
Ev ROI: 5.93/9 %
Graph:
Hey guys, the challenge is completed!
Initial goals:
Final thoughts:
As I said previously, the main goal of this challenge was to give me motivation to grind until the end of the month and complete 3k games at the 15$ level. I was also interested in understanding how far could I stretch my grinding routine (and how would I manage tiredness and swings).
I set a 9% EV Roi mark because I knew it was difficult enough that would force me to be more focused while playing, avoiding to commit any mistakes at all. I also knew that in such a small sample, heaters or huge downswings can distort any results, but that wasn't really the main point.
Overall it was a fun experience, I had good results and, on a more important note, I basically proved to myself that it's possible to achieve a certain number of games per day without losing game quality (which was one of my main concerns).
I don't know what comes next, but I'll update this thread soon with more information. In the meantime, gl at the tables!
Results Day 9&10:
Games played: 283
Profit: + 945$
Ev ROI: 11.78%
Results Day 1-10:
Games played: 1260/1260
Profit: + 1395$
Ev ROI: 7.24/9 %
Days Played:
Graph:
Hey guys, I am back again to make a quick recap of my May Spins results.
Today, I received the allowance to start playing 30$ stakes. I'm pretty excited to start on a new level (which I never played before) and to discover how things are going to work out. From now on, I expect my journey to become even more interesting due to higher $$ involved (bigger downs, bigger ups, more thrill). xD
After some calculations, I also decided to pursue SuperNova status this year. It's pretty achievable at this point and if things go well, I might actually try to achieve something even more difficult (2x or 3x SuperNova, who knows).
Right now, I took some time to study so that I hit the tables with a lot of confidence on my game. I'm also doing some awareness work to be mentally prepared to endure a possible rough start. Just becoming aware of everything that it is happening (controlled or not by us) is super important to react properly at the exact moment the situation arises (tilt for the most part).
I'm going to leave with my Month's Graph and I will report in a few weeks with results and new updates on how the 30$ party is going.
Visit fabioramos.me. GL GL!
Final May Graph:
Well done, hard work brings great results. You say you received the allowance to play 30$?? What do you mean?
Thank you xoris! :) I'm enrolled on the Staking Program of the website so I only climb stakes when I'm allowed to.
Nice results!
How do you get these stats - http://gyazo.com/708b1aaf940e84b2c8cd41f15aece08f ?
seems to be a custom stat, number of tournament/ real hours tournament.
Hey Fabio did not see yet that you was enrolled in the husng staking program ^^ could you tell why you choose to join them because you were already crushing spins at your level ? was also thinking about this program to up to higher level but not sure about benefits of the progamm, may be you could share your thought with us
Hey kafemalka, ty ty ! As blinblin said, it is a custom stat provided by the Stake team. In case you're wondering, I'm not authorized to share it with anyone outside the program.
@blinblin, actually I've been part of the program since January (I was playing 15$ hypers).
And to be honest, I was pretty skeptical whether I would benefit from coaching and I was totally blown. I was what everyone considered a bad reg. My general advice would be: Don't underestimate coaching/staking. Most people (or probably everyone) at the higher stakes were mentored at some point by someone who taught them a whole lot. You can do it on your own but the chances to succeed are much slimmer.
And understand that if you aren't getting feedback on your game, you're not improving. A feedback loop from an expert (followed by a great sense of discipline and work ethic) is the most effective way to master any skill, and this applies to everything in life.
Hey guys, what's up? :)
Unfortunately, this month I had several problems that steered me away from tables. I only played 350 games at the 30$ level. The good news is that I will still be able to play a decent amount of days until the end of the month, now that everything has been cleared up. I won't get the 1600 games it was supposed to, in order to keep the pace to SuperNova, but I will compensate in further months.
This is going to be a quick update, but I hope I will bring more interesting results the next post.
Visit fabioramos.me. GL GL!
June graph until now:
Hey guys, what's uuuup? :)
Disclosure: If you're trying to become a dedicated poker player, don't play the same number of games I did last month. Just don't.
Despite the volume, I managed to win a 750$ multiplier on the way (yaaaay!), the biggest so far. And although overall results could've been better, I am satisfied with the way I handled a pretty brutal downswing (I lost something like 49/50 games in a row, ahah - joking).
Given the fact that I am not happy with the volume I put last month, and because I'm always looking to make things a little bit more interesting, I will do a second Spins challenge, now at 30$.
2nd Spins Challenge:
Once again, the sample is small but my main goal is to have additional motivation to crush the stakes and to have some fun along the way.
I will make updates every 3 days with my results and some thoughts about my grind. Let's hope for some run good!!
Visit fabioramos.me. GL GL!
June graph:
Hey guys, 3 days of the challenge are completed!
Main thoughts:
These were the toughest days since I started playing Spins. For several reasons:
Now, I am not saying that these days were rough due to my lack of luck. That would be a pretty bad assumption. The thing that is important to acknowledge is that when you're not confident about your strategy, you blame luck and tilt will arise. That's as simple as 1+1 being equal to 2. Once you are fully assured about your play, it is so much easier to develop mental strength.
Another thing that it's important to realize is that these stretches are inevitable. Sometimes, there's so much you can do when the board doesn't connect or you don't get the right cards in the right spots. It's really important (I mean, really really) to prevent huge losses, to not let the feelings towards the game or other players interfere with your reasoning and to make small breaks whenever you start to be consciously aware that some factors (internal or external to the game) are affecting your capabilities.
I thought about these points in the past week because sometimes it's really hard to keep a rational way of thinking while playing, even though we have so much information available about preventing tilt.
(It may seem odd that the graph doesn't illustrate my feelings during the past 3 days (You have a positive Ev Roi, Jesus man, relax!), but the fact that I was unsure if I was misplaying some spots, combined with some big laydowns and unfortunate calls, led to some frustration on my part.)
Oh well, let's see how the challenge develops!
Today and tomorrow, I won't be playing.
Results Day 1-3:
Games played: 360
Profit: -60$
Ev ROI: 1.52/9 %
Graph:
Hey guys!
As some of you might know, PokerStars decided to cancel any real money games in Portugal until the legislation process is finished.
As a result, I put my Spins Challenge on hold until I relocate to Canada. I expect to be able to start the grind again by August beginnings.
I'll leave you with July results at 30$ Spins (much better than last month). Volume is still an issue, specially after this unfortunate decision.
Gl guys, see you soon at the tables!
July graph:
Hi Fabio,
Nice thread, it's interesting to see you climbing the stakes. All ready moved in to Canada?
Jesper
I am interested to enroll in a short term 'staking only' program or a long term staking combined with coaching program.
Hey Jesper, ty ty ! Yeah, I'm already in Canada, been playing for 3 weeks now. Will update in a minute :)
Hey guys, how you're doing?
As some of you guys might know, I'm already in Canada! I didn't update it here because I was in a really big hurry to start playing again. Almost 1 month without flipping for double buy-ins is excruciating. :p
Having said that, I was recently allowed to play 60$ Spins! BOOOOM!! I actually only played a few games there so I haven't a lot to say about it.
The month so far has been a bit chaotic. I feel variance hit me the hardest at 30$ but still managed to get a somewhat decent EV. Without further ado, I will post my results at 30$.
(By the way, I lost my 1st big multiplier last week - a 3000$ multiplier. More will come!)
Visit fabioramos.me. GL GL!
30$ Final Graph:
Where did you move to in Canada?
Props for adjusting so quickly to the crazy laws of your country. I saw many players just give up after black friday here in the USA, guys that were making 10-20k in a month just kind of quit playing, it was incredible to me.
Hey Ryan! Sorry for my late reply, didn't see your comment until today.
I'm in Toronto, nearby the downtown area!
To be honest, there were some information that went public that was mistakenly perceived as final regulation laws (like the non-existence of HU or Spins, for example). Those clauses were based on an initial draft made from people with few (most likely, none) poker expertise. As off now, we are still waiting for legislation disclosure and licenses issuance. From all the information available at this point, we have all the reasons to expect that our legislation will be one of the best (shared liquidity, open market, player's winnings won't be taxed). I am afraid though that it might take more time than expected (licenses are expected to be issued in October). I will most likely return to my country once everything is set in stone.
Regarding my relocation, my parents are living in Canada and I have been owing them a visit for quite some time so it was an easier process than most people would likely face. :)
Cheers
Hey guys, how are you all doing? :)
Soooo, last month was a funny one. For the most part, I was trying to fight trough variance hoping that something interesting would eventually happen. Which it did! You can already figure out what just by looking at the graph.
I won a 100x at 60$!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
It's hilarious how I was winning something like 500 bucks at around game 1800 and 300 games after I'm at 7.000$. Never lose hope, multipliers are just around the corner! :p
I've said previously that I would make a challenge in the 60$ level at some point and given that SpinWiz was prohibited, I thought this was the perfect time to start one. These are the terms:
60$ Spins Challenge
Each week, I will post here the graphs and some thoughts.
It will be a fun experience, I'm excited to see how it will turn out. Wish me luck!
Visit fabioramos.me. GL GL!
September graph:
Great multiplier! Good luck man, I will be following.
I am interested to enroll in a short term 'staking only' program or a long term staking combined with coaching program.
Ty jepser, gl to you too man!
Hey guys, how are you all doing? :)
So, I have some news. I decided to stop the challenge.
Why?
Well, I dwelled back and forth in the last few days pondering the arguments in favor or against stopping it. I wasn't running bad at all, I wasn't even losing a ton of money, my EV was decent BUT I realized I can't be doing this sort of challenges on such a early stage of my progress as a poker player.
I basically came to the conclusion that I really need to be spending the same amount of time playing and studying at this point in time. I thought doing a challenge would be super interesting for my development but in truth, I was creating some bad habits, generalizing a ton of situations for ease of mind and taking some things as universal when they weren't.
As I said before, I rushed into a bigger challenge because I felt hitting a plateau on my progress and as a result, I wanted to step it up and put more intensity in my days. What I didn't understand back then was that I really shouldn't be trying to improve on my intensity as a grinder but on my intensity as a student. And if there's one thing I take away from this experience is that I should be focused in building a theory framework that is strong enough to overcome any challenge that I might do in the future. Doing one now seems a waste of time.
I am pretty rational guy and I like to make sense of things. If I make a decision and I quickly realize it was a wrong one, I change course immediately.
That's it guys, hope everything is going well for you.
"Challenge" Graph:
Hey fabio,
Stable mate here.
yeah volume challenges can be counter productive when we are learning / adapting, but its good to push yourself and your challenge achieved that at least
the 30's are appreciably more reg heavy than the $15's but i've no doubt you'll crush there too.
gl and keep up the blog, always an interesting read
Hey Alan, good to see you stopping by :)
Yeah, wrong timing but still useful experience as you say.
I'm actually playing 60$, which has, most likely, the field with major reg/rec ratio. Mainly because I expect 100$ to attract more recreationals and 30$ have still quite big of a player pool.
Ty ty, glad you're following!
Hey guys, how are you? :)
Last month was the one where I felt the most improvement on my game knowledge. It's crazy how single clicks here and there can make such a difference. The challenge I set (and didn't complete) was a good predictor that something was wrong. Too much doubting while playing can't be good.
I took off roughly a week after the initial days of "intense" grind to just focus on some theory concepts. Reg play is undoubtedly the area where I can improve the most, given that I never battled for divisions and my range vs range knowledge was pretty limited while playing 15$ and below. It was really worthwhile and without the program coach's help, it would take me a much longer road.
My month's overall results don't reflect the improvements I've made so I predict November to be a month worth remembering about in a near future. :P
In the meantime, I also achieved SuperNova for the 1st time, on the same week PokerStars announced VIP program changes so it felt like pulling a lollipop off my mouth. #sadtimes
On top of that, unfortunately didn't win any sizable multiplier this month so I am on a "no candies" strike until something cheerful happens (for the record, this doesn't include increasing SuperNova rakeback by 1% - weird trend nowadays). That's it from me guys, hope you're crushing!
Visit fabioramos.me. GL GL!
October graph:
Congrats on your success this year with Spins but brutal October - I'm sure you'll pull it back though!
I used to play 30s and 60s HU hypers over a year ago full time, making a come back to Spins, probably starting at 7s to get a feel of the field. I'm completely new to Spins - what would you suggest for learning material? I won't be playing on a stake. Thanks in advance
Hey KK89, ty ty! Most of the learning material I have access to isn't publicly available (as I'm part of husng.com program). If you have 1year of HU experience under your belt, I think it's safe to assume you should focus your efforts in 3 handed play. I have only watched Coffee's pack (so I don't have any reference point) but most likely is the best pack out there for people starting out in Spins. Depending on your level of seriousness, I think being coached is a must, though (even if you don't want/can't being staked). Hope my insights are useful, let me know if you have further questions.