Hello again!
September is here, and i decided to write a short recap about August.
It's been quite a busy month overall with my dayjob, which left me less time to hit the poker tables.
My poker results, however, were decent and after reading some information, watching some videos, making some experiments on various poker rooms and trying out some different tournament formats, i ultimately got myself convinced i was ready for higher stakes tournaments, and decided to take some cash away from my savings and make a deposit in order to have a big enough bankroll that allows me to play comfortably at the $16 SnGs.
I'm still adapting to the level of play on these new stakes, which is A LOT tougher than what i was used to, at the $10 and below buy-in sngs, to the point that sometimes it seems i'm playing a completely new game, but it's being very interesting so far.
This week i also had the coaching session with Rexy, that i'd won through her blog contest here on Poker Curious. It's been a really pleasant experience, that got me excited and pumped up to raise my game to a higher level.
The session focused several topics, from strategic advice to psychology at the tables. Without going into much detail, some of the strategic points discussed were being aware of our table image, at all times, and play accordingly to it; also very important is getting a grasp of other players' playing styles at the table, their hand ranges and what kinds of plays are they capable of doing, even when not directly participating in the hand.
Other interesting points were discussed, such as the importance of having a poker network in order to have a group of people for poker discussion, as well as providing and receiving motivation from other players.
We also discussed more general poker-related stuff, and it was pretty interesting to hear Rexy's views on the importance of staying ahead of the competition - trying to sort out plays which aren't working that well anymore against certain players, or in certain situations, and seeking new and creative ways to play in those spots. In such a vibrant, ever-changing and fast-paced universe as poker is nowadays, this is probably more imporant than ever, now that the game is evolving so quickly, and since the essence of winning at poker is being able to adjust faster than our opponents to each situation.
Overall the coaching session was a great experience, with insightful and creative poker advice from Rexy, who is not only a gifted poker player, but also a very talented instructor and a really great person, who made the session as pleasant as i had expected.
Thank you again for this opportunity ;)
Personally, i'm looking forward to repeat a coaching session like this in the future (when my bankroll allows it), since it can make such visible improvements on our game. I'm also hoping this can serve as additional motivation for Rexy's second blog contest - the prize is, in my opinion, well worth it!
August was, overall, a very interesting month pokerwise. I set new goals, deepened my study of the game, and had my first coaching session which was a great experience - that's a lot of new stuff to "digest" for September!
Thank you for reading and good luck at the tables!
