11:53pm: In my never ending ongoing efforts to improve the site, I have now added a Poker News Section on the right tool bar. The news articles will cover both online and poker and live poker, so there’s something for everyone. For your convenience, all news articles will open in a new tab upon being clicked. Just one more reason to bookmark us!

I also want to point out that in doing some testing, I have found this site is best viewed in Firefox, as opposed to Internet Explorer. If the formatting of the articles seem a little “off” in Internet Explorer, try viewing the site in Firefox - I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the differences.

On a personal note, I recommend Firefox over Internet Explorer regardless. To download Firefox, visit here.

Start a Clean Slate at a New Room, a New Sharkscope, and Keep HFL Free in the Process

5:47pm: This seems to be one topic that everyone seems to agree to disagree on. X number of people feel that any information you give, and I do mean ANY, can only hurt you in regards to poker. On the other hand, some would rather reveal to other players their results, as their style is a product of the assumption that the other player already knows what kind of player you are. To break this down, we need to make a list of the benefits of both sides of the story. There are good arguments on both sides the story, but let’s first examine the side of those who say “hide it.”

1. Hiding Your Sharkscope Results (Benefits)

• Your opponent has no clue if you’ve made $250,000 in your lifetime playing poker, or if you’ve lost $1,000,000 in the same span. Therefore, they can make no assumptions about you or what kind of player you are based on PROFIT alone. The less they know about you, the more equipped you are to keep them guessing, and this confusion could lead you to victory.
• Your opponent cannot hone in on recent trends in your graph, and therefore cannot tell how you’ve been playing in the last 100-200 games or so. Consequently, if your game hasn’t been top notch recently, and you find yourself on tilt, your opponent will never know it.
• Personal privacy is an important concept, especially as relates to online poker. You believe that it is your business, and only your business to know your results. The only way to ensure this is to hide them.
• “Sharks” are less likely to prey on those whose results are blocked. Many people refuse to register first in heads up sit n gos because they like to Sharkscope their opponents before they play them. If your results are blocked, then they will more than likely move on to easier prey.

  Now, let’s take a look at those who say it’s better to show the results than it is to hide them:

2. Displaying Your Sharkscope (Benefits)

• If you have good results, “Sharks” are more likely to stay away from you if you register first. It’s just common sense. This is a business, and everyone’s in it to make money. It’s just simply not a good business decision to play someone who is near the same skill level as yourself.
• If you have good results, people are more likely to believe you when you bet. Therefore, it is a lot easier to pull off big bluffs and drag small pots without a hand. A good part of heads up play is based on deception, and they’re already playing into your hand when they believe you’re telling the truth.
• Sharkscope is a great tool that automatically tracks your results. Therefore, if your results are enabled, then you won’t have to go through the trouble of tracking them by hand or via an Excel spreadsheet. All the work is done for you. When results are blocked, you have to do a lot more work as far as money management/account skills go.

So, there are a few solid arguments for both sides of the issue. One thing that should stick out to you is that there are far more effective benefits of enabling your Sharkscope as a good player than there is for the below average player.

At the end of the day, this is a matter of personal preference. While this article may not have changed your mind either way, just keep these things in mind when deciding for yourself what sounds like a better idea to you.

Start a Clean Slate at a New Room, a New Sharkscope, and Keep HFL Free in the Process

2:12am: This is a very useful little article I found written by Matthew Hilger (who coincidentally wrote the first book I ever read on poker). The article talks about why it’s best to just let it go, and not always feel like you have to get even before calling it a night.

Also, tonight I’m a living example of this article, as I finished 3-8 on the day in my first losing day since the fire. I knew it was coming soon, so I’m not at all worried about it. Will be right back at it tomorrow with a positive outlook. However, for now I’m just going to let it go for the night and work on improving the website some more.

Article:

Most poker players have short-term goals. They sit down at the table and they want to win money…now! Many players suffer having to close a session with a big loss. It kills them! How often have you stayed up late at night trying to get back to even? Do you always have in the back of your mind where you stand in a given session?

Unfortunately this type of mindset will hinder quality play. Trying to get back to even is a losing proposition. This is especially true when you are sleepy. You’ll start to play a few more hands than normal hoping to hit that big hand. On the flop you might hold a weak draw but decide to go for it in hopes of hitting that one pot to get you back to even. You don’t hit on the flop so you decide, “what the heck, one more bet won’t hurt me”, and you call the turn. You end up chasing in situations that have a negative expectation. You know better, BUT you just want to go to bed with a clean slate! In many cases you just keep digging yourself a bigger hole.

For all of those who can relate to the above I have one simple piece of advise…you can always get back to even tomorrow or the day after. Poker is one long continuous game which never ends. Thinking in terms of sessions or even weeks will throw many players into a bad mood a lot of the time. To approach this game with the right mindset you must think of your results with a long-term perspective. I always like to look at my results in terms of months.

The Internet is so great because there is always a game going. When things are going bad and you feel yourself start to press hoping for that one big pot, you are probably just better off quitting and waiting until another day to get things back on track. It’s a pretty easy decision when you think about it. You can either dig yourself a bigger hole or come back another day with a fresh start. So remember, you can always get back to even tomorrow or the day after.