5:06am: As I have become more and more familiar with the style of the $100 hu sng players, I am now becoming more comfortable playing a higher volume of games at these stakes. Volume is absolutely key in softening the variance and cruelty of poker, and it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve actually had the time to dedicate a whole day to poker.

That being said, the rake absolutely killed me today. After all the hours of laboring over 16 games and enduring all of the emotional swings that came along with it, my net profit today is +$120 (after subtracting $80 in rake for having played 16 games). There were some bad beats today, and I also got lucky a couple of times.

Most importantly, never did I panic — even when I was off to a 1-4 start. I would then go 8-3 the rest of the way, and was happy to end a very long session on a positive note.

One thing I have noticed specifically about the $100 level is the amount of players with “gimmicky” styles. By “gimmicky”, I mean players who specifically go out of their way to do something unorthodox and repeatedly. For example:

• Min raising every hand, and min betting every flop
• Odd Raises (but always the same amounts), such as raising to 53 preflop instead of 60
• Turning no limit poker into limit poker by always betting the same amount

.. and so on.

My take on this is that this is an attempt to throw their opponent on tilt. The only reason it doesn’t work on me is because I know they are going out of their way to do it, and specifically for that reason. If miniscule things like this put me on tilt, what kind of professional would I be?

To boot, I think these gimmicks are more substance over style and most of the time these guys are masking their level of skill with these attempted annoying tactics.

Anyhow, I will be playing a live session tonight. Good luck to everyone playing today!

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