This isn't the first time we've talked about VeniVidi, the PLO-reg who usually plays $10/$20 or $25/$50 on GGPoker.
He recently posted a few updates to his Twitter, letting the world know how his $100k to $1 million marathon is going.
VeniVidi – It's been a while, but I have quite a bit of content that I would like to share with everyone. This week, I'll post screenshots of all the charities that I donated to with a short explanation. Next Monday, I will do a bankroll update, but let's start with a breakdown of this hand that I played yesterday:
A like on this post is much appreciated.
We find ourselves heads-up (HU) in the big blind (BB) with a hand that we 3-bet always at 100 BB stack sizes.
The flop brings , which doesn't seem great, but as the 3-bettor, we have plenty of double-suited hands, so on average, we still c-bet 50% on these kinds of boards.
With the , I think this hand works better as a c-bet than as a check-call. The most important thing is that you know the rough percentages well and not that you exactly nail every combination from a GTO perspective.
On average, we c-bet 73% as the 3-bettor on all the boards that are provided on vision. We try to 3-bet 18.4% from the BB versus a small blind (SB) open. Our opponent doesn't 4-bet, so we have a big equity advantage going to the flop; that's the reason we can c-bet so much in general.
The turn brings a , which is super good for the range of hands that we have here. The difference between decent mid-stakes players and high-stakes crushers is recognizing how equities are shifted by different cards and applying the right kind of pressure with enough "bluffs" when the board favors us. I'll provide some screenshots underneath to illustrate this.
We bet the turn as a bluff and hit two pair on the river.
The river spot is very interesting, and I ran a quick sim to find out how the solver would approach this. For some, this might look like an easy check-call, but betting for value is definitely an option instinctively. Most better two pairs are shoved by our opponent, and holding the makes it less likely that our opponent rivered a higher two pair. You could make an argument for shoving here, but mixing seems to be the way to go. Loads of missed draws, so in this instance, I decided to go for the check, and my opponent puts in the rest of his stack as a bluff.
So after double-checking, the solver is mostly checking here with hands like KKxx and KTxx, so not exactly approved by the solver, my line. My opponent turns his into a bluff, which is also not approved by the solver. I constantly make plays that are not the most optimal move; in this case, it was just a combination of a lack of knowledge and a gut feeling.
In the next message, VeniVidi, as promised, spoke about the charitable projects that he supports:
1. The Special Social Club
Disability-inclusive events and activities organization, like parties or sporting events.
2. Big Brothers Big Sisters
The program pairs young people, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, with adult volunteers who serve as mentors.
3. Klabu
Non-profit organization that focuses on providing sports facilities to refugee camps.
4. De voedselbank
The primary mission of De Voedselbank is to collect surplus food from various sources, such as supermarkets, farmers, and manufacturers, and redistribute it to those in need.
The 4th transfer still has to be done, but didn't want to wait for the post. In the meantime I'm collecting all the hand histories for an update on the bankroll challenge!
In the marathon report, VeniVidi was once again amazed by the rake on GG :
VeniVedi – Week 27:
Total on account: $334,378
Cash games including rakeback: +$128,090
A like on this post is much appreciated.
Back with a bang. I have been running incredibly hot across all stakes across all networks. This is the kind of upswing that we need in order to reach the challenging goal.
Cannot stress enough how the graph on GG Poker looks very juicy, but rake is not included, so I consider it more a training ground than anything else. If you try to make it professionally online, focus on games with low rake.
Outside the challenge, my run has been on the same pace. If people are interested, I can post those results too. I didn't make any big changes to my game, just working on it on a daily basis and making sure the games I play in are profitable.
At the $400,000 mark, we will include $50/$100, which will boost our earnings by quite a bit. Adding stakes can impact your winnings a lot, especially if you manage to pick the right lineups and leave your ego out of it. Things I haven't been very good at in the past.
Still feels a bit weird to grind so hard while financially being completely set, but especially then it's valuable to set out goals that are hard, yet attainable. Hopefully, we manage to keep the hot run going. Stay tuned!
– How much rake did you pay on GG?
– About $55,000 at the distance that was on the charts.
– Remind me, what is the goal of your marathon?
– By the end of the year, grow to $1.1 million, started with $100k.
– Doesn’t the number of amateurs compensate for such a rake on GG?
– To do this, you need to select very strictly. There are almost no regulars on GG who play profitably without rakeback.
Quick update on how I'm doing outside of the bankroll challenge this year.
The run has been nothing but hot, as shown in the graphs. Up just north of $200,000 if you add the rake to the GGPoker graph. In my case, I only get to play 10,000 hands in a year at the nosebleeds, so it can make or break.
There are a ton of players that willingly avoid these swings and go for a steady paycheck at $25/$50 and under, which is a great decision if you look at the mental swings you will possibly endure after wiping out most of your winnings in a big losing session.
The upside, however, is being able to play in very good games where the hourly on average can be very high. The regulars you have to compete with are more competent, but oftentimes the recreational players can be way worse than at your average $10/$20 game.
I've battled a bit at high stakes in order to win the lobby. Some of the hands were played very poorly from my side (possibly the first small tilt this year), so I will be reviewing those hands this week. Stay tuned!
At the 28th week of the marathon, VeniVidi stalled a little :
Total on account: +$301,578
Cash games including rakeback: -$32,800
A like on this post is much appreciated.
Swinging quite a bit under EV, but it's looking pretty promising at the moment. Unfortunately, we have to wait a little bit in order to move up to $50/$100, which is a key move in order to give us a shot at completing this before the end of the year.
What the graphs don't tell you is that slowly I'm taking over the lobby at the not so busy hours and feeling more and more comfortable about me edge against most players. The volume is also going up and this trend will continue throughout the year, especially if we get close to the goal in the last three months.
I moved to a new place and I will share my new setup as soon as it is ready. Some friends and family are coming over this week, but don't worry, I'll make sure to put in the hours at the table.
A small step back, but things are looking better and better, stay tuned!