PLAYER GETTING BETTER

Played my first hand of poker at a bar back in Sep 2021. I thought it was interesting, I've always liked cards and games, and decided I wanted to try to get good at it. I watched some youtube videos, learned about some theory, deposited some onto Ignition and started to play some 25nl. I ran hot out of the gate and one 40 buy-ins in 15k hands and then bled most of it back over the next 50k hands. I got some coaching during this, a few lessons, but didn't think what I was learning was worth the price and decided it was a better use of money to rent a dedicated server and run GTO+ for my own solves in order to try and understand what is actually going on in poker for myself. I've been doing that in my free time for the past 5 months and started playing again. Once again, I'm running hot out of the gate, but am waiting for variance to catch up with me, although I feel much better about my game at the moment.

Unlike the first time I started playing, I have a much clearer idea of what I'm doing with my range in most spots and what other people are doing/what they're supposed to be doing. I created a spreadsheet for every common SRP and 3-bet spot and decided on a strategy for different types of board textures, etc. I also thought about and wrote notes on when an alternative strategy might be good. Probably the most important thing I've done is look at turn strategies in the solver, both in individual solves and in aggregate reports to see what the solver like to do, mostly taking note of the bet sizing it prefers, and seeing how much simplifying strategies to only 1 flop sizing and 1 turn sizing (multiple sizes, but one a specific turn card) works and what your range looks like when you do that. I created different solves where I simplified each flop and turn spot to a strategy that is digestible and used the trainer extensively, mostly working on 3 bet pots, both as the 3bettor and more importantly imo as the 3bet caller. My study routine right now is 1-2 hours of looking at the solver every day, both in aggregate reports, and in specific solves, trying to abstract heuristics about different spots and looking at how Villian is supposed to play and trying to guess where they might deviate.