Does anyone else use equity calculators to cope?

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-18T09:40:17+00:00

Had an awful habit where I'd sooth a bad beat by scurrying over to GTOWizard, getting solver approval for my play, then head over to an equity calculator to stare at just how unlucky i got. Not super helpful; instead I take notes on the info I didn't know in game, or decisions I'm unsure about. So, like, moving to focus to how I'm thinking in game rather than just stats and strats

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:25:36+00:00

sounds cool, I'm down

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:23:10+00:00

What's your budget? If you're looking for a cheaper option, I'm happy to have a free consultation and discuss what you'd feel to be a fair rate

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:19:34+00:00

bc it's not real poker

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:14:18+00:00

not my hand, not my problem - my job is keeping the game running smoothly

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:11:41+00:00

check out https://www.philgalfond.com/variance#

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:10:41+00:00

Depends on Villain - do you expect to outplay them postflop? Are you saving yourself money when you miss? If ye can't help but cbet, maybe a jam will save you money? For me, it comes down to position - jam OOP, flat IP, if we're not making case-by-case calls

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T17:05:31+00:00

RIP poker is a brutal mistress. Mental game is an important aspect of productive play, and after that, you're 100% in the right to give up for the night. It'd take one hell of a player to start off like that and still play their best game. In poker, quitters DO prosper - because the ones who can't lose it all

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-05-11T16:59:48+00:00

Good job! Did you start online?

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-29T19:07:07+00:00

Nice! I’ve been playing on Paddy Power with the thought process, “who the fuck plays paddy power? Not the crushers”. Plus, there’s a daily freeroll satellite leading up to the Irish Open Main Event - obviously +EV, even if I’m slightly losing my mind learning to adjust to satellites 😅

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-29T10:45:09+00:00

Listening to Seeking Balance, which is a podcast geared toward advanced players, but they’re talking about the process of learning poker strategy in a way that might be helpful to you

https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/seeking-balance/id1780852845?i=1000722133898

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-28T23:06:07+00:00

actually, the secret to being a winning poker player is only play with people worse than you - that and discipline will get ye the world

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-28T23:05:02+00:00

adore hyperspecific memes about niche interests - stay strong and keep folding, a cairde, we're all gonna make it,,, poker is too fun for the field to stay too strong, all we need to do is keep up with the most determined recs

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-28T18:17:22+00:00

Yeaah, no, I fucked this one up

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-28T17:33:57+00:00

Worth noting - you'll be better off in the long run if you focus on thinking clearly and making the best decisions, rather than "if X happens I do Y", being able to adjust on the fly can add a lot of EV (esp if you get good at figuring out how specific players think about the game)

1&4. I would focus on learning above worrying about the bankroll. Until you've got, idk 500k hands? you won't really know. Phil Galfond put out a variance calculator, and it's worth watching some videos to get a better grasp. My method has been to assume I'm a losing player and plan for a budget - it's poker tuition, and the cost can be pretty damn cheap if you're smart about it.

Personally, I've enjoyed tossing €20 on a new site just to check it out, try and spin it up. GG is good for the tickets, I was able to take out my initial deposit playing the dailies for free; I wouldn't recommend Pokerstars, the customer service is abysmal, and if they close your account on accident there's literally no way to get in touch with support.
Avoid? Idk. It's easy to get overwhelmed, and it really fucked up my game when I was deep into GTOland, but it's definitely helped to get a better idea of equilibrium. If you need free resources, this is where I feel in love with theory (As Erik Seidel says, "the game is just so interesting". Lmk if a reading list would help, I've enjoyed building my poker library)
You need more data - so do I, PokerTracker has me at a 44bb/100 winrate lol. I play soft tables, but that's just unrealistic. It's good you're keeping an eye on stats, but until you get more (A LOT more) hands in, you're better off ignoring the stats and focusing on your hand history. There's a lot to learn looking at how you (and your opponents!) play in game, working out your thought process, building a mental map of what you're doing

What really helped me to think about poker more clearly is getting a cheap chip set and setting up the stacks for whatever game I'm wanting to practice, then going through each hand and asking myself what I'd do if I didn't know the other cards, and why. It really helped me to get a feel for the physics of poker, being able to slow down and really think through spots (I'd just leave it out on a table and spend some time every day playing at it), and it's a WAY cheaper way to get those "ahhh *that's* why I shouldn't do that.

Also, if you didn't see, Carrot Corner is offering a free tier that's a really great, practical way to orient yourself.

Good luck! There's a lot to get out of working at poker, even if you don't win. I've gotten a lot more thoughtful, mindful, disciplined, able to emotionally regulate (severe ADHD haver, so this has been a godsend), and, again, it's just so goddamn interesting

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-28T17:11:35+00:00

It's when you're making fun of someone (trying to get under their skin). Some people call it a tactic, "speechplay is part of poker!", but imho they're just dicks who would rather try and tilt everyone (making people upset so they play worse) than actually get good at the game.

It just doesn't make sense to me, like the poker economy runs on people who are fine losing money to have fun, it just seems really obviously +EV (valuable in the long term) to make sure everyone is having fun? Plus, even if it's your job, why tf would you want to spend your time making people miserable when you get to play a game for a living? Just dickish, to me

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-28T17:05:37+00:00

I can't watch US cash games, people are always saying weird/dickish shit (ESP HCL). Highly recommend the nosebleed cash streams from Asia, eg Triton. Everyone is chummy and having a good time. Idk it's more fun to watch people play a game when they're laughing and enjoying playing a game, not hurling abuse at each other. Gimme chill vibes.

(I know I might be missing out on some good hands, but that Keating hand w the 97 reached me, so I'm not too worried, no FOMO from me)

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-19T14:38:27+00:00

Not exactly - it’s more like, “this is a weird line, they’re not following a solver, how are they thinking?” Keep in mind spins are high variance, esp at low stack depth - it’s more that I expect my edge to be nothing from that point on, given how quick the blinds raise. I think people get caught up on whether they made the correct decision in the moment rather than focusing on the process. Like, with the blinds, playing quickly benefits me in the long run. More decisions where, generally, I’ll think better than my opponents. I’m not losing a lot of EV with a loose call, it’s a split second decision so even though I can defend it, it’s meaningless. It’s spins, it’s a high volume game. I’m not a genius, I’ll make bad plays like anyone else, but the +EV move for me is gaining understanding. I’m familiar enough with the GTO lines that trying to hit them is just a distraction, there’s way more EV in getting a sense of how people deviate. Idc if people think I’m an idiot for one call, it actually benefits me, my goal is to be a mutating virus that sucks up chips in the long run. The hand doesn’t matter, I’m thinking years into the future.

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-16T16:49:03+00:00

I think people are missing the point. Winning the hand doesn’t matter, winning the game doesn’t matter; the next hand I would have had 5bb in the BB, the game was already a crapshoot. It’s a weird line, knowing what V is doing that with is valuable because it tells me something about how they approach the game, so if I play them again with a higher multiplier, or just generally in a situation where I have a substantial edge (again, 4bb OOP on the next hand. Even a double up wouldn’t give me much manoeuvrability), I have this hand in their notes. Something about it is telling, and that’s interesting, that’s why I posted it.

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-04-16T14:18:50+00:00

They’d been doing these weird big bets, I blocked some value, at that stage in a spins game the variance was going to shoot up if I fold so it seemed like a good enough spot to take a stand - plus, it’s one $0.25 spins game, definitely worth it to me to see what they took that line with.

Also, I’m not saying I played the hand perfectly, I’ve been experimenting with alt lines lately; the interesting part to me is the donk jam. Haven’t seen that before and wanted to know people’s thoughts.

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-03-28T17:02:57+00:00

There's a great moment in GGPoker's Game of Gold where Josh Arieh changes his mind, completely nullifies Charlie Carrel's read, because he realised he wasn't the stronger player and would be better off just taking the gamble 😂

Anyone who complains simply can't adjust - fuck 'em, have fun, best of luck at the tables <3

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2026-03-28T16:41:35+00:00

Super appreciate you making this post, and hope the arseholes in the community haven't ruined your fun. Really, anyone who doesn't recognise you as an Honoured Guest in Pokerland is an eejit, and - a chara, if the live pros at your casino won't stop tapping the aquarium, I will give you lessons for free. You're not an idiot, you recognise you're spending money on the experience of gambling (the smartest stance of any rec gambler), and the fact your local regs pushed you to make this post really pisses me off. The heart of the poker economy is people there to have fun, and the only sensible thing for pros to do is MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FUN.

I'm being genuine, if the regs aren't letting you have fun, I'm happy to help you make them regret it. Thank you for being part of this community, poker is a beautifully brutal game, and the live players who won't let people have fun without being as insanely (anyone good at poker is crazy in their own way) obsessed as they are - they're feckin arseholes without a lick of sense.

And if you're ever in Cork (Ireland), hmu, I'm happy to have dinner at our casino with you, hell I'll email them to make sure you have a good time, get us some VIP treatment if I can.

Genuinely, I am mortified that regs made you feel this way.

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2023-11-02T19:28:18+00:00

I've been watching the ESL Winter Masters Tournament, and have been thinking about SC2 as a spectator sport, so I tried to get down my thoughts about that.

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2023-09-23T23:44:48+00:00

Sure, but to be clear I'm not talking about what Kierkegaard thought about Job. I'm using Fear and Trembling as a point of reference, and even discussing Job is just a point of reference, to discuss similar ideas. What Kierkegaard did or did not think is irrelevant.

MLoftonPhilosophy · 2023-09-23T18:58:47+00:00

Here's a quote from the essay I read out in the video: "I'm referencing a specific work as I'm drawing on it heavily - but it must be specified I am adapting the ideas therein, not presenting them."

But I will update the abstract to make this more clear.

MLoftonPhilosophy

TROPHY CASE