Red Baron's 100,000-Hand Marathon: Insights and Challenges on NL500 Zoom

Poker player Red Baron, whose nickname is Otb_RedBaron, started a 100,000-hand marathon on NL500 Zoom on September 12, 2012, aiming for a minimum win rate of 6 EV bb/100. After 23,500 hands, Red Baron's EV win rate was 7.78 bb/100. Red Baron mentioned that he believes he can achieve a 6 bb win rate over 100,000 hands in 25% of cases, depending on luck.

Red Baron noted that there are several good regulars on NL500 Zoom, but they are a minority, and there are many SNE grinders, weak semi-shorts, a few trainers, and approximately 1/8 fish. He also mentioned that he started playing NL25 6-max at the end of June 2010 and did not consider his rise to be quick. Red Baron prefers Zoom poker because it allows for more hands to be played in less time.

Red Baron mentioned that he started his poker education with electronic books and the best topics on 2+2, strategic posts from strong players, and avoided the term 'opponent-dependent'. He also mentioned that he did not find the training videos helpful and that hiring a coach was a waste of time and money for him. Red Baron believes most high-stakes players improved their game through self-study rather than discussing hands with others.