[0x54MUR41]

It depends on how the posts are ranked [0]

  How are stories ranked?

  The basic algorithm divides points by a power of the time since a story was submitted. Comments in threads are ranked the same way.

  Other factors affecting rank include user flags, anti-abuse software, software which demotes overheated discussions, and moderator intervention.

I recommend you to check Hacker News Daily [1] because it summarizes top stories on HN daily. It also summarizes Ask HN, but weekly [2].

I think you don't need to check HN frequently. If you miss a day, you can always go back or jump to date using Past page [3]. Other user has mentioned tools, like hckr news and HN Search using Algolia.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html

[1]: http://www.daemonology.net/hn-daily/

[2]: http://www.daemonology.net/hn-weekly-ask

[3]: https://news.ycombinator.com/front