Full Tilt Poker Game #1055551107: $9,000 Guarantee (6990800), Table 27 - 80/160 - No Limit Hold'em - 2:23:50 ET - 2006/10/01
Seat 1: odaddy48 (7,055)
Seat 2: williamnine (1,861)
Seat 3: I_AM_EVIL (5,780)
Seat 4: sobhlo (2,035)
Seat 6: biglefty777 (4,755)
Seat 7: LarryLives (4,165)
Seat 8: JadeFan (2,210)
Seat 9: Bro002 (4,690)
JadeFan posts the small blind of 80
Bro002 posts the big blind of 160
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bro002 [4h 6h]
odaddy48 folds
williamnine folds
I_AM_EVIL folds
sobhlo folds
biglefty777 folds
LarryLives folds
JadeFan calls 80
Bro002 checks
*** FLOP *** [6c 8h 8c]
ssamuels123 sits down
ssamuels123 adds 6,810
JadeFan bets 160
Bro002 calls 160
*** TURN *** [6c 8h 8c] [7d]
JadeFan bets 160
Bro002 calls 160
*** RIVER *** [6c 8h 8c 7d] [7s]
JadeFan bets 160
Bro002 raises to 1,000
JadeFan calls 840
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bro002 shows [4h 6h] (two pair, Eights and Sevens)
JadeFan shows [5h 5s] (two pair, Eights and Sevens)
JadeFan ties for the pot (1,480) with two pair, Eights and Sevens
Bro002 ties for the pot (1,480) with two pair, Eights and Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,960 | Rake 0
Board: [6c 8h 8c 7d 7s]
Seat 1: odaddy48 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: williamnine didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: I_AM_EVIL didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: sobhlo didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: biglefty777 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: LarryLives (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: JadeFan (small blind) showed [5h 5s] and won (1,480) with two pair, Eights and Sevens
Seat 9: Bro002 (big blind) showed [4h 6h] and won (1,480) with two pair, Eights and Sevens
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
My Love/Hate Relationship with Full Tilt
I decided that I was gonna clear full tilts generous 100% bonus up to $600 - so i deposit $600 on full tilt and I start opening 0.25/0.50 tables so I can get at it, i'm trying to fit these tables like I do on partypoker, 4 on each monitor - I spend about 15 minutes trying to resize the tables when I finally ask someone for help. Full Tilt does not have resizable tables... wow. The only way to play 8+ tables on full tilt is to have 2 CRT monitors with really high resolutions so i'm out of luck. I cannot believe that full tilt has not implemented this feature yet... that's the hate.
Here's the love - full tilt is by far the easiest game I have ever played, everyone plays ridiculously tight, combine that with the fact that they run 9-max tables instead of 10-max and you have me running over tables... I will literally raise from early position with suited connectors and raise from the cutoff and button with hands like K/7o, it's that tight. I'm not even sure if i could play 10 tables on full tilt because im raising like 40% of the hands. Players aren't only tight preflop, they are brutal post flop, I can't remember loosing one hand where I was in position. If its checked to me, I bet, they fold - if they bet, I reraise if I catch any piece of the flop, they fold... It's ridiculous.
This morning I was playing 6 0.25/0.50 tables, after about two hours I opened my cashier and my total $ in play was $840. I had two tables which had 5 times my original buy-in and I never chipped up. I think i'm running well - I say think because i'm not sure if i'm hitting more hands just because i'm playing more hands... for example, I must have hit 15 sets this morning but I raise with any pair in any position, so i'm getting to see many more flops with pairs, usually I just take the blinds tho.
The greatest part about all of this is that people play even tighter against me because my stack is so big, people will lay down top pair with a medium kicker because they don't want to play for their entire stack(which I will make them do, i'm relentless in my aggression). Heres another reason my crushing full tilt, everyone is playing small stacks - for some reason, players don't buy in for the maximum on this site so when i make a continuation bet and someone calls me for 20% of their stack, I know they they are trying to trap me or are a very strong draw. They make it easy, they are pretty much showing me their hands...
I started playing last night and i've unlocked $60 of my bonus and accumulated about 1000 FPP so I should be done in about 10 days with 10,000 FPPs - i'll probably keep playing on full tilt to get a custom football jersey, that thing is pretty sweet.
Here's the love - full tilt is by far the easiest game I have ever played, everyone plays ridiculously tight, combine that with the fact that they run 9-max tables instead of 10-max and you have me running over tables... I will literally raise from early position with suited connectors and raise from the cutoff and button with hands like K/7o, it's that tight. I'm not even sure if i could play 10 tables on full tilt because im raising like 40% of the hands. Players aren't only tight preflop, they are brutal post flop, I can't remember loosing one hand where I was in position. If its checked to me, I bet, they fold - if they bet, I reraise if I catch any piece of the flop, they fold... It's ridiculous.
This morning I was playing 6 0.25/0.50 tables, after about two hours I opened my cashier and my total $ in play was $840. I had two tables which had 5 times my original buy-in and I never chipped up. I think i'm running well - I say think because i'm not sure if i'm hitting more hands just because i'm playing more hands... for example, I must have hit 15 sets this morning but I raise with any pair in any position, so i'm getting to see many more flops with pairs, usually I just take the blinds tho.
The greatest part about all of this is that people play even tighter against me because my stack is so big, people will lay down top pair with a medium kicker because they don't want to play for their entire stack(which I will make them do, i'm relentless in my aggression). Heres another reason my crushing full tilt, everyone is playing small stacks - for some reason, players don't buy in for the maximum on this site so when i make a continuation bet and someone calls me for 20% of their stack, I know they they are trying to trap me or are a very strong draw. They make it easy, they are pretty much showing me their hands...
I started playing last night and i've unlocked $60 of my bonus and accumulated about 1000 FPP so I should be done in about 10 days with 10,000 FPPs - i'll probably keep playing on full tilt to get a custom football jersey, that thing is pretty sweet.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Party Poker Satelites?
Ok so I may have a new life plan in poker - Party Poker Satelites.
After reading Bruno's post about the softness of the online tourneys I figured I'd play in a $3 rebuy satelite for the sunday million tourney ($215 entry fee). I never rebought, was the chip leader for nearly the entire match, only got my money in bad once (when it was four handed, and the blinds were rediculous). Basically I just waited for good hands and/or played positional raises all-in. Pretty straight forward stuff. I had a few hands cracked (eg Aces to A6s) and made a few rather decent calls (called an all-in bluff on the river with Ace high), but it was generally an easy ride. The people just made blantantly bad plays, so either I knew I was winning or not (this makes playing poker much easier...)
So for $3 and about 2 hours of my time I'm in the Sunday Millions. Cannot complain much about that. :) I noticed that these are soft on the Poker Network too. I'd be curious if tournament players could basically just play lots of satelites and cleanup. If you cashed in only 1 or 2 bigger tournies a month you would likely make a LOT, and if you satelited in, it would be a very good investment. Like if I played in 50 sunday millions a year. I could probably expect to cash in 5-10, and cash well in at least 1 of those.
My grinding days will continue, but this has definitely made me think! I may devote a lot more of my time to tournaments...
After reading Bruno's post about the softness of the online tourneys I figured I'd play in a $3 rebuy satelite for the sunday million tourney ($215 entry fee). I never rebought, was the chip leader for nearly the entire match, only got my money in bad once (when it was four handed, and the blinds were rediculous). Basically I just waited for good hands and/or played positional raises all-in. Pretty straight forward stuff. I had a few hands cracked (eg Aces to A6s) and made a few rather decent calls (called an all-in bluff on the river with Ace high), but it was generally an easy ride. The people just made blantantly bad plays, so either I knew I was winning or not (this makes playing poker much easier...)
So for $3 and about 2 hours of my time I'm in the Sunday Millions. Cannot complain much about that. :) I noticed that these are soft on the Poker Network too. I'd be curious if tournament players could basically just play lots of satelites and cleanup. If you cashed in only 1 or 2 bigger tournies a month you would likely make a LOT, and if you satelited in, it would be a very good investment. Like if I played in 50 sunday millions a year. I could probably expect to cash in 5-10, and cash well in at least 1 of those.
My grinding days will continue, but this has definitely made me think! I may devote a lot more of my time to tournaments...
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Some more hands.
Winning poker is about maximizing when your ahead and minimizing your loses when your behind - even the best of players are going to lose, but the best of players get away with a scratch whereas average and weak players take a knive to the heart. This morning I was doing a poor job, this evening was better - I didnt really win that much, but I feel like I could have lost alot had I not played so well.
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78717
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78720
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78721
Currently playing in the party poker 40k freezeout. Started with 2658 down to 240 players, I have double the average stack - i'll tell you what happens in my next post.
EDIT: I was 2nd in chips with 4 people remaining and we chopped. I cashed for $5,540. The poker gods are forgiven.
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78717
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78720
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78721
Currently playing in the party poker 40k freezeout. Started with 2658 down to 240 players, I have double the average stack - i'll tell you what happens in my next post.
EDIT: I was 2nd in chips with 4 people remaining and we chopped. I cashed for $5,540. The poker gods are forgiven.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Hands, Blogs and the Sunday Million.
I played the $1,000,000 Guarantee this sunday on partypoker and everything was going great until this happend-
NL Texas Hold'em Trny:29169872 Level:12 Blinds-Antes(1500/3000-75) - Sunday,
Table Sunday Million Guaranteed(832558) Table #14 (Real Money)
Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Gershenator1 ( $32915 )
Seat 2: crunchtime3 ( $65392 )
Seat 4: eightrakk ( $18937 )
Seat 5: Bro002 ( $25766 )
Seat 8: allinsi ( $72560 )
Seat 9: weed666 ( $28094 )
Seat 10: athletenc87 ( $52282 )
Seat 7: xxmcxx ( $41759 )
Seat 6: NutMuck ( $239866 )
Seat 3: PearlJammed ( $144956 )
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Bro002 [ Qd Qs ]
Gershenator1 folds.
crunchtime3 folds.
PearlJammed folds.
eightrakk folds.
Bro002 raises [8000].
NutMuck folds.
xxmcxx calls [8000].
allinsi folds.
weed666 folds.
athletenc87 folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Qh, 7d, 2s ]
Bro002 checks.
xxmcxx bets [12253].
Bro002 is all-In [17691]
xxmcxx calls [5438].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jd ]
** Dealing River ** [ Ah ]
xxmcxx shows [ Ad, Ac ] three of a kind, aces.
Bro002 shows [ Qd, Qs ] three of a kind, queens.
xxmcxx wins 56632 chips from the main pot with three of a kind, aces.
Player Bro002 finished in 431 place and received $500
I wonder how much that card cost me... I din't run well all tournament so i'm pretty pleased that I could play through it for a decent cash... especially decent since I qualified in a $16 sattelite.
Here are some hands I played today:
I'm sure glad I checked this instead of betting like I normally do:
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78123
Almost folded this:
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78124
Should have gotten away from this:
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78125
Gonna go play some live poker tonight, I'll update you guys when I get back. Until then here are some of the blogs I read:
http://fishbones11.blogspot.com/
http://billsparkspoker.blogspot.com/
NL Texas Hold'em Trny:29169872 Level:12 Blinds-Antes(1500/3000-75) - Sunday,
Table Sunday Million Guaranteed(832558) Table #14 (Real Money)
Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Gershenator1 ( $32915 )
Seat 2: crunchtime3 ( $65392 )
Seat 4: eightrakk ( $18937 )
Seat 5: Bro002 ( $25766 )
Seat 8: allinsi ( $72560 )
Seat 9: weed666 ( $28094 )
Seat 10: athletenc87 ( $52282 )
Seat 7: xxmcxx ( $41759 )
Seat 6: NutMuck ( $239866 )
Seat 3: PearlJammed ( $144956 )
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Bro002 [ Qd Qs ]
Gershenator1 folds.
crunchtime3 folds.
PearlJammed folds.
eightrakk folds.
Bro002 raises [8000].
NutMuck folds.
xxmcxx calls [8000].
allinsi folds.
weed666 folds.
athletenc87 folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Qh, 7d, 2s ]
Bro002 checks.
xxmcxx bets [12253].
Bro002 is all-In [17691]
xxmcxx calls [5438].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jd ]
** Dealing River ** [ Ah ]
xxmcxx shows [ Ad, Ac ] three of a kind, aces.
Bro002 shows [ Qd, Qs ] three of a kind, queens.
xxmcxx wins 56632 chips from the main pot with three of a kind, aces.
Player Bro002 finished in 431 place and received $500
I wonder how much that card cost me... I din't run well all tournament so i'm pretty pleased that I could play through it for a decent cash... especially decent since I qualified in a $16 sattelite.
Here are some hands I played today:
I'm sure glad I checked this instead of betting like I normally do:
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78123
Almost folded this:
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78124
Should have gotten away from this:
http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/78125
Gonna go play some live poker tonight, I'll update you guys when I get back. Until then here are some of the blogs I read:
http://fishbones11.blogspot.com/
http://billsparkspoker.blogspot.com/
Adjusting to table conditions.
I have been really experimenting with my NL HE game over the past month or so. I had played a SUPER tight, aggressive/passive style for a long time, but recently I have become aware of the need to alter play based on table conditions. I've talked about playing passively - and how for awhile I was steering towards using a passive style to trap opponents. In the past couple weeks I have switched to a more maniac style in certain conditions in order to get players who are playing tight/passive to fold - semi bluffing with any pair, any reasonable draw, or straight out bluffing when I think my opponents are weak. What I have learned from my experimentation is that no single style is the correct way to play poker. Its quite interesting if you play the wrong style in the wrong conditions you get completely destroyed (for instance loose/aggressive against calling stations does not work).
What I have noticed is that your opponents should completely be dictating play. For example, today I was playing my usual ten, 100 NL tables on Hollywood Poker. I started out with my "base" tight aggressive style. Playing tight, betting out AND bluffing at a lot of flops, and reraising players a lot in position - I was not doing well because players kept reraising or check-raising me on the flop. I was forced to fold AA or KK five times in less than an hour in these spots. In addition, players would call nearly any bet on the flop with draws, any pair, or even with nothing. I kept getting outdrawn or bluffed out of pots with hands that I very often pick up a pot (middle pair or a flush draw). A semi-bluff isn't much of a bluff if your opponents will never fold. :P
This is when playing passively on the flop can be a great change in strategy. I switched to basically playing just as aggressively before the flop - reraising with premium hands in position (or out of position to end the hand immediately), but I would check any flop where I didn't have a set or better. My results immediately changed - I started winning lots of pots with bluffs on the turn and I wasn't being challenged as much by reraises because of how scary a check and then pot sized bet (or raise) looks. In addition, my opponents weren't betting me out of draws so I got to hit my hand more often than usual - allowing me to win by hitting miracle cards in spots where I really shouldn't even see the next card (if my opponents were playing aggressively). When your opponents will call/raise if you bet, but let you see free cards if you check - then you can capitalize on this.
I think this type of "table detection" is one major component for playing great poker. Its not about simply deciding "Should I play tight or loose?" but rather "How can I take advantage of how my opponents are playing?" - "How can I win more with my good hands and minimize my losses when I am behind?" My main mistake has been sitting down with a style in mind. Instead I now want the table to determine my style - and a tight-aggressive style is a great place to start a session, but it might evolve into a maniac or mouse strategy if the situation calls for it. :)
---
On a side note, my friend Matt has taken up online multitable poker and we have spent a great deal of time discussing strategy over the past few weeks. He is interested to contributing to The Muck, so we will try to get that up and running ASAP.
What I have noticed is that your opponents should completely be dictating play. For example, today I was playing my usual ten, 100 NL tables on Hollywood Poker. I started out with my "base" tight aggressive style. Playing tight, betting out AND bluffing at a lot of flops, and reraising players a lot in position - I was not doing well because players kept reraising or check-raising me on the flop. I was forced to fold AA or KK five times in less than an hour in these spots. In addition, players would call nearly any bet on the flop with draws, any pair, or even with nothing. I kept getting outdrawn or bluffed out of pots with hands that I very often pick up a pot (middle pair or a flush draw). A semi-bluff isn't much of a bluff if your opponents will never fold. :P
This is when playing passively on the flop can be a great change in strategy. I switched to basically playing just as aggressively before the flop - reraising with premium hands in position (or out of position to end the hand immediately), but I would check any flop where I didn't have a set or better. My results immediately changed - I started winning lots of pots with bluffs on the turn and I wasn't being challenged as much by reraises because of how scary a check and then pot sized bet (or raise) looks. In addition, my opponents weren't betting me out of draws so I got to hit my hand more often than usual - allowing me to win by hitting miracle cards in spots where I really shouldn't even see the next card (if my opponents were playing aggressively). When your opponents will call/raise if you bet, but let you see free cards if you check - then you can capitalize on this.
I think this type of "table detection" is one major component for playing great poker. Its not about simply deciding "Should I play tight or loose?" but rather "How can I take advantage of how my opponents are playing?" - "How can I win more with my good hands and minimize my losses when I am behind?" My main mistake has been sitting down with a style in mind. Instead I now want the table to determine my style - and a tight-aggressive style is a great place to start a session, but it might evolve into a maniac or mouse strategy if the situation calls for it. :)
---
On a side note, my friend Matt has taken up online multitable poker and we have spent a great deal of time discussing strategy over the past few weeks. He is interested to contributing to The Muck, so we will try to get that up and running ASAP.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Weird hand...
Texas Hold'em $1-$2 NL (real money), hand #1,035,260,657
Table Augsburg, 22 Sep 2006 5:57 AM ET
Seat 1: artsi88 ($26.05 in chips)
Seat 2: Tixmaster1 ($102.00 in chips)
Seat 3: AAAHHHBBB [ QH,QC ] ($100.00 in chips)
Seat 4: Miami 13 ($31.65 in chips)
Seat 5: Waldon9 ($108.40 in chips)
Seat 6: TheCrow xx ($26.10 in chips)
Seat 7: PauloSun ($61.50 in chips)
Seat 8: QK666 ($57.50 in chips)
Seat 9: gertrud75 ($87.50 in chips)
Seat 10: BALTIK67 ($35.10 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDS
QK666 posts blind ($0.50), gertrud75 posts blind ($1).
PRE-FLOP
BALTIK67 calls $1,
artsi88 bets $2,
Tixmaster1 folds,
AAAHHHBBB calls $2,
Miami 13 folds,
Waldon9 folds,
TheCrow xx folds,
PauloSun folds,
QK666 bets $5,
gertrud75 calls $4.50,
BALTIK67 folds,
artsi88 calls $3.50,
AAAHHHBBB calls $3.50.
FLOP [board cards 3H,8C,9H ]
QK666 checks,
gertrud75 checks,
artsi88 bets $10,
AAAHHHBBB bets $30,
QK666 folds,
gertrud75 bets $82 and is all-in,
artsi88 calls $10.55 and is all-in,
AAAHHHBBB folds.
TURN [board cards 3H,8C,9H,3S ]
RIVER [board cards 3H,8C,9H,3S,6C ]
SHOWDOWN
gertrud75 shows [ AH,JH ]
artsi88 shows [ AD,QS ]
artsi88 wins $82.65,
gertrud75 wins $70.90.
I want to get some discussion going about this hand. First off, I realize I probably should have poppped it up preflop. Honestly, the player made the suspicious min-raise preflop which I had seen him do with either aces or a drawing hand (pp or suited connector). I was hoping to see a cheap flop and then either hit a queen or the right flop and proceed from there.
The weird thing about this hand was the play on the flop of course - I took everyone checking except an odd halfpot sized bet into 3 players to mean that everyone missed (turns out this was correct) - so I reraised up to 30BBs. Now the problem of course was that I was worried that I was up against a set - but I figured odds are I had the raising player beat and would either pick up the pot or would worst case lose only his stack size in chips.
When the checking player moved in, I had no idea what to do with his hand range. It just seemed more likely he had a hand like 88, 99, TT, JJ, QQ, KK, or AA than Ahxh. I honestly did not even consider that he might be on a draw like that (I would never dream of semi-bluffing into a raise and reraise!). I decided that I could only beat a few of the hands that make that play so I folded. :(
Any thoughts on this hand would be great... - should I have seen through his raise? Should I have simply called on the flop? Should I have just reraised preflop and accepted that if he came over the top I would have to fold?
Table Augsburg, 22 Sep 2006 5:57 AM ET
Seat 1: artsi88 ($26.05 in chips)
Seat 2: Tixmaster1 ($102.00 in chips)
Seat 3: AAAHHHBBB [ QH,QC ] ($100.00 in chips)
Seat 4: Miami 13 ($31.65 in chips)
Seat 5: Waldon9 ($108.40 in chips)
Seat 6: TheCrow xx ($26.10 in chips)
Seat 7: PauloSun ($61.50 in chips)
Seat 8: QK666 ($57.50 in chips)
Seat 9: gertrud75 ($87.50 in chips)
Seat 10: BALTIK67 ($35.10 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDS
QK666 posts blind ($0.50), gertrud75 posts blind ($1).
PRE-FLOP
BALTIK67 calls $1,
artsi88 bets $2,
Tixmaster1 folds,
AAAHHHBBB calls $2,
Miami 13 folds,
Waldon9 folds,
TheCrow xx folds,
PauloSun folds,
QK666 bets $5,
gertrud75 calls $4.50,
BALTIK67 folds,
artsi88 calls $3.50,
AAAHHHBBB calls $3.50.
FLOP [board cards 3H,8C,9H ]
QK666 checks,
gertrud75 checks,
artsi88 bets $10,
AAAHHHBBB bets $30,
QK666 folds,
gertrud75 bets $82 and is all-in,
artsi88 calls $10.55 and is all-in,
AAAHHHBBB folds.
TURN [board cards 3H,8C,9H,3S ]
RIVER [board cards 3H,8C,9H,3S,6C ]
SHOWDOWN
gertrud75 shows [ AH,JH ]
artsi88 shows [ AD,QS ]
artsi88 wins $82.65,
gertrud75 wins $70.90.
I want to get some discussion going about this hand. First off, I realize I probably should have poppped it up preflop. Honestly, the player made the suspicious min-raise preflop which I had seen him do with either aces or a drawing hand (pp or suited connector). I was hoping to see a cheap flop and then either hit a queen or the right flop and proceed from there.
The weird thing about this hand was the play on the flop of course - I took everyone checking except an odd halfpot sized bet into 3 players to mean that everyone missed (turns out this was correct) - so I reraised up to 30BBs. Now the problem of course was that I was worried that I was up against a set - but I figured odds are I had the raising player beat and would either pick up the pot or would worst case lose only his stack size in chips.
When the checking player moved in, I had no idea what to do with his hand range. It just seemed more likely he had a hand like 88, 99, TT, JJ, QQ, KK, or AA than Ahxh. I honestly did not even consider that he might be on a draw like that (I would never dream of semi-bluffing into a raise and reraise!). I decided that I could only beat a few of the hands that make that play so I folded. :(
Any thoughts on this hand would be great... - should I have seen through his raise? Should I have simply called on the flop? Should I have just reraised preflop and accepted that if he came over the top I would have to fold?
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
LAG to TAG?
My poker style continues to evolve.
I have noticed that the most profitable players I play against are generally classified as LAG players. Watching them more carefully they aren't crazy maniacs, but more methodical. They play pretty loose when they are in position and generally avoid playing out of position.
In attempting to improve my game further I have adopted a new "style." Bascially in the first 4-5 positions I tend to play a very tight style. I generally come in for a raise or reraise, but also only play AA, KK, QQ, AKs, AQs (sometimes AK or AQ) - and occassionally limp in with JJ, TT, or 99. In the late positions and the blinds, if it gets folded to me I play a very loose style. I raise with just about anything resembling a hand.
In both these spots, I generally try to be the one raising or reraising on the flop, turn, or river.
The value of being in position allows a maniacal strategy to work a lot of the time. It also confuses players who are only somewhat paying attention - or even good players. I've felted a few players with suited connector raises or small pair raises with lucky flops. And I've been able to steal lots of pots with reraises with flush or straight draws. I'll try to post a few interesting hands soon, but I can see what Bruno is talking about when he says he's running over tables.
One of the funny benefits to this style - three people have called me down in the past two days, but were unable to beat Ace-high; just amazing :)
I have noticed that the most profitable players I play against are generally classified as LAG players. Watching them more carefully they aren't crazy maniacs, but more methodical. They play pretty loose when they are in position and generally avoid playing out of position.
In attempting to improve my game further I have adopted a new "style." Bascially in the first 4-5 positions I tend to play a very tight style. I generally come in for a raise or reraise, but also only play AA, KK, QQ, AKs, AQs (sometimes AK or AQ) - and occassionally limp in with JJ, TT, or 99. In the late positions and the blinds, if it gets folded to me I play a very loose style. I raise with just about anything resembling a hand.
In both these spots, I generally try to be the one raising or reraising on the flop, turn, or river.
The value of being in position allows a maniacal strategy to work a lot of the time. It also confuses players who are only somewhat paying attention - or even good players. I've felted a few players with suited connector raises or small pair raises with lucky flops. And I've been able to steal lots of pots with reraises with flush or straight draws. I'll try to post a few interesting hands soon, but I can see what Bruno is talking about when he says he's running over tables.
One of the funny benefits to this style - three people have called me down in the past two days, but were unable to beat Ace-high; just amazing :)
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Making a hard fold...
Texas Hold'em $1-$1 NL (Real Money), #1,012,830,277
Table Irving, 17 Sep 2006 6:50 AM ET
Seat 1: AAAHHHBBB ($180.50 in chips)
Seat 2: ieatp1gs ($99.90 in chips)
Seat 3: Shibumi7126 ($105 in chips)
Seat 4: pokerfrelst ($17 in chips)
Seat 5: kingtiki ($122.45 in chips)
Seat 6: NewbieGirlie ($108 in chips)
Seat 10: 2ROYAL2ME ($124.80 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDS
2ROYAL2ME posts blind ($0.50), AAAHHHBBB posts blind ($1)
PRE-FLOP
ieatp1gs folds,
Shibumi7126 folds,
pokerfrelst folds,
kingtiki calls $1,
NewbieGirlie folds,
2ROYAL2ME calls $0.50,
AAAHHHBBB checks.
FLOP [board cards QD,4H,5C ]
2ROYAL2ME checks,
AAAHHHBBB checks,
kingtiki bets $2,
2ROYAL2ME folds,
AAAHHHBBB calls $2.
TURN [board cards QD,4H,5C,3H ]
AAAHHHBBB checks,
kingtiki bets $1,
AAAHHHBBB calls $1.
RIVER [board cards QD,4H,5C,3H,JS ]
AAAHHHBBB bets $4, kingtiki bets $30,
AAAHHHBBB folds.
SHOWDOWN
kingtiki wins $42.
This hand really had me confused. I slowplayed a set on a relatively disconnected board. Then made a small bluff sized value bet on the river. I wanted him to make a small raise. When he made a $30 raise into a $12 pot, the only hand I could even start to put him on was 67. My big thought here was that I have to be right more than 75% of the time to call. I realized recently that I was losing a lot of money calling "big raises" on the river. When I bluff, its often on the river, but really my hand looks like a slowplay - I cannot see someone trying to bluff in this spot or think their hand is good with KQ or AQ.
I made an awful call last night. Pocket QQ in position against one other player. Flop came Qc Tc 2h. This is the kind of flop that probably did not hit my opponent after I raised preflop and he checked the flop (and i have all the queens), so i checked. The turn was 9s. My opponent checked again, and now I figured I'd make a little more than a half a pot sized bet and either win the pot, or maybe my opponent would have some piece of the flop or a jack and might call. My opponent reraised all-in for 80xBB into a pot of like 10x BB. I thought and thought and thought. I put him either on KJ, TT, or 99. It seemed like KJ, but I just felt like I should just call for some stupid reason. I had top set and had 10 outs to fill up. I called, he showed KJ and it held up.
Moral of the story - there's rarely a reason to call 80 to win 90 - if I don't have the nuts I'm folding against most deepstacked opponents...
Table Irving, 17 Sep 2006 6:50 AM ET
Seat 1: AAAHHHBBB ($180.50 in chips)
Seat 2: ieatp1gs ($99.90 in chips)
Seat 3: Shibumi7126 ($105 in chips)
Seat 4: pokerfrelst ($17 in chips)
Seat 5: kingtiki ($122.45 in chips)
Seat 6: NewbieGirlie ($108 in chips)
Seat 10: 2ROYAL2ME ($124.80 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDS
2ROYAL2ME posts blind ($0.50), AAAHHHBBB posts blind ($1)
PRE-FLOP
ieatp1gs folds,
Shibumi7126 folds,
pokerfrelst folds,
kingtiki calls $1,
NewbieGirlie folds,
2ROYAL2ME calls $0.50,
AAAHHHBBB checks.
FLOP [board cards QD,4H,5C ]
2ROYAL2ME checks,
AAAHHHBBB checks,
kingtiki bets $2,
2ROYAL2ME folds,
AAAHHHBBB calls $2.
TURN [board cards QD,4H,5C,3H ]
AAAHHHBBB checks,
kingtiki bets $1,
AAAHHHBBB calls $1.
RIVER [board cards QD,4H,5C,3H,JS ]
AAAHHHBBB bets $4, kingtiki bets $30,
AAAHHHBBB folds.
SHOWDOWN
kingtiki wins $42.
This hand really had me confused. I slowplayed a set on a relatively disconnected board. Then made a small bluff sized value bet on the river. I wanted him to make a small raise. When he made a $30 raise into a $12 pot, the only hand I could even start to put him on was 67. My big thought here was that I have to be right more than 75% of the time to call. I realized recently that I was losing a lot of money calling "big raises" on the river. When I bluff, its often on the river, but really my hand looks like a slowplay - I cannot see someone trying to bluff in this spot or think their hand is good with KQ or AQ.
I made an awful call last night. Pocket QQ in position against one other player. Flop came Qc Tc 2h. This is the kind of flop that probably did not hit my opponent after I raised preflop and he checked the flop (and i have all the queens), so i checked. The turn was 9s. My opponent checked again, and now I figured I'd make a little more than a half a pot sized bet and either win the pot, or maybe my opponent would have some piece of the flop or a jack and might call. My opponent reraised all-in for 80xBB into a pot of like 10x BB. I thought and thought and thought. I put him either on KJ, TT, or 99. It seemed like KJ, but I just felt like I should just call for some stupid reason. I had top set and had 10 outs to fill up. I called, he showed KJ and it held up.
Moral of the story - there's rarely a reason to call 80 to win 90 - if I don't have the nuts I'm folding against most deepstacked opponents...
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Chat Taunting?
I just had a very funny session over on Stars. On one particular table a pretty decent player was sitting two spots to my left. I picked up AcAh and raised - he reraised, so since I was out of position I reraised it up to about 30xBB (Just wanted to pick it up) and he smartly folds. About twenty minutes later I picked up another pair of aces on the same table (lucky me :P). I raise it up to 3xBB and again this guy comes over the top. I decided to try a funny idea I occassionally do if I think it can influence my opponents. I said, "STOP RERAISING ME!" and then pushed all-in. Instant call. He had queens and my hand held up for a nice double up. I have made similar comments before if I think I can earn extra money from a player who is unlikely to call if I sit silently.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
I'm A Maniac
I've been mixing it up recently, you always hear the pros say - learn all the games, don't become a specialist - that's what im doing. I've always believed that my true strenght was limit poker and my bankroll has benefited from my recent expansion. I think I have limit hold'em down to a science because... well, it is a science. Its so much more calculated, it's about playing the odds. I don't multitable it like NL hold'em because it simply is not as profitable, people like to give away there stacks by putting moves on you in NL hold'em when you have the best of it - they do the same thing in limit but unfortunetly when you cap it they fold. Instead of multi-tabling, I play it at a higher limit - i'll play two tables of $10/$20 limit.
(note: I just folded Q/Q on the button to a UTG standard raise, some would call this crazy but I have 7,000 hands on the player and he has only raised preflop 35 times - he had kings, board came unders, how many $$ did data mining just save me?)
Anyway, i've been playing alot of 7 card stud also, 7 card stud 8 or better and Razz are really the only two games I need to work on at this point. My omaha is already pretty solid. It seems to me that people are really leaking serious cash in 7 card. It's the same problem as in hold'em, they play too loose, the difference between hold'em and stud is that the idea of playing tight has not been beaten into their head because of the 100 poker shows they have seen or the 10 2+2 books they have read. Not many people go thru the trouble of reading stud literature, the ones who have, you can pick them off immediatly, they are the ones who arent playing every 2nd pot and who steal blinds when the show a high card in position.
Anyway, thats what I have been doing, just in case someone was wondering where I have been. The reason I havent posted very much is because I've been really busy with life, I went to Montreal a couple of weeks ago to play in the WCG candian finals, i finished a disapointing 3rd monstly due to the fact that I have been playing poker and didnt practice at all. This week i moved back to school, so I had to get all setup and stuff so im now good to go, expect more content.
I guess I should probably explain the title of this post, I was playing two tables of $1/$2 NL Texas hold'em which is what I play when i'm not multitabling(every once and awhile I like to play real poker, not mechanical multi-tabling) and I asked one of the players who I have played a fair amount with what his poker tracker had me classified as, I wasen't really suprised to find out that it had me down as a maniac. That game plays so tight and you need to run it over... It also dosent hurt that I play LAG in almost every NL hold'em game anyway... I then asked him how much I had won - $1300. I guess being a maniac pays. :)
(Interesting hand that just occured as I was writting this up, I have rockets in middle position, two limpers so I make a bigger than standard raise, i bumb it up 6.5BBs, button calls, small blind calls, both limpers call - not what I expected, actually quite upset at this point because theres a high probability im gonna get cracked. Flop comes Qh/4h/Qc, it gets checked to me, the pot is sitting at about $14, i bet $10 - Button raises to $25, everyone else folds. What do you do?)
(note: I just folded Q/Q on the button to a UTG standard raise, some would call this crazy but I have 7,000 hands on the player and he has only raised preflop 35 times - he had kings, board came unders, how many $$ did data mining just save me?)
Anyway, i've been playing alot of 7 card stud also, 7 card stud 8 or better and Razz are really the only two games I need to work on at this point. My omaha is already pretty solid. It seems to me that people are really leaking serious cash in 7 card. It's the same problem as in hold'em, they play too loose, the difference between hold'em and stud is that the idea of playing tight has not been beaten into their head because of the 100 poker shows they have seen or the 10 2+2 books they have read. Not many people go thru the trouble of reading stud literature, the ones who have, you can pick them off immediatly, they are the ones who arent playing every 2nd pot and who steal blinds when the show a high card in position.
Anyway, thats what I have been doing, just in case someone was wondering where I have been. The reason I havent posted very much is because I've been really busy with life, I went to Montreal a couple of weeks ago to play in the WCG candian finals, i finished a disapointing 3rd monstly due to the fact that I have been playing poker and didnt practice at all. This week i moved back to school, so I had to get all setup and stuff so im now good to go, expect more content.
I guess I should probably explain the title of this post, I was playing two tables of $1/$2 NL Texas hold'em which is what I play when i'm not multitabling(every once and awhile I like to play real poker, not mechanical multi-tabling) and I asked one of the players who I have played a fair amount with what his poker tracker had me classified as, I wasen't really suprised to find out that it had me down as a maniac. That game plays so tight and you need to run it over... It also dosent hurt that I play LAG in almost every NL hold'em game anyway... I then asked him how much I had won - $1300. I guess being a maniac pays. :)
(Interesting hand that just occured as I was writting this up, I have rockets in middle position, two limpers so I make a bigger than standard raise, i bumb it up 6.5BBs, button calls, small blind calls, both limpers call - not what I expected, actually quite upset at this point because theres a high probability im gonna get cracked. Flop comes Qh/4h/Qc, it gets checked to me, the pot is sitting at about $14, i bet $10 - Button raises to $25, everyone else folds. What do you do?)
Poker Tracker
Been making sure to upload my hand histories for the past month or so. I'm still in the mouse category, but am in the +1.5 aggressiveness which is a good change.
I have a pretty decent database accumulating - about 60k of my hands.
I have a BB/100 of 1.27. Since I play 10 tables, thats nearly 13 BB/100 hands. I get in about 400 hands per hour. So thats about $52/hour, which when added to various site bonuses (usually around $50-100 per 6-8 hour session), is not too shabby at all. My monthly goal is currently $5k, and last month I made about $3K. If I could do $5k a month, thats a decent living - and it would allow me to pad my bankroll in hopes that I could eventually move up to the $1-2 or even $2-4 games.
I'd be interested to see other winning players stats - it does seem that aggression is a key component to winning - but lose/tight seems to be a matter of style more than anything else. I have noticed that the good players change gears when they see the table tightening up and playing "mouse" poker. (I do this too - I find that I can steal with any pocket pair, any ace, any decent king, and any medium+ suited connectors. As well as being able to semi-bluff and pick up a lot of pots with just about any decent draw).
I have also noticed that these same good players will tighten up when there are lots of action players willing to give away their whole stacks with top pair. One particular player has really impressed me and I constantly find him sitting at the tables with 2-3X the buy-ins; he does this perfectly. Sometimes hes a mouse - sometimes he's a maniac. I'm trying to get used to playing a lot more aggressively when the games call for it. The key is being aggressive regardless of how the table is behaving BUT just changing starting hand reqs - and betting decisions based on exploiting opponents' weaknesses.
I have a pretty decent database accumulating - about 60k of my hands.
I have a BB/100 of 1.27. Since I play 10 tables, thats nearly 13 BB/100 hands. I get in about 400 hands per hour. So thats about $52/hour, which when added to various site bonuses (usually around $50-100 per 6-8 hour session), is not too shabby at all. My monthly goal is currently $5k, and last month I made about $3K. If I could do $5k a month, thats a decent living - and it would allow me to pad my bankroll in hopes that I could eventually move up to the $1-2 or even $2-4 games.
I'd be interested to see other winning players stats - it does seem that aggression is a key component to winning - but lose/tight seems to be a matter of style more than anything else. I have noticed that the good players change gears when they see the table tightening up and playing "mouse" poker. (I do this too - I find that I can steal with any pocket pair, any ace, any decent king, and any medium+ suited connectors. As well as being able to semi-bluff and pick up a lot of pots with just about any decent draw).
I have also noticed that these same good players will tighten up when there are lots of action players willing to give away their whole stacks with top pair. One particular player has really impressed me and I constantly find him sitting at the tables with 2-3X the buy-ins; he does this perfectly. Sometimes hes a mouse - sometimes he's a maniac. I'm trying to get used to playing a lot more aggressively when the games call for it. The key is being aggressive regardless of how the table is behaving BUT just changing starting hand reqs - and betting decisions based on exploiting opponents' weaknesses.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Losing my way...
Over the past few days I have come to a realization - selected aggression is winning poker. I do think that playing passively has its place - in situations where you can get free cards, trap, or confuse your opponent, BUT overwhelmingly its more important to be aggressive.
I have reevaluated my game after a few losing sessions. What I have learned is that its not playing dominated hands that is the main flaw of bad players - its position. I noticed that the majority of my losses were coming from AK and AQ when I was out of position. Be it the blinds or the first positions, I was just throwing my money away with these hands.
The clear most important part of NL Texas Hold'em is position. After having just completed one of the best poker sessions I have ever had, I have relearned that aggresssion + position = INSANE capabilities. I have kept my super tight strategy for the most part except that I have removed AKo and AQ from my early position hands. In addition I no longer call with these hands in middle position. I always raise when I enter the pot - if its with pocket 88s in first position or QJs in late position. AND I only ever call pre-flop if I have AKs, AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, or 88. AND these are only if I'm trying to trap/outflop my opponents. Generally, I reraise with the majority of these hands preflop.
I like this new strategy because it gets me into big pots when I have strong hands AND am in position. Also, it allows me to make one of my new favorite plays - the squeeze. By reraising 3x a raisers raise I often win the pot right there, something I like doing with AK for example.
I have also added JTs and T9s to my preflop raising hands. Occassionally I'll raise with these hands in early position - because I play so tight its impossible to put me on the hand I have and if I flop a lot of different hands I can proceed aggressively.
My out of position hands led me to consider the value of passive play. When you are out of position you can lose a lot of money with continuation bets - but this is because you are out of position, not because you are playing aggressively. Its good to make continuation bets - but in position. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Every good player says it over and over - however greatly you value position, you cannot possibly value it as much as it is worth. Rather than adopting a passive style, I think its far better to look for situations to avoid playing out of position AND for situations to play while in position. I'm back to raise or fold poker and am loving it. :) Nothing beats playing 10 tables of terrified players...
---
I also have made a major effort to place my opponents on a hand - each and every hand I play to the flop. I made some tough folds and some great calls this past session. I think this skill seperates good from great players - and I want to get as good as possible at it.
---
One thing that is interesting, is that loose players can really get creamed by me now. By playing them in position and raising/reraising them pre/post flop you can really screw them up. A particular LAG player was getting completely destroyed by me in this last session. Since I only call with MADE hands in position, I feel more confident against these players who will raise with junk. One thing I noticed about this particular player was that he overbet on flops when he made continuation bets (he bet a full pot sized bet). In position I would call him with drawing hands or overpairs/sets in these spots and if he checked the turn I could bet half the pot and pick it up OR hit my draw. I also noticed that if he was was willing to bet a pot sized bet on the river with missed draws. I picked up two bluffs from him when flushes missed - big pots too. :)
One interesting hand that occurred tonight with this player was one of my biggest winners...
I had AsAc, and had raised 3x BB and vilian had reraised me preflop in the BB to 10x BB. I had position, so I smooth called. The flop came KcQs2s. I figured he probably had a strong hand here like a set of kings or queens, so when he bet nearly 2/3 the pot I just called, I had the ace of spades and figured there were a lot of cards that would give me a good draw or the best hand, as well as additional information about my opponent's hand on the turn. I also thought that he could have a hand like AK - this player was willing to put his money in with almost any two cards (but it seems unlikely to reraise me, the tightest player at the table, with nothing). The turn was another spade, the 6. I now liked my hand much more. If he had KK or QQ I had 11 outs to win, but oddly he only bet $10 here. I thought this meant that the flush scared him and I could raise him out, but also thought that he might call my reraise anyway with his set in hopes of filling up - at which point the pot would be so big he'd probably just call any sized bluff on the river. I decided I would rather call and see what happened on the river. It was the Ad. Now this was an interesting spot. I figured he could not put me on three aces and if he had a set below that he would want to call, but might be scared by the flushed board. I also did not put him on the flush due to the size of his bet on the flop and small one on the turn. Bascially, based on my read - I had the best hand and wanted to get paid off. I immediately recalled how he plays his bluffs - a pot sized bet on the river. I thought back throughout the hand quickly, could my hand look like an AK with the ace of spades. I called the flop, and then called the turn - it looked like I wanted to see a river card; I easily could see him thinking that I have a flush draw with top pair. If I had this hand, he would be very happy to call thinking that his 2nd or 3rd best set was good. I decided the best way to get paid off for the largest amount was to bet the pot - for $60. I felt if I moved all-in he might call, but there was also a chance he would think I was slow playing the flush and he'd fold. I also thought that if I bet a small amount he would figure me for the flush and would fold. My best bet was clearly the pot sized bluff bet. I bet the pot - he called instantly and showed KcKh for the second best hand. I feel like I really played this hand perfectly.
I know I hit a miracle river card, but getting paid off was clearly based on my read of the hand. I called his flop bet of about $13 and turn bet of $10 to win a pot of $180 - clearly with my 11 outs on the turn alone, this was completely worth it. This is a hand that shows the importance of putting lots of different pieces together to win the maximum amount possible.
I have reevaluated my game after a few losing sessions. What I have learned is that its not playing dominated hands that is the main flaw of bad players - its position. I noticed that the majority of my losses were coming from AK and AQ when I was out of position. Be it the blinds or the first positions, I was just throwing my money away with these hands.
The clear most important part of NL Texas Hold'em is position. After having just completed one of the best poker sessions I have ever had, I have relearned that aggresssion + position = INSANE capabilities. I have kept my super tight strategy for the most part except that I have removed AKo and AQ from my early position hands. In addition I no longer call with these hands in middle position. I always raise when I enter the pot - if its with pocket 88s in first position or QJs in late position. AND I only ever call pre-flop if I have AKs, AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, or 88. AND these are only if I'm trying to trap/outflop my opponents. Generally, I reraise with the majority of these hands preflop.
I like this new strategy because it gets me into big pots when I have strong hands AND am in position. Also, it allows me to make one of my new favorite plays - the squeeze. By reraising 3x a raisers raise I often win the pot right there, something I like doing with AK for example.
I have also added JTs and T9s to my preflop raising hands. Occassionally I'll raise with these hands in early position - because I play so tight its impossible to put me on the hand I have and if I flop a lot of different hands I can proceed aggressively.
My out of position hands led me to consider the value of passive play. When you are out of position you can lose a lot of money with continuation bets - but this is because you are out of position, not because you are playing aggressively. Its good to make continuation bets - but in position. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Every good player says it over and over - however greatly you value position, you cannot possibly value it as much as it is worth. Rather than adopting a passive style, I think its far better to look for situations to avoid playing out of position AND for situations to play while in position. I'm back to raise or fold poker and am loving it. :) Nothing beats playing 10 tables of terrified players...
---
I also have made a major effort to place my opponents on a hand - each and every hand I play to the flop. I made some tough folds and some great calls this past session. I think this skill seperates good from great players - and I want to get as good as possible at it.
---
One thing that is interesting, is that loose players can really get creamed by me now. By playing them in position and raising/reraising them pre/post flop you can really screw them up. A particular LAG player was getting completely destroyed by me in this last session. Since I only call with MADE hands in position, I feel more confident against these players who will raise with junk. One thing I noticed about this particular player was that he overbet on flops when he made continuation bets (he bet a full pot sized bet). In position I would call him with drawing hands or overpairs/sets in these spots and if he checked the turn I could bet half the pot and pick it up OR hit my draw. I also noticed that if he was was willing to bet a pot sized bet on the river with missed draws. I picked up two bluffs from him when flushes missed - big pots too. :)
One interesting hand that occurred tonight with this player was one of my biggest winners...
I had AsAc, and had raised 3x BB and vilian had reraised me preflop in the BB to 10x BB. I had position, so I smooth called. The flop came KcQs2s. I figured he probably had a strong hand here like a set of kings or queens, so when he bet nearly 2/3 the pot I just called, I had the ace of spades and figured there were a lot of cards that would give me a good draw or the best hand, as well as additional information about my opponent's hand on the turn. I also thought that he could have a hand like AK - this player was willing to put his money in with almost any two cards (but it seems unlikely to reraise me, the tightest player at the table, with nothing). The turn was another spade, the 6. I now liked my hand much more. If he had KK or QQ I had 11 outs to win, but oddly he only bet $10 here. I thought this meant that the flush scared him and I could raise him out, but also thought that he might call my reraise anyway with his set in hopes of filling up - at which point the pot would be so big he'd probably just call any sized bluff on the river. I decided I would rather call and see what happened on the river. It was the Ad. Now this was an interesting spot. I figured he could not put me on three aces and if he had a set below that he would want to call, but might be scared by the flushed board. I also did not put him on the flush due to the size of his bet on the flop and small one on the turn. Bascially, based on my read - I had the best hand and wanted to get paid off. I immediately recalled how he plays his bluffs - a pot sized bet on the river. I thought back throughout the hand quickly, could my hand look like an AK with the ace of spades. I called the flop, and then called the turn - it looked like I wanted to see a river card; I easily could see him thinking that I have a flush draw with top pair. If I had this hand, he would be very happy to call thinking that his 2nd or 3rd best set was good. I decided the best way to get paid off for the largest amount was to bet the pot - for $60. I felt if I moved all-in he might call, but there was also a chance he would think I was slow playing the flush and he'd fold. I also thought that if I bet a small amount he would figure me for the flush and would fold. My best bet was clearly the pot sized bluff bet. I bet the pot - he called instantly and showed KcKh for the second best hand. I feel like I really played this hand perfectly.
I know I hit a miracle river card, but getting paid off was clearly based on my read of the hand. I called his flop bet of about $13 and turn bet of $10 to win a pot of $180 - clearly with my 11 outs on the turn alone, this was completely worth it. This is a hand that shows the importance of putting lots of different pieces together to win the maximum amount possible.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Situations...
I have decided that I was overlooking a major component of my game when making decisions that I use all of the time.
For example, in a few previous posts I suggested that I nearly always like to check flops with AK or AQ style hands if I missed or make a hand. Or that I should bet a set on the flop every time. And so on.
The key in poker is that there is no absolute rules for correct play. I rewatched Phil Gordon's DVD recently and it reminded me - Poker is a game of situations, not hard and fast rules. Its critical to alter your play based on table conditions and the types of plays other players are making.
Recently I had a few bad nights where my style was not working. I never hit and hand and was paid off, so I slowly was leaking away money. After a few hours I was down a few hundred and realized that the problem was that players were not playing back at me AND they were playing very tight preflop. I decided to switch gears. I started raising with any ace, any king, any suited cards, and any pair when I was in middle position or later and was opening the pot. Whenever anyone reraised I would fold unless I had a good showdown hand. I was stealing the blinds two or three times every round. I also started betting more flops. People seemed willing to fold - so I obliged them. Soon I was back even and then even ahead. When a lot of ppl started playing back at me - I'd switch again! If people did not notice I had tightened up, it was very easy to push a flop and get paid off.
Now when I play - I sit down and play rock tight/passive for the first hour or so. If I notice that the players are playing tight and passively themselves, I switch gears and tear them apart. If they are playing aggressively - I continue to play sneaky tight and trap, trap, trap. This works much better. :) The key is mixing up play, but then also taking advantage of various situations. One such situation I was missing a lot was the two suited ragged flop. I was leading out preflop with AK and missing and checking the flop, after my opponent had checked. This really should be a bet most of the time. So now, I really only check these if I'm trapping or something about the hand suggests that I am behind...
One thing I like about playing a bit maniacal at times is that you can pull off the flop push play. Basically its the BOW strat in Phil Gordon's book. If I raised or reraised a person perflop, and a flop comes that I think makes me at least 35% to win (at least 9 outs) then I don't mind pushing the flop. I do this with great draws and sets. Usually both of which, in a check raise or reraise. The great thing is, there are plenty of hands that are beating you that will fold, and plenty of hands that you will usually beat that are behind. :)
A great example of this play I made last night. I had AhKh in middle position. A guy in early position limped, I raised 3.5x BB everyone folded to the limper who called. Flop came 8h5h2c. My opponent bet half the pot. I moved all in for 100x BB. My opponent called - showing Qs8c. At this point in the hand I have 15 outs! Any heart, any ace, and any king. With two cards to come, I am actually the favorite! I hit an ace on the turn and a heart on the river. About twenty hands later I flopped a set of tens on a board of AT2 two-suited. I checked, my opponent bet the pot. I moved all-in for 200x BB. My opponent called, showing AK. :)
I especially like making this play against half-buy in stacks. They don't have a ton of chips - so they are inclined to call a lot more in spots where they shouldn't. So If I have two overs with a flush or straight draw - I look to put all the money in on the flop. I am rarely an underdog when I make this play, so getting all the money in is huge +EV play. :)
For example, in a few previous posts I suggested that I nearly always like to check flops with AK or AQ style hands if I missed or make a hand. Or that I should bet a set on the flop every time. And so on.
The key in poker is that there is no absolute rules for correct play. I rewatched Phil Gordon's DVD recently and it reminded me - Poker is a game of situations, not hard and fast rules. Its critical to alter your play based on table conditions and the types of plays other players are making.
Recently I had a few bad nights where my style was not working. I never hit and hand and was paid off, so I slowly was leaking away money. After a few hours I was down a few hundred and realized that the problem was that players were not playing back at me AND they were playing very tight preflop. I decided to switch gears. I started raising with any ace, any king, any suited cards, and any pair when I was in middle position or later and was opening the pot. Whenever anyone reraised I would fold unless I had a good showdown hand. I was stealing the blinds two or three times every round. I also started betting more flops. People seemed willing to fold - so I obliged them. Soon I was back even and then even ahead. When a lot of ppl started playing back at me - I'd switch again! If people did not notice I had tightened up, it was very easy to push a flop and get paid off.
Now when I play - I sit down and play rock tight/passive for the first hour or so. If I notice that the players are playing tight and passively themselves, I switch gears and tear them apart. If they are playing aggressively - I continue to play sneaky tight and trap, trap, trap. This works much better. :) The key is mixing up play, but then also taking advantage of various situations. One such situation I was missing a lot was the two suited ragged flop. I was leading out preflop with AK and missing and checking the flop, after my opponent had checked. This really should be a bet most of the time. So now, I really only check these if I'm trapping or something about the hand suggests that I am behind...
One thing I like about playing a bit maniacal at times is that you can pull off the flop push play. Basically its the BOW strat in Phil Gordon's book. If I raised or reraised a person perflop, and a flop comes that I think makes me at least 35% to win (at least 9 outs) then I don't mind pushing the flop. I do this with great draws and sets. Usually both of which, in a check raise or reraise. The great thing is, there are plenty of hands that are beating you that will fold, and plenty of hands that you will usually beat that are behind. :)
A great example of this play I made last night. I had AhKh in middle position. A guy in early position limped, I raised 3.5x BB everyone folded to the limper who called. Flop came 8h5h2c. My opponent bet half the pot. I moved all in for 100x BB. My opponent called - showing Qs8c. At this point in the hand I have 15 outs! Any heart, any ace, and any king. With two cards to come, I am actually the favorite! I hit an ace on the turn and a heart on the river. About twenty hands later I flopped a set of tens on a board of AT2 two-suited. I checked, my opponent bet the pot. I moved all-in for 200x BB. My opponent called, showing AK. :)
I especially like making this play against half-buy in stacks. They don't have a ton of chips - so they are inclined to call a lot more in spots where they shouldn't. So If I have two overs with a flush or straight draw - I look to put all the money in on the flop. I am rarely an underdog when I make this play, so getting all the money in is huge +EV play. :)
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