Get Your Noob Out-uNL edition

[EMc]

Got a question you think is too noobish to ask?

Afraid your post will get locked because it's stupid?

Think you've got a frequently asked question that isn't in the FAQ?

In the first annual installment of Get Your Noob Out we're inviting all of you to post your noob questions - as silly as you think they might be - in this thread.

This thread is reserved for ON TOPIC questions only. This is not "Ask EMc Anything." Attempts to troll this thread (where the mods will be politely providing answers) will be met with swift bans.

Looking forward to it:

<font color="blue"> EMC, </font> <font color="purple"> 42it, </font> <font color="red"> AJ, </font> <font color="brown"> Isura </font>

(thanks to Citanul and STTF for the idea)

[thac]

Am I a nit for folding AQ to a 3bet when I'm OOP?

<font color="blue">No. See RIO. Whats your plan to extract postflop? Esp at 50nl where there is no 3 betting light really </font>

[EMc]

Post deleted by EMcWilliams

[Freelancer]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I a nit for folding AQ to a 3bet when I'm OOP?

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope in fact, in a lot of situations its standard...


ps. DON'T BAN ME FOR ANSWERING PLEASE...:p

<font color="red">The 4 mods will be the only ones answering the questions at this time. As our gift to uNL.

So vets, please refrain from answering. Maybe think up a question of your own. Or respond in the multitude of other threads in uNL. </font>

[barryc83]

I very very rarely fire 2nd barrels, is this terrible at 50nl?

<font color="blue">If its bad it honestly can't be that bad. I would recommend to start trying to pick opponnents that this will work against and start trying it. 50NL is tougher now than it was a month ago, and about 100x tougher than this time last year. As the PFR I will usually dbl barrel any A,K, and most Q turns. If I 3 bet PF I will double barrel if I feel the villain is calling with a mid-low pair.--emc </font>

<font color="red">Also, best to practice this against regulars, ones who you know are semi-decent and that can fold a hand if they think they are beat. Don't fire twice against the maniacs, big fish, or calling stations.--aj </font>

[Gelford]

You should do that cool thing that STTF does, where the mods answer inside the OP in blue color, makes it more presentable /images/graemlins/smile.gif


Am I a nit for folding AQ UTG ??

<font color="blue">Probably. Position is important, very important. I dont mind folding KJ0, QJo, ATo UTG. AQ is far to strong of a hand to fold UTG IMO. Especially at uNL with the any ace annies floating around. </font>

[barryc83]

4_2_it was that you playing 50nl last night? If it was, i sat down on your direct left and was going to 3bet you relentlessly but you left after the 1st orbit wtf?

<font color="blue"> I played briefly on Stars last night and stopped when my wife got home from a board meeting. Sexytime &gt;&gt;&gt; Poker Time. If you see me again, feel free to 3-bet me /images/graemlins/smile.gif --- 4_2_it</font>

<font color="red">Plus, this thread isn't "the well", nor ask EMC or 42 to post a graph, talk about their game, etc etc. It's for n00b questions about uNL, games and forum. --aj </font>

[meleader2]

why am i afraid of 3 bets when i know the guy is 3 betting with air and i have 77-99, AJo+?

i just call and hope he shuts down. if he doesn't i just c/c through to river and 80% of the time i'm good. why can't i just start 4 betting? or putting it in on the flop (besides knowing he only calls with a made hand)? is this bad? (50nl)?

<font color="blue">Do you really think ppl are 3 betting air at 50nl? I havent noticed it yet. </font>

let me rephrase: i moved up to 100nl and experienced an 11 buyin downswing within 2 days (8k hands) from 3 bettors and over aggressive people. ur right this doesn't happen at 50nl. i'm trying to figure out why i'm a winner at 50nl and y i'm a loser at 100nl and against 3 bettors pre and aggro players post flop, this seems to be the reason why.

i myself have been trying to be a 3-bettor at 50nl and i'm having mild success but when it comes time to try 100nl again i don't want to be playing blind against other aggros. perhaps it would be best to just be a 10/8 player again...

[Jay Riall]

Why does it hurt when I pee?

<font color="red">Enjoy your break from 2p2.--aj </font>

[Casper05]

Are you 3-betting more or less often IP or OOP?

How much value is there in 3-betting SCs and small PPs IP and OOP?

<font color="blue"> I definitely 3 bet more in position. 3 bet pots OOP are tough, and I would think a 3 betting range is wider IP than OOP. Orange and I were talking the other day, and agree that there is little value to 3 betting small PP. They have enough value alone in set value IP. For suited connectors, against the right opponent, they can be 3 bet profitably. I would only do it against decent opponents I know will fold when they are beat and will take notice when I 3 bet them. Against players that dont fold, there is no reason to really 3 bet them. -EMc </font>

[TimberBee]

Stupid BR-question. When I play according to my BR, should I adjust to the money I have on one particular site, or should I think of the money I have on all sites combined?

Example:
I have 3k on FTP, 2k on UB and 0.7k on stars. What cashgameslevels can I play on each site?

<font color="blue">You shouldnt necessarly let your bankroll decide what level you play. If I hit the lotto tomorrow, does that mean I should go play with Durr and Aba? Probably not. I play the level that I am comfortable out and my overall bankroll will support -EMc </font>

<font color="red">Even though it's hard sometimes for your brain to wrap itself around the concept, if you can move money easily between sites, your bankroll would be $5.7K. But, you should play at the highest level that you can beat (NL200 or below). Lotsa money doesn't equate to lotsa skill. If you can't beat higher than NL50, that's where you should be at the moment.--aj </font>

[Imrahil]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I a nit for folding AQ to a 3bet when I'm OOP?

<font color="blue">No. See RIO. Whats your plan to extract postflop? Esp at 50nl where there is no 3 betting light really </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

Lol was that a result of me today?

[Grunch]

People often post hand advice like this: "against an unknown, you should blah blah blah." What is a "Default" player? How does that change based on the size of the game? (Size being either number of opponents or size of blinds)

<font color="blue">To me a default player is one you know very little, if any of the tendencies of that player. He changes by the stakes of the game. A default 1000nl player isnt a default 50nl player who isnt a default 10nler. Usually an unknown, at least at uNL, is something like this to me:
- Stacks off with TP easily
- Not aware of position
- Doesnt valuebet often/enough
- Thinks he is gods gift to poker
- Gets a huge thrill from bluffing
- Isnt paying attention to major details

-EMc </font>

<font color="brown"> Default player imo is an unknown (so unlikely to be a regular) or a mediocre regular (at mid stakes or above). Hand ranges postflop are fairly uniform, so basic hand reading can take you a long way without detailed knowledge of the player. For example, c/c flop, c/r turn is going to be a monster against an unknown.

Lower stakes, you should expect unknowns to call too much. Higher stakes, unknowns are much more likely to bluff too much. Full ring unknowns are tight passive, short-handed unkowns are loose passive or loose aggressive.
Isura </font>

[VPIP100]

Can you play winning poker with a VPIP of 100%?

<font color="red">No. --aj </font>

[willw9]

What the hell does FYP mean?

<font color="purple"> Fixed Your Post </font>

[Isura]

Post deleted by Isura

[kaz2107]

wut stategies do u use to get out of a rut. i cant motivate myself to play much right now and i think it is mainly due to not playing or running well. last month was my best month evar and now i cant even grind out good hours because my results suck balls right now. i feel like my time can be better spent doing other things then donkin around at like 3bbs/100. but obv if im not playin/ studying i wont get better and thus this problem wont b resolved. help!!!

<font color="brown">Spend an afternoon and pour over hand histories. Go over your biggest pots in PT. Also, try rereading some old posts (the digests and stickies in SSNL are great). Finally, a break from playing might help. After a few days break, I always come back fresh and playing my best.
Isura </font>

[ikestoys]

Deleted, though i was at a different post.

plz don't ban...lol

[barryc83]

Is there any kind of multitabling software that will open up games for you. For example, say you are 10 tabling and one table breaks, is there a program that will load another table for you automatically? I want to increase the # of tables I play but I dont wanna have to always be looking for another table in the lobby.

<font color="blue">I think there is something like this in the software forum. Id check there, its probably an AHK script which I know very little about. -EMc </font>

[Cpaz]

What are acceptable Flop/Turn/River AF? Mine are 3.8, 2.07 and 2.85. Is that too much? Don't I open myself up too much to lags if I don't double, triple barrel often?




<font color="blue"> My flop AF is higher but my turn and river are lower. IDK if thats right or not, and I personally dont know any ideal stats, but I know about 2 is best. -EMc </font>

[tufat23]

all post bill frist.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/tufat23/untitled-129.jpg

do u think uNL has got tougher since the ban?

<font color="blue">I think it has definitely gotten tougher post frist. The 50nl games now remind me of the 100 and 200 from the summer that I played in. Many tables are full of tight nits and tags (myself included). The play now at 50nl is much, much better than it was over teh summer. -EMc</font>

[GittyUP]

Am I the only one but it seems the games have gotten a lot tougher in the last 3 months even since the october bombshell?

<font color="purple"> The games have definitely changed. Table selection is more important than ever. </font>

There are many more TAGs at the tables now (say 19/12 stats)? It seems opening up my game to maybe 26/20 or so would throw these long time TAGs off there game from the usual picking off loose passives that are long gone. Comments on the pitfalls of this style vs a table full of TAGs?

<font color="purple"> The best way to outplay a TAG who is 19/12 or 22/16 for that matter is to play more pots in position and outplay them post flop. Pre-flop is important, but post flop is where you make most of your money. </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

What do I need to do to go from being a winning small stakes player to becoming a winning medium stakes player?

<font color="brown"> Improve hand reading. Play less tables and learn to get rock solid reads. Learn to mix your game up a bit, and stay intune with your table image. Play a solid game most of the time, but work in some moves that make your style unique. --Isura </font>

[holyfield5]

why do these auto bet if checked too guys keep catching miracle rivers when i decide to committ to calling down?

<font color="blue"> Variance</font>

when people who call too much flat call my 3bet PF and call my flop bet am i right to shut down or do i need to two barrel AI if suspicious.

<font color="blue"> It highly depends on your holding, the texture of the board, your image nad the villain. </font>

Should i be calling the less than 1/2 pot bets just to let people know information cost more than that.

<font color="blue">I dont really get your question but I dont think this is a good idea -EMc </font>

[allaboutmyfetti]

What the hell does a flop donk mean?? I hate it, it elimates my chance to c-bet ... although opens up a door for me to c-raise (if that's even a word). I always assume flop donks on paired boards is weakness ... I'm beginning to think flop donks on A-high boards are always middle pair ... but a lot of times flop donks on K/Q high boards are like, top pair no kicker. what's UP wit it!?!? When can I bluff-raise these bad boys.

<font color="blue">In one of his videos TC made a point that players at this stake wont normally bet the flop with a made hand they want value on, so he typically raises these bets. When I feel as if I have a good read on hte villains range and the texture and what I have, and the outs I have, ill take my action, which is often raise.
-EMc </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

Some posters say in certain situations they make a play a certain % of the time. Yet all of us have certain biases. If we're running bad we try to avoid certain high risk moves ie. 3 betting with suited connectors more often, or less often depending on how you react to the pressure of running bad. How do good players avoid personal biases and still mix up their game?

ps&gt; I'm not talking about tilting I'm talking about how to mix up your game while avoiding biases that make us do the same play in certain situations.

<font color="brown"> Great question. A huge factor in my success is maintaining optimal levels of aggression. It can be tough to do when running bad, or when bluffs are not working that day. This is when mental toughness and a short memory are desirable, because you cannot afford to pass up +EV spots when things are going bad. So when I'm playing my best, I maitain the correct level of aggression and my results soar. When I fail to do so, I "run bad" and lose money. --Isura </font>

[Dan Bitel]

Why is raising for information so goddam money?

<font color="purple"> You guys trying to test us? You will lose. </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

with the rake being as it is, is rakeback more important at SSNL than at say MSNL or uSNL?

<font color="purple"> In absolute dollars compared to bankroll, probably.

I'd say it's important no matter what level you play. </font>

[allaboutmyfetti]

I was playing a home game ... I had AA, someone had another hand. I forget what position I was in, i think it was early ... my buddy was either in the blinds, on the button or in middle position. We got it all in at some point (i don't remember what street) and i lost .... how could I have saved money? Is there any way I could have gotten away from AA?

thx

<font color="blue"> This is borderline. Details are required
-EMc </font>

[DWarrior]

K2o in BB vs ~2 limpers and SB, K6Tr flop, SB checks. Do you c/f these or do you bet out?

What about Q2o, same situation, Q6Tr flop?

<font color="purple">I am inclined to check fold with TPNK in a limped pot situation. Unless you have a read that villain likes to call down with 2nd pair, no worse hand will call a flop bet here. </font>

[weknowhowtolive]

I dont understand how FE can be explained mathematically. Can you explain it simply?

<font color="blue">You and I are flipping a fair coin. We each put 100 bucks in the middle, and some idiot puts and extra 5 in the middle just for the hell of it. Every once in a while, lets say 25% of the time, I decide to run away and you get everything.
-EMc </font>

[Montezuma21]

I'm live in the UK and play 50 and 100NL on FTP. someone mentioned the games on party on much softer at these levels. Is this true? do you should think i should i make the switch?

<font color="purple"> Isura will have to answer this one. He's the only mod who can play on Party. </font>

If yes, how easy would it be to get rakeback for party? even though i haven't played there in about a year, i still have an empty account there.

thanks.


<font color="purple"> To my knowledge no rakeback Party does not allow rakeback. Forum policy is that all rakeback discussion be doen in teh rakeback affiliate forums (located at the bottom on the main page) or via PM.

[Bonesy]

I've been running into a lot of really loose guys who will cc my pf raises a lot in the hopes of hitting some lame hand. They will almost always call a cb with some piece. Some will fold to a double barrel and others won't. My question is, does it make sense to make my pf raises more? Let's say 5x or even 6x? Not to discourage action but to make it more profitable for me when I win a hand that I am almost always leading preflop.

<font color="purple"> If you have the bets hand and they will call more pre-flop then of course you should raise more pre-flop. I'd also suggest you consider checking the flop when you miss and sometimes when you hit as well as check raising flops from time to time to discourage these floaters </font>

[Montezuma21]

do you think (mods) you could play 25NL without looking at your cards and still win? would this be easier at 100NL?

<font color="purple"> No. Definitely No. </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

Whats a good approach to session review? Should I review every session I play? Should I do this once a week?

What do you look at as far as PT stats and hands; what do you compare them to when doing so?

<font color="blue">I would take note on sessions you thought were interesting (whether you won or lost a lot, but rather tough decisions). When you have time, look at these sessions. When comparing stats, Pokeys stat survey is the gold standard. </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

I usually raise KQo UTG. I pick up KQo in the BB, 2 players limp the SB completes. Should I still raise? And should I be using the standard approach of 4BB + 1 per limper?

<font color="blue"> Im raising here about half the time depending the limpers and any history with them. I will still raise my standard amount </font>

In the same situation but now I have JTo. I check preflop and flop Top pair on a dry board. Should I bet out? What should I pay attention to and how should I approach this hand? What if the board is wet, how should my approach change?

<font color="blue"> With 2 limpers Im often check calling here but I cant say with any authority if that is right. If the board is wet ill probably lead out, lead the turn and then check the river, and probably fold to any real aggression. </font>

[allaboutmyfetti]

eh, I don't know if this has been answered b4.

What limits do the mods play? How hardcore do you guys beat 50NL 100NL 200NL? I always secretly assumed green name = crush the limit you mod for, even tho that assumption is nowhere explicitly stated.

edited by op: how hardcore translates to what is your winrate (lookin at you emc)

<font color="purple"> I am a winner at every level (from NL$5--NL$200) I have played. I play as a hobby so I don't plan to move up beyond NL$200 in the foreseeable future. I do not have PT at work, but last time I ran a lifetime graph across all levels I was 3.78PTBB/100 winner over about 230k hands across NL$50, NL$100 and NL$200. I haven't run individual levels in a long time, but my sense is that my NL$100 winrate is around 5 while my NL$200 winrate is closer to 2 than 3 /images/graemlins/frown.gif </font>

<font color="blue">Ive played 25-100 NL and am a winner at 25 and 50 and a marginal loser over 24k hands at 100nl </font>

[SleeperHE]

What techniques are recommend when trying to find a balance between aggression and pot control?

<font color="purple"> Broad question. It really boils down to your assessment of your hand's strength vs the range of your opponent. Board texture is important. Until I get a good sense of where I stand I almost always opt for pot control. </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

What is your average 3bet range from the BB against a raise from MP or CO?

<font color="blue"> If the MP of CO is unknown, ill 3 bet JJ+ AK, maybe AQ and TT depending on how my game is that day. </font>

[Stealthy]

How do you deal with the multitude of players who NEVER want to fold the flop when you CB and you cant hit anything. Especially if they are calling stations and might even call a double barrel with 2nd pair no kicker. Are you just destined to lose money V them until you catch?

<font color="purple"> These players sound like a value better's wet dream. TPTK is a monster. Lower your c-bet frequency. I'd also try to enter as many cheap pot in position as I could against. </font>

[Grunch]

Should I be LAG or TAG? (Edit) What should my stats be?

<font color="blue"> You should be what feels natural IMO. Some people are naturally LAGgy, and they should nurture that. Some are TAGgy, they should nurture that. I think ideal tag stats are about 22/18 (I wish I could do that, 17/12 here), and about 32/22 for LAG. </font>

[dd323]

Whats so wrong with limping in early position with small pocket pairs if I have been playing tight (I am usually like 12/3 in poker tracker stats), it seems like if I raise everyone just folds and then I don't have a chance to hit my set, and stack them.

Also, does anyone else raise JJ to 10BB preflop, like they say on WPT, its a hand that is really hard to play, and whenever I raise to 2 BBs with it (like you would with AA/KK), I get like 4 callers and I wind up stacking off when an overcard comes on the flop.

<font color="blue">You can practice your 12/3 on your vacation </font>

[Montezuma21]

100NL

100BB stacks. good LAG button whom you've been 3betting pretty light raises OTB to 4BB. you look down at 33 in the SB. do you call, fold or raise?

<font color="red">If you've been 3betting him alot, I think it's best to call here and play no set-no bet with him. Eventually, he plays back at you light, and you don't want 33 in that spot without a set.--aj </font>

[HoldEmNewby]

You raise with JJ from UTG. A Villain 3bets you from the cutoff.

1)What is your approach if villain is a LAG? ie. preflop action, how do you approach the flop

2)What is your approach if villain is a TAG? ie. preflop action, how do you approach the flop

3)If MP calls before the raise how does that affect your decision process if villain is a LAG?

4)If MP calls before the raise how does that affect your decision process if villain is a TAG?

<font color="red">Tough question. But, I'll give you one of your easier options. Here's how I played JJ in a situation yesterday OOP vs a TAG regular. I called his 3b. Flop came 963r. I led into him for 3/4 pot or so and that was all the $$$ I was putting in the pot. He's not going to play back with a worse hand. If he raises me, I fold. In my hand, he folded to my flop bet. Easy, misses value a bit from a CB. But, it's probably the "easiest" way to play the hand.

OOP in 3b pots are a bugger. It has alot to do with feel, reads, and meta leading up to the hand. But, I give you one option right there. </font>

5)If your holding is TT...22 as oppose to JJ how does your approach to this hand chance?

<font color="red">TT I'd play similar. </font>

Is there a threshold of pair strength where we are strictly playing our pair for set value?

<font color="red">Well, when you are going for set value, you can play any of the smaller pairs 22-99. There you have to look at stacks though as your indicator as to whether or not to continue. There is much argument on what the bb threshold should be, and I don't know that there's a clear answer. 150 bb starting stacks, maybe in that area when you get 3b.--aj </font>

[Lumpr]

50NL/6 max

In the BB with JJ, MP1 folds, MP2 raises to $15 (30BB) folds around to BB. SB types in chat "Why?" MP2 replies "Wrong button". What do you do?

<font color="red">There's been alot of this fake mistyping betting amounts going around lately, talked about in SSNL. Because he typed a response, that usually is a fake response more than a real response. I don't think he would have said anything if he made a real mistake. So, I think his hand is better than JJ quite a bit; therefore I'd fold this time.--aj </font>

[poisonxfree]

How should you adjust to very passive games? I've been playing in 6max games recently with an average of 2-3 limpers not including the blinds, and I have no idea how I should adjust my pf ranges. The site isn't PT compatible so I have no stats and users can change their names so I feel like I play a lot against relative unknowns. Should I be overlimping offsuit connectors? Overlimping or raising offsuit raggy aces? What about AXs? I used to play only limit, and have about 40k nl hands under my belt now, but I still have no idea how to adjust in circumstances like this. Also the normal player is pretty loose passive, and calls a reasonable amount of cbets [more than I'd like them to].

<font color="blue">Id keep my normal raising range, raise a lot more hands OTB, 3 bet less. </font>

[AKQJ]

If you have to choose, which of the following statements is more suited to the definition of a "good poker player" :

1) Outplaying your opponents, raising for informations, making some BAD A.S.S bluffs, intimidating strategies, playing your opponent rather than your cards, "I'm the s.h.i.t here" attitude etc (= many variances on your bankroll, you can win faster and lose faster too)

2) Knowing your edge, your odds, your outs, calling/betting wisely, "not this time, I can wait for a better spot to take his money down", "wise poker, forever poker" (= slow wins but also sure ones, step by step)

<font color="purple"> If I must choose between these sub-optimal strategies, I'll take #2. At least my risk of ruin should be very low. </font>

[LearningCurve]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you deal with the multitude of players who NEVER want to fold the flop when you CB and you cant hit anything. Especially if they are calling stations and might even call a double barrel with 2nd pair no kicker. Are you just destined to lose money V them until you catch?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is my question as well. Seems at every table there is a lag on my left who calls every single raise I make. I don't think I'm imagining it at some tables. I try to play in position and raise when folded to on button with anything but complete junk. I think this is the 6-max way, but I'm new and played fr until a few weeks ago. Anyhow, I'll raise good hands, suited connectors, hands like J8o, etc. trying to at least pick up blinds. Then, the guy in the bb (frequently) calls every time, and he calls every c-bet. Appears he also calls 2-barrel (happened today with a 2 he paired on flop and then he sucked out my turn two pair (K8) when an A fell on the river. Obviously if he's calling with a flopped pair of two's he's not going anywhere. Anyhow, what's the right move here? Do I tighten up and forget about stealing blinds, change tables, scream at the top of my lungs as I continue to bleed money, or what?

P.S. This thread is a GREAT idea...thanks!

<font color="purple">If my answer above isn't enough, post another question </font>

[orange]

[ QUOTE ]
50NL/6 max

In the BB with JJ, MP1 folds, MP2 raises to $15 (30BB) folds around to BB. SB types in chat "Why?" MP2 replies "Wrong button". What do you do?

[/ QUOTE ]
i might just shove.

<font color="red">Dear Orange: You're not green. So zip it. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Plenty of uNL/SSNL threads for the vets to respond in.--aj </font>

[munkey]

Tks mods for doing this.

<font color="red">You're welcome.--aj </font>

{Should I cbet 40% vpip calling stations[Party types] at all after PFR AK/KQ small/medium pairs?

When would it be considered o.k. to have a 40%+vpip, fold to cbets &lt;= 30% on my left?

<font color="red">I'm not sure I understand the question completely, but you still need to cbet when you are HU. You can lower your cbet frequency and not miss out on much against these types of villians, but choose to do so on trouble flops, like JhTh4s, or 8s9s6d. Basically, not completely coordinated like a JT9 flop, but semi coordinated with a flush draw thrown in for good measure.--aj</font>

} see Learning Curve's post - I'm so slow @ posting /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

How many PMs can we have max in our 2+2 inbox?

<font color="blue"> ~210 </font>

[ama0330]

I see a lot of posts in the SSNL forum (200nl usually) where the regs say something like "TAGs play sooo bad they are so exploitable lol 17/14 is money etc etc"

What is it about this certain type of TAG player that makes it profitable to play against them at 200nl+, and what do you do to realise that profit?

<font color="brown">I wouldn't say that 17/14 is automatically exploitable. It is a bit on the tight side for 6-max, but I have played players with similar stats that were very solid. What is more important is how these players play postflop. If you look at a datamined 5/10 database, you'll see that most of the players are in the 20-30% VPIP, and 10-20% PFR range. So who actually wins money?

It is the players that know how to read hands best. Basically what the better players do is avoid situations where they are exploitable AND it is likely that their opponent knows this and exploits them. The good players also know how to identify exploitable tendencies. In short, you want to play in such a way that you get your opponent to get into exploitable situations and then you exploit them until they adjust.

For example, c-betting too much OOP with no plans for the rest of the hand is a common beginner leak. Your c-betting should fit well into the rest of your game. Some will c-bet too much but not 2nd barrel enough. Or they have no plans as to what cards they fire again, or think about board texture and how they can use future cards to scare their opponent. Basically the players that are always observing and adjusting do the best, and the others just get stuck into an ABC style that becomes very easy to take advantage of if you look for the right things. Sometimes it is not easy to find exploitable tendencies. It helps me to look at seemingly simple situations from different viewpoints and try to develop strategies this way. PT is a great tool that makes this type of analysis very efficient. --Isura</font>

[Bowlboy]

Why the hell cant I make it at 25NL??? I have over 60k hands at 10NL 6max on stars. Feel totally comfortable there. My last 20k hands of 10NL I've averaged $10 per hour from 6tabling. At 25NL I'm up a whole $122 after 23k hands. Winning sessions are so hard to come by. Some say 25NL is easy easy. Not for me!

<font color="red">Don't be discouraged. It is not unusual to have growing pains and uncomfortableness when moving up from your usual level. Just because it's NL25, it's no different, if you're not used to playing that high (for you) </font>


Feels like I lose the most money not 2nd barreling. Floating seems so common place at 25NL as well as getting my cbets raised. I try to play more nitty preflop so that I'm actually hitting flops more frequently but it's hard. I sometimes think that if variance was'nt slapping me in the face so damn hard and if I didnt tilt( Tilt is something that never really happens to me anymore at 10NL) I'd probably be doing well.

How do I adjust to the aggression at 25NL?

<font color="red">Some general thoughts:

1. One of the reasons people struggle when moving up, after beating the level below, is that they change up their game. Try to play the same game you did at NL10.
2. Don't be nittier preflop. Be nittier postflop if anything. Don't CB in a spot that just looks ugly. c/f the flop sometimes. But keep on PFR'ing the hands you used to PFR. And especially use position to your advantage.
3. I've been tilting alot more lately than I ever have, so I feel ya. Recognize when you are starting to tilt, and shut everything down and take a break if you can't continue playing without tilt creeping in.
4. Games get alot more aggressive each level as you move up. Honestly, you probably don't want to hear this, but you haven't seen anything yet when it comes to aggression.--aj </font>

[Gelford]

If I was running 17/12, shouldn't I be working on getting a lot closer to 17/17 ?? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

<font color="red">19/15 would seem to be a more admirable shoot-for for a 17/12. But, stats = meh.--aj </font>

[mosuavea]

Shocking that some of the SSNL lemmings ....ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR "BALLAS" would troll a thread in a place where they pretty much began.

What are the mods opinions of how the split went? I have my feelings and pretty sure I know yours but could you share? <font color="blue">It has its good parts and its bad parts:

Good-
-More Traffic
-Small hands get attention they need

Bad-
-SSNL Balla attitude (there is a forum below us ZOMG we rule)
-Dilution of vet posters </font>

[Nickerbocker]

how come people dont post their results when posting a hand?

<font color="blue"> Results can taint the advice. If you flopped a set of Jacks, and your opponent flopped a set of Aces, we could see that and say "maybe you shouldve folded here" when you shouldnt of. </font>

[Triggerle]

I have a lot of trouble seeing the value of suited connectors. NLHETAP says in the pre-flop strategy that these are hands that you really like to see when you look at your hole cards. I guess that is because the book is largely about FR situations.

In 6max most pots are heads-up or 3-handed as well as raised and you can expect that someone bets the flop (be it a c-bet or a donk-bet or a bet because it was checked to them). Since you hardly ever flop a straight or a strong combo draw and can't really continue putting money in with lesser draws it seems to me that there is a lot of money to be lost with SC that we can't possibly make up in these rare cases.

I honestly almost never even play them because I just can't find situations where they seem worth it to me. The only exception is button raises to steal the blinds, but those can be done with many hands.

<font color="red">1. You want to be playing them in position as much as you can, down to about 56s.
2. Often at uNL, players don't know how to protect their hands vs draw, so you have OK odds to continue with your draw, moreso than at higher stakes.
3. Float more, semi-bluff raise less at smaller stakes on the flop. IMO, it's more important to make a hand first at uNL, and then bet it, cuz you'll usually get paid off anyways. --aj

</font>

[HoldEmNewby]

As you move up in stakes the games get more aggressive. What adjustments did you have to make in your game where the entire table is more aggressive than what you are used?

Facing opponents who are more willing to bluff or raise with air: did you ever find yourself drifting too far towards becoming a calling station? How do you keep yourself from calling down too loosely?

<font color="red">First, play the game that got you there. After that, it's really too vague to answer. You just have to play good, get better, and try to keep on improving. Read hands, read situations, get a meta-feel for the table you are on. Think about situations away from the tables. Review hands. Talk with others. Just keep on moving up the poker intelligence ladder step-by-step.--aj </font>

[holyfield5]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a lot of trouble seeing the value of suited connectors. NLHETAP says in the pre-flop strategy that these are hands that you really like to see when you look at your hole cards. I guess that is because the book is largely about FR situations.

In 6max most pots are heads-up or 3-handed as well as raised and you can expect that someone bets the flop (be it a c-bet or a donk-bet or a bet because it was checked to them). Since you hardly ever flop a straight or a strong combo draw and can't really continue putting money in with lesser draws it seems to me that there is a lot of money to be lost with SC that we can't possibly make up in these rare cases.

I honestly almost never even play them because I just can't find situations where they seem worth it to me. The only exception is button raises to steal the blinds, but those can be done with many hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

ahh yes good question, in the past week ive tried to up my stats from 16/12 to 20/15 and i just dont think it works as well at this limit(doing it because i believe it will help my jump to 100NL)

it just seems with the style of play at 50NL SC are a leak, people will chase, therefore your draws dont have as much semi bluff value, they will call down with much weaker hands but will dump when draws are completed. They will bet bet bet anytime it is checked and the bets are usually pot. coupled with all this i cant seem to play SC profitably here.

[HYG]

utg in a tight but passive game say ~20%psf @ 100nl do you like a raise with A2-A5 suited, a limp or a fold.
same question but in a loose passive ~40%psf game. cheers

edit: games are 6max

<font color="red">Tight table, raise them up. Because the tighter player will usually respect an UTG raise more. Against a bunch of loose passives, fold preflop.--aj </font>

[findingneema]

I've been running about 22/13 at $10 NL, and I'm wondering if I'm too loose or not aggressive enough preflop. I really only limp with small pairs in early position and small pairs or suited connectors after a few limpers. However, my VPIP is 45% is the small blind, which is mostly just completing the bet or raising the BB or a single limper. Is there too much spread in my 22/13?

<font color="red">Numbers, schmumbers. Play a game you are comfortable with. That's best for your personality/comfort level. Work on improving your game, by thinking and talking about poker, posting here, watching vids, etc. And let the numbers fall where they may.

As far as the SB goes, you are in the worst position on the table postflop. If you wouldn't play the hand willingly UTG, don't play it from the SB. That's a good starting point. You can add playable hands as table conditions dictate. Don't go overboard, complete 78s after 3 limpers, but dump rag aces and the like.--aj </font>

[rh2020]

This is more of a FR question as this is where I play, but I suppose it applies equally to SH.

Assume you have a low/mid PP and you face a raise.

What is your criteria for calling the raise and how does this differ in EP and MP (In LP I would normally raise assuming it was limped to me)? i.e. against weak tight player, TAG etc.

How many BB do you call? Can you relate this to implied odds (since you're hoping to flop a monster).

<font color="red">Well, I can only give you a 6m answer. I openraise all pp's from all positions. Because sets = $$$, I will call a PFR with all pp's at the very least assuming full stacks. I usually follow the 5/10 rule loosely when dealing with shorter stacks. 5% or less of the effective stack, I call for sure. More than 10%, I fold. In between, I usually call.

Raising small pp's in position vs limpers, meh. Depends alot on table conditions. You're not losing out on anything by limping along and trying to flop a set with 22-77.--aj </font>

[Michael Fish]

What merit is if any there in cold calling a preflop raise with AA? If so what kind of situations would this be acceptable?

As a rule i'm always reraising AA KK pf but feel that there must be some times where a call could derive more value.

Many thanks

<font color="red">For deception only off the top of my head I can think of two right away.

1. In the BB against one PFR when it's been folded to you and you are guarenteed HU action.
2. OTB vs one PFR with tight blinds.

It's not completely terrible but I wouldn't make it a habit.--aj </font>

[Rev. Good Will]

100bb stacks, 6handed for all examples

Taggy (17/12ish) player raises 4bb UTG, what is your plan with SC's in this spot (specifically smaller ones)? Does your play change if he knows how you play or not?

<font color="blue"> Im calling here. Lets outplay him postflop if need be</font>

Bad Lag (40/24), see's SD 30%+) raises UTG, what do you do with hands like AJo, KTo, and other random borderline/trashy broadway cards. What if a calling station(edit - like 45/0) limps UTG, he sees SD lots, Iso raise and take to valuetown with these hands, or keep the pot small?

<font color="blue"> With this villain im calling AJo, folding KTo. Withborderline broadway it is a case by case basis. With a calling station I raise to iso and valuetown. </font>

[Montezuma21]

[ QUOTE ]
100NL

100BB stacks. good LAG button whom you've been 3betting pretty light raises OTB to 4BB. you look down at 33 in the SB. do you call, fold or raise?

<font color="red">If you've been 3betting him alot, I think it's best to call here and play no set-no bet with him. Eventually, he plays back at you light, and you don't want 33 in that spot without a set.--aj </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

given that a LAG's steal precentage might be 25% or higher, and the fact that we're out of position, do you really think that we're guaranteed to get on average at least 30BBs if we flop a set. that seems to be an extremely generous estimate. If you agree that it is, surely then the best course of action is to fold, no?

I've been looking at such siutations in a new light recently and it seems to me that in some situations such as the one mentioned above it is better to fold small PPs for a 4BB raise (Assuming 100BB effective stacks) because we're so unlikely to get paid off.

Edit: I might be completely off the mark, to bo honest. just a gut feeling it might be -EV

<font color="red">Well, I'm a pretty simple player. And I know that sets = teh money. And I know that I have to see a flop with a pp to flop a set. And I know I can win a few pots here and there without a set. And I know I'm usually smart enough to c/f when warranted. And I know sometimes I'll get a stack with a set. So, I play 'em. </font>

[Archon_Wing]

Many people think having chat on is a bad idea. What do you think? Do you think pissing off weak-tight wannabe TAGs is a good idea or not worth the effort?

<font color="brown">I leave the chat on, but don't talk. The fish can get uncomfortable, and I don't like to waste my energy with silly verbal tactics. I prefer to focus on my game and play mistake free poker. </font>

Why should I raise more OOP? Isn't playing a bigger pot OOP a no no?

<font color="brown"> There are 2 situations when I raise more OOP.
1) When the pot is limped, and I'm in the blinds. I don't want to get multiple callers when I'm OOP, and that little extra cuts down implied odds (since I'm at a disadvantage postflop) and also discourages players from calling with too wide of a hand range (makes postflop easier when you can narrow their range).

2) When I reraise out of the blinds. I don't want good players calling my 3-bets too often if they play tough postflop. If they are playing fit or fold, then I don't mind them calling, but if they put the pressure on IP then I want to make it expense for them to continue against me. I don't raise much bigger, just 1-2bb more than I would when IP. </font>

When wouldn't you want to play combo/big draws aggressively?

<font color="brown"> When your fold equity is low. If you put your opponent on a strong hand, or he doesn't like to fold with 1 pair, then it becomes better to play a draw slowly. Another consideration is whether he will pay you off when your draw hits. Finally, it is often better to slowly play a nut draw because you can trap someone into a good 2nd best hand if you both hit, and still bluff them off if the draw misses. </font>

What do you think of river minvalueraising? This is the only time I'd ever think of minraising.

<font color="brown"> Minraising postflop is absolutely fine in the right situation. If the pot is already big, or a small raise is likely to get action where as a big one won't, and you don't fear many cards then it is okay. Also, minraises can induce bluffs from some players, and it just plain frustrates TAGs. In NL you want to build big pots with big hands, and sometimes minraising is the most effective way. --Isura</font>

[CaptUnlucky]

If I'm in a downswing (a bad one, 15BB+ in 4 days) should i move down levels even if I still have the roll for the level I am in?

Also, If you don't mind, what was the worst downswing you guys ever had, what level, and what'd you do/ how long did it take to come out of it?
<font color="blue"> Id move down to get myself back into the swing of winning. My biggest is like 13 and I think im still recovering. </font>

[Triggerle]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a lot of trouble seeing the value of suited connectors. NLHETAP says in the pre-flop strategy that these are hands that you really like to see when you look at your hole cards. I guess that is because the book is largely about FR situations.

In 6max most pots are heads-up or 3-handed as well as raised and you can expect that someone bets the flop (be it a c-bet or a donk-bet or a bet because it was checked to them). Since you hardly ever flop a straight or a strong combo draw and can't really continue putting money in with lesser draws it seems to me that there is a lot of money to be lost with SC that we can't possibly make up in these rare cases.

I honestly almost never even play them because I just can't find situations where they seem worth it to me. The only exception is button raises to steal the blinds, but those can be done with many hands.

<font color="red">1. You want to be playing them in position as much as you can, down to about 56s.
2. Often at uNL, players don't know how to protect their hands vs draw, so you have OK odds to continue with your draw, moreso than at higher stakes.
3. Float more, semi-bluff raise less at smaller stakes on the flop. IMO, it's more important to make a hand first at uNL, and then bet it, cuz you'll usually get paid off anyways. --aj

</font>

[/ QUOTE ]
Just to clarify.

1) If someone raises 4bb in middle position and CO folds I call on the button?

<font color="red"> Yes, I usually do. Especially against one-shot nitty TAGs. You can float and win some pots with air when they check turn after they CB, to make up for the times when you flop nada. </font>

2) I will face a c-bet close to pot size almost always (FTP, maybe it's different at other sites), do I call with e.g. an OESD?
<font color="red">At uNL, I would usually just call with an OESD. If I had the monster OESFD, I'd often semi-bluff raise.

(and just to be clear, when I was talking above about not semi-bluff raising, it was in reference to having just an OESD)--aj

</font>

[Leviathan101]

Lot of questions. This is a great idea.

100bb stacks
its folded to a LAG who opens for 3.5bb OTB. You have AKo. You 3b him to 12bb. He calls.
Flop is Q25r.
Is there value to attempting to check/raise as a C-bet? He will usually fold to a c-bet if he whiffed, so is it worth it trying to c/r and pick off a possible bluff? Is this read based? Do you really mind if he checks behind and maybe you improve?

I usually play AKo by C-betting then just giving up if called (assuming I missed.)


How much do you value Suited Aces? Will you call raises with them IP? OOP? Is it player dependant?

Somehow I have the idea that some plays that can be considered leaks for a TAG are acceptable as a LAG. Is this true? Is playing style that important?

When the tables get smaller than 6 handed, do you leave? What if there is just a fish left, will you play heads up? Under what circumstances do you feel its worth playing less than a full table? Is playing with fewer people as a whole better? Is there an ideal number of players?

I tend to find myself thinking far more rationally when I'm not involved in a hand. On two+two, I feel I look at a hand and can identify the best action, but on a real table there is a timer and I am emotionally attached to the hand. (because I'm involved, not nessecarily because I like it) Do you ever feel this way, and how would you suggest to deal with it?

[SmallPotJeff]

These days, do you find find much difference in players and play between 50NL and 100NL? How about 50NL and 25NL?

<font color="red">I can only speak of the 50-100 comparison. NL50 is quite a bit softer than NL100. I know, because even though I usually play NL100 or NL200, I've been playing some NL50 lately working on some nasty tilt issues that I'm having trouble shaking.

The bad players are way worse and spew heartily at NL50. There's many more rocky regulars at NL100 who won't put there stack in the middle without top set. The NL50 players are generally more loose passive than weak/tight/nitty. </font>



Also, do you know if many players have been moving down in limits? Or is most of the recent increase in difficulty coming from fish dropping out of the poker economy?

<font color="red">I think it's both. I've seen some dropdowns, myself included atm. And funding issues/political lanscape has kept some fish from redepositing. It's a tougher world at each limit than it was just 6 months ago, much less a year or two ago.--aj</font>

[jumbojacks]

I'm trying to play more aggressively on the flop against better/trickier/laggier players and I think the biggest leak that I have right now is that my hand is so transparent by my flop action {nuts,air}. I guess including combo draws in that range help to add to the range, but I'm finding that a lot of top players who play a very well-rounded, balanced TAG style will raise with a "middle"-ish range. This topic was touched upon in ML4L's "Raising for Information" post in HSNL and I was wondering what was the motivation for raising with a "middle range" on the flop besides being harder to read?

Also, what sort of "middle range" am I looking for? My assumption is hands like semi-bluffs and possibly TPGK, but I'm also lost with the type of lines that I should follow up on when facing future streets.

Any thoughts or opinions on this topic in general would also be very helpful. Thanks for doing this.

[RunDownHouse]

How do you go about table selecting? This can include the types of opponents you look for, but I'm talking about whether you look for big pot avg, just open a bunch of tables and wait for HUD to come up, etc.

<font color="brown">A tool like sixth sense is useful. At small stakes I like to do what I call reverse table selection. I will sit at any table, but leave after 30 minutes if there are no fish (that's how I build my bankroll at small stakes). At higher stakes, you just look for the straight up fish (easy to figure out after watching 3-5 orbits), or find some weak regulars. --Isura </font>

[Ratamahatta]

aba20 said in his first video that 25/22-20 is the optimal stats for 6-max. My stats are much more lower then that. Should I be forcing myself to play loser even if I think my post flop game is not good enough and I don't feel comfortable playing that "lose"?

<font color="brown"> What works for a great player like aba doesn't necessarily work for everyone. 25/20 is too loose for the average TAG IMO. I do play a stylie like 24/21, but playing those extra hands takes experience patience. You are going to have to c-bet less, play more tricky with your good hands to balance the times that you just give up with nothing. --Isura</font>

[Tiki]

I often see posters citing high AF's as a reason to increase the degree of belief that a villain may be bluffing. Don't nut-peddlers have high AF's by default?

Isn't aggression frequency a better indicator (versus AF) of a villains poker habit since it can be interpretted in isolation instead of having to be viewed in conjunction with fold-frequency?

I'd be interested to hear the pros and cons of both AFrequency and AFactor.

<font color="brown"> AFreq does seem to give a better sense of true aggression levels. But most people are so used to AFactor that they have learned to do the -adjustment for VPIP in their heads. Both stats are only marginally useful in NL IMO, since bet size and situations are much more important than bet frequency. For example, some guy might be very aggro in limped pots, but gets very passive in big pots. I don't even use the aggression numbers when I play, because watching the table is much more helpful to me. --Isura </font>

[prodonkey]

Can I have my name changed to purple? That would be killer, thanks!

<font color="red">Name color changes can only be done by admins. Well, technically I think mods can do it; but it's really an admin thing. And they are given out in extremely rare instances which is all their deal. So on a scale of 0-100, I'd rate your chances as a minus 4.--aj </font>

[Check_The_Nuts]

not really a noob question, but this hand came up and made me go ?!?! somewhat relates to an earlier post too.

Fish limps on CO, Mr. Exploitable raises on button to 2.50, sb calls, i call with 99, fish calls.

Flop comes 323, checks to exploitable, he bets.

Exploitable stats are 26/20/4. He cbets 86% and folds the turn 70% over a 500 or 600 hand sample. Do you float or check raise here, or would you just assume he doesn't autocbet THAT much?

Also, how often do you float this guy? I think i was doing it about 40% of the time, so only 10-20% of the time with complete air.

SB was also fishy in this hand, 40/3 or something, CO fish was just 30/13 or something (which is unfortunately a fish in 50NL games at UB)....

<font color="brown"> With 99 on such a safe board, your play is to either c/r for value or c/c. I prefer c/r here. Although it allows the button to play more correctly (he folds everything worse), you don't want the other 2 guys overcalling with a draw and you can fold if he pushes over your c/r (which always means overpair or big draw). If the pot was HU you should probably just c/c and see what he does on the turn. --Isura

[Smilin']

Reraising vs. calling a raise preflop: should I be more inclined to reraise with position or out of position?

On the one hand, I want to play big pots in position; on the other hand, I'm less willing to play a pot at all OOP, and reraising helps accomplish that. I see posters come down on both sides of this, often very forcefully, but I've never really seen anyone explain the factors that should push me one way or the other. Right now I tend to reraise or fold OOP unless I have a (non-premium) pair, but I don't have a deep justification for that.

<font color="brown"> Simple rules like always reraising pairs OOP will not get you very far in poker. In general you should be reraising a wider range of hands IP. You have better control of your opponent and the pot size with position. In reraised pots especially, those big bets really add up. So saving or making an extra bet is huge for your winrate, and making the correct play is much easier when IP. People that tell you to reraise more often OOP simply don't understand poker that well. --Isura</font>

[ajmargarine]

<font color="red">We're not forgetting about this thread. Frank'll be in in the morning probably, and Ed and Isura will be around at varying times. I'm too tired now to post anything thoughtful but I'll be back around lunchtime tomorrow.--aj </font>

[EMc]

<font color="blue">Im a bit inebriated and in the middle of a female crisis so to speak...Ill be around when I wake up. I really like this thread and encourage more questions. </font>

[fooz]

I like tien's strategy (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Board=microplnl&amp;Number=7827947&amp; Searchpage=1&amp;Main=7827947&amp;Words=%2Bfundamentals+%2 BSSNL+-re%3A&amp;topic=&amp;Search=true#Post7827947) on starting hands: never open limp, raise that [censored] up, including all pairs all positions.

However, I'm finding that when I’m raising smaller pairs UTG, I often get called behind, and then have an awkward c-bet decision when overcards so often Flop. What are your thoughts on playing small pairs UTG and UTG+1?

<font color="purple"> Assuming you don't have specific reads, I will c-bet most of the time HU if only 1 B-way card hits the flop. Flops like K94r are great for hands like 33. Flops like AT9 are not. Remember that two unpaired cards miss pairing on the flop over 60% of the time. If the pot is multi-way then my c-bet % goes way down.</font>

[rakes.a.beach]

OKay. Four questions.

1) I have trouble concentrating at four-tabling. My plays become more card specific than player specific. It has gotten better now that I've played 10k hands. Is it something that I'll just get used to?

<font color="purple"> If you are still uncomfortable after another 10k hands then maybe 4 is too many. 4 seems to be the number that I have the bets results with. I used to play 6, but felt more comfortable with 4. Playing within your comfort is always more+EV than just trying to get a lot of hands in. </font>

2) I can't get freaking pokerace to work. I have vista if that has anything to do w/ it. Does that help your game a lot? Is it something I should invest in? How about sixth sense? Worth the investment? I have 1k in my account right now and I'm fairly certain I can beat 50NL.

<font color="purple"> No idea about PA HUD and Vista. Check the software forum here or even better the Pokerace forums. In my experience, Josh always replies to threads in his forums in a quick fashion

I demoed 6th Sense, but didn't feel it was worth over $300 a year to me. Now I am not a pro and play as a hobby so maybe AJ or Isura will have a different perspective.

You have 20 buy-ins for NL$50 so I would say go ahead and give it a shot. If you fall to say $700, head back to NL$25 and rebuild. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 attempts before you are comfortable with a new level</font>

3) Will you please link me a converter that works for absolute poker? A link to DL pokergrapher too please.

<font color="purple"> If the ones in the SSNL sticky don to work, then maybe the Lego Poker one. Somebody PM a link to one that works and I'll post it here. </font>

4) How many hands do you need to know you can beat a level assuming you're beating it at 8bb/100hands?


<font color="purple"> The long run is longer than most peopel think. A 25k or even a 50k sample is not enough, but if you bet a level for 8PTBB/100 over 25k hands you probably have the roll to take a shot at the next level. Here's some food for thought: I play mostly NL$100 right now because my NL$100 win rate is more than twice my NL$200 win rate. I make more playing NL$100. I'm sure that will change at some point, but that's the thing you need to look for. If you need to beat the next level for only 1/2 of the PTBB you were making at the lower level to make moving up profitable. Of course variance is worse the closer to 0 your PTBB is.</font>

Thanks a lot.

[rakes.a.beach]

Also, what's Z in ZOMG?

<font color="purple"> It's the leet variation of Oh my God!, which is a common slang-like phrase, often abbreviated OMG online, communicating various emotions including surprise, happiness or dismay.</font>

<font color="brown">Wiki says that the Z stands for zealous!--Isura</font>

[Everlong]

How do I get the UNO-cards on Stars?

I have searched and tried and I suck and fail. They are the [censored] at FT and are laden with some heavy anti-suckout spell and I want them.

<font color="purple"> I do not know. Try PMing matrix. He posted some sweet UNO FT cards in Software a while ago /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Matrix, if you PM me a link, I'll post it here.</font>

[Gelford]

AJs, AJo, KQs and KQo ..... are these folds UTG ?

<font color="purple"> Depends on who is sitting at the table with you. My default is to raise all of these at 6-max. I am only looking for 2 streets of value when I hit a TP type of flop. Playing them pre-flop is not a mistake, but misplaying hands like these post-flop is a very common mistake.

If you ever play bottomset HU, then these are an auto-folds because he will outflop you 96.3842% of the time. /images/graemlins/wink.gif </font>

<font color="brown">Just want to add that there is a big difference between AJs and AJo, same goes for KQ (but less so since you now don't have the NFD). I open the suited ones, and fold the offsuit ones unless I have great control of the table. --Isura</font>

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
I like tien's strategy (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Board=microplnl&amp;Number=7827947&amp; Searchpage=1&amp;Main=7827947&amp;Words=%2Bfundamentals+%2 BSSNL+-re%3A&amp;topic=&amp;Search=true#Post7827947) on starting hands: never open limp, raise that [censored] up, including all pairs all positions.

However, I'm finding that when I’m raising smaller pairs UTG, I often get called behind, and then have an awkward c-bet decision when overcards so often Flop. What are your thoughts on playing small pairs UTG and UTG+1?

[/ QUOTE ]

They should always be raised as a standard.

cbetting HU is usually free money, so it doesn't really matter that there is an overcard or 2, still cbet, ???, profit.

Be careful though what boards to cbet and vs what/how many players. T98hh boards vs 2 calling stations is a bad situation to cbet

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
OKay. Four questions.

1) I have trouble concentrating at four-tabling. My plays become more card specific than player specific. It has gotten better now that I've played 10k hands. Is it something that I'll just get used to?

2) I can't get freaking pokerace to work. I have vista if that has anything to do w/ it. Does that help your game a lot? Is it something I should invest in? How about sixth sense? Worth the investment? I have 1k in my account right now and I'm fairly certain I can beat 50NL.

3) Will you please link me a converter that works for absolute poker? A link to DL pokergrapher too please.

4) How many hands do you need to know you can beat a level assuming you're beating it at 8bb/100hands?

Thanks a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

1) This comes mainly with practice. However, taking good notes, turning off AIM/MSN, using a HUD all help. It is natural however, that your reads won't be AS good as wwhen you 1 table, however, your loss in winrate pertable will more than be made up for by the extra tables.

2) PA HUD is VERY important, especially as you play more tables. They have a very good support system, so use that if you can't get it to work. When you use it however, make sure that you don't rely on it. Don't just play by numbers. Still take notes and make reads yourself

3) Here (http://www.neildewhurst.com/hand-converter/) is a converter that works and Here (http://overcards.com/wiki/moin.cgi/PokerGrapher) is poker grapher

4) The more hands the better really. IMO, as you start to get over 30k, you can be a bit more sure

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, what's Z in ZOMG?

[/ QUOTE ]

A more enthusiastic (if not sarcastic) way of saying OMG. The Z doesn't stand for anything, but rather is added onto the O, thus making it pronounced "ZOH MY GOD!!1"

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
How do I get the UNO-cards on Stars?

I have searched and tried and I suck and fail. They are the [censored] at FT and are laden with some heavy anti-suckout spell and I want them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry I can't help you here, maybe some1 else can.

Your best bet however would be to post in the software forum. I know they have a lot of card mods there

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
AJs, AJo, KQs and KQo ..... are these folds UTG ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, I raise all of them, and I'm sure you'll find that all the SSNL vets do the same. However, if you find it tough to play these hands OOP, theres no shame in folding them UTG

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
<font color="red">We're not forgetting about this thread. Frank'll be in in the morning probably, and Ed and Isura will be around at varying times. I'm too tired now to post anything thoughtful but I'll be back around lunchtime tomorrow.--aj </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

when tired, its probably a good idea to get some sleep and stop posting.

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
<font color="blue">Im a bit inebriated and in the middle of a female crisis so to speak...Ill be around when I wake up. I really like this thread and encourage more questions. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

1) Drink more
2) Call/txt said girl
3) ???
4) profit

[dirtysanchez]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How do I get the UNO-cards on Stars?

I have searched and tried and I suck and fail. They are the [censored] at FT and are laden with some heavy anti-suckout spell and I want them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry I can't help you here, maybe some1 else can.

Your best bet however would be to post in the software forum. I know they have a lot of card mods there

[/ QUOTE ]

linky (http://psthemes.com/forum/themeshop/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=87&amp;products _id=286)

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How do I get the UNO-cards on Stars?

I have searched and tried and I suck and fail. They are the [censored] at FT and are laden with some heavy anti-suckout spell and I want them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry I can't help you here, maybe some1 else can.

Your best bet however would be to post in the software forum. I know they have a lot of card mods there

[/ QUOTE ]

linky (http://psthemes.com/forum/themeshop/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=87&amp;products _id=286)

[/ QUOTE ]

you have to pay for those i think.

Software forum will have free ones. Here's (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=4816809&amp;an=0&amp;page=0&amp;gone w=1#UNREAD) an example

[dirtysanchez]

nice catch, you just saved me $5 /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ADK]

[ QUOTE ]
If I'm in a downswing (a bad one, 15BB+ in 4 days) should i move down levels even if I still have the roll for the level I am in?

Also, If you don't mind, what was the worst downswing you guys ever had, what level, and what'd you do/ how long did it take to come out of it?
<font color="blue"> Id move down to get myself back into the swing of winning. My biggest is like 13 and I think im still recovering. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

wtf... 13 big blinds or buyins? 13 bb is nothing right?

[LearningCurve]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have a lot of trouble seeing the value of suited connectors. NLHETAP says in the pre-flop strategy that these are hands that you really like to see when you look at your hole cards. I guess that is because the book is largely about FR situations.

In 6max most pots are heads-up or 3-handed as well as raised and you can expect that someone bets the flop (be it a c-bet or a donk-bet or a bet because it was checked to them). Since you hardly ever flop a straight or a strong combo draw and can't really continue putting money in with lesser draws it seems to me that there is a lot of money to be lost with SC that we can't possibly make up in these rare cases.

I honestly almost never even play them because I just can't find situations where they seem worth it to me. The only exception is button raises to steal the blinds, but those can be done with many hands.

<font color="red">1. You want to be playing them in position as much as you can, down to about 56s.
2. Often at uNL, players don't know how to protect their hands vs draw, so you have OK odds to continue with your draw, moreso than at higher stakes.
3. Float more, semi-bluff raise less at smaller stakes on the flop. IMO, it's more important to make a hand first at uNL, and then bet it, cuz you'll usually get paid off anyways. --aj

</font>

[/ QUOTE ]
Just to clarify.

1) If someone raises 4bb in middle position and CO folds I call on the button?

<font color="red"> Yes, I usually do. Especially against one-shot nitty TAGs. You can float and win some pots with air when they check turn after they CB, to make up for the times when you flop nada. </font>
<font color="red"> </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

When floating to try to pick up pots that have apparently missed pfr and you are ip, do you wait to bet the river after villain checks turn and river, or do you typically go ahead and bet turn once villain checks there? Also, what size pot do you generally bet to accomplish this? ty

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
nice catch, you just saved me $5 /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

np

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If I'm in a downswing (a bad one, 15BB+ in 4 days) should i move down levels even if I still have the roll for the level I am in?

Also, If you don't mind, what was the worst downswing you guys ever had, what level, and what'd you do/ how long did it take to come out of it?
<font color="blue"> Id move down to get myself back into the swing of winning. My biggest is like 13 and I think im still recovering. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

wtf... 13 big blinds or buyins? 13 bb is nothing right?

[/ QUOTE ]

obviously buy-ins

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have a lot of trouble seeing the value of suited connectors. NLHETAP says in the pre-flop strategy that these are hands that you really like to see when you look at your hole cards. I guess that is because the book is largely about FR situations.

In 6max most pots are heads-up or 3-handed as well as raised and you can expect that someone bets the flop (be it a c-bet or a donk-bet or a bet because it was checked to them). Since you hardly ever flop a straight or a strong combo draw and can't really continue putting money in with lesser draws it seems to me that there is a lot of money to be lost with SC that we can't possibly make up in these rare cases.

I honestly almost never even play them because I just can't find situations where they seem worth it to me. The only exception is button raises to steal the blinds, but those can be done with many hands.

<font color="red">1. You want to be playing them in position as much as you can, down to about 56s.
2. Often at uNL, players don't know how to protect their hands vs draw, so you have OK odds to continue with your draw, moreso than at higher stakes.
3. Float more, semi-bluff raise less at smaller stakes on the flop. IMO, it's more important to make a hand first at uNL, and then bet it, cuz you'll usually get paid off anyways. --aj

</font>

[/ QUOTE ]
Just to clarify.

1) If someone raises 4bb in middle position and CO folds I call on the button?

<font color="red"> Yes, I usually do. Especially against one-shot nitty TAGs. You can float and win some pots with air when they check turn after they CB, to make up for the times when you flop nada. </font>
<font color="red"> </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

When floating to try to pick up pots that have apparently missed pfr and you are ip, do you wait to bet the river after villain checks turn and river, or do you typically go ahead and bet turn once villain checks there? Also, what size pot do you generally bet to accomplish this? ty

[/ QUOTE ]

no, the standard is to call the flop and then to bet the turn when checked to. A good bet size is what you would do with a good hand. So about 2/3 pot or so.

Another line you can take is to call preflop, and if it's heads up, bluff raise any flop. These moves obviously have a time and a place and shouldn't be used to much (and NEVER vs calling stations), but are something to think about

[Freelancer]

Since Im not allowed to post answers here (bah I SO need to constrain myself lol) I'll just post a question or two of myself. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Q1: What do you guys think about my initiative in the 'starting over AND getting a student'?

Q2: Your thoughts on balancing your playing with small PP's in the blinds? Mostly against smart opponents your hand is face up when you coldcall a raise in the blinds...My balancing has mostly been the occasional c/r bluff on the flop and 3betting late position openings, but perhaps you guys have some better idea's on this. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[kazana]

Ooh, ooh, I've got one:

When is it correct to buy-in short? Is it ever?


<font color="brown">I like to buy in short when I'm taking a shot and there are some fish that give short stacks too much action. Usually I'll buy for 40bb or 70bb. Also, at new sites or when first moving up, I like to buyin short and just observe how the game plays. You can still play if you double up, because at that point you'll have better reads so playing deeper won't be as tough. There is no rule saying you have to always play 100bb. Play what is most +EV. --Isura</font>

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
Ooh, ooh, I've got one:

When is it correct to buy-in short? Is it ever?

[/ QUOTE ]

yes

if there are 4 fish at the table with 70BBs and aba20 with 100BBs. Sitting for 70BBs would be the most +EV move

[syphlix]

uNL = shorthanded nl?

[Check_The_Nuts]

[ QUOTE ]
not really a noob question, but this hand came up and made me go ?!?! somewhat relates to an earlier post too.

Fish limps on CO, Mr. Exploitable raises on button to 2.50, sb calls, i call with 99, fish calls.

Flop comes 323, checks to exploitable, he bets.

Exploitable stats are 26/20/4. He cbets 86% and folds the turn 70% over a 500 or 600 hand sample. Do you float or check raise here, or would you just assume he doesn't autocbet THAT much?

Also, how often do you float this guy? I think i was doing it about 40% of the time, so only 10-20% of the time with complete air.

SB was also fishy in this hand, 40/3 or something, CO fish was just 30/13 or something (which is unfortunately a fish in 50NL games at UB)....

<font color="brown"> With 99 on such a safe board, your play is to either c/r for value or c/c. I prefer c/r here. Although it allows the button to play more correctly (he folds everything worse), you don't want the other 2 guys overcalling with a draw and you can fold if he pushes over your c/r (which always means overpair or big draw). If the pot was HU you should probably just c/c and see what he does on the turn. --Isura </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

Isura, pot is $10, he bet $7, a modest check raise would be to $20 (half my stack). This would look weird because UB has a bet pot button that everyone uses. Can I really put in half my stack on the flop then fold if someone comes over the top? :/...

[syphlix]

what to do when someone dumps a small bet on river when u are playing the board

to clarify

u have K8 and u raise from btn BB calls
flop comes 854 and they call ur cb
turn comes 6 and u chk
river comes 7 and he leads $4 into a $10 pot

ur hand is assier than it was b4 cuz u playing the board... is this even worth a call... or is it a dump and oh well if that was a wack bluff more power to him...

[syphlix]

so you've got KK (50nl)

someone raises to $2 utg, you 3bet to $7 in CO, otherwise typical BB 4bets to 20... all in?... or fold?

when i say typical i mean doesn't seem particularly laggy... could be tag (though very few real tags at this lvl) or just play weaktight

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
uNL = shorthanded nl?

[/ QUOTE ]

uNL = micro no limit = this forum

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
what to do when someone dumps a small bet on river when u are playing the board

to clarify

u have K8 and u raise from btn BB calls
flop comes 854 and they call ur cb
turn comes 6 and u chk
river comes 7 and he leads $4 into a $10 pot

ur hand is assier than it was b4 cuz u playing the board... is this even worth a call... or is it a dump and oh well if that was a wack bluff more power to him...

[/ QUOTE ]

In this example, its pretty close. You are beaten by 89/99/69/79, which isn't a particularly wide range. Given that you don't need to be splitting all too often, i think a call is best

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
so you've got KK (50nl)

someone raises to $2 utg, you 3bet to $7 in CO, otherwise typical BB 4bets to 20... all in?... or fold?

when i say typical i mean doesn't seem particularly laggy... could be tag (though very few real tags at this lvl) or just play weaktight

[/ QUOTE ]

all in. Folding KK preflop at 6max without a super read is a no-no

[spacetime]

Two questions, kind of general:
1)The problem I have been having lately is when to give up on cbets with air. What type of stats are you looking for (I have the normal 4 up, plus aggression by each street) that would allow you to fire multiple bullets with nothing? Obv. board texture is important here.

<font color="purple"> I have folds to c-bet, folds to turn bet and folds to river bet on my HUD. If someone is folding more than 60% of the time to your c-bet, you can assume he has something when he calls your c-bet (draw or TP type hand) and he definitely has something if he raises your c-bet </font>

2) I have lost the most amount of money recently by raising weak bets and getting called. I used to play at higher limits before cashing out my BR, so I am not completely used to the play here. I raise PF from CO, get called by BB. Cbet flop, villain leads turn for about 1/4 to 1/3 of pot, I raise him and check the river because of his call. This is just an example, but some combination of this has been happening a lot lately. Do the players here respect any raises when they are holding some draw or OK cards, are these just blocking bets? Should they be raised?

<font color="purple">Sounds like you are running into typical uNL calling stations. You will not be able to raise them off most hands that you are trying to fold out. Instead, try to take advantage of every value betting opportunity against these guys.</font>

[4_2_it]

[ QUOTE ]
so you've got KK (50nl)

someone raises to $2 utg, you 3bet to $7 in CO, otherwise typical BB 4bets to 20... all in?... or fold?

when i say typical i mean doesn't seem particularly laggy... could be tag (though very few real tags at this lvl) or just play weaktight

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="purple"> Unless you are more than 150bbs deep, this is an easy AI. </font>

[AndreasQ]

[ QUOTE ]
AJs, AJo, KQs and KQo ..... are these folds UTG ?

<font color="purple"> Depends on who is sitting at the table with you. My default is to raise all of these at 6-max. I am only looking for 2 streets of value when I hit a TP type of flop.

</font>

[/ QUOTE ]

explain the last part please.

<font color="purple"> When you flop TPGK hands OOP you are rarely going to be getting called on 3 streets by a worse hand. By betting the flop and checking the turn you get value from a lot of worse hands that will call the river. A variation is to check a safe flop like K93r with KQ and then proceed to bet the turn and river.

Being OOP with TP type hands really sucks. These are not the hands to stack off with (which is what 3 streets of betting often entails) against a typical villain.</font>

[Dan Bitel]

what was wrong with my answers /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[rakes.a.beach]

1) Now that I've dled PokerGrapher, how do I use it? or more precisely how do I get my PT stats into it?

<font color="blue"> I think you need to designate your stats in PT, and the interface is self explanatory </font>

2) Rank sites avaiable to US players from softest the toughest games at the 50-200NL level. (I sure hope to move up soon)

<font color="blue"> 1. FTP 2. Stars 3. Abs 4. UB </font>

3) If you can beat the 100NL online what does that equate to at a casino? What about 200NL? I.E. If I can beat the 25NL, I can easily beat 3 dollars big blind at commerce.

<font color="blue"> ITs been said that 200nl live is like 25nl online, and 2/5 is like 200nl online</font>

4) What happens at a casino if you are caught underage? Do they take away your winnings? Is that lawful? I know at vegas they take away your winnings if you play against the house.

<font color="blue"> Id tell them I had no ID on me and pretend like I was looking for it for a while. From what I hear they just ask you to leave </font>

Thanks again =)

[rakes.a.beach]

One more question,

Am I addicted to poker if I spend 25 hours a week playing and another 15 hours serfing on 2p2? I have a midterm at 2 and a lot of hw due at 11 and I'm still posting on here. How do you recommend balancing poker in life? I find it hard to find forty extra hours as my last quarter GPA was 0.53 below avg.

<font color="blue">Probably. You are in college man, have fun. Poker is fun, but you can do that always. College, not so much. And grades are important. If you are having trouble managing, and missing class b/c of it, do what I do:

If I miss any class in a given day I dont play any poker nor go out. </font>

[jetsetboy]

I've just made a kind of "too general" post in the FR part of this forum about how to play A2s with a FD on the turn (NFD on a low flop, cbet on the flop, blank turn).

The main question is roughly what kind of read should we use to chose our line maximising the EV and the additional questions are what should be our line on different river cards. I know than in most case firing the turn and checking behind will be close in EV. Metagame considerations could greatly help. I suppose this is a super standard problem. I would be delighted to have the insight of the 6-max maniacs (non mods are wellcome too).

I'd like "6-max oriented" answers (just translate the problem FR 15/10/2.7 = 6-max 22/16/3). If you want to post a more "FR oriented answer" or both just say it. I don't think there is many differences on this situation except that you have more FE in FR on every street.
This post (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9299705&amp;an=0&amp;page=0#Post 9299705)

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
1) Now that I've dled PokerGrapher, how do I use it? or more precisely how do I get my PT stats into it?



[/ QUOTE ]

in PT, make sure that in preferences, when PT opens up, it goes to your stats 1st

[kitchma]

I need some help with how I adjust my game when their are multiple limpers. Let's say I have a marginal hand like QJ or K10 on the button. This is normally a raise for me (4*bb+1x), but should I still be raising if I have 3 limpers in front of me? Should I just call? How low of a hand, so to speak, before I don't let the number of limpers affect whether or not I raise. Thanks.

<font color="blue">IMO your raising requirement should change a little dependent on teh number of limpers. K7s might be a +EV raise OTB when folded to, but not with 3 limpers. I really think the type of player the limpers are depends on my play here. If all 3 are call stations, Ill probably overlimp QJ and fold KT. 1 call station 1 nit, Ill raise. </font>

[spacetime]

Is this standard (no HH):
25NL, hero has 42, villain covers. no reads on villain, hero nearly doubled first orbit.

Unknown CO, Hero is on button. CO limps, hero makes it 1.25 to go with QhJh, CO calls.

Flop K 4 9 two hearts, villain checks, hero bets 3, Villain makes it 9, hero makes it 32 (basically all in).

In a nutshell, with big draws and deepish stacks, should I be doing such a move against an unknown.

<font color="red"> Use Pokerstove:

Text results appended to pokerstove.txt

39,600 games 0.016 secs 2,475,000 games/sec

Board: Kh 4h 9d
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 45.285% 45.29% 00.00% 17933 0.00 { QhJh }
Hand 1: 54.715% 54.71% 00.00% 21667 0.00 { 99, 44, Ah5h, KTs-K9s, 98s, KTo-K9o, 98o }

...and make +EV play no matter the stack size. Even though you are a slight dog if called probably, it'll be +EV slightly with the dead money in the middle. He'll also fold a certain percentage of the time. It's +EV with moderate variance.--aj</font>

[rakes.a.beach]

[ QUOTE ]
1) Now that I've dled PokerGrapher, how do I use it? or more precisely how do I get my PT stats into it?



[/ QUOTE ]

So it finds the database (i think), PTH: my first poker tracker database - access. I can't graph that nor can I find any screennames to graph. It says "no data match your criteria"

[ajmargarine]

[ QUOTE ]
Is this standard (no HH):
25NL, hero has 42, villain covers. no reads on villain, hero nearly doubled first orbit.

Unknown CO, Hero is on button. CO limps, hero makes it 1.25 to go with QhJh, CO calls.

Flop K 4 9 two hearts, villain checks, hero bets 3, Villain makes it 9, hero makes it 32 (basically all in).

In a nutshell, with big draws and deepish stacks, should I be doing such a move against an unknown.

<font color="red"> Use Pokerstove:

Text results appended to pokerstove.txt

39,600 games 0.016 secs 2,475,000 games/sec

Board: Kh 4h 9d
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 45.285% 45.29% 00.00% 17933 0.00 { QhJh }
Hand 1: 54.715% 54.71% 00.00% 21667 0.00 { 99, 44, Ah5h, KTs-K9s, 98s, KTo-K9o, 98o }

...and make +EV play no matter the stack size. Even though you are a slight dog if called probably, it'll be +EV slightly with the dead money in the middle. He'll also fold a certain percentage of the time. It's +EV with moderate variance.--aj</font>

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="red"> This might be a better pokerstove of the matter. I kept a few 98's in there but not as many as above, and added an extra bad flush draw.

Text results appended to pokerstove.txt

31,680 games 0.005 secs 6,336,000 games/sec

Board: Kh 4h 9d
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 42.525% 42.52% 00.01% 13469 3.00 { QhJh }
Hand 1: 57.475% 57.47% 00.01% 18205 3.00 { 99, 44, Ah5h, KTs-K9s, Th8h, 98s, KTo-K9o }

Changes things slightly, but still +EV. </font>

[barryc83]

Do you think folding TT/JJ to 3bets from unknowns at 50nl is +EV? I usually fold TT but not JJ. My standard line with JJ is call 3bet, then on a 962 flop call a cbet and fold turn to more turn aggression unimproved. On an A/K high flop I just fold flop. How many unknowns are really 3betting AK though? Should I even be calling the flop bet with all unders?

<font color="purple">The first time I see someone 3-bet, I will probably fold it. After that it becomes read based. I'm not a fan of 4-betting light or shoving full stacks pre-flop with TT, but if I have position, I'm fine calling a 3-bet and playing some poker. </font>

[KingOfSwords]

From my recent post: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...vc=#Post9300008 (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9300008&amp;page=0&amp;vc=#Post9 300008)

Why is everyone saying this is a pre-flop fold?

Absolute Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.25/$0.50 - Max buy-in $100
6 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $16.85
UTG+1: $61.90
CO: $66.85
Button: $42.37
SB: $62.95
King: $70.60

Pre-flop: (6 players) King is BB with 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, CO folds, Button raises to $2, SB folds, King calls ....

<font color="purple"> Biggest reason it's a fold is that you aren't closing the action. Another very good reason is that it is hard to play draws OOP. </font>

[rakes.a.beach]

How can I get newbie off my title?

<font color="purple"> Looks like you figured it out </font>

[VPIP100]

[ QUOTE ]
How can I get newbie off my title?

[/ QUOTE ]

I may not answer this.

[kaioukenx]

Thanks again for doing this.

1) What are the pros and cons for having your standard c-bet size as ~3/4 pot vs. full pot? If you prefer one or the other, why is that?
<font color="purple"> I vary between 3/4 pot depending on my mood, but I will stick with one for each session. Pros are FE, cons are you lose more when called. It's really just how much of an appetite do you have for variance</font>

2) Heads up. Against someone who raises every single button, donkbets 85% of flops on my raises, 3-barrels with bottom pair/air...is this a good table? Can you do much other than wait for a hand to bust him with?

<font color="purple"> This is a table from heaven. You will get paid with TPTK plus. I would try to isolate this guy every hand that I wanted to play. I'd also open up my range in position if he is in the pot. I would also be more inclined to limp behind with some pretty speculative hands that can flop big if the target has already limped in. </font>

[KingOfSwords]

[ QUOTE ]
<font color="purple"> Biggest reason it's a fold is that you aren't closing the action. Another very good reason is that it is hard to play draws OOP. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you mean by "closing the action?" Do you mean that I should fold because two players still have to act behind me?

And as long as I'm asking for remedial poker definitions, what exactly is meant by "float?" As in:

[ QUOTE ]
not really a noob question, but this hand came up and made me go ?!?! somewhat relates to an earlier post too.

Fish limps on CO, Mr. Exploitable raises on button to 2.50, sb calls, i call with 99, fish calls.

Flop comes 323, checks to exploitable, he bets.

Exploitable stats are 26/20/4. He cbets 86% and folds the turn 70% over a 500 or 600 hand sample. Do you <font color="red">float</font> or check raise here, or would you just assume he doesn't autocbet THAT much?

Also, how often do you <font color="red">float</font> this guy? I think i was doing it about 40% of the time, so only 10-20% of the time with complete air.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for responding, and good topic overall. I think I was in need of a refresher.

[4_2_it]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
<font color="purple"> Biggest reason it's a fold is that you aren't closing the action. Another very good reason is that it is hard to play draws OOP. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you mean by "closing the action?" Do you mean that I should fold because two players still have to act behind me?

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="purple"> Yes </font>

[ QUOTE ]
And as long as I'm asking for remedial poker definitions, what exactly is meant by "float?" As in:

[ QUOTE ]
not really a noob question, but this hand came up and made me go ?!?! somewhat relates to an earlier post too.

Fish limps on CO, Mr. Exploitable raises on button to 2.50, sb calls, i call with 99, fish calls.

Flop comes 323, checks to exploitable, he bets.

Exploitable stats are 26/20/4. He cbets 86% and folds the turn 70% over a 500 or 600 hand sample. Do you <font color="red">float</font> or check raise here, or would you just assume he doesn't autocbet THAT much?

Also, how often do you <font color="red">float</font> this guy? I think i was doing it about 40% of the time, so only 10-20% of the time with complete air.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for responding, and good topic overall. I think I was in need of a refresher.

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="purple"> Floating is calling a bet in position with the intention of taking the initiative on later streets. </font>

[King Spew]

I hate poker because: (I play FTP and it's rigged /images/graemlins/smile.gif)

50NL
Villain has a Fold to CBet% of 40% over a bazillion hands

Buttoned Hero raises 1st in w/ K /images/graemlins/spade.gifQ /images/graemlins/spade.gif
Villain calls from BB.

Flop K/images/graemlins/heart.gif9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif4 /images/graemlins/club.gif

Checked to Hero who then CBets PSB and gets called.

Turn is 5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Checked to Hero who bets ¾ pot..... called. <font color="blue"> Of course you VB against floaters here.... right? </font>

River is 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif

Villain puts out a PSB.

<font color="purple">Unless villain is extra tricky this is an easy fold. Your cards are basically face up and he doesn't care. Turn bet is fine. Sometimes I'll check behind for pot control, especially if I know villain likes to stab at pots. </font>

[Genz]

I have a quite peculiar tilt problem: I take things at the table extremely personal. Maybe I'm too competitive. When I get it AI with AA against T4o preflop and the latter hand sucks out, that is almost no problem to me (anymore). But what can really tilt me, are LAGs that raise me with nothing and I know I can't call, because they always have the bottom pair and my AQo will stay UI till SD. I have trouble handling these kinds of things and I get angry at the player and "get loud" in front of my computer and feel extremely awkward afterwards, because there are people living around me. Can you give any advice to deal with this kind of problem?

<font color="blue">Throw stuff? I have the same problem. </font>

[UnlikelyNinja]

I feel like a lot of my lines go something like this:

PF: Raise in decent position. 1 caller.
Flop: Caller checks, I c-bet, he calls.
Turn: Caller shoves or makes a huge bet. I fold.

I feel like I'm being bluffed on this turn over and over again, but I haven't really improved and can't call. More than anything else in the game, this pisses me off. Should I be raising this turn with air from time to time (like ~15%), or is this a case where I should wait until he makes a good hand versus the nuts?

<font color="blue">If im OOP against an opponent that has done this in the past, ill 2 barrel occusionally on favorable turns or turns that I feel are blanks and he will fold based on previous action. In position if he leads and I have nothing, Im dunzo. </font>

[SmallPotJeff]

What kind of stats and situations do you look for before 3betting opponents light? (By light I mean with any hand worse than QQ or AK)

<font color="red">I go with my gut. I don't use HUD right now, so I don't see stats. It's a "feel" thing for me, others might be different. Also, 3betting light is something that can get you in alot of trouble at uNL (because of the calling station/loose passive nature of the games), so be careful and don't abuse it.--aj </font>

[Dans Full]

[ QUOTE ]

if there are 4 fish at the table with 70BBs and aba20 with 100BBs. Sitting for 70BBs would be the most +EV move

[/ QUOTE ]

noob Q for the Noob thread...what is 'aba20'

<font color="red"> WHO is aba20? Probably the best online poker player at the moment--aj </font>

[LearningCurve]

Really silly but...

How did the term "goot" originate around here?

Aren't cards actually "suited" rather than "sooted?"

<font color="red">Both are just part of the 2p2 culture. No idea how either started. </font>

Lastly, are the mods assigned for a certain length of time or is it just dependent upon how long they are interested in serving?

<font color="red">It's usually for how long we are interested.--aj </font>

[LMAO]

[ QUOTE ]
why am i afraid of 3 bets when i know the guy is 3 betting with air and i have 77-99, AJo+?

i just call and hope he shuts down. if he doesn't i just c/c through to river and 80% of the time i'm good. why can't i just start 4 betting? or putting it in on the flop (besides knowing he only calls with a made hand)? is this bad? (50nl)?

<font color="blue">Do you really think ppl are 3 betting air at 50nl? I havent noticed it yet. </font>

let me rephrase: i moved up to 100nl and experienced an 11 buyin downswing within 2 days (8k hands) from 3 bettors and over aggressive people. ur right this doesn't happen at 50nl. i'm trying to figure out why i'm a winner at 50nl and y i'm a loser at 100nl and against 3 bettors pre and aggro players post flop, this seems to be the reason why.

i myself have been trying to be a 3-bettor at 50nl and i'm having mild success but when it comes time to try 100nl again i don't want to be playing blind against other aggros. perhaps it would be best to just be a 10/8 player again...

[/ QUOTE ]

I use to 3bet regularly @ 50nl, opponents just couldn't deal with it. I ran 15ptbb over like 10k hands. totally crushed it.. had winning stats in every pos. I think i posted in feb oot thread.

Thing is i got to 100nl and got my ass handed to me, i played virtually the same and drop 5 buyins over 5k hands. was it all just variance and is the difference that huge. what adjustments should i make?

<font color="red">The difference is big on Stars IMO. Not as big at FT. Can't speak to other sites. It's probably a combination of spewing, variance, small changes in your game that you didn't notice. But, it's only 5k hands. That's not really a big sample size to say you got crushed at NL100. Post hands, go over your hands, post and reply here. It doesn't come all at once. Getting better happens in small increments and eventually you'll probably beat NL100 like you did NL50, and we'll be talking about you "getting crushed" at NL200.--aj </font>

[jshok]

Hey thanks for making the forums noob friendly, couple of questions:

1)Should I be limping in the small blind with a larger range of hands or smaller? It's cheaper to play from the SB, but don't you lose that value from being OOP post flop? If I should be limping more often in the SB, with what types of hands should I extend my range, to things like suited 1-gappers?

<font color="purple">SB has the worst position post-flop. Playing drawing hands (unless there are 4 limpers or something) is not really profitable and has the potential for disaster if you are comfortable OOP. My advice for people just starting out or trying to plug leaks is to tighten up in the SB and not play anything there that you wouldn't open UTG. Of course, there are exceptions, but you are giving away much value if you fold 86o every time you see it int eh SB </font>

2) What should be determining how much I raise pre-flop; is it cards, position, number of limpers, a combination? For example, if I have AQo UTG in a 9-handed 25nl game, am I raising it less than if i'm in MP+1 and everyone has folded in front of me?

Thanks for the advice, i'm sure i'll be back for more.

<font color="purple">It's generally accepted that the standard pre-flop raise in uNL and SSNL is 4xBB +1BB per limper. However, when I have poor position, I'll sometimes add a BB or two to limit the field a little more. I don't this based upon hand strength so it doesn't give anyone a tell. For instance, if you always raised 5xBB UTG or UTG+1 that will not be giving anything away.

[b] Here's a thread that has some good discussion in it. Ed Miller even makes a guest appearance.

</font> Linky (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Board=ssplnlpoker&amp;Number=616719 1&amp;PHPSESSID=&amp;fpart=1#Post6167191)

[Genz]

What does the damn minbet flop, bet pot turn-line mean? I see it all the time. It's usually a laggy player that will minbet or underbet into a field of even 2 or 3 players and if he is called in 1 or 2 spots, he will bet the pot on the turn or overbet it. Mostly, everyone will fold. So I start to think, this is a very mediocre hand or a bluff mostly. But why do they do it, when they are actually called on the flop? I don't get this line at all and I hate it, because I usually have unimproved overs or something like that in these spots.

<font color="purple"> The key here is to re-pop them on the flop when they donk bet. I've seen bad players do this with draws OOP hoping to draw cheap. Sometimes it's bottom pair or an underpair making a 'probe' bet. Sometimes it's the stone call nuts afraid to scare off the pigeons. I usually raise the flop and the crap will fold and the monster will push and I can fold. </font>

[KriStuS]

I have always been told that I just should play a tight game on micro stakes. Is that correct, is there no room for a bit loose aggresion? For example, I like to raise with hands like 78s first in from hijack+ (4bb). And I always raise all my pocket pairs first in (4bb here also). Is this clearly incorrect?

And what about 3-betting preflop with hands like 88 and T9s?

ps. The game I'm playing is NL€20.

<font color="purple">There's nothing inherently wrong with anything you mentioned. As long as you play well post flop, none of those moves will ever be that much of a mistake pre-flop. I play around 19/11 and open raise all PPs and most SCs from the button and CO(if I want to play the hand). Many different styles can win.

Play the one that works for you. If you find you aren't winning or struggling, tightening up is a better approach to fix your leaks (as opposed to opening it up).</font>

[rakes.a.beach]

How long is someone usually "banned" for? If someone is banned from microNL, are they also banned from bbv, etc? Ban as in no more posting or you can't read at all? what warrents a ban?

<font color="red">Tempbans are most commonly for 1-3 days. There was a recent 3 week ban though, so it can really be any length, up to a permanent ban for a specific account. Or an IP ban. where the users IP can't post on any account.

Although mods can ban users from specific forums, it's not used that often. When you are tempbanned, you are prohibited from posting on any forum at 2p2 until your ban is up. I believe you can usually keep reading, just no posting during a ban.

2p2 has terms and conditions in the upper left hand corner of the sidebar. Bans are usually doled out for a violation of those t&amp;c's. Warnings are sometimes given beforehand and are noted in the usernotes of a poster that only mods can see. </font>

Did aba come up against phil ivey HU at the 3-6 on FTP? Who was the "best" before aba?

<font color="red">Mahatma/Spirit Rock was considered by some to be the best before aba. Not sure about aba/Ivey. Check out the News, Views, Gossip forum (NVG). They're always talking about aba in there.--aj </font>

[Dans Full]

[ QUOTE ]
Did aba come up against phil ivey HU at the 3-6 on FTP? Who was the "best" before aba?

[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't Phil Gordon give Pradlah(however you spell it) Freedman the 'BOW'(best online winner) title?

<font color="red">iirc, yes he did. Prahlad = Mahatma/Spirit Rock.--aj </font>

[Freelancer]

Q1: What do you guys think about my initiative in the 'starting over AND getting a student'?

<font color="red">It's a decent idea. When you are helping someone with their game, it puts you to the test as well. And that can help improve you game. I know it did for me when I helped coach some uNL'ers. </font>

Q2: Your thoughts on balancing your playing with small PP's in the blinds? Mostly against smart opponents your hand is face up when you coldcall a raise in the blinds...My balancing has mostly been the occasional c/r bluff on the flop and 3betting late position openings, but perhaps you guys have some better idea's on this. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

<font color="red">Well, in addition to your 3b and c/r, you can call in the blinds with some other hands that you might fold HU (sc's come to mind). You can call in the blinds sporadically with hands you would normally 3b PF, like AQ/AK. And, you can lead into the PFR when you miss your set on favorable flops.--aj </font>

[Antinome]

Lately I feel I've been taking my dislike of Ax hands a little too far. Should I be raising from the CO with A7o or just mucking? I'm perfectly happy raising 75s here.

If I almost never get involved with Ax where x&lt;J except from the button doesn't that make my play too predictable? If so, the obvious followup is- how do I exploit this tendancy in others?

<font color="blue">As long as you are raising other hands besides Ax where x&gt;J in those positions, this is fine. </font>

[Kramer]

Hi!
Very nice of the mods to do this.
I think we noobs are kind of left alone here in uNL.

When 4-5 noobs like me answer a post with FOLD or CALL ..it is very tough for guy seeking advice on a hand to understand why he should take an action or the other.

There are a few people from ssnl that post here sometimes and I would like to thank them in the name of uNL because it is very nice to see Pokey , Orange or others give a 10-15 row answer to a question.

Anyway.. back to questions.
So for the last week I've read a ton of posts in ssnl and I found these 2 interesting:
Orange : Simple PF QQ (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Board=ssplnlpoker&amp;Number=815529 8&amp;Searchpage=1&amp;Main=8146417&amp;Words=+&amp;topic=&amp;Search= true#Post8155298)
jk3a : [censored] up Spot with QQ (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9174667&amp;page=0&amp;fpart=1&amp;v c=1&amp;nt=2)

In the first post BalugaWhale and Bilbo-san gave very good arguments for 4-betting PF and in the second post Jay Riall gave good arguments for calling

So .. what is your plan in that spot ? (full stacks,decent opponents and we have a TAG image)

If we call PF a normal line would be C/C flop and C/F turn?

If we 4-bet we are faced with a push a few time so I think is safe to fold,and when they call we are beat most times and we can just C/F?

[holyfield5]

[ QUOTE ]
Q1: What do you guys think about my initiative in the 'starting over AND getting a student'?

<font color="red">It's a decent idea. When you are helping someone with their game, it puts you to the test as well. And that can help improve you game. I know it did for me when I helped coach some uNL'ers. </font>

Q2: Your thoughts on balancing your playing with small PP's in the blinds? Mostly against smart opponents your hand is face up when you coldcall a raise in the blinds...My balancing has mostly been the occasional c/r bluff on the flop and 3betting late position openings, but perhaps you guys have some better idea's on this. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

<font color="red">Well, in addition to your 3b and c/r, you can call in the blinds with some other hands that you might fold HU (sc's come to mind). You can call in the blinds sporadically with hands you would normally 3b PF, like AQ/AK. And, you can lead into the PFR when you miss your set on favorable flops.--aj </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

what are favorable flops? draw heavy or ones you have reason to believe he missed.

<font color="blue"> ones you believe he missed.

[PokerRookie11]

Thanks for doing this...

Table selection at 50nl and 100nl on Stars...what kind of advice can you offer assuming you do not have a huge database full of stats on the regulars?

<font color="blue">I look for first players I recognize and know they can be exploited, then avg pot and flops seen. </font>

[GoadToad]

Can you point me to some good discussion on metagame or multi-hand strategies for various table textures? I'm doing very well heads up and on laggy tables, but I haven't figured out how to maximally exploit tight passive tables, and I seem to get the balance wrong when there are a mixture of lags &amp; tights at the table.

<font color="purple"> I don't have any links, but I recommend you check out the SSNL sticky and digest (located in the sticky). You will find something in there Im sure.</font>

[AKQJ10]

I'm +21 BBL/100 over 17.7K hands of 6-max NL25, but -10 BBL/100 in 7.7k hands of full ring NL25. Most of the FR is in the past week or so (because I thought it would decrease variance - ha!). How close am I to concluding I can't beat online FR? I'm under the impression that nearing 10k hands means that I'm approaching the point where my stats should start to have some significance, but reviewing my biggest losing hands just brings up a bunch of hands where I'm "obviously" unlucky.

My other stats don't make a lot of sense either. For example, I thought I was being too positionally unaware for FR, but the button is my biggest money loser (not counting money posted blind)! Does this make any sense?

I'll try working through the Pokey PT post, but is almost 8000 hands enough that I should be concerned?

<font color="purple"> 10k hands is still the very short run. 30-50k hand breakeven are not unusual. Having said that, you should still be concerned anytime you hit a slump. </font>

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
Ooh, ooh, I've got one:

When is it correct to buy-in short? Is it ever?

[/ QUOTE ]



Discussed ad nauseum on this thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=8774705). Please read the whole thing to see the whole range of opinion. Frankly the tendency of people to accept one respected poster's opinion as Gospel is frightening, if profitable for their opponents.

I would expect a starting NL player, even one who's read a book, to be a weak postflop player. A lot of players with little theoretical knowledge can still read hands well. If you don't, you'll be dog meat.

I'm a strong proponent of simplifying the game (i.e. preflop and flop only), learning that well, and then moving on. Others are strong proponents of trying to learn everything at once. I think their opinions are wrong, but I respect the depth of experience on which they're basing their conclusions.

As for implied odds -- your opponents aren't going to "top up" their stacks just because you like to play deep effective stacks. You can either learn how to play correctly with short effective stacks, you can pick up and leave the game every time someone gets shortstacked (though tournaments are pretty much out), or you can donk away money because you never learned how stack size affects preflop decision making. Your call.

[ADK]

Whats the max number of TAGS/MANIACS/C-STATIONS you want at your 6 max table? I find when i join a table with high flop and avg pot, theres always atleast 3-4 maniacs/c-stations and its hard to play against them as they call every raise and out flop you etc, and its impossible to c-bet/steal...

<font color="purple"> Less TAGS and more of everything else. Just recognize your opponents' tendencies and adjust your game. If they call down with bottom pair, then curtail your c-betting and value bet them to death with TPTK and better.</font>

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
I think we noobs are kind of left alone here in uNL.

[/ QUOTE ]

Moreover, it's rather unfortunate that no one knows there's a Beginners forum because the left-hand menu is IMO quite ass-backwards, but there ya go.

[GoadToad]

I've found lots of information about what/how to open at 6-max and I think have a fairly good handle on it, but I'm still pretty fuzzy about when I want to be doing in CO/button vs. a full table of limpers. What sort of hands do I want to raise? Am I limping almost everything OTB with 3 limpers &amp; deep stacks?

<font color="purple"> Conventional wisdom is that you should tend to play more speculative hands on the CO and button. If the table is always limping then I'd limp with hands that play well multi-way (i.e. 67s) and raise with hands that play well HU (AKs). </font>


Also, right now I'm completing everything in the SB with 9:1 and everything suited with 7:1 pot odds. Is that more or less reasonable?

<font color="purple">I fold more than most from the sb because of the horrible post flop position. The higher up you play, the harder it is to play a draw OOP. Yes, you are getting decent immediate odds, but many players lose more than .5 bb when holding 67s on a 723r flop. </font>

I just had a specific example where I had no idea if I should raise or call or if a call was worthwhile in BB: 1 poster, 175BB Fish limps, 16BB SLA min-raises, SB calls, I have A7s. Raise or call?

<font color="purple"> Since you aren't closing the action it would suck to see UTG re-raise or hove to isolate shorty. You can't shove to isolate because you have both SB and UTG to worry about. Actually, the more I break it down, I'd probably fold without a read of how UTG is likely to play it. Playing a hand for flush value you need a solid read that you will get paid (more than shortie's 16 bbs) when you hit.</font>

[Archon_Wing]

On Stars, there's apparently 2 $10 NL games. One is .02/.05 and one is .05/.10 but they have the same max buyin. Does it really matter which one I play at? It seems like playing at 200 bb could give an advantage.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
It seems like playing at 200 bb could give an advantage.

[/ QUOTE ]

Assuming you're a better postflop player than your opponents -- and at those stakes, unless you're a rank beginner, I'd imagine you are -- deeper stacks are advantageous. However, as long as opponents are fairly rational, the blind size is the primary determinant of "how big" a NLHE game plays, not the max. buy-in. The blind size determines how big a pot sized bet or raise is, which in turn drives the bet sizes in succeeding rounds. Unless you have extremely wild opponents who will surrender their stacks on weak hands without regard to the size of the pot, the stack size is only secondary, and the game with the biggest blinds will play bigger, have a bigger $ winrate for the same edge, etc.

[LMAO]

I basically only play on PP right now and have done some datamining. do you guys use spade-eye or sixth sense? can you give a review on either? pro's cons.

<font color="blue"> I honestly dont think any of the mods here use these, so if some SSNL/uNL reg does please answer this question

[ADK]

why the fook does my avatar keep dissapearing after a day...

<font color="brown">Try imageshack for free image hosting. Paste the link in your profile. --Isura</font>

[WarhammerIIC]

The games at this level can't REALLY be this tight, can they?

<font color="purple"> On the whoel they aren't. Of course, you bound to encounter a tight table or two from time to time. </font>

[Chomp]

Brilliant thread, and thanks to the answerers for their time.

...........

My question is about assigning hand ranges.

I find myself repeatedly assigning very similar ranges to loads of different villains.

For example, I raise, 2 callers, one is a 17vpip, the other a 30vpip. I tend to assign both very similar ranges: say, something like: "22+, Axs, Broadways, some SC's, occasionally random rubbish". It is as though this is my default range.

Sure, I try to narrow ranges for a 12vpip uber-nit and widen it for an ATC 55vpip spewmonkey.

But for the vast majority of villains in the middle I find it difficult to assign subtly differring ranges to them.

So, my question is: How subtly different are your assigned hand ranges for that vast chunk of players between, say, 17vpip and 35vpip?

(BTW, I take it as a given that reads based on history with villains and also one's own expereince/skill as a player come into this).

<font color="purple"> Your thinking is fine. I think you have the right idea of assigning a wide range to 30 VPiPers and a tighter range to 17 VPiPers.

VPiP does not indicate how often they cold call a pre-flop raise. The 30 VPiPers might be a limper of convenience pre-flop who folds to pressure without a hand and the tight player might call raises in position with 67s knowing he will bust the PFR when he hits.

The board texture, your actions on each street and villains' response will allow you to further narrow ranges. One mistake I see people make is to try to narrow villain's range to one hand. You will never have enough information to do that. For instance, when villain check raises the turn on a dry board, I know TPTK is no good. His range is still wide (overpair, set, two pair, TPTK and bluff), but I am behind enough of it to fold without a 2nd thought. </font>

[thing85]

You sit down at a table with 4 TAGs (we'll say 18/12 ish) and one fish (say, 60/5). Do you stay at this table or leave to find a new table? Assume Stars current 50NL games.

More simply, how many fishy players do you need (or how fishy does a player need to be) for it to be worthwhile to stand an otherwise bad table? I realize this varies from person to person, but I want your personal take on it.

<font color="purple"> If I am sitting to the fish's left and he has a full stack or better, then I 'll stay. When I see a fishy player with 200 bb+ then I'll sit at the table regardless of the other 4 players. </font>

[kbrat]

Stuff I know I have read before but can't find anymore:

How to use google to search through 2+2? The 2p2 search feature is crap.

<font color="blue"> See Archon Wing post </font>

What is the 5-10 Rule regarding CC PPs pf?

<font color=" blue"> Typically means you should call if the raise is less than 5% of effective stacks and fold if more than 10%/ In the middle is grey zone.

[calmB4storm]

25NL

1) I feel like I'm raising too much in LP behind limpers (K3s, QTo, etc). Whenever someone limps, it seems like they'll call my raise no matter what, so I'm assuming I should tighten my range... What should I be raising in CO/OTB after 1, 2, and 3 limpers? And what should I be limping with?

<font color="blue"> I would raise most SC, All broadway, All PP, Axs, Kxs, suited 1 and 2 gappers </font>

2) From time to time I see posters say that I should play my draws aggressively. I think it's because I want to play for fold equity, right? So should I be willing to get all-in on the flop with just a flush draw? Or do I need live overcards, or straight draw, or pair also? Also, if I'm not the aggressor (i.e. little to no fold equity), how do things change? I'm assuming it just becomes a question of pot odds then?

<font color="blue"> Draws, at least strong ones, should be played aggresively since they have excellent equity.

[Archon_Wing]

[ QUOTE ]
Stuff I know I have read before but can't find anymore:

How to use google to search through 2+2? The 2p2 search feature is crap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Go to google, type site:twoplustwo.com and whatever you want

For example,
site:twoplustwo.com Rake

[onoble]

This is awesome of you guys to do. Many thanks.

Two questions:

1) What does Peel mean?

<font color="blue"> Call and see the turn </font>

2) Ok, JJ UTG, full ring 100bb or more stacks. Whats the plan?

<font color="blue"> Raise 4xbb </font>

Assumme you raise and get one caller you're good friends Mr. Ace and Mr. King hit the flop. You cbet Villain calls or raises are you done with the hand?

<font color="blue"> Probably </font>

Assume you get more than one caller, Ace and K hit again, you cbet?

<font color="blue"> depends on villains. Ill probably not bet here. </font>

Cool beans.

[danicalifornia]

I have a problem playing AK oop to a 3bet.

I think just calling the raise is an ugly play as you dont hit the flop often enough and have to give up to any decent flop bet.

Folding I think is too weak.

Coming over the top leaves you in an awkward spot aswell, as you cant really fold if he goes all in due to the great pot odds you get.

Is it all rea dependant then? Like someone 3betting me with a PFR of 0.3 I can surely throw my hand away? 4bet a maniac with a PFR of 25?

<font color=" blue"> This is a situation dependent. If you are gonna 4 bet oop, shove. I feel the best way to play is to fold or shove, dependent on the villain. If a total nit 3 bets, ill fold. Usually Ill shove otherwise.

[chanchuan]

1. What does "Carpal \'Tunnel" stand for? Is it this kind of thing that's hard to catch for a non-English native speaker?

<font color="blue"> 2500 posts </font>

2. Same question for "Pooh-bah"?

<font color=" blue"> 1600 posts </font>

Thanks a lot, guys

[Noobler]

Only read to page 8 so far, so not sure if this has been asked/answered or maybe I should be in the beginner forum

How should I change my play when I get 150BB or 200BB deep? I see this come up a lot in posts about needing to know how deep the stacks are yet I don't understand the basic theory on deep stack play. <font color="blue"> Implied odds become much more important pf and postflop, and having a big hand is more important when getting the money in. </font>

I usually quit playing when I get close to 150 BB. Unfortunately I have noticed that I will actually quit playing in good games when I get up a little, but I will keep playing in bad games when I am getting hammered. So the result is that when I have winning sessions they are small, but my losing sessions are huge. I need to figure out a way to reverse that and being able to play deep can only help. <font color="blue"> Play for a certain amount of time at a certain number of tables. </font>

[Tawbor]

Can anyone define the stack-a-donk line for me?

<font color="blue"> Bet flop, get raise, c/rai on the turn is my understanding.

[crookdimwit]

Ok, so how do you recommend a player balance the need to be more aggressive postflop and betting for value while trying to keep pot sizes under control with marginal hands hands (top pair, overpairs)?

My sense is that when I try to hard to keep manage pot sizes, I often miss chances to bet for value, meanwhile when I try to be aggressive with marginal hands post-flop, I often create big pots that can be hard to get away from...

Seems like the line between getting too aggressive with marginal hands and being weak/tight is very thin... Thoughts, suggestions?


<font color="blue">Ok, this thread ran its course. Im gonna lock it and put it in the sticky. Well do another one soon. </font>