The Well: ama0330

[ama0330]

A stranger is being shown around a village that he has just become part of. He is shown a well and his guide says "On any day except Tuesday, you can shout any question down that well and you'll be told the answer".

The man seems pretty impressed, and so he shouts down: Why not on Tuesday? and the voice from in the well shouts back:

"Because on Tuesday, it’s your day in the well"

_____

Hey guys, thought I'd take some "give back" time and answer any and all questions you might have about the great game of POKAH.

FWIW, I am currently destroying 50nl and am now taking very successful (fingers crossed) shots at 100nl. I could have waited till I was 200nl or something, but by then my opinions and game style will have changed. Given that most/a lot of you are playing 25nl or below, I think that doing this now, before I get any higher, will give you a good insight into a winning uNL'ers mentality.

Im gonna take a shower and make me some dinner, then I'll be around all night. Also, I have nothing to do at work at the moment so I'm good for a couple days, if you have any burning questions.

Fire away...

[wildzer0]

Thanks for doing this! What kind of thought process do you go through when putting a player on a hand? I play too loosely postflop because I tend to put people on too wide a range of hands - how do you combat that kind of thing?

[Panic__NL]

Great to see you do this Ama, very much appreciated!!!
In recent topics I posted you alwasys took the time to explain me some things I dont understand yet, thanks for that.

Now to shoot of the first question: What is crushing 50NL winrate wise? Why do you think you crush 50NL? Or better what is the most important quality a player should have to crush 50NL?
How did you become as good as you are that you are crushing it?
In general GIVE US SOME ADVICE?

[kylephilly]

Low suited connectors in position?
Approx % of call/raise/fold?

Do you ever just preflop call with AA in micro stakes?

What do you do against the minbet with a draw? with TP? with a big hand but air?

[TheDudeAbides]

Thanks for doing this! I have a few questions. Let's assume no reads for any situation.

1) How do you play mid-range pairs (8's - Jacks) OOP pf to a raise?

2) What about calling in position with a low pocket pair (i.e. villain raises 4xbb and you call with 66) and the flop pairs. For example:

I hold 66 and call a 4xbb raise in position. Flop comes 10 10 4 and villain bets.

3) How the hell do I play combo draws? Let's say middle pair with the 2nd nut flush draw. Or 4 to the straight with a pair. In position and OOP? Do you donk OOP? What to do if you get a call and the turn bricks?

I'm a limit convert, so any and all help would be appreciated! Thanks again.

[Gelford]

Yo .... Poker story so far ?


And what are your thoughts on The Ama Theorem these days (sorry, couldn't help myself /images/graemlins/smile.gif )

[relativity_x]

I'm glad to see you do this ama. I respect your opinion and contribution in uNL (one of the few). And I wish you luck at SSNL. I'll see you there shortly.

1) what do you think of my advice to posted hands in uNL?
2) How many BB/100 did you have at 25/50 NL? over how many hands each?
3) Will you consider doing a video of 50 NL and posting it in uNL?
4) How often do you push big combo draws in 50 NL with little FE (basically do you like to gamb00l)?
5) What's the range and most obvious hand this villain has at 50 NL: effective stacks $50, no reads:
Preflop:(0.75)
Villain (UTG) calls 0.5, all fold to us in BB with AA raise to 2.50, Villain calls 2.00

Flop:(5.25): T62 rainbow

Villain leads for 3, Hero raises to 9, Villain pushes all-in

6) same flop except we're btn and villain calls.

Flop: (5.25) T62 rainbow
villain check, Hero bets 3, Villain pushes all-in.

7)Show us one of your latest hands at 50 NL that confused the hell out of us. Give us your thinking all along the way. It would be good if you had meaningful stats/notes on villain.

8) What do you do IRL (work)?
9) What are your other hobbies?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for doing this! What kind of thought process do you go through when putting a player on a hand? I play too loosely postflop because I tend to put people on too wide a range of hands - how do you combat that kind of thing?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an interesting question. I think that over time I have developed a sort of "feel", where I dont really put someone on a hand, but rather I decide where I stand in the hand. This is basically what it is like to put someone on a range - you dont really say "well he has TT here" you say "well I'm in decent shape, or in really poor shape". If I feel like I'm in excellent shape and my opponent wants to play, I raise, or I'll just call if I feel a bit iffy, or I'll fold if I feel like I could never be ahead.

The process of actually putting someone on a hand for me is dependant on:

a) what I know of villain (pt stats, notes, general observations)
b) what villain knows of me (have I been bullying him? have we been tangling? what reason does he have to think he is ahead of me?

and therefore

c) what is villain most logically able to have here?

If someone with .85 AF shoves on you on the river, theres almost no chance he's bluffing. Putting someone on a hand is basically an educated guess, encompassing all the things I've listed above.

There's no real "formula" if thats what you mean, but sometimes you can say "he simply cannot be bluffing here" or somesuch, just because of what you know about how he plays. Of course there are lots of typical lines, like someone who checks two streets probably has nothing and you can take it on the river, someone who checks the turn through is marginal etc etc

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Great to see you do this Ama, very much appreciated!!!
In recent topics I posted you alwasys took the time to explain me some things I dont understand yet, thanks for that.

Now to shoot of the first question: What is crushing 50NL winrate wise? Why do you think you crush 50NL? Or better what is the most important quality a player should have to crush 50NL?
How did you become as good as you are that you are crushing it?
In general GIVE US SOME ADVICE?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm beating 50nl for 9ptbb/100 atm, over 15k hands. It's not much of a sample, I know, and I am running very hot. But honestly, I am very rarely challenged at 50nl. To answer your question, I think that I crush 50nl because I find that I am rarely put in a situation that I can't handle. Also, I find that I am able to pick holes in my opponents games, get max value, run credible bluffs, and confuse and pressure my opponents and manipulate them into doing what I want. I have developed my game in such a way that I can handle almost anything that a typical 50nl player can throw at me. Of course sometimes I am unpleasantly surprised /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Generally when I play 50nl I feel that I am +EV at any table I choose to sit at. That kind of confidence is new to me and I find it to be (mostly) justified.

I'll address the second part of your post a little later.

[VPIP100]

How come I dont see you at 200NL yet /images/graemlins/frown.gif?

[We Major]

1. Is there a big difference between 25 and 50NL? 50NL and 100NL? 50NL and 25NL seem about the same to me. Haven't tried 100NL yet.
2. Any aha moments where things just clicked?
3. How often do you stone cold bluff the river with a missed draw?
4. You kind of answered this above but do you do any sort of range / combo math analysis while playing? There was a span where I played 2 tables, focused on putting villains on ranges and trying to calculate on the fly combos and combos I was ahead of and just gave up. I think I've got a good intuition now and just go with it.
5. How do you play against a very aggro villain who keeps 3betting your raises? Usually I try to figure out if my hand is ahead of their range and shove or play back hard on the flop.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Low suited connectors in position?
Approx % of call/raise/fold?

Do you ever just preflop call with AA in micro stakes?

What do you do against the minbet with a draw? with TP? with a big hand but air?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on what I am trying to achieve. If I am trying to stir things up and get a really loose image going, I'll 3bet anything down to 56s. If my image is already really bluffy, then I'll just call and hit a flop, because 3betting would be -EV as my villains have probably tightened up, and are willing to play with me more. I would very very rarely fold suited connectors to an opening raise, almost never.

I can say with absolute confidence that I have never, EVER smooth called AA in my poker career to date. I think once heads up in a tournament, but never at a cash table.

Minbet with a weak draw I will call with odds because there is a good chance your villain will just overcall and you are screwed on a blank turn. Just play straight pot odds here, I see SO often the minbet-overcall on co-ordinated boards.

With TP or a good draw I will raise, but sometimes with TP against a really bad villain I will call and then bomb a brick turn, just because you dont know how many outs he might have and being minbet re-raised sure would suck on a t/images/graemlins/heart.gif9/images/graemlins/heart.gif8/images/graemlins/spade.gif board with AT.

Obviously with a big hand I will raise for value. I would rarely just call because if he folds to the raise he wasn't calling anyway and you are gipping yourself out of monies by not pot-building.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for doing this! I have a few questions. Let's assume no reads for any situation.

1) How do you play mid-range pairs (8's - Jacks) OOP pf to a raise?

[/ QUOTE ]

OK so here, you mean from the blinds, because I raise all PP's from all positions preflop. I generally just call these hands in the blinds and setmine. Once you miss your set you have no hand, so it becomes "can I bluff this guy". If you can, then go for it (float, cr the cbet, whatever) but if you cant, there is no shame in check folding.

[ QUOTE ]
2) What about calling in position with a low pocket pair (i.e. villain raises 4xbb and you call with 66) and the flop pairs. For example:

I hold 66 and call a 4xbb raise in position. Flop comes 10 10 4 and villain bets.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here I will often float, and sometimes just fold. If I float, I will see if my villain checks the turn. If he does, I might bomb it for 3/4 and see what he does. If I check it through, and he bets the river, I'll take a look at his PFR and his AF and decide whether he'll bet this river with a worse hand like AK and look him up.

Dont be afraid to just fold here though, there is no shame in just letting 66 go on this flop if you feel uncomfortable about floating/playing multi-streets in the dark.

[ QUOTE ]
3) How the hell do I play combo draws? Let's say middle pair with the 2nd nut flush draw. Or 4 to the straight with a pair. In position and OOP? Do you donk OOP? What to do if you get a call and the turn bricks?

[/ QUOTE ]

Any draw with 11 or more outs can be taken to the felt on the flop. This is basically FD + something else (but not a naked FD, only 9 outs there). Get the money in as FAST as possible. Donk OOP absolutely, raise IP, just get that sucker all in at once. OESFD's are just magic, I also love pair+fd. I see that flop and just want to open-push /images/graemlins/smile.gif

If the turn bricks, I make a quick equity calc versus his range and go from there playing straight pot odds. But usually I'll have no money left by the turn /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Yo .... Poker story so far ?


And what are your thoughts on The Ama Theorem these days (sorry, couldn't help myself /images/graemlins/smile.gif )

[/ QUOTE ]


I'll post my story a little later, and the ama theorem is still valid to an extent but it has less merit than I thought it did when I wrote it /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[kaz2107]

poster whose whinnning gets the most on ur nerves?!!? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[TheDudeAbides]

Thanks ama! Much appreciated! Especially the advice on combo draws. I think I've been playing them too passively. Thanks again.

[Xanta]

Give me an example of a hand where you believe it was correct to check/raise the flop HU that isn't a complete bluff. I suck at playing from the blinds.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm glad to see you do this ama. I respect your opinion and contribution in uNL (one of the few). And I wish you luck at SSNL. I'll see you there shortly.

[/ QUOTE ]

thanks! /images/graemlins/heart.gif

[ QUOTE ]
1) what do you think of my advice to posted hands in uNL?

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest I don't know, but that is a good thing because I only remember people who post terrible advice or are a-holes. So you're doing fine! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
2) How many BB/100 did you have at 25/50 NL? over how many hands each?

[/ QUOTE ]

I will post some lifetime stats a little later, but over too many freaking hands I was 4ptbb/100 at both 25 and 50. Then I went back and re-tooled my game and I'm more than double that now.

[ QUOTE ]
3) Will you consider doing a video of 50 NL and posting it in uNL?

[/ QUOTE ]

I may do this soon, I'm quitting my current job shortly.

[ QUOTE ]
4) How often do you push big combo draws in 50 NL with little FE (basically do you like to gamb00l)?

[/ QUOTE ]

Any draw with 11 or more outs on the flop is going all the freaking way.

[ QUOTE ]
5) What's the range and most obvious hand this villain has at 50 NL: effective stacks $50, no reads:
Preflop:(0.75)
Villain (UTG) calls 0.5, all fold to us in BB with AA raise to 2.50, Villain calls 2.00

Flop:(5.25): T62 rainbow

Villain leads for 3, Hero raises to 9, Villain pushes all-in

[/ QUOTE ]

He either has a set, two pair, or a top pair kind of hand. I would expect him to show up with a set most of the time, but I see ATo here a lot too. FWIW I would probably get it in here, but this is one example of where I feel a bit ill about our situation!

[ QUOTE ]
6) same flop except we're btn and villain calls.

Flop: (5.25) T62 rainbow
villain check, Hero bets 3, Villain pushes all-in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here, I feel like villain is much weaker than he is in the first hand because IMO cr is a much weaker move from most villains than a lead. A lead is usually "wow I like that flop" and a cr is usually "im trying to outplay you". Of course this is 100% read dependant.

[ QUOTE ]
7)Show us one of your latest hands at 50 NL that confused the hell out of us. Give us your thinking all along the way. It would be good if you had meaningful stats/notes on villain.

[/ QUOTE ]

How often do you think you'd be ahead here /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 5 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter (http://www.legopoker.com/hh))

SB: $53.50
BB: $75.82
UTG: $175.96
CO: $50.00
Hero (BTN): $51.95

Preflop: Hero is dealt 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (5 Players)
UTG folds, <font color="red">CO raises to $2.00</font>, Hero calls $2.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($4.75) 9http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 4http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $3.00</font>, Hero calls $3.00

Turn: ($10.75) 8http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $7.00</font>, Hero calls $7.00

River: ($24.75) 9http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $14.00</font>, Hero calls $14.00

Pot Size: $52.75 ($2 Rake)

CO had Thttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif Jhttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (three of a kind, Nines) and LOST (-$26.00)
Hero had 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (a full house, Nines full of Fives) and WON (+$24.75)

Perfect example of working the image, I had just been hounding on this guy the whole session, putting him under constant pressure. Everyone cracks eventually /images/graemlins/laugh.gif


This one is against Gelford, my basic thought process is "gelford is a fish"

lol jk

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 6 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter (http://www.legopoker.com/hh))

SB: $49.52
BB: $60.70
UTG: $50.00
MP: $65.35
CO: $43.28
Hero (BTN): $63.75

Preflop: Hero is dealt 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 4http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (6 Players)
3 folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $2.00</font>, SB folds, <font color="red">BB raises to $8.00</font>, Hero calls $6.00

Flop: ($16.25) Qhttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 7http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">BB bets $9.00</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises all-in to $55.75</font>, BB folds

Pot Size: $81.00


[ QUOTE ]
8) What do you do IRL (work)?

[/ QUOTE ]

Im a graphic designer by trade.

[ QUOTE ]
9) What are your other hobbies?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dont have that many but do love to play basketball! I'm getting into investment at the moment too, real estate, stock market etc etc

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
How come I dont see you at 200NL yet /images/graemlins/frown.gif?

[/ QUOTE ]

nice brag /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Gelford]

[ QUOTE ]
This one is against Gelford, my basic thought process is "gelford is a fish"

lol jk

[/ QUOTE ]

No you're not, you actually thought I was a fish /images/graemlins/smile.gif (Hell, perhaps you're right ??? )

[beavens]

how many 5 yr olds?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
1. Is there a big difference between 25 and 50NL? 50NL and 100NL? 50NL and 25NL seem about the same to me. Haven't tried 100NL yet.

[/ QUOTE ]

The difference as you move up is just a product of mistakes. The higher you go, the less mistakes are being made, and therefore the less you can afford to be making mistakes yourself. In that sense, there is a definite jump between 25 and 50, I find 50nl to play much different to 25nl because the calibre of player is higher.

100nl is different again, but certainly not impossible. Its far more aggressive though.

[ QUOTE ]
2. Any aha moments where things just clicked?

[/ QUOTE ]

My a-ha moment was having a 12bi downswing and realising that, although my posts were always really good, I just played like ass all the time. I realised that poker must be taken seriously and it takes a lot of time, effort and pain and concentration to be good at it.

[ QUOTE ]
3. How often do you stone cold bluff the river with a missed draw?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I feel I can credibly represent a hand which beats my opponents and also feel that he will lay down then definitely I will do it. I dont bluff too often out of the blue though, I always make sure it is believeable and understandable.

[ QUOTE ]
4. You kind of answered this above but do you do any sort of range / combo math analysis while playing? There was a span where I played 2 tables, focused on putting villains on ranges and trying to calculate on the fly combos and combos I was ahead of and just gave up. I think I've got a good intuition now and just go with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont bother with combos or precise equity very often, I leave that for the forums. All my calcs are rough educated guesses. Once you play often enough you will develop an intuition for these things.

FWIW going through EV calcs away from the table and reviewing sessions this way is MANDATORY for improvement.

[ QUOTE ]
5. How do you play against a very aggro villain who keeps 3betting your raises? Usually I try to figure out if my hand is ahead of their range and shove or play back hard on the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll formulate a strategy based over several hundred hands to decide just how aggro he is. I'll narrow my raising range, play back at him in position and see what he does. If he is just ape [censored] then I will call cheaply, wait for the nuts and let him "take me off it". I did this to fiksdal a little while back, I made a loose call in position preflop and let him hang himself with Aces because I knew he was hyeper aggro /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
poster whose whinnning gets the most on ur nerves?!!? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Cant say. A few names come to mind. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Give me an example of a hand where you believe it was correct to check/raise the flop HU that isn't a complete bluff. I suck at playing from the blinds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Any hand where villain has shown himself to be a habitual c-bettor and has a high steal percentage and a high PFR. Say you have 77 in the SB, he raises and you call. Flop is KJ6 rainbow, you can checkraise him here if he has been misbehaving.

FWIW I dont play back at cbets TOO much. You dont want to make it look like you are playing back at him every time because you dont want him to retreat, you want him to keep putting money in the pot versus you.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
how many 5 yr olds?

[/ QUOTE ]

People are so bad at this question. They are like LA LA LA 200 5 YEAR OLDS NO PROB! 5 year olds are [censored] DANGEROUS. Trust me, if you have ONE 5 year old pop a decent headbutt to your balls, you are going DOWN. Then they'll start jumping on your head and you are KO'ed.

I would say that a classroom of 5 year olds would take you down EASY. Thats like 30 5 year olds. If they co-ordinated a rush against you, they would take you down by sheer force of weight and numbers. If they knew where to strike, you would not last long at all.

For that reason I would say that 15-20 5 year olds would be the absolute max, you are gonna be in serious pain with much more than that. Remember that in the original thread that the 5 year olds have had training and [censored]. These are badass 5 year olds.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This one is against Gelford, my basic thought process is "gelford is a fish"

lol jk

[/ QUOTE ]

No you're not, you actually thought I was a fish /images/graemlins/smile.gif (Hell, perhaps you're right ??? )

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't actually know you were you at that point. I just figured "he is FOS" /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[beavens]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
how many 5 yr olds?

[/ QUOTE ]

People are so bad at this question. They are like LA LA LA 200 5 YEAR OLDS NO PROB! 5 year olds are [censored] DANGEROUS. Trust me, if you have ONE 5 year old pop a decent headbutt to your balls, you are going DOWN. Then they'll start jumping on your head and you are KO'ed.

I would say that a classroom of 5 year olds would take you down EASY. Thats like 30 5 year olds. If they co-ordinated a rush against you, they would take you down by sheer force of weight and numbers. If they knew where to strike, you would not last long at all.

For that reason I would say that 15-20 5 year olds would be the absolute max, you are gonna be in serious pain with much more than that. Remember that in the original thread that the 5 year olds have had training and [censored]. These are badass 5 year olds.

[/ QUOTE ]

*golf clap*

very good answer.

[fees]

graph and PT shot plzzz also where do you play.. I'd like to see a screenshot of ur games, too see what quality they are, tough/soft

[foxmoor]

hi ama i am new here and i want to ask something.how many hands a sample size must be so we can have an accurate picture of our play? i believe is 100,000 hands but i am not sure.
thanks

[Baintz]

Cheers ama for doing this.

You made a post recently that said you took some time to completely look over your game, and came back playing much better.
I was wondering what were your stats pre and post the change, and what things in your game that your started doing differently?

Thanks again /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[OneBigRed]

[ QUOTE ]

How often do you think you'd be ahead here /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 5 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter (http://www.legopoker.com/hh))

SB: $53.50
BB: $75.82
UTG: $175.96
CO: $50.00
Hero (BTN): $51.95

Preflop: Hero is dealt 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (5 Players)
UTG folds, <font color="red">CO raises to $2.00</font>, Hero calls $2.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($4.75) 9http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 4http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $3.00</font>, Hero calls $3.00

Turn: ($10.75) 8http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $7.00</font>, Hero calls $7.00

River: ($24.75) 9http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $14.00</font>, Hero calls $14.00

Pot Size: $52.75 ($2 Rake)

CO had Thttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif Jhttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (three of a kind, Nines) and LOST (-$26.00)
Hero had 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (a full house, Nines full of Fives) and WON (+$24.75)

Perfect example of working the image, I had just been hounding on this guy the whole session, putting him under constant pressure. Everyone cracks eventually /images/graemlins/laugh.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Are you trying to say this is somehow a stupid bluff/play from opponent because of previous actions by you?

I see CB on flop, huge draw on turn, and an attempt to take the pot down on the river. How did he "crack"? By not pushing the river?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
graph and PT shot plzzz also where do you play.. I'd like to see a screenshot of ur games, too see what quality they are, tough/soft

[/ QUOTE ]

Here's my current database, not many hands here yet and I'm running hot. As you can see my stats aren't optimal (VPIP/PFR ratios are out) cause I'm still messing around with my game.

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/1387/fsdfzn1.jpg


FWIW my stats usually converge to about 19/16. I am looking to open that up to 22/18 for 100nl. Work in progress /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Oh and for those who think I had it easy at 25nl, I had a 6 buyin downswing in those 8k hands, it was murdah

I'm gonna go grab my stats from my previous DB too

[Guruman]

i'm considering jumping from short handed limit holdem to another game, as the limit he games are pretty dry these days.

what direction do you see the nl games going? Is this a good time to get in, or are these games on a deteriorating track as well?

I prefer limit style poker thinking, but it could just be that that's the only kind i've done. With that said, I feel like I could make a move to a game like omaha or stud (or TD /images/graemlins/cool.gif) though I'd be remiss if I didnt consider the biggest game going these days.

advice?

thx!!

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

How often do you think you'd be ahead here /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 5 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter (http://www.legopoker.com/hh))

SB: $53.50
BB: $75.82
UTG: $175.96
CO: $50.00
Hero (BTN): $51.95

Preflop: Hero is dealt 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (5 Players)
UTG folds, <font color="red">CO raises to $2.00</font>, Hero calls $2.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($4.75) 9http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 4http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $3.00</font>, Hero calls $3.00

Turn: ($10.75) 8http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $7.00</font>, Hero calls $7.00

River: ($24.75) 9http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $14.00</font>, Hero calls $14.00

Pot Size: $52.75 ($2 Rake)

CO had Thttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif Jhttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (three of a kind, Nines) and LOST (-$26.00)
Hero had 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (a full house, Nines full of Fives) and WON (+$24.75)

Perfect example of working the image, I had just been hounding on this guy the whole session, putting him under constant pressure. Everyone cracks eventually /images/graemlins/laugh.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Are you trying to say this is somehow a stupid bluff/play from opponent because of previous actions by you?

I see CB on flop, huge draw on turn, and an attempt to take the pot down on the river. How did he "crack"? By not pushing the river?

[/ QUOTE ]

What hand do I fold on the river

[OneBigRed]

[ QUOTE ]

What hand do I fold on the river

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, missed the other 9 on the flop. I guess he does'nt know Zeebo.

[SirFelixCat]

Thanks for doing this ama. I'll be up with you at 100NL by the end of August, I hope.

That said, a couple of ???'s:

What do you feel is your biggest weakness?

When you 3-bet, esp when OOP, and are called, when are you checking the flop?

And do you play on FT at all?

eta 2 more:

How many tables do you play at one time and how did you get to said number?

Lastly, thoughts on the advice I give as well (why not, eh)?
I figure I have lots of room to improve, so I'm open to corrective cricism from those I respect.

[Peter Harris]

[ QUOTE ]
I only remember people who post terrible advice or are a-holes

[/ QUOTE ]

please tell me you don't remember me.

I'd like to hear about the "microjump" between 50NL and 100NL in your shot taking, please. I'm doing it soon as playing 50NL with a 3k br seems a little silly and I'm way comfy at 50NL.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Cheers ama for doing this.

You made a post recently that said you took some time to completely look over your game, and came back playing much better.
I was wondering what were your stats pre and post the change, and what things in your game that your started doing differently?

Thanks again /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Here is my first database

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2105/zvcvc44qq2.jpg

As you can see there are just some wierd numbers there. My won at SD is great, but my winrate sucks. My PFR and VPIP ratios are all out of whack, and I think the biggest thing is that I am WAY too passive. But I think that probably what messed me up the most is just playing poorly postflop and spewing. The numbers won't show that.

[ama0330]

Heres a graph of my first DB. This is from the very first ever hand I played of NL. As you can see, I'm winning, just not very much.

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3038/grzy8.jpg

[ama0330]

Heres the graph of my current database since I stopped playing like ass. Notice the difference? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Note: check the downswing at the beginning! zomg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2954/zdsxfdsbx1.jpg

[Heine]

Ama,

Nice responses so far. I think I play a little looser than you do, but our games are fairly similar. I cashed out a ton of money to get it into a roth ira. After I had 8 buyin down swing, and cashed out of poker all together. Luckily, the check didn't go through and they deposited it back into my account.

Since then I have been running hot and CRUSHING 50nl (and 100nl in a few shots). I'm running at 16ptbb/100 over the last 10k or so.

I think the biggest improvement in my return to poker is my continuation betting. Especially in blind steals.

What advice could you give to people who are moving up to 50nl (and 100nl) on cbetting. Specifically when to not cbet, including some examples of where table dynamics come into play.

[losingdonkey]

How do you keep yourself from tilting when you're not running so hot

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
i'm considering jumping from short handed limit holdem to another game, as the limit he games are pretty dry these days.

what direction do you see the nl games going? Is this a good time to get in, or are these games on a deteriorating track as well?

I prefer limit style poker thinking, but it could just be that that's the only kind i've done. With that said, I feel like I could make a move to a game like omaha or stud (or TD /images/graemlins/cool.gif) though I'd be remiss if I didnt consider the biggest game going these days.

advice?

thx!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I really dont know what all the fuss is about. IMO the games are great and they always have been. They are different post-legislation but they are just as profitable, you just have to rise to the challenge. Particularly in Europe I think that NL is alive and well, and growing.

FWIW I think that the "some sites are harder than others" thing is mostly bs for uNL limits.

I dont know much about other games, but I do know that Omaha is seriously engaging, very complex and a lot of fun.

[Heine]

p.s. I just saw your first DB post. Its incredible how much that reminds me of my first DB at 50nl.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for doing this ama. I'll be up with you at 100NL by the end of August, I hope.

That said, a couple of ???'s:

What do you feel is your biggest weakness?

[/ QUOTE ]

Definitely fear/being too passive. You gotta just grow some balls and make those thin bets/raises sometimes. Max value is crucial in NL.

[ QUOTE ]
When you 3-bet, esp when OOP, and are called, when are you checking the flop?

[/ QUOTE ]

Almost never. Believe it or not sometimes I will cf against really nitty guys on bad flops (assuming I was 3betting someone else and they got in the way). But if I show aggression pre, I'm hammering post too. FWIW cring 3bet pots without the nizzles is too expensive for my liking.

[ QUOTE ]
And do you play on FT at all?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, but I've been thinking about it. Then again, I really love Party and all the scripts and mods and stuff that I have set up and perfected over the years.

[ QUOTE ]
eta 2 more:

How many tables do you play at one time and how did you get to said number?

[/ QUOTE ]

I play 4-6. 5 I think is good for me because its the point were I can get a lot of hands in yet still play well. Im largely limited by my monitor and can comforably 4 table with no overlap. I was 6 tabling 25nl because its so boring, but I feel good 4-5 tabling 50nl right now.

FWIW there was a time when I couldnt 2 table. To those who are new to multi-tabling, practice makes perfect.

[ QUOTE ]
Lastly, thoughts on the advice I give as well (why not, eh)?
I figure I have lots of room to improve, so I'm open to corrective cricism from those I respect.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, nothing springs to mind, so you're off the hook /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

My advice to all posters is to really think about what you are writing, and if a reg tells you you are wrong, ASK WHY instead of just getting all pissy. Egomania is no good for learning.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Ama,

Nice responses so far. I think I play a little looser than you do, but our games are fairly similar. I cashed out a ton of money to get it into a roth ira. After I had 8 buyin down swing, and cashed out of poker all together. Luckily, the check didn't go through and they deposited it back into my account.

Since then I have been running hot and CRUSHING 50nl (and 100nl in a few shots). I'm running at 16ptbb/100 over the last 10k or so.

I think the biggest improvement in my return to poker is my continuation betting. Especially in blind steals.

What advice could you give to people who are moving up to 50nl (and 100nl) on cbetting. Specifically when to not cbet, including some examples of where table dynamics come into play.

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont cbet 100%, not at all, its more like 80%. It depends on your opponent and your image. If some dude is a moran with a huge VPIP then I'll cbet a lot if I know he's passive postflop.

Ok heres a good one that may surprise you. I raise AKo and am called by the button. Flop comes T65r. I wont cbet here, just because so much of his range (like almost all of his range) will call on this board, because its so innocent, and you're just putting money in OOP with ace high and 6 outs which might not even be clean.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you keep yourself from tilting when you're not running so hot

[/ QUOTE ]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...;gonew=1#UNREAD (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9852712&amp;an=0&amp;page=0&amp;gone w=1#UNREAD)


I almost never tilt these days to the point where I lose money because of it. I get pissed, but I never donk off money. Such an essential thing to control.

[Heine]

[ QUOTE ]

I dont cbet 100%, not at all, its more like 80%. It depends on your opponent and your image. If some dude is a moran with a huge VPIP then I'll cbet a lot if I know he's passive postflop.

Ok heres a good one that may surprise you. I raise AKo and am called by the button. Flop comes T65r. I wont cbet here, just because so much of his range (like almost all of his range) will call on this board, because its so innocent, and you're just put money in OOP with ace high.


[/ QUOTE ]

Good example. Lets say now you have stolen the blinds from a villan the last 3 orbits, you wake up with AKs one the button, and he goes to the flop with you. You flopped the NFD (j high, and the rest low cards). C.bet or no? Villian is an average tag.

[ama0330]

Well if I am IP, he's checked to me, so yeah I am betting a decent amount of the time here, probably for value. If he check raises me well I have a decision to make. I could have like 15 outs if he is putting a move on with a small to mid PP, and the dynamics are such that he's gonna be playing back at me relatively light, and could have something like QQ. So yeah I could get it in if he cr me, maybe.

[ama0330]

aiight guys, I am off to bed, but keep the questions coming. I have all day 2moro to answer them, such is my job atm /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[BevillTheDevil]

have you ever recieved any coachin?? if so do you feel it helped a lot?? Also, the vids here on 2p2 are great but ive also have heard that cardrunner is really good. You ever try it out, if so do you think its better for the complete newb or good for just about anyone???

[Check_The_Nuts]

[censored] he's gone.

ama favourite posters in uNL?

[holdme]

is poker rigged?
why can't i win?
are you sure its not rigged?

[samwallistea]

What amount of hands do you think you need to win at before you can think of yourself as a consistent winner at micro stakes? Im running at 13BB/100 hands over 5.8k hands at 10+25NL how much more do I need to play in your opinion to be able to say without doubt Im a successful micro limit player?

Also a completely non-poker question but something that never understood on this site, how do some people get themselves custom titles?

[losingdonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How do you keep yourself from tilting when you're not running so hot

[/ QUOTE ]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...;gonew=1#UNREAD (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9852712&amp;an=0&amp;page=0&amp;gone w=1#UNREAD)


I almost never tilt these days to the point where I lose money because of it. I get pissed, but I never donk off money. Such an essential thing to control.

[/ QUOTE ]

hadn't seen this before - thanks, you may have just saved me a ton of money

[HighSteaks]

I've always played FR, just switched to 6 max- played 12k hands won about 12BB/100, so I'm off to 25NL- what's the single biggest difference and where should I focus my efforts now?

[TheStinky]

Assuming you have no reads on villain, do you always try to get it all-in pf with AK? Are you always 3betting with it? Calling a shove? Shoving as a 4bet?

[Capone]

Firstly I'd like to thank you for taking the time to do this I really appreciate it.

I'm trying to grasp the concept of the semi-bluff raise preflop, and I posted a thread on it and I want your take on it:

For instance, say we are playing .25/.50 NL. An aggressive deepstacked opponent raises to $2, it is folded to us and we get 75s on the button. Now usually we would just fold this hand, but we can semi-bluff raise in hope for the opponent to fold his worst of holdings, re-raise if he accually has a monster, or call with anything in between.

So basically we are trying to win his raise, but if he calls, we are in position with a hand that could potentially flop a monster. If we miss, we can give up or c-bet to try to pick up the pot if he checks. If we hit a monster well we can extract. Notice how 75s was used in the example not a hand like KQs which has calling value. The whole point is that usually we would just fold 75, but since it has little calling value, we can semi-bluff raise in hope to win the raise or flop a monster.

[bozzer]

ama,

well is looking good so far. there haven't been enough uNL wells. questions:

if you call a 3bet with AK, what, if any, flops are you getting jiggy on when you whiff?

why are you called ama0330?

are you a massive ozzie sports fan or not really?

did you realise I was levelling in the durrr thread? if so, were you releveling me? (pretending you thought i was being serious??)

cheers.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
have you ever recieved any coachin?? if so do you feel it helped a lot?? Also, the vids here on 2p2 are great but ive also have heard that cardrunner is really good. You ever try it out, if so do you think its better for the complete newb or good for just about anyone???

[/ QUOTE ]

I have never been officially coached per se, but I have recieved a lot of help and I should acknowledge those who have helped me.

Jay Riall, the SSNL UK baller, gave me a couple of free sweat sessions after I met him IRL. These sessions were hugely beneficial for me, even if it was just once or twice. He's a great player and really helped me out.

True, the MSNL madman, gives me help on IM from time to time also. He thinks so differently about the game to anyonne I have ever known, and his insight is invaluable, it just twists your mind to try and get around his thought processes. The man is a genius and he has my thanks.


I got a couple of great sweat sessions from tufat23, I've met him IRL and he is a genuinely good bloke and now a huge baller. I would IM him some hands and get some feedback and he is a very talented player who gave me some great advice. I remember also that I was going to hire him as a coach but I had to pull out because I couldn't dedicate the time to it, being so busy at work. Its a shame because he is a really solid player and I would have loved to be his student.

Of course there are lots of ppl who have given advice over IM and the forums like Gelford, dbitel and everyone else and I thank them all.

I signed up for Cardrunners and I believe it is excellent, but I cancelled my sub just because I couldnt justify the cost, when most of the videos and advice are for the higher limits. I think that if you cant beat 25nl for a least a little bit without cardrunners help, then you need to work on the fundamentals of your game, and 2p2 is more than enough to achieve this. I hesitate to recommend that people sign up because it feels to me like recommending someone take a bunch of pills instead of eating right and excersising.

I think that cr is really useful once the games get hard ie 200nl and above. But the problem is that for micro players, cr is such a huuge drain on your bankroll (the sign up fee alone is like 4bi for a lot of us) that it becomes not really worth it until you can beat 50nl decently.

Having said all of that the videos that I did watch from cr were excellent, and once you have a solid game, I would recommend signing up.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[censored] he's gone.

ama favourite posters in uNL?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well everyone is good tbh but in terms of revelations about poker, Gumpzilla stands out because he made a post about a JJ hand OOP which changed the whole way I think about playing OOP. I think that is the most insightful response anyone has made to one of my threads.

tbh I think everyone in this forum, regs and noobs, does a really good job and as long as we can keep the peace this is a fantastic forum for beginning players to learn the game.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
is poker rigged?
why can't i win?
are you sure its not rigged?

[/ QUOTE ]

Poker IS rigged, you just have to make sure that its rigged in your favour. I suggest writing to support/admin and offering them some kind of bribe.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
What amount of hands do you think you need to win at before you can think of yourself as a consistent winner at micro stakes? Im running at 13BB/100 hands over 5.8k hands at 10+25NL how much more do I need to play in your opinion to be able to say without doubt Im a successful micro limit player?

Also a completely non-poker question but something that never understood on this site, how do some people get themselves custom titles?

[/ QUOTE ]

Balugawhale, a player who once could not beat 25nl and now beats 10/20nl, said that you should play 25k hands (I think) of a limit and if you are not happy with your winrate, play 25k more and do it over until you attain a winrate you deem to be acceptable. I think this is pretty good advice, I would say 25k hands will give you a very good idea of if you are doing something wrong.

I think that it is almost impossible to play too many hands at a level, I think that in general most people move up too fast and are not willing to move back down again.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
I've always played FR, just switched to 6 max- played 12k hands won about 12BB/100, so I'm off to 25NL- what's the single biggest difference and where should I focus my efforts now?

[/ QUOTE ]

Aggression and table dynamics. 6max is far more aggressive than FR, and you play a lot more hands. You should focus on learning how to be aggressive and how to respond to aggression.

[Nogatsira]

1) Any intention of going pro one day?

2) Coach me? :x

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Assuming you have no reads on villain, do you always try to get it all-in pf with AK? Are you always 3betting with it? Calling a shove? Shoving as a 4bet?

[/ QUOTE ]

I very rarely get it in PF with AK because it performs so poorly against most villain's calling range. You are basically behind 90% of the hands which are going to call your push. I may call a shove with it if I have been hammering someone during a session, or if they are a moran.

I will always 3bet AK for value or to isolate, but may just call a 3bet preflop instead of 4betting.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Firstly I'd like to thank you for taking the time to do this I really appreciate it.

I'm trying to grasp the concept of the semi-bluff raise preflop, and I posted a thread on it and I want your take on it:

For instance, say we are playing .25/.50 NL. An aggressive deepstacked opponent raises to $2, it is folded to us and we get 75s on the button. Now usually we would just fold this hand, but we can semi-bluff raise in hope for the opponent to fold his worst of holdings, re-raise if he accually has a monster, or call with anything in between.

So basically we are trying to win his raise, but if he calls, we are in position with a hand that could potentially flop a monster. If we miss, we can give up or c-bet to try to pick up the pot if he checks. If we hit a monster well we can extract. Notice how 75s was used in the example not a hand like KQs which has calling value. The whole point is that usually we would just fold 75, but since it has little calling value, we can semi-bluff raise in hope to win the raise or flop a monster.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, sounds like a perfect explanation to me, I don't know what I can add to that...

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
ama,

well is looking good so far. there haven't been enough uNL wells. questions:

if you call a 3bet with AK, what, if any, flops are you getting jiggy on when you whiff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depending on the villain, I'll go to war with TPTK here cause I'm killing most of villains range like mid pps and high broadways. Note that this is not an auto-stackoff, it depends on a lot of things. I wouldnt stack off versus a 9/6 for eg, might even fold AK pre there.

[ QUOTE ]
why are you called ama0330?

[/ QUOTE ]

My initials + random palindromic number. Unfortunately its no more interesting than that, sorry!

[ QUOTE ]
are you a massive ozzie sports fan or not really?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not really. I dont really care about rugby, and though cricket is nice in the summer, I dont follow it religiously. I used to be a big Sydney Kings fan, but that faded.

[ QUOTE ]
did you realise I was levelling in the durrr thread? if so, were you releveling me? (pretending you thought i was being serious??)

cheers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I was re-levelling your level of the level. That whole thread was just a giant level and its probably good that it got deleted. But durr does sound like a teenage girl. A rich teenage girl /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
1) Any intention of going pro one day?

2) Coach me? :x

[/ QUOTE ]

1) Probably not, I dont think I could deal with the swings and I would like to have a more steady and variance free income. Though I will always play as a hobby and if I get decent enough I hope to make some nice pocket money!

2) I dont coach tho I have been thinking about it. I dont have the time right now but watch this space.

ama0330, Happy you are moving to ssnl. I have started 100NL myself. GL

What sites you play on ? I play on Stars and just started at Titan with a free 50$ bonus /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Nogatsira]

[ QUOTE ]
2) I dont coach tho I have been thinking about it. I dont have the time right now but watch this space.

[/ QUOTE ]

Indirectly you're coaching me anyhow by just posting here /images/graemlins/heart.gif

[samwallistea]

Cheers for reply ama /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
ama0330, Happy you are moving to ssnl. I have started 100NL myself. GL

What sites you play on ? I play on Stars and just started at Titan with a free 50$ bonus /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I play on PARTY baby. I started with $50 and never re-deposited. I'm gonna write up my story during the day.

[Genz]

[ QUOTE ]
Well everyone is good tbh but in terms of revelations about poker, Gumpzilla stands out because he made a post about a JJ hand OOP which changed the whole way I think about playing OOP. I think that is the most insightful response anyone has made to one of my threads.

[/ QUOTE ]

You've got a link?

[ciro bonano]

Nice well ama, I always like your posts. Some questions:

How do you evaluate your game? I always review my top won/loss hands after I played but I probably miss a lot of leaks because I obviously don't know they are leaks.

How often do you (say at party 50NL)
- 3 bet somebody light
- squeeze preflop
- float flops
- make big bluffs
and do you think any of those is needed to have a good winrate at 50NL?

Two loose (say 30/8) players limp and you are on the button. Blinds are unknown but look tighter. You have a 22/17 image if anybody cares and have been active a lot. What do you raise (or at least consider to raise) in this spot?

Can you describe a situation which you handle much better (or at least think you do /images/graemlins/smile.gif) than the average 2p2 50NL player?

[VPIP100]

Ama, want me to do a well in the near future?

[bozzer]

[ QUOTE ]

if you call a 3bet with AK, what, if any, flops are you getting jiggy on when you whiff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depending on the villain, I'll go to war with TPTK here cause I'm killing most of villains range like mid pps and high broadways. Note that this is not an auto-stackoff, it depends on a lot of things. I wouldnt stack off versus a 9/6 for eg, might even fold AK pre there.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what about when you whiff? It just seems that calling to hit 6 outs with not much implied odds is a bad idea.


[ QUOTE ]

Yes, I was re-levelling your level of the level.

[/ QUOTE ]

phew...

[ShipitFMA]

I've been playing really really laggy at 25nl and ran good for 10ptbb/100 over 20k hands, i've tried taking a few shots at 50nl and noticed its alot harder...

My cbets get shut down alot, i get 3bet alot more..

What are the biggest adjustments from 25nl to 50nl

[ShipitFMA]

What are the laggiest stats a decent player can expect to beat;

25nl
50nl
100nl

each respectively, for someone who likes post flop play and 3beting light etc...what are ideal LAG (decent lag)

[Fiksdal]

1. Would you consider not sitting at my tables on party, kthx.

2. If no on #1, please sit on my right and not on my left, kthx?

OK seriously

3. Where are you from? Where do you live?

4. What is the most important advice you can come up with for one to improve his game?

Edit: 5: How old are you?
6: What is that bird in your avatar?

[HBomb]

ama, I have hundreds of 1,000's of hands of the limits that you've been beating recently, but when I try moving up to $100 NL it seems like a totally different game to me, even though I've played with most of the guys there. What do you think is a good stoploss rule for when taking shots or trying to move up to a limit that you're not used to?

[Genz]

HBomb: Ever tried the WW50NLD-Approach? Maybe it keeps you from overthinking situations etc. and trying to play a completely different game because you think you are playing with the big boys now.

/hijack

[china_hard]

I really do not think nl100 is much harder than nl50.

[HBomb]

What is the WW50NLD approach? Is there a program out there that will take higher limits and turn the betting sizes into $50 NL betting sizes? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Edit: I don't know why I shouldn't be able to beat $100 NL online, I mean I've played in casinos live down at AC only 10 times since I turned 21, and I've won 9 of them. And I'm basically break even in 2 trips to Vegas. I know the games are much easier live and all, but there's still no reason I shouldn't be able to beat $100 NL with a decent win rate, since live play is generally 9 handed, would you suggest I try out full ring games when trying to move up? And does anyone know if you earn more player points on sites by sitting at full ring instead of 6 handed since the pots generally get bigger?

[china_hard]

HBomb - ask the software forum, I remember a year ago when I played party I had DollarToBB, which turn everything on the table into Big Blinds, which was a huge help for moving up! I'm not sure if anything similar exists now.

[Genz]

[ QUOTE ]
What is the WW50NLD approach? Is there a program out there that will take higher limits and turn the betting sizes into $50 NL betting sizes? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

What Would 50NL Do?

Just ask yourself how you'd handle the situation if you were playing 50NL instead of 100NL.

[Check_The_Nuts]

ama, link to thread that changed the way you play OOP.

also, is party softer than other sites like UB/Pokerstars, etc?

and what method do you use to cash out? Are you canadian or UK? Cuz I think UK can still us NETeller, bastards!!!111!one!!

[RedJoker]

[ QUOTE ]
http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/1387/fsdfzn1.jpg


[/ QUOTE ]

Steal the blinds more, 24% is very low. Your flop AF for 50nl seems kinda low too, your turn and river AF look good though.

Anyway nice thread, do you use game selection, what do you look for?

[Sweir]

ama, nice well so far.

What board textures do you like to 2nd (/3rd?) barrel on, and do you need a read fire the 3rd barrel?

How do you deal with check minraises when IP? I seem to end up calling a lot with overcards or marginal holdings, do you think this is a leak?

I am a bit of a nit when 3betting and tend to call a lot b/c I just like to see a flop, should I open up my 3betting range or leave that untill I move up to SSNL.

PS. From what I see of your posts I view the game very differently so it would be nice to hear your responses, cheers.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice well ama, I always like your posts. Some questions:

How do you evaluate your game? I always review my top won/loss hands after I played but I probably miss a lot of leaks because I obviously don't know they are leaks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can usually tell during a hand if I have misplayed it. I'll be able to say "wow I should have bet that flop or I wouldnt be in this mess" or whatever. I keep a notebook on my desk and write down notes of this kind.

I usually review every session I play and check out the really big and mid-size pots that I lost to make sure that they are just coolers.

[ QUOTE ]
How often do you (say at party 50NL)
- 3 bet somebody light
- squeeze preflop
- float flops
- make big bluffs
and do you think any of those is needed to have a good winrate at 50NL?

[/ QUOTE ]

Its hard to say how often I do these things, the answer is "when I feel its appropriate". That is dependant on much more than just cards so I cant give you a percentage or whatever.

I totally believe that it is NOT necesary to do any of these things to be a winning player at NL50, albeit a small one.

[ QUOTE ]
Two loose (say 30/8) players limp and you are on the button. Blinds are unknown but look tighter. You have a 22/17 image if anybody cares and have been active a lot. What do you raise (or at least consider to raise) in this spot?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just about anything in my BTN open raise, limping is lame.

[ QUOTE ]
Can you describe a situation which you handle much better (or at least think you do /images/graemlins/smile.gif) than the average 2p2 50NL player?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I'm a lot better than most at playing OOP and handling the very thin situations that arise. I'm good at getting away early if I can see that the hand is headed for trouble.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Ama, want me to do a well in the near future?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's up to you really...

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

if you call a 3bet with AK, what, if any, flops are you getting jiggy on when you whiff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depending on the villain, I'll go to war with TPTK here cause I'm killing most of villains range like mid pps and high broadways. Note that this is not an auto-stackoff, it depends on a lot of things. I wouldnt stack off versus a 9/6 for eg, might even fold AK pre there.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what about when you whiff? It just seems that calling to hit 6 outs with not much implied odds is a bad idea.


[ QUOTE ]

Yes, I was re-levelling your level of the level.

[/ QUOTE ]

phew...

[/ QUOTE ]

You can't "whiff" with AK, you either hit or you dont. There is no "whiffing" in 3bet pots, you are either felting or not, otherwise fold preflop.

[Check_The_Nuts]

[ QUOTE ]
This one is against Gelford, my basic thought process is "gelford is a fish"

lol jk

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 6 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter (http://www.legopoker.com/hh))

SB: $49.52
BB: $60.70
UTG: $50.00
MP: $65.35
CO: $43.28
Hero (BTN): $63.75

Preflop: Hero is dealt 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 4http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (6 Players)
3 folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $2.00</font>, SB folds, <font color="red">BB raises to $8.00</font>, Hero calls $6.00

Flop: ($16.25) Qhttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 7http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">BB bets $9.00</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises all-in to $55.75</font>, BB folds

Pot Size: $81.00



[/ QUOTE ]

I would have a very hard time folding a pair here or even AK high. Just weird to push a flop like that that isn't very drawy. Why is this play better than calling flop versus geld? I obv. don't know the dynamics of your rivalry or anything but it seems not-so-good.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been playing really really laggy at 25nl and ran good for 10ptbb/100 over 20k hands, i've tried taking a few shots at 50nl and noticed its alot harder...

My cbets get shut down alot, i get 3bet alot more..

What are the biggest adjustments from 25nl to 50nl

[/ QUOTE ]

There are no specific adjustments that I can recommend, other than to have more respect for your opponents and remember that they are reading you and are not as poor as the 25nl morans. Try to think on a level above what you are used to and give a little more credit.

[NL Newbie]

Should i iron my shirt today, or tommorow for a 1pm wedding tommorow?
Shall i use a new iron, or an old used one.
Shall i iron the back first, or start at the front?


Thats all.

[Check_The_Nuts]

Hijack: NL send me a freakin session already.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
What are the laggiest stats a decent player can expect to beat;

25nl
50nl
100nl

each respectively, for someone who likes post flop play and 3beting light etc...what are ideal LAG (decent lag)

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, there is no "formula" I can give you regarding stats and winrate because it depends so much on postflop. There was a post about the datamining of high stakes games where it emerged that all the winningest players had totally, completely different stats, like not even close to alike. Everyone has their own style and you need to make your game work for you and let your stats take care of themselves.

[Guruman]

maybe i'll get this in under the wire:

in limit seat selection=game selection. you find the guy who's money you want and sit to his left.

there's also the handy little shorthand of looking at stack sizes. absurdly large or small stacks tend to equal bad players worthy of targeting.

In nl, i've noticed that people tend to jump tables when they bust, and stack sizes are obv more fluid than in limit.

so the question is, in nl do you revert to game selection (avoiding good players) as opposed to seat selection (targeting bad players before sitting down). are there any shorthanded non hud techniques, or am i going to need hands on dudes? what compels you to sit? what compels you to get up? how aggressively to do you seat select or table select?

thx!

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
1. Would you consider not sitting at my tables on party, kthx.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you serious? You're my biggest donator!

jk man /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[ QUOTE ]
2. If no on #1, please sit on my right and not on my left, kthx?

[/ QUOTE ]

See question 1!

[ QUOTE ]
3. Where are you from? Where do you live?

[/ QUOTE ]

Im Australian but I currently live in London. I have no idea why, because London is a ghetto.

[ QUOTE ]
4. What is the most important advice you can come up with for one to improve his game?

[/ QUOTE ]

THINK. Don't just do. Dont just say "well ama said raise 75s OTB so I'm gonna do that". You have to treat poker like a serious subject. It takes a huge amount of study and time to be good and I think a lot of guys on this forum are too young and have their heads full of stars so they dont appreciate this. You have to apply yourself to poker or you just wont get anything out of it.

Take the time to really think about hands, dynamics, pot odds and stuff for YOURSELF and understand it for yourself. Thats how you grow as a player, when you move from "being told what to do" to "actually doing for yourself".

[ QUOTE ]
Edit: 5: How old are you?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm 23.

[ QUOTE ]
6: What is that bird in your avatar?

[/ QUOTE ]

That is a phoenix. I love the symbolism of the bird that must die to be reborn. To be it symbolises that you have to endure pain/suffering/anguish in order to improve or grow. Poker is just like that, you have to be beat down so you can learn from your mistakes.

Look for phoenix in google or wikipedia, they are pretty cool (even if mythical). I was considering getting that actual avatar as a tatoo but havent yet. Its a powerful message/symbol.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
ama, I have hundreds of 1,000's of hands of the limits that you've been beating recently, but when I try moving up to $100 NL it seems like a totally different game to me, even though I've played with most of the guys there. What do you think is a good stoploss rule for when taking shots or trying to move up to a limit that you're not used to?

[/ QUOTE ]

Most importantly, take controlled shots. I see posts like "man i took a shot at x level and lost 15bi"... Im like what the [censored]!!!! that is ridic. take a 3bi, 2 table shot and if you lose that 3bi, MOVE DOWN!!!! There is no point busting your roll at a level where you are -EV.

Aside from that I usually play more conservatively when taking shots, just till I can get some nice reads. I play less marginal situations, never OOP, usually back down instead of go to war etc. I like to start tight, then open up, rather than go in all guns blazing.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
I really do not think nl100 is much harder than nl50.

[/ QUOTE ]

agree.

[relativity_x]

I feel that value betting the river is something that isn't covered enough in uNL. I'd be tempted to say it's where a lot of uNLers lose the most money (but it's hard to quantify this objectively).

That said, will you find some hands that you value bet the river with less than the nutz and got a call by a weaker hand? Also, comment on each street and then give some general comments.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
HBomb - ask the software forum, I remember a year ago when I played party I had DollarToBB, which turn everything on the table into Big Blinds, which was a huge help for moving up! I'm not sure if anything similar exists now.

[/ QUOTE ]

that would be so awesome

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What is the WW50NLD approach? Is there a program out there that will take higher limits and turn the betting sizes into $50 NL betting sizes? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

What Would 50NL Do?

Just ask yourself how you'd handle the situation if you were playing 50NL instead of 100NL.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is excellent advice, its not like you are playing against a different species. Also its well known that 100nl is still full of fish.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
ama, link to thread that changed the way you play OOP.

also, is party softer than other sites like UB/Pokerstars, etc?

and what method do you use to cash out? Are you canadian or UK? Cuz I think UK can still us NETeller, bastards!!!111!one!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Found it! http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9895548&amp;page=0&amp;vc=1

Party IMO is no different to any other site for micro limits. Maybe like 200nl+, but for us it doesn't matter. Most people who say otherwise are either losing players or are pissed that they are running bad.

I got neteller baby /images/graemlins/laugh.gif but btw I have cashed out by check from Holly-crap poker before, what a nightmare it took forever!

[ciro bonano]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I'm a lot better than most at playing OOP and handling the very thin situations that arise. I'm good at getting away early if I can see that the hand is headed for trouble.

[/ QUOTE ]
Could you give an example of these situations (a hand history if possible)?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
ama, nice well so far.

What board textures do you like to 2nd (/3rd?) barrel on, and do you need a read fire the 3rd barrel?

[/ QUOTE ]

I will fire on almost any board against the right opponent, but I would favour a co-ordinated board that misses because it is far more likely that your opponent is on a draw. I love to double the turn scare card, a turn ace is like free money.

[ QUOTE ]
How do you deal with check minraises when IP? I seem to end up calling a lot with overcards or marginal holdings, do you think this is a leak?

[/ QUOTE ]

Its nitty but I will often fold here. I assume by default that villain has hit the board for at least top pair and just go with +EV from there.

[ QUOTE ]
I am a bit of a nit when 3betting and tend to call a lot b/c I just like to see a flop, should I open up my 3betting range or leave that untill I move up to SSNL.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its a question of comfort. It sounds like you are not ready to open up yet because opening up leaves you exposed to some seriously dodgy flop/turn spots. Try adding one or two hands to your 3bet range and see how you like it, or every now and then 3bet on the button and see what happens. Remember if you are confused or unsure when you 3bet preflop it is much much better to just fold the flop than to spew off more money because you are lost. People have this I AINT FOLDING mentality, really just fold!! Nobody knows who you are!!

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This one is against Gelford, my basic thought process is "gelford is a fish"

lol jk

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 6 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter (http://www.legopoker.com/hh))

SB: $49.52
BB: $60.70
UTG: $50.00
MP: $65.35
CO: $43.28
Hero (BTN): $63.75

Preflop: Hero is dealt 5http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 4http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif (6 Players)
3 folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $2.00</font>, SB folds, <font color="red">BB raises to $8.00</font>, Hero calls $6.00

Flop: ($16.25) Qhttp://legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif 7http://legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">BB bets $9.00</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises all-in to $55.75</font>, BB folds

Pot Size: $81.00



[/ QUOTE ]

I would have a very hard time folding a pair here or even AK high. Just weird to push a flop like that that isn't very drawy. Why is this play better than calling flop versus geld? I obv. don't know the dynamics of your rivalry or anything but it seems not-so-good.

[/ QUOTE ]

Given the board texture and our history, Gel has to put me on minimum a Queen, or a sneaky overpair, or a set. That I would be doing this as a bluff is almost unthinkable. I cant be pushing a draw because there arent any, my hand looks very very strong, and it looks like I want to get it in. Also, I know that he will fold a LOT of his range because he's so aggressive.

[LordBrun]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ama, link to thread that changed the way you


and what method do you use to cash out? Are you canadian or UK? Cuz I think UK can still us NETeller, bastards!!!111!one!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Found it! http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&amp;Number=9895548&amp;page=0&amp;vc=1



[/ QUOTE ]

Awesome link. This thread is awesome aswell /images/graemlins/wink.gif

You are very educational in the way you talk about the game, thanks for doing this man.

cheers /LB

Edit: I have been busy reading the thread so haven't come up with any questions worth your time yet. I'll just ask you this then:

Which poker books have you read and which did you find to be the most helpfull for you 1) as a poker player in general and 2) As a NL cash player.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Should i iron my shirt today, or tommorow for a 1pm wedding tommorow?
Shall i use a new iron, or an old used one.
Shall i iron the back first, or start at the front?


Thats all.

[/ QUOTE ]

Definitely iron early then hang the shirt up so it can take its natural shape. I generally just iron one side because Im lazy, if its a wedding go 2 sides. Flip a coin for front or back first. Defintely use a new iron, you want to iron in style baby!

[china_hard]

Where in London do you live?

Nice advice for all the players here so far by the way.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
maybe i'll get this in under the wire:

in limit seat selection=game selection. you find the guy who's money you want and sit to his left.

there's also the handy little shorthand of looking at stack sizes. absurdly large or small stacks tend to equal bad players worthy of targeting.

In nl, i've noticed that people tend to jump tables when they bust, and stack sizes are obv more fluid than in limit.

so the question is, in nl do you revert to game selection (avoiding good players) as opposed to seat selection (targeting bad players before sitting down). are there any shorthanded non hud techniques, or am i going to need hands on dudes? what compels you to sit? what compels you to get up? how aggressively to do you seat select or table select?

thx!

[/ QUOTE ]

I table select "sort of". Stats can be really deceiving, you'll have some guy with 22/16 stats and they are just hopeless. I keep a sort of "reverse buddy list" where I'll look out for people who are a real pain in the ass and just avoid them. FWIW there are only 2 non 2p2 people on that list. I generally avoid 2p2'ers just because its high variance to play against them and its easier to take someone elses money.

Generally I just sit at random tables and if there is someone giving me real trouble then I'll move. I usually choose my tables based on average pot size, the bigger the better.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
I feel that value betting the river is something that isn't covered enough in uNL. I'd be tempted to say it's where a lot of uNLers lose the most money (but it's hard to quantify this objectively).

That said, will you find some hands that you value bet the river with less than the nutz and got a call by a weaker hand? Also, comment on each street and then give some general comments.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im at work so no hands atm but I am much better at betting the river these days, even if you think you have a hand that may be beat, its often better to bet. River AF is really important.

[Sweir]

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
I am a bit of a nit when 3betting and tend to call a lot b/c I just like to see a flop, should I open up my 3betting range or leave that untill I move up to SSNL.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its a question of comfort. It sounds like you are not ready to open up yet because opening up leaves you exposed to some seriously dodgy flop/turn spots. Try adding one or two hands to your 3bet range and see how you like it, or every now and then 3bet on the button and see what happens. Remember if you are confused or unsure when you 3bet preflop it is much much better to just fold the flop than to spew off more money because you are lost. People have this I AINT FOLDING mentality, really just fold!! Nobody knows who you are!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really think this is the problem because when I play live I tend to 3bet a fair amount. Online though I just tend to call with hands like KQ, especially OOP.

Also, what mods, AHK's etc do you use when playing on party? I should be playing there soon. And how do you feel about no RB (assuming you had it before)?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think I'm a lot better than most at playing OOP and handling the very thin situations that arise. I'm good at getting away early if I can see that the hand is headed for trouble.

[/ QUOTE ]
Could you give an example of these situations (a hand history if possible)?

[/ QUOTE ]

For example.. I raise JTs and get called on the button. Flop comes T84 2 tone, no flush for me, I lead to protect against the FD and he raises me. Well here many people will say (correctly) that you have the best hand so call/push, but in reality you are much more likely to be facing two more cards and much more betting, and actually your hand doesn't do too well against his range at the river so its much better to dump it. Where I just lose a PFR and standard cbet, others will lose half a stack getting outdrawn or just finding out they were toast on the flop anyway.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Which poker books have you read and which did you find to be the most helpfull for you 1) as a poker player in general and 2) As a NL cash player.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow I have so many books and SO many printed pages from 2p2 and the net in general about poker. I'll take a photo of my "poker shelf" when I get home.

The book that helped me most was Harrington on Hold'em because it taught me to play tight and solid which is the crucial foundation that you need to be a good player.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Where in London do you live?

Nice advice for all the players here so far by the way.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im in South London, not far from Balham.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
what mods, AHK's etc do you use when playing on party? I should be playing there soon. And how do you feel about no RB (assuming you had it before)?

[/ QUOTE ]

I use betpot and I couldnt live without it. I use pahud also. You know it is really embarrasing and really sad but I have never had rakeback. I went to hell and back trying to get it for Party and failed, and I can't be arsed with making fake neteller accounts and all that dodgy stuff. So atm I play party with points only.

As I move up in limits this is going to become a real issue in terms of real life money so I am going to look into it.

[NL Newbie]

South london? Ohh close, but not so close

[china_hard]

So you are quite in the ghetto. I'm a Bromley boy but have family in Clapham and Stretham, which is near you.

How much time do you put in playing? How much do you put into 2+2 or other study? Are you on here all the time you're at work?

[bozzer]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

if you call a 3bet with AK, what, if any, flops are you getting jiggy on when you whiff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depending on the villain, I'll go to war with TPTK here cause I'm killing most of villains range like mid pps and high broadways. Note that this is not an auto-stackoff, it depends on a lot of things. I wouldnt stack off versus a 9/6 for eg, might even fold AK pre there.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what about when you whiff? It just seems that calling to hit 6 outs with not much implied odds is a bad idea.

[/ QUOTE ]


You can't "whiff" with AK, you either hit or you dont. There is no "whiffing" in 3bet pots, you are either felting or not, otherwise fold preflop.

[/ QUOTE ]

ama, thanks for the responses. I might just be being really thick today (not having a good day), but what do you mean you can't whiff with AK?? are you suggesting felting AK unimproved on the flop in 3b pots??

[jk1986]

[ QUOTE ]
So you are quite in the ghetto. I'm a Bromley boy but have family in Clapham and Stretham, which is near you.

How much time do you put in playing? How much do you put into 2+2 or other study? Are you on here all the time you're at work?

[/ QUOTE ]
Bromley north here /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[NL Newbie]

i shop in bromley, when i rarely shop.
Oh and i fly in biggin hill

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
So you are quite in the ghetto. I'm a Bromley boy but have family in Clapham and Stretham, which is near you.

How much time do you put in playing? How much do you put into 2+2 or other study? Are you on here all the time you're at work?

[/ QUOTE ]

At the mo, 80% of my time at work is 2p2, lol... I am actually finishing this job in a week and a half, then ALL my time will be on 2p2 /images/graemlins/wink.gif

I try to play 1k hands a day, and usually get there. I spend a lot of time with my gf which stops me from playing often, but I see this as definitely a good thing.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

if you call a 3bet with AK, what, if any, flops are you getting jiggy on when you whiff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depending on the villain, I'll go to war with TPTK here cause I'm killing most of villains range like mid pps and high broadways. Note that this is not an auto-stackoff, it depends on a lot of things. I wouldnt stack off versus a 9/6 for eg, might even fold AK pre there.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what about when you whiff? It just seems that calling to hit 6 outs with not much implied odds is a bad idea.

[/ QUOTE ]


You can't "whiff" with AK, you either hit or you dont. There is no "whiffing" in 3bet pots, you are either felting or not, otherwise fold preflop.

[/ QUOTE ]

ama, thanks for the responses. I might just be being really thick today (not having a good day), but what do you mean you can't whiff with AK?? are you suggesting felting AK unimproved on the flop in 3b pots??

[/ QUOTE ]

"whiff" implies a "small hit". If you play AK in a 3bet pot and hit an A or K, you aren't folding. If you dont hit, then you ARE folding. But you can't "whiff".

[bozzer]

k, i thought whiff meant missed. guess i'll have to re-read all those posts about what to do with whiffed overs...

i suppose we flop TPTK 32% of the time and we're getting 33% pot odds usually so I'm making a fuss about nothing.

[HBomb]

Ama, I'm sure you know of Grimstarr, but do you endorse the pizza face too?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Ama, I'm sure you know of Grimstarr, but do you endorse the pizza face too?

[/ QUOTE ]

He may be a moron and a douche but there is no question that he is a very, very good poker player. Somewhere inside there at least. Don't forget that he destroyed MSNL to get where he is now.


But yeah, AQo-aments

[Magaca]

What is this thing with Grimstarr? What did he do? New to 2p2, sorry. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[munkey]

[ QUOTE ]


Quote:
Assuming you have no reads on villain, do you always try to get it all-in pf with AK? Are you always 3betting with it? Calling a shove? Shoving as a 4bet?



I very rarely get it in PF with AK because it performs so poorly against most villain's calling range. You are basically behind 90% of the hands which are going to call your push. I may call a shove with it if I have been hammering someone during a session, or if they are a moran.

I will always 3bet AK for value or to isolate, but may just call a 3bet preflop instead of 4betting.


[/ QUOTE ]


Tks for doing this ama - lots of useful info -tilt linky, above, and about doing pstove -personally I pstove all big hands vs their exact hand and various ranges now.

Bit late to the Well but I found the above useful -recently I've been doing alot flipping with 1/2 stacks and tbh I suck at push/fold AI skillz so have dropped some of it esp as why flip with a rtard villan when I can find better spots to take his money - so the above post helps.

I always enjoy your slight different take on things sometimes which gets me thinking - e.g. the 3bet pot OOP stuff I'll have to consider.

O.k. now some questions if it isn't too late [and my interwebs doesn't crash] /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Do you play Offsuit Connectors at all -BTN/SB?

I think I have a leak in HU [me]SB vs BB play?

Especially HU vs a donk with low FCBET% and high vpvip what's your opening raise [and complete if u do] ranges and general flop plan with tpck/2nd pair OOP?

Should I just drop x8- , junk and stick to good hands like a BTN range and just vbet and drop the crappy Ax/OSCs?

[jay and others in SSNL cheez have vpip of 25% discussed it a little yesterday and even PG says OOP even vs worst players still going to lose money so reducing the loss is the aim.]



P.S. I'm in Bristol we should have a UK meet up sometime @ gutshot or something if there's enough interest.

[EMc]

a. What do you think of hte modding in uNL?
b. Who else would you like to see do a well?

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you play Offsuit Connectors at all -BTN/SB?

[/ QUOTE ]

I will limp behind if the odds look good and I may complete in the SB, but I'm not too hot about raising them and I don't play them for value.


[ QUOTE ]
Especially HU vs a donk with low FCBET% and high vpvip what's your opening raise [and complete if u do] ranges and general flop plan with tpck/2nd pair OOP?

[/ QUOTE ]

Generally just raise for value, and throw in a couple of speculative raises to see what his tendencies are. Against this type of player you rarely want to play big pots with marginal holdings so I will usually shoot for pot control and chip away playing small-ball, taking all the little pots and wearing him down.

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Should I just drop x8- , junk and stick to good hands like a BTN range and just vbet and drop the crappy Ax/OSCs?

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[jay and others in SSNL cheez have vpip of 25% discussed it a little yesterday and even PG says OOP even vs worst players still going to lose money so reducing the loss is the aim.]

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Dont really understand this question, if you mean against the high vpip player then yeah you want to play lots of cheap pots and raise with your strong hands. Play small pot poker, dont raise with speculative stuff but do complete with it if he's not prone to PFR very much. Get in cheap, and then extract.


I generally try to avoid playing OOP as much as I can.

[ama0330]

[ QUOTE ]
a. What do you think of hte modding in uNL?
b. Who else would you like to see do a well?

[/ QUOTE ]

The modding in general is really good and all the crap threads seem to be taken care of. Having said that, the mods dont really post that much, and on that note, where the hell is Matrix? I haven't seen him about for ages. But really you guys do a good job, modding uNL is hell I can imagine, so keep up the good work.

As far as the next well person, has Gelford done it yet? I think him, or Kaz should go next, first two names which spring to mind.

[bozzer]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a. What do you think of hte modding in uNL?
b. Who else would you like to see do a well?

[/ QUOTE ]

The modding in general is really good and all the crap threads seem to be taken care of. Having said that, the mods dont really post that much, and on that note, where the hell is Matrix? I haven't seen him about for ages. But really you guys do a good job, modding uNL is hell I can imagine, so keep up the good work.

As far as the next well person, has Gelford done it yet? I think him, or Kaz should go next, first two names which spring to mind.

[/ QUOTE ]

hijack to say I agree with all that.

also I think we should have another uNL-based mod and maybe only one SSNLer?


edit: OP would be a good choice since he is quitting his job to play 2p2.

[Gelford]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a. What do you think of hte modding in uNL?
b. Who else would you like to see do a well?

[/ QUOTE ]

The modding in general is really good and all the crap threads seem to be taken care of. Having said that, the mods dont really post that much, and on that note, where the hell is Matrix? I haven't seen him about for ages. But really you guys do a good job, modding uNL is hell I can imagine, so keep up the good work.

As far as the next well person, has Gelford done it yet? I think him, or Kaz should go next, first two names which spring to mind.

[/ QUOTE ]

Matrix is internet less working at Silverstone for a couple of weeks

And sure, I can make a well next week or the week after that depending on private life

[K䲰䮥n]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a. What do you think of hte modding in uNL?
b. Who else would you like to see do a well?

[/ QUOTE ]

The modding in general is really good and all the crap threads seem to be taken care of. Having said that, the mods dont really post that much, and on that note, where the hell is Matrix? I haven't seen him about for ages. But really you guys do a good job, modding uNL is hell I can imagine, so keep up the good work.

As far as the next well person, has Gelford done it yet? I think him, or Kaz should go next, first two names which spring to mind.

[/ QUOTE ]

Matrix is internet less working at Silverstone for a couple of weeks

And sure, I can make a well next week or the week after that depending on private life

[/ QUOTE ]

Can I ask about legos? I'm having hard time assembling this [censored] spaceship.

This is you and me on our way to planet Party-Poker-In-The-Year-2003 where all the villains are donks but in the same time they respect our raises!

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/f/f5/180px-Lego_Classic_Space_two_minifigures.jpg

[Gelford]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a. What do you think of hte modding in uNL?
b. Who else would you like to see do a well?

[/ QUOTE ]

The modding in general is really good and all the crap threads seem to be taken care of. Having said that, the mods dont really post that much, and on that note, where the hell is Matrix? I haven't seen him about for ages. But really you guys do a good job, modding uNL is hell I can imagine, so keep up the good work.

As far as the next well person, has Gelford done it yet? I think him, or Kaz should go next, first two names which spring to mind.

[/ QUOTE ]

Matrix is internet less working at Silverstone for a couple of weeks

And sure, I can make a well next week or the week after that depending on private life

[/ QUOTE ]

Can I ask about legos? I'm having hard time assembling this [censored] spaceship.

This is you and me on our way to planet Party-Poker-In-The-Year-2003 where all the villains are donks but in the same time they respect our raises!

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/f/f5/180px-Lego_Classic_Space_two_minifigures.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

Stop hijacking ama's well ... there will be plenty of time to talk about lego's in my well /images/graemlins/grin.gif