What do you guys "read"?

[davelin]

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One really important note I make of TAGs regard a couple of common but horrendous preflop errors:

Open limping in LP.



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Open limping late position nice with stronger hands especially if blinds play tight.

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Blind-stealing nicer with weaker hands if the blinds play tight.

[detruncate]

Hi Droolie.

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I check hand histories very often to see what players mucked. I'm looking to see who I can value bet and how low I can go.

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I'd suggest giving PokerAce HUD a try if you don't already use it or PV. The ability to see hands mucked at showdown without having to go into the HH is slick. I hardly even find myself having to mess around with HHs anymore, which frees up a least a little more of my brain for other stuff.

Edit: Apparently I'm the bazillionth person to mention this.

[detruncate]

I'm not going to weigh in on the HUD v No HUD debate. Especially since it increasingly resembles an internecine rift.

We all have a pretty good idea about how certain broad player types behave. Better players probably start with smaller groups. Really good players may work the level of individuals. I'm not close to really good, so I do the best I can.

I start with things that are contrary to apparent type. A LP-P player that likes to bet draws or bluff. An apparently tight/passive pf player raising with Ax in early position. A predictably aggressive pf player l/rr'ing something.

Part of learning how to play ABC poker is coming to understand (at least in part) the general player types. When trying to refine my read, I focus on trying to build a mini pseudo-psychological profile. Do they fall back on aggression or passivity when pushed? How much gamble do they have in them? Do they plan to call every hand down without a compelling reason to fold or the opposite? How often do they vary their play? It's less a matter of cataloguing specific plays than an effort to build a baseline read to help me evaluate future plays.

[Nfinity]

I have an example that kind of goes along with what everyone is saying.

Playing 1/2 6max I get 99 and raise after a couple of open limpers.

Flop comes 8-high rainbow with a gutshot draw(5 6 8 or something) Open limper to my right bets. I pull up the notes.

"CR's Flp'd Sets on Trn"
"Plays Draws pssve until made"
"Raises Strng Prs Pre-Flp"

Villian could very well be deviating from the norm but this makes me feel safer in raising for value and protection, with one guy left behind me. Villian 3-bets and I call.

Turn comes a blank. Villian Checks.

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

I feel kind of lost, I don't want to walk into a CR but I don't want to give a free card to an overplayed AK so I bet and villian calls. I'm still confused.

River comes a 4 and villian Checks. I bet and he raises. I call thinking "that is a really overplayed 7,8 you have there" and he tables 77.

I immediately make a note that villian puts more value to draws+made hands.

I think this story best illustrates that reads fill in the empty spaces. Like landscaping, occasionally you need a tree here and there. For me, I hate being confused by a player, it makes me feel like somehow he's winning the battle of wits at the table. I make the reads that will make everything less confusing.

Common situations are how an opponent plays a paired board. Not only when they have something but when they don't. Sometimes players will peel on a paired board with with a hand they would fold with on a regular board, just because they feel it's less likely you have a piece.

I think reads should be anything that confuses you about the player. Whether its Flop play, play with PP's, sexual orientation, or why they like the show "HeeHaw", if you are confused, they are getting the best of you whether they mean too or not. My goal is to not let them get the best of me.

[Gap23Razor]

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So what types of things are you guys looking out for?

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i play sessions of 1-2 hours (lunch hour specials) of B&M low limit at places like Commerce, Bike, & Hollypark in Los Angeles, my job has me visiting clients around town...also i play at various casinos in Vegas when i'm on vacation...in general i look to see how many people are seeing the flop and how much rasing is going on per round--i adjust my starting hand selection based on that...for a specific player i note cold-calls, what round they tend to fold on, and if they fold or not when their turn bet is raised...usually, these game play rapidly as the dealer is pushing the game forward, so i don't talk much and don't sweat a villian for physical reads...its loot and scoot for me--if i don't see the fish, i figure the others have pegged me as it and i leave early to go get lunch...

[Absolution]

I don't use PT so reads are important for me. Since I usually play 2 tables I generally don't look for the detail you are. My strategy is to have some idea of what the average unknown is for the level I play and then adjust that when I see things that stand out. Also, I look for things that are going to make my decisions easier in the future. I don't want to open up their notes and see 5 lines of details to look over. I want to open it up and see something like "calling station/passive", "donk bet flop with middle pair and A showing", "chased gutshot draw", "overplayed top pair weak kicker", or "raised flush draw on the turn." I want notes on specific plays that are incorrect and that characterize my opponent well. I'll add in something like "calling station/passive" or "overaggressive" when I see a pattern.

[Kwaz]

I make notes if villian has a characteristic that may get me to make a big mistake. Or characteristics that I can take advantage of.

ie. gets out of line with underpairs
will 3bet and lead turn/river w/ overs
peels flops w/ [censored]
thnks 2nd pair is the nuts HU
Will call down any flop raise after a PFR.
will bet only made hands into PFRs.

etc etc

[V4P]

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I make notes if villian has a characteristic that may get me to make a big mistake. Or characteristics that I can take advantage of.

ie. gets out of line with underpairs
will 3bet and lead turn/river w/ overs
peels flops w/ [censored]
thnks 2nd pair is the nuts HU
Will call down any flop raise after a PFR.
will bet only made hands into PFRs.

etc etc

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I almost never take notes on players, but when I do its exactly what Kwazzie mentioned, as well as some along the lines of "RvrCR=Goods"

[Buzz-cp]

bumping one of my favs...

[Hoskinator]

important things to consider is

what they raise with
do they bluff - are they stealing pots with bluffs when no one hits the flop.
how aggressive are they preflop and postflop
how tight are they - tight players will often fold if they haven't hit the flop, you can use this to steal their blinds and bluff them
Showdowns - does a player always head for a showdown with any pair and don't bluff them if they do.
coldcall - what do they cold call with

without stats you want to get an idea of how many hands they play and what hands they raise with. If they are very loose then you can tell their hand strength from raising.