Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

Is this how no limit works usually? I've been playing for a hot second now (about 3 years) and constantly working on my game, but this is still the way things go, more so online than Live. The basic gist is that people are smart, and they know when I have a hand and fold, letting me win a minipot. Or they try to hit a set/two pair, by calling the preflop raise, and then dump after failure to do so. However, when they do hit I usually give away more than i've won in the whole session just making normal value bets, until the "I've made a set/drawn out on you" bet rears it's ugly head.

Is this normal? Sorry if it sounds like a whine, I guess at heart it is but i'm sure I'm missing something.

A concrete example of this situation is given below this, and in regards to the river bet, if i'm ever stupid enough to call it with one pair i lose, and after doing that about 50 times I finally realize this.

In fact getting raised period online, especially after the flop, usually means any of my one pair hands are beat...

Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.10/$0.25 Blinds - 9 Players - (LegoPoker Hand History Converter)

SB: $11.65
BB: $25.00
Hero (UTG): $28.00
UTG+1: $14.95
MP1: $15.75
MP2: $28.25
MP3: $15.95
CO: $25.90
BTN: $19.10

Preflop: Hero is dealt J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (9 Players)
<font color="red">Hero raises to $0.85</font>, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $0.85, 5 folds, BB calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.65) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 Players)
BB checks, <font color="red">Hero bets $2.00</font>, MP1 calls $2.00, BB folds

Turn: ($6.65) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets $3.00</font>, MP1 calls $3.00

River: ($12.65) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets $3.50</font>, <font color="red">MP1 raises all-in to $9.90</font>, Hero folds
Uncalled bet of $6.40 returned to MP1

Pot Size: $19.65 ($0.95 Rake)

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

Just pot the turn and get it in on the river. It sounds like you are playing too tight and thus not getting any action on your made hands.

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

try 6 max?

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

The fold seems all right. That's a really horrible river card, by the way, and I don't think I'd even bother trying to block the river. I'd just check and see how much Villain bet and then make a decision. But the blocker may be okay. It gets some value from JT or AT or QT, and basically it's just a tough spot.

As for your more general question, yes, it seems to me that losing small pots and winning big ones will sometimes seem like the norm for a TAG who is playing against people who are looser than him but know how to fold postflop. Especially if the TAG is running bad. I mean, your thread title does describe how I've been feeling lately [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]. I mean, I loved this one guy who was sitting two seats to my left last night until he called my 7x BB preflop open-raise with his 84o (I raised that big because I figured he would call) and then cracked my aces with flopped two pair, stacking me in the process, then luckboxed his way into another big pot win a few hands later against someone else, and then left the table. The guy in question would've peeled a J83 flop too, but he was unlikely to play for stacks with middle pair, so the only way I could've stacked him on the hand would have been for him to make his miracle two pair or better at the same time I either flopped a bigger monster or counterfeited him.

Still, he will lose money on that preflop call over the long run -- in fact, it's not even particularly close -- so there is that.

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

Bet like $5 on turn and check river.

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

You are showing how you feel about your hand through the way you size your bets.
Pre-f you like it
Flop you bet 2/3 so you like it
Turn you be 1/2 pot....becoming scared
River.....bet 1/4 pot omg please don't reraise me my hand sucks


You made your mistake on the turn where you decided to not continue betting 2/3 pot

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

Just check river and call anything less than 1/2 pot sized.

Don't let it get you down too much when you get cracked by two pair or better. When you look at it objectively those hands are very rare, and you will win a lot of raised pots when they miss 90% of the time (or get paid off by middle pair). Unfortunately being agressive means that you often pay a lot when you get beaten by two pair. It's the same for all TAGs, don't worry about it.

Your other point was that people seem to fold on the flop when you make your hand. The simple solution is to cbet more often. Cbetting can feel weird at times but if you get it right it works a treat in the long run. Some analysis of your cbetting stats may help with this matter.

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

I play TAG and also lose big pots more frequently than I should.

I think the key is to "listen" to their bets. You said that they know how &amp; when to fold and will dump their hand if they miss. So, you can somewhat certain that if they haven't dumped their hand that they caught a piece of the flop and you should proceed with caution.

Keeping an eye on their WTSD stat might also help you with this.

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

Turn bet is way too small.

He hit a flush on river.

Re: Winning small pots, losing big pots...
 

I pot the turn 3 and check fold the river. Too many hands beat you, theres a straight out there though its more likely he caught that club not king. Pot sized bet on the turn really makes him pay for that draw. 6.65 buck pot with a 3 buck bet is still over 3-1 plus he figures he gets paid if he hits so no way does he muck here. Thats a deal.