The state of 5NL for me

bozzer · #1 12-22-2006, 10:24 AM

Everyone says that 5NL is easy - you just sit there and wait to get paid off. I do think it's easy, the players are pretty shocking, but I rarely seem to get paid off. Am I doing something wrong?

TT gets two callers and I'm OOP

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

saw flop

SB ($7.72)
Boz ($4.95)
UTG ($2.03)
MP ($4.30)
Button ($4)

Preflop: Boz is BB with T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls $0.02, MP calls $0.02, Button calls $0.02, SB completes, Boz raises to $0.2, UTG calls $0.18, MP folds, Button calls $0.18, SB folds.

Flop: ($0.64) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
Boz bets $0.3, UTG folds, Button folds.

Now granted I have just won a decent pot when two people probably called a raise they shouldn't have. But they insta-called a massive raise. I then get lucky to not only not get an overcard, but also to hit my set. A check would be too fishy so I aim for a b3b and lead out weakly, and everyone insta-folds! I know this means they're calling with unpaired broadway, but I can't see how playing the hand this way will be be +EV in the long term. If two people call me with overcard junk, one of them will hit most of the time, right?

In general it seems like raising sucks, but I find playing passively sucks even more.

Sorry if this is BBV.

ImprovinNewbie · #2 12-22-2006, 10:26 AM

why not check this flop? you said it looks fishy but you're giving your vilians too much credit. they havent hit. there are no draws and no overs. the only way to extract is to check and hope for a bet. a c-raise will give your hand a way. check call and then lead the turn and hope to get raised. as played be happy with big call PF and there was no more to be made.

corsakh · #3 12-22-2006, 10:29 AM

Your thinking too much [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] They did not hit. If one of them hit a 3 you would have been paid.

lacrymosa · #4 12-22-2006, 10:32 AM

yeah, there will be times when you hit a monster and no one gets a piece of the flop. You played it fine though

Panthro · #5 12-22-2006, 10:37 AM

patience young padawan; Not all sets get paid.

Also, this is the type of board that misses most hands (rainbow flop w/ 1 high card, 2 low cards). And considering you have top set, it's unlikely anyone had anything to call with. Having said that, I'd STILL bet this flop all day @ 5NL.

Gelford · #6 12-22-2006, 10:48 AM

You played the hand fine !!!

It is just that you are misunderstanding this payoff business, for someone to pay you off, they still (even though it is 5NL) need to hit something.

This is a totally dry board and you have top set. The only thing that can call you is another set (very unlikely), a medium to big pocketpair not respecting the ten (88 thinking they are up against AK) and that is it.

Paying you off comes from one of these factors.

1. Villian hit a draw and chases.
2. Villian goes broke with top pair weak kicker (your AK-AJ killing A8-A2 on a ace high board)

or more rarely

3. Villian holds something like middle pair on a non-ace board and loses to your top pair.

Huge hands only get paid off when villian hits something too ... such is poker, at 5NL villian just need to hit a lot less than at higher stakes before he is willing to call off his entire stack.

#7 12-22-2006, 08:49 PM

Just have patience. sets are extremely profitable at 5NL, but as said earlier by other posters, villain must hit something. If a flop like 4 A T hits, you would have probably stacked somebody. Also, you play tight or loose? I played 23/12/2.2 at that level, and looked for tables with a low avg pot and a lot of players seing the flop. Bluffs doesn`t work, but continuation bets do.