Get Your Noob Out-uNL edition

[rh2020]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Michael Fish]

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

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

Many thanks

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

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

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

[Rev. Good Will]

100bb stacks, 6handed for all examples

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

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

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

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

[Montezuma21]

[ QUOTE ]
100NL

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

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

[/ QUOTE ]

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

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

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

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

[Archon_Wing]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[CaptUnlucky]

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

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

[Triggerle]

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

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

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

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

</font>

[/ QUOTE ]
Just to clarify.

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

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

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

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

</font>

[Leviathan101]

Lot of questions. This is a great idea.

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

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


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

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

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

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

[SmallPotJeff]

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

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

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



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

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

[jumbojacks]

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

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

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