Some Basic NL questions

[Jonathan]

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Hello David. Welcome to SSNL. I also enjoyed reading your weekly updates. You comment that the games you are used to play have dried up, do you mean for a time or that you don't think there's a profit to be made from them anymore?

1) I would say 5PTBB = 10BB (big blind) is a good winrate.


dardo

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I'd like some clarrification on this point, since I don't
understand this too well myself. From the PokerTracker
documentation:

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BB/100 Hands - big bets won per 100 hands played. FOR NO-LIMIT/POT-LIMIT GAMES, a big bet is considered to be 2 times the big blind amount. If the big blind amount is $0.50 then a big bet is considered to be $1.


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So if your PTBB/100 figure is 1, then your big blinds per
100 hands is 0.5. Or, if you PTBB/100 figure is 5, then
your big blinds per 100 hands is 2.5.

Correct?

This is 1/4 the number that dardo and others give.

Suerte,
Jonathan

[whiteladder81]

opposite Jonathan... in 100nl a ptbb= $2

[AKQJ10]

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Correct?

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No, as the other response said, you have it backwards.

But seriously, the fact that you even have to do this math is a bug in Poker Tracker that comes from kludging a product written for limit games to accomodate big-bet games. If I go start a thread on their forum requesting the enhancement to show stats in BIG BLINDS per 100 hands, i.e. a meaningful NLHE statistic, will anyone back me up so that we might get that enhancement?

"Poker Tracker Big Bets".... phbbbbbt...

[Isura]

You should read the Ciaffone NL book and also the new Sklansky book. It will help you acquire some of the basic big bet poker stuff very quickly.

1) Winrates are measured in bb/100 (in Pokertracker). For the mid limits, a decent multitabler can make 3-5 ptbb/100. A very good/great player can make 5+ (even at 3/6 NL) because these games are very good right now and many people still don't understand short-handed NL.

2) 2/4 is not much different from 1/2. Players still call too much. But you'll also see more stupid bluffs now.

3) Choosing a stack size to play is a personal preference. Many here will say to play a full stack (100bb), but that is not essential when learning the game. IMO a 70bb stack is perfect for a new player. You can still play your pocket pairs, suited aces for implied odds in limped pots, and you have enough $ to still bet on the flop and turn. It is also easier to get 70bb allin with your big hands, so you'll double up easier and get unwarranted action since you have a 'short' stack. But in the long run you will want to play as deep as possible. Stack depth essentially determines your skill edge in NLHE (ignoring extreme short stack situations, where you can have a huge edge against idiots).

4) This is fine if you feel that there are a few better players at the table and you don't feel comfortable playing a deep stack with them. Remember deep stacks -> more decisions. So play deeper if you feel confident in making more correct decisions than your opponents on the big streets (turn and river).

Bet sizing is a powerful and flexible tool in NL. It can be subtle and non-intuitive at times. Read the forums a lot, and read the Sklanksky book to get some general ideas. Experience is the best teacher though. After a while it is obvious what to bet in certain spots, and you know what size bets people will call.

[JoaoPinto]

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It also seems that people on flush draws will call any amount. I'm used to betting just enough to make a flush draw -EV, but I'm wondering if you make over sized bets if you suspect they are drawing?

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I'd only make oversized bets like this against drawers in a tournament. The reason being in a tournament you need chips and don't want callers even if they don't have the odds. In a cash game though it doesn't matter if they draw out on you as long as you can fold the hand. You want a call and just need to bet enough to get a mistake.

[AKQJ10]

No, you want to bet enough to maximize EV. If they're likely call too much with a flush draw, you want to bet "too much" to induce the biggest possible mistake. I routine bet my big hands much bigger in the Foxwoods $1-2 than in the Party 50c-$1 because no one can part with a flush draw in the live game.

Don't settle for inducing small mistakes when you could induce bigger mistakes.

[vulturesrow]

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It also seems that people on flush draws will call any amount. I'm used to betting just enough to make a flush draw -EV, but I'm wondering if you make over sized bets if you suspect they are drawing?

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I'd only make oversized bets like this against drawers in a tournament. The reason being in a tournament you need chips and don't want callers even if they don't have the odds. In a cash game though it doesn't matter if they draw out on you as long as you can fold the hand. You want a call and just need to bet enough to get a mistake.

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This is completely wrong. You need to bet as much as you think they will call with incorrect odds. If you think they will call an overbet with a draw, then overbet.

[Colonel Kataffy]

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No, you want to bet enough to maximize EV. If they're likely call too much with a flush draw, you want to bet "too much" to induce the biggest possible mistake. I routine bet my big hands much bigger in the Foxwoods $1-2 than in the Party 50c-$1 because no one can part with a flush draw in the live game.

Don't settle for inducing small mistakes when you could induce bigger mistakes.

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I just like to bet a fair amount. No need to be greedy.

[Jonathan]

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opposite Jonathan... in 100nl a ptbb= $2

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I dont play party. What is the small blind and what is
the big blind in a $100NL game?

Jonathan

[whiteladder81]

.5sb-1bb...1ptbb=2bb