My pre-flop stats are mysteriously tightening up. Fear?

[PokerSparky]

UTG folds, UTG+1 (30/17) raises, I fold KQo in the cutoff.

** I've been three betting or cold calling in this spot. Too loose?

UTG (26/20) raises, I fold AJo UTG+1.

** I'd three bet.


CO (37/15) open-raises, I fold 44 on the button.

** Me too.

Button (30/17, steals 23%) open-raises, I fold A2o in the small blind.

** Easy fold IMO.

UTG (unknown) raises, folds to mee in the small blind with KJo and I fold.

** Yep.

UTG (26/21) raises, I fold 66 UTG+1

** I would cold call and raise a raggy flop. Too loose?

UTG folds, UTG+1 (33/21) raises, next player (unknown)
three-bets, I fold 88 on the button.

** Yep.

UTG raises, folded to me (or one caller) in the small blind with ATo, I fold.

** Easy fold again IMO.

[sharpie]

[ QUOTE ]
I would 3bet with AJo in that spot, but I play all the rest the same as you.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Kwaz]

I could go either way on most of these decisions. I'm usually on the more aggressive side.

The first 3 and 6 would be fairly standard 3bets for me.

[sweetjazz]

All of your plays are okay. The KQ and AJ hands are usually marginally profitable when played and usually 3-betting is better than cold calling.

Certainly passing up on these hands is not what is causing your downswing. Probably a lot of it is variance. The rest is no doubt due to postflop play. Are you failing to bet in certain spots postflop b/c of your bad run? Often those decisions can be very costly.

Given how tight you are preflop (which is okay), you should probably be seeing more than 35% of showdowns. You may not be getting to showdown cheaply with marginal hands and perhaps putting yourself in spots where aggressive players can push you off the best hand.

I assume you still get value out of your big hands (overpairs, sets, etc.) when you do hit thmm, as most players online would give you action with middle pair no kicker even if your preflop stats were 1/1.

[SpaceAce]

[ QUOTE ]
All of your plays are okay. The KQ and AJ hands are usually marginally profitable when played and usually 3-betting is better than cold calling.

[/ QUOTE ]

I very rarely cold-call.

[ QUOTE ]
Certainly passing up on these hands is not what is causing your downswing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not worried about these plays causing me to lose; I am worried about my losing causing these plays. I think getting my ass kicked is making me scared.

[ QUOTE ]
Given how tight you are preflop

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not, which is part of the reason for this post. I have gone from almost 30/20 to 22/15 in the past two months. This is definitely contrary to the style of play I've developed and employed over the last three or four years.

[ QUOTE ]
I assume you still get value out of your big hands (overpairs, sets, etc.) when you do hit thmm, as most players online would give you action with middle pair no kicker even if your preflop stats were 1/1.

[/ QUOTE ]

I get plenty of theoretical value from those hands. In practice, they're not doing so hot. This post isn't really about how much I'm losing, though. I just want to figure out if I am starting to let the constant beatings turn me into a weak-tighty who will end up getting run over.

Spaceace

[gwyneth]

how have your blind steal/defence numbers changed?

[Dendrite]

[ QUOTE ]

I assume you still get value out of your big hands (overpairs, sets, etc.) when you do hit thmm, as most players online would give you action with middle pair no kicker even if your preflop stats were 1/1.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL. so true

[SpaceAce]

[ QUOTE ]
how have your blind steal/defence numbers changed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I am stealing and defending less so far this month. That could be a sample size issue, though, since I only have a few thousand hands in August.

SpaceAce