why am i so bad?

[ShaneP]

[ QUOTE ]
thank you for some of the input.

i think ione of my biggest problems is my ego gets involved. i think "anyone can play tight. but a good player would be able to play some less than premium hands by using position and betting the proper amount". usually this ends with me going bust after my opponents call in situations that are technically incorrect. i think i may be relying too much on the strict mathmatics. i would almost never call with only a draw unless the pot was offering me correct odds. yet time after time, my top pair is getting drawn out against even when i make it incorrect to call.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does that include paying off if their draw hits? If it does, then you're making money and good decisions. If you're making the *pot* odds incorrect to call, but the *implied* odds are there then your opponents aren't making a mistake. I'm only saying this because I picked up on you saying the 'put was offering me corect odds'...if that was just a slip of the mind, fine, but if not...that could be one of your problems.

That is, on the turn betting 1/2 the pot, thinking you're pricing out a straight or flush draw, but then on the river you'll call a pot sized bet, your opponent is actually calling 1 to win 8, which makes your opponent's play correct. Now, you can't run away from any hand you don't have the nuts, but if you bet a bit bigger, or don't automatically pay off if the draw hits, you can make it wrong for your opponent to play that way.

Shane

[GeeBeeQED]

You've not said how big the game is or where your playing.

If your game is loaded with donks calling against pot odds it can be a very difficult situation. First, if you've got one or two of these in the pot with you, they are calling on the flop no mater what you bet (usually) with open enders, naked aces, overs and flush draws. I take a little more risk here for less variance. I'll check the flop more often and make my "get out of my pot bet" on the turn. I'll still often bet the flop when I hit or think I'm ahead against this kind of player but I'll bet less and save the pot size bet for the turn. Even a total idiot often won't call the big bet with 1 card to come on a pure draw. With 2 to come they'll often call anything. I'm mostly about lowering my variance in these situations and trying to take many small bites of flesh when I'm ahead while not risking a huge percentage of my stack against this type of player without a very big hand (2 pair/set or better), Break them, don't let them break you when they get lucky.

[ochoduece]

shane,

if there was no preflop raise, and the flop is checked to me in position, i'll usually bet the pot with top pair against a draw on the flop. even with a weak kicker.

[Gonso]

Ocho, couple of quick questions:

1) What limits are you playing and are they MTTs, or SNGs?
2) What books have you read?
3) What books have you read more than once?
4) Are you part of any sites like Stoxtrader or Cardrunners?
5) How many tournies have you played?

and

6) have you gone to the NLHE forum for the limits you play, and read the FAQ there?


Answer those and it will be easier to kinda figure out where you're at.

[chromerims]

try whipping it out

[Gonso]

[ QUOTE ]
try whipping it out

[/ QUOTE ]

Try shutting the [censored] up. Pokerclaudio and Emmadilemma can shut their pieholes too. WTF are your problems?

This thread could have gone somewhere better but OP has a legit, honest post and wants to improve. Certainly better than all of these BS intro posts we see here all the time, feel free to flame those guys instead.

[Yepitis]

Maybe try a limit game as this forces you to understand the technical side of the game and the bad beats don't cost you as much.

[celiholic]

i guess you should stop reading book, and jus play more !

experiences is the key, you concentrate too much on the technical side of the game, and you should learn the art of the game, you are playing the players ! the math and theory is important, but the hardest is to find the most profitable play at a certain situation with imcompleted infomations

[LarryLaughs]

Learn pot control.

My game improved a lot when I realized I do not have to try for big pots with top pair or overpair. Mid-small pots are good enough. Not to say that you should not be agressive, but do not build monster pots with your top pair/top kicker.

[mattak]

me

3 years losing money. not taking it seriously or playing lots
1 year break even. read lots, studied lots.
winning ever since, still read and study, work on my game outside of actually playing everyday

keep at it. play more. think more.