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[Inflammable Slinky]

Ok, I had this really awesome first post all typed up and then my word processor crashed so eff that.


Welcome to Poker!


Q: I have no idea what beats what. How do you play this game again?

A: This is a nice summary of the basic rules of poker: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/basic-rules.html

Q: So wait, do you play with a five card hand or do you play that weird way in Casino Royale?

A: It just so happens that there are many variations on poker. Five Card Draw is the basic type, No Limit Texas Hold'em (NLHE) is the variation featured in Casino Royale. NLHE is the most popular version of poker in America right now. There's also Pot Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Razz, and a variety of others. All types of games are welcome in this thread!

Q: No Limit? What does that mean? How does it differ from Fixed Limit?

A: No Limit means just that, there is no maximum bet size or raise that you can put in the pot. In Fixed Limit, one generally can only bet an addition Big Blind in size, or double that in some games. Both NL and FL are pretty distinct, but don't start doing FL if you want to do NL and vice versa. While both games will teach you important poker skills, alot of specific techniques don't fair well outside of that specific game.

Q: I tried looking online at poker sites and everyone is talking in this weird voodoo language!

A: There are dozens upon dozens of poker terms and slang. Here's a dictionary I used to get familiar with the terminology: http://www.seriouspoker.com/dictionary.html

Q: So how do you get started in this?

A: The two most important things for a beginner are reading books and bankroll management.

Q: Reading? What is this class?

A: Get used to it! Being a great poker player involves a ton of studying! Anyone who is serious about poker uses strategy from reading books books and more books. In fact, only 2 types of people play poker and don't read books: shitty players, and liars!

For those starting out, I would recommend Phil Gordon's Little Green Book as what you read first. After that, if you plan on doing cash games, read Harrington on Cash Games Vol 1 and 2. If you want to do tournaments, read Harrington on Hold em.

You can also find general getting started guide at www.ultimatepokerbankroll.com

Q: What's bankroll management?

A: The most important thing for new players to do! Bankroll management is how we deal with the fact that poker is, frankly, lucked based to an extent. Having a proper bankroll for your stake prevents variance from busting you to zero! You want to have a certain amount of Buy-Ins (normally 100BB) for the no limit stake you are playing. For example, NL2 has a .02 BB, so you will want 30 BI to make a $60. For Sit n Gos, 30 BI is standard as well.

Q: Variance?

A: The best friend and the worst enemy of any poker player. Simply put, because the game is based on luck to some extent, even when you make the correct play, the wrong card can come and make you lose and entire Buy-in. Sometimes horrible players will just go on a hot streak and win tons of cash, and sometimes expert players will have the entire deck conspire against them.

Q: Alright, I'm ready to tackle the tables? What should I do to get started?

A: Well firstly, pick a site! The biggest ones in the US are Pokerstars.com and FullTiltpoker.com. Outside of the US, you can play on Fortune Poker, and I hate you because that site is so much more fishy than the US sites. But before you deposit, you should be aware of Bonus whoring and Rakeback

Most poker sites will match your initial first deposit 100%. So if you deposit $50, they'll give you $50 in bonus. Now, they don't just give it to you, you have to play a certain (large) number of hands and your bonus will be given out in increments.

For Full Tilt and Pokerstars, the first time deposit bonus is 100% up to $600. Obviously, if you can spare it, it will be to your advantage to deposit more rather than lesser. However, this takes awhile to clear. When I started out, it took me about 90 days of obsessive playing NL2 and NL5 to clear my bonus of $180. So don't sweat it too much.

Rakeback: This is a grinder's best friend. Rake is the take of the house that is deducted from every pot. Thus "Rakeback" is a certain percentage of the rake that is returned to your account after a certain amount of time. For example, Full Tilt offers 27% rakeback, so if I generate $20 of rake in the hands I play, I will get $5.40 back. Over time this adds up and is critical to long term winnings. Rakeback is generally provided through 3rd parties called affiliates


WARNING!!!!!!! If you deposit without signing up for Rakeback on Full Tilt, and possibly other sites You will not be able to get rakeback!!!!

With that out of the way, I use www.rakebackresource.com as my affiliate. I have nothing but good things to say about them, and they have a bunch of guides on the site as well. Also I have no idea about any others.

If you are feeling generous, if you decide to use rakebackresource, use my email as the referral, and I get a small bonus at no cost to you! (My email is in my profile [plz dont spam me])

Note: Pokerstars doesn't offer rakeback, but they charge less rake than Full Tilt at the micros, so it's kind of a wash.

The purpose of this thread

We're gonna help each other out! Ask all the stupid questions that you want, rage about how poker is rigged, all that good stuff. Posting Hand histories is a great way to analyze your play. You can use the hand converter on this site to make it more readable: poker-tools.flopturnriver.com/Hand-Converter.php

Note: Do not post results of the hands. The results don't matter, all you should be interested is whether or not you made the correct play with the info you had.


Quick Links:

www.twoplustwo.com- Huge poker site, lots of strategy threads and and community in general

www.pokerstove.com- free program to calculate equity and hand ranges

www.pokertracker.com- tracking program that lets you store and analyze all your hands. Also includes a HUD that works while you play. Has a 60 day free trial.

www.holdemmanager.com- tracking program I use. I like it better than PT3, but it only has a 15 day free trial

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=418931- the GAF homegame thread. We play Sit n Gos every week on saturday on Pokerstars. Join up, fool!

In later posts I'll add some overviews of pokersites, how to set up a HUD, and basic strategy.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Alright, it’s time to put more work into this topic, so I’m gonna share my Hold em Manager set up.

I won't get into how to make your HUD like this, there are plenty of tutorials on youtube.

Here’s a picture from a typical table that I play.

That’s a lot of numbers, ain’t it? Let’s break it down. The first line is the most important to know.

NAME: Just to make sure I have my windows lined up correctly. These stats become awkward if I have them on the wrong player.


VPIP: Volunteer to put money in pot. How often the player will limp (call one BB) or raise preflop. If they have a VPIP of 15 or lower, they are total nits, and will generally only play pairs and high broadways. 15-25 is a very standard VPIP, and they will generally play an average range, mostly pocket pairs and good broadways in early position, some good suited connectors in later position. 30-40 is playing pretty loose, they will pretty much play any suited connector from any position, and 40+ VPIP means they are playing absolute fucking trash half the time they put money in.

PFR: Stands for Pre Flop Raise. What percentage of the time they raise preflop. This doesn’t mean much on their own, so you look for the ratio of PFR/VPIP. A villain running 50VPIP/10PFR will want to get involved in a bunch of pots, but will only raise if they have a pretty good hand. 25VPIP/15PFR is a standard tight aggressive style, they will open raise a lot of their hands, the might limp suited connectors or small pocket pairs. 30VPIP/30PFR means they will always raise if they play in the pot, so you can’t learn anything from a raise about the strength of their hand.

AF: Aggression Factor. The ratio of bet +Raise/check+call post flop. A high number here means they will be more aggressive post flop than the true strength of their cards warrant. Anything 10 and up means you have a maniac who loves to bluff, from 9-3AF you have someone who will raise a lot, more than they should. Around 2AF is pretty standard, they will bet when they have it and check when they don’t. Less than one means they are pretty passive and will generally call to showdown.

A word of advice. If they villain is running 0.6AF over 100 hands, and on the turn they suddenly raise you, WATCH THE FUCK OUT. If a passive player ever becomes aggressive you need to reevaluate your hand strength. As a rule, of course

SD Went to showdown percentage. The amount of time the villain will go to showdown. If they are less than 10% SD, they bet like fucking crazy whenever they are in a pot and force a fold if their opponent doesn’t have a hand. From 20% to 30% SD is pretty standard, they’ll go to showdown with strong hands, and check/call to showdown with marginal hands if the price is cheap. 30%-40%, they really don’t like to fold, 50% they absolutely hate to fold and it’s time to value bet! Anything higher than that, and the villain is a fabled calling station, in which case ALL ABOARD TO VALUETOWN!

CBET: The percentage of time the villain will make a cbet on the flop. A continuation bet is a bet on the flop when you are the Preflop Raiser. It’s a pretty good idea to do because it’s continuing your aggression and is pretty likely to take down the flop a lot of the time. That said, if a villain has 80% or more CBET stat, then they are cbetting a lot when they got a draw or even air. I believe the two cards will make a pair or better on the flop about 33% of the time.

fCBET Fold to cbet percentage. How often the villain folds to a cbet. Pretty much tells me when I should cbet without a hand. If they have a 100%fcbet, then I should make a cbet with any 2 cards. Similarily, if they never fold to a cbet, I better not try to bluff them off the flop.

asB Attempt to steal blinds. How often the villain will open raise from the CO, OTB, and from the SB. If they have 40% or more, then they are starting to open very loose to steal blinds. In that case, I might begin to call behind to defend my blinds more wide. If they never steal, then 1) they are a bad player since they are missing out on value 2) I better not call them without pretty good hole cards.

fBS Fold to blind steal. How often they will fold to a steal. I try to sit to the right of players with a very high fold to steal percentage, since it is free money for me. If they have 70% or more of a fold to steal, then I can open raise with literally any 2 cards and come out with a profit before we even get to the flop.

3b: How often the villain 3bets, or reraises, preflop. A pure value range of Jacks, Queens, Kings, Aces, AK, AQ for three betting will look like about 5-7%, any more than that and they are 3bettting with non-premium hands. This takes hundreds of hands to converge, so don’t try to conclude too much without enough hands.

f3b: If you’ve picked up on the pattern, I’m sure you’ve guessed this is fold to 3bet percentage. Again, this takes hundreds of hands to be accurate, but eventually you can start to see opportunities to 3bet someone light if they tend to fold a lot to 3bets. Likewise, if they never fold, you can open up your 3bet range (although this is a bad idea for someone just starting out, so take it slow)

BB/100 Winnings per hundred hands. I want to play with losing players for obvious reasons. That said, BB/100 can take literally thousands of hands to become accurate, so don’t worry too much about this stat.

Hands played I have this stat because I need to know how many hands are reflected in my other stats. With 40 hands or more, I can begin to trust VPIP and PFR to be accurate. More than 100 hands, I can look at the other stats with some confidence.


Whew, that’s a lot to take in, ain’t it? If you feel overwhelmed, just focus on the top line, and worry about the rest as you get more experienced.

I’ll do a post later on about seat and table selection.

 

[Cooter]

Nice OP. I plan on being a regular. Been playing for about 10 years. It's the most frustrating game by far. Only game I know of where you play perfect and lose. It can teach you a lot about life and yourself.

 

[TheOMan]

Excellent thread idea! Thanks for the heads up on Fortune Poker as well, it's a grind on FullTilt and Pokerstars.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

It's been a while since I've read hold em books for absolute beginners, but is the Phil Gordon book really that good? I don't remember being too enamored by it when it first came out.

Along with the Harrington books, I like Ed Miller's stuff - particularly his small stakes book if you like to play micro cash games online or stick to low-limit tables in B&Ms.

 

[Juanadams]

Awesome, I play a weekly NLHE cash game with friends, I would love to expand my play.

 

[parrotbeak]

What changes, if any, should I make to my online game to compensate for programs like poker tracker?

In live games against people I play hours and hours against, I'll use Harrington's randomizer to occasionally change up my play (ie, if the seconds on the clock are between 1-40, play normal, between 41-59 do something different). But online or against casual casino players that I'll never see again, I'll play a normal tight aggressive game. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do against online players using a program to track my style.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Nice OP. I tried playing on FT for a few years but just can't stand not having the human interaction. So I quit last year to just play strictly live, and also not as often. I could never really get used to the pace of online poker, or the constant swings.

I would suggest anyone getting into it for the first time have patience and don't play over your head and you should do just fine. The patience part is just really hard to get used to in my experience. If you have trouble with it I would suggest trying to set yourself rules that would help you pace yourself better. Set a limit of games you want to play during each sitting, and amount of losses you will take before you take a break from playing. All of these things will help you not get frustrated and will end up helping you in the long run.

What changes, if any, should I make to my online game to compensate for programs like poker tracker?

In live games against people I play hours and hours against, I'll use Harrington's randomizer to occasionally change up my play (ie, if the seconds on the clock are between 1-40, play normal, between 41-59 do something different). But online or against casual casino players that I'll never see again, I'll play a normal tight aggressive game. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do against online players using a program to track my style.

I think it depends on what stakes you are playing and also what type of games(SnG tourneys, multi-tables, or ring games). If you are strictly playing low stakes I would just stick with your normal play style. You won't really encounter too many people more than once or twice, and many times it won't be for too long.

If you are playing higher stakes the likelyhood that you will see people mutliple times will go up. At first I would stick to your normal play style and see how it suits you and wait and see if you can pick up on anyone picking up on your play style.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

What changes, if any, should I make to my online game to compensate for programs like poker tracker?

In live games against people I play hours and hours against, I'll use Harrington's randomizer to occasionally change up my play (ie, if the seconds on the clock are between 1-40, play normal, between 41-59 do something different). But online or against casual casino players that I'll never see again, I'll play a normal tight aggressive game. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do against online players using a program to track my style.

You should just stick to your game. The likelihood of someone being in the same games as you often enough to build up a sufficient amount of data on you to establish a play style is pretty low. You usually want at least 10,000 hands of data before you make any serious assumptions of someone's typical style. With small sample sizes, someone who may appear overly tight or overly laggy may actually have legitimate reasons to justify those appearances, after all.

 

[Cooter]

If you're serious about playing online tracking software is a must. The players are too good and you need every edge you can get.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

What changes, if any, should I make to my online game to compensate for programs like poker tracker?

In live games against people I play hours and hours against, I'll use Harrington's randomizer to occasionally change up my play (ie, if the seconds on the clock are between 1-40, play normal, between 41-59 do something different). But online or against casual casino players that I'll never see again, I'll play a normal tight aggressive game. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do against online players using a program to track my style.

Generally everything I've been advised about is to stick with solid ABC poker. Basically, almost all of the advance techniques are for deception and balancing your range.

The problem with deception at the micros almost no one is really paying attention to what your doing. If you want to deceive a player you really need them to be thinking about what you should do, and its just not profitable to assume even TAGs and regs in the micros are capable of adjusting.


@xia In all honesty, little green book includes alot of advice that simply doesnt apply at the micros. But you've got to start somewhere, and Gordon does cover pretty good spots for the absolute beginnner.

I get most of my strategy from cardrunners.com or deucescracked these days.

 

[VALIS]

I made a catch-all poker thread late last year, it had about 150 posts before it fizzled out. Hopefully this one does better.

Me and my girlfriend play a lot. Well, we used to (3-4 days a week, plus online on the side) until we realized how much we were playing and cut it back to 1, sometimes 2 games a week. Our weekly home game is too much fun, about 15 players, all of whom are good so you never know who's going to win, plus lots of lewd conversation, pot and booze. We have two poker tables in our living room just to accommodate. My favorite night of the week by a mile.

Biggest advice for beginners: PATIENCE. Wait for your good hands, and if you don't get any all night, it sucks but that happens. Also don't be afraid to fold. When I remember those guidelines, I do great. But when I get bored, impatient, have a grudge against someone or just want to try my luck, I do poorly. Also, unless you're playing with the same people frequently, I wouldn't bother looking for tendencies, tells and other tipoffs. Too much extraneous, potentially unreliable information. Just play your cards.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (5 handed) - Full Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($13.70)
UTG ($8.13)
MP ($16.11)
Button ($5.22)
Hero (SB) ($13.70)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K:c:, Q:c:
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero bets $0.18, 1 fold, MP calls $0.13

Flop: ($0.41) K:s:, K:h:, 4:h: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.25, MP calls $0.25

Turn: ($0.91) 8:h: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.60, MP raises to $1.20, Hero ?


Villain was running 58/12 over 20 hands. I really hate give up to a minraise just because a flush comes in, but the minraise is so often the nuts at the micros. Crying fold? Call, with the intention of folding a river shove?

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (5 handed) - Full Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($13.70)
UTG ($8.13)
MP ($16.11)
Button ($5.22)
Hero (SB) ($13.70)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K:c:, Q:c:
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero bets $0.18, 1 fold, MP calls $0.13

Flop: ($0.41) K:s:, K:h:, 4:h: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.25, MP calls $0.25

Turn: ($0.91) 8:h: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.60, MP raises to $1.20, Hero ?


Villain was running 58/12 over 20 hands. I really hate give up to a minraise just because a flush comes in, but the minraise is so often the nuts at the micros. Crying fold? Call, with the intention of folding a river shove?

At least a call, as you have the implied odds for improving to a boat or higher and I can see the villain calling in that situation often enough with a flush or even a smaller boat in case he has pocket 4s or 8s (though that obviously lowers your chances of outdrawing him).

There's also the chance he thinks Ace high is good enough and he either has you outkicked or thinks you may be on a draw if he doesn't believe you have the King or the made flush. Not enough data to know for sure of course, but with 58/12 you never know.

Biggest advice for beginners: PATIENCE. Wait for your good hands, and if you don't get any all night, it sucks but that happens. Also don't be afraid to fold. When I remember those guidelines, I do great. But when I get bored, impatient, have a grudge against someone or just want to try my luck, I do poorly. Also, unless you're playing with the same people frequently, I wouldn't bother looking for tendencies, tells and other tipoffs. Too much extraneous, potentially unreliable information. Just play your cards.

I think it's a lot easier to learn patience in online poker than it is in live play if you're using software like Poker Tracker that lets you know how loose/tight you're playing - having that breakdown per position can really open your eyes to the leaks in your game. That and the much faster deals and ability to multi-table really help. I still much prefer the live B&M experience though.

 

[parrotbeak]

Generally everything I've been advised about is to stick with solid ABC poker. Basically, almost all of the advance techniques are for deception and balancing your range.

Ya, that's the main thing I've had to keep reminding myself playing online. I've only played in $1/2 live games for the last 3-4 years in the same circuit of a few hundred local players, so non-standard play has become ingrained in me. Keep telling myself, nope, just play by the books.

That makes sense that people online won't get enough data on me unless I'm playing in the smaller pool of higher stakes players.

 

[Cooter]

There is no one answer when it comes to playing style. It''s based on variables such as quality of opponents, table dynamics, stack sizes and your expertise among other things. ABC poker is fine but may not maximize your profit. Generally speaking I'd say position, people and aggression are the keys to being a consistent winner.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

There is no one answer when it comes to playing style. It''s based on variables such as quality of opponents, table dynamics, stack sizes and your expertise among other things. ABC poker is fine but may not maximize your profit. Generally speaking I'd say position, people and aggression are the keys to being a consistent winner.

Correct. If you know how to adjust your game to take advantage of the playing style of your table (i.e. typical small stakes stuff you see with loose-passive micro online games or low-limit B&M games), then you can move away from ABC poker for better profitability.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Strategy for Beginners!


This thread helped me understand what, exactly, ABC poker in the micros is

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/69/micro-stakes-pl-nl/moving-up-through-unl-2010-a-676130/

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Strategy for Beginners!


This thread helped me understand what, exactly, ABC poker in the micros is

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/69/micro-stakes-pl-nl/moving-up-through-unl-2010-a-676130/

I think we need to specify in posts like this what kind of game we're talking about. In this case, it would be no limit cash games.

I say this because some people I helped out when they started out preferred learning the basics on limit tables as it was easier to figure out odds in your head during the heat of the moment and there was less things to worry about compared to no limit. Granted, most of this was during live play so there's a lot of other variables to worry about (table etiquette, etc) plus you needed a much lower bankroll for small stakes limit than for small stakes no limit, but I can see people feeling the same way with online poker in terms of limit vs no-limit.

Also, we should probably also spell out in more general terms what we're posting if we really want to make this a newbie friendly thread. The new or casual player isn't going to know wtf we're referring to if we keep dropping VPIP/PFR numbers everywhere.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Yeah, I'm going to put my HUD display in and describe what the stats are and their various functions. Later, though, since I have so many deadlines right now

 

[Cooter]

I know the odds are slim but does anyone who frequents this thread live in Reno? Love to play live with a fellow GAFer.

 

[Cooter]

Yeah, I know I double posted but this thread needs a bump. Purchased Holdem Manager today? Any tips or shortcuts anyone can offer?

 

[BankaiZaraki]

I play with my friends just about every weekend. It's a good stress reliever to unwind from a long week and bullshit around and waste 5-10 dollars here and there.

 

[K.Jack]

I can't stand playing with a HUD. I had been playing online for like five years, before I even knew they existed.

I tried out the Poker Tracker Omaha, but I never really felt a synergy. I mostly use the study of hand histories and meditation to plug the leaks in my game.

My best advice to a beginner would be to get used to the idea, of losing when you have played everything correctly. Learning early on, to accept that "bad beats" are a s, will save you a lot of the money that gets spewed once you're on tilt. In my first few years I won and burned thousands on the account of a single bad beat.

 

[parrotbeak]

I've never used a tracker either. When I played a lot online years back, I would write notes constantly on other players. Sure, you will likely never see them again and the note won't be useful in itself, but it gives you something to do while not in a hand and makes you pay attention to how people are playing. If I don't take notes, I have trouble paying attention playing online, cuz it's so easy to browse the net or watch tv. It also prepares you for taking mental notes in live play, breaking down the important details of a hand quickly, remembering the sequence of events, and trying to attach significance to the details to help you understand how the opponent thinks.

Ya, bad beats are part of the game, as are coolers. First time you lose your stack with quads against a str8 flush sucks ass. But it happens, and you benefit a lot from coolers when you get them. Once you get used to it, you can control your emotions. Or at least know that your emotions aren't in control and take a break.

Taking breaks online is way easier than taking a break live. If you go on a bad beat run in a live game right after you get there, or realize you're not playing well, it takes a lot of discipline to call it an early night. I'd often carpool with friends to live games, so in those situations, I have to go for a walk outside or meditate in my car, and then jump back in before people wonder why you disappeared.

You don't want it to be too obvious; make like you have to make a call or go on an atm run. If another player tells me they took a break to calm down after a bad beat, or if a player goes home because they realize they're playing poorly, I will be more wary against them in the future. The best games are when people don't really think you're very good (or just think they are way better) and get careless. Intimidation is fine, but you have to play kinda loose aggressive to make the most of that, which will increase your variance.

 

[Stridone]

Another recommendation for beginners is Pokerstrategy. They give you a free $50 bankroll on any pokersite. You have to play a certain amount of hands before you can cash the $50, but your winnings can be cashed at any time.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Reposting from the GAF SOP2 thread.

That AA v 66 hand (that I probably could've gotten away from) will tilt me for weeks to come.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 5.5 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (7 handed) - PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com



VALIS666 (BB) (t3910)
san goku (UTG) (t2035)
MisterZimbu (MP1) (t2625)
tmdorsey (MP2) (t900)
XiaNaphryz (CO) (t4500)
Wally_Wall24 (Button) (t4990)
beukes23 (SB) (t2040)

XiaNaphryz's M: 60.00

Preflop: XiaNaphryz is CO with K

, 4

1 fold, MisterZimbu bets t125, 3 folds, beukes23 calls t100, 1 fold

Flop: (t300) 6

, 3

, K

(2 players)
beukes23 checks, MisterZimbu bets t200, beukes23 calls t200

Turn: (t700) Q

(2 players)
beukes23 checks, MisterZimbu bets t400, beukes23 calls t400

River: (t1500) 3

(2 players)
beukes23 bets t800, MisterZimbu raises to t1600, beukes23 calls t515 (All-In)

Total pot: t4130

Results:
beukes23 had 6

, 6

(full house, sixes over threes).
MisterZimbu had A

, A

(two pair, Aces and threes).
Outcome: beukes23 won t4130

I don't see how you couldn't have gotten away from that, he was slow-playing the flopped set all the way. Sure he bet out when the board paired on the river, but it would be tough just making a crying call at the end.

 

[K.Jack]

I can't see how you could put him on the FH. The three was out of the question, for a small blind call, so it's fair to expect someone you have no reads on to have a K, or KQ at most.

Once the river comes 3, what were you supposed to do? Just calling his bet would've been extremely weak, with him only having 500 behind and a read of King. He literally had to flop magic to win, and he did.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I can't see how you could put him on the FH. The three was out of the question, for a small blind call, so it's fair to expect someone you have no reads on to have a K, or KQ at most.

Once the river comes 3, what were you supposed to do? Just calling his bet would've been extremely weak, with him only having 500 behind and a read of King. He literally had to flop magic to win, and he did.

Yeah, it was either raise or fold at that point. It would come down to how much you believed he could beat one pair.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Just finished 2nd in a cheap micro 5 table SnG. I had a slight lead in chips going in heads-up, so it was a disappointing finish - I feel confident enough in my HU game that I expect to win if I can get ahead.

In the interest of sparking some discussion, a head from earlier on in the SnG (this was like hand #32).

I'm sure some people will have issues with cold-calling limpers on the button with Kings, but the table was very tight passive, except for the villain who was loose passive - up to this point I hadn't played many hands, except for some speculative ones in position behind a bunch of limpers so I haven't received any big hands worth raising yet.

Villain kept betting out so I just called all the way to the end when he made a very weak blocking bet, so I raised half the pot hoping for a call. Looking back, should I have just put him all-in and hoped for the call?



PokerStars - $1+$0.20|50/100 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

CO: 1,310.00
Hero (BTN): 1,540.00
SB: 2,270.00
BB: 1,445.00
UTG: 1,590.00
UTG+1: 1,515.00
MP: 2,715.00
MP+1: 3,535.00

SB posts SB 50.00, BB posts BB 100.00

Pre Flop: (150.00) Hero has K

: K

:

fold, UTG+1 calls 100.00, fold, MP+1 calls 100.00, fold, Hero calls 100.00, SB calls 50.00, BB checks

Flop: (500.00, 5 players) 5

: 6

: K

:
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 bets 200.00, fold, Hero calls 200.00, fold, fold

Turn: (900.00, 2 players) 2

:
UTG+1 bets 100.00, Hero calls 100.00

River: (1100.00, 2 players) 5

:
UTG+1 bets 100.00, Hero raises to 600.00, UTG+1 calls 500.00

Hero shows K

: K

: (Full House, Kings full of Fives) (PreFlop 90%, Flop 96%, Turn 100%)
UTG+1 mucks K

: T

: (Two Pair, Kings and Fives) (PreFlop 10%, Flop 4%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins 2,300.00

 

[Ether_Snake]

I have been playing Texas Holdem on my iPhone. Started playing poker for the first time in Read Dead Redemption. Fun stuff, but I'm still a bit in the dark on the betting process lol. But I always win on my iPhone game, almost. Feels like cheating. I want to play against you guys!

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Fun stuff, but I'm still a bit in the dark on the betting process lol.

There's a betting round once all the players get their 2 cards, then another round of betting when the first 3 community cards come out. Then another when the 4th comes out, and one last betting round when the final 5th community card is out.

In pot-limit and no-limit, bet amounts in the first round are usually thought of in relation to the big blind (i.e. he raised 3 times the BB), and bets in subsequent rounds are usually thought of in relation to the pot (i.e. he bet half the pot).

 

[Incendiary]

I love playing hold 'em but I never really got into online playing, but I discovered 1) I prefer face-to-face and 2) I don't like paying for online poker. I've played in a few tournaments when I've been to Atlantic City but haven't done very well. I'm not very confident in my cards or aggressive in betting even when I have great pocket cards, which is my downfall.

I want to find a group of people to play with regularly near where I live. Weekly poker games would be a great social activity I could totally get into.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I've played in a few tournaments when I've been to Atlantic City but haven't done very well. I'm not very confident in my cards or aggressive in betting even when I have great pocket cards, which is my downfall.

Yeah, you definitely need the right mindset to do well in tournaments. But one thing is clear regardless of playstyle - when you play your cards, you need to be aggressive with them whether you're playing tight or loose. Passive only works if you're slow-playing in the right situation.

 

[NEOPARADIGM]

Looking back, should I have just put him all-in and hoped for the call?

I'm raising the turn something like $450 there.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I'm raising the turn something like $450 there.

I was worried a turn raise would scare him off on the river - the guy often bet out earlier in the tourney with as much as second pair, in which case he would fold at the end given any significant bet. His VPIP was somewhere in the 55+ range.

 

[Moppet13]

I read Harrington on Hold em It was pretty good, I think it really helped me with my fundamentals and betting patterns. I would recommend it.

I have never used or considered using tracking software for online poker. I have always done pretty well without it. However anything that can help me win a little more or lose a little less can't hurt, can anyone tell me more about this?

 

[VALIS]

I love playing hold 'em but I never really got into online playing, but I discovered 1) I prefer face-to-face and 2) I don't like paying for online poker. I've played in a few tournaments when I've been to Atlantic City but haven't done very well. I'm not very confident in my cards or aggressive in betting even when I have great pocket cards, which is my downfall.

I want to find a group of people to play with regularly near where I live. Weekly poker games would be a great social activity I could totally get into.

AC is really, really tough. It's drawing on two of the largest metro areas in the country, so there's just a lot of talent there 24/7. Foxwoods is a slight bit easier. Mohegan a little easier than that. YMMV, of course.

Getting ready to go play a home game in a little while. Not my usual Thursday home game, which I love to death, but an every-Monday game which I've sat in on a few times and found the crowd to be really dull. They also have some crazy quirks like seating 12 at a table(?!) and only paying top 2 regardless of how many buy-ins. But still, it's poker. <3

 

[Incendiary]

Yeah, you definitely need the right mindset to do well in tournaments. But one thing is clear regardless of playstyle - when you play your cards, you need to be aggressive with them whether you're playing tight or loose. Passive only works if you're slow-playing in the right situation.

I played a lot with friends in college, but we always played for fun and never put money on the line. That, combined with the fact that we often played while drinking, made me pick up a few bad habits. But the more I play with people who are taking the game seriously, the more those habits fade out.

AC is really, really tough. It's drawing on two of the largest metro areas in the country, so there's just a lot of talent there 24/7. Foxwoods is a slight bit easier. Mohegan a little easier than that. YMMV, of course.

Yeah, the last time I played at AC, I sat next to a guy who had just came from the WSOP and lost a bundle so he was playing for stress relief. He knocked three people out (including me) in around ten hands. An expensive learning experience, but a learning experience nonetheless.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Added a HUD effortpost, I'll do table selection and ranges for positions later.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Actually, now that the other topic is done, are we gonna keep doing weekly homegames? I still want to beat valis

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Actually, now that the other topic is done, are we gonna keep doing weekly homegames? I still want to beat valis

I wouldn't mind continuing the weekly games. If we do, we should bring the discussion in here to keep this thread going.

 

[Centurion]

Game Show Network has the new season of High Stakes Poker up on their site. Good way to learn position techniques, and advanced play. Norm McDonald is the host lol. Bunch of pros going at it with a few multi-billionaires/millionaires.

High Stakes Poker Season Seven

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Game Show Network has the new season of High Stakes Poker up on their site. Good way to learn position techniques, and advanced play. Norm McDonald is the host lol. Bunch of pros going at it with a few multi-billionaires/millionaires.

High Stakes Poker Season Seven

Oh god, no don't even go there.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching HSP if only to see Phil Hellmuth freak the fuck out, but you're doing it wrong if you try to apply anything you see pros do at the micros. You'll be leveling the fuck outta yourself.

 

[Centurion]

Oh god, no don't even go there.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching HSP if only to see Phil Hellmuth freak the fuck out, but you're doing it wrong if you try to apply anything you see pros do at the micros. You'll be leveling the fuck outta yourself.

i didn't say anything about micros lol. I just said it's fun to watch, obviously don't go out trying this shit right away. But this is the kind of play you are aiming to achieve, at least for cash games.

 

[parrotbeak]

I'm down for weekly games although I'll probably need a cash transfusion soon. It'll get me playing again, which is what I wanted, but I find I don't play at all unless I can make the gaf trny. I'm down for micro cash games after ward as well. I'm in sore need of practice.

i didn't say anything about micros lol. I just said it's fun to watch, obviously don't go out trying this shit right away. But this is the kind of play you are aiming to achieve, at least for cash games.

I'd say it's not the kind of play you want to achieve, but the level of thought and observation. You can't reach their level of image projection and personality, unless you become famous or only play with a small pool of players. Sorry, just nitpicking. I agree watching poker on tv is fun. I don't apply much to my game though.

 

[Moppet13]

Oh god, no don't even go there.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching HSP if only to see Phil Hellmuth freak the fuck out, but you're doing it wrong if you try to apply anything you see pros do at the micros. You'll be leveling the fuck outta yourself.

Oh god, I can't stand watching Phil Hellmuth win ever he's such a cry baby.

 

[K.Jack]

I was worried a turn raise would scare him off on the river - the guy often bet out earlier in the tourney with as much as second pair, in which case he would fold at the end given any significant bet. His VPIP was somewhere in the 55+ range.

I think you played it correctly. When you're worried heads up with a weak /tight player, sometimes you have to undervalue your hand to keep them in the pot.

 

[diamondstar]

Yeah, the last time I played at AC, I sat next to a guy who had just came from the WSOP and lost a bundle so he was playing for stress relief. He knocked three people out (including me) in around ten hands. An expensive learning experience, but a learning experience nonetheless.

What did he do so well to knock you all out? Aggressive play or was he just running well?

 

[diamondstar]

Oh god, I can't stand watching Phil Hellmuth win ever he's such a cry baby.

You know I hated the guy at first but then I read his book and learned a lot. He still is a baby at the tables but I think it would just make me laugh if I were at his table. At the end of the day he is a good guy that wants to help people out. He's just a sore loser.

And what is funny is a lot of the stuff that beats him is in his book. So people are just using shit he taught them, against him! haha