You have to be at a table for a while to maximize profit. Notes are helpful, but not always reliable. That fish you tagged a few days before may have just been on tilt, having a bad day, or sharing an account. Today they may be the most agressive tight player you have ever faced. Give the table a few orbits to get some good reads.
Next, play at a table you can afford to be playing it. The worst thing you can do is move up in stakes for example and sit there afraid to bet the usual increments that work for you just because they are 2x the amount you are used to betting.
Play your game. For example, if you checked to induce a bet then be ready to call or rerasie. I'll call when I feel someone is continuation betting because they tend to bet again on the turn. If i think someone is betting a weak connection or a chase then I bet/raise agressively back at them. I also bet out of position to protect my hand very agressively. Do not get cute and then get a scare card.
Also know your opponents well enough as to when to bet or when to check to induce them to bet. It is nice to get paid off when you flop a big hand. If you flop a FH but the board has a flush or straight draw, make someone pay to hit their draw if you feel a fish is on one. Then when they hit they can not lay it down. On the other hand, slow play your big hand against tight players that will not chase into certain boards. For example, I do not chase a straight into a flush draw in most cases.
I also do not see the value of chasing a flush into a paired board. On the other hand, someone with 2 pair or a set may not have enough discipline to muck if you are protecting your flush. if they are going to call any bet you make then you have to decide will they also call any river bet. If they will, value bet till the river hits and you are sure you are still ahead (ie board has not paired for example). Then find out how much they still value their hand. What is amazing is if you have the right read you can sometimes value bet and they push all-in where there times they will just call so you have to push as they will not muck either. And if it is a good player, they will still find it hard to not call a value bet.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS if you expect to maximize profit!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
FEAR II
Over and over again I see players pushing all-in pre-flop because they know they lack discipline. They may not admit this, but that is the main reason. It can be because they know they will not muck pocket Aces so they might as well get it over with. In this case, better to get your money in up front then to be a calling station later.
Many others will shove all in pre-flop with almost any 2 suited cards I have noticed. For some reason they want to see the river so they pay in advance. This also applies to playing any pair for a group of players, as well as any combination of Ace through 10, plus any Ace/paint suited for the tighter suited lovers.
The next level of playing these hands in fear is waiting to make a move post flop. These players may just min bet, call, min raise, and/or raise call agressively pre-flop. Then they attack the flop consistently regardless of the flop. Many times they hit a great flop and overbet right away, but most of the time they are an underdog to the flop but go ahead and continuation bet or become a calling station. Finally, some wait until the river to make thier move even though they are a big underdog to the table cards.
In previous posts I have discussed passive tight players. They also play in fear, min betting TIER I hands and losing more then they win over time because they refuse to either value bet when they hit big or bet properly to protect their hand(s).
Many others will shove all in pre-flop with almost any 2 suited cards I have noticed. For some reason they want to see the river so they pay in advance. This also applies to playing any pair for a group of players, as well as any combination of Ace through 10, plus any Ace/paint suited for the tighter suited lovers.
The next level of playing these hands in fear is waiting to make a move post flop. These players may just min bet, call, min raise, and/or raise call agressively pre-flop. Then they attack the flop consistently regardless of the flop. Many times they hit a great flop and overbet right away, but most of the time they are an underdog to the flop but go ahead and continuation bet or become a calling station. Finally, some wait until the river to make thier move even though they are a big underdog to the table cards.
In previous posts I have discussed passive tight players. They also play in fear, min betting TIER I hands and losing more then they win over time because they refuse to either value bet when they hit big or bet properly to protect their hand(s).
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Fear
Deep down there is a good fear, related to respect. Fear of fire for example and knowing to not just stick your hand in it is fine. As we move up in stakes we can find our mind focusing on the wrong things. That 5x BB $1.25 raise on a 25 cent table is not any different then a $2.50 raise on the next table up or a $5 raise on a $1 table.
If you can not afford to lose your buy-in, for example when calling an all-in pre-flop bet while holding pocket Aces, then you should not be playing those stakes. You will eventually find yourself under attack when your opponents smell your fear. You will not protect your hands properly and also start second guessing your play. Do not allow the stakes to affect your game.
By the way, lack of fear is also not a great thing. Calling someone's big bet just because they have a small stack can cost more over the long run than is obvious at the time. You still need quality hands in these situations. When someone shoves their $5 on a 25 cent BB table, consider would you make the same call if the player had another $20 to continue with? I know the betting is capped with the short stack, some hands make sense to call here, stick to those hands based on your knowledge of the player.
Same thing goes for moving down in stakes. It can help you work on being more agressive, as long as you play with respect. Showing no fear will lead to a break down of discipline.
Find a comfort zone where you are playing winning poker and have goals to work towards.
If you can not afford to lose your buy-in, for example when calling an all-in pre-flop bet while holding pocket Aces, then you should not be playing those stakes. You will eventually find yourself under attack when your opponents smell your fear. You will not protect your hands properly and also start second guessing your play. Do not allow the stakes to affect your game.
By the way, lack of fear is also not a great thing. Calling someone's big bet just because they have a small stack can cost more over the long run than is obvious at the time. You still need quality hands in these situations. When someone shoves their $5 on a 25 cent BB table, consider would you make the same call if the player had another $20 to continue with? I know the betting is capped with the short stack, some hands make sense to call here, stick to those hands based on your knowledge of the player.
Same thing goes for moving down in stakes. It can help you work on being more agressive, as long as you play with respect. Showing no fear will lead to a break down of discipline.
Find a comfort zone where you are playing winning poker and have goals to work towards.
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