Unless you play poker online full time, or do not have any responsibility, you will often be forced to choose tables based on things going on in your life. For example, you can not start a Multi Table Tournament, which will take several or more hours, if you have a commitment to take care of before the tournament would potentially be over.
Maybe you have an hour to play. Do you play some cash games? If so, to make the time worth it, do you find a loose or tight table and what stakes do you play? Maybe you play a few Heads Up Sit-N-Go's?
I do not have the answers. It all depends on your style, and what is currently working for you. With just a hour or so to play I prefer an aggressive table, with no more than one very good TAG or LAG player already building a stack. Possibly one of each will work. I will also keep my buy-in something toward the lower end of my current playing range. Right now my minimum is $25 buy-in on NLHE 10-player tables, up to $100. I learned to not play $100 tables for short sessions so $25 or $50 works for me here. Also $5 to $20 HU SNG's work for me for short sessions.
Two other areas to make sure you are working on is the amount of time you play, as well as the number of tables you play (multi-tabling). Do not push your limits. If you are making bad decisions, time to adjust.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Chasing your game.
I recently found my comfort zone in small tournaments and sit-n-go's. At first I kept grinding at my cash game, limiting the number of small tournaments I played. I was not playing into my strength, at the time. I made the adjustment and comiited more time to small tournaments, while still working on my cash game. Over 3 days I won over $300 playing small tournaments and about $50 on the cash tables.
Do not force yourself to play good, instead recognize your current strengths and work with them. Chase your game, do not chase cards.
Do not force yourself to play good, instead recognize your current strengths and work with them. Chase your game, do not chase cards.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Leaving Money on the Table
Prefessional poker players know how to make the most money possible every hand. They bet based on their opponent, not their cards. This is why with strong hands you will see them value bet against the best players to induce calls, while they may overbet the pot against bad players that can't help calling.
Online, I often see bad players assume everyone else is a bad player and bet accordingly. They overbet regardless of the other players in the hand when they flop/turn/river a great hand. They rely on the few callng stations paying them off. They can not read other players, so they mix it up some and maybe show a few bluffs early, otherwise they only overbet when they consider themselves to have the best hand at the time.
Our objective should be to take as much money as we can from our opponents, while also protecting our money as well as possible. Overbetting is a skill. For example lets say you flopped a FH and know a calling station at the table just showed a pattern that thay have a draw they like. If you know they will call anything to chase their draw, then bet away. If you know they will only call small bets, bet small. Do not bet big and hope they call, bet what you have determined they are likely to call and nothing more.
Do not confuse this with protecting your hand. This is also an art. Again, if a calling station will call any bet you make then you mave have to bet small amounts, then based on the river extract a little more or admit they hit their draw. I chase a lot sometimes, which in a case like this makes it worse for someone betting small amounts - because when the flush hits on the river I act like I hit it even when I was not chasing a flush. That is I represented a flush chase versus really having one. So bet based on your hand strength and the read you have on your opponent(s).
Online, I often see bad players assume everyone else is a bad player and bet accordingly. They overbet regardless of the other players in the hand when they flop/turn/river a great hand. They rely on the few callng stations paying them off. They can not read other players, so they mix it up some and maybe show a few bluffs early, otherwise they only overbet when they consider themselves to have the best hand at the time.
Our objective should be to take as much money as we can from our opponents, while also protecting our money as well as possible. Overbetting is a skill. For example lets say you flopped a FH and know a calling station at the table just showed a pattern that thay have a draw they like. If you know they will call anything to chase their draw, then bet away. If you know they will only call small bets, bet small. Do not bet big and hope they call, bet what you have determined they are likely to call and nothing more.
Do not confuse this with protecting your hand. This is also an art. Again, if a calling station will call any bet you make then you mave have to bet small amounts, then based on the river extract a little more or admit they hit their draw. I chase a lot sometimes, which in a case like this makes it worse for someone betting small amounts - because when the flush hits on the river I act like I hit it even when I was not chasing a flush. That is I represented a flush chase versus really having one. So bet based on your hand strength and the read you have on your opponent(s).
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Betting to maximize profit.
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!
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!
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Playing Styles, they can all help you.
My favorite site, carbonpoker.com, has been running a series of bounty tournaments with related promotions. The basic concept is 1/2 the buy-in is a bounty, the other 1/2 goes to the prize pool. This covers both SNG's and occasional MTT's.
For example: A $20 10-player SNG would allocate $10 towards ones individual bounty and the other $10 to the prize pool. Bounites are paid as someone is taken out, to the player responsible for taking them out. If you win, you get your bounty back.
These games require a different approach then most players apply to SNG or MTT play. The final prize pool is cut in 1/2, it makes no sense to play these games just for the final prize(s). Loose Agressive (LAG) play dominates here. A good TAG player can capitalize if they catch premium hold cards early and they hold up. Players here can attack with any Ace, sometimes any pair or any two paint cards. With bounties the prize, no short stack is allowed to die quietly. Better the short stacks win and stay in to be available later, then too allow someone else to take thier their bounty by checking to the river.
These games are helping, dare I say forcing, me to become a good LAG player. My proof is on sharkscope. I went from being down almost $200 about a month ago to being down just about $70. And sharkscope is not even accounting for the bounties the tournaments pay, just the final prizes. I recently placed well in some traditional games, a large freeroll as well as a 50 plus player MTT. I also won a weekly small private game I rarely made it past the bubble on before.
So go out and experiment, within reason, to find what works for you. The experience helps no matter what.
For example: A $20 10-player SNG would allocate $10 towards ones individual bounty and the other $10 to the prize pool. Bounites are paid as someone is taken out, to the player responsible for taking them out. If you win, you get your bounty back.
These games require a different approach then most players apply to SNG or MTT play. The final prize pool is cut in 1/2, it makes no sense to play these games just for the final prize(s). Loose Agressive (LAG) play dominates here. A good TAG player can capitalize if they catch premium hold cards early and they hold up. Players here can attack with any Ace, sometimes any pair or any two paint cards. With bounties the prize, no short stack is allowed to die quietly. Better the short stacks win and stay in to be available later, then too allow someone else to take thier their bounty by checking to the river.
These games are helping, dare I say forcing, me to become a good LAG player. My proof is on sharkscope. I went from being down almost $200 about a month ago to being down just about $70. And sharkscope is not even accounting for the bounties the tournaments pay, just the final prizes. I recently placed well in some traditional games, a large freeroll as well as a 50 plus player MTT. I also won a weekly small private game I rarely made it past the bubble on before.
So go out and experiment, within reason, to find what works for you. The experience helps no matter what.
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