Day 3
ayreon, Feb 21 2009
Hey guys, as usual I am only playing hands that are allotted to me from the hand chart I'm currently using and raising 4xbb + 1bb per limper, reraising 3x the original raisers raise. Here are a few hands from today's session (only played 2 hours today since friends dragged me out of the house... but I plan on playing a lot more tomorrow.) Anyway, I've been trying to look for patterns in betting in showdowns and trying to figure out when I am beat but at the moment I am being called down and re raised by almost anything so it has not been easy figuring out where to fold and when to re raise/call re raises or bets. I have a few questions I'd like to get out of the way really quick as well,
1. Should I be raising pre-flop MP-LP if I am first to act with medium pocket pairs?
2. Are JJ-77 considered medium pairs?
3. If I get wired AA-JJ and get called by one player should I be worried after flop when I get re raised when there are all lower cards on board with no flush or straight draw? Should I call and then c/f following turn?
4. Same situation as above but flush/straight draw instead comes on board.
5. Is it correct to continuation bet from EP when nothing hits?
6. When I get re raised with my continuation bet should I call then c/f following turn if nothing improves?
Please let me know what you think of the following hands.
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Thanks!
Day 2.5
ayreon, Feb 19 2009
Being awake for over 24 hours isn't all that bad, I even was able to play some pick up games of basketball with friends during the middle of the day, I also was able to once again be informed that I should be approaching .01/.02, and NLHE in general, differently. I love being corrected by players with much more experience then me, it's always good to be told what mistakes you are making and figuring out how to fix them. I am basically using a hands chart that k24o used when he first started, every raise I make is 4xBB + 1BB per limper, and every bet is exactly the pot size. My goals are to make the hands I play second nature so I don't have to look at the hands chart to know what to do, understand the hands chart guidelines (why I am doing different actions for different hands in different positions), look for betting patterns from my opponents when it comes to the showdown, and continuing to understand odds (even though I all my raising and betting is the same and since I have been told that I have to build a solid foundation first so that I will be able to apply the more advanced concepts correctly). The following hands are the ones I was involved in a 2 hour session I played ten minutes ago. Please let me know if I shouldn't have been raising at any of these points.
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Thanks!
Day 2
ayreon, Feb 19 2009
Well, after typing about a page of text asking questions and posting hands I mistakenly exited the page but that's okay because it will force me to remember the questions more now...
Okay so basically I haven't gone to sleep yet but I seem to be running good, not because I am playing well but because the other players insist on shoving me all in preflop before I can 3 bet them with AA/KK. I have a few questions that I have to get out of the way concerning value betting, limping/betting medium pocket pairs in EP/MP, and controlling the hand. So to start off, I am currently not value betting with hands such as top pair/top kicker but mostly restricting myself to monster hands that do not have that much of a chance to lose according to board texture. When I hit my sets I make sure to bet so that they are not getting good enough odds to call with flush draws or straight draws (depending on board) but making it not so obvious enough to completely chase them out of the hand. I've also been getting away from hands that are obviously beat by draws when they do hit understanding that I should not reward the other players optimistic calls. I usually will apply near pot size bets when there are multiple players in the hand and then start value when it's reduced to me and one other and my hand seems to be best. I think I played the following hand correctly but tell me if you think I should have bet on the end instead, I felt like he hit his draw and didn't feel like having to face a tough decision if he shoved after I bet.
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My next question is, earlier I asked k2o4 about limping in early position with small pocket pairs and he said not to so I have been thinking more about limping in EP/MP with medium pairs and it seems as if by limping I am actually reducing my hands value. For one, I can't play my set as profitably from earlier position if it hits, and two, by betting I might chase out some drawing hands and create a better position for myself at the table. So I have been open raising medium pairs such as 1010 EP and MP and follow up according to board texture and opponents strength pre flop. If I am re raised pre flop more than what the immediate pot odds would warrant as a correct call, I look at the opponents stack size and apply the 5/10 rule deciding if it would be profitable for the chance to possibly stack him if my set did hit. Post flop, if the board texture looks promising (such as holding 1010 with board being 982 rainbow) I will bet near pot size if checked to by multiple players but value bet instead if checked to by only one player. If I am first to act I will continuation bet and call a re raise if it's not too large but c/f the following streets. If I am only called I will continue to value bet (offering him bad pot odds for whichever draw he's on) until I have reason to believe he has me beat or if a higher card or draw hits in which case I just bet and call a small re raise but then c/f. Should I not bother calling the re raise? When he raises is what I am supposed to take into consideration the chances he is bluffing + the chances I have to improve? I think I play the following hand maybe a little too weakly, I feel confident after the flop since he only called preflop and checked to me with a good board. I value bet since I was pretty sure one would fold and wanted to give the one that stayed poor drawing odds to the flush but not chase him out completely. I continue to give him poor odds but once the king hits I wasn't too sure if he would have it so I decided to c/f from thereon but looking back, a value bet offering poor odds for a flush draw and calling his re raise if it was small enough would have been a better option I guess. Which brings me back to the question on how much of a bet should I call just to c/f to the following turn.
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This next hand I wasn't too sure that if I was being too careless in making the call but I figured since the player raised preflop he'd probably be holding a high pair like KK-JJ but so when I saw Q on board I figured he could possibly have hit his set but why wouldn't he be trying to trap me with it like most players? So I decided to call his all in and having him covered also made my decision easier. Should I have not called if he had a similar stack size as me?
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And finally I bet near pot size nearly every street this hand since I am in EP and there are many draws out there but unfortunately an ace hits the board at the end and I didn't want to pay him off to see it. Should I have bet then folded/called? I felt like he was just a floater looking for an ace to drop so he could get paid off.
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Another hand where I lose with KK, should I have bet on the turn after being checked too? Once again I wasn't scared enough to fold right away because of the flush after it hit since I had a diamond in hand (k2o4 also told me that I should continue betting if flush draw hits when I have AA and one of my aces is the same suit as the flush draw and to call if it c/c if it isn't and then c/f following hands).
K that's it for now guys, I hope to hear some good advice from you.
Day 1
ayreon, Feb 19 2009
Hey guys, thanks for the advice from my last entry. K2o4, thank you for pointing me in the right direction. Today didn't go too bad, one of my biggest losses came from KK vs AA. Anyway of knowing I was beat or was it auto call?
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The second hand I lost the most on was flopping two pair on a board that I was likely to get beaten by a straight on. Looking back on it, it was pretty obvious, I should have just folded instantly or just have called his re raise and then check folded the river?
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During some situations where I go in with a strong hand and the flop comes with an over card the guide says I should check fold but if they don't bet after I check then I assume I have best hand. However, if a 3rd flush card falls after they continue to call you to the river and then they bet into you or reraise you is it correct to fold?
I didn't cf this hand like I should have on the flop but was I right to fold at the end?
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Looking forward to your replies, thanks as always!
Beginning
ayreon, Feb 18 2009
After my first post on liquidpoker (http://www.liquidpoker.net/poker-forum/677528/New_and_on_.01_.02.html) asking some questions about a few hands I played I was offered advice as to how to play them better which allowed me to reevaluate my decision making process and learn a little bit more from my mistakes. I also took the advice to buy in 100bb and almost instantly started benefiting when I started hitting good hands. I've decided to create a blog so I can ask questions, record results, and review my play from each day. I do not have poker tracker yet so I am basically going to just be 2-3 tabling .01/.02 so I can take notes on players at the tables and use the observations to understand what their hand range might be. Once I start to get a general feel quicker for what to do I will add more tables but until then I really want to get a better understanding of the plays my opponents are making and the plays I should be making in specific situations. I am going to be posting some hands that I have questions about in each blog post asking for advice and will be deliberately practicing using odds and outs until they become second nature. Currently, some of the villain's actions are not very hard to understand. They are usually either playing with nothing and calling/betting/raising incorrectly, or raising strong hands preflop and then not being able to let them go when nothing hits. Here are a few hands I played last night, please tell me what you think I could be doing differently:
Submitted by : ayreon
PokerStars Game #25071301494: Holdem No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2009/02/18 1:17:59 ET
Table Salli 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ($5 in chips)
Seat 3: tutis ($3.62 in chips)
Seat 4: katydid21 ($4.67 in chips)
Seat 5: In a Pig ($3.11 in chips)
Seat 8: rafin19 ($6.24 in chips)
Seat 9: XyRaL ($7.27 in chips)
SimonAndo will be allowed to play after the button
rafin19: posts small blind $0.01
XyRaL: posts big blind $0.02
TreFL1P: sits out
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero  
Hero: raises $0.06 to $0.08
tutis: folds
katydid21: folds
In a Pig: calls $0.08
rafin19: folds
XyRaL: folds
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $0.19)
  
Hero: bets $0.10
In a Pig: raises $0.10 to $0.20
Hero: calls $0.10
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $0.59)
Hero: checks
In a Pig: bets $0.28
Hero: calls $0.28
River (Pot : $1.15)
Medic_SES has returned
Hero: bets $0.50
In a Pig: raises $0.50 to $1
Hero: calls $0.50
Showdown
In a Pig: shows   (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
Hero: shows (two pair, Aces and Sevens - King kicker)
Hero collected $3 from pot
Summary
Total pot $3.15 | Rake $0.15
Board
Seat 1: Hero showed and won ($3) with two pair, Aces and Sevens
Seat 3: tutis folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 4: katydid21 folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 5: In a Pig (button) showed and lost with two pair, Aces and Sevens
Seat 8: rafin19 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: XyRaL (big blind) folded before Flop
Villain was making bad raises and bad calls on previous hands so I wasn't exactly sure what he could have. Was checking/calling bad? Should I have lead out with a bet?
Submitted by : ayreon
PokerStars Game #25071621689: Holdem No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2009/02/18 1:36:42 ET
Table Salli 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ($6.40 in chips)
Seat 2: TreFL1P ($5.24 in chips)
Seat 3: tutis ($3.59 in chips)
Seat 5: In a Pig ($2.32 in chips)
Seat 6: SimonAndo ($2.17 in chips)
Seat 7: trunks62 ($2.62 in chips)
Seat 8: rafin19 ($6.20 in chips)
Seat 9: 2xb1xo ($1.50 in chips)
SimonAndo: posts small blind $0.01
trunks62: posts big blind $0.02
Holecards
Dealt to Hero  
rafin19: folds
2xb1xo: folds
Hero: calls $0.02
TreFL1P: folds
tutis: folds
In a Pig: calls $0.02
SimonAndo: calls $0.01
trunks62: checks
Flop (Pot : $0.08)
SimonAndo: checks
trunks62: checks
Hero: bets $0.05
In a Pig: folds
SimonAndo: folds
trunks62: folds
Uncalled bet ($0.05) returned to Hero
Hero collected $0.08 from pot
Hero: doesnt show hand
Summary
Total pot $0.08 | Rake $0
Board
Seat 1: Hero collected ($0.08)
Seat 2: TreFL1P folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 3: tutis folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 5: In a Pig (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: SimonAndo (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: trunks62 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: rafin19 folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 9: 2xb1xo folded before Flop (didnt bet)
I was trying to protect from flush draw against more than one opponent so in case one called the other would be getting incorrect odds to call as well. Is that correct to do? Or should I have bet .04 making it incorrect for the first one to call but if he does call it's making it correct for the second one to call. Do I try to make the odds incorrect for all players or only the player to act after me and how often should I be worried that my opponents hit a flush on the turn or river if I am HU?
Submitted by : ayreon
PokerStars Game #25072113514: Holdem No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2009/02/18 2:08:08 ET
Table Salli 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ($6.36 in chips)
Seat 3: tutis ($3.65 in chips)
Seat 4: katydid21 ($5.11 in chips)
Seat 5: In a Pig ($3.09 in chips)
Seat 6: SimonAndo ($1.52 in chips)
Seat 7: fogis49 ($1.75 in chips)
Seat 8: northernmine ($3.92 in chips)
Seat 9: 2xb1xo ($2.61 in chips)
2xb1xo: posts small blind $0.01
Hero: posts big blind $0.02
Pot Abductor: sits out
Holecards
Dealt to Hero 
tutis: folds
katydid21: calls $0.02
In a Pig: raises $0.02 to $0.04
SimonAndo: calls $0.04
fogis49: calls $0.04
northernmine: calls $0.04
2xb1xo: calls $0.03
Hero: raises $0.08 to $0.12
katydid21: folds
In a Pig: calls $0.08
SimonAndo: calls $0.08
fogis49: calls $0.08
northernmine: calls $0.08
2xb1xo: calls $0.08
Flop (Pot : $0.74)
  
2xb1xo: checks
Hero: checks
In a Pig: bets $0.06
SimonAndo: calls $0.06
fogis49: calls $0.06
northernmine: calls $0.06
2xb1xo: folds
Hero: raises $0.94 to $1
In a Pig: folds
SimonAndo: folds
fogis49: folds
northernmine: calls $0.94
Turn (Pot : $2.92)
SimonAndo leaves the table
Kenas Muepa joins the table at seat #6
Hero has timed out
Hero: checks
northernmine: bets $0.96
Hero has timed out
Hero: folds
Uncalled bet ($0.96) returned to northernmine
Hero is sitting out
Hero has returned
northernmine collected $2.82 from pot
northernmine: shows  (a pair of Jacks)
Summary
Total pot $2.92 | Rake $0.10
Board
Seat 1: Hero (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 3: tutis folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 4: katydid21 folded before Flop
Seat 5: In a Pig folded on the Flop
Seat 6: SimonAndo folded on the Flop
Seat 7: fogis49 folded on the Flop
Seat 8: northernmine (button) collected ($2.82)
Seat 9: 2xb1xo (small blind) folded on the Flop
Should I not have reraised preflop? I bet .94 to protect from flush draw but after he called my bet I figured I was beat so I just checked folded. Was this correct to do? He wasn't showing strength earlier in the hand and I wasn't sure what he had so should I have played it differently?
Thanks guys, any advice is welcomed!
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