Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Lets Get this Blog out of the Muck
I was at park's game and was sitting at about 300$. i bought in for 2 so i was up about 100. I have the button and i pick up jacks. A girl, who had been playing very tight raises to 15. There is one caller before me and then i call and everyone else folds. The flops comes A J 4 rainbow. She leads out for 30, next guy folds, actions to me....what is the right play? (She has almost the exact amount of chips as i do give or take 10$$)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Anybody there?
I have been playing a lot of tournaments lately and would love to start up some discussion.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Building pots
There hasn't been a post for almost 2 weeks now so I decided I'd try to write a meaningful one and maybe spark some discussion.
Lately my attention has been focused on Pot limit Omaha Hi for a variety of reasons. The main reason would be that at the same stakes (for example 2/4 omaha or hold em) the players are noticeably weaker at omaha. It's easier to make money and easier to make plays if you know what you are doing. Hold 'em is still the most popular game today but the weaker players have left either because they were losing players or the new internet gaming laws. The game is harder now and no longer can you get paid off every time you have someone beat. It seems like in every situation the player with the losing hand is either getting away from his hand by folding or losing the minimum that he could have possibly lost in the hand. The fact is today players are better than ever and it is getting harder and harder to win money.
Big pots in hold em now must be "built" instead of waiting for the right timing. I have categorized pots into three different sizes: small, medium and large pots. Small pots are simple, they are pots that are taken down on the flop without resistance. Medium pots are pots that are either taken down on the turn or after a raise on the flop. Then there are the large pots...Large pots are pretty self explanatory and usually go to showdown. In the past you could sit and wait for the large pots but due to the increase in skill of the average player if you have a tight image you will never play in a pot bigger than a medium sized one. If poker were a boxing match, small pots would be your jabs, medium pots your hooks and large pots your K.O. blow. You have to have an understanding of each hand and realize which kind of pot you are going to play with it. For example, a small pot would be something along the lines of flopping top pair. You want to take this down on the flop because your hand cannot take much resistance. My strategy is always to be stabbing for the small pots, always give the image that you want to take down the pot right there but also keeping your bets small (50% to 75% of the pot). Of course there are always exceptions but this is just a basic strategy. As the small pots add up, you will start to receive some resistance from other players. They will either have flopped a hand or are getting sick of you taking down small pots on the flop. This is where you start to build pots. If you are constantly jabbing for small pots, you force other players to pick their spots and start fighting back, but most players are not good enough to play big pots with marginal hands so they will wait for premium hands to play back at you with. You have to always be aggressive and willing to gamble with the money you have won taking the small pots. The biggest pots are always the ones where someone gets outdrawn so if you can keep a player on his toes while he is raising you with a better hand and hit a card against him then you can take his entire stack. The beauty of this is that you are not always behind. When you finally do hit a set vs someones AK on a Ace high board, then you will get paid off. Raise pre flop and bet the flop with marginal hands in position. You are bound to outdraw someone and build yourself a nice little pot.
Big pots in hold em now must be "built" instead of waiting for the right timing. I have categorized pots into three different sizes: small, medium and large pots. Small pots are simple, they are pots that are taken down on the flop without resistance. Medium pots are pots that are either taken down on the turn or after a raise on the flop. Then there are the large pots...Large pots are pretty self explanatory and usually go to showdown. In the past you could sit and wait for the large pots but due to the increase in skill of the average player if you have a tight image you will never play in a pot bigger than a medium sized one. If poker were a boxing match, small pots would be your jabs, medium pots your hooks and large pots your K.O. blow. You have to have an understanding of each hand and realize which kind of pot you are going to play with it. For example, a small pot would be something along the lines of flopping top pair. You want to take this down on the flop because your hand cannot take much resistance. My strategy is always to be stabbing for the small pots, always give the image that you want to take down the pot right there but also keeping your bets small (50% to 75% of the pot). Of course there are always exceptions but this is just a basic strategy. As the small pots add up, you will start to receive some resistance from other players. They will either have flopped a hand or are getting sick of you taking down small pots on the flop. This is where you start to build pots. If you are constantly jabbing for small pots, you force other players to pick their spots and start fighting back, but most players are not good enough to play big pots with marginal hands so they will wait for premium hands to play back at you with. You have to always be aggressive and willing to gamble with the money you have won taking the small pots. The biggest pots are always the ones where someone gets outdrawn so if you can keep a player on his toes while he is raising you with a better hand and hit a card against him then you can take his entire stack. The beauty of this is that you are not always behind. When you finally do hit a set vs someones AK on a Ace high board, then you will get paid off. Raise pre flop and bet the flop with marginal hands in position. You are bound to outdraw someone and build yourself a nice little pot.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Some hands and thoughts...
Usual $3/$5 NL game @ Casino AZ...game is good - nice action, plenty of soft players
1. I have KJ clubs in BB. Some guy in middle position makes it $20 to go and including me there are about 6 players seeing the flop. The flop comes 3-7-K with one club. It checks around and the turn comes an 8 of clubs, giving me top pair and a flush draw. The SB, some guy who talks a big game, leads out for $65. I call and everyone else folds. The river brings an offsuit Q and SB leads out for $80. What is the play here?
2. I have 7-5 spades in middle position and I limp and 7 players see a limped flop. The flop brings K-J-6 rainbow. It checks around and the turn brings an 8. It checks to the UTG +2 who bets $35. I felt weakness in this bet, so I called, planning on either making my straight or bluffing on the river. However, both blinds ended up calling as well, so 4 of us went to the river, instead of only 2, as I hoped/expected. The river brings a beautiful offsuit 9 (K-6-J-8-9) and SB leads out for $100. He is new, but seems like a solid player. The BB folds and the bettor on the turn calls. What is the play here?
I've been thinking a lot recently about perception at the table. I feel that perception is another tool that you should look to use to your advantage, especially in tournaments; more so in tournys because by creating a tight image early will allow you to steal later when its necessary to take down blinds in order to survive. I know this may sound like cliche advice and strategy, but I think many players overlook the importance of playing into/with your perceived table image. By creating a certain type of image, you are entitled to certain levels of respect. For example, if you create a loose image, you deserve to get action on your big hands and vice versa. Tights will get respect, as they should, when they do/do not have it. Just a reminder to be CONSTANTLY aware of how the table perceives you, and play against it in order to gain an advantage.
1. I have KJ clubs in BB. Some guy in middle position makes it $20 to go and including me there are about 6 players seeing the flop. The flop comes 3-7-K with one club. It checks around and the turn comes an 8 of clubs, giving me top pair and a flush draw. The SB, some guy who talks a big game, leads out for $65. I call and everyone else folds. The river brings an offsuit Q and SB leads out for $80. What is the play here?
2. I have 7-5 spades in middle position and I limp and 7 players see a limped flop. The flop brings K-J-6 rainbow. It checks around and the turn brings an 8. It checks to the UTG +2 who bets $35. I felt weakness in this bet, so I called, planning on either making my straight or bluffing on the river. However, both blinds ended up calling as well, so 4 of us went to the river, instead of only 2, as I hoped/expected. The river brings a beautiful offsuit 9 (K-6-J-8-9) and SB leads out for $100. He is new, but seems like a solid player. The BB folds and the bettor on the turn calls. What is the play here?
I've been thinking a lot recently about perception at the table. I feel that perception is another tool that you should look to use to your advantage, especially in tournaments; more so in tournys because by creating a tight image early will allow you to steal later when its necessary to take down blinds in order to survive. I know this may sound like cliche advice and strategy, but I think many players overlook the importance of playing into/with your perceived table image. By creating a certain type of image, you are entitled to certain levels of respect. For example, if you create a loose image, you deserve to get action on your big hands and vice versa. Tights will get respect, as they should, when they do/do not have it. Just a reminder to be CONSTANTLY aware of how the table perceives you, and play against it in order to gain an advantage.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
SYCK hand @ Winstar
Winstar $2/$5 NL, 8-handed:
This is my first round of play at the table, so I don't have much information about my opponents to work with. (Noonan, you know this already...) I have AJ in the cutoff and there are two limpers to me. With roughly $525 in my stack, I make it $25 to go, button calls, BB calls, UTG calls, then UTG +2 repops it $30 more. I call, as does everyone else, so we go 5 to the flop. Flop comes A-J-6 two diamonds. It checks to the original raiser who bets $25. I make it $80 to go and it folds to the UTG player, who smooth calls (flush draw), but then the original raiser/bettor reraises $100 more. I think for about a minute, then muck...
Laydown of the century/easy fold or DONK play??? :)
This is my first round of play at the table, so I don't have much information about my opponents to work with. (Noonan, you know this already...) I have AJ in the cutoff and there are two limpers to me. With roughly $525 in my stack, I make it $25 to go, button calls, BB calls, UTG calls, then UTG +2 repops it $30 more. I call, as does everyone else, so we go 5 to the flop. Flop comes A-J-6 two diamonds. It checks to the original raiser who bets $25. I make it $80 to go and it folds to the UTG player, who smooth calls (flush draw), but then the original raiser/bettor reraises $100 more. I think for about a minute, then muck...
Laydown of the century/easy fold or DONK play??? :)
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