I am not as good as I think I am (no strategy here)

[Rico Suave]

During last night's session, my wife was standing behind me when I get a hand, bet it up on the flop and turn, and then check behind with 2 opponents. As I decide to check, I tell my wife, "I really should bet here, but I am a wuss." MHIG...and they both would have called. I groaned a bit, and she said something like,"I wouldn't be too upset, you still won a nice pot." NO! That is not the way to think about it. "I just missed 2 bets, and I now have to play an extra 100 hands to make up for that mistake!" She did not say anything...she got it. But when am I going to get it.

Later, I missed a clear turn raise. No, it was not close, not marginal, *A CLEAR TURN RAISE*, but Rico thinks, "hey I do not want to fold the button, so I will wait till the river to pop it." In summary, 2bb or more missed, and another 100 hands to make up for the mistake.

Again later, I hit my set, and I go 1 too many raises, when it was clear I was up against the nut straight. Lost 2bb more than I should have...another 100 hands to make up for that mistake.

Next time I start talking like I am really good or something, or whining about my win rate, or give a newbie a hard time...please direct me here.

That is all.

--Rico

[Bill Smith]

*relative newbie files this under "Favorite Threads", just in case* /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[TJD]

Don't be too hard on yourself.

The last guy who was perfect they nailed on a cross /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Compared to that, 2BB does not look too bad a deal.

I am encouraged to see that even the experienced make mistakes. It gives the rest of us some hope.

Thanks for sharing. I thought it was just me.

Trevor

[MoreWineII]

Nobody has been, or ever will be, perfect. Apparently, you're learning from your mistakes, that's as good a goal as any in my book. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[sublime]

Rico-

Your one of the posters I respect and always make a point to read.
Keep it fun, and you will improve.

Think about these "mistakes" and put them in proper perspective:

#1 You are AWARE that you are making them
#2 You are playing what, 3/6? These mistakes (lessons) mean nothing in the long run, as long as you learn from them

Keep up the good work bro /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[MaxPower]

You are right to be so hard on yourself.

However, you are wrong in how you think about how much these mistakes cost you. Not value betting where you will be called twice does not cost you 2BB, its costs you some fraction of 2BB. Same deal with the set.

You still played like crap though /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Lottery Larry]

"2bb or more missed, and another 100 hands to make up for the mistake."

On average, you should win 1/10 hands. Are you only shooting for 1/5 of a big bet per hour when you play?

[StellarWind]

[ QUOTE ]
"I just missed 2 bets, and I now have to play an extra 100 hands to make up for that mistake!"

[/ QUOTE ]
You made a mistake but you did not lose 2 BB. If that's the way it worked no one would ever win.

This river bet wins on average which is why it is correct. However it often wins only 1 BB or nothing. Sometimes it backfires and you lose money. The average cost of missing this river bet is much, much smaller than 2 BB.

To see it otherwise is just another form of resulting, no different from excusing the check because some fool checked the nuts and you "saved" money by not betting.

[MarkD]

I'm glad someone said it. This is exactly what I was thinking as well.

**edit: Also, it shoudl be noted that sometimes you will make a mistake and it will make you an extra bet or two and then you are laughing.

This happened to me last night. I raised the turn in a situation that was clearly wrong too - and then I sucked out and got mondo action. :P

[Rico Suave]

Larry:

[ QUOTE ]
On average, you should win 1/10 hands. Are you only shooting for 1/5 of a big bet per hour when you play?

[/ QUOTE ]

No. I get the 100 hand mistake figure from my current win rate at 3/6, which is about 2bb/100 hands.

-Rico

[trillig]

Poker has a lot of: Hindsight is 20/20

I run through my sessions after and count up any glaring errors....

Reading people on steals and check raising them later for value on marginal hands is always fun way to make up the 'lost' bets though.

We had a guy last night that would ALWAYS bet if checked to him on a flop with a pair, ALWAYS....
Luckily I didn't run head first into any of his AA holdings.

Habitual PF pot pumpers in LP are also fun to trap as well.

I had to get to get tricky after 2 hours and not a single pot won and on rack #2...

I got always guy for pot #1 and pot pumper I must have slowplayed 4 pots out of him, when I finally got some hands.

Self evalution of play is of mucho value, and I am always wondering what if... but not beating myself up anymore on a missed op here and there, it's just part of poker.

100 hands for 2 BB's? I play live more, 10 orbits for that seems a bit much at my low stakes, but I am tight aggressive, if still in a hand after the flop, I am usually a favorite to win.

Last night I won 20BB in one hand to swing from 1 rack down to $6 up and left another 1.5 racks up, awful start though, but my self eval said that I was still playing well.

-Bri

[Rico Suave]

Maxpower:

[ QUOTE ]
You are right to be so hard on yourself.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. I will never improve if I cannot critically analyze my own play.

[ QUOTE ]
However, you are wrong in how you think about how much these mistakes cost you. Not value betting where you will be called twice does not cost you 2BB, its costs you some fraction of 2BB. Same deal with the set

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand this, in a theoretical, long term sense. Making this mistake over x number hands would have a net loss of some fraction of 2 bb. But in this particular case, it was definitely a 2bb mistake /images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

--Rico

[tech]

Hey Rico, poker is about mistakes. That is the basic premise of TOP. Everybody makes mistakes every session. The players who make the fewest tend to get the money.

Generally speaking, your mistakes were minor, not catastrophic. You could have folded for one bet on the river in a 20BB pot when you had the best hand.

Now raise the turn and bet the river. /images/graemlins/smile.gif