partygirluk
12-10-2004, 08:29 PM
I currently am gaining experience on the $6.5 SNGs on Pokerstars. The Turbos reward skill less, but they are quicker and more rake efficient that the $5s. I am quickly building up a nice bankroll, and hope to move up in a month or so.
Currently my game is very simple. I play tight before the flop, especially with low blinds. I will limp in with small pockets and try and hit a set, I'll raise with AK and the high pockets. I recognise the value of position and the gap concept.
Postflop I play quite straightforward. If I have something I like, I bet it hard. I sometimes semibluff a nice draw. If I don't have anything, I checkfold, even if I suspect my opponent of a bluff. I rarely slowplay. I rarely checkraise.
This has proved successful for me thus far. The low level SnGs are populated with schools of bad players, and by playing ABC poker the game can be beaten. I know that I am a clear winning player at this level.
I want to move my game onto the next level though. One thing I need to do is improve my reads. I am quite lazy with this. Normally I will notice the one or two players who are in every pot, and act accordingly. But I don't notice the deeper things such as "If he bets half the pot then x, two thirds of the pot then y, the pot then z". Is this the kind of thing that a top player is thinking about?
I find it difficult to put my opponents on a hand. Most of the time I will know if I am beat, but I won't know when the oppponent is weak and I can steal the pot from them. I know that bluffing should be used sparingly in Low Limit games, and I really don't aspire to be bluffing at every pot....I know that is not what poker is about. But I want to get to the stage where I can think
"He seems to have top pair with a weak kicker, and judging by his play so far, if I put him all in he will lay it down".
I realise that you don't need these kinds of plays to crush the lower games, but my lack of any kind of dynamic play such a this definitely costs me a bit of ROI. I do bluff sometimes, e.g. the blinds are high, and I get to see a free flop from the BB, with two limpers. All check a rag flop. I will normally bet out an innocuous turn.
My thinking process is too straightforward. To win in poker one must outthink the opponent. At Low Limit SnGs, this is not difficult. But to get good, to get really good, I think I need to think about the game on a much deeper level. As I move up, I will come across a better breed of player, and some of them will notice my straight forward play and take advantage. I think I play WeakTightAggresive There will also be more people in the game playing straightforward ABC poker, and the edge will come from thinking about the game on a deeper level.
So, what tips would you give for "taking my game to the next level"? In particular, it would be nice if you could include a hand example (real or made up) where the "ABC" play differs from your course of action, and explain why.
Currently my game is very simple. I play tight before the flop, especially with low blinds. I will limp in with small pockets and try and hit a set, I'll raise with AK and the high pockets. I recognise the value of position and the gap concept.
Postflop I play quite straightforward. If I have something I like, I bet it hard. I sometimes semibluff a nice draw. If I don't have anything, I checkfold, even if I suspect my opponent of a bluff. I rarely slowplay. I rarely checkraise.
This has proved successful for me thus far. The low level SnGs are populated with schools of bad players, and by playing ABC poker the game can be beaten. I know that I am a clear winning player at this level.
I want to move my game onto the next level though. One thing I need to do is improve my reads. I am quite lazy with this. Normally I will notice the one or two players who are in every pot, and act accordingly. But I don't notice the deeper things such as "If he bets half the pot then x, two thirds of the pot then y, the pot then z". Is this the kind of thing that a top player is thinking about?
I find it difficult to put my opponents on a hand. Most of the time I will know if I am beat, but I won't know when the oppponent is weak and I can steal the pot from them. I know that bluffing should be used sparingly in Low Limit games, and I really don't aspire to be bluffing at every pot....I know that is not what poker is about. But I want to get to the stage where I can think
"He seems to have top pair with a weak kicker, and judging by his play so far, if I put him all in he will lay it down".
I realise that you don't need these kinds of plays to crush the lower games, but my lack of any kind of dynamic play such a this definitely costs me a bit of ROI. I do bluff sometimes, e.g. the blinds are high, and I get to see a free flop from the BB, with two limpers. All check a rag flop. I will normally bet out an innocuous turn.
My thinking process is too straightforward. To win in poker one must outthink the opponent. At Low Limit SnGs, this is not difficult. But to get good, to get really good, I think I need to think about the game on a much deeper level. As I move up, I will come across a better breed of player, and some of them will notice my straight forward play and take advantage. I think I play WeakTightAggresive There will also be more people in the game playing straightforward ABC poker, and the edge will come from thinking about the game on a deeper level.
So, what tips would you give for "taking my game to the next level"? In particular, it would be nice if you could include a hand example (real or made up) where the "ABC" play differs from your course of action, and explain why.