Limit Player Trying to Play NL

[rory]

I've decided to learn how to play no-limit and, consequently, have no clue what I am doing. I don't know what the bets and raises mean, what to play preflop-- in short, I am totally clueless. Here are two hands from a home game (1/2 blinds):

I have AJs in MP and open limp. I don't know what I am doing, sometimes I raise, sometimes I open limp with this hand from MP. An aggressive-preflop but pretty-solid postflop guy raises to 10-- he could have any pair, a couple big cards, possibly a suited connector here. I call. The flop is A9T, two spades-- I have clubs. I check and call a $15 bet. Turn is a 2 of diamonds. I check and call a $30 bet. I have about $200 behind and he has me covered at this point. The river is a 5 of hearts and I check and fold to a $120 bet.

Straddler straddles to $4. I raise to $20 on the CO with TT. The SB reraises to $60-- I haven't played with him much but he hasn't played many pots yet. This is definitely a solid values raise, and I put him on AK or a big pair. He has $70 behind and I decide to call the raise and call an all-in on a flop without an A or K on it.

On a side note, is there an old thread or discussion around here about transitioning from limit to NL? It is very weird to be playing hold 'em and feel totally out of place.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

hand 1 open limping in MP in that spot with tough aggressive players behind you is asking for trouble as they will pummell you with isolation raises and position.

as it was though postflop was played perfectly.

hand 2 i would be tempted to fold preflop. however the presense of the straddler changes the complexion of the hand a bit as the sb knows you can be raising light and thus he can be reraising a bit light too.

[Ghazban]

I don't know if this thread is what you're looking for (I haven't read it but I recall seeing the title so I looked it up): link (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=ssplnlpoker&Number=2267381 &Forum=f25&Words=ultimate&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Ma in=2267381&Search=true&where=sub&Name=&daterange=1 &newerval=&newertype=w&olderval=1&oldertype=w&body prev=#Post2267381)

On the AJ hand, folding to the preflop raise would not be bad. Its hard to know where you're at when you hit and calling down is an expensive proposition. If you lead into villain on the flop and get raised, you can throw it away knowing you're beat. Alternatively, you could checkraise that flop, again folding to a reraise. I play in the game you're talking about and, based on your image there, nobody who's paying any attention would call a checkraise from you without an extremely strong hand. You might even fold out AK/AQ.

In the TT hand, I'd rather just fold to the preflop reraise. You're either slightly ahead of AK (who's pot committed and will correctly get the money in on the flop even without flopping a pair) and way behind everything else that reraises (I think AA-JJ and AK/AQs are about the range of hands that will reraise here).

[rory]

On hand #2, pokerstove says I am 60/40 with my TT against a person with AA-TT, AK or AQ. Let's see. $7 in blinds and the straddle. $20 from my raise. $20 from his call and $40 back to me. $47 in the pot and it is $40 to me. Yeah I should fold it.

I think you are right in hand #1. My only problem is that the player who I was playing against wouldn't mind putting all his money in on either a spade draw or maybe a straight draw on that flop. I didn't want to check-raise and then have to worry about him semi-bluffing me off of the hand with an all-in. I suck.

[Ghazban]

In hand 1, if you think its likely he's betting a busted draw on the end, you can make a big call with TPGK. Against a player who likes to semibluff both the flop and turn (rather than checking behind on the turn as some players will when they miss), a call on the river can be profitable long term (though with a high variance). The weird thing about those situations is that you figure you're behind if he checks behind on the river (to AK/AQ) but can be fairly confident you're ahead if he bets.

[n1bd]

The Pokerstove numbers are for preflop, but you're only stacking after a no-A, no-K flop, so that's different.

If the situation is exactly as described -- he has exactly AA-JJ/AK and moves in on all flops (it's reasonable to expect AK to be committed, since he is getting close to 3:1 if called on the flop) -- then I think the math is:

Average number of unseen As and Ks: (6 * 28 + 8 * 12) / 40 = 6.6

Probability of flop with no A, no K: (48 - 6.6) choose 3 / 48 choose 3 = .635

EV of calling preflop reraise: .635 * (24 * .18 + 16 * .75) / 40 * 266 - 40 = $28.9

The .18 and .75 numbers are approximate, and it might be a little worse for you. E.g., flush outs probably raise his AKo/AKs equity a bit. Even if we drop your equity to .70, though, it only changes the result by $3.5.

So, given your assumptions, good play.

[theredpill5]

Hand 1) YOu say he was aggressive preflop. I would assume then that he raises a lot of hands preflop. Depending on how loose he was, I would call the raise, and play it strongly against him. I think you played it well post flop. When I hit top pair aces on the flop, I would assume that I was ahead here if he was as loose as you seem to say.

[wtfsvi]

It wasn't you I just played with trp? Party table 36661?

[greg nice]

teach me limit and ill teach you NL

[theredpill5]

[ QUOTE ]
It wasn't you I just played with trp? Party table 36661?

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL. No, why ? I haven't played poker , yet, today. Why do you ask ?

[wtfsvi]

Kind of a rock, table talking like crazy. And language/content was a bit like yours. I didn't think of the possibility it could be you til after he had left, so the reason I ask is to appologize for being very rude/intentionally putting "you" on tilt. Haha, well. It was some other guy then obviously, so no need to appologize /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[theredpill5]

That's funny. Was he cussing ?

No, I do talk in chat probably more than most 2+2'ers but I usually say something about bodily functions and stuff to make myself look dumb.