Getting back into NL

[1800GAMBLER]

Hey guys. The addition of $2k nl has brought me back over here. It's took me almost 2 years to finally realise i should listen and follow everything Ray Zee says - so everyone save themselves some time and go search all of his posts and listen - so the advice i'm following is not to have one set game; move up when winning and down when losing. For the first time in my poker career i made a none-bankroll-forced step down in stakes back to the 15/30 6m, this wasn't good for my ego but it's a good thing to finally swallow that. It also paid off, i ran well, played well, thought well. So now i'm going to move around 15/30 6m. 30/60 ring. $1k nl. $2k nl. $1k PLO. 20/40 o8 and anything from 8 tables to 1 table. This should keep things interesting too.

The more dissappointing part is i'm tilting and i've stopped learning. Both go hand in hand, when i'm learning i don't want to waste the hours spent learning by misplaying a hand. The money has never really been a motivating factor to not misplay a hand for me, since i care a lot less than most about the difference in earning $80k/year to $400k/year etc. I'm more of a comfortable and secure person than a want to be rich person. I'd love to change that.

So here i am, climbing out of the trap of getting comfortable in one game and giving up on learning. So! Onwards! Here are the hands and thoughts from today:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (8 handed) pokerhand.org hand converter (http://www.pokerhand.org)

UTG+1 ($2852)
MP1 ($2000)
MP2 ($2469)
CO ($1486)
Button ($1970)
Hero ($1980)
BB ($4000.74)
UTG ($2060)

Villian in this hand is a regular winning player.

Preflop: Hero is SB with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. Hero posts a blind of $10.
<font color="#666666">6 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero (poster) raises to $45</font>, BB calls $35.

Flop: ($110) 2/images/graemlins/club.gif, 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, T/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $70</font>, BB calls $70.

Turn: ($250) J/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

My thought process at the table for this decision was, if i check and face a $200 bet i'd want to call that since i could have 14 outs here, making me 2.2:1. Given that and the jack i might as well make that bet and give T,x a chance to fold, adding a lot of bluffing equity to that bet.

However, i think that's a silly thought since T,x isn't all that likely given the flop call. 22 55 seem likely given the flop call, which means i'd hate to bet. I still think 99 88 77 66 are possible given the flop call, so my bet does have stealing equity. Lets put some magnitude on each of these.

The stealing equity isn't worth much, against these hands i'll river them 1/3 anyhow and just because i check the turn i don't lose that stealing equity on the river, it just lowers it, i could still pick up the pot on the river. So the value of that is, the difference in my stealing equity times * 2/3 that i don't river them.

Yet the cost of losing my outs/being put to a 0EV decision against 55 22 is huge. So i don't like my bet.

<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $200</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises to $400</font>, Hero calls $200.

So it seems like he has the set or maybe TJ. Thinking ahead to a plan for the river. If i call here my range could look like Axhearts. QKo. AJ. QQ KK. So if the river comes an ace/9 heart i think i should be leading the river since he shouldn't be value betting 55 22, but will he anyhow? If it comes an outsuit ace then i don't think there's much difference in leading the river and getting raised or checkraising, it the river is 9o i think i def want to be c/r'ing. Agreed? Thoughts?

River: ($1050) A/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $800</font>, BB calls $800.

Thoughts on the bet size?

Thanks guys.

[1800GAMBLER]

Man that was long, for a pretty standard hand.

[BobboFitos]

I like your thought process alot, but Im not sure why you say his flatcall on the flop could only be low or mid set

edit - or 77/88/99

[chuddo]

[ QUOTE ]
Thoughts on the bet size?


[/ QUOTE ]

on the river, if villian is going to be calling 800 into a 1050 pot, then he is going to be willing to call 1000 into a 1050 pot. and possibly a bit more.

bet the pot and make yourself another 200 dollars.

[creedofhubris]

Turn minraise means a monster, you could probably go allin and get called.

[The_Bends]

I'd be interested to know why you narrow the hands so much on the flop. After all theres no reason not to call a standard continuation bet with TP, or did you feel that he'd have raised with a marginal hand?

[1800GAMBLER]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be interested to know why you narrow the hands so much on the flop. After all theres no reason not to call a standard continuation bet with TP, or did you feel that he'd have raised with a marginal hand?

[/ QUOTE ]

Those hands are possible, i just think they might have raised the flop.

[ QUOTE ]

Turn minraise means a monster, you could probably go allin and get called.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this now. Although there are a lot of legit hands that beat him i could be going all in with, i'm sure the idea of me having AT AJ will spring into his mind and he wont want to fold.

[Matt Flynn]

consider how the pot plays out if you raise preflop to $25 instead of $45. also, do you want a lesser K or lesser Q to call you preflop? will that happen at $45? at $25?

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
consider how the pot plays out if you raise preflop to $25 instead of $45.

[/ QUOTE ]

10-20NL .... not 5-10

[Matt Flynn]

ah.

[AZK]

Does anyone like betting less on the turn? When all is said and done you are putting $400 in for what is now clear as day - 8 outs, not 14. This is something I need to personally improve and I thought I remembered the old jay saying he needed to improve this as well - shania of checking - would you check AA here? Why not check KQ?

[The Antagonizer]

I like your line a lot here, although I lead any A/9 river regardless of heart or not. An offsuit 9 river is a toss up between a small lead to sell as a blocking bet and induce a 'value raise' from a set, which is obviously his holding way more than not, or a possible overbet, but I probably lean towards the sell though. Pot it on the Ah river and make a few extra hundred. If he is willing to call $800 he's calling $1000. Well played

[Jeff W]

I've only dabbled in NL/PL, but I would check the turn and push the river.

How did you become expert in so many different games? I would like to learn PL/NL HE and PLO, but I fear they would slow my improvement at Limit and I can't stomach playing the small stakes games. I have been playing Limit HE exclusively since Sept. 04 and I am still far from expert.