08-21-2005, 10:24 AM
I decided to mess around with the Playback Hand feature of pokertracker. What I did was to load up hands (from the partypoker .50/1.00 tables) in which I won, play them back, but from the perspective of the other players in the hand. I put a postit note over the screen where my cards would be, so as I was playing the hand, I didn't know what his(my) cards were(if my memory for old hands were better, I guess I couldn't do this). I picked one of the hands which made it to the showdown (easy to figure out) and played the hand from the beginning as if I were this player.
I actually was planning on doing this for the purpose of seeing how my play came across to other players. What I discovered instead was that my opponents are far worse than I ever realized. Their play was just ridiculous much of the time.
Pocket 2's from UTG? Raise! 85 offsuit against a raise? Call. The same 85 offsuit after A K 5 comes up on the flop? Call every bet down to a showdown.
Then there's always, KQ, with a flop of KQ3. Check, then call the flop, turn, and river. Or the guy with pocket kings, who had a full house, kings over queens by the turn, and merely called my turn and river bets but didn't raise.
Maybe 20% of the other players who went to a showdown against me in the hands I won actually played in a reasonable manner. I always knew they were bad, but seeing it from their perspective brought it home just how appallingly bad they really are.
There are only 3 possible choices in limit holdem, raise, call, and fold. I'm not sure the average player was even making the correct choice 1/3 of the time. I think they'd have done better closing their eyes and clicking at random.
If you're playing very low limit tables and want to feel better about your play, try this yourself, you'll wonder how you ever have a losing streak.
I actually was planning on doing this for the purpose of seeing how my play came across to other players. What I discovered instead was that my opponents are far worse than I ever realized. Their play was just ridiculous much of the time.
Pocket 2's from UTG? Raise! 85 offsuit against a raise? Call. The same 85 offsuit after A K 5 comes up on the flop? Call every bet down to a showdown.
Then there's always, KQ, with a flop of KQ3. Check, then call the flop, turn, and river. Or the guy with pocket kings, who had a full house, kings over queens by the turn, and merely called my turn and river bets but didn't raise.
Maybe 20% of the other players who went to a showdown against me in the hands I won actually played in a reasonable manner. I always knew they were bad, but seeing it from their perspective brought it home just how appallingly bad they really are.
There are only 3 possible choices in limit holdem, raise, call, and fold. I'm not sure the average player was even making the correct choice 1/3 of the time. I think they'd have done better closing their eyes and clicking at random.
If you're playing very low limit tables and want to feel better about your play, try this yourself, you'll wonder how you ever have a losing streak.