New player/poster with a few questions.

[rjbigfish]

I have just started playing poker and usually play 1/2 or 2/4 HE at Partypoker and some tourney's and 1/2 HE at Pokerstars. I have read and reread several poker books before starting to play and surprisingly am showing a little profit. I had expected to lose for a bit while learning the ropes and would be thrilled if I could win or at least break even for now.

I am posting here because I have a few questions that I hope people might be able to answer. I know that you need to adjust to different types of play but what is the typical target % of flops seen in a typical full game with 9-10 players. I use pokertracker and see the flop just under 33% of the time. This is including the blinds. Am I playing too many hands? Not enough hands?

I have only been playing for about a month and have only used pokertracker for a week so I do not have a large set of data to grab from. I am wondering what other things people look at using this program to improve their play. I am not talking about using it to evaluate opponents play, I would like to know what stats people look at to help improve your own play. After looking at my own stats I am raising 3% before the flop and winning 59% of showdowns. I think both of these numbers need to be higher and things I need to work on. I am also seeing the flop 64% from the small blind and that seems way too high.

Thanks in advance!

[lorinda]

I think you are probably playing slightly too many hands, although Im not a limit expert....

What I can tell you is that if you are raising preflop 3% of the time, you are only raising with AK,AA,KK and QQ which certainly seems to be too passive.

Lori

[MS Sunshine]

Welcome Rj

Just started playing poker and you have PokerTracker? You will do well. Don't drive yourself crazy over the stats, if you play any short games it throws the percentage off. Outside of the blinds my full ring percentage is about 12%. The SB% does seem high, but if you are playing in games that are loose passive then you will get more chances to play crap at good odds.

If you are starting to play tournaments, then read DS's Tournament Poker for Advance Players and get good habits early.

Good luck.

MS Sunshine

[rjbigfish]

Thanks for the reply's. I am a database administrator so when I decided to start playing the game and playing online, the first thing that popped into my head was to make a db and parse the hand history files from these sites so i can build some queries to help me improve my play and track others play. Then the second thing that came into my mind was someone has probably already done this so why waste my time. After searching the net I found pokertracker and bingo, problem solved.

As for the book Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, its in the mail and will be next on the list of 'reference' books to absorb.

[Homer]

I know that you need to adjust to different types of play but what is the typical target % of flops seen in a typical full game with 9-10 players. I use pokertracker and see the flop just under 33% of the time. This is including the blinds. Am I playing too many hands? Not enough hands?

On average I see 23% of flops. I play 2/4 through 5/10. I think the number is a little higher in the 2/4 game (maybe 25%) and a little lower in the 5/10 game (maybe 20%).

When I first started playing, after having read a few books, I saw the flop around 30-33% of the time. I thought I was doing things right and even then I felt as if I were playing abnormally tight. It turns out that I still had some leaks and was seeing too many flops.

For example, I would do stuff like limp first in from 3rd or 4th position with low pairs and Axs. I would limp in early position with QJo, QTo, KTo, KJo, ATo. I would coldcall raises (being the first caller after the initial raiser) with AJo, KJs, ATs. After I cleaned up these leaks my flop percentage came down to where it is now.

After looking at my own stats I am raising 3% before the flop and winning 59% of showdowns. I think both of these numbers need to be higher and things I need to work on. I am also seeing the flop 64% from the small blind and that seems way too high.

You probably don't raise enough preflop, but that is alright. In time you will become more aggressive and learn when it is proper to raise. I'm guessing you don't raise from late position after many limpers with ATs, AJs, KQs, KJs, etc. You probably also don't raise from MP/LP enough after a single limper with hands like middle pairs, KQo, AJo, etc.

I win 50-55% of showdowns. Remember, if you are winning 100% of showdowns then you are folding too many winners. If you are winning 20% of showdowns you are folding too many sure losers. You don't need to win every showdown, you just need to have proper odds to call on the river. For example, if you are getting 9:1 to call on the river, with your call closing the action, and you think you have a 20% chance of winning the hand, then you should certainly call, because it is +EV to do so. We're not trying to win the highest percentage of pots at showdown. We're trying to make the most money.

I don't really know what my flop percentage from the small blind is (don't have PTracker in front of me), but I'm guessing yours is way too high. You probably complete too much in unraised pots and coldcall in raised pots. It's tough to get used to how often you should see the flop from the small blind. You're able to get in at a reduced price, but at the same time you are out of position for the rest of the hand.

I'm guessing that you coldcall too often (call 1.5 bets that is) from the small blind with hands like A8o-AJo when there has been a raise from EP, complete too often with hands like 86o when there has been only one limper, etc. Also, you should probably tighten up even more than is suggested by the books until you play more skillfully postflop. Even though it may be correct to call from the small blind with 97o after two limpers, you should consider folding until your postflop skills improve.

Last thing..I would suggest you post some hands in the Small Stakes forum. That will help you advance your game to the next level at lightning speed.

-- Good luck, Homer

[Terry]

As your database grows you’ll probably find that the long term winners play fewer hands than 33%. I play 23% and do quite well. A lot of the people who play multiple games play very tightly, some down to 12%. Know who they are when you enter a pot.

I only see the flop from the small blind 34%, but that’s going to be a function of the tightness and preflop raising going on in your games.

You should probably be raising a bit more preflop, but don’t become a maniac. It’s also possible, since you haven’t been playing for very long, that you just haven’t gotten many raising hands. Some of this is style but it seems to me that many of the winning players are raising preflop somewhere between 5 and 7 per cent.

I think you might be folding a bit too much if you’re winning 59% of showdowns, but that number may drop by itself as you get more hands, so don’t become a calling station but do watch for people who seem to bet because it’s their turn rather than because they have a hand and especially for people who “know” that you are capable of laying down a hand.

Do keep in mind that it will take several thousand hands for your numbers to settle down.

I am addressing only full ring games, not short handed or tournament situations.

Congratulations on coming to the game prepared. It’s a good thing there aren’t more like you. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

[Hotchile]

I'm already not looking forward to playing against you. I have very little to add. The advice that you have gotten here is excellent as one would expect.

I tend to focus a great deal on players and a little less on my own stats although I do comparisons during the game. I rate every player that I play against. The basics are tight/aggr =1. I tend to quit these games fairly quickly though. weak tight = 2, loose =3, weak loose = 4, loose aggressive = 5. Then I rate each game by using the same basic categories and an average of all players. Then, I compare my stats to my playing strategy against that type of field. For example, in a weak tight game, I might call a little less at the river, whereas in a loose aggressive game I will call a little more. If my stats are not reflecting my strategy, then it's time for an adjustment.

Don't get too caught up with stats. In some games it might be correct to call 40% pre-flop where others might be correct to call only 12 or 13%. Concern yourself with the game texture and your strategy for it. Then, let you stats indicate whether or not you are playing by your strategy or deviating from it.

Side benefit, if you compare stats to strategy, you will find that you are far more objective about your results because you will already have an idea of what to expect.

Best of Luck and, PLEASE, take it easy on me should we meet online.

HC

[rxl182]

I am in the same situation as rj; I have recently taken up poker as a hobby and found it extremely entertaining (and on rare occasions profitable). I have lurked on this forum for awhile and figured this to be a perfect time to post since it addressed some of the same questions I had with regard to the importance of personal statistics. As a side note, I found myself at the same 1/2 table as rj on pokerstars and just as many of you suggested, he was the one player there giving me problems.
Hope to post more in the future, thanks in advance for your advice.