First Time Posting

[Pot Luck]

New Holdem player online. Have been winning small at Party 3/6. Would like a hand analysis and a little help understanding relevance of stats.

Hand: Been at this table about an hour. I am up maybe $100. I am in MP and open raise with Kh-Th. Only the BB calls. The flop comes 7c 5h 7s. BB checks - I bet (Overcards and backdoor flush draw)- BB calls.

The Turn is 2s 7c 5h 7s. He checks - I bet (don't want to show weakness now) - He calls.

The River is 8d 2s 7c 5h 7s. He checks. I check (with nothing)

I have played (as have you all) far more interesting hands, but when reviewing the hands after, this one really made me wonder what I was doing. Every hand at this early stage in my online game is a learning opportunity and this one unfolded in such a way that I wonder if it really was a smart play.


STATISTICS: Can anyone elaborate on how I should read these statistics from the end of the session? I am playing enough hands? Should I be at a faster/slower table? WHat win% is good? Am I seeing enough flops? Too tight? When have I won enough for the session? (Any such thing?) Double my bankroll? $100 in an hour?

Session Duration: 1 hour 45 Minutes
Hands Played: 100
Hands Won: 14%
Showdowns Won: 87%

Flops Seen: 29
Win% if flop seen: 46%

Finished up $107


I have read so much here that has helped. Thanks all.

[bdk3clash]

I won't comment on the first hand, because I suck at heads up play, other than to say your KT s00ted should have hit the muck preflop.

As for your statistics, they're kind of meaningless because of how small a sample size they're derived from--100 hands is the "short term," and meaningful trends happen in the "long term."

Unless you were getting better than average starting hands (which is certainly possible in the short term), seeing 29% of the flops is too high. You should start folding more marginal holdings preflop--like K /images/graemlins/heart.gifT /images/graemlins/heart.gif. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Welcome to the board, and keep posting hands!

[crockpot]

as a general rule, 29 flops seen out of 100 is a little high unless you're at a very passive table. but this sample size is too small to really draw a conclusion. if your numbers are consistently that high, you should review your game plan.

on to your hand: this isn't much to raise with preflop, but if only a couple of players were behind me other than the blinds, i might raise as a semi-steal.

whether to bet or check the turn is a player dependent question. if the guy will fold two overcards headed by an ace here, go ahead and bet. if he's the type that will call you down with ace high, check and hope to hit something on the river, because a free showdown doesn't do you much good when you don't even have an ace to show down for high.

[Alobar]

Welcome /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I can tell you right now, everyone is going to tell you that you cant analyze the statistice of one session. It takes thousands (or tens of thousands) of hands before you can make reads. From what I've read other people posting tho, it seems like the winning players are seeing under 20% of the flops, winning like 7% of the hands and maybe 1/3 of the flops they see. But you can't analyze your session on the fly and make adjustments accordingly.

Also there is no such thing as how much to win before you quite. If you have the best of it, you keep playing until it changes (either cuz the players get tougher or because you lose your edge from playing to long or being tired or soemthing) it doesnt matter if your $500 down or $500 up. The opposite is true too. If you arnt at an advantage then you quite, it doesnt matter if your $500 up.

As for the hand....bleh, I hate hands like that. Never know if hes calling down with over cards as well, or he has a crappy bottom pair on the flop and just calls the whole way with it. Will he fold on the river to a bet, or call it. Yuck.

[badboy]

I can't tell you much about your stats but I can talk about your hand.

I'm an aggressive player and would also raise in MP with KTs if no one else raised first. As far as betting when the flop missed you goes, it's simple. You play the man not the cards. Obviously the other player is weak or slowplaying a monster. I'd put him on a small pair good kicker. One of the things I always look for is someone who has the rare ability to fold on the river. If I am heads up against them, I bet without hesitation. Don't do this too often because if you get caught then everyone will call you to the river. Establishing a strong table image prior to doing this helps. Basically, if the caller was someone who might fold, do it. If not, don't do it. What do you think.

[bdk3clash]

[ QUOTE ]
What do you think.

[/ QUOTE ]

I still think it's wrong to open-raise with KTs in MP. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Pot Luck]

Results are about as exciting as the post. BB has total garbage hand with 9s2h and wins with the pair of 2's.
No way he could justify HIS play.

Mixed reviews here on if I should even play these cards. Open raise seems right to me.

Obviously, more stats will be needed down the road. I just wanted to get an idea what to be watching for.

Thanks all!

[bdk3clash]

[ QUOTE ]
Mixed reviews here on if I should even play these cards. Open raise seems right to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you understand that the hands that call your raise here are generally either ahead of you, or have you dominated?

This isn't "monsters under the bed" thinking (being afraid of imaginary big hands), this is how people play.

Put yourself in your opponent's shoes: what do you call raises (or re-raise) with? If you're like most low limit players, it's hands that are either slightly ahead of, or dominate KTs.

Hands that dominate you (leave you with 3 or less outs) and that most low limit players won't fold to a raise include KJ, KQ, AK, and AT, along with TT, JJ, QQ, KK, and AA.

You may "luck out" and run into someone who is playing small pairs for your raise. But the action they give you on any flop that hits you should be small.

And when you DO pair up on the flop, you'd better hope you're not outkicked, because if you play aggressively (and you should), it'll cost you.

Regularly raise with KTs, and you're going to start showing down a lot of second-best hands.

You will lose money in the long run open-raising with KTs in MP is most low limit games. It'll win mostly small pots and lose mostly big ones.

And it will lose its fair share of small pots, too. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Bob T.]

29% is a little high, but you won a lot of hands this session, so you may have caught more than your share of cards.

I would bet the river, most opponents won't call the river with King high, and you aren't going to beat any king high hands that are still out there.

Also many players will fold with Ace high if you bet the river.

IF your opponent is loose enough to go this far with a pair of deuces, though, you are probably going to lose another bet by betting the river.

PS Welcome to the forum.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
You should start folding more marginal holdings preflop--like KTs .

[/ QUOTE ]

Open raising with KTs from MP is a standard play in my book.

[Nottom]

Do you understand that the hands that call your raise here are generally either ahead of you, or have you dominated?

What party poker do you play at where people need legitimate hands to call a raise with? He's in MP, KTs is a reasonable hand and wouldn't mind getting it shorthanded, which even at a fairly loose table is somewhat likely when someone raises from MP.

[rkiray]

29 % is generally too many hands seen, but not terrible. About 21-22 is optimal unless game is very passive. But your sample size is small. 87% of showdowns won is exceptionally high. Sounds like you may be folding on the river too much. But again the sample size is very small.

[rkiray]

I think KTs in mp is an easy call. I just checked HPFAP and S&M agree.