Help rating my game?

[drudman]

I'm posting this also over in the Internet forum.

I'm trying to get very serious about limit right now. I played 15,000 hands of 2-4 full table during the month of January (winter break). I'm starting my summer campaign today, so I had Daryn come down and look at my pokertracker from the winter campaign.

I'm beating the game, but not by much. Daryn says I should make this post to ask the experts to evaluate my game...

Stats: Partypoker 2-4 Winter 2004

Total Hands: 15,943
Vol. Put $ In Pot: 13.92%
Saw Flop All Hands: 20.43%
" " Not A Blind: 13.32%
Folded SB To Steal: 89.55%
Folded BB To Steal: 91.78%
Folded BB To Steal HU: 89.74%
Att. To Steal Blinds: 13.41%
Won $ When Saw Flop: 26.50%
BB/100h: 0.96
Went to Showdown: 25.97%
Won $ at Showdown: 57.68%
Raised Pre-Flop: 6.11%
Limp/Call Reraise PF: 0.01%

FIRST ACTION ON FLOP AFTER PF RAISE--
Raise: 7.60%
Bet: 54.31%
Call: 4.52%
Check: 17.86%
Check/Raise: 0.72%
Fold: 6.88%
No Flop: 7.60%

AGGRESSION FACTOR--
Preflop: 0.66
Flop: 2.54
Turn: 2.56
River: 2.39
Total: 1.38
Folded To River Bet: 50.99%

WHEN FOLDS HAND?--
No Fold: 8.27%
Pre-Flop: 78.95%
Flop: 8.51%
Turn: 3.07%
River: 1.19%

Check Raises: 0.99% (Flop:42.50%, Turn:55.00%, River:2.50%)

St.Dev/100h: 15.2742BB

BB/HAND BY POSITION:
Button: .07
1: .09
2: .04
3: .03
4: .08
5: .08
6: .07
7: .08
BB: -.21
SB: -.12

That's all the pertinent stuff I thought to include. Let me know if there are any other stats I should post to be analyzed.

As you can see, I'm winning, but very little. Common sense tells me I'm not being aggressive enough pre-flop, and I'm folding my blinds WAY too often. If anyone can elaborate, that would be great. Thanks guys, I will appreciate all responses.

-Dave

[tripdad]

raise more preflop. loosen up a bit. you can have a vpip of 20%, even more in a $2/4 game. completing more hands from sb will accomplish a lot. usually you have odds to complete 40-50% of the time in $2/4. other than that, seems you are properly aggressive, though only winning 26.5% when seeing the flop is cause for some concern. you may just be on a bad run, or you may be paying off too much. premium preflop hands can begin to look awfully bad with some flops, and many times need to be dumped. since you are only folding 6.88% on the flop, i would say this is the case. if you can bring yourself to fold more flop bets when you don't have the odds to call, you will save $$$$, thus adding to your win rate.

cheers!

[DeucesUp]

My guess is that if you kept playing like this your win rate would go up somewhat, you probably were somewhat unlucky (this is still a very small sample for determining win rate). That said, these stats are far from ideal for the Party 2/4 games. In my opinion you play WAY too tight for these games. Because so many people see the flop and take their hands too far you get great implied odds in these games so you've got to play a few more hands which can flop big, small & medium pairs and suited connectors. And you've got to stick with them when you've got the proper odds to draw. Sometimes this will even include gutshots and bottom pair + backdoor flush type of hands, which rarely have the odds to draw in higher limit (tighter) games.


There's many things to comment on and I'm sure others will, so I'll take just a couple.


Att. To Steal Blinds: 13.41%

I don't understand this at all. This suggests you don't appreciate the importance of position. You should be playing way more than 13% of your hands from the cutoff and button and when it's folded to you, you've got to loosen up even more. And when opening from late position you should almost always raise. I think up around 25%-35% att to steal works fairly well.

Vol. Put $ In Pot: 13.92%
Won $ When Saw Flop: 26.50%

This shows me that you're folding a lot of winning hands post-flop. You're playing only very premium starting hands and yet you're not winning that often when you see the flop. Many people playing much looser pre-flop (i.e. much worse starting cards) still manage to win around 30% when seeing flop.

I might add more thoughts later.

[BaronVonCP]

You are way too tight. A lot of hands are +EV in these games against bad players.

[Lost Wages]

Mostly echoing what others have said.

Vol. Put $ In Pot: 13.92%

Could be 4-5% higher. Post your general preflop strategy and the forum should be able to help. From your stats by position it looks as though you may be throwing away too many hands up front (small pairs?).

Folded BB To Steal HU: 89.74%

Obviously this can't be a winning strategy since it makes it correct for your opponent to raise with any two cards.

Att. To Steal Blinds: 13.41%

Looks like you are not stealing at all but just raising hands that you normally would on the button. Stealing the blinds once more per hundred hands turns 0.96BB/100h into 1.71BB/100h.

Overall it looks like you are tight and aggressive, not chasing, so you are on the right track.

Lost Wages

[drudman]

My preflop strategy is very straightforward. No fancy plays.

I raise AA, KK, QQ, AKs, AKo, AQs, AQo and JJ in every position (I think, it's hard to think about it, but I could see myself checking with other hands).

I'll flat call with TT, 99, 88 and maybe 77 in EP along with ATs, AJs, KQs, KQo... ummm, QJs JTs MAYBE T9s... anything else (I'm pretty sure) is getting tossed in EP.

By MP I'll call with any pair if there are a few entered already. I'll play suited connectors down to 67s under the same circumstances. I really try to toss unsuited high cards, I'll throw away QJo here. I would play KJs. I probably would not be inclined to raise with many hands I wouldn't raise with in EP, unless no one had entered yet.

LP is not much different from MP except that I will play Axs more often, KTs QTs maybe K9s, but probably not Q9s.

In the blinds, I don't like the idea of putting money into the pot with what is likely the worse hand, and even if the distinction between whose hand is better might be close, I am likely to not play because of the positional disadvantage.

It's harder than I thought to really talk about my preflop standards. Of course, I am leaving out a lot. I correctly play more loose when more people are in the pot... I know when I'm getting odds to call with worse hands than usual. Et cetera.

[tripdad]

you play more hand combinations than i do and i'm over 20% vpip. something is amiss.

cheers!

[HajiShirazu]

It seems like you aren't completing the small blind enough, and arent calling enough raises in the big blind.
Folded BB to Steal HU: 89.74%-that's really bad. Even 97o is only about a 2:1 dog against AK. You need to learn to defend your big blind more often.
You should probably be raising preflop a bit more often as well. After all 10% of the time you will be dealt the best hand at a 10 handed table. That's kind of a silly way of looking at it, but it is true.

[nyholdem]

As it seems Drudman is having problems playing in the blinds, this is an area I have been recently looking over many of my hands because I felt I may have been playing incorrectly. I will give you a general approx. strategy I use that of course may be subject to some changes depending on the game I am in and the # of people still in the hand. I invite all to help me adjust this strategy as you see fit.
Small Blind (1/2 BB)
-Call all pairs...Raise a few sometimes
-Call all Suited Conn. Occassional raise on AKs or KQs depending on callers
-Call most suited one-gaps to about 53s
-Call two gaps to about 85s
-Call three gaps to about J7s
-Call all AXs, KXs, Most QXs

Non suited
-Call All connectors to 54o
-Call one gaps to QTo or J9o
-Play Most Axo and Kxo

In games where 1/3 of the blind is posted I will play much tighter than above.
In games where 2/3 are already posted I will play many more hands.

Big Blind
Call any pair Raise sometimes depending on # of callers or pairs involved.
Call any suited conn. but as I get lower I need more callers ahead. Raise some of the larger ones with a few callers ahead.
Call suited one gap to 75s or 64s
Call suited two gap to 96s if a few are in already.
Call suited 3 gap to J7s
Call all AXs and Kxs and most Qxs

Avoid playing most unsuited unless big cards
Maybe T9, 98, depending on # of callers.

Can play most hands through group 7 except maybe 53s or J9o
Some group 8's can be played like J7s, 96s, 32s, A9, 87o

Please give me your advice on the above general strategy

Thanks

[StellarWind]

[ QUOTE ]
you play more hand combinations than i do and i'm over 20% vpip. something is amiss.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think his standards match his VP$IP pretty well.

[StellarWind]

Usually you should also raise with TT, AJs, and KQs. I'm sure others will counsel you to do more, but start here.

Make a place for AJo in all unraised pots. Despite some books, you can't be folding this at tables where almost everyone plays all aces (which you dominate). I'd raise but you can limp EP if you want.

Definitely play A9s and KJs UTG. When the table is reasonably passive I also play KTs, QTs, and A8s. Again others may advocate doing even more but start here.

Look for excuses to play pocket pairs more often. Some say 22 is golden UTG. I won't do that but certainly one or two limpers and the sky is the limit. With 3 opponents plus a possible BB I will usually call 1.5 bets cold from the SB. With 4-5 opponents I will usually call 2 bets cold, depending on the details.

Give me a couple limpers and most suited aces, K9s, Q9s, J9s, T9s, and 98s are in. Again, some will suggest doing even more.

I suggest that you add a few hands at a time and see how it goes. Aside from money, playing a little looser is more fun and better experience.

[Bob T.]

Post some hands. I think that is a lot more instructive than trying to figure out your game with statistics.

Good luck,
play well,

Bob T.