[Guthrie]

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Ok, time to stop being defensive and, instead, to listen. Your results are lackluster, and people are telling you why, but you aren't listening.

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I realize my results are lackluster, but just telling me to raise more doesn't help. I posted the entire list of starting hands from late position from the entire session in question, and nobody has yet to identify a single hand that I should have raised and didn't. They just keep saying "you should raise more."

I'd love to raise more. Tell me where!

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You don't raise enough before the flop. 7.7% is not enough. Your PFR should be at least in the double digits.

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Trust me, I'm not trying to argue with you that 7.7% is not enough. My starting hands are based religiously on your book. There may be errors, but I'm not making this [censored] up, I'm following your advice first, and then the Micro Limits Forum. If I'm missing something, I'd love to hear about it and fix it.

I've also been using the Pokertracker stats post in the FAQ of the Micro Limits Forum as a guide. This says that the typical PFR range is 7-10, and "a few posters exceed 10." If you say it should be at least 10, and everyone here agrees, then maybe someone should update the FAQ.

But if 10 is the number, great. I'd be more than happy to get there. Tell me how.

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2. I sense you have a postflop problem that you mentioned in passing, but actually is bigger than you think. I think you are folding the best hand after the flop too often. When you limp in too much with quality hands, you'll encourage others to raise behind you with weaker hands because they will underestimate your strength. Then, if you automatically check-fold the flop when you miss, you've unwittingly turned their bummer of a hand into a winner. I think you are losing a lot of hands that look like this:

EP limps. You limp with A8s. Guy behind you raises KTo. Folded to EP who calls, you call. Flop comes J75. You check and fold.

Raising more often preflop helps reduce the number of times you make that error (and also gets your weak-tight opponents to make that error more often to boot).

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I'm not sure I understand the hand. What's my position? I'd raise A8s from the last three positions, then I'd lead or raise the flop.

If I'm in middle position with A8s, then I'd limp. I'm fairly sure that's straight out of your book.

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Frankly, I think you are lying to yourself when you say you based your raising decisions on what's in SSH. I think you read that chart selectively, and, perhaps even subconsciously, backed off some of the more "dangerous" raises.

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I spent many hours converting your chart to a format I can use while playing. For my first 40K hands I referred to it almost every hand, now I keep it next to the PC for reference in close situations. I'd be more than happy to send it to you and let you put a red pencil to it.

I really don't think I back off "dangerous" raises. On the contrary, I look for places to raise. Either I'm not finding them, or my strategy is fundamentally incorrect.

The problem I'm having lately, since I started using PokerAce, is that I'm actively seeking out loose games. In these games, the times it's folded around to me, or just one limper, in late position, are rare, so I've been unable to raise more in those circumstances. If you think I should go ahead and raise KJo in the CO after two or three limpers, I'll be happy to take a shot.

In tight games my PFR is much higher. Not only are there far more opportunities to raise otherwise limping hands from late position, but the results are more immediate. But you say, everyone agrees, and I want to believe, that the money is in loose games.

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Quick raising quiz. Which of these hands would you raise?

1. Two players call to you on the button with QJs.

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I raise, every time, no matter how many limpers.

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2. One player calls to you on the button with A9o.

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Now here's a problem. I don't raise, and you're the reason why. On page 74 of SSHE, last paragraph, you list A9 as a "junk offsuit hand" and say that it should not be played, with the possible exception of on the button for one bet only. My reasoning is that if you say it should be played for one bet only, then it shouldn't be raised after one limper. I do tend to raise on the button with it first in if the blinds are tight, and sometimes if they're not.

Last night it was folded around to me in CO with A8o. The button was unknown and only had 3BB in his stack. The blinds were both weak/tight, so I raised. The button called, the blinds folded, and I made a straight flush. So yeah, I understand the concept and I'm not afraid to make dangerous raises.

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3. Three players call, including the small blind. You have 99 in the big blind.

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I raise, every time, unless I can 3-bet.

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4. Button limps, small blind calls, and you have A7s in the big blind.

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I raise. If button had a hand, he should have raised, so I assume his hand is not a lot better than random. A7s in a three-way pot is a good hand.

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5. One player limps to you in MP with KJo.

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I call. If I wouldn't even play KJo from early position, then why should I raise with it from MP after one limper? I'd sometimes raise one limper from the last three positions, but not from MP. I'd nearly always raise it first in from the last three positions.

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6. One player limps. You have 77 in the SB.

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I raise. More now than before. Playing some 6-max and lots of NL SNGs has made me much more aware of hand values short handed and HU.

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Basically, you should be raising in all these spots. I doubt you can honestly say that you would, though.

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I really do look for places to raise, not avoid raising. I just don't find them. For example, if I have AQo on the button, and it's raised by a loose player, I tend to 3-bet even though your chart says fold. Maybe that's another leak, but it's sure not being afraid to raise preflop.

Again, I'm not trying to argue, I'm just trying to find out what's wrong. I understand the concept of pre-flop raising. I wish my PFR were higher. When I play in tight games my PFR goes up. There are more opportunities to raise first in. I steal more blinds, continuation bets work. In loose games, however, I rarely have an opportunity to raise first in from late position. If I need to start raising KJo from MP after one limper, I'll do it, but I'd like to have some guidelines, because everything I've seen written says the opposite, including your book.

And I'm still waiting for someone to look at the list I posted and tell me which of those hands I should have raised.