[Felipe]

I'm gonna share my thoughts and opinions.

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Another hand I get pocket Jacks and I raise with them. I of course get plenty of company, four calls. Flop comes all clubs with a Queen. I have the Jc so I'm not completely screwed. I bet, and everyone calls. Turn comes the ace of spades. I bet again (probably foolishly, but I figure maybe since the betting goes up I can get people to drop out of the hand). I get check-raised and I know I'm behind. I call hoping for a flush on the river or the 3rd jack. The other 3 people drop out btw. River comes 9h and the remaining player bets. I type in the chat "I'm not paying off an ace" and I fold. I don't care that the pot was laying 11-1, I was 99% sure they had an ace, so I'm not wasting money paying it off.

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What evidence is there that your opponenet had an Ace? How long had you been playing with (against) him? I would have certainly folded if my opponent was a very tight passive rock, or a very passive fish that comes alive with very good hands. Getting 11:1 is good enough barring reads, I would wager.



This:
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I check with the intention of check-raising to protect my hand, but it gets checked around.

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with this:
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I'm getting killed in these ring games, I don't understand it. It's not because I'm getting outplayed because the players SUCK. It's not because I'm playing too many hands because I'm not. Could I be getting a bad run of luck? This is what happened tonight, and these kinds of things have been happening to me in general almost every time I play.

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and this:
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So these are the kinds of things that always seem to be happening to me.

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Clearly don't belong in the same post.

Your opponents didn't make a single mistake on the flop with your AKo hand. YOU MADE THE MISTAKE. Admit to yourself your mistakes, and you will play better poker. (I'm still working on that myself.)

I can recommend a good book (find it used if you can) It is called "zen and the art of poker" (forget author, just search it). It emphasises the notion that just because you are a better player strategically, doesn't mean that you deserve to win anymore than anybody else. Poker is a game of random outcomes, and those outcomes often do NOT benefit the GOOD players, they benefit the bad ones. THis is most unfortunate, but a reality that every player must accept. If you make "fewer" mistakes than your opponents (and less costly ones of course) you will win. But poker is great game that tests your patience, and if you just "can't wait to nail it to those fish" maybe footballs a better sport. You can sack the sorry players immediately, and earn the immediate rewards that that offers (if any). In poker, your rewarded if you are patient. This books helps you realize that you only have control over YOUR own decisions. You cannot crontrol the cards or the other players


I just caught this one at the last second:
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Another hand I'm in the BB with Q-6o and everyone folds to the SB who limps in. Flop comes A-Q-x, he bets, I raise, he re-raises, I call. Turn comes a blank, and I fold to his bet. Sigh, I thought my middle pair might be good, but I'm not calling two more bets to find out if it is.

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A good play here is read dependent. I would probably have done similar , but my decision would have had more bearing on my opponents tendencies and/or habits. You should include those reads when you are discussing hands in the forums.