Questions from a beginning player

[Sandwich]

I am rather new to the game of Texas Holdem and already busted through a $200 bankroll at Party Poker online .5/1 limit games and sit n go tourneys. After a short break, I decided to try Pokerstars and it is treating me a little better. I now focus on .02/.04 and $5 sit n gos. I read Sklanskys and Lou Kriegers books and I think I should get Jones low limit book. I also bought Turbo so I am resolving to be a serious poker player in the coming year.

I have a few questions if people don't mind to answer them... ok here goes.

(1) What does it mean to say "rags", as in "The flop came Ace and two rags"?

(2) What is "runner runner" mean?

(3) In a Live game, what is the ettiquette about talking about your hand? Is it really illegal to say something like: "I got nuts" or "Ahhhhh you better be careful 'cause I flopped a set!" I thought this verbal bluffing would be very effective but someone told me it could get you killed among the more serious players.

(4) Pokerstars gives you a display of how many players at a particular table see the flop and also how much is the average pot. HOW should I decide what table to play at? Higher percentage of flop-seers? Larger average pots? This is my vague feeling, but I still am not sure why?

(5) Okay, I am the BigBling dealt J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Three callers and I check so I can see that plop. Flop comes A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I check. The next guy to act bets. One guy folds and another calls. Okay I'm thinking I need to see a nine for a straight, any nine. Okay so I think maybe these guys got some high pair or something and my straight will kick butt if I get it. So I call. Next is the turn. It's a Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Is this what they call rainbow because no flush is possible? So I didn't get my nine. I check. Next guy checks also, and this time the other guy bets. So it's up to me.... what do I do? I am torn here, because I know I shouldn't chase hands but I'm thinking maybe I'll get the straight and Zowie! I'll win all the money! So I call the bet, and the first guy now re-raises (or check-raises, however do you call it?). I think that the second guy will call also, and that's a whole lot of pennies in the pot, so I decide to call the raise. Yes, second guy does too. River card is a J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Well, I didn't get my 9 but I did get second best pair! The way these guys were playing though it seems that one of them at least had a queen (probably the checkraiser) and maybe a higher pair than my Jacks, so I checked, and then after the first guy bet again and the second guy folded, I decided to lay it down and not waste the money with a stinky hand.

So, I would really appreciate your advice on if I played this right?

(6) Along the same lines, what are the KEY ELEMENTS to look out for when sitting at an online table and playing? I'd like to make a sort of mental checklist about my competition and they're tendencies. Should I make note of things like a) whether they see a lot of flops with marginal holdings, b) whether they slowplay or checkraise, c) whether they call a lot so as to be a calling station, d) what types of hands they raise or call raises with before the flop? Any other telltale KEY ELEMENTS I should be concerned with to judge the competition?

(7) what are the characteristics of a "weak tight" player? If someone calls you this, I guess it is bad?

Well, THANK YOU very much for listening... sorry for all the questions but I am very excited to have found this online forum and would very much like to hear from the more experienced poker players so that I may too someday become a worthy contributor to this forum.

[RollaJ]

1. Rags=2 seemingly unimportnat low cards (7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img])
2. Runner,runner= turn and river card combo (2 hearts runner-runner to make a flush and beat my set of aces)
3.In general you can talk about your hand, but dont tell others what you folded if the hand is still going. Dont say anything during tourneys
4.Generally the more people who see the flop the easier the game will be, bigger pots dont mean as much
5.Rainbow is indeed all different suits, about chasing... you saidd you read Sklansky check pot odds to see if you should call.... in this case maybe you have a call on the flop, but certainly not the turn as the double sized bet costs u more
6.Play any game under $2-4 online and follow what youve read so far and youll be fine
7.weak tight is someone who plays few hands and playes them in a scared fashion
Good luck!

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

re: #5 - you need to fold on the flop. When the bet comes back to you there are 6 bets in the pot and it costs you 1 to call (6-1 pot odds). You are likely behind here, and the odds of hitting your straight are 11-1. After that your pair of jacks on the river is basically worthless as there are 2 overcards on the board.

So your first assignment is to study the probabilities of poker.

[pudley4]

Rollaj took care of most of your questions. However, I have to respond to #5:

[ QUOTE ]
(5) Okay, I am the BigBling dealt J 8 . Three callers and I check so I can see that plop. Flop comes A 7 6 . I check. The next guy to act bets. One guy folds and another calls. Okay I'm thinking I need to see a nine for a straight, any nine.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have J8, and 76 on the board. You need both the 9 and the T for the straight. Even if you had T8 (and therefore truly only needed the 9 for your straight), you are only getting 6-1 on your call, and you are almost 11-1 against getting your 9 on the turn. It's still a fold. (Note to experienced players - please don't chime in here about implied odds, or about how his opponent may be betting middle pair, or a draw, so hitting his T or 8 may be good, therefore he should call, blah blah blah. It's obvious from his post that he needs to learn the simple, basic strategy needed to beat the LL games, and in this hand it's a fold.)


I found this funny:

[ QUOTE ]
(on the river) after the first guy bet again and the second guy folded, I decided to lay it down and not waste the money with a stinky hand.


[/ QUOTE ]


You were about 4 calls too late with that thought.

PS - With that much money in the pot, and only having to call one more bet, and it being headsup, and no threat of a raise behind me, I may call the river.

[pudley4]

Looks like Kurn types faster than I do. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[rayrns]

Fold your hand on the flop. It might just be me, but I only see a 4 card straight with a nine. Looks to me like you need a runner-runner to an open end straight draw. You need a 9-T, 9-5, 5-4 and you sure don't have the odds to draw to that.

[PseudoPserious]

Hi Sammich,

I'm not very good, but I'll try to help you with question #5.

(5) Okay, I am the BigBling dealt Jd 8d . Three callers and I check so I can see that plop.

I would check here as well.

Flop comes As 7h 6c. I check. The next guy to act bets. One guy folds and another calls. Okay I'm thinking I need to see a nine for a straight, any nine. Okay so I think maybe these guys got some high pair or something and my straight will kick butt if I get it. So I call.

I would fold here. A 9 doesn't really do much for you -- J9876 isn't a very good straight, although I guess it's an acceptable straight draw.

Next is the turn. It's a Qd. Is this what they call rainbow because no flush is possible?

Yes -- it's a vertiable rainbow of fruity flavors.

So I didn't get my nine. I check. Next guy checks also, and this time the other guy bets. So it's up to me.... what do I do? I am torn here, because I know I shouldn't chase hands but I'm thinking maybe I'll get the straight and Zowie! I'll win all the money! So I call the bet

Again, maybe I'm not reading this correctly, but hitting a 9 will give you AQJ9876, which is a relatively poor straight. I'd fold here.

and the first guy now re-raises (or check-raises, however do you call it?).

Yes, this is a check-raise. In this betting round, he checked, then raised when it was bet around to him.

I think that the second guy will call also, and that's a whole lot of pennies in the pot, so I decide to call the raise. Yes, second guy does too.

I'm confused about the betting sequence here. You are in the BB and first to act. On the turn it went:
check (you)
check (1st guy)
bet (2nd guy)
call (you)
raise (1st guy)
?? (2nd guy)
?? (you)

It looks to me like you'll be acting after the second person, so he'll have already called before you need to act...no need to worry about any further raising; your call will 'close the action'. I'd still fold though. A check-raise is generally a sign of strength. What hand do you put both of your opponents on, and what are you hoping to improve to to beat them?

River card is a J . Well, I didn't get my 9 but I did get second best pair!

Technically, I think that's called "third" pair...first pair is AA, second is QQ. And, of course, KK beats you too, but probably no-one has that.

The way these guys were playing though it seems that one of them at least had a queen (probably the checkraiser) and maybe a higher pair than my Jacks,

If you thought an opponent had a queen, for a pair of queens on the turn, then your hand can not improve to beat him.

so I checked, and then after the first guy bet again and the second guy folded, I decided to lay it down and not waste the money with a stinky hand.

This might be the only time that you can call. You can now beat an outright bluff. Maybe, just maybe, the check-raiser was check-raising with a flopped open-ended straight draw that didn't improve. There are 10 big bets in the pot. It costs 1 big bet to call. Is he bluffing 9% of the time or more? Probably not. But maybe, just maybe, you should call on the end here. It would have been the most defensible of all the calls you did make.

So, I would really appreciate your advice on if I played this right?

I would have played it a little differently.

PP

[PseudoPserious]

Sandwich,

Did you have a typo in your post?

If the flop was T76 instead of A76, then your "inside straight draw" and "second pair" comments make more sense.

Your flop call also makes a little more sense -- a '9' is a winning out for you, and a 'J' might win you the pot as well.

There's only 6 small bets in the pot to you, and it's about 11-1 to hit your straight on the turn, so it's a close call.

You'll need to collect 5 or more small bets on the turn and river if you hit your 9.

PP

[Sandwich]

Sorry! Yes, I did have a typo. The first flop card was a ten not an Ace. Dammit I feel like such an idiot. NExt time maybe I'll just post the hand history because it's easier?

Thanks for everyone's answers. (at least the non-insulting ones)

[Sandwich]

oh yeah, in my example I guess on the turn my call closed the action. sorry I am still learning how to 'Play Poker Like the Pros', so to speak.

That's what I get for posting after a liquid lunch.