My first hand post. Please help me!

[flyingcamel]

Hi everyone. I've learned a lot since finding this place, and would appreciate some expert analysis of this hand that happened last night.

$1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em (50-200 buy-in)
St. Croix Casino, Turtle Lake WI

About me: new to poker (year and a half), and I don’t play no-limit very often. In fact, this was only my second time in person. I usually play 2/4, 3/6, or 4/8 limit at Canterbury (MN). Also play on line quite a bit. Online, I feel like I do better at no-limit than limit. Am up to $700 from my $600 on-line initial buy-in since November. I honestly do not yet know whether I am a winner or loser with my current skills. I am a scientist, with a heavy mathematics background and am very analytical. Don’t have any special people-reading skills that I know of. In fact I fear I have none. I play very tight at no-limit. Few draws, I'm patient and always wait for good starting cards at no-limit.

Scenario: I had been playing very few hands all night. Earlier I had played my pocket 8s so aggressively that I got JJ to fold and had the whole table convinced I had AA or KK (I was exploiting my tight image as well as the fact that my 8s were an over pair all the way through). So they know that I am aggressive, but I also have the feeling that they think I can be bluffed and that they have done it earlier. I think I appear weak to the typical young macho poker player (I am an Alan Alda sensitive type, mid-40s, dress nicely and it hasn’t been unheard of for folks to think I might be gay). I have been up to $450 so far, but have lost 2 big pots recently to take me down to $100. I have just replenished my stack to $200.

5 handed. I get JJ one ahead of the button (is this the cutoff?). EP limps in, I raise to $8. Button folds, SB calls, BB folds, EP calls. 3 of us, I am now last to act. $24 in pot.

Flop comes 878 rainbow. Checked to me. I bet $14. They both call. $66 in pot.

Turn is a 10. Two clubs on board. EP bets $20. I raise to $40. SB calls. EP folds. $166 in pot.

River is 8. No flush. He goes all in $350. I have $200.

I’d classify this guy as a good player. I haven’t seen him make any bad moves, and he’s been up all night. Plays a few more hands than I do, and he sometimes shows weak starters that caught a good flop which he plays aggressively and puts people to the test. He’s had the goods.

What would you do?

[Tilt]

You cant have 200 if you started with 200, can you? You are 62 into this pot, no?

I'd vote for a call. I think your opponent has 9T, possibly a smaller PP. He thinks you have AK or a pair smaller than tens. If he has quad 8's then this just isnt your night. But I suspect that he would check-push the river and let you hang yourself first. I dont see him playing an overpair like this, either.

[flyingcamel]

[ QUOTE ]
You cant have 200 if you started with 200, can you? You are 62 into this pot, no?

[/ QUOTE ]

You are correct. Knowing how much is in the pot, how much each opponent has, heck how much I have... is tough for me still. There is so much to think about! It is a lot easier online! I don't have the presence of mind at the table to do much more than play the cards at this point.

The fact that I didn't REALLY know how much was in the pot was what led to the "mini-raise". I just grabbed what I thought looked like a lot of chips, and actually given the games I usually play $40 is a lot to me. Not a lot in terms of my bankroll - I've got plenty of money - but a lot in terms of what 1 hand of cards is worth at this limit.

Describing this hand has been eye-opening for me. I am amazed at how much I just ignored at the time. All the details I added in hopes of getting good advice from you guys were not stuff I considered in great detail at the time. It is all coming now in hidsight. At the time I was in a complete daze pretty much. I mean I just get all excited and dont think clearly - or at least only think about how much I like MY hand. Rarely do I think too hard about the other hands. Is this normal for a year and a half and I will I naturally improve on this as I get more experience? Or is poker just not my game if I don't have these basics by now?

I hate to hijack my own thread with these side questions - so please some more of you let me know what you would have done!

[CheckFold]

How much poker have you played in a year and a half? It does sound like you're still thinking at a novice level, but if you've just been dabbling at the game for a while this shouldn't be a problem. If you have a strong math and analytical background, you should still be able to pick these things up with practice.

As for the hand, call. I think the T9 read is right on. You're getting better than 2 to 1 on the call and you're good way more often than that.

[Tilt]

[ QUOTE ]
I mean I just get all excited and dont think clearly - or at least only think about how much I like MY hand. Rarely do I think too hard about the other hands. Is this normal for a year and a half and I will I naturally improve on this as I get more experience? Or is poker just not my game if I don't have these basics by now?


[/ QUOTE ]

I dont know how much poker you have played in a year, but I'd say the steepest section of the learning curve is the first 20-30,000 hands. You should spend a lot of time reading good books and this website if you want to get good at NL.

I don't think you should play these stakes yet if you dont have alot of confidence in your reading skills. Move down while you learn. If in the long-term you dont want to think that hard and analyze what your opponent has stick to small stakes limit.

[flyingcamel]

Final result:

I called the all-in.

He had quad 8s. King kicker.

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