How to get broke at NL... - Page 2

pzhon · #11 10-07-2005, 03:57 PM

Not being able to get away from one pair is a significant leak with 100 BB stacks. You might do better to buy in for only 40 BB.

Your bet on the flop was too large. Was it a value bet? Which worse hands would call? Was it a bluff? Which worse hands would fold? Was it a protection bet? What draws were you charging? If you bet less, someone with a weak king might call in the hopes that you have QQ or JJ.

When you get raised on this drawless board, you are probably up against a monster or a bluff. So, even if you feel like you are ahead enough to call, you should not push. The bluffs will fold and the monsters will call. In this situation, you should either fold or shut down, perhaps checking and calling the rest of the way, or checking and folding on the turn.

KramerTM · #12 10-07-2005, 06:17 PM

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If I get bluffed, well, so what. Sometimes I get bluffed. That's NL poker.

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Being able to say this is the hallmark of a great player, IMO. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it.

Every great player lays down the best hand sometimes. A lot of time it is actually the right move (given your imperfect information, of course).

#13 10-08-2005, 07:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Not being able to get away from one pair is a significant leak with 100 BB stacks. You might do better to buy in for only 40 BB.

[/ QUOTE ]Can you please explain for the beginner how exactly the size of the stacks is affecting the way to play a pair? Is it simply a matter of risking a smaller amount of money or is it something more involved?

roxtar · #14 10-08-2005, 08:39 PM

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anyone see a way to get away from this one? (i lost to 22, btw)

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I can't tell you how many times that I made this mistake holding hands similar to AKs. Now when I'm playing at tables like this one I almost always add low pairs such as 2's 3's etc to the range of hands that I have to put them on. I must admit that it is a very easy mistake to make, especially on an uncoordinated board such as this.You were right in saying that your pf raise is just begging for small pairs to call you, but I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing as your odds of hitting TPTK are better than their odds of hitting their set, although if they don't hit, getting any action from even the most maniacal players will be difficult so all you've really gained is the amount of the pf raise.

Anyone that disagrees with anything I've said is probably right.

<font color="red">I just realized this is my 100th post!!! YAAAY for me!! </font>

pzhon · #15 10-08-2005, 10:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not being able to get away from one pair is a significant leak with 100 BB stacks. You might do better to buy in for only 40 BB.

[/ QUOTE ]
Can you please explain for the beginner how exactly the size of the stacks is affecting the way to play a pair? Is it simply a matter of risking a smaller amount of money or is it something more involved?

[/ QUOTE ]
If you can't fold TPTK or AA, you will be vulnerable to people who play speculative hands, and only put in a lot of money when they have better than one pair. You will win many small pots when people fold on the flop, then lose a huge pot.

If your stack is small, the large pot you lose will not make up for the small pots you win. If your stack is large, you can lose far more than you gain from picking up small pots.

Let's suppose you have AA UTG, and raise to 5 BB with a 100 BB stack. Suppose someone in late position calls with a low pocket pair, playing for a set. About 1 time in 8, the player with the low pocket pair will flop a set. Some of that time, you will also flop a set, or you will later hit a set or better, but you will be about a 4:1 underdog, if you average over all of these possibilities. If you win the small pot 7/8 of the time, and put in 100 BB as a 4:1 underdog 1/8 of the time, you will lose on average with AA in this situation.

If you only have 40 BB, you will win on average if someone calls, hoping for a set. The same is true if you can avoid losing more than about 50 BB against a set, perhaps by folding some of the time when your opponent raises you, and some of the time when your opponent then pushes. This will allow you to bet for value against weaker hands while not losing too much when you are behind.