QQ. How big is big?

[hemstock]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (6 max, 6 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Hero ($24.25)
Button ($13.25)
SB ($97.87)
BB ($55.20)
UTG ($14.90)
MP ($5.35)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.10.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $0.75</font>, Button calls $0.75, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, BB calls $0.50.

Flop: ($2.35) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets $2</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $4</font>, Button folds, BB calls $2.

Turn: ($10.35) 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets $2</font>, Hero calls $2.

I'm trying to play NL for the first time. I've been playing limit exclusively only so far. I sit down at a table, and after a few orbits, this happens.

River: ($14.35) 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets $5</font>, Hero calls $5.

Final Pot: $24.35

Obviously 2$ is a bit much for this limit isnt it? I shouldn't call these without a good read or a really strong hand right?

Then this happens.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (6 max, 5 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

MP ($25.42)
Button ($10.80)
Hero ($23.65)
BB ($10)
UTG ($23.75)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Hero posts a blind of $0.10.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP calls $0.25, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero (poster) raises to $0.4</font>, BB calls $0.25, MP calls $0.25.

Flop: ($1.50) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $0.3</font>, BB folds, MP calls $0.30.

Turn: ($2.10) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $0.5</font>, MP calls $0.50.

River: ($3.10) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $0.5</font>, MP calls $0.50.

Final Pot: $4.10

Should I be betting more with top pair?
I'm a scared fish in a big pond right now [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[PoBoy321]

Your bets are WAY to small.

Hand #1) Raise more pre-flop, make it $1.25. The standard rule is that a raise should be 4BB + 1 for each limper, so since you're open raise it's a 4BB raise.

Second, if you're going to raise the flop, don't minraise, make it a real raise. Somethin like $6-7 should be good. However, I probably wouldn't raise the flop. Since there are no draws out there, I would likely just call and reevaluate the turn.

Hand $2, limp pre-flop. AJo is a very difficult hand to play out of the SB. Given that you did raise pre-flop, pot the flop bet 2/3 pot on the turn and block bet the river.

Just out of curiosity, are you a limit player who just switched to NL?

[hemstock]

I'm a limit player, and I'm trying to clear a bonus at empire. There are not enough players playing limit. Just trying to adjust. Haven't ever played a single nl ring hand before.

[PinkSteel]

For bet sizes, think in terms of fractions of the existing pot. Many posters here talk about 3/4-to-full potsize bets on the flop, 2/3-to-3/4 bets on the turn, and 1/2-to-2/3 bets on the river.

Note that with these bet sizes, the pot will grow in size exponentially, and if you (or your opponent) are not careful, you can be playing for your whole stack by the river.

I agree with the bigger raise preflop in Hand 1.

Villan could be playing back at you with air, so a reraise on the flop was appropriate. I would of raised more. At this point, you could see where you stand by a larger reraise. By committing some more cash now, it will make your decisions easier on the turn. As played, I think you are behind to an AJ, KJ, QJ. Villan could have a very wide range of hands with the small preflop raise. I fold the river.

Hand 2, my recomendation at micro limits is to play trouble or potential trouble hands passively. Dont play these hands for top pair, play them for 2 pair/straights. If your going to raise with this hand, you need to raise it the same as you did the first time with QQ. Why help out the table by adding pot sweetner? I have noticed that at micro levels, a .30 or .40 raise will be just incentive to get into a hand. I get into as many of these hands with marginal hands, since you can put it to a good starter hand.

As you played it, I would increase your bets to 3/4 pot rather than half.