Weekly Poker Essays #2: Maximizing Value

[TheGrifter]

In practice, if a table is very loose preflop, with very little raising, and the players are poor postflop, you can make a profit with many, many hands.

Still, it's important not to forget about the math, even limping in you just aren't going to make enough money with K5o to make it profitable. You need to make two pair with or better with a hand like that to make money and it just doesn't happen very often.

So, while you can certainly loosen up under certain table conditions I think you're costing yourself money if your VPIP is over 40, that's not to say you might not be a winning player, simply that you're playing hands that lose money.

[Yeknom58]

"who will call down with TPGK and not even realize until the river that their whole stack is gone."

holy crap this was funny.

[Allinlife]

lovable post..will read few more times to gasp all I can..thanks!

[FourKing Hell]

I really appreciate these posts, and I hope you will keep it up! However, two things left me a little confused:

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Of course there is usually money left over after the flop and the decisions you make on the turn are just as important. The biggest mistake I observe is that people slow down when any scare card comes in a HU or 3 handed pot. Remember, if it’s a scare card for you it may well be so for your opponents. In fact, by betting out you can get a much better idea of where you are and make it much less likely that you will be drawn out on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Suppose I bet and get raised a considerable amount (and didn't push, in fear of losing my opponent). Suppose you're the raiser. A ten comes off. Did you just raise with KJ?

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This is in contrast to a flop like A K 9, where you have some kicker protection and players are more likely to have gotten a piece of the flop that is not an ace. In the 2nd case it may be correct to value bet the pot to the river.


[/ QUOTE ]

So you'd call down with KT or the likes? I can see some sort of a combination drawing hand calling, being offered a good price, but most of the time, how can I expect sane players who call to have a worse hand than me?

[TheGrifter]

[ QUOTE ]
Suppose I bet and get raised a considerable amount (and didn't push, in fear of losing my opponent). Suppose you're the raiser. A ten comes off. Did you just raise with KJ?


[/ QUOTE ]

At this point you have to make a read. People are rarely going to try to push you off your hand here with a big raise, they just don't think it through enough. Most of the time a big raise on the turn when a scare card comes (after you bet) is likely the goods.

[ QUOTE ]

So you'd call down with KT or the likes? I can see some sort of a combination drawing hand calling, being offered a good price, but most of the time, how can I expect sane players who call to have a worse hand than me?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you see people calling down a lot with mid pair weak kicker, additionally a lot of players will call to the river and fold unimproved. I don't like calling down, but I do like betting down, since you keep the pressure on your opponent at all times. This is, to a certain extent, player dependant but you have to continually make plays for the money in the middle when you might have the best hand, people don't flop TPGK or better every time.