Looking for tips to improve my game

[Dommer]

Hi all, my first post here but not my last [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I'm currently a .25/.50 NL player at party poker, and my goal is to improve my game so that I could play 1/2$ or higher some day and I'm looking for some ideas on how to do that. I've tried moving up to .5/1 (at pokerstars though) multiple times and each times I eventually had to move back down.

I guess I'll start with some stats from poker tracker for the 22k hands I've played at party poker 50NL.

VP$IP - 13.4
PFR - 4.6 (it was at 6.8 not long ago at 18k hands, but I hit a bad run)
BB/100 - 4.4
Total Aggression Factor - .95

Basically what I do is raise with AA-1010 in any position, AKs or AKo in any position, AQ/AJ in lp, limp with small pairs anywhere, try to limp MP or later with AX suited, I don't really play suited connectors unless I'm in lp and theres a ton of limpers or I'm in the SB (never had any luck with em).

My pocket pairs AA-22 are very profitable, so I think I am playing those ok.

My AK-AJ need some work, I don't make much money with them. Basically my strategy with them is to raise 4-8x bb pre-flop (only go up to 8xbb with ak) depending on limpers and position. If I miss the flop and I'm only up against 1 person and the flop doesn't look like much hit it I'll do a pot size bluff, if it's more than 1 I won't try anything. I find at party poker my bluffs are continually called (even with nothing), and then once I check the turn they make a play on the river. So I'm kind of in a funk on bluffs, they seemed to work a lot better at pokerstars. I'll admit sometimes I go on streaks where all my bluffs are working though. Most often though I'll get 2+ callers and won't be able to try any sort of move at all.

I guess I'll talk a bit about my general playing style now..

The only bluffing or plays I make is on the flop, I never try a bluff or try to overbet the value of my hand past the flop. If I'm all-in on the river or turn or wherever you can be sure I have the nuts or have you on a hand I can beat. I really make no plays of any sort, if I'm putting my money in I'm showing down a hand. I've experimented with making plays and I've had some luck, but when I really sense weakness from a player I'm usually too afraid to make any sort of large bet. I think this leads to me being outplayed a lot by weaker holdings.

I tend to call small bets with top pair too much, I get sucked into calling min raises on the river when I feel I'm beat. I just recently got poker tracker so I've been keeping track of this, I think this is a huge area of profit loss. So I must misplay top pair.

I'll call with draws if its multi-way, or if I think I have implied odds. I really only play nut flush draws, I think this is an area of my game I could improve. If I have less than the nut flush I'm just too afraid to get a lot of money involved (unless I flop it). I also rarely hit straights, I barely make money on straights, I think just because I don't really play much cards that lead to hitting straights. I used to do semi-bluffs and similar things but I stopped doing those.

I don't handle aggression from other players well at all. I quite often make a bad call or get bluffed off the best hand. If I have a weaker holding (say top pair) it's very rare that I'll be able to play it just because I won't stand to any aggression with it. Quite often fear of losing dictates whether I make a call, and not sound logic or feel. This is a problem I've struggled with for a long time.

So basically that's my game, I tend to need very fishy players to make any money, better players know to avoid me. And the even better ones will actually know how I play since I'm so predictable and take advantage of it (this happened at pokerstars a lot at .5/1). Whenever I'd try to make the move to .5/1 I'd be making a lot more mistakes because of the more aggressive players and my strong hands were payed less, while losing more with my weaker hands.

Well, thanks for reading if you made it this far [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I know this was all very general and I'll start posting specific hands soon, but any general tips or advice based on what I've said would be greatly appreciated.

If theres any specific part of my game that I should have talked about I'll be happy to.

Thanks in advance,
Dommer