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  #1  
Old 12-05-2005, 01:55 PM
KINGOFINLAND KINGOFINLAND is offline
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Default Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

Little while ago I posted my pokertracker stats, even though the winrate was good, maybe because of short term variance, I didn't feel good about my game.
I got good advices, and have been working with my game alot after that.
I'm finally feeling good about my game, and it most shows in the way I make good moves and folds.

Here are the adjustments I have made:
Maybe someone else can as well get ideas of how to improve their game!


1) Playing only NL holdem. In past I have played pretty much every game. PL omaha(6 and 10 max), PL&FL Omaha hi/lo, short- and long handed fixed limit holdem,
NL holdem tournaments, all kind of SNG tourneys and so on.
I agree you can get ideas from other games, and it may help your main game, but too much is too much.
So I quit playing all other games then NL holdem, and played only the 6 max tables.

2) Reading only about NL holdem
This includes both books and this forum, I read only MHNL and SSNL forums of the strategy forums..
I should try to reply more to other people hands, but often it seems like either everything has been said or I'm unsure about how good my idea would be.

3) Railbirding only NL games
I'm a big fan of railbirding the big NL games: 50/100 and up at prima. And I feel like every now and then you can get ideas from there, even though it's mostly for fun.


Those were the general adjustments.
Now few specific strategic adjustments:

4) Tightening up from EP
I had bad habit of playing same hands from almost every hand. Now I have left some out from couple first positions, this includes hands that easily put you on a uncomfortable situation postflopSuited connectors, like 54s or 86s.
Smallest pairs, 22, 33, 44, 55. A-X where X is under T. I'm still unsure of I should start folding AT as well in normal games.

5) Not calling so many raises preflop
Other bad habit, if I saw a hand I would play in limped pot I would get married to it and play it as well facing a raise. That's why I never watch my cards before my turn in live games [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
I used to say myself, you have the implied odds just call, in reality I very rarely have the implied odds in headsup pots with hand like 75s.
Other thing is if I open raises utg for 4BB with AJo or so someone raised from next position to 16BB I would call, because for gods sake I can't fold preflop after my own raise!
Now this might not have been so big mistake preflop, but when you are out of position and not playing perfectly postflop you easilly have negative implied odds( I hope that's the correct term)

6) Reraising more preflop I was reraising basically only AA,KK,QQ, AK and sometimes JJ and AQ. Now for good opponent this is extremely easy to read, so I began mixing it up a bit.

7) Isolating
Something I knew should be done, and was doing it a bit, but I took to another level now.
If a bad player limps, or openraises for min.(this seem to happen a lot) I would go ahead and raise big, to get headsup with the fish.

8) Folding more from the blinds
This is as well a negative implied odds more then anything else, it might not be a so big mistake to call a raise with K9 or Q8 but it adds up easilly postflop. After all it seems like no-on is really trying to steal your blinds.. I just had some stupid macho idea and felt like everybody was making a move on me [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
I had it all figured out wrong way, I thought they were trying to steal my blinds, but actually they were trying to get me in so I would make a huge mistake postflop. Which wasn't all that rare.

Those were all pretty much preflop adjustments.
Next couple postflop things.


9) Understanding your tendencies
I guess everybody have tendency to play too obvious game from time to time.
Mine was this: Raise preflop someone calls, flop comes bet if called give up on turn with bad hands, keep betting the good ones, call down with decent ones.
Especially the last one is horrible, it comes from playing much SH fixed limit holdem where it's OK to call down with pretty much everything after flop against one opponent.
Other was I would never reraise without extremely good hand/huge draw.
There are some more, but I think those are two most obvious.

10) way behind or way ahead This is as well something I knew but didn't really care about, before reading some good posts from MHNLH. Now notice I said I would continue betting only the good ones, my criteria of a good hand was little below the normal. I.e top pair decent kicker on turn was a good one for me [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Think I just played a good hand to explain this a bit:
I raise from utg to 4BB(100 stacks) with AJ BB calls. Flop came 885 he checked and I bet 7BB.
Turn comes J it goes check-check, here I did bit different.. in past I would have bet and maybe called raise. Checking behind cuts down the chance of making a big mistake.

11) Bluffing a bit more
This is bit same with understand your tendencies. As I said I almost never bluffed after flop and never tried to pull a big move. So I decided to start making some moves. After all what's better then bluffing Johnny Chan out of big pot. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
So I began doing some stuff and make them less obvious, pushing the turn as a bluff, overbetting as a bluff, raising turn as a semibluff etc etc.
But keep in mind you shouldn't bluff very much in small stakes games.

And lastly couple advices, that have nothing to do with poker, but I think still improved my game.


12) Eating and drinking healthier
I don't mean you start drinking only beet juice, and eat beans. But what I did was I stopped being so damn lazy and just ordering pizza when playing, instead I think couple mins and do some good food.
Aswell I used to drink only coca cola while playing, now I replaced it with water. That seems to have made a huge difference, I feel better and brains seems to work faster.

And one last thing now if the poker gets boring or I feel like i'm not playing A game or tilt is close I take 30mins off and go run to park.


And the issues I still have, blind battles( my style in blind battles is now very weak tight), missing value with decent hands - this is connected to "way behind or way ahead" I'm still looking for the correct balance and still using too good game selection [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I pass alot decent games still.
Playing bit weak tight postflop from time to time, some opponents are scary..

My English is far from perfect, and even tho I tried to fix the obvious spelling errors some sentences might still be stupid, hopefully it's readable anyway.
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  #2  
Old 12-05-2005, 02:07 PM
beset7 beset7 is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

Nice post thanks. I've gone through a lot of the same things lately.

Except for the bluffing part is completely reversed. My tendency is to bluff too much and pulling that back a few notches has been great for my WR.
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  #3  
Old 12-05-2005, 02:19 PM
Morrek Morrek is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

Nice post, #12 is more important than you'd think, atleast for me.

BTW, do you play 6max or 10max? I was especially thinking about what you said about blind battles and stop playing some hands EP, and I realize both of these are quite different in 6max versus 10max
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  #4  
Old 12-05-2005, 02:21 PM
KINGOFINLAND KINGOFINLAND is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

Right now i'm playing 90% of the time 6max and 10max only when there is absolute no 6max games running at my stakes.
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  #5  
Old 12-05-2005, 03:20 PM
Leptyne Leptyne is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

An excellent post and my compliments on your english. I think the term you were looking for is "reverse implied odds". NL is "big bet" poker and you are looking for ways to get your opponents stack in one hand. Reverse implied odds is when you have AK and the flop comes K82r. It is a lot easier for you to hit your hand than it is for your opponent to hit a pp, but if he puts his stack in then the chances are good that your TPTK is beat. If you are deep stacked the value of your hand will go down if you hit the flop. If you're short stacked this would not be a problem and your hand will play much like Limit.

The one thing that I fail to pay enough attention to in my game is the constant statement found in High Stakes posts regarding how difficult it is to play a hand OOP.

A final bit of advice that I have found useful is to study how strong players use position to their advantage.
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  #6  
Old 12-05-2005, 04:54 PM
KINGOFINLAND KINGOFINLAND is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

Thanks.

Now that you mention the position play I agree. What gives me the most hard time is how to play turn headsup when you are first to act and have lead the flop. It's especially hard when you have a decent hand, i.e top pair good kicker and are against good player.
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  #7  
Old 12-05-2005, 05:56 PM
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

Great post!!

Have been thinking of some of theese things myself lately but this have totally slipped my mind.

[ QUOTE ]

9) Understanding your tendencies
I guess everybody have tendency to play too obvious game from time to time.
Mine was this: Raise preflop someone calls, flop comes bet if called give up on turn with bad hands, keep betting the good ones, call down with decent ones.


[/ QUOTE ]

This description fit me so much its scary but i dont know how to change this. I feel i play way to much ABC right now.
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  #8  
Old 12-05-2005, 06:13 PM
Murderous Murderous is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

[ QUOTE ]
6) Reraising more preflop I was reraising basically only AA,KK,QQ, AK and sometimes JJ and AQ. Now for good opponent this is extremely easy to read, so I began mixing it up a bit.


[/ QUOTE ]

Players obviously have their own comfort levels and playing styles but I think this is one of the more valuable insights/adjustments that you mention.

Against many types of players it’s good to reraise with "air" every now and then.

Good post.

--M
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  #9  
Old 12-05-2005, 08:29 PM
jjb108 jjb108 is offline
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

[ QUOTE ]
Nice post thanks. I've gone through a lot of the same things lately.

Except for the bluffing part is completely reversed. My tendency is to bluff too much and pulling that back a few notches has been great for my WR.

[/ QUOTE ]
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  #10  
Old 12-05-2005, 09:48 PM
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Default Re: Game almost repaired: What I did and what\'s left

[ QUOTE ]
5) Not calling so many raises preflop
Other bad habit, if I saw a hand I would play in limped pot I would get married to it and play it as well facing a raise. That's why I never watch my cards before my turn in live games
I used to say myself, you have the implied odds just call, in reality I very rarely have the implied odds in headsup pots with hand like 75s.
Other thing is if I open raises utg for 4BB with AJo or so someone raised from next position to 16BB I would call, because for gods sake I can't fold preflop after my own raise!
Now this might not have been so big mistake preflop, but when you are out of position and not playing perfectly postflop you easilly have negative implied odds( I hope that's the correct term)

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't be afraid to call a raise in position. I love calling raises in position with a variety of hands, particularly against weak players. I don't mean hands like AJ, I mean hands like 67s or AK. Actually playing poker is fun.
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