New to NL ring games

Nick-Zack · #1 05-20-2005, 03:38 PM

I am just starting to play NL ring games after several years of limit. The problem that I have been having is winning all the little pots and getting killed on the big ones. I would appreciate some advice on how to get away from a hand like this:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (6 max, 5 handed) converter

SB ($85)
BB ($126.65)
Hero ($97.8)
MP ($138)
Button ($121.3)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.5.
Hero calls $1, MP raises to $4, 2 folds, BB calls $3, Hero calls $3.

Flop: ($12.50) 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, MP bets $6, BB folds, Hero raises to $20, MP calls $128 (All-In), Hero calls $73.80 (All-In).

Turn: ($240.30) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($240.30) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $240.30

EDIT - I guess I don't know how to use the converter. The villain in this hand had 77 and flopped a set.

On the other hand, I do enjoy these:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (6 max, 6 handed) converter

CO ($180.31)
Button ($46.83)
Hero ($99)
BB ($119)
UTG ($80.3)
MP ($170.42)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Hero posts a blind of $0.5.
UTG raises to $5, 3 folds, Hero (poster) calls $4.50, 1 fold.

Flop: ($11) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $5, Hero calls $5.

Turn: ($21) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $5, Hero raises to $20, UTG calls $65.30 (All-In), Hero calls $50.30.

River: ($161.60) 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $161.60

aexchange · #2 05-20-2005, 03:46 PM

i think in hand one, its totally read dependent. if you don't have a solid read, i always default to fold.

if you do have a pretty good read and feel like villain is on a bluff or draw, there may not be any way you're getting away from the hand.

Nick-Zack · #3 05-20-2005, 03:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i think in hand one, its totally read dependent. if you don't have a solid read, i always default to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the advice. I think it was just the years of limit kicking in. I don't even think I thought about it, I just called and the cried.

aexchange · #4 05-20-2005, 03:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i think in hand one, its totally read dependent. if you don't have a solid read, i always default to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the advice. I think it was just the years of limit kicking in. I don't even think I thought about it, I just called and the cried.

[/ QUOTE ]

just curious why you decided to call a big raise with QT suited?

pzhon · #5 05-20-2005, 04:04 PM

A lot of people would play an overpair or A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] x[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] that way, particularly A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] or A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], so once you see the flop, I don't think you can get away. Keep in mind that when you flop two-pair, there are only 5 possible sets rather than the 9 there would be if you had an overpair, and it's not so likely that someone would raise with 77. It's natural for someone with top two to stack off to bottom set.

I recommend open-raising preflop with QTs since you are 2 off the button. That wouldn't have helped, as 77 would call and stack you anyway.

Once you have limped, I think you should fold to the raise. You are out of position with a hand that is often dominated.

You may want to play at a lower level. You might be used to playing with a lot more money in limit, but NL $100 might be analogous to $3-$6 or $5-$10. Would you start there? In NL, you will make a lot of expensive mistakes at first, and you might want to work on the basics at a lower level. I'd set a stop-loss of another 3 buy-ins, and if you lose those, move down.

Nick-Zack · #6 05-20-2005, 04:42 PM

[ QUOTE ]

just curious why you decided to call a big raise with QT suited?

[/ QUOTE ]

That was obviously the problem that started this whole thing. The big problem on my end is being new to playing baby NL. I usually play 10/20 limit so the $3 raise was nothing really. The problem being that it was more than the entire pot and that should have raised some kind of flag.

I can honestly say that I don't like NL (more from a comfort level at limit than anything else). I think that this is the direction that HoldEm is heading though so I decided to clear the 2 Party bonuses playing baby NL and see what happened.

Nick-Zack · #7 05-20-2005, 04:45 PM

[ QUOTE ]
A lot of people would play an overpair or A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] x[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] that way, particularly A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] or A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], so once you see the flop, I don't think you can get away. Keep in mind that when you flop two-pair, there are only 5 possible sets rather than the 9 there would be if you had an overpair, and it's not so likely that someone would raise with 77. It's natural for someone with top two to stack off to bottom set.

I recommend open-raising preflop with QTs since you are 2 off the button. That wouldn't have helped, as 77 would call and stack you anyway.

Once you have limped, I think you should fold to the raise. You are out of position with a hand that is often dominated.

You may want to play at a lower level. You might be used to playing with a lot more money in limit, but NL $100 might be analogous to $3-$6 or $5-$10. Would you start there? In NL, you will make a lot of expensive mistakes at first, and you might want to work on the basics at a lower level. I'd set a stop-loss of another 3 buy-ins, and if you lose those, move down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for the well thought out advice. It is true that I play alot bigger at limit. I actually started clearing the 2 Party bonuses at the $50NL full tables but it was only being raked about 60% of the time and I was getting bored out of my mind and starting to gamble it up.

PokerFink · #8 05-20-2005, 05:20 PM

I don't play six-max much, but I'm probably not folding the first hand absent of a good read that I am beat. There are so many donkeys out there that would do this with naked aces or kings, or even AQ, that this is a profitiable call in my opinion.