When is aggression dumb?

[JMBills]

I've read SSHE several times through and have been playing .05/.10 LHE at Poker Stars with a small bankroll in order to build up to the higher limits. I can't afford PokerTracker yet but so far I've been a "winning player" (at nanolimits) I don't have a hand count but I know it's at least 15,000. I know I have alot of room for improvement.

When it comes to applying the concepts of Small Stakes Hold`em to the actual game I've been encountering, I'm baffled by some of the marginal situations. I'm tight and aggressive preflop, but once the flop comes, I tend to be passive unless I've got very strong evidence I have an equity advantage. Often, just when I think the board / opponents are right for aggression it seems like I get hammered by a better hand. Or, I think I have the best hand, but I realize there're so many opponents who can draw out on me and no tricks will cut the field down; I play it very cautiously 'till I'm sure the board is safe. It's difficult to know if I'm making the right plays when I lose and even sometimes when I win.

It also seems difficult to know when it's right to throw away cards after showing aggression preflop.

If I had to ask a single specific question it'd be: Are there any good resources that show which hole cards have an advantage for the various boards and playstyles of opponents? I'd like to be more sure about what strength my hand is in order to know if I can check it, raise it, call it, or lose it.

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question, but it seems like a good start. I'm going to start to keep the hand histories of particularly doubtful plays.

[parappa]

[ QUOTE ]
If I had to ask a single specific question it'd be: Are there any good resources that show which hole cards have an advantage for the various boards and playstyles of opponents? I'd like to be more sure about what strength my hand is in order to know if I can check it, raise it, call it, or lose it.

[/ QUOTE ]

The short answer is no. While SSH gives you some gradients to use to classify your hand as 'monster' 'very strong', etc. and Gary Carson's book does a bit of this, what I think that you're saying is "I know preflop decently. I understand pot odds decently. How do I estimate whether my hand is currently best?"

If I've missed your point, I apologize. However, if that is your point, simply put, this is the hardest bit and only experience and lots of hands helps. I used to, for example, always check my pair on the flop when a single overcard came. SSH and the micros forum flagged this up as a mistake and I'll now assume my opponent doesn't have the overcard until he tells me otherwise, etc.

Some general guidelines that I use:
I almost always assume my TPTK is good on the flop.
I never worry about set over set or flush over flush.
I never give my opponents credit for quads.
If someone has a set, full house, etc. they have to prove it to me by raising my bet before I'll even consider believing them.

In general, I assume that I have an equity advantage on a good or reasonable board until it is proven otherwise to me.

The absolute best solution to this is to come over to the micro-limits forum and post some hands. When you get advice, question it hard if it doesn't sound right. Perhaps some of your difficult situations just require a pointer or two, perhaps they're difficult for everyone.

[AKQJ10]

I second everything parappa said about it taking much experience to gain judgement about when you're likely to have the best hand. I'm still very much working on it, and i'm sure even experts don't intuit correctly all the time.

Just one more thought: when you say,

[ QUOTE ]
Or, I think I have the best hand, but I realize there're so many opponents who can draw out on me and no tricks will cut the field down....

[/ QUOTE ]

you're absolutely correct, especially in micro-limits. You probably won't get better hands to fold more than once in a blue moon, so some of SSH (particularly raising on the river with a third-best hand) may not apply. But most of it will -- especially the part about protecting good hands (and most quality draws). People may still stay in when they shouldn't and draw out on you, but you're charging them the maximum price to do so, which should make you a long-term winner.

I need to think harder about whether the "buying outs" concept applies in ultra-loose games; on one hand you're forcing your opponent to make a mistake, but on the other you're not as big of a beneficiary as when you force a mistake with the best hand.

[JMBills]

Thanks for the comments. You summed up my situation well.


[ QUOTE ]

I almost always assume my TPTK is good on the flop.
I never worry about set over set or flush over flush.
I never give my opponents credit for quads.
If someone has a set, full house, etc. they have to prove it to me by raising my bet before I'll even consider believing them.


[/ QUOTE ]

Does this mean that those situations are bet-raisable-reraisable? When do you slow down?

[Mike_S]

go to PSO and get your Poker Tracker-Or badgerholdem.com to start