Ask BlackRain79 Anything About Cash Games

[Poker Orifice]

Any idea how many times you've hit a RoyalFlush?
I realize you probably have a huge database for 6max cash game and am curious, how often can a player expect to hit a royal flush? Or... say one plays 1 million hands... how many Royal's would they have made?
I'm asking as I'm curious as to the approx. number of hands I've personally played but have lost all database of HH's over the years.... but have screenshots of all RF's made and am just wondering a ballpark figure of how many hands I've played.
tks

 

[Nathan Williams]

Hi Nathan. Which type of 3 betting do you find most common at different microstakes with the good regs? Polarized or merged? And how much more common is one than the other?

I'm asking because I play at a site with no huds allowed so I am left guessing 3bet percentages based on which hands the opponnent shows, so figuring out which type of 3bet style is most common would be helpful.

Hi ventrolloquist,

I think most of the better regs start out with a polarized 3betting range at the lowest stakes and then gradually learn to use a merged range which makes them harder to play against.

Basically, I think that if you are playing anywhere at say NL25 or less most of the 3bets you will see will be nut heavy ranges with AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, AK, AQ and then a few speculative hands tossed in like A9s, 66, JTs.

In other words, fairly polarized.

As you move up to higher stakes though I think there will be a higher percentage of bluffy speculative hands in their range (like those listed above) and they will also "merge" some lesser broadways in there as well, such as KQ, KJs, QJs and so on.

I hope this helps answer your question.

 

[Nathan Williams]

Any idea how many times you've hit a RoyalFlush?
I realize you probably have a huge database for 6max cash game and am curious, how often can a player expect to hit a royal flush? Or... say one plays 1 million hands... how many Royal's would they have made?
I'm asking as I'm curious as to the approx. number of hands I've personally played but have lost all database of HH's over the years.... but have screenshots of all RF's made and am just wondering a ballpark figure of how many hands I've played.
tks

Hey Poker Orifice,

I have played over 10 million hands of poker so I have honestly lost count of how many royal flushes I have had. I believe it is around 30.

From a quick Google it looks like the odds of hitting a Royal are about 650k to 1 against. So it is exceedingly rare but if you play a silly amount of poker like me, you will see a lot

 

[ventrolloquist]

Hi ventrolloquist,

I think most of the better regs start out with a polarized 3betting range at the lowest stakes and then gradually learn to use a merged range which makes them harder to play against.

Basically, I think that if you are playing anywhere at say NL25 or less most of the 3bets you will see will be nut heavy ranges with AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, AK, AQ and then a few speculative hands tossed in like A9s, 66, JTs.

In other words, fairly polarized.

As you move up to higher stakes though I think there will be a higher percentage of bluffy speculative hands in their range (like those listed above) and they will also "merge" some lesser broadways in there as well, such as KQ, KJs, QJs and so on.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Thanks Nathan. Much appreciated [emoji3] .

 

[Poker Orifice]

Hey Poker Orifice,

I have played over 10 million hands of poker so I have honestly lost count of how many royal flushes I have had. I believe it is around 30.

From a quick Google it looks like the odds of hitting a Royal are about 650k to 1 against. So it is exceedingly rare but if you play a silly amount of poker like me, you will see a lot

I've actually been saving screenshots of mine (online RoyalFlush) since 2010.
I just hit my 23rd one this month..... so I'm guessing I too have played a silly amount of poker

 

[ventrolloquist]

Hi Nathan. I have another one. In microstakes playbook you advocate a cbet size of 50-60%. Now obviously in a pot vs. an inobservant fish stronger hand = bigger bet. But do these cbet sizes still make sense vs the mostly (semi)reg population? Are you reducing your bet frequency (and increasing bet hand strength) with the bigger than 33-40% size? I literally cbet 100% of my range with a 33% psb on dry flops (at least until somebody catches on).

I have found that when I bet 33% I often get a call (or float, sometimes hard to differentiate a station from a solid player lol), and then i fire a turn 66% bet and that does the trick of getting a fold. I like to imagine that the flop 50% cbet would be too high to call for most of these players and I would end up making less vs. these players by scaring them. All this is on a dry low or high low flop btw. Any thoughts? Is 33% a valid size on totally dry flops? I don't encounter very many true stations today, mostly one and done callers.

 

[ksandr010]

Hello. I read your Book. Are you still play on PokerStars?

 

[Nathan Williams]

Hi Nathan. I have another one. In microstakes playbook you advocate a cbet size of 50-60%. Now obviously in a pot vs. an inobservant fish stronger hand = bigger bet. But do these cbet sizes still make sense vs the mostly (semi)reg population? Are you reducing your bet frequency (and increasing bet hand strength) with the bigger than 33-40% size? I literally cbet 100% of my range with a 33% psb on dry flops (at least until somebody catches on).

I have found that when I bet 33% I often get a call (or float, sometimes hard to differentiate a station from a solid player lol), and then i fire a turn 66% bet and that does the trick of getting a fold. I like to imagine that the flop 50% cbet would be too high to call for most of these players and I would end up making less vs. these players by scaring them. All this is on a dry low or high low flop btw. Any thoughts? Is 33% a valid size on totally dry flops? I don't encounter very many true stations today, mostly one and done callers.

Hey Vent,

Like I mentioned in another post above, I am just going to keep it to one question per person in this thread. Otherwise it just gets to be too much for me to handle, with everything else I have going on.

I actually published a new article on CBetting strategy on my blog just last week:

https://www.blackrain79.com/2020/02/how-often-should-you-cbet-poker.html

 

[Nathan Williams]

Hello. I read your Book. Are you still play on PokerStars?

Hey ksandr010,

Great I hope my book helped you!

I am not going to get into what poker sites I play on or recommend in this thread. CardsChat already has tons of helpful guides on what the best online poker sites are

 

[ksandr010]

Hey ksandr010,

Great I hope my book helped you!

I am not going to get into what poker sites I play on or recommend in this thread. CardsChat already has tons of helpful guides on what the best online poker sites are

Yes. Your Book helped me)))

 

[ventrolloquist]

Hey Vent,

Like I mentioned in another post above, I am just going to keep it to one question per person in this thread. Otherwise it just gets to be too much for me to handle, with everything else I have going on.

I actually published a new article on CBetting strategy on my blog just last week:

https://www.blackrain79.com/2020/02/how-often-should-you-cbet-poker.html

Thanks Nathan, great read and it answers my question

 

[cam_pears]

thank you

I learned, so much from this thread so far, thanks a lot guys for your questions, and to BR79 for his replies, makes it so much easier for noobs like me to get into the game, after playing live, online is such a mixed bag for me!

Cam

 

[cam_pears]

Such a fantastic thread, I did have a question, for someone brand-new and coming off live games, that I have fared quite well at, I see you recommend Poker Tracker4 on your site, is that application still relevant in today's environment?

Cam - NZ

 

[Nathan Williams]

Such a fantastic thread, I did have a question, for someone brand-new and coming off live games, that I have fared quite well at, I see you recommend Poker Tracker4 on your site, is that application still relevant in today's environment?

Cam - NZ

Hey Cam,

Glad this thread, and my answers, are helping you.

Yes, I use PokerTracker 4 and have used it when playing online poker, and to study and improve my game, for nearly a decade now.

You can't use the HUD on all online poker sites, so it is best to check first depending on where you plan to play.

But, in my opinion it is still the #1 choice for poker tracking software out there and used by and overwhelming majority of online pros.

 

[cam_pears]

Hey Cam,

Glad this thread, and my answers, are helping you.

Yes, I use PokerTracker 4 and have used it when playing online poker, and to study and improve my game, for nearly a decade now.

You can't use the HUD on all online poker sites, so it is best to check first depending on where you plan to play.

But, in my opinion it is still the #1 choice for poker tracking software out there and used by and overwhelming majority of online pros.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer me, I am enjoying using the software, having only ever played live - it's nice to have the information in front of me when all I have are cards on a screen - have a nice day, C.

 

[SharkyJohn]

Hi👋 I play mostly MTT's but I am curious about cash games, I would be very thankful for a piece of advice for a newcomer at cash to make profit (not including studying cash games which is obvious)😁

 

[Sdub2020]

How do you develop the discipline to fold when you have great hand. Say you flop a set 33 board is 463 you bet player raises shove all in they turn over 66. Should I just give up how do i find the fold in situations like this?

 

[sickthis]

I bought ctm a couple years ago and don’t know what i did with it. Is there away I can get another copy?

 

[JakeRock]

What is your #1 most important rule for being successful as a cash game grinder. I play live and online. Maybe #1 for each?

 

[Nathan Williams]

Hi👋 I play mostly MTT's but I am curious about cash games, I would be very thankful for a piece of advice for a newcomer at cash to make profit (not including studying cash games which is obvious)😁

Hey Sharky,

Start at the lowest stakes which is usually 1c/2c on most online poker sites and learn the fundamentals.

This mostly revolves around understanding the power of position in poker and learning how to value bet relentlessly against bad players who call too much.

And of course, don't tilt when said bad players hit their river miracles against you. This is actually where most people go wrong.

For more, here is my complete guide to beating 1c/2c cash games:

https://www.blackrain79.com/2019/07/how-to-beat-2nl.html

 

[Nathan Williams]

How do you develop the discipline to fold when you have great hand. Say you flop a set 33 board is 463 you bet player raises shove all in they turn over 66. Should I just give up how do i find the fold in situations like this?

I don't fold most of the time and I get stacked like everybody else does. However, in some specific spots you can make an extremely sick fold versus certain player types.

"Nits" are the prime example. These are overly tight and overly passive players. When they start raising and re-raising you, it is usually because they have exactly what they are representing, the stone cold nuts.

 

[Nathan Williams]

I bought ctm a couple years ago and don’t know what i did with it. Is there away I can get another copy?

Sure, you can just send me an email or a pm and I will send you another copy.

 

[Nathan Williams]

What is your #1 most important rule for being successful as a cash game grinder. I play live and online. Maybe #1 for each?

I would say it is similar for both, work ethic, discipline and emotional control.

Winning poker is not supposed to be "fun." It is just like any other job and people who take it seriously get ahead and succeed.

 

[nurseboyjom]

Hi Nate! Glad you're doing something like this. Im very new to the game and having a lot of fun to even just learn about it. I recently investeda bit of money and played a combination of tournaments and low limit cash games. Suffice to say after just a few days I went bankrupt! My question is, as someone who currently doesn't have access to software like Holdem Manager or Pokertracker, how can I better find out the "leaks" in my game? I use hand2note and I can see which hands I lost the most money in and can analyze that... but are there any specific patterns or numbers I should be looking out for? Big fan again thanks for doing this!

 

[Dispo96]

Hey Nate, been following your stuff lately. Would you say that red line in micros is still more important than anything else and would you say your microstakes book is still relevant?