Polished Poker Vol. I Study Group

[Gorak]

Hi John, thanks for inviting me to the group. I used to be a Poker Zion member when I started playing and I learned a lot from there. Now I rarely play holdem cash games anymore as I moved to tournaments and Omaha hi/lo for cash.

I wanted to give the Zoom and Boom promo a shot; but I soon realized that the game has evolved and I'm not up to the challenge even at the lower stakes.

Anyway I may post some hands but I don't know if I'll have the patience and the concentration needed to bring my cash game up to today's level.

 

[Gorak]

Here are 2 hands where I think I made good folds.

In this 1st hand he 4bets me pre. So I put his range to AA KK QQ maybe JJ. But I hold KK so less possiblilty for him. He bets hard on the Q high flop so I think he has AA or QQ.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.00
SB: $5.02
Hero (BB): $2.31
UTG: $2.83 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 50.00, Hands: 2)
UTG+1: $0.90 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
MP: $3.54 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
MP+1: $1.38 (VPIP: 18.18, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
MP+2: $1.46 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
CO: $1.98

SB posts SB $0.01, Hero posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has K:diamond: K:heart:

fold, fold, MP raises to $0.07, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.26, MP raises to $0.45, Hero calls $0.19

Flop: ($0.91, 2 players) Q:spade: 6:spade: 9:heart:
Hero checks, MP bets $0.88, fold

MP wins $0.88


In this 2nd hand with TPTK I can't justify a call with so much action on the flop. It seem all I do is limit the damage in this game.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.54 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
SB: $7.08 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
BB: $2.03 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
UTG: $0.89
UTG+1: $1.82 (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
Hero (MP): $1.86
MP+1: $1.89 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
MP+2: $2.87 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
CO: $2.00 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has Q:diamond: A:diamond:

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.06, Hero calls $0.06, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, BB calls $0.04

Flop: ($0.19, 3 players) 4:club: Q:club: T:heart:
BB checks, UTG+1 bets $0.09, Hero raises to $0.24, BB raises to $0.72, UTG+1 raises to $1.76 and is all-in, fold, BB calls $1.04

Turn: ($3.95, 2 players) 9:spade:

River: ($3.95, 2 players) K:club:

BB shows 4:heart: 4:diamond: (Three of a Kind, Fours)
(Pre 51%, Flop 66%, Turn 70%)
UTG+1 shows J:club: A:club: (Flush, Ace High)
(Pre 49%, Flop 34%, Turn 30%)
UTG+1 wins $3.81

 

[Figaroo2]

Greetings Gorak
KK most are getting it all in preflop with Kings these days. I don't mind seeing a flop and then jamming any flop without an ace. I think you should just get it in here as the villain has the initiative he could have a wider range than you think including AK AQ JJ or even worse. I played some 2nl zoom last night to complete the stars mission and one monkey 4 bet shoved 100bb pre with 77 into my aces.
Hand 2 appears to be a good disciplined fold in the face of multiway action.

 

[ph0n3_j4ck]

I'm folding here, its just too difficult to improve to a winning hand for my liking, in which case you are going to have to bluff almost always and if he has an ace which looks likely as he is raising how are we going to shift him off it? Yes you will win his stack if you hit your gutshot but as Rhom pointed out the 8s may make a flush for you opponent ....I presume as you posted this hand that something unusual happened....did you hit your 8 or runner runner, perhaps you forced him of a failed flush draw.... this is your most realistic hope if you call..

Here's the remainder of the hand. I'm definitely calling the post flop 3bet more in position than when out of position, but how many times should I make this call if I'm presented this situation 100 times?

Poker Stars, $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 5 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: $71.73 (286.9 bb)
BB: $24.75 (99 bb)
MP: $25.60 (102.4 bb)
CO: $24.75 (99 bb)
Hero (BTN): $24.20 (96.8 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BTN with 6

7

2 folds, Hero raises to $0.75, SB folds, BB calls $0.50

Flop: ($1.60) 5

A

9

(2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1, BB raises to $2.30, Hero calls $1.30

Turn: ($6.20) 8

(2 players)
BB bets $0.25, Hero raises to $3.45, BB raises to $6.65, Hero raises to $13.25, BB raises to $21.70 and is all-in, Hero calls $7.90

River: ($48.50) 6

(2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results: $48.50 pot ($2.00 rake)
Final Board: 5

A

9

8

6

BB showed A

A

and lost (-$24.20 net)
Hero showed 6

7

and won $46.50 ($22.30 net)

 

[Figaroo2]

Here's the remainder of the hand. I'm definitely calling the post flop 3bet more in position than when out of position, but how many times should I make this call if I'm presented this situation 100 times?

I'd suggest .....ZERO
Unless you think you can over turn being a 25%-75% equity dog using position nearly every time. And this is against a full 28% VPIP calling range. (i'm including his total vpip as he flatted his AA here).

Even my rudimentary maths knows you only hit a gutshot 16% of the time. You are never going to stack him enough even if you hit to overturn the 84% x12 bb loss every time you miss in this exact scenario.
In fact I reckon youd need to stack him for a full 100bb at least 60% of the time just to break even...That does not take into account in this hand he hand a 33% chance of converting his set to a FH.
If he has flush draws...35% of the time he hits and you lose.
Just juggling some rough figures id say calling here is at least a-6bb EV losing play every hand probably a bit more, ill leave taht for the maths whizz kids

 

[John A]

Hi John, thanks for inviting me to the group. I used to be a Poker Zion member when I started playing and I learned a lot from there. Now I rarely play holdem cash games anymore as I moved to tournaments and Omaha hi/lo for cash.

I wanted to give the Zoom and Boom promo a shot; but I soon realized that the game has evolved and I'm not up to the challenge even at the lower stakes.

Anyway I may post some hands but I don't know if I'll have the patience and the concentration needed to bring my cash game up to today's level.

Absolutely... welcome. We're all here to learn, and I hope this becomes a great resource we can all use to learn from.

The games actually haven't changed that much. It's more so that the number of players that understand and are educated about the game has increased, and the numbers of fish in the sea are dwindling.

But yes, because of this the games are more difficult, but not really changed. The same things that apply on how to beat the games 5 years ago, apply today. You just have to make less mistakes than you have in the past to compensate for the lack of weaker players in the games today.

I'll check out some of your hands.

 

[John A]

Here are 2 hands where I think I made good folds.

In this 1st hand he 4bets me pre. So I put his range to AA KK QQ maybe JJ. But I hold KK so less possiblilty for him. He bets hard on the Q high flop so I think he has AA or QQ.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.00
SB: $5.02
Hero (BB): $2.31
UTG: $2.83 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: 50.00, Hands: 2)
UTG+1: $0.90 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
MP: $3.54 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
MP+1: $1.38 (VPIP: 18.18, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
MP+2: $1.46 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
CO: $1.98

SB posts SB $0.01, Hero posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has K♦ K♥

fold, fold, MP raises to $0.07, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.26, MP raises to $0.45, Hero calls $0.19

Flop: ($0.91, 2 players) Q♠ 6♠ 9♥
Hero checks, MP bets $0.88, fold

MP wins $0.88

Without information, I wouldn't put him on such a tight range. He's min 4-bet in position, he can still have a much wider range. I'm stacking off on the flop in this hand.

In this 2nd hand with TPTK I can't justify a call with so much action on the flop. It seem all I do is limit the damage in this game.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.54 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
SB: $7.08 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
BB: $2.03 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 50.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
UTG: $0.89
UTG+1: $1.82 (VPIP: 37.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
Hero (MP): $1.86
MP+1: $1.89 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
MP+2: $2.87 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
CO: $2.00 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has Q♦ A♦

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.06, Hero calls $0.06, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, BB calls $0.04

Flop: ($0.19, 3 players) 4♣ Q♣ T♥
BB checks, UTG+1 bets $0.09, Hero raises to $0.24, BB raises to $0.72, UTG+1 raises to $1.76 and is all-in, fold, BB calls $1.04

Turn: ($3.95, 2 players) 9♠

River: ($3.95, 2 players) K♣

BB shows 4♥ 4♦ (Three of a Kind, Fours)
(Pre 51%, Flop 66%, Turn 70%)
UTG+1 shows J♣ A♣ (Flush, Ace High)
(Pre 49%, Flop 34%, Turn 30%)
UTG+1 wins $3.81

Yeah, this hand is a little tougher. It's pretty close, but I think w/o info at these stakes, someone who is cold 3-betting on the flop will usually have the goods. Sometimes they will just over value their hand, but I think a fold is fine.

 

[John A]

Here's the remainder of the hand. I'm definitely calling the post flop 3bet more in position than when out of position, but how many times should I make this call if I'm presented this situation 100 times?

Poker Stars, $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 5 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: $71.73 (286.9 bb)
BB: $24.75 (99 bb)
MP: $25.60 (102.4 bb)
CO: $24.75 (99 bb)
Hero (BTN): $24.20 (96.8 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BTN with 6

7

2 folds, Hero raises to $0.75, SB folds, BB calls $0.50

Flop: ($1.60) 5

A

9

(2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1, BB raises to $2.30, Hero calls $1.30

Turn: ($6.20) 8

(2 players)
BB bets $0.25, Hero raises to $3.45, BB raises to $6.65, Hero raises to $13.25, BB raises to $21.70 and is all-in, Hero calls $7.90

River: ($48.50) 6

(2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results: $48.50 pot ($2.00 rake)
Final Board: 5

A

9

8

6

BB showed A

A

and lost (-$24.20 net)
Hero showed 6

7

and won $46.50 ($22.30 net)

Before I even attempt to answer your question, what was your plan for the hand when you decided to call the flop raise (it's not a 3-bet btw)?

 

[Aleksei]

I'd just bet the flop. You 3-bet small, so his calling range is still pretty wide and he can call with worse. So something like a little over half is great. Once you check the flop, you open up his bluffing range on a turn like that. It doesn't make a ton of sense for him to bet that turn with an Ace. You checked the flop, so your most likely holding is Ax, maybe Kx. But honestly, I don't think these guys are thinking like this. It doesn't seem like he's aggressive, so players like that tend to just think.... "oh, I have Ax, protect against the flush mentality. I need to bet". So with such a low AG% I think calling the turn is ok because he'll give up on a lot of rivers if he's betting a draw.

Thanks.

 

[ph0n3_j4ck]

Before I even attempt to answer your question, what was your plan for the hand when you decided to call the flop raise (it's not a 3-bet btw)?

I raised the flop on the button. The BB just flat called. Look at the hand again

 

[ph0n3_j4ck]

I raised the flop on the button. The BB just flat called. Look at the hand again

Oh sorry, my bad, read your question wrong.

The situation I had in my head was that I was thinking he was reraising me with Ax or a flush draw (where if he was on a flush draw, it would be a worse situation for me) and I'm in position so I can fold the turn to a bet if the 8 doesn't come. However, if the 8 does come and the villain continues to show aggression, I'm basically gonna have his entire stack. Had I knew he had a set, I would've folded for sure... I have problems putting people on ranges in the BB, especially if they polarize their range like that.

Is my way of thinking just totally wrong? haha... What would you be thinking/ what would you have done?

 

[rhombus]

Oh sorry, my bad, read your question wrong.

The situation I had in my head was that I was thinking he was reraising me with Ax or a flush draw (where if he was on a flush draw, it would be a worse situation for me) and I'm in position so I can fold the turn to a bet if the 8 doesn't come. However, if the 8 does come and the villain continues to show aggression, I'm basically gonna have his entire stack. Had I knew he had a set, I would've folded for sure... I have problems putting people on ranges in the BB, especially if they polarize their range like that.

Is my way of thinking just totally wrong? haha... What would you be thinking/ what would you have done?

to range him on a set and expect to hit your 8 is massive odds, you only have 3 clean outs to a non spade 8 about 7% and then you need him to have a set you arent getting nowhere near the odds to call based on what you said

although if you put him on a flush draw you could float and possibly bluff the river if the spade didnt come

 

[ph0n3_j4ck]

to range him on a set and expect to hit your 8 is massive odds, you only have 3 clean outs to a non spade 8 about 7% and then you need him to have a set you arent getting nowhere near the odds to call based on what you said

although if you put him on a flush draw you could float and possibly bluff the river if the spade didnt come

I didn't put him on a set. I put him on Ax (AT, A9, AJ, AQ). I said if I knew he had a set, I would've folded without thinking!

 

[John A]

Oh sorry, my bad, read your question wrong.

The situation I had in my head was that I was thinking he was reraising me with Ax or a flush draw (where if he was on a flush draw, it would be a worse situation for me) and I'm in position so I can fold the turn to a bet if the 8 doesn't come. However, if the 8 does come and the villain continues to show aggression, I'm basically gonna have his entire stack. Had I knew he had a set, I would've folded for sure... I have problems putting people on ranges in the BB, especially if they polarize their range like that.

Is my way of thinking just totally wrong? haha... What would you be thinking/ what would you have done?

Well... the fact is that if you're trying to bust him, you need him to have a strong hand, so a set works in your favor. I'm not going to go into the specific math, but against his range, calling there isn't profitable. The only way it's profitable is if you're thinking in these terms:

You're against a player who can fold, because you'll need someone capable of folding Ax. At these stakes, that's not too easy to find. Your plan is to rep the flush draw if it comes in, so if it comes in on the turn, and he leads into you, you're shoving.

You need to know your opponent, and have a secondary and sometimes third plan in place if you're going to make moves like this profitably. Or of course you can always just plan on hitting the gutter every time and stacking your opponent. Either one...

 

[ph0n3_j4ck]

Well... the fact is that if you're trying to bust him, you need him to have a strong hand, so a set works in your favor. I'm not going to go into the specific math, but against his range, calling there isn't profitable. The only way it's profitable is if you're thinking in these terms:

You're against a player who can fold, because you'll need someone capable of folding Ax. At these stakes, that's not too easy to find. Your plan is to rep the flush draw if it comes in, so if it comes in on the turn, and he leads into you, you're shoving.

You need to know your opponent, and have a secondary and sometimes third plan in place if you're going to make moves like this profitably. Or of course you can always just plan on hitting the gutter every time and stacking your opponent. Either one...

You definitely have a point. It's still really hard for me to "know" my opponent though cause I'm playin on Bovada. I literally have to have at least 50 hands in order for my HUD to make any sense of the more regular players.

 

[Figaroo2]

worth shoving or crai on the turn?

[converted_hand][hand_history]Poker Stars, $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 9 Players

Hero (SB): $45.26 (181 bb)
BB: $18.62 (74.5 bb)
UTG+1: $32.38 (129.5 bb)
UTG+2: $26.85 (107.4 bb)
MP1: $25 (100 bb)
MP2: $30.33 (121.3 bb) 18/13/ 36agg%/108 hands
MP3: $27.66 (110.6 bb)
CO: $25.35 (101.4 bb)
BTN: $6.35 (25.4 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A♥ A♣
3 folds, MP2 raises to $0.75, 3 folds, Hero raises to $2.50, BB folds, MP2 calls $1.75

Flop: ($5.25) Q♣ 2♥ T♣ (2 players)
Hero bets $3.75, MP2 calls $3.75

Turn: ($12.75) J♣ (2 players)
Hero??
He seems decent so he aint calling pre with clubs, looks like AK KK or a set what do we do here?

 

[Gorak]

I'm stacking off on the flop in this hand.

I seriously doubt that it will ever work for me in Zoom. Every time I met resistance with an overpair I was beat. Just lost $40 getting to my $10 Stellar reward. I don't think I can make it in zoom cash games playing this way. Here is an example out of many recent:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $6.79 (VPIP: 28.57, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 33.33, Hands: 7)
SB: $5.74 (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
Hero (BB): $5.54
UTG: $6.91 (VPIP: 7.14, PFR: 3.57, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
UTG+1: $5.83 (VPIP: 12.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 40)
MP: $5.00 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 3)
MP+1: $4.90 (VPIP: 36.36, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
MP+2: $14.66 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
CO: $4.32 (VPIP: 6.67, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 15)

SB posts SB $0.02, Hero posts BB $0.05

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.07) Hero has K:diamond: K:spade:

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.10, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.30, UTG+1 calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.62, 2 players) 2:heart: 9:diamond: 8:club:
Hero bets $0.59, UTG+1 raises to $2.36, Hero raises to $5.24 and is all-in, UTG+1 calls $2.88

Turn: ($11.10, 2 players) 6:club:

River: ($11.10, 2 players) T:club:

Hero shows K:diamond: K:spade: (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 82%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
UTG+1 shows 2:diamond: 2:club: (Three of a Kind, Twos)
(Pre 18%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
UTG+1 wins $10.64

 

[Figaroo2]

Bet sizing reraising the isolating reg.

Poker Stars, $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 8 Players

SB: $27.55 (110.2 bb)
Hero (BB): $25.47 (101.9 bb) I'm showing 17/14/39 in 158 hands 4.7% 3bet.
UTG+2: $10.95 (43.8 bb)
MP1: $29.79 (119.2 bb) 60/23/19 in 33 hands
MP2: $25 (100 bb)
MP3: $25 (100 bb)
CO: $31.24 (125 bb) 12/11/20 in 115 hands 11.7% 3 bet
BTN: $28.94 (115.8 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K♥ A♠
UTG+2 folds, MP1 raises to $0.75, 2 folds, CO raises to $2.60, 2 folds,
LOOKS LIKE A NEAR PERFECT SPOT FOR ISOLATING THE REG.
The Reg just looks a little tight so I made it a fairly big raise but are we committing ourselves betting this big? what sizing is best here?

Hero raises to $7.65, MP1 folds, CO calls $5.05

Flop: ($16.15) 9♥ 6♣ 9♣ (2 players)
Difficult for him to connect with this flop so happy to shove it in here, is this correct? It feels right given the strength shown preflop.
Hero bets $17.82 and is all-in, CO folds

[spoil]Results: $18.15 pot ($0.82 rake)
Final Board: 9♥ 6♣ 9♣
Hero mucked K♥ A♠ and won $17.33 ($8.68 net)
CO mucked and lost (-$8.65 net)
[/spoil][/hand_history][/converted_hand]

 

[John A]

I seriously doubt that it will ever work for me in Zoom. Every time I met resistance with an overpair I was beat. Just lost $40 getting to my $10 Stellar reward. I don't think I can make it in zoom cash games playing this way. Here is an example out of many recent:

PokerStars - $0.05 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $6.79 (VPIP: 28.57, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 33.33, Hands: 7)
SB: $5.74 (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
Hero (BB): $5.54
UTG: $6.91 (VPIP: 7.14, PFR: 3.57, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
UTG+1: $5.83 (VPIP: 12.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 40)
MP: $5.00 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 3)
MP+1: $4.90 (VPIP: 36.36, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
MP+2: $14.66 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
CO: $4.32 (VPIP: 6.67, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 15)

SB posts SB $0.02, Hero posts BB $0.05

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.07) Hero has K<font color='red'>♦</font> K<font color='black'>♠</font>

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.10, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.30, UTG+1 calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.62, 2 players) 2<font color='red'>♥</font> 9<font color='red'>♦</font> 8<font color='black'>♣</font>
Hero bets $0.59, UTG+1 raises to $2.36, Hero raises to $5.24 and is all-in, UTG+1 calls $2.88

Turn: ($11.10, 2 players) 6<font color='black'>♣</font>

River: ($11.10, 2 players) T<font color='black'>♣</font>

Hero shows K<font color='red'>♦</font> K<font color='black'>♠</font> (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 82%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
UTG+1 shows 2<font color='red'>♦</font> 2<font color='black'>♣</font> (Three of a Kind, Twos)
(Pre 18%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
UTG+1 wins $10.64

The interesting and funny thing about poker (and in general life) is people tend to be on the extremities. A lot of people just can't fold (and I've coached a ton of them), and then a lot of people can't call. You have to find that balance, which comes from understanding. Understanding your opponents range, his tendencies, how he thinks and understands the game. Then you let the results roll in, and they won't always be what you want.


In your example, your opponent could easily raise with TT+ or some draws. But he'll also have 98, and sets sometimes as well. Now it's true, at these stakes, when your opponents raise they will have a hand. Example, say exact same hand and flop, you bet the flop, they call, and the turn comes a Q, you bet again and they shove. Then you are probably folding unless they are super aggressive, and even then, you should probably fold.


The difficult thing about poker is making sure you don't let your recent results influence your thinking too much because variance is a sneaky thing. If you're not careful, it can get you thinking in concrete terms that are detrimental to your poker growth. One of the positive things with your game is it looks like you can fold, which is a huge plus. Now let's just make sure you're seeing your opponents range properly. Run some filters when you had an over pair to the flop and were raised and look at some of those results. If you are losing money on those spots, then look for clear patterns when you could have gotten away from your hand, ie... super tight opponent, a board texture that just made sense for them to have A LOT, etc...

 

[John A]

You definitely have a point. It's still really hard for me to "know" my opponent though cause I'm playin on Bovada. I literally have to have at least 50 hands in order for my HUD to make any sense of the more regular players.

It makes it more of a challenge for sure, but you just need to make what I'd call an opening read of your opponent, and then refine it from there. That's why I use that Leak Buster hitman HUD because it focuses on making quick and useful reads about your opponents. The better and quicker you can do this, the more money you're going to make of course. So you need to find some kind of system and process that will allow you to do this. If you haven't checked out the hitman hud, it's free and it's here:
http://acepokersolutions.com/Free_Poker_HUDs.php

I made it because I noticed from coaching over the years and sweating students that they were having trouble understanding what people were doing very quickly. And I mean good winning players. I'd ask, what's this guy trying to do in this spot? What kind of player is this? And the lack of seeing was pretty evident. But whatever you decide to use, make it a point of emphasis to evolve it as you play and get more familiar with different player types. Staying a step ahead of your opponents is crucial if you really want to crush these games. I know you know this of course.

 

[Gorak]

Understanding your opponents range, his tendencies, how he thinks and understands the game. Then you let the results roll in, and they won't always be what you want.

I did not have many hands on my opponents since it is Zoom and I'm just starting. Reviewing a couple of hands where I got raised, check raised, or reraised on the flop/turn or even river; I was always behind with my overpair and even with a lower set. The only time I was ahead was against a flush draw and he got there.

In Zoom, players are more selective especially in 3bet pots, they will set mine and play big pairs. They can also fold TPTK if met with a reraise after the flop.

I totally got crushed playing Zoom and I think I could have prevented much of the damage by folding when meeting resistance. Of course variance was not on my side either.

As usual, I will grind that money back by playing tourneys, but all in all it was a painful experiment. I may try Full ring non-Zoom next month.

 

[Aleksei]

I've been using the Hitman HUD for quite a while now, with a couple of modifications: I added Steal, F2Stl, WTSD, and W$SD. So far based on my rather small sample, I like it.

 

[John A]

I did not have many hands on my opponents since it is Zoom and I'm just starting. Reviewing a couple of hands where I got raised, check raised, or reraised on the flop/turn or even river; I was always behind with my overpair and even with a lower set. The only time I was ahead was against a flush draw and he got there.

In Zoom, players are more selective especially in 3bet pots, they will set mine and play big pairs. They can also fold TPTK if met with a reraise after the flop.

I totally got crushed playing Zoom and I think I could have prevented much of the damage by folding when meeting resistance. Of course variance was not on my side either.

As usual, I will grind that money back by playing tourneys, but all in all it was a painful experiment. I may try Full ring non-Zoom next month.

Yes, Zoom and similar games will be a bit different in respect to you not having much info/data on your opponents. A lot of them at Zoom will be two extremities where you'll have total nits, and then gamblers making risky plays. So it's difficult to assign a range when you don't have data and then have to consider both extremes in one range.

In general, even at non zoom games, when you face aggression you generally want to proceed with caution because your opponents aren't typically aggressive. So like I was saying, if you want to learn something about your games, then set some filters where you're looking at raises on the flop and/or turn. Take a look at the percentages of draws, two pair+ and total air yo're looking at. It will give you a better idea of how often you're facing what range. If you have Leak Buster, go over the first 14 filters in step 7. This will help you understand your game a lot better.

 

[John A]

I've been using the Hitman HUD for quite a while now, with a couple of modifications: I added Steal, F2Stl, WTSD, and W$SD. So far based on my rather small sample, I like it.

Cool, I'm glad you're like it. If you watch the video with it, I talk a bit about why you don't need stats like steal and wtsd. But if you think they are helping you that's great. Personally, I don't think they are necessary, and that's kind of the point of the HUD. We could add stats ad nauseam. But what conjunction of stats will help us paint the picture of our opponent the quickest and most reliable? That's what the Leak Buster Hitman HUD is trying to do.

 

[John A]

By the way, if you own Leak Buster or Ace Poker Drills, we'll be putting some cool new features in it that will link to this equity calculator. But in the meantime, you can also just use it for anything online whether you have PC or Mac of course. It's free.

Poker Equity Calculator

Happy Holidays to everyone!