Posts Tagged ‘no limit’

On Etiquette

Hi,

I’m wondering if you can explain to me the betting etiquette for no limit. Can you? And do you know what makes players mad in casinos with betting? How about the rules with string betting, any idea?

Say player 1 raises 20 chips. Player 2 then calls 20 chips by placing those chips into the pot. He then reaches back after the 20 chips is in, he goes all in.

If in case, I might say (along with some friends) that Player 2′s 20chips in the pot, without saying “raise” and after pulling his hands out of the pot, is a call. But if he later chooses to leave the rest of his chips in, it will be considered as a bet in the dark.

Another thing, if players 1, 2, and 3 are involved in a hand and player 2 drops one of his cards accidentally and player 1 sees it, 1 and 2 now know one of 2′s pocket cards. Do you think player 2 has to flip the card for the rest to see? Your thoughts?

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Herbie
Herbie,

First, Player two made a string bet. When you make a raise, you must either do it all in one motion or verbally that you’re going to raise. Player 2 just called in that case.

Also, player 2 may not leave his chips out as a dark bet, unless he is first to act the next hand. If he is first to act and wishes to bet dark, he may.

In the case where a card was exposed, yes, he must flip it over for everyone else to see that is in the hand. Show one, show all.

About Expected Value

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your immediate response last time. I have again some questions to ask. I hope you don’t mind.

First, what is expected value? Second, how do you calculate your expected value and if +/-? Third and last one, how relevant is such concept in no limit holdem?

Thank you in advance!

Regards,
Jimmy
Jimmy,

Expected value is a number that describes the results of a number of actions. It is an average determining what should happen if a certain condition repeats itself. To calculate it you compare your mathematical chances or winning and losing over a particular set of attempts.

Poker is fluid and situational. People that are into EV are basically trying to make an assumption based on the past. The bad part about this assumption is that poker is not static. It changes constantly. While many variables repeat often, many do not. I don’t put a lot of stock into EV for No Limit.

With Implied Odds

Hello,

I’m here to ask something about pot odds. Say you are playing in a full table, no limit cash game, with blinds of $0.50/$1.00. Then blinds post and three limpers appear. You check and you discover you have Ks Ts in the button. You call and SB folds while BB checks. Pot at such point is $5. Then flop brings As 2s 5c. BB bets $5 and one limper calls. Pot is now $15. To go on to the turn to get 3-1, it would cost you $5.

Now you have 2-1 to hit by the river, but 4-1 to hit by the turn. If you can ascertain if he wouldn’t bet on the turn then you can use the 2-1 method, but you can use 4-1 instead in case you don’t know such.

Well, for your theory of throwing the hand away because your opponent rates to bet the turn, I think you are missing something. For me, I’d still make the call as when you actually make your flush on the turn, you want your opponent to bet into you. In case I hit it on the turn, then more or less they will bet into me and I’ll probably win lots of money. In case I miss, I can get lost or when they grant me a free card, I can try again to make a flush or else bluff them till they are out. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

All the best,
Joey
Joey,

Personally, on the flop, I am sticking with my odds to determine the call in most cases. In the scenario you presented, you have a 36% chance to hit your flush by the river. If my call is 36% or less of the pot, then I will call. In your scenario, the $5 call is only 33% of the pot. I am making the call here.

Various Questions

Hello,

Just want to ask some questions. I hope you have time.

1. How often do you play against world class talent? And what would you normally consider world class?
2. Do you think it’s a good idea to put people to the test by going all in earlier with the possibilities they will later on call or bust you?
3. In no limit, do you think it’s actually a good thing to sometimes raise your draws despite the fact that you could be re-raised all in or the betting player would place bets lower than your raise?

I’ll be glad to hear from you in no time. More power!

Many thanks,
Xander
Xander,

1. World class talent are those that play in the highest level games in the world such as the World Series of Poker, the WPT, etc. I personally play against such competition a couple of times a year, most specifically at the World Series of Poker.
   
2. It depends on the hand. If I have a big hand that I don’t want to have to make a decision about, I will push. I will also do the same if I think I can get them to lay down or if I think that it is the best way to double up.
   
3. You definitely should raise your draws on occasion when you think doing so will get you a free card to draw at your hand. This is a move best done in position. You must also have a good read on your opponent.

On Randomness of Poker Sites

Hello,

First, I’ll start by sharing that I’m just new to poker. I started two months ago and before that I had no experience with poker but had gambled a lot in different ways. I am into no limit and limit.

Just a background, my poker adventure began with friendly game invites from various groups of buddies. And because I had no idea back then as to what I should do when on play, I attached myself to poker sites, books, and the like. Proud to say I was able to understand basic poker concepts, rules, feel, and even strategies. But of course as a starting player I guess it’s just normal that despite of everything, my mind is still clouded with some questions.

Some of the questions are actually below.

1. In a game, who is required to show his hand? And in what order should the hands be shown? In case you fold, I know you don’t have to show your hand, but what if everyone has called the bets?
2. I always here some players moaning about how online poker sites seem to juice the pot to later increase the rake from pot. I also here them say the juicing never happens in real brick and mortar games. Well, I have some thoughts on this, they’re about three-fold.

a. In an online game, the randomness is closer to true randomness than a brick and mortar game as it takes 57 and a half shuffles to finally randomize a deck of cards completely. Similarly, online poker is closer to true randomness than a home game.
b. Trends are more pronounced and the probability for everyone having a good hand at one instance is increased as players play and see more hands online than they actually do in brick and more games.
c. More or less, they are just sore losers and just like the players who claimed cheated or rigged in brick and mortar games.

Any thoughts?

By the way, the card shuffling statistical analysis I made has actually a basis. I took up a statistics course in a certain university so I know I’m capable of making stats.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Dense
Dense,

1. The last player to make an aggressive action (bet or raise) is the first person to show the hand. Only players that have their bet at the river are required to show their hands.
   
2. They are likely just complaining. Online sites such as Full Tilt and Pokerstars don’t need to juice the tables. They have so many players, they can make plenty of money from the normal rake. At any one time, they have 10,000 or more tables going. That’s a lot of rake.

About Overplaying

Hi,

I’m a newbie and I love to play home games, mainly no limit tourneys. I play regularly with almost the same players all the time. At first, it wasn’t a big deal for me to play with almost the same players every week but later on I discovered some problems. One of the most alarming I guess was something about me knowing and mastering the way some players play and not recognizing any other style of play.

When I play, I am the aggressor, usually stealing pots from tight players. At some point, this had made me unsafe and weak to traps. Whenever I raise before the flop, bet out on the flop and get called and make a stab at it on the turn, I usually put lots of money into the pot. And whenever my opponent goes over the top of me, or raises me on the river I first have to check if he has been been trapping me.

Normally, before I act in any game I first check what kind of opponent I have. Does he bluff that much? Does he trap? What type of hands does he play most of the time? Unfortunately, every time I make judgments, I lose. Well, maybe because I often do not follow my instincts.

At some point, I made some realizations. First, don’t overestimate your own skill, but don’t try a check-raise semi-bluff against a player who just started learning. Second, don’t overplay your opponent. Third, get out of the way if you’re playing against a player you know loves to bet big and actually has big hands. And lastly, to determine whether or not you overplayed, assume that the strategy you used to win in the past has to change when playing against the same opponents.

And to somehow make sure you’ll win, always observe, observe, and observe. If you feel your opponents start to learn things about how you play, never wait and see how they would react instead act immediately. Make some adjustments, some changes.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Warm regards,
Duke
Duke,

You raise a lot of valid points. The main thing I would like to discuss is observing your opponents. Being able to put players on hands will help you a lot in overplaying your hands. Also, there are some times where you will want to overplay your hands, such as if you are trying to push out straight and flush draws.

Of course, in doing so, you need to know if your opponent will actually lay down to being pushed at. Again, it all goes back on reading your opponents.

$2/4 Game

Hi,

I believe you once said that “A $2/4 no limit game is much larger than a $2/4 limit one.” Sorry but I have no idea what’s a $2/4 no limit game. What is it? Well the name implies there’s no limit so why $2/4? I think I know what you’re trying to actually imply however I’m not sure maybe I misunderstood something.

By the way, about the term limits, it implies the maximum and that something less than it can be wagered. For an instance, in a $5/10 limit game, the maximum that can be bet on the turn is $10. So can $5 or $7 be bet instead? Or else the preflop and flop bets should be in $5 increments only and the turn and river bets in $10 increments?

I hope I make sense here. Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks in advance!

All the best,
Clark
Clark,

A $2-$4 No Limit game is referring to the size of the blinds. The betting is no limit, but the blinds are at $2-$4.

In a limit game, the betting limits are fixed amounts. You can think of Limit Holdem as Fixed Limit Holdem. In a $5-$10 Limit game, the preflop and flop betting is in increments of $5 and the turn and river betting is $10 bets.

Playing Online Probabilities

Hello,

Just 4 months ago, I started playing holdem at Poker Stars. First I was okay playing at play tables but later on was constantly being beaten. Well I know that playing on play money tables is unstable and erratic but still I want to try my luck. Luckily, I later discovered your site and after reading some of your writings, I improved a bit. Thanks to you!

As of the moment, I’m trying some real money sites. I’m more on no limit games in low games. I have already ventured into the $5/$10 games. I know it’s important to have perseverance at all times to eventually learn everything and so I’m trying to maintain it at all means.

I now live in Montreal Canada and unfortunately the casino here has no Holdem games at all therefore I just play online.

Now my question is, do the same probabilities apply in playing online through a computer program which deals the cards as playing live at a casino where there’s a manual dealing of the cards? At times I think so however I am not so sure. Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Kit
Kit,

The same odds and probabilities apply online as they do live. The only difference is that live you get way fewer hands than you do online. You can always download software or use certain calculators online to help you figure out percentages if you are stumped.

Home Cash Game and Rake Issue

Hi there!

The other day I was in a home cash game, $1/$2 No Limit. At some point I raised $25. A certain guy then went all in with $32. Player near me limped in and called. I then tried to re-raise and go all in w/ $220 but later was informed that I can only call the $32 all in of the other guy. Well, I knew then that I had the player who called much later dominated. He then flopped a cheap 2 pair. Unfortunately, my KK didn’t made it. Do you think what happened was just normal in a home or casino game?

By the way, in $1/$2 no limit cash game, what would be the proper rake? In a certain $1/$2 game pots were huge and back then we’ve been raking $1 max every round. Total bet then equaled to $20 minimum. Your thought?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks and more power!

Regards,
Louven
Louven,

Since your opponent did not raise at least ½ the minimum raise, it does not count as a true raise. Therefore, all you could do is call. This is normal.

As far as your rake, technically it is illegal to run a game that charges a rake since you are not a casino. With that said, most casinos take a percentage of the pot as the rake. A rake of $1 per round is a little excessive. That’s $4 per round. A lot of casinos do 10% of the pot. In the scenario above, that would be $2.

First Live Poker

Hello,

Finally I was able to play live poker in a real casino. Supposedly, I’m going to try tourneys but I haven’t found any tourney scheduled therefore I just tried cash game.

I decided to play at Caesar’s Indiana riverboat for I heard before it expanded and has actually modernized its poker room, I wanted to see with my own two eyes the said changes.

First I chose what kind of game. I then chose the cheapest blinds in a no limit, $1/$2. What was quite surprising about their blinds was that they never change or increase. Room has pagers that will inform you when to come back in case you go out to test out other tables.

As expected, you have to wait for your name to be called and then later in case go immediately to the cashier to buy chips. Well, my table then had a min buy-in of $100 and a maximum of $300.

Just an advice then, buy in for the table max. Then do it for three reasons. First, others will notice and will make judgments about your play and eventually may gun for you if in case you show up with less. Second, to win over a typical run of bad cards, losses, etc. you must have sufficient chips right in front of you. Third, maximize your profit in case you get lucky and have a monster hand and later hook someone into a huge clash. Remember that the more chips you have the more you can make eventually.

At some point, I finally sat down at the table with my $300. Dealer then immediately approached me if I want to come in right away or wait for the button then. I decided to wait however something came up. Every half an hour, anyone sitting at the table has to give $6 to Caesar for the honor of playing. I guess it was a some kind of a table tax. To continue, well, I finally started playing. There was one thing I suddenly noticed, there wasn’t much pre-flop raise less than $10, $15 and even $20 was not unusual. Unlike in my home game experience, a typical pre-flop raise is 3-5 times the big blind. After such discovery, I decided to play a little tighter than usual. However, whenever I played a pot, I became aggressive.

Unluckily, for quite a while, my cards sucked. I then tried to be fortunate with suited connectors, low pairs, etc. but then still gradually lost some chips. Then I got JJ, raised while everyone else folded. Finally, I won $3. I was very happy. So at such point I already have a rock image at the table because of my lousy run of cards.

Next hand I had was pocket Ks. I then raised same amount but got three callers. To check if I will later on win or lose, I bet out about 1/3 of the pot. Two players folded. Then I called. Turn came and brought A. I then bet again while he called. River came but of no help. I then checked while he bet big. After a while he showed an Ace. Luckily, I won an all in showdown, doubled up and ended up winning $50 on the day after 5.5 hours.

Any thoughts?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,
Joe
Joe,

In the hand you called the big bet on, you should have probably folded. They had an apparent pair of Aces and you were beat.

As far as your other play, over it sounded ok, but you were a little card dead. Be careful with suited connector and try to only play them when you can see the flop cheap.

Finally, the $6 fee was a time payment by each player. Chances are they did not pull any rake at this table. If they took the fee and charged a rake, then I would play at this table anymore as you are feeding the casino too much money.

No Limit Cash Game and Tournament

Hi,

Just recently, I joined a no limit cash game and tournament. Well, I noticed that playing with cash chips is actually far different from playing with tournament chips. I noticed different typical pre-flop raises, different standards on what kinds of hands to bet, raise, or call, etc.

Luckily, I got a feel on good tournament strategy, however it was a different story when about cash games. I wasn’t able to get a feel on good cash game strategy. Any advice?

Your help will be much appreciated!

Thank you.

Regards,
Nick
Nick,

Cash games play a lot differently than tournaments. If a player busts out, they can buy back in. As a result you will see more drawing, and more play with speculative hands. One way you can play is a small ball method. This means seeing a lot of flops cheaply in the hopes to hit the flop hard. When you do hit, you can then punish your opponents.

How Many Hands to Play

Hello,

I don’t know how many hands one should exactly play. Well, a tight one will play approximately 20-25% of the hands they are dealt. By the way, play here means the hands that see the flop.

In case you calculate the percentage, will you include the percentage of times you saw the flop from the big blind position? I tried deducting the big blind from the total to get the percent of hands that I do play and I got approximately 30-40%. Is my percentage good enough?

Since I started playing poker, I’ve been earning fairly. Maybe if I tighten up a bit, I might earn more. I’ve been playing limit holdem (not exceeding .25/.50), however I’m oftentimes short in bankroll. At times cleaned the house and other instances ended a loser.

I’ve tried to play right. Quit when there’s a need to do so. At times if I started with $20 and make $10 then I will quit for a while. Any thoughts?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Many thanks,
Richard
Richard,

The 20% or so rule usually applies to No Limit Holdem and is for a solid tight-aggressive player. A loose player will obviously see many more flops.

Playing With Loose Colleagues

Hello,

I love playing no limit holdem with some colleagues. Typically they’re a bit loose. Some loves to see the flop even if it’s already been raised and re-raised pre-flop particularly when blinds are cheap.

Well, to later have positive results that would favor on my side, I believe I should play a lot of sub-par hands to adjust to the overall game pace and not be pushed around. Investing some time even with marginal hands as bottom pair with a couple of far-fetched draws or middle pair without kicker can also be of great help.

One thing, do you have any advice for me as to when I should rather muck my hand and keep my money in games with my colleagues?

Thanks!

Regards,
Lord Ian
Ian,

I would play a lot of cheap flop. If you can get in without a raise or get into a multi way pot with your substandard hands, you can make money when you flop lucky. But do this sparingly. Otherwise, you will bleed off chips.

From Full Tables to Short-Handed Ones

I’ve been into online holdem for almost two years now. Well, I’ve been into no limit in general. Just recently, from full tables I moved to short-handed ones. The outcome of my decision was not that awesome but I promised to myself I’ll be good soon.

I know you’re the best person to help me. Do you know any good and effective strategy tips applicable in short handed tables?

Hope to hear from you in no time.

Thanks in advance!

Brent
Brent,

Don’t be afraid to play middle and even bottom pair if you think it is best. Players tend to miss the flop and 6 handed, when you flop middle pair, it is much stronger than at a full table. That’s not saying it wont be behind at times, but at times, middle pair and even bottom pair will win.

Small and Big Blinds Going Up

Hello,

I love watching poker of all kinds over the Net and television. But though I’m already used to watching, I still can’t figure out when, why and for how much do the small and big blinds go up in no limit and limit games. Any idea on this one?

Thank you so much.

Regards,
Jinn
Jinn,

The blinds go up at the end of a level. The length of the level is determined by whomever designs the particular tournaments. It varies from tournament to tournament. At the World Series of Poker, most events have 60 minute levels. The amount they go up depends on the structure picked for the particular event. Blind levels vary from tournament to tournament.

An Argument About Side Pot

Hi,

I was in a no limit Texas Holdem tournament the other day. Unfortunately, an argument about side pot came up.

There were four players left, player A, player B, player C, and player D. Player A with 1000 first called the 100 in the big blind. Player B with 500 called the 100. Player C with 300 went all in for 300. Player D folded. All figures were in chips.

Later, player A called the additional 200 from the all in bet of player C. Player B followed and also called the additional 200. Flop came with three way action: player A, player B, and player C. Each player had invested 300.

Because he was the first to act after the flop, player A then made a move and then went all in, 700. Well, all of us knew then that player C had a great chance of winning 900 if his hand was the best hand at the table. Also, it was obvious that in the event player B calls the bet of player A, there would be a side pot and that whoever of the two has the best hand would win the side pot at hand. Finally, player A would have the additional 500 he placed in the pot that the other players could not cover as well as the pot from Player 1, Player 2 and Player 3.

Now, what do you think will happen in the event player B folds to the all in bet of player A? Also, in case player B folds after player A goes all in with more chips, do you feel player B can win the original pot against Player A as well as player C?

Personally, if I will be asked, if ever player B has chips left he has to call all his chips off to the bet of player A to win the main pot. In the event he folds, he will not anymore be able to have the pot. On the flip side, my friend insisted that player B should claim the all in bet after the flop of player C as he matched such bet before player A went all in. He argued that player B doesn’t need to put his chips at stake to have the original pot.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Rayner
Rayner,

Once a player goes all in and has multiple callers, the callers then are allowed to bet on the side. They are not just betting on the side, but they are also battling for the rights to the main pot. If player B folds to the all-in bet of player A, he forfeits his rights to the main pot.

Last Two Places

Hi,

I hosted a No limit Texas Holdem tourney. The tourney was held at my house the other night. It was with $50.00 buy-in and $850 starting. I believe everything went well. In the end, three players were left for the prize money. By the way, money for the first placer was $400, for the second $200 and for the third $100.

At certain point, player A had approximately $5000, player B had $4500, and player C had $200. All figures were in chips. Later, player C went all in with $200 to post his blind of $150. Player A then called the $200 and then went all in too. At such moment, the main pot was already $400 and the side pot was $4600.

Eventually, player B called the all in and placed $200 in the main pot and $4300 in the side pot. That time, my belief was that only player C was entitled to win the main pot of $600 and players B and C were up for both the main pot and side pot.

Well, as expected, flop, turn, and river came. Player A had something so he won the pot of $600 and beaten player B in the side pot 8700 chips. But we don’t know who exactly will take the two other places, 2nd and 3rd. For me, players B and C were all out of chips, but player B had more chips on the call compared to player C and so player B should be the second placer while player C the third placer. What do you think?

Thanks!

Regards,
Needham
Needham,

In a tournament when multiple players are eliminated, the eliminated player that had the most chips at the start of the hand gets the superior placing. In your scenario above, player C is the third place finisher since he started with only 200 chips.

What if I Acted Differently?

Hello,

I’ve been into poker just this year. I guess I’ve been playing for just about 7 months now. Well, as of the moment, I’m more into no limit, mainly online. At times, I also play at the casinos.

Just recently, I was in an online no limit sit and go tourney. A certain hand came up and I think I have misplayed it.

I remember the tourney started with 10 players and with 1500 starting chip amount. Blinds were 10/20 at the beginning but then moved up later. After more than 20 minutes of play, tourney-blinds were 25/50 with 9 players.

At some point, I was in the small blind and was dealt K K, club and diamond. My stack was around $1900. There were three players who limped in, including the button who was the chip leader with around $3,500. He was actually playing aggressive on the post flop, normal preflop.

Later, I raised to four times the blind, thus masking it $200 to go. Flop then came and brought 9 which was a diamond, 7 another diamond, and 5 a heart. Afterwards, I placed $400 bet with a desire to take home the pot with a flush or straight draw on the board. After a while, button re-raised me to $800 and so I place him on one of these hands: nut flush draw (A-x diamonds), top pair strong kicker (A-9), a set (9s, 7,s or 5,s), and straight draw (JT).

I had so many things in mind then but later I chose to go all in. He then flipped over 8 which was a club and 6 which was a spades. Well, turn and river didn’t gave anything good so I was busted out.

Honestly, every time I remember such tourney I don’t feel really bad. However, what if I folded and picked my battles with the other more predictable tight players, could the results have been much better for me? What’s on your thoughts?

Thanks!

Regards,
Carron
Carron,

You pretty much got unlucky in my opinion.

About Winnings

Hi,

I was in a no limit tournament the other week. If I remember it right, there were four players left for the pot. One has different amount of chips from the others.

Mid part, all of the players called the blinds and have seen the flop. Right after the flop, player 1 had $19 and checked. Player 2 had $61 and went all in. Player 3 had $98 and called all in. player 4 had $74 and placed $71 to match the previous all in. For $19, player 1 then called the all in. Player 3 followed and called the all in of player 4.

Turn and river came which gave player 1 his winning hand, a straight, while player 4 his pair of aces which gave him the side pot.

I want to ask if player 1 should win $19 as that was what he called the all in with. Any idea? Or else $19 from each player totaling $76?

Thanks in advance!

All the best,
Epps
Epps,

Player one wins $19 from each player plus the money that was in the pot preflop.

On Various Stack Sizes

Hello,

I have some questions to ask. They are actually related to some stuff I’ve come to discover without any intentions.

In some discussion sections, I’ve come to hear about No Limit Texas Holdem being something related to Deep Stack No Limit or extreme short stack No Limit. In the first one, you can actually play a wide variety of starting hands as the implied odds are excellent. The post flop play is also much complex as bluffing is much more helpful and useful. In the second one, position is very vital as a hand like ATo may be an allin hand right after several limpers in the event you are on the button, however in the event you are under the gun, an easy fold. In connection with this, say in a game, suited connectors seem like of no worth as you will never hit your hand enough while pocket pairs are valuable due to their value. Post flop play on the other hand is more on all-ins and folding.

Now, what hands become more or less playable in no limit games with medium stack? Say in a 1/2 game with effective stacks of $100, I’ll call $10 raises heads up with medium and low pocket pairs to try have a set. In case there no callers would appear, I might call a not so high raise but if in case I’m up against a good player I might fold a PP to a raise to avoid a beat. Then say suited connectors’ value is seriously dependent on the aggressiveness of the game and your position as well, earlier, you will most likely fold but later I’ll limp in when there’s a cheap multi-way flop.

On the other hand, high card hands like AK are where my stress level goes up. More or less in deep stack events on a K98 flop, I’ll fold my AK when things get worst. However in short stack events, it would be a different story. In medium stack events, I’ll be right on the fence.

Oftentimes, when I raise $10 preflop, I’ll get one caller and then flop would appear K98. I’ll then bet about $20 and they’ll push their 90$ stack in. In the end, I’ll get irritated. At times, I’ll be tempted to lay down all as I seem to fold more pretty good hands compared to my opponents at the table.

Now, here are my questions:

1. Is there anything I need to adjust when it comes to my pre-flop raising, limping and raise-calling requirements? And because such games tend to be aggressive post flop particularly online, do you think hands as suited connectors go down in terms of value due to lack of odds to draw? Do I need to call generously in late position or else it should be a no-set-no-bet level of tightness? What do you think?

2. In such games, how should I play marginal hands? I believe in deep stack no limit you don’t want to bet your stack but in short stack you will do everything to have your chips in the middle. How about in medium stack?

3. Say somebody is putting pressure on your head as he has something that could beat you or else just know you are playing tight, how would you play? What will be your defense?

4. When you are in position, what are the moves you should use?

   
   

5. Do you think there is a reason for you to semi-bluff with your primary draw in games where everyone overvalues their hands? Or else just stick to calling in the event you have implied odds or the like?

Thanks for your time.

Regards,
Nickerson
Nickerson,

1. As far as your preflop play, I would stick with trying to see flops cheap with a wide array of reasonable hands. Obviously you want to raise with strong hands, but otherwise, try to see a cheap flop and hope to hit it hard. As far as calling a raise, I would tend to stick with stronger hands to call raises, unless there is a lot of action. Then you can widen the range some, but not get too crazy.

   Hands such as suited connectors do go down in value when the betting is very aggressive post flop. If you play suited connectors, make sure that they are on the higher side to give you better odds of hitting top pair or two pair. In late position after the flop, what you call depends on what you are holding and the number of players and the opponent you are playing. Sometimes playing super tight is right. Sometimes it’s right to call. Poker is situational. It depends on what is going on at the time.

2. With marginal hands, I would try and see cheap flops for the ones that I do play. This is a form of small ball poker. Get in cheap and then punish your opponents when you do hit well.

3. One of two things can be done here. Switch to playing small ball and punish him when your hands hit the flop well or play tight and punish him when your big hands hit. Don’t go crazy and randomly raise or play hands that have no value. This will just bleed your stack.

4. In position, I would bet out on the flop when checked to me a little more often. Semi-bluffing is obviously one tool you should use as well. Raising when you have no hand is something I would reserve for players that I deem that are just trying to steal the pot.

5. When players overvalue their hands, I would stick with calling in the event you miss your draw. When you semi-bluff, you still must hit in order to win. If players overvalue their hands, a bluff will not force them off their hands.

Played With Weakness

Hello,

I was in a no limit event the other day with $4,000 buy-in and blinds 10/20. I had $3,500. At some point, everyone folded to me. When I was on the button, I got Ad 5s and then popped it up to 80. Eventually, small and big blind called. Then flop came and brought 5c 5d 7d. Later, SB and BB checked and so I placed 140$ bet, almost half the pot I believe.

Consequently, SB folded however BB raised to 380$. I then thought he had something weak therefore I tried to slow play. I then called. Turn came and brought 9d. Board then appeared as 5c 5d 7d 9d. Though there was a possibility for a straight and flush, I had Ad and trips therefore I had to fold then. Few seconds after and BB placed 700$ bet while I called.

River came and brought Qc. BB went all in for all my money. I remember I had around 2,200$ and in the pot, 4,800$. Finally, I folded.

In the end, he flipped over 44 and then laughed at me. I don’t know if I played just right. Well, I don’t think doing the slow play then was a bad move. But I believe I should have pushed all-in on turn with my flush draw and then had trips. Another thing, I don’t see how I should call on the river and the only stuff I beat was a bluff. What do you think?

Regards,
Collin
Collin,

At the river, there were lots of hands you could beat other than a bluff. I would have likely made the call with my set, especially since the player had been aggressive the whole way. Of course, I would have raised him at some point. Don’t slow play a set with a straight and flush draw possible.