[Dept Of Justice Indictments]

How many of my Canadian brethren are cashing out? I'm not sure what to do. Wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow and the sites were down completely.

[2cent 5 Cent Rush, Last One...]

Be careful, jumping up in stakes to clear bonus or because you're fed up with the donkish play at micro stakes are both good ways to deplete your bankroll very quickly.

[Is This A Cooler? Or Does The Turn Raise Tell Me He Has A Better Hand]

I'm not familiar with your style as I don't read these forums too much anymore.This statement is very dangerous and will hold you back greatly as a poker player. You passing up spots that are clearly +EV is flat out bad. If you come across a spot where you say to yourself "it's unlikely that this guy has me beat" or "a raise here should be profitable because he's going to call with worse more than half of the time" and then you fail to raise because you're averse to losing more money the times where he does have a better hand, then you're lighting money on fire. Poker is all about making the right decisions. If it's profitable to raise, you raise. If he's going to call with a worse hand 54% of the time and call with a better hand 46% of the time, I'd be bombing the hell out of that pot. I don't care that I lose 46% of the time. Lowering variance is a crappy argument. If you have a proper BR and are a winning player, then normal variance shouldn't be able to hurt you. If your raise or bet is +EV, you make it. If it's not +EV, you don't make it. I don't care about results as long as I'm confident I made the best move. Be able to look at a 54/46 situation that's in your favor and realize that even though you're gonna lose 46% of the time, it's still a good move to raise.

I agree 100%. But let's remember that assessments of ev aren't as objective as people sometimes think they are. The ev of calling vs raising the river depends to a large extent on certain assumptions (the range of hands we put villain on, what we interpret his small bet to mean, etc). The assumptions we make determine whether a play is + or -ev. The disagreement between me and other posters here is around those assumptions. My post above wasn't meant to imply that I agree raising is better than calling in terms of ev but that I prefer to call to reduce my variance. Rather, I disagree that raising is +ev over calling because my assessment of the hand is different. But here's another aspect to the river decision that I don't think has been sufficiently discussed. In order for raising the river to be +ev, we have to expect villain to call with a worse hand often enough to make up for the times we run into the better part of his range. We can't just say that the range is balanced between between stuff we beat and stuff that beats us and conclude that raising the river is +ev. If he folds his worse hands a high percentage of the time (which I think is likely, especially if you put random non-QT hands in his range), then calling may still be the better play.

[Is This A Cooler? Or Does The Turn Raise Tell Me He Has A Better Hand]

I find it interesting that there is such an inconsistency between responses here and responses in the tourney hand I posted. In that hand the common response was "It's a $4.40, they do stupid things so don't give them credit." Here, even though it is also micro stakes, the response is "you have to exclude hands from his range that he shouldn't play that way, because playing those hands that way is stupid." So which one is it? Do unknown micro players play stupidly, or do they deserve some credit? Because it can't be both.Besides, my caution on the river isn't about skeletons under the closet. I'm not advocating cautious play because I'm scared of one possible hand he could be holding, or even two. I'm advocating caution on the river because, as I have repeatedly stated, the number of hands that beat us on the river far outnumbers the hands we beat. There isn't a range of hands we beat there and I'm saying call because I'm worried about AA. I'm saying call because I see little to no value in raising when there are several hands that beat us and only one or maybe two that we beat.As I stated before, the way I play may cause me to lose out on value in some spots. I admit that. It's a lower-variance approach to the game and I'm fine with that.

[Is This A Cooler? Or Does The Turn Raise Tell Me He Has A Better Hand]

I posted a range earlier that was supertight and showed we're still +EV against it to jam. This is one of the easiest jams on earth, and the most results-oriented analysis I've seen.

No, I advocated caution on the river before he posted the results.In lots of cases I would agree that a weak bet is a scared bet with a weak hand, but not in this case based on how villain played the hand up to that point. A small bet on a paired river after check-raising the turn is different than a small bet on the river in lots of other circumstances.

[Is This A Cooler? Or Does The Turn Raise Tell Me He Has A Better Hand]

For everyone just saying to call the river:What hands do you expect him to have? You realize we lose to only 22, 33, TT, QQ and AA right? I mean, do you really expect him to show up with any 2x combos with the 3 in it after limp/calling UTG?

Even if we just limit the range that beats us to the ones you mention (which I don't think we can necessarily do), the question is what hands does he play up to the river the way he did that Hero beats on the river? The only hand is basically QT. So although there aren't a huge number of hands we lose to, they far outnumber the likely hands we beat.

Do you really think he'd bet $1 on the river with a full house or quads? I don't.

Maybe you wouldn't but lots of micro players would. There are basically two common types of players at these stakes, neither of which understand proper bet sizing: the ones that shove their big hands because they get excited or perhaps they're trying to look like they're bluffing, and the ones that bet ridiculously small with their big hands because they don't want to scare off the money or because they want to entice a raise.

[Is This A Cooler? Or Does The Turn Raise Tell Me He Has A Better Hand]

Yes, I play quite a bit of 5NL and 10NL Rush so I'm well familiar with the context. And you simply can't be surprised at anything you see when playing 5NL Rush. Some players just don't like to raise, especially from early position. And those players will often do very strange things postflop in an effort to be fancy or play like the guys they see on television. Players can be very unpredictable at these stakes, so in a situation like this when he gives me a cheap call on the river (assuming I call the turn) I'll take it. I might lose out on some value now and then, but I also cut down on big pots lost.

[Is This A Cooler? Or Does The Turn Raise Tell Me He Has A Better Hand]

At 5nl that river is the nuts. All-in every day. You lose only to 22/33.

Or TT or QQ or even AA.The check-call flop, check-raise turn there is a very strong move and is typical of big hands. On the turn what could he possibly be playing that Hero beats? If you are going to call the turn check-raise, then I call down the river. The only thing that river card changes is Hero now beats QT and 33 is less likely. But 22, TT, QQ, and AA are still just as likely as they were before and Hero loses to all of them.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

I like raising flop to 1800. If villian shoves I'm tanking and evaluating past hands. If he flats and bets out turn I'm doing the same.Not sure I'd ride all the way with the hand, but I really like 1800 on the flop to figure what's going on. At weak stakes, weak donk outs are so easily folded that it's a good profitable play here.

It's a Rush tourney, I don't have many (if any) past hands to evaluate. The thing is, if he's donking with a weak hand then raising to push him off his hand is not a +ev play. I'm better off calling and letting him fire again on the turn. But since it looks like a close decision even if he only shoves the tighter range I gave him, and an easier call if he's shoving a wider range, I've come around to seeing that raising the flop and calling a shove probably would have been the right play.I'm working on my mindset during these tournies, my biggest weakness by far is my willingness to put a healthy stack at risk in the middle stages. I've realized that constantly checking the tourney info (my position relative to how many players are left) affects my play in a negative way. What I need to do is focus on accumulating as many chips as possible no matter what my stack size and how many people are left until we get to the bubble where a bit of caution may be warranted. That doesn't mean I should play reckless up that point, but I shouldn't be backing off hands like this one because I don't want to put my top 5 stack at risk when there are still 40 left in the tourney.

[2 Cent /5 Cent Rush]

prob finedont play rush...IMO, you make money by making better decisions than your opponents... and we make better decisions when we have stats/notes/reads and we do that better sitting in the same seat and observing our opponents... and we can get position on fish and not randomly be seated

You can still learn to make better decisions than your opponents in Rush. You're just basing your decisions on different information and filling some gaps with reasonable assumptions, which you have to do even if you use a HUD because you rarely have a large enough sample to get a solid read. You can also take notes on opponents when they do unusual things or make plays you can exploit. I'm a huge fan of Rush.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

I used to think the same thing sometimes, but then I got good and I became exactly the same way because I realise just how fucking retarded I was. The fact is it's super tilting when you give advice in a forum in a spot which does theoretically lower your edge in a game (by educating others) and then the guy asking for advice really doesn't want to improve and just wants to defend their own play/validation. And unfortunately I see it often in the strat forums.

I wouldn't bother posting hands for feedback if I felt I played the hand correctly. What gets interpreted by others as validation of my own play is in most cases just the way I challenge people's ideas as part of my learning process. Opinions don't convince me, reasons convince me. And sometimes I have to push people a bit to get at their reasons.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

While I personally still think this range is too narrow...But if you only give him 33, 44, 55, 66 and AhXh then you have 38% equity. So you need to get about 1.63:1 to call. Since the question in my mind is "what do we do if we raise flop and he shoves", let's look at it.Preflop - Pot is 900He bets 600 on flop, making pot 1500. Let's say you raise to 1800. Pot is now 3300 and you have 8417 behind.If he shoves, pot is then 11717, so you have to call 8417 to win 11717. This means you're getting about 1.4:1.I guess technically we can fold in that spot if we think we have that solid a read on him. But I'm still not doing it.

Helpful post, thanks.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

It's rush poker so you have very little information. The only things you do know are that he limp called preflop and donk bet the flop in a micro stakes buy in tournament. Therefore his overall strategy/thinking behind the game is probably (almost certainly) very flawed. It's likely he has an incorrect/skewed interpretation of relative hand strengths and thinks 55, overpairs and maybe stuff like A5/22 and other crap are the nuts on this flop, partly just because they beat AK (Except for A5)If you call flop, call turn. You'll probably have to fold some rivers but calling down here inducing bluffs/value cuts can work nicely. To peel one and fold turn you should pick a way weaker hand to do it with. In terms of your range KK is way too high up in hand strength here.

I agree about his likely level of strategic thinking but even micro donks can become more careful and selective based on their stack size. I even agree that he could be donking a wide range; where I find myself disagreeing is how his range changes if I raise the flop and he pushes. Most of the responses here seem to suggest that his range doesn't change at all. I could be wrong but I have a hard time accepting that his stacking off range is the same as his donking range.Anyway, suppose I peel the turn too. What rivers are you folding? Obviously any heart. Would you fold to an Ace? A 2, 5 or 7?

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

Here's a paraphrased version of the exchange:donk4life: He'd stack off with a wide rangejmbreslin: I don't think he would (along with a reason why)donk4life: It's $4.40, you're giving him too much creditThe problem is when someone disagrees with your advice, instead of engaging them and trying to make a convincing case for your point you just get annoyed with them for disagreeing. It's that "I'm better than you so just do what I say and don't argue" attitude that drives me insane. And unfortunately I see it often in the strat forums.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

Do you need an explaination at why the sky is blue?

C'mon man. So you're saying that your poker advice is analogous so telling me the sky is blue? If I go to the doctor and he says "you have problem x, you need surgery," do I just say, "okay doc, whatever you say"? Absolutely not. I ask questions because I want to understand what the problem is, why he thinks surgery is necessary, what the other options are, and so on. I don't care if Phil Freakin Ivey himself tells me I should raise the flop - if he doesn't explain why, I'm going to ask. And if his reasoning doesn't make sense to me, I'm going to press him on it. Only when I'm convinced will I accept the advice.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

No you're not. Please see my Stove post. If you disagree with that range, what range do you put him on?

You're right, you're one of the exceptions. Along with KT.If I raise the flop and he shoves, I'd probably narrow his range to sets, heart draws (including overcards), maybe hands like 55 (especially with a heart). I just don't see him committing his stack on this flop with weaker hands like 77-JJ or weak draws like gutters.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

WHY WHY WHY do people here never take advice from the better players. Jesus. We tell you that you took a weak line, b/c you did. You give him too much credit for a hand. You lost a lot of value.

I post hands here because I'm looking for advice. That doesn't mean I can't disagree with with specific responses. It also doesn't mean I'm not allowed to show frustration with responses that don't contain helpful advice. No matter how successful you are, I still expect a reasoned response to a question. I'm not interested in "Do X because I'm a good player and I said so." If X is the right move, I want to understand why. And no matter how good you are, I'm still entitled to disagree with you if I don't accept your reasoning.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

Possibly, but to be honest I don't find that kind of advice all that helpful. I'm trying to reason my way through the hand and all I'm getting in response is, "It's micro stakes, the players all suck and do stupid things."

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

This is the easiest raise/call ever. You do realize he's stacking off with top pair, any draw, 55, 77-QQ, and some other weird shit.

Actually, I don't think he's stacking off with such a wide range. This guy is the bigstack in the tourney and we're no longer in the very early stages where donks stack off lightly. I can't see him risking more than half his stack when he's in such a healthy position without a fairly solid made hand or at least a good made hand+draw combo. If I raise the flop and he shoves, I would have a very hard time believing I'm in good shape against his range.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

For those of you advocating a flop raise, are you getting it in if he shoves or would you consider raise-folding the flop?

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

In these Rush SnGs, you need to play your premium hands well. It is unlikely that the flop hit him in a big way, and you need to be raising hard on the flop. As played, call the turn. If a heart comes on the river, then its check/fold. Unless he makes a bet of about 4000 or more on the river, I'd be calling. In all likelihood, the big stack is trying to bully. The average is still about 5000 at this point so you can afford to see the river without too much worry.

I don't like this line at all. You want me to call off another 20% of my remaining stack on the turn and then possibly fold the river? Or call off half of what I have left if he bets a non-heart river?

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

I took a weak line because it's such a good flop for a limp-calling hand. He could have a set, flush draw, combo flush+straight draw. I wasn't comfortable getting it in on that flop, and I didn't want to spew a good chunk of my stack by raising and folding to a shove, so I figured I would call with position and see what he did on the turn. When the turn brought the flush and he fired a decent-sized second bullet, I figured I had to be dead by that point.

[Cowboys On Scary Board]

$4.40 stakes. About 50 left at this point, top 15 pay, and I have a top 5 stack.Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, 4.4 Tournament, 100/200 Blinds (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.comButton (t7255)SB (t7520)BB (t3260)UTG (t5860)UTG+1 (t18300)MP1 (t4530)MP2 (t1600)MP3 (t2895)Hero (CO) (t10817)Hero's M: 36.06Preflop: Hero is CO with K, K1 fold, UTG+1 calls t200, 3 folds, Hero bets t600, 3 folds, UTG+1 calls t400Flop: (t1500) 6, 4, 3(2 players)UTG+1 bets t600, Hero calls t600Turn: (t2700) Q(2 players)UTG+1 bets t1600, Hero folds

[Rush Poker On Ft...]

uhm a few things:A.) dont do too many rush tables, your hands per hour go down so it is harder to keep up with the average for more than 4 tablesB.) i open light IP, and look to fire a toonnn of cbetsC.) treat minraises like they never happendD.) be willing to fire second barrels on scary turnsE.) when we have weak showdown value, stop firing and maybe default call the next street be people tend to probe weakness a ton

Other moves that work well:F) 3-bet lightly against late position open-raisesG) Following on (E) above, one of my fav moves is to check-call the river OOP with a good hand after I've fired the flop and turn. It's amazing how often players will stab at the river with weak hands/busted draws when you check to them.

[Rush Poker On Ft...]

I love it. Its fun. I 2 table and get over 500 hands an hour in. For someone with a very busy schedule this is great to get a meaningful amount of hands in for only about 10 hours of play a week. I open with a wide range of hands as I pick up the blinds more often as everyone is playing nitty. I also continuation bet 99% of the time. I even continuation bet more often into 3 and 4 way flops. Im very tight if played back at. There is very little bluffing by these players so they are pretty easy to play against. If they bet or raise they have it. If they call they are on a medium strength hand or a draw. If they check they are weak. Just play everyone straightforward cus no one is really getting reads on you.

Yup on all counts.