Help Please - My Poker Game Needs Help

[Sens-Eh 0]

one thing for sure... any advise I gave you applied to cash tables, not tournies/SNG's.

[gpineo 0]

Nosoul, Sen-Eh & Jmbreslin,The comments are good but now I am getting conflicting information. I know each person has there own opinion and I respect that.My issue here is three fold.1.) Learning the correct fundamentals to improve my game.2.) Learing the proper pre & post flop play.3.) After applying 1 & 2 to increase my bankroll from micro and work my way up to playing bigger limits.So which of the three game types (cash, tournaments, sng's) will help with those three points.To let you know in the past two nights I have played 360 Player SnG for 0.10 cents and I have placed 32nd & 18th.So I think I am working my way toward 1 & 2 but 3 is more difficult to accomplish at only getting 0.20 & 0.40 cents for those two SnG's.Thoughts?gpineo

[jmbreslin 0]

Nosoul, Sen-Eh & Jmbreslin,The comments are good but now I am getting conflicting information. I know each person has there own opinion and I respect that.My issue here is three fold.1.) Learning the correct fundamentals to improve my game.2.) Learing the proper pre & post flop play.3.) After applying 1 & 2 to increase my bankroll from micro and work my way up to playing bigger limits.So which of the three game types (cash, tournaments, sng's) will help with those three points.To let you know in the past two nights I have played 360 Player SnG for 0.10 cents and I have placed 32nd & 18th.So I think I am working my way toward 1 & 2 but 3 is more difficult to accomplish at only getting 0.20 & 0.40 cents for those two SnG's.Thoughts?gpineo

The problem is that the answers to your first two points are different for cash games than they are for tournies. That's the point I was trying to make earlier: cash NLHE and tourney NLHE are sufficiently different that you should focus on one and not flip back and forth while you're learning.It really comes down to your patience level and the amount of time you have to devote to the game. Building a roll from micro stakes cash NLHE is a long and slow grind. If you don't mind that, and you find that you enjoy cash games, then focus on cash games. Don't fool around with the .10 360's because those will just mess up your cash game. If you don't have the patience for cash games or you find that you prefer tourney poker, then focus your efforts there. Start with $1 SnGs and work your way up.

[TheDonk1989 0]

First off, you need to read these books. These books have been helpful to me:1. Mike Caro's book of poker tells (This has greatly helped my reading ability)2. Hold'em Wisdom For All Players (This just gives you so many techniques that will help your game)3. More Hold'em Wisdom For All Players (The same idea except with even more)Those are the books that I can think of now.My advice for you is to tighten up your play, and get into less marginal situations.Don't waste money and keep calling with your mid pair, or even top pair with a bad kick.You need to look at the flop texture when your in a hand, what scares me here? What has me beat? What would be a bad turn/river card, etc.Don't risk a high percentage of your stack with a draw. Only do so when your getting correct pot odds. (If you don't know what pot odds are, then learn.)Look for betting patterns, he bet pot last time on a draw, He checked raises only with the nuts, etc.Something really basic: DONT PLAY TOO MANY HANDS! Tighten up and wait, specially in cash games.That's it for now, just a basic strategy for any losing player.Let me know if this was helpful!

[Sens-Eh 0]

Nosoul, Sen-Eh & Jmbreslin,The comments are good but now I am getting conflicting information. I know each person has there own opinion and I respect that.My issue here is three fold.1.) Learning the correct fundamentals to improve my game.2.) Learing the proper pre & post flop play.3.) After applying 1 & 2 to increase my bankroll from micro and work my way up to playing bigger limits.So which of the three game types (cash, tournaments, sng's) will help with those three points.To let you know in the past two nights I have played 360 Player SnG for 0.10 cents and I have placed 32nd & 18th.So I think I am working my way toward 1 & 2 but 3 is more difficult to accomplish at only getting 0.20 & 0.40 cents for those two SnG's.Thoughts?gpineo

The problem is that the answers to your first two points are different for cash games than they are for tournies. That's the point I was trying to make earlier: cash NLHE and tourney NLHE are sufficiently different that you should focus on one and not flip back and forth while you're learning.It really comes down to your patience level and the amount of time you have to devote to the game. Building a roll from micro stakes cash NLHE is a long and slow grind. If you don't mind that, and you find that you enjoy cash games, then focus on cash games. Don't fool around with the .10 360's because those will just mess up your cash game. If you don't have the patience for cash games or you find that you prefer tourney poker, then focus your efforts there. Start with $1 SnGs and work your way up.

I agree with jmbreslin's comments. The game is completely different between SNG's/cash tables. Pick the one you enjoy the most and concentrate on that. I don't think it matters much which you choose. You're likely to do better at first at the one you enjoy the most. We're just saying choose one - and get good at it specifically. Eventually you can try out the other as well - but don't bother for a good while... p.s. You differentiated between SNG's and tournies - ...I haven't been really other then to say, if it was me I would definitely avoid the real big tournies with huge fields(it came be a long time in between cashes if you only play in those). But then I am a cash game player - thus I play a game where the rewards and losses are immediate....It's just what I prefer. Do what you prefer.

[jmbreslin 0]

MTTs and STTs are different. At one end of the NLHE spectrum you have cash games, at the other end you have STTs, and then MTTs are somewhere in the middle (depending on the structure).

[nosoul 0]

Nosoul, Sen-Eh & Jmbreslin,The comments are good but now I am getting conflicting information. I know each person has there own opinion and I respect that.My issue here is three fold.1.) Learning the correct fundamentals to improve my game.2.) Learing the proper pre & post flop play.3.) After applying 1 & 2 to increase my bankroll from micro and work my way up to playing bigger limits.So which of the three game types (cash, tournaments, sng's) will help with those three points.To let you know in the past two nights I have played 360 Player SnG for 0.10 cents and I have placed 32nd & 18th.So I think I am working my way toward 1 & 2 but 3 is more difficult to accomplish at only getting 0.20 & 0.40 cents for those two SnG's.Thoughts?gpineo

Like the others have said, 1&2 are different for the different games. In tournaments, you have to adjust your play to the different situations (quickly going from deep stack to short stack, dealing with the bubble, etc). In cash games, you just deal with the other players. The blinds don't change. There's no bubble. You just play the same consistent game the entire time.For 3, you need a level that you know you can beat. If you can't consistently make money at the .01/.02 level, there's no hope of ever moving up. Have a starting bankroll that you're comfortable with for that level, say $10. The next level is usually .02/.05, which means a $5 buy-in. When your bankroll is up to $15 (your initial roll plus the next buy-in), take a shot at the next level. Play for a predetermined amount of time, say one hour. At the end of the hour, stop. Win, lose, or draw, stop playing. If you lose your buy-in at any point, stop. Worst case, you're back down to $10. If you lost money, go back to the .01/.02 level until you're back up to $15 and try again. Once you start winning at the .02/.05 level, rinse and repeat with the new numbers.

[wildspoke 2]

Congrats on asking for help. Sorry it took it you so long to feel comfortable but as you noticed the first was a flame but after that you got a lot of solid answers. First, and you made note of it - you were getting conflicting information. That’s something critical to understand. All the advice you get might not be good for your game. It’s up to you to sift through and see what works for you. EXAMPLE: Some say you should buy-in for the max while others disagree. It’s should be what you feel comfortable with and what suits your game. I think someone made a great comment. Stick to either cash or tournaments. Going back and forth really messes with you. If one aspect creeps into the other, you are toast. One book I got (actually book on CD) when I first was starting out was Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book. Even though he gets flamed here A LOT, I think it’s a great book for beginners. You can get it on Amazon for like 10 bucks (seller’s market)One thing I would suggest also is that when you’re not in a hand try to guess what the other players have and then when showdown happens see how you do. Bet good hands. Have fun.Joe

[gpineo 0]

Well all this advice and what to do I think what I would like to do is concentrate on the game that I feel comfortable with.What I am going to do is play SNG's & MTT mostly and then play a couple session a week in Cash Games to just mix things up.I have been running Poker Tracker on Trial basis and I looked at the figures and I am having better success in the SNG's then the Cash Games so I think that tell me something right there.I don't want to stop getting the advice from you Cash players at all cause I eventually want to improve that part of my game also.What advice do I need to know for SNG's or MTT.Something that I noticed in the few sessions that I play was I get blinded down quickly playing a tight aggressive game. If I am card dead my chip stack doesn't increase cause I am trying to play solid hands in position. I think that's the first part of my play I need to understand and how to fix. I am playing less then 25% of the hands.Not sure if there is anything else right now I can recall but I look forward to your comments.Tks.gpineo

[jmbreslin 0]

What I am going to do is play SNG's & MTT mostly and then play a couple session a week in Cash Games to just mix things up.

I would try to fight this temptation, to be honest. Flipping back and forth can really mess up your performance.

I don't want to stop getting the advice from you Cash players at all cause I eventually want to improve that part of my game also.

I'm not one of them, I'm a SnG player. I would strongly advise that you start reading through the posts in the tourney forum and start posting some of your hands (instructions on how to do that are in a sticky thread).

What advice do I need to know for SNG's or MTT.Something that I noticed in the few sessions that I play was I get blinded down quickly playing a tight aggressive game. If I am card dead my chip stack doesn't increase cause I am trying to play solid hands in position. I think that's the first part of my play I need to understand and how to fix. I am playing less then 25% of the hands.

Here is a basic outline of STT strategy.1) Early blind levels - Play tight but look for spots to play speculative hands for cheap (high reward, low risk), ideally in position and with good pot odds. Play your big hands hard - that is, don't screw around with min-raises or limps with big pairs. Avoid playing big pots with marginal hands.2) Middle - Start opening up your game by looking for spots to make positional steals. As the SnG progresses you want to gradually become looser and more aggressive. Stealing blinds to maintain/build your chipstack at this stage is very important.3) Late - Do not let yourself get blinded down. As soon as your stack drops to 10BB or so, you want to look for spots to push. The goal here is to steal the blinds (which are decent at this point) or to be in decent shape if called. Avoid pushing into several opponents with hands that are likely to be dominated (like A6o); instead, look for hands with showdown value (e.g., mid suited connectors, pocket pairs). Don't be afraid to bust out at this point because that will only result in you becoming too short to do any damage. Pick your spots and be aggressive.An excellent book on STT strategy is Collin Moshman's (I forget the title). In addition to discussing strategy throughout the different stages of STT play, he also discusses important concepts like tournament equity and ICM calculations.

[Acekob 0]

Amazing to see how much time and effort people put into helping others here I read most of the feedback you got, and I'm certain it helped me as well B) Currently trying to build a br from 10$ as well, good luck on building yours!

[gpineo 0]

Well....My first SnG was a 9 player 1.20 and I placed 2nd. Lost on the final hand, chips were even and I had AJ. Other guy was on the button. He called I raised approx 4x bb and he re-raised me all-in. Instanta call and he showed 6To. Flop hit his 6 and I never caught up.Oh well pleased with my play don't think I did anything wrong in the final hand it's Poker.More updates on my progress.gpineo

[gpineo 0]

Well,I guess I can play poker.I entered in a $1.10 - 2000 guaranteed prize pool tournament on PokerStars. There were 4113 entries and I finished 35th.I made one mistake and I will post the hand tonight when I get home for you to view and see what you guys think of my play. I was about 5th in chips at the time. I lost 3/4 of my chips on this hand and couldn't recover to get back in the game.I ended up all-in with J's and was busted by A's.Very please with this result. It's 1% of the total entries and felt I played very well over the time. Was my longest time playing in one sitting so I think I lost my concentration for this one hand and made this big mistake.Thanks to everyone here that help me by reading some of my HH and giving the advice.gpineo

[jmbreslin 0]

Sounds like you should stick with tourney poker...

[gooch 0]

FCP Members,I am looking for some help from your experiences.At the point I don't know what's going wrong with my poker game.I have been playing now for about 4 yrs without really cashing in. I started playing for fun and I am tired of giving away my money and I would like to make this hobby profitable. I play online at PokerStars and once a month at my own home game.I have read about these Poker Tools on the forum but I don't know where to start to help me out. I don't want to commit dollars right now unless I know it's going to help me out online.On Pokerstars I have been playing 0.01/0.02 NL cash games and SNG for Micro values. I don't end up winning or coming out on top when I am done for the session.At my Homegame I haven't cashed at all and would like to sometime.I have got some books: Super System 1 & 2, Small Stakes Holdem and some other but they don't seem to help me.I know the fundamentals but I think I am missing something that will help me over the hump to become the winner on the table.Can you give me some advice on how I can make it over the hump.Tks

I'm far from an expert, nor do i always follow my own advice, but i wroet some beginner tips for my blog, c/p from there1. Poker is a math based game. Do yourself a favour and pick up The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky. It is a major building block from where more advanced plays come, but especially in the world of online poker, which is much more math based than read based, because you only have time to act and amount bet in which to base your reads on in an online game.2. Know who you are playing against. If you are sitting in a room full of amateurs, don’t try and pull third or fourth levels plays out of your hat because they don’t even know the rabbit exists and won’t see your ”stop and go value bet bluff on the river representing the set” as anything but a dumb bet on your part. 3. Bluff less. Again, most amateurs can’t and won’t lay hands down when they hit top pair, middle or bottom two pair, betting good hands in far more profitable in the long run as they chase their two outer than bluffing off your stack thinking they will ever lay down the 6th nut flush for $4 more. A good bluffing strategy to follow would be to bluff say only once every six or seven times the opportunity arrives, and to try not to make those semi-bluffs, meaning you don’t have a hand yet, but do have the opportunity to still make one, this would be important and you might get re-raised and have to call with the pot odds. In online poker, many players are multi tabling, that means they don’t have time for reads anyways, so don’t bother.4. Play less hands. The biggest mistake players make when they start the game is playing way too many hands, calling raises out of position with marginal holdings hoping to flop perfect and get paid. Better to just play good hands as your decision making after the flop is often so much easier that way.5. As above, many players try and model their play after the pros they see on TV. Playing hands like 35 offsuit to raises and not realizing how to set up that play. Don’t try and out think your opponent when they are barely thinking.6. Low limit online poker. Perhaps one of the most profitable plays I have found is the push with Aces preflop. I’m amazed at what some players will call with. No sense trying to outplay them. Just push and know you are a 4-1 favourite at least against any caller unless they have AA too. Way easier than trying to play postflop when you min raise and get 6 calllers. KK and QQ will call almost 100% of the time and you are all are a 4-1 favourite getting 1-1 on your money. Recently got it all in when I pushed to an early position raise, he turned over AA to my AA. 1-7.250 or .013%7. Play position, the game is so much easier to play when you have position on the other player, especially when you are going to play drawing type hands like flush and straights. Watch what you raise and call with out of position as you may have to call a re-raise and play the rest of the hand out of position.8. Multiway pots vs. heads up. Understand the difference between top pair okay kicker in a 5 way pot, vs. heads up. You should only be playing good hands postflop as there are so many other hands out there possible.9. Don’t limp. This might be the most important tip, so I’m not sure if it should be first or last, I figure last because if you only remember one thing this should be it. Don’t limp into an unopened pot. It gives you no information at all about what the cards your opponents are playing. If you are first to enter a pot RAISE.Briefly from your stats you posted for 100 hands11-13 hands from SB, at micro, that $.11 extra you put in the pot11-13 from BB, not sure if you called any raises there or it was just checked to youIMO, because you are out of position for the rest of the hand, you better have good holdings to play from the SB, if you all calling with 94s there, you are just throwing money away, leanr to hit the fold buttonAs for the home game? need some more info, live poker is where i actually excell so if you want to post up some info there i'll write up some stuff

[gpineo 0]

Sounds like you should stick with tourney poker...

Ya jmbreslin I think I will continue on this path to my poker success

[gpineo 0]

Here is the HH of the specific hand I believe was the hand that I made a big mistake that did cost me a better finish in the tournament.Let me know what you think.PokerStars Game #26226385950: Tournament #147626768, $2.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level XVII (1500/3000) - 2009/03/22 1:38:27 MT [2009/03/22 3:38:27 ET]Table '147626768 218' 9-max Seat #1 is the buttonSeat 1: cvf0630 (284334 in chips)Seat 2: kalypah (31458 in chips)Seat 3: TheStriker86 (157772 in chips)Seat 4: gpineo (151349 in chips)Seat 5: 1964mikey (162640 in chips)Seat 6: 1poolfool1 (134072 in chips)Seat 7: zeeslady (19836 in chips)Seat 8: y2kbird (23428 in chips)Seat 9: sweetelton (26155 in chips)cvf0630: posts the ante 300kalypah: posts the ante 300TheStriker86: posts the ante 300gpineo: posts the ante 3001964mikey: posts the ante 3001poolfool1: posts the ante 300zeeslady: posts the ante 300y2kbird: posts the ante 300sweetelton: posts the ante 300kalypah: posts small blind 1500TheStriker86: posts big blind 3000*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to gpineo [Ad Kc]gpineo: raises 12000 to 150001964mikey: folds1poolfool1: foldszeeslady: foldsy2kbird: foldssweetelton: foldscvf0630: calls 15000kalypah: foldsTheStriker86: calls 12000*** FLOP *** [9c 5c 3c]TheStriker86: bets 21000gpineo: calls 21000cvf0630: folds*** TURN *** [9c 5c 3c] [3h]TheStriker86: bets 24000gpineo: calls 24000*** RIVER *** [9c 5c 3c 3h] [Kh]TheStriker86: bets 30000gpineo: raises 30000 to 60000TheStriker86: calls 30000*** SHOW DOWN ***gpineo: shows [Ad Kc] (two pair, Kings and Threes)TheStriker86: shows [8c Ac] (a flush, Ace high)TheStriker86 collected 259200 from pot*** SUMMARY ***Total pot 259200 | Rake 0Board [9c 5c 3c 3h Kh]Seat 1: cvf0630 (button) folded on the FlopSeat 2: kalypah (small blind) folded before FlopSeat 3: TheStriker86 (big blind) showed [8c Ac] and won (259200) with a flush, Ace highSeat 4: gpineo showed [Ad Kc] and lost with two pair, Kings and ThreesSeat 5: 1964mikey folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: 1poolfool1 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 7: zeeslady folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 8: y2kbird folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 9: sweetelton folded before Flop (didn't bet)Thanks for your helpgpineo.

[jmbreslin 0]

Raising to 5BB is unnecessarily large at that point. When the blinds get that high, you can get away with smaller raises because small even raises represent a big chunk of change. I know many people use standard raises of 3-5BB in the early stages but drop to 2.5BB when the blinds get higher. I also don't like making overly large raises with overcards because it forces you to make larger CBs on the flop when you miss.Postflop, that's a pretty tough spot. On the flop you have overcard outs plus the draw to the 2nd nut flush, which is too hard to get away from. That said, I you could have saved yourself 30000 chips on the river by just calling rather than raising (but you can get a more honest assessment if you don't post results).

[gooch 0]

Raising to 5BB is unnecessarily large at that point. When the blinds get that high, you can get away with smaller raises because small even raises represent a big chunk of change. I know many people use standard raises of 3-5BB in the early stages but drop to 2.5BB when the blinds get higher. I also don't like making overly large raises with overcards because it forces you to make larger CBs on the flop when you miss.Postflop, that's a pretty tough spot. On the flop you have overcard outs plus the draw to the 2nd nut flush, which is too hard to get away from. That said, I you could have saved yourself 30000 chips on the river by just calling rather than raising (but you can get a more honest assessment if you don't post results).

agree and in short form-don't bloat the pot in first position with AKo-if you do ^, you don't have to check call as much-K to the 2nd nut flush is an okay excuse to call, thats a read call on if someone is going to bet the flush there or not, sometimes i dump it right away-i don't like the raise ont eh river myself

[strappazon 0]

I'm far from being a great player but i'm doing well at micro stakes and i gain money. My advice would be to keep your game as simple as possible. Play only the good hands (of course it depends of your position) and raise a lot when you're pretty sure to have the best hands. At those stake people will call you with any two cards, so let the donks call you raises.You can also read some books, it's helps a lot. If you're losing money you're probably playing too much hands. Imo over 15-20 % is way too much. You should also get one of those software, like poker tracker, it will help you to analyze your game and find your leak.I'll always been a "decent" but i really started to improve my game after i learnt patience (sometime waiting for a good hand can be boring) and after i decide to never play a marginal hands.Cheers.