tens in the hole----my first post

[duffshot 0]

O.K, so before I get going let me just say I've been an avid reader of the FCP forum for the last year or so, but haven't really had anything to talk about until today. Over the last 2 weeks on Pokerroom.com, I've been playing .50/1 NL HE, and I've turned my $40 buy-in to between $500-600. My plan is to make a $1000 (if I can do it) and then pull out $500 to recoup my online poker losses over the last 18 months and then to try to build some sort of bankroll. But this post isn't about that....I wanted to talk about pocket 10's. There's not too many hand's that I have trouble with anymore, but it seems that whenever I get the 10's, I lose with them. Bad play or bad luck? My money's on the former and that's why I'm here. A little help strategy-wise would be great. My play right now with them is either a standard raise, which usually results in 2 or more callers, and usually one of them hits their overcard. Or to just flat call and wait to hit a set. Which of these do you think is the way to go? Keep in mind that I'm only playing .50/1. Also when I decide to move up in limit's at what point will I find the play improve. I find it hard to make moves right now, and have guys calling me all the way down with shit they should've folded pre-flop. So basically I'm a robot right now, just playing prime hands and getting my money in with the best of it. And although it's a winning strategy now at the .50/1 HE, it's not the game I want to play. Will this ever change? Hope I didn't bore you guys....

[turd ferguson 1]

O.K, so before I get going let me just say I've been an avid reader of the FCP forum for the last year or so, but haven't really had anything to talk about until today.       Over the last 2 weeks on Pokerroom.com, I've been playing .50/1 NL HE, and I've turned my $40 buy-in to between $500-600.  My plan is to make a $1000 (if I can do it) and then pull out $500 to recoup my online poker losses over the last 18 months and then to try to build some sort of bankroll.       But this post isn't about that....I wanted to talk about pocket 10's.  There's not too many hand's that I have trouble with anymore, but it seems that whenever I get the 10's, I lose with them.  Bad play or bad luck?  My money's on the former and that's why I'm here.       A little help strategy-wise would be great.  My play right now with them is either a standard raise, which usually results in 2 or more callers, and usually one of them hits their overcard.  Or to just flat call and wait to hit a set.  Which of these do you think is the way to go?  Keep in mind that I'm only playing .50/1.       Also when I decide to move up in limit's at what point will I find the play improve.  I find it hard to make moves right now, and have guys calling me all the way down with censored they should've folded pre-flop.  So basically I'm a robot right now, just playing prime hands and getting my money in with the best of it.  And although it's a winning strategy now at the .50/1 HE, it's not the game I want to play.  Will this ever change?  Hope I didn't bore you guys....

I can't give you a definitive preflop strategy here because it's so situational, but, in a normal nine-handed game, I would limp in early positions and make a moderate raise in mid to late positions. Post flop play is much more difficult because it's very dependent on your opponents and your level of play. To your second point, you should be thankful that you are able to be profitable as a robot. I know it isn't exciting, but it is much tougher when your opponents make you think. I know you want to get out there and make some plays, but when you get to that level it is much more difficult to make a steady profit. Just something to think about. Obviously, the skill increases with each level, but you'll probably notice that you'll have to start making some plays around the $5-$10 blind level. That's just an estimate though, and it will vary with each table.

[dbrent2 0]

Weak players and low limits mean that you will usually have to show the best hand. Making plays at this level is basically useless.

[Pokerghost2 0]

i think raising is the better play, depending on ur table makeup and ur position. but id always rather raise.

[jimmybaker04 0]

in a normal nine-handed game, I would limp in early positions and make a moderate raise in mid to late positions. I agree with this play in let's say tournament HE or higher stakes. I actually would prefer a strong raise in early position with 10s at this limit because it should severely reduce the field, thus reducing your overs. If you limp with this hand you have reduced yourself to winning when you hit a set. If you are playing like a robot than mid pairs, including 10s are going to be very tough for you. That's OK though, you are making money elsewhere. You see mid pairs really require a lot of feel and instinct. You seem to have the right concept for this level of HE and that is tight aggressive. I regularly play $1/2 and $2/$4, but short handed only. There are a LOT of plays being made at these levels, especially because there are usually 4-6 players. At a full table (now I am speaking stictly of online poker, not live) I think you CAN make good money playing almost like a robot with a little spice thrown in here and there. You are going to need a atleast a 4 digit bankroll though to survive without excessive stress at these levels. The last thing you want to be thinking about before you try to pull off a big move is "If this doesn't work, I can't play poker anymore"!

[DrawingDeadInDM 0]

It all depends.As a rule of thumb, limp in early position, raise in late position. When overcards are on the flop, play cautiously if you don't hit your set.If it's all under cards, play aggressively.

[Eastwood Jr. 0]

O.K, so before I get going let me just say I've been an avid reader of the FCP forum for the last year or so, but haven't really had anything to talk about until today. Over the last 2 weeks on Pokerroom.com, I've been playing .50/1 NL HE, and I've turned my $40 buy-in to between $500-600. My plan is to make a $1000 (if I can do it) and then pull out $500 to recoup my online poker losses over the last 18 months and then to try to build some sort of bankroll. But this post isn't about that....I wanted to talk about pocket 10's. There's not too many hand's that I have trouble with anymore, but it seems that whenever I get the 10's, I lose with them. Bad play or bad luck? My money's on the former and that's why I'm here. A little help strategy-wise would be great. My play right now with them is either a standard raise, which usually results in 2 or more callers, and usually one of them hits their overcard. Or to just flat call and wait to hit a set. Which of these do you think is the way to go? Keep in mind that I'm only playing .50/1. Also when I decide to move up in limit's at what point will I find the play improve. I find it hard to make moves right now, and have guys calling me all the way down with censored they should've folded pre-flop. So basically I'm a robot right now, just playing prime hands and getting my money in with the best of it. And although it's a winning strategy now at the .50/1 HE, it's not the game I want to play. Will this ever change? Hope I didn't bore you guys....

Everytime you move up a level the play improves slightly. There are still bad players at every limit but they are fewer and farther between. The games are more tight aggressive than at lower limits where weak loose play is dominant. Good players have deeper bankrolls, are much more serious and if you're playing scared then they'll smell it and take advantage of you.However with that being said, the rules to the game are still the same. The best five card hand still wins and reading players is still the most valuable tool in the game. Be careful of getting on tilt whenever you step up in limits. It seems like fear of a higher competition level would force you to overvalue your chips but a few tough losses can throw you into the twilight zone when you're playing higher than usual. If you lose sight of reality while playing then you can lose a high percentage of your bankroll.Finally, if you believe you are a good enough player then don't be afraid to test yourself. Running pocket change up to a good sum of money is a nice feat but if you want to be a great player, which I assume you do by your post then you've got to take the bull by the horns. (By the way it is also my goal to become a great player although at current I am barely good) Don't get too comfortable playing low limits and never step it up. Good luck and I look forward to reading more of your posts.

[pckt10s 0]

10s are definetly tough to play. The other night, a solid player raised to 6x the blind when I had 10s in late position. I put her on a good hand and folded. She showed AK for like the 5th time in the 2 hours I played with her. The thing is if I called and see 2 overs what do I do? I just called a preflop large raise with 10s that are most likely beat. But then again I had the best hand before the flop.So like the others, limp early, raise late. Get in for as low as possible and try to hit a set.

[krup24 0]

It all depends.As a rule of thumb, limp in early position, raise in late position.  When overcards are on the flop, play cautiously if you don't hit your set.If it's all under cards, play aggressively.

[tobytobey 0]

O.K, so before I get going let me just say I've been an avid reader of the FCP forum for the last year or so, but haven't really had anything to talk about until today.       Over the last 2 weeks on Pokerroom.com, I've been playing .50/1 NL HE, and I've turned my $40 buy-in to between $500-600.  My plan is to make a $1000 (if I can do it) and then pull out $500 to recoup my online poker losses over the last 18 months and then to try to build some sort of bankroll.       But this post isn't about that....I wanted to talk about pocket 10's.  There's not too many hand's that I have trouble with anymore, but it seems that whenever I get the 10's, I lose with them.  Bad play or bad luck?  My money's on the former and that's why I'm here.       A little help strategy-wise would be great.  My play right now with them is either a standard raise, which usually results in 2 or more callers, and usually one of them hits their overcard.  Or to just flat call and wait to hit a set.  Which of these do you think is the way to go?  Keep in mind that I'm only playing .50/1.       Also when I decide to move up in limit's at what point will I find the play improve.  I find it hard to make moves right now, and have guys calling me all the way down with censored they should've folded pre-flop.  So basically I'm a robot right now, just playing prime hands and getting my money in with the best of it.  And although it's a winning strategy now at the .50/1 HE, it's not the game I want to play.  Will this ever change?  Hope I didn't bore you guys....

Um, why aren't you playing at FCP?