Help a noob out in 1/2 No limit
First post, hopefully I posted in right thread.
Its been 5 years since I played poker, the first time I played I bought in at a 1/2 no limit table for $100, first hand some big chip leader called me all in, he had pocket 10s, and I had pocket aces preflop, I called and lost and never played again until today.
Today after 5 hours of 1/2 no Limit sitting at the same spot, I played probably 5% of the hands, My 2 biggest wins were from the same old man who called my all in at turn with nothing =/ So I guess I got pretty lucky. I bought in with $200, max buy in is $300, My highest chips at 1 point was $420. When I lost another $30 in 1 game, I started playing suited mid tier connectors, Ace 6 off suit, etc.. when I usually wait for pocket pairs, AK AQ or AJ. and everytime the flop the came, if i don't hit anything, I would just fold if someone bets. I was only able to bluff 1 game when I had pocket 4s and the board was JJ9. I'm pretty sure everyone knew I was new to this game since I was shaking when betting, forgetting blinds, always folding etc.
At the end of the day I still won $50 after 5 hours. I just want some tips on how I can play this game a little faster and not wait around for a decent hand to play all day?
Also, would it be wise to join tournaments for fun? It only costs like $50 when playing cash game is like $200 lol. How would one get prepared for tournaments?
Thanks !
Its been 5 years since I played poker, the first time I played I bought in at a 1/2 no limit table for $100, first hand some big chip leader called me all in, he had pocket 10s, and I had pocket aces preflop, I called and lost and never played again until today.
Today after 5 hours of 1/2 no Limit sitting at the same spot, I played probably 5% of the hands, My 2 biggest wins were from the same old man who called my all in at turn with nothing =/ So I guess I got pretty lucky. I bought in with $200, max buy in is $300, My highest chips at 1 point was $420. When I lost another $30 in 1 game, I started playing suited mid tier connectors, Ace 6 off suit, etc.. when I usually wait for pocket pairs, AK AQ or AJ. and everytime the flop the came, if i don't hit anything, I would just fold if someone bets. I was only able to bluff 1 game when I had pocket 4s and the board was JJ9. I'm pretty sure everyone knew I was new to this game since I was shaking when betting, forgetting blinds, always folding etc.
At the end of the day I still won $50 after 5 hours. I just want some tips on how I can play this game a little faster and not wait around for a decent hand to play all day?
Also, would it be wise to join tournaments for fun? It only costs like $50 when playing cash game is like $200 lol. How would one get prepared for tournaments?
Thanks !
Comments
M-zones and INdividual Chip Model are two things I would think any player will want to evenly roughly understand...good start.
With that said, cash games have their own advantages such as not fighting escalating blinds and being able to walk away at anytime for a profit, or reload, so what is that you enjoy most? Your hand selection will open up as you learn to read the situations better and understand which opponents you should playing looser against. Tight is probably right for now, boring is it maybe, find opponents that are also and just get a little crazy here and there to bring your comfort level up.
And I promise, I'm not THAT old man..;)
I advice you to read a couple of books, for cash games Harrington's book is really good ( i haven't read it, but the reviews are great, and because its mainly for cash games)
Also there are a lot of great threads about strategy here on the forum so just roam around and read whatever you can put your hand on...
Cheers
Welcome!
Lesson # 1: Don't sweat hands like the above. Pocket aces will lose 1 out of every 5 times, all you need to do is win enough on the other 4 times to cover the one that you don't.
1/2 NL is on the expensive side if you are just starting out!
If you try to play 1/2 "faster" then your variance will increase and you may not like that. Small buy in tournaments are a great way to enjoy the game without spending a ton of money. Depending on your location, try to find a .50/1 home game, or a home tournament that includes a cash game when a few people bust out. You can still lose as much money as you want, but the people are very helpful and friendly.
+1, I don't post much poker related stuff but i do read alot of the strategy's some of the more seasoned well rounded players/members post, it's a great source...
You'd prolly need a Poker glossary for all the acronyms used, I know i do...lol
Rake is insanely beatable at live 1/2
Came back from River Rock casino today and made $340 profit ! I pretty much just folded 95% of the hands and only played pocket pairs sometimes not even AKo when someone bets like $15 in 1/2 NL.
I ended up lucky again, it was a 3 bet and I called all in pre-flop with 9s and i hit quads on the flop lol. The other 2 ppl had AK and KK, and paid me off.
It seems like 1/2 NL is such a waiting game, because chances are people hit top pair and stuff, and it's real hard to bluff them off, so you gotta only go in with premium hands =/
Any books that teaches you how to be better at this 1/2 NL, I would love to move on to the next level
No No No, please don't fold AK to a single raise.. AK is the 3rd best hand in poker.. you get AA 1/220 times and by then people know you are very tight and all you get are 3$ worth of blinds.. Also as shown you will get very bored folding and folding AK and AQ etc.. that you will end up going all in with 99s and hope to suckout.. fortunately you were lucky and sucked out in a 20% situation.. read Harrington's book on cash games, it will help you tremendously
Wouldn't QQ be the third best hand pre-flop?
oops i meant 4th X_X pretty close
Lately I started playing online microstakes usually 0.1/.25 . Was up 30 bucks due to lucky all ins. Now back down to even which is $45. Online seems Alot harder than live. Seems like players always has something good when they call. Difficult making profits online for me right now.
Also what should my strategy be when 4 players are tight aggressive and 4 are tight passive and one is loose aggressive who plays 8/10 hands and value bets everytime on the flop? In live.
As a tight passive, which means you don't bet, you usually call... This way you can check of your huge hands to balance and let them bet into you, or do some check raises on wet flops with flush/straight draws etc... I prefer tight aggressive, you can take pots easily even if you don't hit with your good hand because you have the tight image..also you can get value when you hit..
I think online is very different, You need a very disciplined and have a very good understanding of variance and bankroll mangment (which i'm no expert in)..Also range of hands are different live and online..
It is good that you can recognize and pay attention to how each player is playing.. It depends on the position,is the loose aggressive on your right? then tighten up and try to get with him in pots where you have a good starting hand..For tight passives try to get with them with suited connectors and hit your flush/straight and stack their KK or whatever.. Also if you didn't hit then bet into him, passive players usually fold if they don't hit their hand and if you feel resistance then they have it..
At the end of the day, poker doesn't have rules you can play any two cards the way you think is best and it could work.. The above was my opinion and not facts.
Hope it helps
I like to do this
The table was full of china mainlander regs ( yes i live in a town where 80% asian) The dealer had to keep telling them to speak English only. It was hilarious.
Anyways, back to the point, I cashed in $200 in 1/2 no limit. Within first 10 hands, I won 2 $80ish dollar pots with Flush beating the guys straight. Then I started getting crap cards, always 9-2o, K-3o, A-5o etc. Then I started to play super tight. I started only playing 5% of the hands to the point where everyone on the table knew if i betted, i would have a decent hand.
I was holding at + $150 for the longest time. Then, this lady pays me off on my Flush at the end beating her 2 pair.
Anyways, since I'm intoxicated atm, I only rmb 1 hand where I woulda need help on. This table consisted of 4/10 tight aggressive players, 5 loose aggressive players, and me myself prob the only tightest passive.
I had 4c-4d . I was trying to test out my tight image, and once (6) players betted $2 and I was in position. I raised it to $20. Then this loose aggressive dad calls me, he was short stack $80 left, like a while ago he was $300, and I'm at $340 steadily
Flop comes:
Jc8c5d He bets $20, I called.
Turn comes:
6c
Then he bets $20, and i folded.
Second hand:
For the past 5 rounds, the pre-flop bet didnt exceed $2, then this guy short stackish ( $80 ) tight aggressive dad(differnet one) raises to $20, I was holding AKo, should i have just put him all in or what? cuz i folded.
Did i pussy out or did i do the right thing?
At the end, when I started putting my chips away, this lady mourned: "this guys super tight"
I was like lol and peaced it +200
Happy chinese new years from BC
I would like you to put ranges on people.. for example in the pot with 44s.. the guy limped and then call 20, then lead 20.. so first he limps (not premium) then he calls 20.. he probably has a small pocket pair or some medium strength hand.. then he leads 20 on a Jc8c5d.. he leads which is rarely done by set of 88s or 55s, he can't have JJs because he didn't raise pre.. he leads 20$ into around 50 which i find weak so he could have something like a QT with a gutshot and over card or maybe a weak J like J9 etc(me personally i'd raise to 55 in this spot).. Its like a puzzle and you need to find your way to what he has and narrow down your ranges on every street as you are getting more information..
For the Ak, I'd like an all in..if you put him a range or AJo+ and 99+ you are a 52.3% favorite.
Congrats on your winning session and don't be annoyed about what people say about you style.. They are whining because its working
Update:
Lost $300 2 nights ago.
Hand 1:
Was facing villain to my left, hes a regular player 25 + asian guy, TAG I believe.
I don't remember the exact details but, I had AhKc , i raised to $12, 4 ppl called including villian.
Flop comes:
Ad Jc 10d
I bet $25, villain re-raises me to $65, the other 2 limpers folded. I tanked and called.
Turn:
9d
Villain bets $65
I folded. Should I have manned up here and just went all in when my stack was only $100 left? I cashed in $200 to start. I was scared he hit flush. Sigh.
Hand 2:
Hero has pocket 6s, facing the 45 yr old TAG guy to the right with only 5 players left on the table,
Hero only has around $100 left.
Villain bets $15 pre-flop. Everyone folds except me and I called.
Flop comes:
345 rainbow.
Villain bets:
$25, Hero calls.
Turn:
Jd
Villain bets $35, Hero folds.
Good thing tonight, I won it all back using my tightest strategy. Got paid off when I had kings and aces and ppl went all in with 9s.
Can anyone explain , how you bet to "see" where people are at? When should I bet to see where someones range is. I've been putting ranges on people, but I think it's gotta get some time to used to.
Also, I cashed $100 on pokerstars. Played 0.5/1NL, and got my bankroll crushed when I had kings and 3 betted and the guy put me all in and he had aces and crushed me. Now I'm scared to play online, and I don't pay attention if I play lower stakes, I just don't think I'm earning enough money to be worth my time. Most likely because I don't multi-table like everyone. I just like to play 1 table and focus on that one. I wonder if I should deposit some more for online play. So far I'm down $200 in online play right now. =(
I was up to $170 at 1 point with the $100 but kings vs aces... starting to think its rigged...
Your instinct to not stack off with one pair was correct. If you go all in there, what hands that you are ahead of would call? would any better hands fold?
Without any info other than "asian TAG", i don't think folding was wrong. Look at the hands in his range - that raise means AJ, A10, JJ, 1010, or a bluff. Maybe KQ but he probably just calls with the nuts. Maybe KK which you can add to the bluff category. Maybe AQ/AK and going crazy, but thats a very small part of his range.
With more information (hands you have seen him play), you can adjust your range. (I tend to snap off asians if I have seen them making moves on previous hands.)
Fold and move on - and NEVER show your AK. Muck and say you had 88 or something.
Your stack was too small to call down one card at a time. Shove that flop over his bet, that gives you two ways to win. With more chips in front of you, calling the 25 and even the 35 wouldn't be bad at all.
There ya go! Last time it was you with the 9's. That's progress.
Every bet will gain you information. Don't look at it as "should I bet here to gain information?", look at it as "I made a bet here because ______, and my opponent __________, which means he doesn't have _____ or ____, and is more likely to have ____." What you are looking for is a list of hands he might have that keeps getting smaller and smaller as more information flows in. Your opponents reaction to every action will provide a small piece of that information. Some bets will provide more information than others. Some bets will be designed to fool you, but in the long run bets mostly mean what they mean. Practice this at every step of every hand and just focus on what he *doesn't* have.
The guys playing at 0.50/1.00 NL online are not dicking around. Online poker is tougher than live poker, it is faster and full of better opponents who will take your money if you hesitate for a second. I do very well in live games but I am losing or break-even at best playing .10-.25 online. I could only dream of beating 0.50/1.00.
Just consider the possibility of losing 40 consecutive buyins (your KK vs AA is a great example... that happens) and decide on the proper stake from there. Once you do, look at the game as # of big blinds, not dollars.
Nothing wrong with playing one table, its a better way to improve your game.
it IS rigged!
http://fuckpokerstars.com/flvplayer.swf?autostart=false&file=PokerStars_bad_beat.flv
Couple days ago, Won $315 from Edgewater for 4 hr session in 1/2 NL. Got seated left of a 40 yr asian loose ass mutha daddy fker. This guy would just bet pre-flop always $min 7 ( rarely ) max of 30. Usually its 15-20 pre-flop. He transferred his chips from another table right when I got there, and he made 3 trips to get his chips worth of $800
My stack started with $200 as usual, pretty much leaked down to $130 because i kept calling wit marginal hands, suited connectors, low pair then all overboard happens and dont make sets. and flop is expensive due to aggro ass villain.
Then eventually, Some nammer to my left raised to $30 on the button everyone folded cept me and i called, I called wit QQ flop comes A Q 10 . He pretty much bet 80/100 of his remaining stack and i put him all in.
Turn 10, River 2.
nammer shows AK, QQ full house wins. doubled up, ta very much.
Then I wasn't really tilty anymore, and was up $60.
Then pretty much the whole day went daddy villain calling wit loose ass hands and I beat him wit sets , put him to value town wit pairs etc.
But dude this hand I rmb i screwed up so hard, I'm still kinda kicking myself in the balls.
I had Q10cc
villain raises 15, i call and limper called.
Board comes:
9d Js 5h
Villain in EP bets $25
I folded, 1 one of them won wit a shitty pair. I coulda won so much money, I didn't know why I was pussying out there at all, I had 2 open enders and i guess pair q 10 pair for improved hand?... sigh.
Final Board was 9d Js 5h 8c 3s
So can someone tell me how you know when your medium strength or lower pair is decent enough? What would be the right amount % of pot wise for you to call in order to find out? You might suffer 3 turns of firing and lose alot of money if theres higher pair or better, considering both good and bad kickers. There were couple hands when villain and others go all da way down wit betting, but they only have low pair etc. =/
My image at the table is so freaking nitty. Everytime I rasied loose villain, he would just fold because he knew I had him beat wit something. Then some other old dude told me he put me on AQ or AJ when i pre flop raised, $15 and flop came A 3 3 . and he folded. When I had 55. Not sure good or bad?
But all in all it was a fun session, getting to sit beside a $800 stack to start guy, we were pretty much the only ones who lasted 4 hours while everyone else on table left or got stepped on by me or him.
Update 2:
Just finished my first ever-tournament, lasted 2 hours. $25 + $5 4000 chips. 20 min blinds. Daily touney at casino.
Any tips for this? I feel like its more of a coin flip game unless you can really out play early, i suppose? Its so easy to move all in that theres not much room for raising cuz ppl just all in you. Its just so different from cash games.
The hand that knocked me out:
I was MP, have 3200 left, blinds were 300/600.
Everyone folded, I all in'd.
BB tanks wit 7000 chips and calls me.
Everyone else folds.
He showed QQ, I had 33.
Board: Got Raped.
I was out... maybe next time its not so good idea to call all in wit low pocket pairs in MP when blinds arent even getting you yet. I'm pretty sure I'm overvaluing low pocket pairs in cash & tournie. Other thing that really made me do it was because I did it wit AK 3 hands ago and showed afterwards when everyone folded, so i got some bravery boost there=( Pay out was $600 for 1st place ) Coulda used that gambling money man. Dammit. Tournie: 70%+ luck IMO
All is well because I'm considering getting coaching. >:D
Getting coaching, not coaching others. lol . I wish I was good enough to coach others in my current state.
"I had 2 open enders" You had one 'open ender'.
You have to count your outs and equity. You have an open ended straight draw and might possibly win with another Q. You have a 32% chance of making the straight (or 1 in 3). There was $45-48 in the pot after the first round and now the villain bets another $25. If you and the limper call, that would mean you'd be spending $25 to win a pot of $115. This means you are getting better than 4 - 1 odds on your money and you are 3 - 1 for making the straight. So it is an obvious call. Combining that with your villain's betting history and the excellent implied odds of making more on the turn and river makes calling a great idea.
" I'm pretty sure I'm overvaluing low pocket pairs in cash & tournie. " Certainly you are. These are great for set mining and not much else. If you are under 6 bb in a tournament and in middle to late position then they are ok for a shove. But any two over cards make it a race and you are dominated by any higher pair.
I would suggest reading a few books like Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book and Little Green Book. Harrington on tournament poker is good. Other excellent books have been mentioned in the forum. Andrew is really good at Thinking Poker and posts hands and readers respond with their lines. It is interesting that, depending on your "read", there may be a couple of valid lines to take.
Bad day, lost $200, it was a tight table most people were $100ish stack while I was $200+ . I played loose agressive, and was winning maybe only $50 after winning many small pots only wit blinds, since I would always take initiative and bet $10-20 on the flop, but for this hand:
KJ vs set of 5s on a Q 9 5 8 J board, and lost like half my chip stack cuz i tried to blow him away on the turn wit a $75 bet when flop bet was only $20.
Then I went on tilt I think and i raised with AQo to 12 and tight winning daddy villain 3 bets me to 25 and I all in'd, turns out he has KK and flop hit a queen of mine but lost remaining $100 stack.
I lost my cool, I showed my cards couple times, i showed both bluffs and nonbluffs. I think my ego got me when I kept winning small pots with c-bets, then I thought it was gonna be my night, but overestimated them when they do hit their hands.
I guess I'll have to go my old strat to just play tight, but this session at least allowed me to play loose agressive for once. Its pretty fun to play like that when you're center of attention.
Lesson of the day: dont bluff when shown resistance with a $20 call on the flop from a 40 yr old guy. Also dont go all in wit AQo when 3 betted on.