Online Poker

[BillyVance 34]

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Thanks for all the tips so far.

I have played some this morning and was pretty out of luck. I played a few sit and go's and I was just sol. Every time I had good pocket cards, the flop was crap.

What I found out though:
I don't like the turbo tables since I play just very good hands and the blinds start eating me up when I have a bad streak (and I had quite a few).

That happens. Even to me today. I got in a $10 turbo game, played well early, went cold later while I was on the bubble (4 left in a top 3 payout). That particular game had aggressive players raising on at least 2 out of every 3 hands, especially on most of my big blind hands right when I had shit cards. I eventually lost.

Then I got in a $5 one table game (not turbo, blinds go up every 10 minutes). I took a chance as chip leader early and got beat, bad... Spent the middle part of the game playing very tight and hanging in there, taking what I can get. Eventually got to the final 4 severely short stacked ($400 left) against two big stacks and one just a bit more than me. Everybody played tight for a long while, probably 20-25 minutes before I finally started hitting my cards. Eventually knocked out the 4th place finisher, and a few aggressive hands later was back in 1st.

Wasn't long before one guy was short stacked and the other had as much as I did. I got K A suited, raised 5X the blind. The other big stack pushed all-in. Then the short stack went all in too. Fuck... At that point I figured what the fuck I'm in the money anyway so I call. Other big stack had A 9 and short stack had A 4. He flopped the 4 to take the main pot and I eliminated the other big stack. That heads up was very tight for 20 minutes until I got KK pockets against his A9 and I beat him. $22.50 for 1st.
So that said, you can play the non-turbo games since you have more chances to hit your cards, but you still have to read the other players' styles. It doesn't fully help you figure if they're bluffing because you can't see their tells in person, but it's all I can do.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Hausse 0]

Okey here a few questions that came up this morning: What are MTT?

On pocket cards:

This is what I played so far:
88 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA
10J JQ QK KA

Now should I be playing any of these:
pairs lower than 88
AT
KT
A9 and lower?
56 off suit
56 suited
other low connectors?

Should I call if I'm in small blind if I have something more than just pure crap like 22? Edit: If it's still just the big blind.

[BillyVance 34]

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Okey here a few questions that came up this morning: What are MTT?

On pocket cards:

This is what I played so far:
88 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA
10J JQ QK KA

Now should I be playing any of these:
pairs lower than 88
AT
KT
A9 and lower?
56 off suit
56 suited
other low connectors?

Should I call if I'm in small blind if I have something more than just pure crap like 22?

The smaller cards can be played if the blinds are small and nobody raises, or you're the big blind and nobody raises. Sometimes you get a big blind special, flopping a 2-6 straight or 33555 full house. You never know. Most of the time I fold those. If I had a dollar for every hand I could have won when I folded shit cards, I'd be happy.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Hausse 0]

Okey that's what I did so far. What about all the other stuff?

[BillyVance 34]

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Okey that's what I did so far. What about all the other stuff?

Hard to say. I see people play with A10 and K9 and hit nothing so the high card comes in play. I've also played pocket 2s and all the cards on the board were bigger, including some face cards and I won because the other player didn't hit anything despite having a draw and didn't raise at all, or I would have folded.

Sometimes when you play a hand and the other guy checks before the turn and again before the river, chances are you might be able to push him out of the pot by raising a significant portion of it, even if you got nothing. If the player's a tight one, more than likely he'll fold. I've gotten bit before when I did so it's hard to say.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Hausse 0]

Hm I might have to clarify: The question was what should I statistically play if I want to be conservative.

[Thanatos340 1]

There are no 100% correct answers for those questions.

There is a Right time and a WRONG time to play each of those hands. (Yes, even a WRONG time to play AA although it is extremely rare. I have folded AA preflop in a Live tournament intentionally andwas 100% certian it was the right move)

The first thing your should always consider is Position.
Suited Aces are great from late position depending on the Table but I personally hate playing them from early position.

Same with Suited Connectors.

In tournament Play at an Aggressive table, I will not play any hand that I am not comfortable raising with from any position other than the Button (Or cutoff if the Button is a passive or weak player). I am not saying to actually raise every time, But don’t play a hand that you would not be comfortable raising with.

[BillyVance 34]

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Hm I might have to clarify: The question was what should I statistically play if I want to be conservative.

Big cards and pocket pairs pretty much. But also take into consideration the stack size of the other players in the hand. If you've got a bigger stack than them and a good pocket, chances are you may be able to control that hand especially if they check after the flop. Be careful with severely short stacked players. If you raise against them when you're putting up as much as 40% of your stack, better to have a good hand as they'll likely just go all in (like a "fuck it"). If you have $5000 and the other guy has $300 or $500, and he goes all in against your 5 10 or 6 7, call. Chances are they've got ace high and you can hit one of your cards and knock them out. And you won't hurt much if they take it down.

That said, I really don't like coin flip plays (preflop all-ins), but I would rather have the other player well-covered in that situation. Say, a 3-1 chip advantage at least.

Edited to add: J's right. There is a right time to play and a wrong time to play. You never know. I was at a tight table last year on the bubble with one guy severely short stacked while I was 2nd and had him outchipped 3-1. I got pocket 9's, and figured I'll just raise the amount of his stack and he'll fold. I was wrong. He called with pocket Aces and won. I've also had the exact same hands and flopped a 9 to beat pocket Aces.

I've even seen one game where pocket aces LOST all 5 times it was played, all-in preflop, got beat by trips, raise and get beat by straight, etc... You just never know. Any hand can win. Just depends on how you play them.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Hausse 0]

Okey I think I start to see how complicated the whole thing really is so I'll see if I can find a book about it to get some more insights.

[Thanatos340 1]

I like Unsuited cards better than Suited Cards.. Cause then you get TWO Flush draws!!

[BillyVance 34]

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I like Unsuited cards better than Suited Cards.. Cause then you get TWO Flush draws!!

Yep. Just depends on who's in the hand and how they're playing it. I've gone all-in with A K club/diamond against A K suited (spades), and WON it with 4 diamond cards on the board. Man was the other guy pissed.

I've also had hands where I had two straight draws and a flush draw where I had a good chance of hitting one of them on the river. I'll play them, and call small raises depending on how big my stack is and hope to hit. I try to stay away from chasing draws where the other player is raising good chunks of chips on each stage and I'm out-chipped. Once in a while I get a hunch and hit one. Most of the time I lose them.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[packerboy 3]

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Okey here a few questions that came up this morning: What are MTT?

On pocket cards:

This is what I played so far:
88 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA
10J JQ QK KA

Now should I be playing any of these:
pairs lower than 88

I try to get in cheap and fold if you do not hit the flop.. I would fold in early position unless the rest of the table is playing extremely tight. Once you get better, the potential for using these hands as a "semi bluff" is there when you recognize weak play

AT

be carefull with this hand, you can flop something that looks really good but really isn't compared to someone elses AJ or better, read above.. this hand has "semi bluff" potential.

KT
junk.. fold it unless you're sure you can make your opponents think you have something that you really don't

A9 and lower?
This one is a tough one.. I like to play them in late position only because if you have been previously paying attention to peoples betting style, it should be obvious if there is an A on the board and they don't have one.. if you hold on to this one (only do it in last position or on the button and you manage to spike an A and every one folds, put out a "feeler bet" but it has to be big enough with regards to the pot that people don't think you are trying to steal because you are in last position or feel that they are getting odds to see another card that might make their hand better. You really have to play poker with this hand. If you don't have a good read on your opponents, you should fold it.

56 off suit

junk, fold it unless you can check... only time to play these is when you are in small blind and everyone on the table has called, you have lots of chips.. you only have to put a small blind in for the potential of winning 9 more big blinds if you hit a miracle flop. In this case if you do not hit at LEAST two pair or an open ended straight draw.. fold immediately. Follow the draw ONLY if it comes REALLY cheap!

56 suited

same as above, but add flush potential to your drawing hand. These hands will typically work for you a lot better in the latter stages of a tournament when blinds are big and people are timid. ie. you are going to end up having to use a stone cold bluff to win most pots with this hand. The good thing about these hands is that if you do hit a straight or a flush it may go unrecognized and could potentially lead to monster pots or taking someone out. Get in cheap and get out quick if you don't hit flop. Definately don't pay more than 2 blinds to see the flop. Even then, only play a raise if you are smelling a bluff or a weak hand from a loose player.

other low connectors?

eeessshhh.. some will do it, but you have to have serious skills to make these hands work for you statistically. You are almost always beat out of the gates.

Should I call if I'm in small blind if I have something more than just pure crap like 22?

If it is cheap, than yeah sure, but make sure you don't get blindsided if you make a draw on the flop.. even if you hit a straight, chances are that if you got in cheap than so did someone else who now made a larger straight.

MTT's are multi-table tournaments. IMO, they are somewhat difficult to immediately start winning money with, but with your $50 if you start playing $1 tournaments and you are serious about learning how to play and stay calm and don't get upset about taking beats you will end up with a larger than $50 payday before it runs out.

There are plenty of good strategy articles about playing larger tournaments online, I suggest checking a couple out. But here is the jist..

At the beginning of a tournament do not EVER go all in pre-flop.. even with AA! The risk is not worth a petty amount of chips you will receive in return. Those couple of hundred in chips don't mean squat when the blinds are $2K and $4K so why risk your tournament life for them? Play tight. Limit your starting hands to AA KK QQ and AKs. Play others in the blinds, or if there is a big pot pre-flop and it is cheap to get in.

Once you get closer to the money, people will tend to tighten up ALOT because they think they can coast to a payday. This is when you want to start really building your chipstack. Loosen and and try to play a flew bluffs even to steal blinds. Don't play every hand though. Just every once in a while try and steal someones raise if you have a decent hand. Don't just call a raise at this point.. if you have a good enough hand and someone has raised you... re-raise, but be very weary if they again go over the top.. they have a monster.

After the "bubble" breaks and you are into the money... watch out for the lower chip stacks.. they have won their money back and now feel the need to luck out with their medium hands to give themselves the chance to make some real money. You should tighten back up again at this point.

Nearing the final table.... this is where it gets tough. You need to play the opposite style of poker as the rest of your table. If they are playing loose.. then tighten up. If they are playing tight... push them around. If you get to this point, usually you will be playing alot on "feel". You have now made your money back and all it takes is a little practice to get that "feel" before you start making some real cash.

All this is just my opinion. I am not a pro poker player by any means, but when it comes to playing poker online I am not a losing player. I very rarely put money in and I sometimes (not as often as I like) cash out hundreds and even over a thousand dollars. I never pay more than $20 for a tournament. I have won a few tournaments with over 1000 people in them, but I have also lost a few in the first few hands (mostly because my emotions got the best of me and I went all in pre-flop with AA). I am first place in my poker league.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm not great... but I don't suck. GL.

What site do you play and what is your handle? I may see you sometime..

limestonepokertour.com I'm #298

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[BillyVance 34]

Packerboy's strategy says it best. I agree with all of them. I have played the big tourneys and seen exactly the style of play preceding and following "in the money".

I do find it very difficult to not go all in with AA pre-flop in the first few hands. If it's one of those freeroll FPP tourneys or 10 cent, 25 cent tourneys, I'll do it. If it's a bigger buy in then yeah I would rather play tight first, but it's HARD not to play those monster pockets.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Hausse 0]

Hey thanks for the great instructions. I'll definitely try it next time I play.

I play on pokerstars and my screen name is Ste_go_88

It would be really cool playing people from DZ.com. Isn't there usually a privat DZ tourney once a while?

[packerboy 3]

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I do find it very difficult to not go all in with AA pre-flop in the first few hands. If it's one of those freeroll FPP tourneys or 10 cent, 25 cent tourneys, I'll do it. If it's a bigger buy in then yeah I would rather play tight first, but it's HARD not to play those monster pockets.

Man... so do I, but you've got to bite your tongue and think risk versus reward. The most you are going to win is a couple of thousand chips right? If you slowly build your stack with medium sized pots untill first break you should have much more than that. Your tournament life is on the line when you go all in.. how many times have you seen AA beat by junk at the beginning of the tournament? It could mean the difference between coming in 876th place and winning the tournament.

Look at it this way also... most of the players who play crazy aggressive at the beginning of the tournament and win all these chips with bad beats and sometimes good hands are typically weak players. Not all, but most. I have seen some really good players take off at the start and know when to fold, but you have to be really good. But these players that gain massive chip stacks at the beginning are the ones who have monster chip stacks midway through the tournament and are the players that you double up through when it really counts... putting them out on the bubble, or early in the money and giving you the chipstack at the right time to take it all. Let them keep your chips warm for you. The most important thing to learn in this game if you are going to win is patience. I think.. anyways.

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[BillyVance 34]

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Hey thanks for the great instructions. I'll definitely try it next time I play.

I play on pokerstars and my screen name is Ste_go_88

It would be really cool playing people from DZ.com. Isn't there usually a privat DZ tourney once a while?

Yep, every Thursday night we have the Skydive Radio games, the main game at 8 PM and a late game at 9:30 PM (both Central Time). Announcements are posted Thursday mornings here in the Bonfire. Buy ins are $5 each.

My handle is bvaskydive.

I think I'm close to earning enough FPPs where I can set up my own private game so if there are anybody out there that would like a private game at a different day and time of the week than Thursday, then I'll try and set one up when I earn the right to.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[bigway 4]

I play PKR.com

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[Hausse 0]

Hey sounds great I'm gonna be in.

[Hausse 0]

Okey I'm getting kind of pissed. Either I'm doing something seriously wrong or I'm just SOL (and I doubt that since I have been playing a bunch). I nearly lost $20 by now and I have never been playing any table bigger than $3. I have been betting exactly like you said but I just don't seem to make it. I usually fall out after about 50% of the people are gone. Don't know why. Either the blinds are just eating up my stack, or I get taken out with an awesome hand by somebody having crap.

[AirWhore 0]

Don't play single tables People share hands!!!!!!!

[Hausse 0]

I have been playing everything from 264 to single table so I don't think that was the problem.

[packerboy 3]

If you are playing single table tournaments, the trick is to play opposite the table style... if they are playing tight, play loose, if they are playing loose, play tight.

You will lose 4-10 times... but do the math. 6-10 in the money puts you up.

If you start with $50 and you play $5 buy in single table tournaments... If you play really tight, you should be in the money for half of them. This being said, you may lose $50 before you win $60.....

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[Hausse 0]

So I suppose I'll just keep on trying.

[Darktreader 0]

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Hey thanks for the great instructions. I'll definitely try it next time I play.

I play on pokerstars and my screen name is Ste_go_88

It would be really cool playing people from DZ.com. Isn't there usually a privat DZ tourney once a while?

Yep, every Thursday night we have the Skydive Radio games, the main game at 8 PM and a late game at 9:30 PM (both Central Time). Announcements are posted Thursday mornings here in the Bonfire. Buy ins are $5 each.

My handle is bvaskydive.

I think I'm close to earning enough FPPs where I can set up my own private game so if there are anybody out there that would like a private game at a different day and time of the week than Thursday, then I'll try and set one up when I earn the right to.

thurs is hard for me to play, I run a no limit tounament on mon and thurs as a second job, tue wed would be great billy count me in.

"Before we waste time talking and getting to know each other, let's just have sex once and see if we're compatible"

[BillyVance 34]

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So I suppose I'll just keep on trying.

I have good days and I have bad days. Yesterday was a bad day. I dropped $50. I got beat by suck-outs more than anything else. I did salvage the day with a 2nd place payout when I was getting monster hands often early and getting the other players to bite and had a monster chip advantage for a long time. That is, until heads up. That was a 30 minute long battle itself. I went from 8000 chips down to 1000, up to 7000, down to 2000, up and down, until I went all in with ace 10 versus ace 8 and lost when he hit the 8. The last 5 minutes I had been going all in with an ace or king in my hand just to get the game over with.

I've had days where I gained $100 and days where I lost nearly as much. I've won 4 games in a row and I've lost 5 or 6 in a row (no payouts). If you lose something like two games in a row and start getting pissed or frustrated, stop and take a break. Wait until the next day or something.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban