Well since my last post, I have lost some more money… 
I’ve been having a long think about why I am losing and what I can do to do put it right. That got me thinking to what I was doing before when I was winning that I am no longer doing and I think what has gone AWOL from my game recently is patience and discipline. I had been running good, getting good cards and also playing very well, avoiding marginal spots and getting maximum value from my good hands.
Recently I have been letting a bad beat or cooler early in the session get me down and make me play bad and spew off chips for the rest of the session. I have also been starting to play too fancy for the microlevels, perhaps because I knew I had to adjust my play when eventually moving up to $100 NL. But I have to keep my current play adapted to my current level.
I recently read some good advice about playing at $50NL or below – “It is very rare that a villain is making a move when he raises you or donk bets into you on the flop when you were the preflop raiser with AK and you just missed the flop. ” This I think is tue. Recently I have been reraising in these positions only to find the villain turn up with a strange 2 pair combination or middle pair vs my missed AK. This play is waaay too advanced vs the fish because they aren’t even thinking about what you might have – If they hit any part of that flop, then they are going to showdown with it, even if you try and represent a flush or overpair or whatever, they are just not going to fold it. So in my last 2 sessions, I have gone back to playing ABC TAG (practically nitty) poker and taking the fish to value town when I hit, knowing I am way ahead of their range. This seems to be paying dividends although it is frustrating having to play like that.
Here are a few hands:
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1830432
I just KNEW villain hadn’t hit this flop. I can’t believe he called my raise ….. Aghhhh !
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1830443
OMG I played this hand so badly Villain had been raising > 20% of his hands and he knew I was tilting when he reraised me here. Total spew by me
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1830452
I told you I was running bad – Set vs set – no way I can get away from that. This hand sums up my last month of play IMO….
It’s not all doom and gloom:
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1830467
I had been observing PushAnyTwo’s play and I put him on KK’s or Aces when he called Gametime’s raise on the flop. Gametime was a total fish so no way he had QQ, and since I had AA I was pretty sure I was ahead and that PushAnyTwo would feel pot committed and have to call my all-in.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1830501
It’s always nice flopping quads. I reckoned villain put me on TT+ / AK and so I thought by betting out on the flop he would never put me on JJ and if he had QQ, KK or AA he was going broke.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1830526
Once shorty 4-bet me preflop, there was no way I was folding.
Bankroll: $735 ( )
4 responses so far ↓
luckystraights // December 20, 2007 at 3:08 am |
I’ve gone through the same thing lately. I’ve been running terrible in the Sit-N-Go’s for too long now, and its really gotten me down, so I’m taken a couple of days of from them, and playing cash games instead.
I read a review on Sklansky’s Hold’em Theory and Practice book last night and a quote rings true for both of us, paraphrasing it basically said you can only play one level above your opponents level of thinking and not any higher.
In the cash games, I’ve really had to adjust as many situations come up where, it would be a great spot for my opponent to be making a move on me, and I’ve gotten lucky a few times, but as you say generally they aren’t they just want to bet what they have hit, and its that simple.
You’ll soon get back in to your rhythm and be back with the players in not time.
Good Skill, and best of the flop xxx
brooklyn bum // December 20, 2007 at 7:52 am |
You are absolutely correct that playing straight forward ABC poker at these levels is the way to go. Although I’d often limp in a lot more with marginal hands also because you will pay cheaply for your draws and you can straight out bluff them when a danger card comes out. These levels are pretty easy in that everyone else is basically playing straight up poker and the real tricky guys you just avoid as there are too many fish for you to take money from. Sure you’ll run bad not because you’re making bad moves but because the other players are just lucking out on you. Play your good hands good, always bet for value and play good old fashioned strong poker and you’ll be on your way back. From the looks of things you’re doing pretty good so just stick with it and ride out the variance.
PokerAnon // December 21, 2007 at 9:24 pm |
“I recently read some good advice about playing at $50NL or below – “It is very rare that a villain is making a move when he raises you or donk bets into you on the flop when you were the preflop raiser with AK and you just missed the flop. ” This I think is tue. Recently I have been reraising in these positions only to find the villain turn up with a strange 2 pair combination or middle pair vs my missed AK. This play is waaay too advanced vs the fish because they aren’t even thinking about what you might have – If they hit any part of that flop, then they are going to showdown with it, even if you try and represent a flush or overpair or whatever, they are just not going to fold it. ”
Similar experiences for me.
But, there are also those who watch too much high stakes poker on TV and think it’s all about making “big moves”. I hate to let those players push me around and probably call them down/push back too often.
I tend to find more of these kind of players in STT/MTTs than ring games, so I should try to back off until I get clearer reads. And adding to the problem is that I sometimes play against online friends who are better players and more than capable of making moves and expect the same from me and I fail to make the adjustment when I’m not playing them.
pokerblogs // December 22, 2007 at 3:24 am |
hi very nice