credit for the draw... always

seems like online poker is a 40/60 game. that has nothing to do with betting, they are not the limits, that's your hand vs the guy to your right drawing. every hand right? every damn time you flop top pair there is a draw on the board. worse part is you are the one sweating now. "I'm a 60% favorite to win this hand but if he does hit, I'M GONE." he checks...

so in good poker strategy, you make a sizable raise making it financially retarded to call. he does anyway. turn card misses whatever straight/ flush he could have. now you are about 84/16 hot right? you bet accordingly. of coarse call.


river to come, turns over (place any card you can dream of here). he checks. you? press the check button. only because any bet just folds the hand so basically your turning over the winner and more importantly his draw to the table


congratulations you just played a perfect hand. your reward? getting to do that 2,563 more time this hour. but you only play cash games so pot odds affect you. playing this hand for a dollar 2,563 will net you 512.6$. go you right?

but i play sangs and where i win this hand 60% of the time, the implication that loosing this hand kicks me out, makes me play it allot differently. something like bet(small like 1/4 the pot), check, check. i might even fold to a raise on the flop.

now wait a second, how it is correct to play one way in a cash game, and different in a Sng.completely different stakes. could not be more different games. cash game is about finding chips. Sng preserving your position slowly raising it.


so in a cash game the odds are 3/2 and will always be that way. you put in three dollars over x amount of years you will get 5 back.

where as in a Sang it is 3/2/x(where x is the number of players till you make money). so basically unless I'm the bubble boy i want huge odds in my favor, big hands and the sort, i give them credit for it. it's not worth it to my stack to play a hand out that will only end up in disaster, basically making a down payment to his catch. someone else can do that it's not my job, my job is to hit two pair or better and declare war.


give em credit for it.... why gamble( even if it is favorable) with chips, that have NO monetary value and no pot odds quality, when i can wait not risk a thing and win later.



expecting lots and lots and lots of flame for this proceed please

I don't know why? This is a solid post, with a solid point. SNGs and cash games are two completely different animals. Now, I'm not big at quoting odds and stuff (I have a mental block from all the calculus and crap that fried my brain in school ), so don't expect that from me, but of course you're right.

SNGs and tournaments are all about garnering your position; picking your spots to strike, and building up your stack and trying to survive. The plus side being you only have a small amount of your bankroll at risk with the potential of a great ROI.

Cash games, you've got your bankroll (at least part of) sitting right in front of you, so you need to pay attention to different factors. In cash games you are trying to build and preserve your bankroll directly, so any calls you make here could potentially make or break your bankroll.

Good post.

Yes, good post, cash games are different depending on the level. Its amazing what you can see just by going up or down a level. Obviously the smaller limits lead to crazier calls and sicker beats in the longrun. At the higher limits you have people who know they are making an insane call but they know if it hits they already have you comitted for popping the pot textbook on every street.

Sometimes if you cant beat them-join them. If youve sat at a cash table for an hour or more with the same folks, you know when they pop preflop with a bet that they might have a big pair-make the crazy call with j10 or something suited and try and bust them back. Never a better lesson in poker is when someone lays a bad beat right back to you. Best advice i ever got was never worry about the money-play poker, gamble, and have fun.

GOOD LUCK AT THE TABLES