How to Keep from Losing Pre-Flop

Hey Guys, I'm currently on a bit of a downswing. I'm talking almost every time I flop 2 pair, someone lands a higher 2 pair on the river despite my frantic 10-20x BB raises. If I flop a fullhouse, someone will flop 4 of a kind on the river (actually flopped a AAAJJ and some DB with pocket 3s calls my $10 raise (2/5c tables) and the table says AAJ33 at the end...) so I'm reexamining what I'm doing wrong, how I am losing SO MUCH MONEY, and even who I am as a person.

I am playing SUPER tight now, almost too tight but my question is: Ive noticed I am losing a bit of money pre-flop from scenarios such as the following:
I am in any position on the table (it happens anywhere Im at) and I'll get dealt KJ or TT or something similar. So, I know an A will win, but you can't fold this hand immediately. So, everyone before me will limp in or fold and the decision will come to me, so I'll bet 3x-5x BB, since I'm learning to not limp in (even though I seem to be losing more money from this. Thank you DONKS!), and following me someone will raise me to like 10-15x BB. I usually will fold, but every once in a while I'll get tired of folding and will call with my KQh and Ac5s4d will come down and then I'll get raised like 40x BB, so I fold.

If I call Ive then lost 15x BB, but even if I don't call, Ive still lost 3x-5x BB. I know its not a lot, but over the course of 300 hands... it adds up to overtaking my winnings (lately). Am I doing right by going in on these hands or should I just fold everything but AA (not literally, but you know what I mean). Any advice.

Play at 6 max. It is easyer to read the opponents. Ans play by the book. On the long run u will make profit. Nobody can give u a good advice for losing strikes just to play good poker.

Avoid calling 3bets without an extremely good reason - and if you can't think of one, don't - 4bet or fold.

First of all loosing to quads with a full house is just a cooler. There are going to be situations where no matter what you do, you are going to lose, that's just part of the game.

Sounds like you need some work with your game and also sounds like you are on a downswing as well.

Like Sly says, calling a three bet is usually an error, unless you have some sort of an idea that villain is three betting light. And in those situations, 4 betting is usually the correct play there.

Depending on position, hands like KJ, KQo, AJ, etc. can be folded preflop. Calling 3bets with them is throwing $$ away.

Sounds like you need to take a step back and review basic starting hands for positions. If you haven't already, do the pre-flop FTP poker academy challenge several times.

Micros are a ton looser than higher levels, which means it might be a good plan to play even tighter than norm. There is also a FTP Academy micro table lesson and challenge.

Make friends with the fold button. Look for a reason to fold, rather than a reason to stay in. Try to get into flops cheaply with drawing hands and PPs, and make plays when you hit, but get out if you don't.

Remember: position, player, power, premium cards.

I've gotten to where I pretty much fold everything except monsters. I think my game loosened up after going from $0-$50+ in about 6 weeks. I got extremely lucky in a few situations and starting opening up my range cause everything seemed to work. Was thinking of moving up limits again, before being humbled and losing about $25 of that $50 in about 4 days. The majority of the money was lost to dumb loses like the dude with pocket 3s calling my all in with AAJ on the table?? and a few other VERY unlucky hands, but still. I'm just trying to tweak my game a bit. I'm no pro, by no means but I'm a profitable player over time. Just trying to learn the basics better, you know?

I usually fold hands like I mentioned, but was just seeing how folks would play hands like JJ in that situation (I know that hand is a can worms in itself).

So some other questions:
1. Do you normally fold hands like A low card everytime? If so, what kicker would be minimum you'd play with A? Would it matter if it was suited? I find it hard to fold A8o even if everyone has limped in, but am I doing the right thing or am I throwing potential money away?

2. Another scenario: you get dealt AcJs. You 4 bet 3 people call. Flop: Ah6cJc. Everyone checks to you, you raise 5x BB. One folds, other 2 call. Turn: 9d. Everyone checks. You 15x BB, one folds, one calls. River: 2c. Check... Not looking to much at the cards I named (I just used random ones, I am meaning you have the nuts from the beginning, but he seems to have something) Do you bet big again? , Or because he has check/called everything rather quickly, do you feel he has trapped you and check?

I've been on a pretty substantial downswing recently as well... Like 5 buyins, then dropped to lower stakes and then 8 more buy-ins. My solution as things kept getting worse was to tighten up, then tighten up more, after that I played tighter. Except I stole the blinds suuuuper wide. After taking a long look at my game I realized (@ 6-max) I was playing WAY too tight every where except the button which I played ATC. Take a look at what you're raising with and where (and why). Take a break from the game for a week and relax things will get better if you play a reasonably solid game and practice good BRM.

+1 Best advice is already given

Read some basic stratgey stuff, look at some hand charts for the game you are playing. Is it full ring or 6max? Read some hand analysis. My guess is you were playing too wide got lucky and are playing outside your bankroll. $50 is not enough for 5nl Holdem.
Also AJ is not the nuts in the hand you mentioned at any point. And a 4 bet is not betting 4 big blinds it's the fourth beg to take place on the current round of betting.
You may have some other things to look at that will improve your game but don't get cocky, play a solid game and learn how to play well.

FTP poker academy challenge. Im interested. dont know it. I am looking for any kind of learning tools, could you expand on this pleez? Ill look at FT and probably find it, but dont know about FTP academy. And any other interactive playing helper tools would be of great interest 4 me.
TY

I went through my hand histories, after a year of ignoring them(LOL).... and found that calling 3bets and playing too many hands from the BB were HUGE leaks for me.


The problem with A8o is..well, u have no kicker, or at least a very weak one...and any other Ax with x>8 has u dominated.. I wouldn't play A8o unless it folded to me in the Button, and MAYBE Co, and thats only if the blinds are always folding to steals. Now if you had Ax suited and everyone limps before you, just go ahead and limp also, and hope to hit a flush, but if you dont hit ur flush or FD just ditch the hand.. top pair with NO kicker is not a strong hand.

As for the AJ...why would you be 4betting with it? u have a great read the 3better is bluffing? well if u get 3bet and there are 3 other people calling the 3bet..than ur AJ is beat. If I am UTG I open FOLD AJ, and some people fold AQ from utg. If someone raises the pot before you, and then another guy 3bets, you should fold AJ...if a guy bets and u 3bet and get 4bet and u have AJ...than u are beat most likely.

This is all situational tho.. not saying that you SHOULD or SHOULDN'T do or not do something the same way every time.

I think you also need to study up on what 3betting and 4betting are..because I think you have gotten a little mixed up on the true defenition. It's not betting 4x the BB.
I assume also you are talking about No Limit HE.

Yeah, Im' not down with all the official lingo yet. When I say 4 bet, I'm meaning: at a 1/2c table I bet 8c (4x BB). Again, I am in the process of getting to the basics. I think Ive been a good winner playing my style and have always just thought I was a decent player. I've never took myself as an awesome player. Just decent. I usually did well with friends and at live poker games/ online, but never looked into theory, just kinda went by experience... ex. I get burned by a certain hand so many times I learn to fold. Not knowing 'why' I play/don't play it, just know what has happened in the past, so I apply it to my game.

I think I've had a warped understanding of how valuable hands really are in situations. I know there's a LOT that goes into it. Just trying to learn it now. The annoying thing is, it seems the more I read, learn, and apply to my game the worse I get. It feel like i'm playing another guys poker strategy atm. I know its just me changing the way I play, but still.

Again, disregard the cards I used in the example, Im just meaning... say I land 2 pair off the flop: A9 and there's no flush or straight draw yet or pairs. Only thing, I see atm, that can win is trips so I bet trying not to just slow-play, check and let him land something, and he calls. Next card, same scenario, I bet bigger, he calls, than river: do I check or bet? I know the cards mean everything, but just trying to see if betting is a good idea? Normally when I check, he's had a pair of A's or something and I win, but just saying technically, is a check or fold the better option when you don't really see anything else that can win, but he acts like he's holding something or just chasing?

Is the attached micro guide a good one to learn from??

Attached Images

Micro Stakes Guide.pdf (83.4 KB, 5 views)

If you play 6-max Riely's guide is pretty good.

Also a good rule of thumb to live by is that you can bet 2 pair (or even TPTK) until they raise. Then you need to reevaluate. Going for 3 streets of value with 2 pair should be your default against most players.

10k post: micro stakes full ring guide [long]

Ring Game Hand Analysis: Required Reading

I found both of those to be very informative.

IMO, you need to look at your bankroll management. You were playing 2c/5c with a $50 bankroll and contemplating moving up limits. 2c/5c is 5NL correct? And on pokerstars max buyin is 200 BBs not 100, so really you only had 5 full buyins at 2c/5c or 10 max. Definitely doesn't sound like a good bankroll strategy.

Yeah I wasn't thinking too seriously about it. I'm at 1/2c ATM, but when you're doing nothing but win win win, BRM isn't in your mind until you learn the hard way to put it there... which I did.

Wow, thanks VFranks, that is A LOT of information but really good. Just what I was looking for!

Question: In some guides Ive been looking over they mention things like 30/20 type and 22/17 TAGs. What do the numbers mean??

The first number is VPIP - Voluntarily Put Money In the Pot - this is the percentage of hands that the player is playing (i.e., he had to call or raise pf for it to be part of VPIP).

The second number is PFR - Preflop Raise - this is the percentage of hands that the player is raising pf.

So, a 20/17 player is playing 20% of his hands and raises 17% of his hands pf. This is a typical TAG.

If you get Pokerstove (free download), you can plug in 20% and see what hands this correlates to:

66+, A4s+, A9o+,K8s+,KTo+,Q9s+,QTo+,J9s+,JTo,T9s+

So if you know a player has a VPIP of 20 from MP, this is the range of hands we expect him to be playing from that position.

A player who has a large gap between VPIP and PFR typically is not a good player - this usually means he's not aggressive enough pf and usually means that he doesn't understand hand values very well. Most of the time we should be raising pf rather than calling or limping - someone who calls or limps alot probably has leaks in his game.

In a standard situation with either TPTK or 2 pair, when "they" raise (on a relatively dry board but with maybe some str8 draw, etc.), switch to pot control mode then?

A lot of it depends on what limits you're playing at. Trying to apply high stakes poker strategy to 1c/2c NLHE is a bad idea. I'm not saying don't read the stuff, but have a little perspective. You're not going to bluff someone off a 10c pot, you know? (O.K., maybe once or twice, but don't get into the habit of it ;-})
As far as hand selection, WVHillbilly gave you good advice, as did everyone who said throw away that AJo, K10, etc. to a re-raise. They're called "trouble hands" for a good reason.
Take your time, learn about position, keep playing tight and VALUE BET like a mofo when you got it and you'll be fine. Don't feel bad about throwing away TPTK if there's a flush draw and 3 people betting at it. Next hand is just a few seconds away, right?

Depends on the opponent, against the really passive ones you can just fold a single pair, even to a min raise, because you're never good. They don't bet/raise draws and they'd much rather call with a pair. With 2 pair it's harder to just fold but you definitely should be thinking more about getting to SD without another bet going in.