Trouble Winning Big Pots online. Looking for Ideas

I have recently taken it upon myself to develop my online game. I'm mainly a live cash game player. So I have been focusing on online cash games. I had about $50 sent to me from a friend and I have been trying to build that up without depositing. I'm playing the 2/5cent tables. Looking at this as learning time instead of just jumping into higher stakes which I would enjoy more. My problem is that I find myself losing more big pots than I'm winning. I can grind it out, and make a play here or there and do well winning small pots. But I don't win enough of them to make up for what I lose in the big ones. Any ideas on how to win larger pots more often?

It seems anytime I play a big pot I have second best. set to set. or big pocket pair to bigger pocket pair. I realize that I am looking at a small sample size <5000 hands. But I can already see that I just am not winning enough big pots. Its a hole.

I have tried loosening up against raises and trying to hit. I have tried raising every hand I play to try to build the pot. Its just a lot harder for me online to build a pot than it is live. I understand the game is tighter online. But I watch the higher stakes guys, and the good guys and they don't have a problem with it. Is it just the low stakes?

Any ideas or advice is appreciated.

You have to feel the other guys strength and laydown a pair like queens or jacks. Even if you have the over pair. On 2/5 cent table, its pretty easy to walk away up a winner. Just do not tilt and you will win. Higher games are the same way, but the more the money the more you will tilt.

Jus keep it tight mate. vaule bet the sh!t outta ur strong made hands (2/3 or pot bets) in the micro levels. This is a way to build up a big-ish pot.
The reason IMO why the higher stakes have higher pots is because there is alot of aggression and ppl will 3/4bet alot more with air to try push u off ur weaker holdings, usally leading up to much bigger pots. Ppl in micro games tend to jus call bets leaving the pots much smaller.

people seem to be very passive in the micro's. its tough to judge sometimes either your raise gets called by the whole table or you pick up the blinds. one thing i noticed if the do put money in the pot they seem to stay in the hand. if people show aggression be careful. people only seem to 3bet the nutz and min raise the turn with it too. IMO it might be better just trying not to lose big pots instead of trying to win them. people are just too passive to build big pots.

If you get raised be careful and do not push all hands. You have to be sure then to have the best possible hand!
Many times people just call at micro and do not raise if they just got something...

It sounds like you are running into a few coolers there. Getting a few of those in a row in a small sample size can really kill your winrate. Usually getting your money in with a set on a fairly dry board will usually do you pretty well. In your post, you said that you started loosening up to help get bigger pots. That my be the opposite of what you want to do. Down in the micro levels, tighter is almost always better. Tighten your preflop selection up a little more and you may get some better results. Another thing to remember, you can usually bet bigger and get called down more. If you are having trouble building some bigger pots, try betting a little bigger then you usually do preflop and the flop. For example, raise 4-5x preflop and 3/4 pot or more on the flop.

Trying posting up some of your stats and someone may help you fix some leaks in your game. You may want to post a few of your hands up in the HA section. Again, that will really help to fill some leaks in your game.

Eric, I'm a complete poker tracker noob. Which stats should I post?

Vpip, PFR%, Af are always a good start. Your WTSD and W$SD stats could help also. You could show some of your position stats so we can see how you are playing from each position. Those would give people a good idea of your general playing style and can help some from there. Post up some of your big losses, as well as some of your big wins, in the HA section.

All that should be a pretty good start for people to help you out a little bit. Like I said earlier, you may be doing great but could have just had some bad coolers early on. Getting some feedback will help you out either way though.

2/5 is all about playing the premium hands. Don't be overly complicated--you can't make a smart move against a dumb player. Also you might try hitting the card rack button in the top corner--it helps.

Thanks for the help so far. I just took everything under the details tab. Any feedback is helpful.

The biggest thing that I see in your stats is your pre flop raise % (PFR%). You usually don't want that big of a gap between that and your VPIP. Instead of limping in as much as you do, raise instead. That could definitely cause you to have trouble getting some of your pots bigger. Like I said earlier, so many people at these lower levels will call a good bit preflop. There more money that is in the pot the bigger the pots will be (your half and 3/4 pot size bets are more when there is more money in there to begin with). Just fixing that should/could make youa more winning player.

Don't be afraid to mix it up, like same suited middle cards or a 56 of spades.

Simple, if ur going to play a hand no matter what the two cards are raise, raise, raise and raise.

Putting up the stats from the Position tab might be a good idea. You're completing or cold calling the sb alot, curious to see your other positional stats.

+1 on Eric's comments on VPIP/PFR.

Thanks for the comments so far. The positional stats are now below also. I just want to respond, not to attack the advice but just to give you guys some of my reasoning. Again, I've been a regular 2/5nl cash guy for the past 2+ years. Online is completely different and I have been trying to open up my online game recently. These have been my theories so far online. I raise instead of limping when in position if i'm going to play it unless its a "bad hand", that is one that is weakened by most peoples calling ranges such as KQ-K10, QJ, Q10. If I feel that both of my cards will be live, I will raise, this means I have been mostly raising with suited connectors, pairs, and the occasional odd ball. I have had OK results, but this is a newer style for me online, probably only the last thousand hands or so. I also rarely 3 bet with big hands. I find at these stakes (.02/.05nl) the only hands that people 3 bet with are JJ and up. I think smooth calling a raise is more valuable than giving up my holdings. (this is obviously up for discussion) Below are my positional stats. Also, as far as the sb goes. I figure why not call 3 more cents to see a flop. That did stick out to me too, and when you see the positions thats an obvious weak spot in my game. I just don't like folding for 3 cents when in a multi way pot.



Thanks for the responses so far. Anything is appreciated.

Your VPIP is relatively flat from utg through btn. Your btn and CO (best possible positions on table) VPIP are very small, you'll want to increase the hands you play there by at least 50%. Download pokerstove (free) and look at what 25% and a 30% ranges look like and try playing those from CO and BTN respectively (or 20% and 25%). Conversely, you're playing a bigger range from the worst possible position at the table (sb).

Your PFR at all positions is very small relative to your VPIP. PFR does a couple of things for you - it provides initiative that you can use to bluff the board, it builds the pot so you can get more value for your winning hands, you can isolate to one other villain or at least a smaller crowd, and it scares people. There are situations where you def want to cold call, but your default should be raising. At 5nl, people will call with all kinds of goofy cards, this should be very profitable.

Also, stealing blinds pf is underrated, but you have to raise in order to steal.

"I find at these stakes (.02/.05nl) the only hands that people 3 bet with are JJ and up."

This is accurate, and may be too wide (i.e., QQ+,AK). However, if you're on btn and MP1 opens to 4xbb, what range will they call a 3bet with, and what range will they 4bet with? I'd expect (I don't play 5nl, so fwiw) they're calling 3bets w a range as wide as 55+, AJs+, AQo+, making 3betting a pretty big range of hands very profitable. I'd expect they're only 4betting KK+, AK so it's easy to fold to a 4bet. And the rest of the time I'm expecting them to fold and be able to take the pot immediately.

If you're the guy who wins a medium sized pot after 3betting JTs on the btn, you're going to get action on your bigger hands as well.

"I raise instead of limping when in position if i'm going to play it unless its a "bad hand", that is one that is weakened by most peoples calling ranges such as KQ-K10, QJ, Q10. "

You'll be surprised by calling ranges if you pay close attention.

You might consider playing some SnG single table tournys if available or maybe something like Bodog's Beginner Tournys. Especially if you are winning most of your marginal hands. Just try your best to stay out of the suckout type hands.