Advice on how to slow down, observe, and think

A

adonson

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Any psychological advice on how to slow down and think through big hands?

I am a TAG who has read and studied the main books, reads blogs all the time, and beats a regular cash game with mostly decent players. But I have a major leak: I realize that most of the time that I lose at showdown, I hadn't paid attention and done the analysis that would have led me to fold. Before I fold, I am pretty good about slowing down and thinking through implied odds, hand ranges, flop texture, opponents perception, etc. But when I get beat in a showdown after calling or firing some bullets, I realize often I was way behind and that given even a little analysis, I should have known that. It's sometimes really bad: I overlook that the board is paired or that there are straight or flush draws.

I keep telling myself: If you bet or call more than 7 bb, you have to slow down and think. But I just can't seem to do it.

Help!
 
micromachine

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Sounds like you need to nit up, stop overvaluing pair/2 pair hands and pay attention to the board and betting more.
 
vinylspiros

vinylspiros

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Do you know how to read the board? Its should come as the most natural thing in the world for you to know when your beat and when your not. If the board pairs your flush may not be good. When the board comes out 3 of the same suite your trips may no longer be good. Aslo your straight just got alot weaker. Can you tell the difference between a dry board and a wet board?
 
AugustWest

AugustWest

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A wet boards hits my opponents range hard vs a dry one which does not.
Is that correct ??
 
micromachine

micromachine

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A wet boards hits my opponents range hard vs a dry one which does not.
Is that correct ??

Kind of. A wet board is one with lots of straight and/or flush possibilities. Jh Th 9c would be considered a very wet board as there are lots of straight and flush possibilities and the cards are relatively high so more likely to connect with opponents hole cards. A dry board would be something like Kh 8s 3c
 
ScottieDuncan

ScottieDuncan

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TRUE. U gotta read the board.
 
dj11

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If online, change to 4 color decks, if live, at home, and you have any control, get 4 color cards. Else, superglue your your hands to your pants.:eek:
 
A

adonson

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Thanks for the advice. I get the wet/dry flop thing. This is really a psychological problem. I am paying too much attention to my cards and not thinking about the wet/dry flop and opponent's range. The problem is that paying attention is not coming "naturally". I play only live, so I haven't seen as many hands as the online players do. Are my brain-farts due just lack of experience? Or am I cognitively weak and should instead build model trains in my basement?
 
vinylspiros

vinylspiros

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A wet boards hits my opponents range hard vs a dry one which does not.
Is that correct ??

Its so much more coomplicated than that. I wouldnt know where to start really.

Just a few tips. Wet boards are boards that may have connected better with the majority of calling hands. (therefor players who may still be in the hand during the flop)

If the board is very wet .Meaning something like Jh,Th,9c, like micro suggested earlier, then is is highly unlikely that one bet will get every single villain off the hand.

Example: lets take a few hands : Ah,Qh,
9c,Tc,
7c,8,h,
QhQd,
Jx,Tx,
9x9x.
and awhole lot more , the list is endless, have all connected with the flop ( jh,Th,9c) and will 99% be willing to call huge raises and take it to the river.

These kind of boards are boards you should be very careful with because there are many cards that may turn your hand into the second best hand and these kind of flops are flops that have connected with the majority of players.


Dry flop are flop like 5x5xJx, or 2,6,K, rainbow. These are the type of flops that you can be less worried about people drawing out on you and the likelyhood that anyone has connected with these kind of flops is a lot less because there are only a few more cards in the deck related to these cards and the likelihood that the villain has one is usually low.

Just be careful, when being aggressive, about what type of board you are betting into and how likely it is that your villains may have connected. If they are calling large bets and you dont have the stone cold nuts (or even near) then it would be wise to slow down if the board is too wet.
 
vinylspiros

vinylspiros

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One more thing is,if opponent is playing rather tight (meaning he is not playing in too many hands),that means it is more likely that he has high cards when in a hand. High pocket pairs,ETC. These players dont really connect with medium to low boards.

Players that play loose though are more likely to have connected with all types of boards, so be careful when you raise with your aces and the board runs out, something like 4,6,7,(twotone) because you could be betting yourself into going bust. Villains could easily have 89 suited, 4x5x, 35 suited . etc etc

you get me bro?


Another GREAT EXAMPLE is when you raise with AKsuited, and you get a tight caller.

Flop comes Ax,Qx,Jx. This is not a flop you want to be getting your money into just yet . Because chances of villain having AQ, or AJ ,orJJ,orQJ or QQ are still there. also alot of people are drawing to the nut straight here. So unless a 10 shows up or you hit a flush, dont go overboard. AK is only good when the flop comes Ax,3,7x. and so on and so fourth.
 
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AugustWest

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Wow,thanks Vinyl!! Great explanation of a concept that was a bit of a grey area for me. :thumbup:
 
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NGavin_85

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One more thing is,if opponent is playing rather tight (meaning he is not playing in too many hands),that means it is more likely that he has high cards when in a hand. High pocket pairs,ETC. These players dont really connect with medium to low boards.

Players that play loose though are more likely to have connected with all types of boards, so be careful when you raise with your aces and the board runs out, something like 4,6,7,(twotone) because you could be betting yourself into going bust. Villains could easily have 89 suited, 4x5x, 35 suited . etc etc

you get me bro?


Another GREAT EXAMPLE is when you raise with AKsuited, and you get a tight caller.

Flop comes Ax,Qx,Jx. This is not a flop you want to be getting your money into just yet . Because chances of villain having AQ, or AJ ,orJJ,orQJ or QQ are still there. also alot of people are drawing to the nut straight here. So unless a 10 shows up or you hit a flush, dont go overboard. AK is only good when the flop comes Ax,3,7x. and so on and so fourth.

Hey Vinyl,

Thanks for that explanation. That was really good.
 
vinylspiros

vinylspiros

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Hey Vinyl,

Thanks for that explanation. That was really good.

yea thanks man.This is like the most basic explanation anyone can make on this isuue. If you look online or in the forum,im sure you can fins alot of things related to this.
 
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jcdagenius

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I don't thnk this is about nitting up...I think this is about being fully into the game the whole time you play. always analyzing flops and turns and rivers. paying attention when your are not in the hand. if you are a multi level thinker in poker some of your thought process should already involve thinking ahead and planning what you will do on later streets and what to if certain cards hit the board. always staying aware of what people may have. I think you should be thinking hand range so much that by time you get to river you will know if you have best hand or not.
 
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