Micro beginner would appreciate some help

Hi ive played around 6500 hands so far mainly on 0.02/0.04c using Carbon Poker.i seemed to start off ok by going into credit but recently the winnings graph has been going down gradually. I realise that 6500 hands is relatively small in poker terms but I was hoping that after reading many articles/books and albeit limited experience I would be slowly starting to seeing an improvement on my results.

I am finding that whilst trying to stick to a TAG approach, I do reasonably ok generally but then lose often on the bigger hands suggesting I am making the wrong calls somewhere.

I use Holdem Manager and also PT3. Could anyone try and analyse where I could improve if I post some stats please? (Im not sure which ones Iwould need to post to obtain any help so if you could advise it would be appreciated)

many thanks

You got to remember not to lose the bigger hands. Thats one of my biggest problems too - I don't realize my own weakness in the face of aggression. With things like top 2 pair, TPTK, Sets, things like that when the board has multi way draws.. Its like I always tell myself they're bluffing because I have a pretty strong hand. You just need to remember that its OK to get bluffed sometimes. Its better to drop a little bit of chips and keep your stack..

I dont mess with trackers due to limited cpu resources but I'd say that you probably need around 10k+ to really get a good idea about your playstyle. I think the most important stats to post are vpip/3bet/F3? I'm not sure on that one though. Someone else I'm sure will give you a more comprehensive explanation.

jswarb001 said:

Hi ive played around 6500 hands so far mainly on 0.02/0.04c using Carbon Poker.i seemed to start off ok by going into credit but recently the winnings graph has been going down gradually. I realise that 6500 hands is relatively small in poker terms but I was hoping that after reading many articles/books and albeit limited experience I would be slowly starting to seeing an improvement on my results.

I am finding that whilst trying to stick to a TAG approach, I do reasonably ok generally but then lose often on the bigger hands suggesting I am making the wrong calls somewhere.

I use Holdem Manager and also PT3. Could anyone try and analyse where I could improve if I post some stats please? (Im not sure which ones Iwould need to post to obtain any help so if you could advise it would be appreciated)

many thanks

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I play 5NL on Full Tilt and can tell you that the ranges are roughly:

TAG Regulars: VPIP 11-12, PFR pretty close to that. This is the range I run.

Nits almost always run 7 VPIP. They almost never steal, fold to re-raises often.
Short Stack Shovers: 4-5 VPIP. Plan to get it all in or just fold against these guys.

LAGs: VIP 18. They will make your life miserable. They will re-raise you constantly. They're bullies though and usually fold to 3-bets. Just make sure you have a strong hand because they do get cards and often when you decide to push back they're holding the nuts.

LAG-Manacs: 24/18

Maniacs 25-35 with high PFR (they never last)

Calling stations: VPIP's run 55+


Just remember this key concept when playing Micros:

The mathematical expecation of folding (in a Cash Game) is 0. If you can't decide whether to play a hand generally the correct answer is to fold. Also of the 169 hands only 3 have EV's of 1 BB or greater: AA, KK & QQ. ALL the rest have EV's of less than 1 BB which means don' t overplay them. Avoid overplaying Broadway junk like KJo, QTo, etc. low pps, suited connectors, etc. Just follow these simple rules:

1. play tight,very tight, loosening up as you approach the button. Be prepared to fold 88, AJo, etc. when UTG.
2. NEVER, EVER, EVER Cold Call a bet when entering a pot. You have zero equity in the pot so you shouldn't enter it unless you are a favorite. This means no set mining, no trap plays. Either Raise or fold.
3. If someone 3 bets you 4 bet with the hands you feel ready to play stacks for and fold the rest. That means JJ is in the muck usually to a 3-bet unless your opp folds to 4 bets after 3betting easily.
4. C-bet almost always when OOP. Exception would be if the pot is multiway. If someone raises and it gets back to you it is check/ raise or fold.
5. When IP do not call raises unless you have a powerful draw with AT LEAST 10 outs or have a set or straight on a rainbow board, or a a flush on a non-paired board. If you have 2 overcards, an overpair, TPTK or 2 pair you need to find out on the flop what you are up against. Better to fold here than pour money into a pot and face a huge river bet without knowing the strength of your hand.
6. Be brave to re-raise flops when you miss if you are IP. This is especially key when there is one overcard on the board, especially an Ace. Say you have TT and 3 -bet your opponent who then flat called OOP. If they lead with a bet on the flop test them by re-raising or to mix it up smooth call an Ace flop and if they check the turn make a pot sized bet. More often than not they will fold. just don't over do it or they wil pick up on this and start check/ raising on you.
7. Unless you have a very good read on your opponent do not call a River bet with just one pair.
8. Stick to playing 1 table at a time until you are profitable. If you are a money loser no sense losing twice or 3 times as fast. Slow the game down. Pay attention, review your opponents HUD numbers and think about poker whenver you can.

Unfortunately there is no short cut to experience. I am at 23k hands and I feel like the 1st 20k were spring training. Even know I make notes of things I try and fail (like running squeeze plays with SC's from the blinds= bad idea.). Just play and prepare to lose and lose and lose until you stop losing,

Thats great advice so far. Thankyou. Any more would also be appreciated. Im running at 24/16 at the moment so I guess I need to tighten up? One thing I didnt mention was thats its 6 max I'm playing (if that makes any difference).

Could I ask one specific question about win odds/pot odds?. I am aware of both specifics but can anyone give me a guideline as to whether people religiously use this to determine their next move or is it dependant on the other factors (board texture/position etc)? For example if win odds percentage is greater than pot odds do people always bet/raise or does it still "depend"?

I would definitely follow Fx's post up to an extent. I run 22/13/50 (VP/PFR/AFq) over 12K hands, but the other players at the table help to determine how I play. Also, I just started 4tabling, and I've noticed myself tightening up to about 15-16 VP with PFR of 10 or so.

The calling stations as he states, I'll loosen up on, probably more than I should, but I try to bust them. So if they see me in a lot of pots with them, then they don't give me as much credit for a decent hand. I've also been burned on this a couple times, but I don't mind cause I know I'll gain the money back.

I like FR and not 6-max, though, so I don't know how much help this is. But I'm sure the more you play you'll find the style that is most comfortable for you. (like the LAG-Maniac as FX puts it, works for me)

jswarb001 said:

I use Holdem Manager and also PT3

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Do you really have or use either 1 of these? I just ask because nobody needs both programs they do exactly the same thing.

suit2please said:

Do you really have or use either 1 of these? I just ask because nobody needs both programs they do exactly the same thing.

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No I usually use H Manager. PT came free with a sign up offer

jswarb001 said:

I do reasonably ok generally but then lose often on the bigger hands suggesting I am making the wrong calls somewhere.

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Super vague question you're asking, but from this sentence I'd guess you're stacking off with top pair, or playing your big 1 pair hands incorrectly.

And seriously, stop ****ing posting stats in a $2nl thread people. This is TWO DOLLAR NO LIMIT. IDIOTS, MORONS AND RETARDS. STOP SWEATING STATISTICS, TURN OFF YOUR HUD AND PLAY FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND POKER. Analyze hands in hand analysis, and learn to play the god damn game. Poker is not about obtaining optimal stats, its about making the right decision in a given scenario. LEARN HOW HERE.

I like the spirit of fx20736's first 3 pieces of advice, but then he just gets a little off course.

Learn to play value based, fundamental poker. The #1 piece of advice is Phil Gordon's "Big hand, big pot. Small hand, small pot." mantra. Learn to build big pots with your big hands, and learn to pot control with your small ones. And when you think you can get called by a worse hand, value bet.

PS - I am ****ing angry right now. Posting on these forums makes me want to kill babies. When I started learning poker the advice here was crazy good, and now its borderline rubbish.

As recently published in a scientific magazine people who plays more hands actually lose more because they overvalue- or over-recall is better- the number of times they won small pots rather than the bigger losses. So I would get out of micro altogether because it seems like you play too many hands, which doesn't make you loose it just means you aren't getting enough value for your wins compared to your losses, which is to say you feel too comfortable if you have a piece or a draw.

Some excellent advice here I will be coming back here to have a look for myself in the future as I am new to poker and am looking at grinding the micro's myself

inti