Table image and getting action

Impatience at times is one of my biggest leaks. Just thought id ask this and was wondering if others often find themselves in this situation.

So often when im playing ill be something like 18/15 at 6max (probably a bit tight?)

My graph will be steady, increasing and decreasing here and there, but generally im playing well and making correct decisions and cruising at a very low BB/100. I just find that im getting very little action a lot of the time. My 3 bets are insta folds to a lot of people as are my UTG and MP opens.

So by getting no action with premiums and made hands I get impatient. I then start widening my range and 3 betting a lot more, but nearly always my results from doing this are bad. Today for example I was running something like 15/11 after a couple of hundred hands at the table, decided to triple barrel two different players, and they called me down with second pair, they weren't even that fishy

I do keep bluffing to a minimum at the micros but it just seems like my win rate is purely reliant on luck. I know its poker and luck is involved but id like to this skill plays a big part .

Have we really just got to be happy with a low BB/100 at the micros, and not get drawn into overthinking things. Do we just let the cards come to us?

I just need some clarification. Are all of you playing striaght forward poker? and letting the fish give you $? When things aren't going my way and im losing $ by playing 18/15 or there abouts, I begin to question if I need to play more tricky and earn some BB through bluffs and good plays, which actually, a lot of the time costs me and then tilts me even more

I brought up something similar in my own thread, and in my (relatively uninformed, take warning) opinion, it's not about the right CARDS coming to you...it's about the right MOMENT. That moment can be something like someone shoving preflop with 1010 vs. your KK, or it can be seeing a flop for cheap with something like 8c9c, hitting a monster, and building the pot after. If you think, earnestly from what you've observed of an opponents play (how tight have they been playing so far? What have they called with? Raised with?) that you can bluff them off a significant pot, you should try--but widening your range and going much more aggro due to impatience rather than observing that it's the correct thing to do has a certain phrase to refer to such cases: going on tilt.

The "skill" part of poker, as far as I can tell, is all about knowing, through observation, what your opponents will and will not do in a giving scenario with a given hand strength. In the words of Sun Tzu, know your enemy and know yourself, and you won't be in peril in a hundred battles.

You play 10nl 6max on Stars dont you? There are a lot of TAGs and LAGs at this level and they start to know how to exploit those playing a nitty straightforward purely value game. I think you need to open up your preflop range, including your 3bet range (value and bluffs) and looking for some more spots to bluff postflop. I play something around 24/18 with 7-8% 3bet and I get plenty of action from the regs and the fish.

micromachine said:

You play 10nl 6max on Stars dont you? There are a lot of TAGs and LAGs at this level and they start to know how to exploit those playing a nitty straightforward purely value game. I think you need to open up your preflop range, including your 3bet range (value and bluffs) and looking for some more spots to bluff postflop. I play something around 24/18 with 7-8% 3bet and I get plenty of action from the regs and the fish.

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Mix between Stars and Full Tilt. Im back at Full Tilt at the moment, there's far fewer tables but it's filled with fish, the ratio seems way better on FTP for the time being. I notice a huge amount of TAGs on Stars, maybe my table selection sucks. (25%+ VPIP, then look for a decent sized av. pot)?

Yeah im playing much wider from BTN and im starting to merge a lot of those into the CO. I wouldn't say I need a massive change to get me into the 20-24 VPIP. But it seems like people view an 18/15 a lot differently to a 22/19 or 20/17?

Im 3betting any suited ace from the blinds (excluding A2-5s which im calling with). 99+ and ATs+ from any position. All the rest, e.g. KQs 910s im calling with.

When im in position im rarely 3 betting (only 99+ and ATs+). Is this a leak?

Yeah it does feel like you are battling an army on TAGs at Stars 10nl sometimes! I dont table select using table VPIP, I just use easy seat and keep insta closing them until the 2 players to my right are not regs (I have most of them colour labelled).

I think you will indeed get more action playing 22/19 as opposed to 18/15, like you say you dont need to make a massive adjustment but add a few hands to your opening/3betting ranges and you're there.

Your 3betting sounds a bit static? Don't you vary it based on villain and position? Maybe something to look into. And you definitely want to be 3betting IP quite a bit, at least as much as when OOP. The regs know not to call a 3bet often OOP so you can 3bet bluff them quite a bit from CO and BTN. And fish calling 3bets OOP incorrectly then giving up easily post is a nice earner too.

micromachine said:

Your 3betting sounds a bit static? Don't you vary it based on villain and position? Maybe something to look into. And you definitely want to be 3betting IP quite a bit, at least as much as when OOP. The regs know not to call a 3bet often OOP so you can 3bet bluff them quite a bit from CO and BTN. And fish calling 3bets OOP incorrectly then giving up easily post is a nice earner too.

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I certainly don't vary it enough. I pay attention to attempt to steal though. If people obviously aren't stealing ill keep to a normal 3betting range, but if they obviously are ill throw in other hands and bluffs.

Just a few questions about NITs and fish in relation to 3betting, I feel TAGs are easy enough 3bet against and deal with, as you can usually have a good idea of their range based on their stats.

Alright, so, NITS. Are we just avoiding them when they open? They're obviously playing strong hands and if our 3bet% is high-ish, they're probably gonna be happy to see a flop against us, especially IP? When we have them OOP though, can we keep the same 3bet range as we do for TAGs, or does this need to be changed in order for us to be profitable?

And fish. Are we just bombarding them with 3bets when were IP? We can eliminate 3bet bluffs vs these guys. What about when were OOP? Im guessing were still opening really wide as they will call us with garbage, and all the time were wanting to isolate ourselves with the bad player.

3betting fish really wide brings in a lot of variance which is why im sort of reluctant to do it. But thats just me being results orientated

Thanks for the help micro. Anyone else feel free to add to this.

Nits (15/12 types) - I'm not avoiding 3betting them, yes their opening range is tight but they will also fold to 3bets a lot in general, especially when they are OOP. You can 3bet a polarized range vs them because they will generally 4bet or fold.

Fish - yeah don't 3bet bluff them but you can 3bet a fairly wide value range vs them (wider when you have position). Embrace the variance! As long as you are decently rolled for your level its not a problem.

How many tables are you playing? I've found adjusting to villains a lot easier since I limited the number of cash tables I can play to 4.

micromachine said:

Nits (15/12 types) - I'm not avoiding 3betting them, yes their opening range is tight but they will also fold to 3bets a lot in general, especially when they are OOP. You can 3bet a polarized range vs them because they will generally 4bet or fold.

Fish - yeah don't 3bet bluff them but you can 3bet a fairly wide value range vs them (wider when you have position). Embrace the variance! As long as you are decently rolled for your level its not a problem.

How many tables are you playing? I've found adjusting to villains a lot easier since I limited the number of cash tables I can play to 4.

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Play 4-6. Will stay at 4 for the time being as im going to be adjusting my game.