B
Beasty2k
Rock Star
Silver Level
Hello again all, I am improving my game and now nearly doubled my BR on 10NL cash games ($100 => 200 in 3 weeks). I now feel I know a bit about position, 3B’s, CB’s and am quite good at evaluating my own hands postflop. I virtually never bluff anymore like I used to, play TAG and normally have quite a good feel for the different player types. I have no problems folding a losing hand, despite having put 20bb in the pot postflop. So no real tilts so far.
My next step, one I think I will benefit the most from, is hand-reading. I have read one book and probably 20 articles / strategy websites on the topic, and still have trouble understanding and using it. In every forum people will post hand stats and after one reraise by the button they say “I had him down as 99+” – how the HELL is that even possible? Because it can be anything. Also, users in forums tend to disagree when discussing hand reading (“really? I thought mid-suited connectors”). Obviously there is no universal formula – the fact every oneimplements the hand-reading differently means people win / lose.
But let me give you an example hand… A fairly loose player (think standard 10NL game) MP bets 3xbb preflop, I raise on the button with QQ, he calls. Flop is K27. Villain checks, I bet 2/3 pot or whatever. He raises 3x pot. How on earth can I have an idea what he has?
Instinctively, my thoughts would be as follows. A loose player raises flop and calls my raise –pretty standard, could have anything from 22+ to 9To. (not that this is how I would play 9To myself, but this is the type of players I am up against all the time). I miss the flop, but have a decent hand. Since he outbets me, I am 100% convinced he has a Kx or KK. So I fold.
Or rather, he PROBABLY NOT has a Kx or KK, but there is definitely a chance so it is not worth going along. I have a pessimistic view, generally, so will fold to anything as soon as there is a chance he can beat me (not entirely true, but annoying). BUT… Even before my initial bet and I see a K on the board I convince myself he has one. A better example I suppose is if he bets preflop and I call with QQ, and the flop reads as above. If he CBets, I will tell myself “he must have a K” and fold. Here, it would be really helpful with thought on what I should do.
Is it just that I should think “there is one K on the board, and so the probability of him holding one of the other three is very low.
I am sure there are much more ways to tackle this dilemma (I just tend to take the highest card on the board and think his hand matches this one, regardless of anything else). You have any ideas on how I can change my thinking about this? Any links to articles, easy to understand strategies would be much welcomed. And especially, any-hand reading exercises that I can do over and over, with a “correct” answer to tell me what was wrong and how I should think instead.
Feel free to use own examples than mine. Thanks a million for your help.
My next step, one I think I will benefit the most from, is hand-reading. I have read one book and probably 20 articles / strategy websites on the topic, and still have trouble understanding and using it. In every forum people will post hand stats and after one reraise by the button they say “I had him down as 99+” – how the HELL is that even possible? Because it can be anything. Also, users in forums tend to disagree when discussing hand reading (“really? I thought mid-suited connectors”). Obviously there is no universal formula – the fact every oneimplements the hand-reading differently means people win / lose.
But let me give you an example hand… A fairly loose player (think standard 10NL game) MP bets 3xbb preflop, I raise on the button with QQ, he calls. Flop is K27. Villain checks, I bet 2/3 pot or whatever. He raises 3x pot. How on earth can I have an idea what he has?
Instinctively, my thoughts would be as follows. A loose player raises flop and calls my raise –pretty standard, could have anything from 22+ to 9To. (not that this is how I would play 9To myself, but this is the type of players I am up against all the time). I miss the flop, but have a decent hand. Since he outbets me, I am 100% convinced he has a Kx or KK. So I fold.
Or rather, he PROBABLY NOT has a Kx or KK, but there is definitely a chance so it is not worth going along. I have a pessimistic view, generally, so will fold to anything as soon as there is a chance he can beat me (not entirely true, but annoying). BUT… Even before my initial bet and I see a K on the board I convince myself he has one. A better example I suppose is if he bets preflop and I call with QQ, and the flop reads as above. If he CBets, I will tell myself “he must have a K” and fold. Here, it would be really helpful with thought on what I should do.
Is it just that I should think “there is one K on the board, and so the probability of him holding one of the other three is very low.
I am sure there are much more ways to tackle this dilemma (I just tend to take the highest card on the board and think his hand matches this one, regardless of anything else). You have any ideas on how I can change my thinking about this? Any links to articles, easy to understand strategies would be much welcomed. And especially, any-hand reading exercises that I can do over and over, with a “correct” answer to tell me what was wrong and how I should think instead.
Feel free to use own examples than mine. Thanks a million for your help.