"Live" Poker bad beat

Hello everyone!
I really need some help here. It seems like every time i go to the casino, i always lose. I know a lot about the game and some basic stradegy. I watch Poker After Dark every weeknight and High Stakes Poker on Saturdays, and any wsop game i can find. I'm getting really good with poker terminology. If there's something i'm not sure about i write it down. I'm not great at math but i learned about the 2-4 rule and i am pretty good with that. I really have a strong passion for the game which none of my friends and family back home can understand. I really want to be a grinder type and someday go pro. I will do whatever i can to learn the game. I get really frustrated when i lose and i don't know what i'm doing wrong. I usually start out with 200 dollars as opposed to most of the other people who have maybe 4 or 5 hundred in front of them. So they definetly have me covered for an all in hand. When i play at the casino, it is no limit holdem,$1.00/$2.00 cash game. When ever i have a decent hand or just something that i think could make it, like suited cards, i would make a bet of 10 dollars, then it goes around, check, check, check, then a person will bet like 25, then another one will put in 100 dollars. It just seems like they try to raise me or make me go all in all the time. I went up against this one guy who is talkative at the table and knows the dealers and the waitresses. I had an A.K off, and he went all in and i folded, i said "nice hand" and he said what did you have an A,K? I was like, how the hell did he know? I was only there for 15 minutes. How could he know that? I don't get it. I really want to learn this game. I hope someone out there can hear me "crying out." All comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Brian

Don't get to play live so will leave that to others, just wanted to let you know that the poker shows you watch are for entertainment purposes only.

Brian,

To start off, it is admirable that you are coming out asking for advice. I will do my best to give one point of view.

I would argue based on what you have said so far that you are a beginner and do not know much about the game. This is based on your learning sources. Never use TV poker as your major learning source. EVERY tv show had editing. You do not get to appreciate all the hands players throw away. Learning terminology and watch shows is good for interest, but understanding the game is doing exactly what you are doing by posting and and reviewing your play.

Starting off short stacked is tough. Although you have 100 BBs, it sounds like you have a lot of reraising in that game. So, I would only play suited connected on the button. Any raise from early position (EP) or mid position(MP) can get reraised, so only raise with premium hands from EP or MP. With experience, you will learn what you can raise outside these premium hands.

If you do raise with suited connectors and get reraised while you are out of position (OOP), you MUST fold. It's a -EV play to call there. You will usually lose. Primarily because it is hard to win OOP, but especially because you are just learning the game. A more experienced player could get looser because they would know where they are in the game.

"What did you have, AK?" With experience, you will find that EVERYBODY asks that question. EVERYBODY. He's no Einstein. Now, you might look new because of the hands your play or how you play. Experienced players can pick up on those tells. It's easy to put you on a hand when he knows you are a beginner (fish-no offense). Never admit to ANYTHING at the poker table. It's all a game. Even when asked what you have, never tell them. Ever. Eventually, with practice, you might want to tell them some stuff to make them think something different, but ultimately you should probably keep your info to yourself. Don't give them any more knowledge than they already have.

Well, hope some of this helps!

GL

BrianAddictedToPOker said:

Hello everyone!
I really need some help here. It seems like every time i go to the casino, i always lose. I know a lot about the game and some basic stradegy. I watch Poker After Dark every weeknight and High Stakes Poker on Saturdays, and any WSOP game i can find. I'm getting really good with poker terminology. If there's something i'm not sure about i write it down. I'm not great at math but i learned about the 2-4 rule and i am pretty good with that. I really have a strong passion for the game which none of my friends and family back home can understand. I really want to be a grinder type and someday go pro. I will do whatever i can to learn the game. I get really frustrated when i lose and i don't know what i'm doing wrong. I usually start out with 200 dollars as opposed to most of the other people who have maybe 4 or 5 hundred in front of them. So they definetly have me covered for an all in hand. When i play at the casino, it is no limit holdem,$1.00/$2.00 cash game. When ever i have a decent hand or just something that i think could make it, like suited cards, i would make a bet of 10 dollars, then it goes around, check, check, check, then a person will bet like 25, then another one will put in 100 dollars. It just seems like they try to raise me or make me go all in all the time. I went up against this one guy who is talkative at the table and knows the dealers and the waitresses. I had an A.K off, and he went all in and i folded, i said "nice hand" and he said what did you have an A,K? I was like, how the hell did he know? I was only there for 15 minutes. How could he know that? I don't get it. I really want to learn this game. I hope someone out there can hear me "crying out." All comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Brian

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definitely agree with pokerstudent...ur looking in the wrong places for ur knowledge and u need to slow down and pay more attention to position when you're playing...the same hand that is a no brainer to play on the button is an insta-fold in middle and especially early position...u'll learn that as u gain experience, but ur best bet is to read a book or two on the subject...gain some knowledge on the power of position and bet sizing, and that will be a great asset to ur game...also, playing against certain people will give u better reads on them, which is most important in live play IMO...hopefully ur luck turns around...

Don't know what you are doing wrong? According to what you wrote, pretty much everything.
You're using TV shows as your model of good poker and good poker is just flat out boring, so you won't see as much of it on TV as you will bad poker. if you can't tell the difference - BIG TROUBLE.
Starting off with the shortest definitely tells me you do not expect to win as you are not thinking of maximizing your winning (getting all of THEIR stack in).
You consider suited cards a decent hand? Not at all. Suited cards are just flat out gambling (speculation). Not saying they shouldn't be played but you have to know when - and that isn't as often as you might think.
You are surprised that they raise you or are going after your stack - that's the name of the game. Those sharks will test you right away to see what you are made of. They expect you to back down until you can prove differently. Pure, unbridled aggression is what you will encounter playing ring games. Consider if you are really wired for it or should switch to tourney where everyone (almost) is more concerned with hanging on to their chips until the end.
Get some books on what you decide to play. A vast majority of books out there are geared to tourney and you play that way in the ring and your ass will be handed to you.
Learn the fine art of hand study - this will improve your play by leaps and bounds

I agree with what everyone has been saying I would add that maybe looking for a smaller game or coming in less frequently but with a bigger bankroll might be better. The problem playing short-stack in cash games is that the bigger stacks can bully you into making hard decisions. Lets say that I am at a table with $500 and you have $200 and I have a medium pocket pair and you have AK (possibly the hand you were talking about). As played when you raised and I shove all in, the only thing you can do in this spot is call or fold. If you call, you are only about a coin flip to double up or are threatened to lose your entire buy-in. I,on the other hand, have fold equity in that I win the pot when you fold (likely since I dont think you are going to call a shove unless you have a really good hand like kings or aces) and if I get called and lose, I still have $300 left to try and rebuild my lost $200. The big stacks have a huge advantage over you by being able to pressure you.

Also, watching the pros play is not always the best since they play marginal hands. This is because they all have really good post-flop play and need to play marginal hands to gain an edge over the other opponents and are confident in their hand reading and board reading skills. I am certainly not at that level so I try to play it safe by playing only paint cards or suited connectors when in position and get the pot odds to play. I recommend going through this forum and reading different posts on plays or hands to see what other players think since its a great first step. Good luck.

@mediablitz and clubarrow77:
Thanks for your advice! I recently purchased the book "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book" and it's really good. I'm taking my time with it and i go back and read it again until i get it. At the beginning he talks about each position and what cards people probably have. The part where he talks about pot odds and implied odds is tough for me because i am not good at math. sure, he has some good formulas on there as well as other web sites but they assume i am already good at math. They don't break it down. I have many questions about how did you get this and how did you get that. But it's a great book. I am studying all i can to better my skills. Thanks again for giving me advice, it really helps to know i'm not alone. Thanks!
-Brian

Brian - figure on reading that book a few times. I figure I've been thru it probably a dozen times and I still have a lot to learn. Also get his Blue Book which is a bunch of hand studies. Not the best of the hand study type books but with his easy writing style it is a good intro to getting into hand study and into the thought process of a pro.
Btw I am not too swift at math either but of everyone I have read, Gordon makes it the easiest to understand. But if you are having any trouble understanding in Green - His Black Book (aka Poker the Real Deal) is more basic and explained some math basics very well.
Once you have a comfort zone understanding the Green Book your next mission will be Harrington On Holdem and he will start to ease you towards the deep end of the pool.
Keep studying and luck be with you.

Most casinos 1,2 nl 300 is the most u can buy in for usually. Prolly the other guys allready won some. Some of those 1,2 NL games do play big sometimes tho especially if aggressive donk has managed to get a monster stack by sucking out. But as far as buy in, I've been playing at Parx my local casino since pokers black Friday and been doing very well. I always buy in for 200 just 100 BBs. Well actually I usually get like 210 cuz I like to have like ten one dollar chips to make it easy to post blinds and for tipping dealer and waitress. So I think he can make money buying in for 200 he just needs to be patient. If there's that much preflop betting at ur casino, which is kinda of the opposite where I play. At parx there's a ton of limping, I think u need to wait for big starting hands and only play suited connectors and drawing type hands late postion when u can get in cheap. U can call a small preflop bet in position with small pocket pairs hoping to flop set as well. And when u do hit a big hand bet. Bet. Bet. Because I noticed at 1,2 NL I am almost always getting at least one caller and u want to knock out as many drawing hands as possible. If u raise the flop and still think ur ahead on turn if pots big enough go all in a lot of times those fish with big stacks will call with there drawing hands with only one card left to come. So basically don't slow play, very rarely bluff only do it if its a weak timid player who u seen throwing hands away, and number one just be extrememly extremely patient. The blinds are 1,2 so just be plenty patient. They are definitely beatable buying in for 200.

Several things in my opinion:
-suited hands are not decent unless they are high and connected.
-those shows won't teach you how to grind, they show you how to be a gambler
-the opponent may not have known your AK offsuit but knew you. It does not matter what you hold if you are not willing to show it down.
-disagree about live poker. If you know the game, you can play it anywhere. If you have table options look for known weakies or drunks.
My best to you in your future endeavors.

Pokerstudent said:

Never use TV poker as your major learning source. EVERY tv show had editing.
Not true ^ PokerAfterDark sng format shows all hands played, so do the PAD cash games.


Starting off short stacked is tough.I don't think 100bb's is all that short. Although you have 100 BBs, it sounds like you have a lot of reraising in that game. So, I would only play suited connected on the button. Any raise from early position (EP) or mid position(MP) can get reraised, so only raise with premium hands from EP or MP. With experience, you will learn what you can raise outside these premium hands.

If you do raise with suited connectors and get reraised while you are out of position (OOP), you MUST fold. It's a -EV play to call there. You will usually lose. Primarily because it is hard to win OOP, but especially because you are just learning the game. A more experienced player could get looser because they would know where they are in the game. A more experienced player will know if they have implied odds to be playing the hand

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To beat $1/$2 live cash tables you'd be far better off reading a couple of books (as has been suggested) instead of basing play from TV poker.

Poker Orifice said:

To beat $1/$2 live cash tables you'd be far better off reading a couple of books (as has been suggested) instead of basing play from TV poker.

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PO, EVERY television show has editing. But editing does not only refer to elimination of hands. You don't get always to see the immediate reaction of the players after the bet. You don't get to always see what they do right or wrong(rare because they ARE professionals). Only one angle can be seen at a time via TV. Also, with commercials, it becomes very different to fully grasp the 'flow' of the game as opposed to sitting at the table with the players. Game flow, IMO, is an important (although not the most important) variable in the game. And although most people who have been playing for awhile know what to take from a television poker game, anyone who is very new could get into trouble not understanding this.