Here is my response to another player that is relatively new to the game who sent me an email asking for my thoughts and advice on poker.
If you take the time to read it, you will find that your question can not be answered without more information, and you will also find exactly what information you will need to include when proposing a poker question to get the thoughts and advice you desire.
His questions/thoughts are in bold, my responses are in normal text format.
Hope you find some useful information.
Well, I went down to Tunica yesterday,to play as much poker as possible , and in playing , I noticed some things from my observations at the table, and wanted to please get your opinion and advice on the following.....
I Played in the 12 p.m. tournament and busted out in just under an hour ..... I jammed all on with AQ on a 2 3 7 ( 2 clubs ) flop, and get called ..... my AQ vs opponents KK
No A or Q hit for me ... KK wins.
Looking back , going all-In with two big Cards on a dry flop , was not a smart play (even if against just 1 player).
True the Flop was dry, but I didn't Hit either.
I should have checked the flop and hope they checked behind so I could see the Turn for free, and then see if I connected and play accordingly.
Truly a Lesson learned.
There is so many more variables I need to know before I can even comment on this.
1)What was your chip stack?
2)What was his chip stack?
3)How many big blinds did you have left when this hand started?
4)What was the raising action like pre-flop?
5)What was your table image?
6)What did villain look like, what were his tendencies, had you played any big
hands against villain yet?
7)You said you had AQ, was it AQ of clubs? Am I correct that the board had two clubs?
8)How close were you to the money when you made this all in Cbet with A high?
I could go on and on, but that's enough, you should get the point by now.
I much more like Cash games vs Tournaments, and this is where it gets good(sort of ).
Cash Game (Last night , started at 4 p.m.)
Playing the $1/$3 NL.
$100 minimum buy-in and a $300 Max buy-in.
I buy-in for $100
Why are you buying in for only 33 big blinds?
Even if you're just learning the game/a novice you should be buying in for 65 big blinds. Buying in for 65 big blinds really cuts the edge down superior players will have against you because they won't have a lot of room to maneuver/make moves against you post flop.
Here are some things that I learned while playing there for 12 hrs straight in the Cash game, thoughts I had concerning my own play, and thoughts of the players I watched and witnessed. I also have some questions and would please like your advice and insight on them.
Disclaimer, The things I say below, are an accumulation of my thoughts this morning when I woke up and was recalling in my head the action from last night... so I am definitely not saying everything is correct or should be played accordingly.
If you are going to ask any poker pro for their advice/opinion on
poker hands or sessions you should have 100% complete and accurate information for us to consider. I am going to answer your email because I answer everyone (in due time) who does take the time to email me. But, I will not answer any more emails from you unless you promise me the information you are giving me is 100% accurate and you provide all pertinent details of the hand/session.
Poker ...... NEVER jam on the flop with AQ or AJ and hope to hit on the turn or the river (no matter how dry the board)
When jamming with air or ace high you are not hoping to hit. You are using your reads to make a calculated jam when their is a high probability your opponent will fold. Things that increase probability your opponent will fold is like if your opponent is smart enough to range you and the board looks like it hit you, if you have a strong image, etc, etc. You can not take one hand that did not work out for you and then go onto say it means NEVER do that again. You sound really results oriented and results oriented thinking will not help you grow as a poker player.
ONLY SlowPlay against more than 1 player when .... you have a MONSTER after the flop comes..... Other than that , Raise and re-raise Pre-Flop every time with JJ,QQ,KK,AA,AK
There are not many absolutes in poker. Every hand is a snowflake. I need exact details of any specific hand to offer my thoughts on it. I do not agree with your blanket statement.
Reason I say this is that , last night , I would raise it up $15 - $20 pre-flop with QQ , and would almost always get 3 - 4 callers.
You were at a great table, my advice would be to raise it to $25 next time and try to get two callers, keep raising more and more if they keep calling. Always look to maximize value, BUT do not blow fish out of the hand with raises TOO big.
Down there at Tunica, you have to base your raises on the stack sizes of the opponents that are still in the hand , and not base it on the amount in the pot.
The Average raise side to get anyone that doesn't have a strong hand pre-flop to fold , is around $50 - $60
If you have to raise it to $50 in a $1/$3 game to get two players to call you when you have 1010-AA, Ak, AQ, or KQ, then do it.
Now, if you want to try and get them to fold on a Raise / re-raise on the Flop, Turn or River ( depending on the strength of their hand of course ) , but just as an average .... to push someone off of their hand and get them to fold with say J high on a TJ2 ( two spade ) flop , and they have AJ ...... you have to raise and re-raise them practically 1/3 of their Stack size.
This is a great game if they will call huge bets with just two overcards. Hunker down, wait until you have it, then bet 100% of the pot on every street when you are betting for value. If the game has this many calling stations you adjust AND DO NOT bet for deception under any circumstances because you do not have to in order to be profitable.
Only semi-
bluff / Bluff against 1 player
This is table dependent/villain dependent. Again, there are not many absolutes in poker.
Draws ONLY play well Multi-way when you Hit ..... Unless the Flop comes and you have upwards of 10+ outs and there are 3 people in the pot .... Hope you can check it down or call cheaply OR else fold
Betting draws (especially nut draws) is optimal at certain tables and is not optimal at some tables like the one you were sitting at where it seems like everybody wants to call. Your job is to adjust your game/strategy to the one that works the best against the field of villains at the table you're sitting at. If you just play one style, all the time, you will never be an elite poker player.
When you have a BIG Overpair to the flop ( on a Dry flop at that ) .... Bet it up
Don't want to Let drawing hands get a free card and or see the Turn for cheap and or Let an Ax hand in for cheap and then an Ace comes on the Turn , you have QQ on a Flop of 972 , two other players in the hand, the Ace comes on the Turn , you bet and they Raise you with their Ace rag hand ..... Gotta make em Pay to see that Turn card, unless you have the Nuts or a ton of Outs , and you feel that you can " Afford " to let them in cheaply
As I said a few answers ago I'd be betting 100% of the pot on all streets with value hands in the game you were playing. So, you are 100% correct here.
On a Wet flop, with 2-3 other players in the hand, and you have a BIG hand and hit the Flop quite Nicely .... you have AJ and the flop comes ATJ .....Raise it up enough to either hopefully get them to fold and thus you take down a nice size pot or two .... you at least get all but one player to Call, and the other(s) to fold
Raise it to the highest amount you think they will call. You want them to chase 18% to 36% draws against you for the most money possible. So, if $100 is in the pot and you are up against a drooler who will not fold a flush draw under and circumstances, if he has $400 back, bet the $400.
Last night ,my $15 and $20 bets where constantly getting called by 3 - 4 players, and with that many in the hand and to the Flop , you have no idea where you are in the hand .
Hell ...... for $20 , a A2 off hand will Limp in , you bet your $20 ( thinking it would get a lot of folds ), it doesn't , the flop comes A2T , I have AK
But this guy that I " Let " in for cheap now has me beat , and I have no clue
Gotta make em pay to play
You failed to adjust and start raising $20-$35 pre to cut down the field. Do not ever come to me complaining about how too many people called all night. If it happens more than a few times you have not adjusted your pre-flop raise sizing properly.
AK,AQ,AK KQ are big pre-flop hands ...... but that Don't mean anything , unless you can hit a piece of the flop.
If the Flop is dry and against 1 ( maybeee 2 players max ) bet it up to see where you are in the hand or hope it checks around and you get a Free card on the Turn ( IF, you totally missed the flop )
Depends on table conditions, other variables, etc.
A lot of these players were calling it down to the River, chasing draws and hoping to hit.... If I let em do that , and let em in for cheap or give Free cards, I'm only asking for them to hit their Straight on the River and bust my KK on a Q2TJ5 board ( they had 98 ( diamonds )
Again, great table. I wouldn't have left it. I would have slept under it, woke up, and bought right back in if I needed to...
So I tuned the $100 I started with into $675 ( the most I was up the whole night )
And yes , unfortunately, I didn't pocket and cash out for at least $475 of it , and instead I ended up loosing up my own game as the night dragged on, and tried to call a guy off of his hand on the River ( me Bluffing, and hoping he bought that I hit the straight when the card for a " possible " made one , hit )
He called with his two pair and took the pot .... That was about a $325 loss
I told you you didn't need to bluff to make money in this game. See what happens.
So from now on , If I buy in for $300 and at any point I get it up to $900 .... I pocket the $600 and stick back to playing with my initial $300
Got to pocket those wins to survive in the Long run
Nothing wrong with locking in profits if on a tight
bankroll. If on a healthy bankroll you should stay at the game as long as it is good and you feel you are on your a-game.
In the $2/$5 game here, they ONLY have it on Saturday
It's a $200 minimum and NO max buy-in
Would me buying in for $400 - $500 each time, allow me enough leverage against the Really big stacks ?
Yes. That amount is fine.
And does $2/$5 play all that much different from $1/$3 as far as the caliber of players and their skill set at the higher stakes
Or is it basically the same type of players, but just with a bigger bankroll
Most the players are better. A lot more aggressive pre-flop and post.
What would you say is a Realistic goal for a good player, to make on a Per hr. basis, in both the $1/$3 and in the $2/$5
1/3- $20-$35
2/5- $40-$70
Well man, sorry for so much writing.
This was just my first time back playing the Live Cash Games in awhile, and I felt that I played my A game.
I have the Bankroll to try it for real and as a Living, Just need a little bit of advice and wisdom from a Player who has been there and knows the Live games inside and out
Thanks so much,
I Really appreciate it
You can thank me by providing more complete information the next time you email me and you most certainly did not play your A-game. But, you left that poker room thinking about the hands and then took the time to email someone to discuss them. That shows me you want to get better and asking for advice, hand analysis, and thoughts on your game from other people you respect in the poker community is an important step. I respect you for that and as long as you continue to do so and listen to the answers with an open mind you will give yourself the opportunity to keep improving. I'll be rooting for you big shooter.
Over and out,
-LG