Very novice questions, pls help!

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Beasty2k

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Hi all, am new to this forum as well as to the game overall. Hope youhave time to answer a few of my newbie question. Have played live whilst underthe influence a few times, and decided to try online 2 weeks ago. I playmicro-stakes (0.05/0.10) NL cash games. I turned $100 into $150, playing an average 1-2 hours a day, which to me seems ok. Have a few questions I keep bumping into, please help. I am sorry if I don’t use proper poker lingua, but I am still learning (still having problems understanding the majority of the threads on this site!). J

QUESTION 1:preflop calling/reraising. I tend to follow the traditional advice of “raise/fold”on early position (raise only with strong pocket cards), call/reraise on late position. But, how much? Let’s say I get TT in late position, UTG raises 3xBB; do I raise, call or fold? And if UTG raised 10x BB, do I still call? Trying to evaluate how good my hole cards are overall, I guess, but people tend to be so sloppy when betting preflop. And what to do vs people who always raise HUGE or reraise HUGE preflop?

QUESTION 2:Why was I called a donk? (note opponent had played very aggressively during 1hour or so) Early positioned opponent raises preflop to 0.35, I reraise Ts Ac to 0.60. Flop is Tc Qh Qs. Opponent checks, I raise 1xpot, opponent calls. Turn is blank. Opponent checks, I raise 1xpot, opponent calls. River is blank, opponent pushes all-in, I call and win 2 pairs, opponent has Js 9h.

What did I do wrong? An aggressive opponent, I tried to take control, if he had a Q he would have bet harder say at the turn (and I would have folded). If not, he could be slowplaying QQQ but quite odd since I was aggressive preflop, right(giving me 1 or 2 free cards would be stupid)? Was he bluffing (apparently!)?Was I really a donk? He did have straight draw but seems weird he would call a fairly big flop raise with only that. I did have a good hand postflop, correct?

QUESTION 3:Which brings me to the following question. Let’s say I have TT and flop is xQx. Do I raise/call or do I have to check/fold only because I missed the flop? Sure he might have a Q, but I mean how likely is that? If opponent checks, that signals he does not have a Q, so what do I do? People always advise to never bluff in micro-stakes, but why not? Seems he doesn’t have a Q, so I might aswell raise some, no? Makes him think I have one, he might call and my semibluff is underway, or am I wrong? Or he folds, and I win the pot.

QUESTION 4:I try to calculate pot-odds vs outs as much as I can when having a flush draw etc post flop, but it is never necessary as everyone always raises too much. Saypot is 0.80, I have a flush draw, they will ALWAYS raise $1.50 or more. Is this only because people in microstakes tend to be sloppy / overly aggressive?

QUESTION 5: Leads me to… do I need external software to succeed, or be a mathematical genious? To keep track of odds & pot odds? I try and use the above advice Ihave been told and it works ok on micro stakes, so far anyway.

QUESTION 6:If someone raises post flop, do you (experienced players) always think the person has a good hand? Let’s say you missed the flop, do you generally fold?(I know it’s hypothetical and depending on what cards are there, but still?).It just seems so static if people only play good hands. If everyone all the time plays only great hands, then no-one is the long term winner, right? Money will just go round and round. Guess question is, based on the very few things that I do know (see everything above), what is the main difference between a fish and a pro? Or maybe between a hobby-amateur and a pro?

QUESTION 7:Based on all the information I have given away above, what would you call me –a fish, a donk or anything else?

FINALQUESTION 8: Talks of position… In micro-stakes, why is position important? The blinds are tiny and there is always more money behind. Why not raise everytime you have a decent set of hole cards, regardless of position, even in early position? Followers at the table ought to do the same, call/raise if good cards,fold if bad.

Thanks so much for the answers, and any other input or advice would be much welcomed!! J
 
nabmom

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Hi Beasty. Welcome to the CC forum.

I read all your questions and had two thoughts:
One, You are asking so many great questions
Two, You are asking so many great questions!

It is impossible to address everything in one reply. The good news is that you are at the right site to get answers.

So, taking a deep breath, here's what I suggest (based entirely on how I started out--just like you--only a few years ago):

This forum, like most others, will work best for you if you post one question at a time with an appropriate subject line (this lets the other people know what you're asking and you'll get more replies that way). There are really smart people here who will reply. Look at the poker strategy section of this site. You can learn a lot, but be patient because there is a lot to learn. We have a section for top threads here and I'd go there as well.

Google is your friend. Lots of acronyms get thrown around and you can usually use the search engine to learn more. For example, try here to see a glossary of poker terms.

I'm a book person and there are different books that will give you a foundation for playing poker. There are threads on this forum that will give you lots of information about that.

Software is worth looking into (I think it is invaluable). It is usually referred to as HUD. Search for that on this forum and you'll get details. I think you should spend your time on learning the game basics before getting into a HUD.

Position: It is crucial no matter what stakes you're playing. Search for it here and I'm sure you'll find lots of discussions about why in position is so much better than being out of position.

You'll learn that there are very few absolutes in poker because so much is dependent upon the specific situation you're in (your position, the type of player you are, your opponent's position, the type of player the opponent is). But there are some generalizations that can guide you and these you will need to study and learn. My suggestion is that you pick one subject (like position) and look into that and try to understand it well. Then pick another one (like player types) and do the same. Then look at "continuation bet" to see information about playing on the flop. And so on...

Expect that this process will happen for as long as you play poker. Please keep asking questions and posting here. Be patient and if you study and listen and question, you'll get better and better.
 
kidkvno1

kidkvno1

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QUESTION 2:Why was I called a donk? (note opponent had played very aggressively during 1hour or so) Early positioned opponent raises preflop to 0.35, I reraise Ts Ac to 0.60. Flop is Tc Qh Qs. Opponent checks, I raise 1xpot, opponent calls. Turn is blank. Opponent checks, I raise 1xpot, opponent calls. River is blank, opponent pushes all-in, I call and win 2 pairs, opponent has Js 9h.

What did I do wrong? An aggressive opponent, I tried to take control, if he had a Q he would have bet harder say at the turn (and I would have folded). If not, he could be slowplaying QQQ but quite odd since I was aggressive preflop, right(giving me 1 or 2 free cards would be stupid)? Was he bluffing (apparently!)?Was I really a donk? He did have straight draw but seems weird he would call a fairly big flop raise with only that. I did have a good hand postflop, correct?
He was just mad at you, since you beat him. He is the donk for giving you a free card. You will be called a lot of names, it's best to just mute the chat.
 
absoluthamm

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Hi all, am new to this forum as well as to the game overall. Hope youhave time to answer a few of my newbie question. Have played live whilst underthe influence a few times, and decided to try online 2 weeks ago. I playmicro-stakes (0.05/0.10) NL cash games. I turned $100 into $150, playing an average 1-2 hours a day, which to me seems ok. Have a few questions I keep bumping into, please help. I am sorry if I don’t use proper poker lingua, but I am still learning (still having problems understanding the majority of the threads on this site!). J

QUESTION 1:preflop calling/reraising. I tend to follow the traditional advice of “raise/fold”on early position (raise only with strong pocket cards), call/reraise on late position. But, how much? Let’s say I get TT in late position, UTG raises 3xBB; do I raise, call or fold? And if UTG raised 10x BB, do I still call? Trying to evaluate how good my hole cards are overall, I guess, but people tend to be so sloppy when betting preflop. And what to do vs people who always raise HUGE or reraise HUGE preflop?
Much of this will be suspect to who your opponent is, but overall, you're not going to fair well if you're calling 10x preflop with TT. If the villain seems to be positionally aware and tight and <200BB, I will be folding TT. If they have no concept of position, I may 3Bet and fold if 4B...

Many people are different, so just watch for it, I have notes on many people that if they open 8x or 10x pre then they will ALWAYS have AA/KK. Then there are the maniacs, which you see at the micros a lot, that will be doing that with anything just to gamble. All it takes is one time seeing this go to showdown to make that note when they have 38o.

QUESTION 2:Why was I called a donk? (note opponent had played very aggressively during 1hour or so) Early positioned opponent raises preflop to 0.35, I reraise Ts Ac to 0.60. Flop is Tc Qh Qs. Opponent checks, I raise 1xpot, opponent calls. Turn is blank. Opponent checks, I raise 1xpot, opponent calls. River is blank, opponent pushes all-in, I call and win 2 pairs, opponent has Js 9h.

What did I do wrong? An aggressive opponent, I tried to take control, if he had a Q he would have bet harder say at the turn (and I would have folded). If not, he could be slowplaying QQQ but quite odd since I was aggressive preflop, right(giving me 1 or 2 free cards would be stupid)? Was he bluffing (apparently!)?Was I really a donk? He did have straight draw but seems weird he would call a fairly big flop raise with only that. I did have a good hand postflop, correct?
First off, don't reraise ATo preflop, let alone with a weak bet. The biggest thing here is that you will get called a donk by many people that you beat when those people aren't thinking players. He set himself up all wrong for a bluff, assuming you both had 100BB stacks, his shove on the river was giving you 3:1 odds.

QUESTION 3:Which brings me to the following question. Let’s say I have TT and flop is xQx. Do I raise/call or do I have to check/fold only because I missed the flop? Sure he might have a Q, but I mean how likely is that? If opponent checks, that signals he does not have a Q, so what do I do? People always advise to never bluff in micro-stakes, but why not? Seems he doesn’t have a Q, so I might aswell raise some, no? Makes him think I have one, he might call and my semibluff is underway, or am I wrong? Or he folds, and I win the pot.
It isn't really bluffing, you very well may have the best hand, so the CB is more for value. If there is a call, then you can be more skeptical on the turn. If he raises, fold.


QUESTION 4:I try to calculate pot-odds vs outs as much as I can when having a flush draw etc post flop, but it is never necessary as everyone always raises too much. Saypot is 0.80, I have a flush draw, they will ALWAYS raise $1.50 or more. Is this only because people in microstakes tend to be sloppy / overly aggressive?
Are you talking that they make their first postflop bet $1.50 when the pot is .80? As in the are opening postflop action with an overbet? I barely ever see that and am guessing this is a pretty isolated case. If you're talking that their reraise after say a 1/2pot bet was to $1.50, that is no big deal.


QUESTION 5: Leads me to… do I need external software to succeed, or be a mathematical genious? To keep track of odds & pot odds? I try and use the above advice Ihave been told and it works ok on micro stakes, so far anyway.
Tracking software will help you out tremendously and if you want to gain a bit of an edge and more than likely get more on the same page as your opponents, then yes, get it. As far as software to track pot odds and odds of hitting, that's only for complete idiots imo.

QUESTION 6:If someone raises post flop, do you (experienced players) always think the person has a good hand? Let’s say you missed the flop, do you generally fold?(I know it’s hypothetical and depending on what cards are there, but still?).It just seems so static if people only play good hands. If everyone all the time plays only great hands, then no-one is the long term winner, right? Money will just go round and round. Guess question is, based on the very few things that I do know (see everything above), what is the main difference between a fish and a pro? Or maybe between a hobby-amateur and a pro?
Absolutely not, many people CBet between 60-80% of the time, and that is absolutely not how often they have the best hand. I look at each opponent for what I'm going to do when they do that. If they are CBetting too often, I might pop it up and they fold, if they never CBet, I will probably fold. One of the biggest differences between a fish and a pro is how to evaluate a hand based upon many different levels. A fish is primarily going to look only at their hand, a pro is going to look and their own hand, their opponent's past hands, their bet sizing, table dynamics, board texture, etc. Although, there are A LOT of other levels of players between fish and pros.

QUESTION 7:Based on all the information I have given away above, what would you call me –a fish, a donk or anything else?
A new poker player, take that how you want ;)

FINALQUESTION 8: Talks of position… In micro-stakes, why is position important? The blinds are tiny and there is always more money behind. Why not raise everytime you have a decent set of hole cards, regardless of position, even in early position? Followers at the table ought to do the same, call/raise if good cards,fold if bad.
The blinds are always the same in relation to the stakes. 1BB at 2NL is .02, 1BB at 20000NL is $200. Position is important because of where you are going to be in the action. If you are in late position, you get to see how the whole table reacts to the flop before you have to make any action. If you're in early position, you have to make your action before you can see anything about the opponents behind you.

Thanks so much for the answers, and any other input or advice would be much welcomed!! J
Hope that helps.
 
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Beasty2k

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This forum, like most others, will work best for you if you post one question at a time with an appropriate subject line (this lets the other people know what you're asking and you'll get more replies that way). There are really smart people here who will reply. Look at the Poker Strategy section of this site. You can learn a lot, but be patient because there is a lot to learn. We have a section for top threads here and I'd go there as well.

Google is your friend. Lots of acronyms get thrown around and you can usually use the search engine to learn more. For example, try here to see a glossary of poker terms.

I'm a book person and there are different books that will give you a foundation for playing poker. There are threads on this forum that will give you lots of information about that.

Software is worth looking into (I think it is invaluable). It is usually referred to as HUD. Search for that on this forum and you'll get details. I think you should spend your time on learning the game basics before getting into a HUD.

Position: It is crucial no matter what stakes you're playing. Search for it here and I'm sure you'll find lots of discussions about why in position is so much better than being out of position.

You'll learn that there are very few absolutes in poker because so much is dependent upon the specific situation you're in (your position, the type of player you are, your opponent's position, the type of player the opponent is). But there are some generalizations that can guide you and these you will need to study and learn. My suggestion is that you pick one subject (like position) and look into that and try to understand it well. Then pick another one (like player types) and do the same. Then look at "continuation bet" to see information about playing on the flop. And so on...

Expect that this process will happen for as long as you play poker. Please keep asking questions and posting here. Be patient and if you study and listen and question, you'll get better and better.

Thanks very much. Sorry for posting all questions in one single thread, in fact the only other forum I use online often criticizes users for posting too many new threads instead of accumulating them. I will post 1 question at a time next time :)

Thanks for all the tips. I have bought and started to read several books, and read a lot online every day. I will likely get a HUD but as you say only once I can confidently call myself a poker player.

During the weekend I read a good site on position, where it was explained mathematically why a late position is better. So now I will accept the phenomenon. :)

And I will follow your advice on taking one step at a time in order to learn. Thanks again!
 
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Beasty2k

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First off, don't reraise ATo preflop, let alone with a weak bet. The biggest thing here is that you will get called a donk by many people that you beat when those people aren't thinking players. He set himself up all wrong for a bluff, assuming you both had 100BB stacks, his shove on the river was giving you 3:1 odds.
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Thanks so much to you too for all the input. A few questions on your reply above though... Why not reraise ATo ? He had been playing very aggressively and could well have had a 2 & 5. Sorry not meaning to oppose just want to hear the logic behind that. And is that reraise (doubling his bet) considered a weak bet? Or did I misunderstand that? And finally the 3:1 odds, how do you calculate those and how can I use them in this scenario?
 
absoluthamm

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Thanks so much to you too for all the input. A few questions on your reply above though... Why not reraise ATo ? He had been playing very aggressively and could well have had a 2 & 5. Sorry not meaning to oppose just want to hear the logic behind that. And is that reraise (doubling his bet) considered a weak bet? Or did I misunderstand that? And finally the 3:1 odds, how do you calculate those and how can I use them in this scenario?

It's not that you can never 3Bet with ATo, it's just that you shouldn't get into any kind of habit with it, as it is a crap hand. Many hands will dominate you when you think you're ahead(AJ, AQ, AK on a Axx board). Basically, if you are 3Betting here, you're looking for a fold. You're not going to get that fold with a weak bet. He made the initial bet 3.5BB and you reraised it to only 6BB...WEAK! The somewhat standard practice is to reraise to somewhere around 3-3.5x their bet, so we'd be at around 10.5BB or $1.05. Although, since you're trying to get an overly aggressive player(I don't know how aggressive he really is, just going off what you say), you will want to make that more, I would say maybe up to $1.25. Can you see why this makes sense? With the way you played the hand, it only cost him .25 to call when he already had .35 invested. Betting stronger, it might cost him .90 more instead to chase that crap draw.

As for how I got the pot odds...
Preflop = .15(Blinds)+.60(You)+.60(Him) = $1.35
Flop = $1.35(Pot)+1.35(Your pot sized bet)+1.35(His Call) = $4.05
Turn = $4.05(Pot)+4.05(Your pot sized bet)+4.05(His Call) = $12.15
River = $12.15(Pot)+4.00(All he has left if 100BB) = 16.15Pot with 4.00 to call

16.15/4.00 = 4 = 4:1 odds, so I was wrong on my original guess.
 
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It's not that you can never 3Bet with ATo, it's just that you shouldn't get into any kind of habit with it, as it is a crap hand. Many hands will dominate you when you think you're ahead(AJ, AQ, AK on a Axx board). Basically, if you are 3Betting here, you're looking for a fold. You're not going to get that fold with a weak bet. He made the initial bet 3.5BB and you reraised it to only 6BB...WEAK! The somewhat standard practice is to reraise to somewhere around 3-3.5x their bet, so we'd be at around 10.5BB or $1.05. Although, since you're trying to get an overly aggressive player(I don't know how aggressive he really is, just going off what you say), you will want to make that more, I would say maybe up to $1.25. Can you see why this makes sense? With the way you played the hand, it only cost him .25 to call when he already had .35 invested. Betting stronger, it might cost him .90 more instead to chase that crap draw.

As for how I got the pot odds...
Preflop = .15(Blinds)+.60(You)+.60(Him) = $1.35
Flop = $1.35(Pot)+1.35(Your pot sized bet)+1.35(His Call) = $4.05
Turn = $4.05(Pot)+4.05(Your pot sized bet)+4.05(His Call) = $12.15
River = $12.15(Pot)+4.00(All he has left if 100BB) = 16.15Pot with 4.00 to call

16.15/4.00 = 4 = 4:1 odds, so I was wrong on my original guess.
Thanks again, I do understand why it normally would be wise to 3b more to get him to fold. However, I have to admit that my aim was not to get him to fold. It may be a crap hand but I guess I thought that it was fairly decent compared to hands he had been playing earlier (calling preflop raises with 96o e.g.), so I really thought I could beat him with ATo. I wanted him to call.

And thanks for the clarification on the pot odds. But why are pot odds (4:1 in this case) relevant whether I should call his river shove or not? Should I be thinking 4:1 means a relatively small bet vs what I actually can win? As the first piece of advise I ever got was to not keep calling/betting just because you have put a fair amount into the pot in earlier rounds - "fold if you don't think you can win, regardless how much you put into the pot before". Looking at pot odds when at a draw on the flop, I understand it.

(I realize I am going into too deep detail on one single hand, but I am trying to get a general grip on how to think and therefore this is the best example I have)
 
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Arjonius

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As a beginner, the quickest and surest route to profitability is playing ABC. People will give you money through their poor and questionable play. As you improve, you'll learn when and how to take pots away from people, part of which involves how to identify likely candidates. But trying to do that right away is getting ahead of yourself.
 
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