New bad habit of calling all hands since i stopped drinking and playing?

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Rishlin

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Hi Guys

In a serious attempt to improve my poker game after watching pokerstars videos and reading up on strategy sessions, I stopped drinking during games and tried to focus by paying attention to every hand.

Now I end up calling every hand and I'm usually short stacked very early in the game, I then have to focus twice as hard to get to bank to my initial chip stack.

I seem to call right until the river and then realize it was a bad idea to call in the first place, then I fold instead of going "all in". This usually happens in the first 5 minutes of any tournament:( Because of this i can't even play simple Sit and go's anymore.

Advice to resolve this? It seems I have made my game worse by trying to improve it???

Rishlin
 
toots babos

toots babos

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Click the fold button more! Take your time with each of your decisions and put some real thought into each and every one of them and justify to yourself why you are doing what you are doing, if it makes sense then go ahead with it and if it doesn't then fold. Start drilling fold into your head. Fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold
 
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Tgen

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who exactly says you should call every hand? actually you should fold a lot unless you have a read.
 
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Rishlin

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I folded and I won a tournament in Netbet Poker! I hope i can keep folding:)

When is the right time to go all, in the case when there is a player on the table that is placing bets the size of your stack? Should we wait for him to get bored or call him when you are big blind?

It usually happens when you register in the middle of late reg.
 
Poker Orifice

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Hi Guys

In a serious attempt to improve my poker game after watching pokerstars videos and reading up on strategy sessions, I stopped drinking during games and tried to focus by paying attention to every hand.

Now I end up calling every hand and I'm usually short stacked very early in the game, I then have to focus twice as hard to get to bank to my initial chip stack.

I seem to call right until the river and then realize it was a bad idea to call in the first place, then I fold instead of going "all in". This usually happens in the first 5 minutes of any tournament:( Because of this i can't even play simple Sit and go's anymore.

Advice to resolve this? It seems I have made my game worse by trying to improve it???

Rishlin

summarized your post for you...

Hi Guys,
I used to suck in tournaments and was sure it was because I drank while playing.
So I've quit drinking (while playing) and found out I really do suck.

Any advice?




Sure Rishlin,
I would suggest going back to drinking while playing. Maybe increase the amount you're drinking in an effort to skew your perception of your own play... hopefully enough so that you think you are actually good (or at least getting better).
gl
 
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toots babos

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summarized your post for you...

Hi Guys,
I used to suck in tournaments and was sure it was because I drank while playing.
So I've quit drinking (while playing) and found out I really do suck.

Any advice?




Sure Rishlin,
I would suggest going back to drinking while playing. Maybe increase the amount you're drinking in an effort to skew your perception of your own play... hopefully enough so that you think you are actually good (or at least getting better).
gl

Funny man you are
 
Shumkoolie

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The year Joe Hachem won the Main Event (2005), there was a memorable clip from earlier in that final table from the eventual runner up, Steve Dannenmann that I think you should watch and take in and think about it as it relates to your own game.

"Not calling a raise is only a small mistake".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxiUzbS7sAY

Hope that helps you out.
 
pricechoppin

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Tighten up your game a bit, and focus more until you get a good read for the players at your table. Once you know how people are playing it makes it easier to know what u can and can not get away with. gl
 
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subdylzep

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Chances are you are more focused and believe that you have a better understanding of the hands and the way to play the game and the players you are playing against, but your problem is your hand range most definitely. If you are playing a lot of different hands early in the tournament chances are there are many to the flop and many people to hit an actual made hand, even if you understand the play and understand what is going on, it doesnt help if someone has you beat with a made hand. So altough, your strategy and play might be somewhat better you need to tighten up your hand range. Just for the very beginning it seems like. I am a fan of playing a huge range of hands early in the tournament but you have to make sure you know who u are playing against and usually you want to do this in isolation if at all possible. While you are playing so many hands early it is not giving you enough information to find out what the rest of the table is doing, You need to find out who the people that are playing poker are and the people that are gambling. You also want to know the ones that are playing aggressive and the ones that are playing tight. Finding out who you are playing will help you a great deal, and if you tighten your hand range for the first 3 or so blind levels that should give you a good chance to figure out what each person is up to. Im sure your play isnt that bad, so what you need to do is focus more on gathering information before you start implementing your certain styyle of play, remember you always have to adjust to the table you are on, you never know how they are going to go so figure it out first and then adjust accordingly and play your best then. Good luck.
 
rensks

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every hand will give a chance to win the game, but i think you should wait to hands that gives you more probabilities, for example, with 3-4 you can make very good things, but the chances to win with a pair of one of them are low if in the flop there is just one card higher, than the one you have, i mean i personally prefer to go if its not with a par in hand, with two different cards but of a higher level, there are obviously some things like the probabilities of making a flush draw, but even in that case higher level cards gives you more chances, well at least is what i think.. with my little experience.. hope to help in someway
 
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Rishlin

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Thank you guys folding issue has improved

Thanks again guys, to those of you who took the time to help this
"Aspiring Member":). With your advice this beginner managed to improve a little with his folding issue.

The video
helped answer a few questions that I had. thanks Shumkoolie

And to the online "CardsChat Elite's" Poker Orifice, excellent Cardschat welcome to a beginner member you gave there.

When I grow up I wanna be a professional "online poker gangster" just like Poker Orifice :D :cool:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Poker Orifice
summarized your post for you...

Sure Rishlin,
I would suggest going back to drinking while playing. Maybe increase the amount you're drinking in an effort to skew your perception of your own play... hopefully enough so that you think you are actually good (or at least getting better).
gl
 
leshausa03

leshausa03

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The first 5 minutes - is always a lottery. Many unnecessary risk in the beginning to get a starting stack and play more quietly.
 
PapaC

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You know yourself that the problem is the first 5 minutes. So at that time you should be folding more, and playing only great starting hands, and even play them with care. Sometimes it don't matter what you play if you are not hitting the flop. Were you playing worse while you were drinking? I like to drink a little just to the point of calm, but over doing it is not good. Been there done that. But you are doing the right thing posting the problems you have. GL to you
 
ribaric

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Look you have to fold preflops more. Calling every hand is not profitable. Play tight. If you hit a good flop then be aggressive. Play on AK AQ AJ but dnt play hands like A4 A2 A7....
 
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Rishlin

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You know yourself that the problem is the first 5 minutes. So at that time you should be folding more, and playing only great starting hands, and even play them with care. Sometimes it don't matter what you play if you are not hitting the flop. Were you playing worse while you were drinking? I like to drink a little just to the point of calm, but over doing it is not good. Been there done that. But you are doing the right thing posting the problems you have. GL to you

Hi Papa

I was playing about the same before, I find now by having music in the background on playing the freerolls during the main games, helps me found all the hands i think i should.
 
bprpm

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Easy advice:
In early stage of the tournament a lot of players play a big range of the hands because the blinds are small, and they have big stack... But that's is the wrong way to play, in the early stage u need to observe the players and only play good hands, to maximize our profit!
 
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Rishlin

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Easy advice:
In early stage of the tournament a lot of players play a big range of the hands because the blinds are small, and they have big stack... But that's is the wrong way to play, in the early stage u need to observe the players and only play good hands, to maximize our profit!

Thanks Bpr, i dont usually observe players in the early stages, usually i do that before the bubble. Will start getting into the habit of observing players from the start.
 
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println

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I'm not saying this is a very good long term strategy but there may be benefit to your bankroll to NOT pay as close attention to the other players. Relax, have a drink, and just play your cards in a more straight-forward manner.

I think watching top-level players like EPT and then playing a $1 tournament is very dangerous. Remember, you are watching a highlight reel and fancy plays should only be attempted if you understand the various reasons a professional is making them. 95% of the time, the hands you don't see on TV, the play is more straight-forward.

Early on I suffered from 'fancy play syndrome' just like you describe. I'd closely focus in one a player thinking he was constantly bluffing me. I'd re-raise in weird spots, call when the player was gladly trying to put more money in the pot, trying to run some insane river bluff.
 
jscales

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Paying attention

I think the question I get when I read your thread is what exactly are you paying attention to. It's one thing to watch the action as it unfolds, it is another to pay attention to what people are doing at the table as the action unfolds. I'm not talking about "tells" in the sense that someone blinks twice when he has a good hand. Rather when is this person raising. What is the range of cards that he is raising with from that position etc. That is my suggestion.
 
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I seem to be in the same boat 1 out of every 10 tournaments it works but not very good odds atm.
 
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Streetwylde

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Nothing wrong with drinking and playing. Thing is if you are playing drunk, that's just stupidity.
 
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PKRNRS

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Hi Guys



In a serious attempt to improve my poker game after watching pokerstars videos and reading up on strategy sessions, I stopped drinking during games and tried to focus by paying attention to every hand.



Now I end up calling every hand and I'm usually short stacked very early in the game, I then have to focus twice as hard to get to bank to my initial chip stack.



I seem to call right until the river and then realize it was a bad idea to call in the first place, then I fold instead of going "all in". This usually happens in the first 5 minutes of any tournament:( Because of this i can't even play simple Sit and go's anymore.



Advice to resolve this? It seems I have made my game worse by trying to improve it???



Rishlin



Are you only playing only 10% of your hands? Playing in position? Narrow range in the early position and adding hands in middle and late position? Are you focused on the right things. Always look for a reason to fold.
 
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cj2327

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I ran into a similar problem when I first started seriously reading about poker. For me, I was able to identify the problem pretty quickly when I analyzed a few losing sessions. I was using pot odds and implied odds to justify every call, thinking "Well, I'm getting 3-1 on my money, and I've got second pair. If he's ahead now, I've got 5 outs to 2-pair or trips, and there's gotta be a big enough chance he's bluffing to justify this call. Then if I hit, I can take his whole stack!" If this sounds like your thought process, I have two subjects I'd recommend reading up on - reverse implied odds (avoid situations where you win a small pot or lose a big one) and ICM (can help you justify folds even when you think they might be slightly -ev because you can afford to wait for a bigger advantage).
 
Jim Brown

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Play some without calling at all, i.e., either raise, fold, or check. If your raise is going to commit you to a call all in for effective stacks just raise all in first. Occasionally you're going to have spots where you have to call, like holding the nuts and being shoved on, but life is tough. Pay attention to which players are likely to fold in spots depending on history, stack sizes, and remaining players.
 
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PokerArt9791

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Hi Guys

In a serious attempt to improve my poker game after watching pokerstars videos and reading up on strategy sessions, I stopped drinking during games and tried to focus by paying attention to every hand.

Now I end up calling every hand and I'm usually short stacked very early in the game, I then have to focus twice as hard to get to bank to my initial chip stack.

I seem to call right until the river and then realize it was a bad idea to call in the first place, then I fold instead of going "all in". This usually happens in the first 5 minutes of any tournament:( Because of this i can't even play simple Sit and go's anymore.

Advice to resolve this? It seems I have made my game worse by trying to improve it???

Rishlin


I used almost did not drink, well, 2-3 times a year. But when I started seriously, Activities poker, I'm drunk. Who can explain to me.
 
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