New player needs help (no-limit)

Hey guys. I'm sort of a new player, I only play with friends at home. We also don't play for money. It's usually 5 of us. I know I have more knowledge of the game than all of them combined but I have yet to win a match. I've been getting tons of bad beats so that has to be taken into account but still it's always this one friend that wins most of the time but I know I'm better than him. I've read Doyles Super System on No-Limit and Dan Harrington's Vol. 1 on Holdem Tourneys. And I watch a ton of videos on YouTube and read some articles online. I usually play kinda tight and I play aggressive when I get a good hand. But most of the time I lose with my big hands. Yesterday I got KK on the Button and raised 3x the BB and the BB called me (He's the worst player there, a total fish). The flop came 3 A 3 rainbow. He bet out about 1/4 of the pot. I raised him. And he went all in. I folded showed the KK's and he showed J 10 suited. Other than that hand is there any tips I can get as a beginner? I also don't calculate pot odds. Would learning this help my game significantly? Anything else that I should know that is essential to be good? THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Michal said:

The flop came 3 A 3 rainbow. He bet out about 1/4 of the pot. I raised him. And he went all in. I folded showed the KK's and he showed J 10 suited. Other than that hand is there any tips I can get as a beginner? I also don't calculate pot odds. Would learning this help my game significantly? Anything else that I should know that is essential to be good? THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

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first of all i would tell you to never ever ever show a hand that you fold but it seems your friends already have you figured out so probably don't matter much now. your just reinforcing the fact that you can be bluffed.

secondly, raising KK on 3A3 board is really bad. just wanted to point that out. generally you want to get to showdown as cheap as possible with your marginal hands. KK on 3A3 is very marginal.

Going to be really hard to judge how good anyone is if youre not playing for money. My experience in games for fun is nearly everyone sees a flop.

Hard to say how anyone would of played your hand considering we dont know if this was a tourney or play money format. If it was a tourney then we dont know stacks, blinds, antes or any of the particulars that would go into your thinking.

You're on the right track with your studying but I would suggest that you start playing some small stakes whether online or live and keep track of your play and results. Goodluck

One tactic you could employ while you are still learning the game is keeping the pots smaller in general and not getting the money in till the river and you are sure you have the best of it. If you are not the best at judging when you are infront or behind then keeping pots small till the river means you can't go broke in one hand. It also may stop as many bad beats if you are getting your money all in on the flop and then getting sucked out on. Try not to bluff these players as they are fish and will not fold especially if it is for play money. So just continue to play tight and bet bigger when you have 2 pair hands + (if they start picking up on the this then make all your bet sizing similar but I imagine they wont) GL

This isn't an optimal tactic anywhere else but by the sound of the people you are playing against it may work (Dont use it anywhere else ha)

Thanks for the help guys! This REALLY helped!! I usually lose my money to the fish that is the worst player at the table. The player that usually wins all the time doesn't really raise much. He limps in a lot and beats people on flops. He does bluff pre-flop from time to time. He'll put in a 7x BB raise and everyone folds and he steals the blinds. Especially during the higher blinds. I know he's bluffing in those situations but I always have a shitty hand. One example is: 3 players left. I'm on the BB. He raises like 8x the BB on the button. The SB folds. I look down at 6 2 off and fold my BB. He shows 8 2 off for a bluff. Was my fold correct?

Michal said:

Thanks for the help guys! This REALLY helped!! I usually lose my money to the fish that is the worst player at the table. The player that usually wins all the time doesn't really raise much. He limps in a lot and beats people on flops. He does bluff pre-flop from time to time. He'll put in a 7x BB raise and everyone folds and he steals the blinds. Especially during the higher blinds. I know he's bluffing in those situations but I always have a shitty hand. One example is: 3 players left. I'm on the BB. He raises like 8x the BB on the button. The SB folds. I look down at 6 2 off and fold my BB. He shows 8 2 off for a bluff. Was my fold correct?

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Yeah unless you have soul read on him then 3bet him.

Michal said:

One example is: 3 players left. I'm on the BB. He raises like 8x the BB on the button. The SB folds. I look down at 6 2 off and fold my BB. He shows 8 2 off for a bluff. Was my fold correct?

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Yes, no, maybe.

If you know he has squat then you can certainly come over the top of him with absolutely nothing and make him the one who has to back down. If you are playing with him regular you should be getting a read on when he's doing this (such as an excessive PF bet to make you go away).

And stop selling him short - it sounds like he is playing pretty smart and knows A) he has to steak blinds to survive and B) when you are shorthanded aggression rules. He is adjusting and you are not.
#1 leak - thinking you are a better player than you are. You might know more about the game - this does not make you the better player.

He is making a huge mistake though by showing his bluff instead of making you wonder. It's one thing to advertise for action but when you are 3 handed is not the time to do that.

He might be a complete fish but now you have to question your ability to exploit that.

But when it's a free game and nothing is at stake then for a lot of people there is really no reason or motivation to play optimal poker, is there?

You make some good points. How can I adjust to this? Usually when I raise with my good hands I get called by the worst player there, and then if the flop doesn't help me (lets say I have AK) I don't know what to do. Because he will call basically anything. One time he called down with Queen high. The good player that I was talking about though limps a lot. Should I too see more flops in shorthanded play? And how can I play aggressive when I have calling stations all around me?

A good way to get alot of practice without spending money is by playing the funsteps on the merge network. There are three steps in all and if you make it to the third step you win a buck. Of course, step one games are wilder, alot of people go all in or play any two cards but once you get to step two, the play becomes more like a real money game and by step three, the play is comparable to low limit 1 table tournament play...of course, this is just one opinion, but it has helped my game so I thought I'd throw that out there... Also, when there are wild players and calling stations, you should only play your best hands and then make them pay. One last thought, position matters. If your under the gun with a top hand, it will be harder to take down the pot than if you are on the button. Hope this helps...and good luck!

Michal said:

Thanks for the help guys! This REALLY helped!! I usually lose my money to the fish that is the worst player at the table. The player that usually wins all the time doesn't really raise much. He limps in a lot and beats people on flops. He does bluff pre-flop from time to time. He'll put in a 7x BB raise and everyone folds and he steals the blinds. Especially during the higher blinds. I know he's bluffing in those situations but I always have a shitty hand. One example is: 3 players left. I'm on the BB. He raises like 8x the BB on the button. The SB folds. I look down at 6 2 off and fold my BB. He shows 8 2 off for a bluff. Was my fold correct?

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Yup, I would say it was... thing is, I think that when in doubt, its best to save your money for taking down the pot with your best hands when you are in position. Position is very important. In real estate, they say "location, location, location..." In poker I say, "position, position, position..."...

Michal said:

You make some good points. How can I adjust to this? Usually when I raise with my good hands I get called by the worst player there, and then if the flop doesn't help me (lets say I have AK) I don't know what to do. Because he will call basically anything. One time he called down with Queen high. The good player that I was talking about though limps a lot. Should I too see more flops in shorthanded play? And how can I play aggressive when I have calling stations all around me?

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Well that is the ideal situation - have a guy you will call you when you have a good hand. When you miss the flop (and you will about 2 out of 3 times) you have two choices - shut it down or continue to represent your good hand. At least with AK you will have two over cards to hopefully hit on the turn or flop.
But keep in mind that missing the flop two out of three times applies to him too.

Yes, you should see more flops in shorthanded, but maybe not as many as you, or a lot of players, might think. When it gets shorthanded you can adjust by playing good Black Jack hands (totals of 19 and above - so like A9, K9, Q9, J9, T9 and better - small pairs and SC also can have increased value shorthanded). I am oversimplifying this so you other guys don't crucify me too bad - just cutting to the chase.

You actually have a great opportunity to start focusing on reading the cards and your opponents. These guys are regulars that you face. At the very least you should be very familiar with their tendencies if not outright tells.

I have a list on the regulars I face:

Charlie - always puts chips on his cards after his PF bet. He puts them down a little more emphatically when he has a monster. Softly when he is playing a spec hand.

Bill - ALWAYS grabs his chips well ahead of his turn if he is going to bet.

Jim - Blinks incessantly when bluffing. Stares straight away when he has it.

Kurt - If he says "Oh shit" it's probably a monster.

Gonzo - Has no problem 3 barreling with absolutely nothing.

Dave - Limp fold - limp fold - limp fold - never saw a spec hand he didn't love preflop - BEWARE a wet flop

Bill G - Seems to be on a mission to bust me and gives me no credence at all. I can raise huge PF and he will call me - even as much as 1/4 stack on first level (so RAISE BIG with monsters when he is playing after me).

Start your own list and you'll own these guys.


Being aggressive is good but even more important - especially in this case - it's all about the read.

MediaBLITZ said:

I have a list on the regulars I face:

Charlie - always puts chips on his cards after his PF bet. He puts them down a little more emphatically when he has a monster. Softly when he is playing a spec hand.

Bill - ALWAYS grabs his chips well ahead of his turn if he is going to bet.

Jim - Blinks incessantly when bluffing. Stares straight away when he has it.

Kurt - If he says "Oh shit" it's probably a monster.

Gonzo - Has no problem 3 barreling with absolutely nothing.

Dave - Limp fold - limp fold - limp fold - never saw a spec hand he didn't love preflop - BEWARE a wet flop

Bill G - Seems to be on a mission to bust me and gives me no credence at all. I can raise huge PF and he will call me - even as much as 1/4 stack on first level (so RAISE BIG with monsters when he is playing after me).

Start your own list and you'll own these guys.


Being aggressive is good but even more important - especially in this case - it's all about the read.

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Brilliant haha, love the names. Bill, normal Jim, normal Dave, normal and Gonzo. Brilliant.

Class idea though

Thanks so much guys! This is really helping! I wanna get better so badly. Out of the 10 times that we have played at his house, I didn't win 1 time. I KNOW that I have more knowledge than these guys but like you said, it doesn't make me a better player. A lot of times I play really well. I'll bet big to give them the wrong odds for their flushes but they still call and hit them. This causes me to lose a lot of money so maybe a different strategy around this?

I'll start taking notes on their tendencies.

In Brunson's Super System book he says he likes to limp with Ax small suited because it traps other opponents with lower flush hands. Is this a good strategy shorthanded? I actually did that twice today but I always got a bad flop.

"Well that is the ideal situation - have a guy you will call you when you have a good hand. When you miss the flop (and you will about 2 out of 3 times) you have two choices - shut it down or continue to represent your good hand. At least with AK you will have two over cards to hopefully hit on the turn or flop. But keep in mind that missing the flop two out of three times applies to him too." -------------- But what if I keep betting and they keep calling until the river and then catch a pair on the river and I lose a big pot? It happened to me a couple of times already :/ Are they just getting lucky?

"When it gets shorthanded you can adjust by playing good Black Jack hands (totals of 19 and above - so like A9, K9, Q9, J9, T9 and better - small pairs and SC also can have increased value shorthanded)."-----------Would these hands be raising hands with 5 or 6 players? Or calling hands?

I'm so motivated to get better lol