+++ May Cash Game Thread +++

[Wes747]

Hello May. If I play poker this month when finals end will you let me win?

Goals for the month.
10-20K hands(yeah I know, tiny, but I figured out recently that months where I play low volumes, usualy only when I feel like playing and up for it, are more profitable months then the once I grind like crazy so im just gonna play low volumes and have fun since that should translate into more $ imo).
Play good and study.
Pass all my exams.

I hear ya man. I have 2 this week and 2 next week, and then I'm done for the summer. Grad school is a B****!!!

 

[BelgoSuisse]

haha, I literally can't win this year and dont understand why I have ran this bad all year?

+1.

 

[cAPSLOCK]

I will lurk here as I traditionally do the cash thread. OK... That is all.

 

[ComplexPlaya]

-10 BI's yesterday on major major major tilt, tilt is over now hopefully I will change the awful start into a good month!

 

[No Brainer]

Cooler? Last hand of a very non eventful session. Villain was pretty fishy but there was really only 2 hands I could put him on when he wanted to get it in on the turn. He showed up with the one that I didn't want to see... Drawing dead with 200bbs in the pot is crap.

Still, versus AA, AKs, AKo I am 75/25. Even if you throw in AJs, AJo which I really cant see him 3 betting pre flop with, I am 60/40...

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.05(BB) Replayer
SB ($8.48)
BB ($5.07)
Hero ($11.14)
UTG+1 ($10.25)
UTG+2 ($11.67)
MP1 ($5)
MP2 ($10.14)
CO ($10.46)
BTN ($12.25)

Dealt to Hero J:heart: J:club:

Hero raises to $0.20, fold, fold, fold, MP2 raises to $0.45, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.25

FLOP ($0.97) J:spade: 3:heart: A:heart:

Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.35, Hero calls $0.35

TURN ($1.67) J:spade: 3:heart: A:heart: A:diamond:

Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.45, Hero raises to $2, MP2 raises to $3.55, Hero raises to $7.50, MP2 raises to $9.34 (AI), Hero calls $1.84

RIVER ($20.35) J:spade: 3:heart: A:heart: A:diamond: 9:heart:

Hero shows J:heart: J:club:
(Pre 18%, Flop 8.9%, Turn 0.0%)

MP2 shows A:spade: A:club:
(Pre 82%, Flop 91.1%, Turn 100.0%)

MP2 wins $19

 

[cAPSLOCK]

Definitely a cooler Stubz. Money had to go in. I don't see how to play it differently. Maybe re-raise the flop, but then don't you just fold his weaker hands?

 

[thepokerkid123]

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.05(BB) Replayer
SB ($8.48)
BB ($5.07)
Hero ($11.14)
UTG+1 ($10.25)
UTG+2 ($11.67)
MP1 ($5)
MP2 ($10.14)
CO ($10.46)
BTN ($12.25)

Dealt to Hero J♥ J♣

Hero raises to $0.20, fold, fold, fold, MP2 raises to $0.45, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.25

Raise-fold pre-flop, imo. You're OOP so I don't like calling (what's your plan post-flop?) and you're too deep to 4bet JJ.

FLOP ($0.97) J♠ 3♥ A♥

Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.35, Hero calls $0.35

If you do get here, bet (even if it means donk betting). You're getting action from A's and you want to build a pot, when you donk it's hard for villain to fold anything he'd bet for value (considering the difference in final pot size against his value range and the amount he's likely to bluff with his air, I think we focus on his value range even though he has it less often). Although a c/r would be a reasonable alternative to leading out.
The point is, you have a set on an A high board in a 3bet pot, you can get a lot of money in but I think you need to start building the pot now to do that.

TURN ($1.67) J♠ 3♥ A♥ A♦

Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.45, Hero raises to $2, MP2 raises to $3.55, Hero raises to $7.50, MP2 raises to $9.34 (AI), Hero calls $1.84

Be happy to get the chips in. Cry when the cards are turned over. Cooler.
Not sure I like the c/c flop, c/r turn line (nuts or bigger nuts?). You get value from a wider range (considering card removal difference between flop and turn) by showing some aggression on the flop.
RIVER ($20.35) J♠ 3♥ A♥ A♦ 9♥

Hero shows J♥ J♣
(Pre 18%, Flop 8.9%, Turn 0.0%)

MP2 shows A♠ A♣
(Pre 82%, Flop 91.1%, Turn 100.0%)

MP2 wins $19

Not sure I like the way you played it, but yeah it was a cooler and I don't think you can ever fold after seeing the flop.

 

[thepokerkid123]

Actually, ignore me, I'm multi-tasking (and I don't multi-task for a reason).

Raise-call pre-flop to set mine.

 

[Crummy]

I REALLY hope May brings me the same or better results as April.... Live I made a little over $2,100 playing cash (1/2NLHE with a very small profit at 1/3NLHE) playing on weekends, mostly only Saturdays with a few Fridays in there and one Thursday. Online I am down about $150, but I am going to start playing some more MTT and SnG's along with my cash games....

 

[LuckyChippy]

I need to play more live. It seems way more profitable than online and I like the feel of live games from experiences with friends and family, without real pennies though.

I live in Manchester so there are plenty of casinos around but I'm not sure where is good for poker. Seems a bit hit and miss. I've heard the G casino is full of regs too :/. Any advice?

 

[No Brainer]

Actually, ignore me, I'm multi-tasking (and I don't multi-task for a reason).

Raise-call pre-flop to set mine.

This is exactly what I was doing, 3 bet was a min raise and 200bb stacks. Although its not so great oop I think I would be getting stacks in against his TPTK a lot of the time. Looking at it now, I really should have check raised the flop. The only hands I had him on are AA, KK, QQ, AK so if he didn't hit that flop the only way he is going to improve his hand is by improving to a bigger hand than mine.

 

[Jurn8]

C9 do you ever go on AIM?

 

[thepokerkid123]

I need to play more live. It seems way more profitable than online and I like the feel of live games from experiences with friends and family, without real pennies though.

I live in Manchester so there are plenty of casinos around but I'm not sure where is good for poker. Seems a bit hit and miss. I've heard the G casino is full of regs too :/. Any advice?

Live regs mostly suck, there are some good ones but they are the great minority.

The problems with live are that the rake is really high and some games have forced short buy ins.

 

[absoluthamm]

Hope everyone else does great this month. I am already up a little more this month as I was last month as a whole, so it's been good so far. Also, if I wasn't following a fairly strict BRM ruling, I have just passed over what many people use as a bottom line of buy-ins for 10NL, but I'm kind of a nit when it comes to that and I like having more of a cushion. Bring it on May!

Also, it doesn't really have much to do with Cash games, but I might use some of my FT Academy Points to buy into some miniFTOPS events as I have quite a few of them and could buy into a couple, so I'm looking forward to that this month as well.

 

[F Paulsson]

For all the people who want to study the game really hard: Good idea. I'm all for it. But, and this is kinda important, knowing how to play does not automatically translate into actually doing it at the tables. I'm guessing that for most people, focusing on one concept and then practising it at the tables for a while and then learning the next one is the best way to go. Especially especially especially if your plan for when you're "done" studying is to fire up 10+ tables and grind away. You simply won't have the time to sit and go "okay, so his range is wide and he doesn't double barrel often and... let's see..." when you flop the nut flush draw in position. You need to have the vast majority of your entire gameplan internalized.

So studying is great, but your goal isn't to just understand how to do something, your goal (I assume) is to actually be able to do it. And for that, you need to study and practise. Some of that practise can be done away from the tables, but the lion's share of it should probably take place in real action. You obviously don't have to play lots of tables to practise, though. Fire up one or two, make a note on everything that you find that you have to think about, study those offline, go back, rinse, repeat.

 

[marknz88]

For all the people who want to study the game really hard: Good idea. I'm all for it. But, and this is kinda important, knowing how to play does not automatically translate into actually doing it at the tables. I'm guessing that for most people, focusing on one concept and then practising it at the tables for a while and then learning the next one is the best way to go. Especially especially especially if your plan for when you're "done" studying is to fire up 10+ tables and grind away. You simply won't have the time to sit and go "okay, so his range is wide and he doesn't double barrel often and... let's see..." when you flop the nut flush draw in position. You need to have the vast majority of your entire gameplan internalized.

So studying is great, but your goal isn't to just understand how to do something, your goal (I assume) is to actually be able to do it. And for that, you need to study and practise. Some of that practise can be done away from the tables, but the lion's share of it should probably take place in real action. You obviously don't have to play lots of tables to practise, though. Fire up one or two, make a note on everything that you find that you have to think about, study those offline, go back, rinse, repeat.

Great advice!

I was thinking that once I have $600 to cover a deposit bonus that I will start playing a few hours a week (and only 1-2 tables) focussing on one aspect of my play at a time till I improve.

This way I can clear my bonus quicker in preparation for the end of year and also get in the practical experience to reinforce the theory (which is always harder to do in practice than it sounds)

I've got a lot to learn still. After my first circa 50k hands of poker I 'm a losing player, but hope to turn that around with more discipline and knowledge later in the year.

 

[ComplexPlaya]

For all the people who want to study the game really hard: Good idea. I'm all for it. But, and this is kinda important, knowing how to play does not automatically translate into actually doing it at the tables. I'm guessing that for most people, focusing on one concept and then practising it at the tables for a while and then learning the next one is the best way to go. Especially especially especially if your plan for when you're "done" studying is to fire up 10+ tables and grind away. You simply won't have the time to sit and go "okay, so his range is wide and he doesn't double barrel often and... let's see..." when you flop the nut flush draw in position. You need to have the vast majority of your entire gameplan internalized.

So studying is great, but your goal isn't to just understand how to do something, your goal (I assume) is to actually be able to do it. And for that, you need to study and practise. Some of that practise can be done away from the tables, but the lion's share of it should probably take place in real action. You obviously don't have to play lots of tables to practise, though. Fire up one or two, make a note on everything that you find that you have to think about, study those offline, go back, rinse, repeat.

Do you think sticking to 4 tables while studying and trying to apply the stuff is too much, or it can work as well?

 

[F Paulsson]

Do you think sticking to 4 tables while studying and trying to apply the stuff is too much, or it can work as well?

I don't really have any specific number to recommend. It depends on the concept and how well you play in general. The key point is that you don't play more tables than will leave you with enough time to actually think the situations through that you need to think through. For me, that means that I need to be able to spend maybe 5 seconds on the decisions I want to study more closely, and how many tables you can play and still spend five extra uninterrupted seconds (or how many you decide that you need) at one of them is up to you.

 

[eNTy]

i dont know why but i just had a vision of FP talking to a hand puppet for 5 seconds every decision

 

[F Paulsson]

i dont know why but i just had a vision of FP talking to a hand puppet for 5 seconds every decision

I've been trying to use my inner voice, but sometimes I break out Mr. Hat.

 

[eNTy]

 

[F Paulsson]

That's exactly what I look like three seconds after saying "well, Mr. Hat, he obviously doesn't have the straight" and half a second after him showing me the straight.

 

[F Paulsson]

First session of the month is a win. Phew.

 

[LuckyChippy]

To FP and anyone else who has some advice, I was wondering where you think a good place to start is regarding improving your game concept by concept. Maybe a list? I'm really unsure and like most things in life with such a big task and so many things to target, it can be kind of daunting.

 

[F Paulsson]

Very short list:

* Preflop.

Get a solid tight-aggressive strategy for preflop down pat and you're well on your way. Make it much tighter than you think is "right." There will be plenty of time to make it wider as you figure postflop out. If you're playing 6-max, I'd shoot for something like 17/14 to begin with.