I haven't updated my thread in several days now and there has been a specific reason for this:
I have been trying to gather data and process thru filter settings in my software to continue learning and to be able to formulate questions; and discover the many places, positionally, as well as thought processes at the table that are flawed or lacking in basic fundamental value-understanding:
I am at the 5k hand history mark for 2nl (w/ a few hundo hands from 4nl). Which was no easy feat considering my limited options for room selection (thanks d.o.j.) and low traffic volume at sites that do allow USA.
WARNING this is gonna be long:
I am the type of person who gravitates quickly to wanting to be the best i can be at something, and often this means that I will skim through fundementals (unintentionally), thinking I've fully grasped something, and move onto more "advanced" study.
As someone new to online cash (ring) game & at the bottom level (2nl); I believe this has been a solid realization, and hopefully now can go back to more fundamental aspects, albeit truly moving forward.
The following is level specific for 2nl:
I have read in 1 of so many articles this idea of "not playing the same game."
As has been stated prior in this thread it is my realization that truly 90%+ of 2nl players are "braindead fish", who are NOT playing the same game as I am. While I have for the most part a veritable reasoning process for the way I play a specific hand, they (the fish) do not understand what is going on, nor do they have good logic behind their play(s).
Hence why in so many "beating the micros" type articles and books it is clearly prescribed to play ABC, solid, fundemental poker. Over the past several years It is my understanding that
online poker has become much more challenging then it was back in '05-'07, and that these braindead fish (BDF) have many very bad pre-concieved ideas about how to play poker due to the cut and paste edited games they see on TV, and home games, which is really been there only source of education. Considering this then, how do I exploit them to the fullest, and then move on to the next level?
Key Concept: Understanding My Own Style & Play:
My current stats over 5k hands are: 21/19/54; 3bet=5.6%; ft3bet=69%;
callcbet/flop=38%; callcbet/turn=74%; cbet/turn=67%;
wonsdwhen raised turn=54%
steat attempt=39% steal succes 33% steal /won SD=49%
steal won w/o sd=85%
(Ok I know thats a lot of stats and there are many more that I could include; and will be happy to do so if requested.)
I am naturally more of LAG type, and have to remind myself constantly to be less so, its this balance between LAG vs. LAP (loose-passive) vs. NIT to =TAG.
My post flop play needs some work! One of the stats that really grabbed my attention was the:
won SD when raised turn=54%. . . .ONLY 54%! This goes back to the WA/WB Theorem. Considering the fact that maybe I was sucked out on (rivered) conservatively 10% that would leave 36% that I was WB, this is a big leak.
Next I will post some hand histories specifically for critique on my post flop play:
Exhibit A:
This is a hand I played w/ TPTK, the board was monochrome, but I clearly should have folded the Turn or at least 1/2 potted instead of trying to rep. a suited hand (and potted); at this level they are rarely folding flushes even w/ small rags; the villain in the SB was a LAG, and made this trickier; but i should have folded regardless of villains status, to his river bet.
Everleaf - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3
SB: $1.98
Hero (BB): $2.24
UTG: $2.40
UTG+1: $3.29
MP: $3.29
MP+1: $1.66
CO: $1.66
BTN: $3.43
SB posts SB $0.01,
Hero posts BB $0.02
Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A
♣ K
♦
fold,
fold,
fold,
fold,
fold, BTN calls $0.02,
SB calls $0.01,
Hero raises to $0.10, BTN calls $0.08,
SB calls $0.08
Flop: ($0.30, 3 players) A
♦ 6
♦ 5
♠
SB checks,
Hero bets $0.30,
fold,
SB calls $0.30
Turn: ($0.90, 2 players) 2
♦
SB checks,
Hero bets $0.90,
SB raises to $1.58,
Hero calls $0.68
River: ($4.06, 2 players) 3
♥
SB shows 8
♦ 3
♦ (Flush, Ace High) (Pre 36%, Flop 34%, Turn 84%)
Hero shows A
♣ K
♦ (One Pair, Aces) (Pre 64%, Flop 66%, Turn 16%)
SB wins $3.86
Exhibit B:
Here is another example of a hand i played terribly (pre/) post flop, it doesn't get much worse than the way I played it! and I may have been on winners tilt or the opposite. . .hence the spewyness. . .
Everleaf - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3
UTG+1: $1.71
Hero (MP): $2.19
CO: $2.00
BTN: $1.00
SB: $0.99
BB: $4.07
UTG: $2.27
SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02,
CO posts DB $0.02
Pre Flop: ($0.05) Hero has A
♣ T
♠
UTG calls $0.02,
fold,
Hero raises to $0.12,
CO calls $0.10,
fold,
SB raises to $0.52,
fold,
fold,
Hero calls $0.40,
CO calls $0.40
Flop: ($1.60, 3 players) 7
♣ 9
♣ 3
♠
SB bets $0.47,
Hero calls $0.47,
CO calls $0.47
Turn: ($3.01, 3 players) 9
♦
Hero checks,
CO bets $1.01,
Hero calls $1.01
River: ($5.03, 3 players) K
♣
Hero shows A
♣ T
♠ (One Pair, Nines) (Pre 15%, Flop 6%, Turn 8%)
CO shows T
♣ 3
♣ (Flush, King High) (Pre 24%, Flop 77%, Turn 79%)
SB shows A
♠ K
♠ (Two Pair, Kings and Nines) (Pre 61%, Flop 17%, Turn 13%)
CO wins $2.87
CO wins $1.92
I have to thank so many of the CC members/ and several that haven't been around lately for their help in understading so much of what I am learning and have learned.
As you can see from these two hands my post flop playing of these was pathetic, these are not coolers but in fact a lack of basic fundemental understanding.
Hand A:
Turn: ($0.90, 2 players) 2
♦
SB checks,
Hero bets $0.90,
SB raises to $1.58,
Hero calls $0.68
When the SB checked behind this was tricky, I wanted to rep. a large (or Larger) flush and chase him away w/ potting the turn. . .BIG mistake! When he check/raises this is usually a dead giveaway, at this level, because this is often 1 of only a few plays they know how to make, and one that is sneaky enough to win him a decent 2nl chunk of change.
Hand B:
This is 1 more play that I see at 2nl much too often: the pre-flop all-in:
Calling an all-in pre-flop is almost always wrong; and many experts reccomend even folding top connectors, here are some percentages to help me understand this:
Hero shows A
♣ T
♠ (One Pair, Nines) (Pre 15%, Flop 6%, Turn 8%)
CO shows T
♣ 3
♣ (Flush, King High) (Pre 24%, Flop 77%, Turn 79%)
SB shows A
♠ K
♠ (Two Pair, Kings and Nines) (Pre 61%, Flop 17%, Turn 13%)
I don't think I have ever played w/ 103s on FR even if I was IP; but we are not playing the same game. Since my time is somewhat limited, (and because I want to hop on a few tables) I will pick up again as soon as possible (hopefully tomorrow), and continue this post.
There are several more concerns that desperately need addressing.
The continuation will be much of the same, (as much has still been left out) but I will also raise questions, hand histories, stats, and thoughts about: What is ABC, fundamental 2nl poker? And how, and what am I working to improve? Thanks especially to Tyler and Pascal for inspiring me to dig deeper! I really appreciate it fellas!
