Getting a profit

[coljung]

I been finding it extremely difficult to move up my bankroll in the last few weeks.

I do think i've improved my game tremendously and that for the levels im playing right now ( $2 - $ 5 )SnGs I consider myself above the average.

Now, the problem is that i don't have much free time to play to , so I can only play between 2-3 games per day and i'm finding that with such little game play im not getting enough play to get a positive balance.

One fact that i've noticed lately and i think it's a good sign it's the fact that almost every time i go alll-in post flop, im doing it with the best hand at the moment. Problem is that of those times, i'm winning around half of them. And i know that poker is a game of variance so i understand this but the problem is that if i play 2 games a day, and one of them i win and the other one i get sucked out then im not making any profit.

Also because of the levels im playing sometimes i can't adapt my play to low limits maniacs that will call my hands with anything. I know in the long run my hands should prevail more often than not, but again as I'm playing so few games, the winning-suckout ratio is very even.

I don't think there's much i can do right now, i think im playing well and trying to put my money on when i consider i have the best hand, the rest well, is down to luck i guess.

 

[WhatItDew]

Alright, here are a couple of questions for you.

1) Are you playing your position properly? Meaning are you making marginal calls out of position making more difficult decisions post flop?
2) Are you raising the hands that you enter preflop in order to eliminate drawing hands?
3) Are you paying attention to the texture of the flop, and adjusting your betting appropriately post flop?

My guess is that you are entering the pot with calls rather than raising, and you are getting multiple callers in unraised pots. I'm also guessing that you are playing some hands from early position that are somewhat questionable, which makes for either a push/fold decision post flop depending on the texture of the flop.

My advice to you is to be aware of your position at the table, and the ammount of players who enter the pot. If there are multiple players limping into the pot and you are in late position, raise the blind to eliminate some of the weaker drawing hands. This will also give you a good idea of where you are at in the hand. If you don't feel comfortable raising the blind preflop, that should tell you a lot about the strength of the hand and you should probably fold right there instead of getting into tough decisions post flop. And the last thing is to recognize the texture of the flop and bet accordingly. In the lower limits, you will almost always have someone call an all in on a drawing hand post flop, so slow your betting down a little bit post flop against drawing boards. It's better to win a small pot than lose a big one.

 

[Boltneck]

One word patience! Okay a few more to go with it - poker isn't a get rich quick scheme (unless you are brilliant at it - or very lucky). It doesn't really matter if you play 3 games per day or 33. If you only win half of them, your win rate / ROI is going to be the same.

Don't try to rush things - it just won't work. I seem to have an obsession with BRM at the moment, but stick to proper BRM. For a guy that hadn't heard of BRM, that's somewhat ironic, but think it's probably the most important thing that I've learned so far.

Boltneck

 

[zachvac]

My advice to you is to pay close attention to the texture of the flop, and slow down your betting on drawing flops. This may force you to make a tough lay down when you have top pair to a drawing board, but it is better to give up your hand and lose a small pot than to call and get outdrawn and lose a huge pot.

I disagree, you should bet hard and give them incorrect odds to call. It doesn't matter how many games/day you play, luck doesn't reset every day. Especially in a tournament, if you've flopped a monster but there's a draw that beats the monster, bet it hard. The other question is are you calling down after the draw hits? If you do this you're giving them correct implied odds. They probably don't realize it, they just see that they have 4 to a suit and call but without realizing it they may be making the correct play.

Also, you should play more conservative until the late stages, where you can begin stealing blinds once you get to the bubble. The blinds aren't worth the high risk on marginal hands early in the tournament.

[/quote]

This is dead on. Early on wait for monsters, bet them hard preflop (5x or 6x will sometimes get multiple callers at those levels, you want to try to isolate to 1 or possibly 2 callers, depending on the hand), and then assuming the flop isn't super ugly (3 of one card, 3 to a straight all suited, etc.) you bet the flop hard. Later on you can loosen up but that's the thing with tournaments. If you are risking all your chips with a slight edge more often than not one of the times you do it in a tournament you'll lose. That's where tournaments differ from cash games. In a cash game if you lose your stack, you just reload, in a non-rebuy tournament, you're out.

 

[WhatItDew]

I had to edit my origional post because I re-read it and it didn't make a lot of sense to me.

What I was trying to say origionally with betting against drawing boards is that at the low levels there will be a lot of players willing to go all in on the hope that they will hit their draw. At the higher levels, I agree that you should bet aggressive against drawing hands to eliminate the draw right then and there. But at the lower levels it is too high risk of a play, and you will have plenty of opportunities to take big pots on boards that don't offer the "luck" factor to your opponents. Like you said in your post, playing aggressive against drawing boards, your opponent will outluck you once and then you are out.

 

[unlucky79]

Indeed always bet your monster hands hard when there are possible str8's and flushes on the board. If you get called and you lose then atleast you know you played the hand right and you gave him the wrong odds to call. I never slow play anything especially monster hands as it will only get you in trouble as 4th and 5th land on the board giving them a set or higher flush or str8. I cant tell you how many times slow playing has ended my game short of the money. Never slow play and always bet aggressive but not overbet the pot. A good rule of thumb for me with monster hands is I always bet half there remaining stack when I hit trips or nut flush/str8 then if they reraise I put them all in. If Im short stacked I bet half the pot at all times that way noone knows what 2 cards to put you on as you always bet the same. I myself have had streaks where I take horrible beats online 2 3 4 games in a row and doubt my poker playing ability. Just remember if you play your cards right them 3 games in a row you lost mean nothing when you look at best of 100 games played or more. I use checkyourbets.com it is a great tool to see how your game is going. Always note your bad beats and when you played flawless in the notes section at the end of every post you make. If you are making bad calls take a break from the game and try again the next day becausemore then likely its not your day or you are not in the right mindset to play at a high level. Another thing to keep note of on check your bets is when you are doing the most winning. This is important as everyone has a better tension span at certain times of the day where they are more relaxed. Use checkyourbets.com it will help your BR management success. Just dont get down on yourself when the donks get lucky play your game and you cant go wrong. Best of luck!!!