Here is a hand where I either made a good laydown, or was a weak tight ass...I figured the guy for A-K or K-K, or even K-Q since he called a big raise. From my play so far, I have found that if I raise A-A too high..more than 30 cents, everyone seems to fold. Is this an anonmaly...should I be putting more into the pot before the flop? Here is the hand:


#Game No : 4085221778
***** Hand History for Game 4085221778 *****
$5 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, April 25, 01:14:13 ET 2006
Table Beginners Powelltown (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: Freaks1974 ( $2.34 )
Seat 3: case2318 ( $22.61 )
Seat 6: firephoenix1 ( $4.29 )
Seat 9: Zhabar ( $4.80 )
Seat 5: Thxlbx ( $5.15 )
Seat 10: jcogn ( $6.09 )
Seat 7: Mollahomar ( $5.32 )
Seat 4: thejoe1989 ( $4.82 )
Seat 1: Rukamori ( $4.92 )
Seat 8: Wilden2003 ( $5.17 )
firephoenix1 posts small blind [$0.02].
Mollahomar posts big blind [$0.04].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Thxlbx
Wilden2003 calls [$0.04].
Zhabar calls [$0.04].
jcogn folds.
Freaks1974 folds.
case2318 calls [$0.04].
thejoe1989 folds.
Thxlbx raises [$0.15].
firephoenix1 folds.
Mollahomar folds.
Wilden2003 calls [$0.11].
Zhabar calls [$0.11].
case2318 folds.
** Dealing Flop **
Wilden2003 checks.
Zhabar checks.
Thxlbx bets [$0.56].
Wilden2003 is all-In [$5.02]
Zhabar folds.
Thxlbx folds.
Wilden2003 does not show cards.
Wilden2003 wins $6.08
Game #4085231018 starts.

My gut told me I was beat and I went with the fold. Should I have just called the all-in, or did I make a decent play here?

Here is another hand...with pocket tens, should I be raising more before the flop...this worked out and I won, but I don't think I played it as good as I could have.


$5 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, April 25, 01:32:26 ET 2006
Table Beginners Outrageous (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: C_L_U ( $3.16 )
Seat 2: gcool222 ( $7.13 )
Seat 4: easy111 ( $5.83 )
Seat 5: AKACROOKAKA ( $2.49 )
Seat 6: Mollahomar ( $5 )
Seat 7: babeegurl555 ( $9.12 )
Seat 8: bloodeyez ( $8.10 )
Seat 9: pald99640 ( $4.80 )
Seat 3: Thxlbx ( $4.59 )
gcool222 posts small blind [$0.02].
Thxlbx posts big blind [$0.04].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Thxlbx
easy111 calls [$0.04].
AKACROOKAKA folds.
Mollahomar calls [$0.04].
babeegurl555 calls [$0.04].
bloodeyez calls [$0.04].
pald99640 folds.
C_L_U folds.
gcool222 calls [$0.02].
Thxlbx raises [$0.08].
easy111 calls [$0.08].
Mollahomar calls [$0.08].
babeegurl555 calls [$0.08].
bloodeyez calls [$0.08].
gcool222 folds.
** Dealing Flop **
Thxlbx bets [$0.75].
easy111 folds.
Mollahomar folds.
wmcdonou has joined the table.
babeegurl555 folds.
bloodeyez folds.
Thxlbx does not show cards.
Thxlbx wins $1.39

I'm not nearly as good as Xas, and I would take his advice for gold...with the one addition that if you are making the raises that he recommends and you still find that you are getting 4 or 5 callers preflop, go ahead and bump up that raise even a little bit more for that table...often at the very lowest levels of NL you have to raise a bit more than standard to thin the field.

As to your other question -- you want to make your preflop raises consistent, both with your premium hands and your other raising hands, so nobody can get a read on what you are doing. Of course at NL5 you don't have to worry too much about that, but you want to get into good habits for when you move up.

Good luck.

Here is my quad Queen hand...I did manage to get the other player to go all-in...but did I do the right way? I did not want to overplay/overbet and scare him off.


$5 NL Texas Hold'em - Friday, April 28, 16:38:38 ET 2006
Table Beginners #1240605 (Real Money)
Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: esgesmintman ( $11.97 )
Seat 3: Thxlbx ( $13.81 )
Seat 4: XenoXX4 ( $6.02 )
Seat 8: AKACROOKAKA ( $5.54 )
Seat 10: case2318 ( $4.20 )
Seat 5: lamarkiseale ( $1.73 )
Seat 7: geraldo21 ( $4.42 )
Seat 1: jonieli111 ( $3.76 )
Seat 9: BadBeat_Pabu ( $7.50 )
Seat 6: bardamu88 ( $5 )
lamarkiseale posts small blind [$0.02].
geraldo21 posts big blind [$0.04].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Thxlbx
AKACROOKAKA folds.
BadBeat_Pabu folds.
case2318 calls [$0.04].
jonieli111 folds.
esgesmintman folds.
Thxlbx raises [$0.25].
XenoXX4 folds.
lamarkiseale folds.
geraldo21 raises [$0.42].
case2318 folds.
Thxlbx calls [$0.21].
** Dealing Flop **
geraldo21 bets [$0.46].
Thxlbx calls [$0.46].
** Dealing Turn ** [ 4s ]
geraldo21 bets [$0.50].
Thxlbx raises [$1].
geraldo21 calls [$0.50].
** Dealing River **
geraldo21 checks.
Thxlbx bets [$2.50].
geraldo21 is all-In [$2.50]

Thxlbx shows four of a kind, queens.
geraldo21 doesn't show two pairs, queens and jacks.
Thxlbx wins $8.50 from the main pot with four of a kind, queens.


I had the guy figured for AK due to his big raise, KK was also in the back of my mind...if the flop had not gone my way and he would have bet strong I probably would have folded...I did find AJ surprising, maybe because I would have tossed it away.

Here is my hand from this morning...again, I got both players all-in....but i am just wondering if I what I did will work consistentally or if it was just cause the limits are low:


$5 NL Texas Hold'em - Monday, May 01, 10:29:42 ET 2006
Table Beginners #1240624 (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Disco_Dave_ ( $5.18 )
Seat 2: TarnumJKE ( $1.18 )
Seat 4: Anna_lv ( $4.66 )
Seat 5: jay8240 ( $7.54 )
Seat 7: Vinznvegas ( $14.70 )
Seat 8: AnosmicAK ( $5.56 )
Seat 9: corona_59 ( $4.56 )
Seat 10: snappers555 ( $1.75 )
Seat 3: QuestHenk ( $5 )
Seat 6: Thxlbx ( $4.96 )
Thxlbx posts small blind [$0.02].
Vinznvegas posts big blind [$0.04].
QuestHenk posts big blind [$0.04].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Thxlbx
AnosmicAK folds.
corona_59 calls [$0.04].
snappers555 folds.
TarnumJKE raises [$0.12].
QuestHenk folds.
Anna_lv folds.
jay8240 calls [$0.12].
Thxlbx raises [$0.28].
Vinznvegas folds.
corona_59 calls [$0.26].
TarnumJKE calls [$0.18].
jay8240 calls [$0.18].
** Dealing Flop **
Thxlbx bets [$0.50].
corona_59 raises [$1].
TarnumJKE is all-In [$0.88]
jay8240 folds.
Thxlbx raises [$1].
corona_59 calls [$0.50].
** Dealing Turn **
Thxlbx bets [$0.50].
corona_59 is all-In [$2.76]
Thxlbx calls [$2.26].
** Dealing River **
Thxlbx shows four of a kind, jacks.
corona_59 doesn't show two pairs, aces and jacks.
TarnumJKE doesn't show two pairs, aces and jacks.
Thxlbx wins $6.41 from side pot #1 with four of a kind, jacks.
Thxlbx wins $3.77 from the main pot with four of a kind, jacks.

I had the first raiser on AJ, A10, or A9...I figured the low stacked guy who went all in first just had an A-x type thing. I was right on that, but gave too much credit to the other guy. Should I worry about my reads...it seems like everytime I make one I give them one level up high than they have (I think A-K, they have A-Q or A-J), or should I be content that I am in the ballpark? I am continueing to working on my reads...I feel if I can improve them, that will give me a better chance for moving up.

Played for another three hours tonight...kind of quiet...did not get many cards, but did hit trips twice and had them both pay off big. Thanks Xaston and everyone for the advise on the raising, I see a noticeable difference, especially giving how tight I am playing, I am getting what little respect is possible at a microlimit table. Every time I play my decision making and reads seem to be getting a little better, so I just gotta keep working!

Prev Bankroll: $153.55

Current Bankroll: $162.63

Time played: 3 hours
$ won $9.08

$ to $10NL $37.37

Getting closer to the 10NL..it is within site. Played twice since my last update, about three hours each time. I posted a hand in the NL forum that I won but was not aggressive enough with. Had a fair amount of pocket pairs this last session...but no sets, one flush and one straight.:

Time played: 6 hours (two sessions)

Sets 0-42

Starting bankroll: $162.73

Ending bankroll: $176.08

+$13.35

$ to $10NL $23.92

I set up a neteller account, so I am now ready to move my bankroll when I hit the next level, if necessary. I was thinking of maybe doing the Paradise new sign up...25% up to 50 bucks. Would I able to clear this at 10NL, or should I just stay at party till I work my way up to 25 NL?