Hand 1:

Party Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $.10/$.25
9 players

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is MP3 with
3 folds, MP2 calls, Hero calls, CO folds, Button raises to $0.50, SB folds, BB calls, MP2 calls, Hero calls.

Flop: ($2.10, 4 players)
BB bets $1.25, MP2 calls, Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, MP2 calls.

Turn: ($11.35, 2 players)
MP2 bets $0.25, Hero raises to $3, MP2 calls.

River: ($17.35, 2 players)
MP2 bets $1.25, Hero raises all-in $3.45, MP2 calls.

Results:
MP2 shows 9s Jh

comments please.... this is my first posted hand so sorry if I screwed something up regarding the post... comments welcome ... cheers

Why are you only playing $11 shortstacked? Get all the money on the turn with a shortstack, pot is big enough. Most of the time the donks won't hit their gutshots here, so you'll be making money. You can also raise more on the flop, to $5. A pot sized bet on the flop is $5.85, so $5 isn't a stretch.

I would also suggest trying out 6-max instead of full ring games. They are usually more variance, but the opponents are worse than even this(although this particular example of opponent might be the exception, he's pretty horrible).

Push turn !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pot is $11 and you have $6. It's a crime not to push.

That's what I mean...and you'll be busto very soon with that strategy.

I think a lot of us have had thoughts similar to RedBarracudas early in our poker careers......

We think that we're to good for the level we start off at and get so fed up of "people who don't know how to play" sucking out on us, busting our big pairs, outdrawing us, that we think the best solution is to play with better people at higher stakes, because better people don't suck out as much. I think this is what RB is thinking.

RB, you will soon learn the hard way i fear. There are donkeys and suckout merchants at every level. The incidence of this does get less as you move up but not to the extent you are hoping. Your only way of combatting this is to start at the bottom and stay at the bottom until you have the bankroll AND the win rate to move up to the next level.

If your $50 is replaceable then by all means carry out your plan, but I bet you'll lose that $50 very quickly. Shortstacking like this rarely works as you're not actually playing poker, you're just playing your own cards without any thought to any other aspect of the game. I hope it works for you but I doubt it.

I'm not an expert, i'm a beginner.
Kent dan and i can't remember who else answered are far more experienced
if they say push turn then they're right and checking is not an option
i tend too to push turn

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2) have you already opened on both party poker and empire poker an account?

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for the rest

i can only speak for myself

I started with 50 dollars and was pretty quickly up to 120 (inculding 25$ bonus)
then i was down to 5 dollars

i then played 5$ NL, 2 tables 2.5$ each.
And I made my money, i never went to 0
from then on i constantly gained money, i never sat down and got up from the pc without having won something

how do you have to play on 5$ NL?
(really play there until you are fine going up because of bankroll - difference 10$ NL and 5$ NL is huge, 10$ is extremly difficult to beat compared to 5$ NL!)


NEVER bluff
Never semibluff - play exactly your odds
you may even play weak tight, you don't have to be aggressiv because everybody is aggressiv, play passiv and only raise when you know you're ahead (Top pair top kicker)
and call/raise other players when your hand is good

i played 6 tables at once
perhaps first start with 4
my problem was, as soon as i got no good hands for like 15 minutes a started doing shit
if you're sitting at 6 tables you can fold a lot of hands, because good ones aren't far away.

Change this to 5$ NL
and change higher than 4 times BB on 5$ table
you can even make it 10xBB as with 80% players/flop you'll get busted with AK TPTK against 2 pairs quite often. raise it high, get them out and play headsup

On a 25/50c Party $25 NL Table:

* You make standard raises of $2 ($3 if 2+ limpers or from EP) with any of AA,KK,QQ,JJ and AK from any position. You call any minimum or standard raise with these except that you re-raise by another $5 if you have AA or KK.
* You will also call a minimum or standard raise with any pair looking to hit a set on the flop provided at least one of the relevant stacks are $25+ (you are always $25+ because you buy back up to is as soon as you drop below). You are sufficiently tight to fold AQ, AJ etc rather than cold-call a raise with them.
* You will also raise from LP if folded/limped to with hands like AQ,AJ, KQ, TT, 99. If you are checked to on the flop by one or two players you will make one pot-sized bet (or ¾ sized if no flush draw on board) even if you miss with these hands, but if called again you will shut up shop. This is the only time you bluff.
* You will see cheap flops from MP and LP with marginal hands including Ax s and suited connectors - but are strict with yourself about fitting or folding. If you flop a draw you will see a free card if you can but if you are in LP and checked to by the others you will bet out half to three quarters of the pot as a semi-bluff.
* If someone re-raises your top pair or two pair all-in you are prepared to let it go unless you have half your stack already in the pot. Otherwise you will bet these hands out down to the river unless a flush card drops in or the board is showing one card needed for a straight, in which case you shut up shop and fold to any significant bet.






Some other interesting hands (as I think the BTP mainpage is still down?)

Hand 1. I buy in ($25 stack) one off the button. Get J8o. 6 see flop. $3 in pot. 874 rainbow. I have top pair, poor kicker. UTG pushes all-in with $15 stack. PT tells me he sees 60% of flops and is weak-tight thereafter (post-flop aggression 1.43 and goes to showdown when sees flop 14%) – I already can see he is a bad player and this all-in just confirms it. This doesn’t really matter much for now as I am folding anyway.

Hand 3 doesn’t involve me, but does see a BB bust out a QQ when he calls the $2 pre-flop raise with 92s and the flop comes 9 –junk-junk. The QQ player slowplays and bets out on the turn when another 9 falls. Ouch.

Hand 8. OTB with TT. I have $23 left. A bad LA-A (loose aggressive aggressive – vip 60%, 9% pre-flop raise) player is down to his last $10 in EP. He raises to $2. A new guy who has just bought in for 50c in EP for the huge sum of $8 (bad player sign x2) calls for $2. I cold call. SB, who is a bit weak-tight (TP-P – VP$IP 23%, PFR% 4%, post-flop aggression 1.1, goes to showdown when saw flop 15%) re-raises to $6. This means only one of two hands AA or KK. Any other holding here is just about inconceivable unless he is discounting the 2 calls as just folks seeing a maniac. The LA-A calls. The newbie folds. Round to me. Now I easily have implied odds for my set draw ($4 more to see and a likely eventual pot of about $50 if I hit) so I call. Flop is QQ5 (2 clubs).

SB checks. LA-A goes all-in (he was bound to he only has $3.58 left). Now PT is shouting at me that this guy is very solid and must have a monster pair (AA, KK, QQ or JJ all have me beat). He must have known that if he checked the LA-A would bet. However for such a small bet I couldn’t lay down here. I flat called ($3.58 into a $26 pot) hoping the SB would fold or I would hit one of the 2 tens left. This was a mistake of course. Of course SB calls it. Turn is 9c. SB checks. He is happy to make lay downs and passive post-flop yet has already called once and must have a high overpair. So either I bet enough to convince him I have a third Q (unlikely) or I just check it down. So I check. Ace falls on river. We check it down and he loses with his KK to AJo held by the LA-A. OK I lost $10 on this hand (of which I should have saved $3.58 if I had been more disciplined) but without the knowledge that the SB was tight and passive post-flop I might have been tempted to take a stab at it and really get burnt. Nevertheless I’d like to think that PT didn’t alter my play here.

Hand 9 I am one off the button, and get Ks Qs. There are 3 EP limpers. Now this is where PT really earns its money. I look at the VP$IP and PFR% stats next to each of the players (thanks GT+!). The LA-A raises 9% and plays 60% (so he is in with junk); the new player I have no read on except that he is bad and laid down to a re-raise last hand; the 3rd EP limper is 50% VP$IP and 12% PFR% (so he looks like he is limping with junk too). I check and the blinds are both tight players. I raise to $3 and they all fold. I pick up $2.25 thanks to PT’s ability to help me pick my spots. +$2.25 to PT.

Hand 10. My computer then crashes on my (annoying huh) and after a reboot my next hand is from the BB. Fortunately it is AKo. Two of the loose guys call again (from MP this time) and the SB. The Button is a rock (15% VP$IP but a PFR% of 7% so I’m happy that AKo is good – I put him on a medium/small pair probably). He also has a very unimpressive post-flop aggression of zero (yes zero) and a 'goes to showdown when saw flop' of a weak-tight 20%. The SB has a 25% VP$IP and a PFR% of 9%. Yet again I’m confident that I have the best hand pre-flop so it’s time to make the loose players play. I raise to $5 (I like a nice big raise to isolate if I do get called out of position. I am going to bet out the pot (or just under) irrespective of flop as 3/4 of the time it is going to be impossible for anyone but a dedicated calling station to call me down (the other 1/4 they hit and I don’t and I’ll just back out – the maths work out nicely over the long haul). The 50% VP$IP/12% PFR% guy calls my $5. The rest fold. I check his stats. He has an aggression factor of 2 so he will bet at me if I hit the flop and check to him. He also folds easily as his showdown WSF% is 17%. OK. Flop 6 4 2 rainbow. I bet $10 into $11.50 pot. He folds. Thank you PT. +$5.95

Hand 13. Three hands later I’m one off the button with Ac 7d. From LP this is more playable than people think but you have to be careful. It’s +.27BB/hand for me according to PT so I’ll keep playing it carefully. The blinds are tight. LA-A calls from EP (junk again). The guy immediately to my right also calls. Let’s check his stats. Hmm. Only 9 hands played and no read. If he had been loose I probably would have raised here. Tight I would have folded in an instant. As it is I limp and see a flop, The SB completes. Flop is A 5 3 (2 spades). Folded to guy to my right who bets $1 into $2.50 pot. Hmm. $2 and I am gone here but I wonder if he has a decent ace why such a small bet with the flush draw out there. Is he on a mini-steal or does he have his own flush draw?

I smooth call and the rest fold (probably could have re-raised for info but I like to keep things small and under control when I’ve no idea where I stand – the problem of trying to play weak aces of course). Turn Ad. OK so it’s less likely he has the last Ace. He bets $1 into a $4.50 pot. Looks like a blocking bet here for his flush draw and I should raise the pot but I just smooth call again. River 3c giving me full house aces over 3’s and getting me off the hook for my mistake. He checks. I bet $3 and he folds. I book a $3.70 win.

Hand 19. Six hands later I’m dealt KJo in the BB. The button (15% VP$IP 7%, PFR%, aggression zero!) and the guy to my right call. I raise to $2 figuring to isolate and bet out. Button calls. Flop

876 rainbow. I bet $4 into $4.50 pot. He folds. +$2.30

Hand 20. OK – on the next hand my aggression gets me into some trouble. A couple of the EP loose players have dropped and we are now six-handed. I look down at 99 on the Button. UTG limps. Folded to me. I raise to $2 OTB. Both BB and UTG call. BB is 27% VP$IP, 7% preflop raise and aggressive post-flop (2.8). UTG is new player. No read. Flop is 877 rainbow. OK an overpair (just). Checked to me. I bet $5 into $6.25 pot and get 2 callers! Oops. King falls next (completing rainbow) and we all check. Then Q falls on river and we all check again. BB has AKo, UT had TT. I double check this is a Party table -$7.00.

Hand 28. I’m in LP (one off button) with A6o. The blinds are tight and the 50% VP$IP/12% pfr player in MP limps. I raise to $2. Mr. 50% calls. Flop is 8 44 rainbow. He checks to me. I bet $4 into $4.50 pot and take it down. +$2.55

Hand 45 – nothing for 17 hands. By the end of this I get AJo in MP. I am some $5 up at this stage so far at the table. AJo is not a winning hand for me. I am trying to treat it like ATo as much as possible. I limp. The blinds complete. Everyone else folds. Flop is K95 (2 clubs). Checked to me. I check. Turn is 4d. Checked to me again. I bet $1 and take it down. +$1.

Hand 47 – J9o in the SB. 2 limpers. Hit JT4 rainbow flop. Bet out $2 into $2 pot. Took it down. +1.40

Hand 49 – AKo one-of the button. Guy immediately to my right is new player and buys in to hand. Two other limpers. Another new player in EP and the 50%/12% guy. I raise to $2. Mr 50% calls. Flop 984 rainbow. He checks. I bet $5 into $5.75 pot and take it down. +$3.50

Hand 50 – Ac Jc two off the button. Limpers are guy with 36% VP$IP/6% raise/passive post-flop (.63) and liable to fold (16% go to showdown when saw flop) and my friend Mr 50%. So I raise to $2. Mr 50% (who hasn’t got the hang of this experiential learning thing yet) calls me pre-flop again. Flop is 233 (2 spades). He checks. I bet $4 into $5.50 pot and he folds. +$3

Hand 51 – 2c 4c. Folded to me. I call (not clever). Borderline Tight Aggressive player (VP$IP 22%/PFR% 8%/agg 1.6/WSD%WSF 26%) min raises. Blinds also complete. I smell a monster from TA but with 4 players in I call anyway for 50c.

Flop 7c 3c 2h (hmm if someone slowplays this they could go away very unhappy). The SB bets out $2 into $4 pot. I check his stats although he is fairly new. 50% VP$IP/12% PFR%/aggression of 2 (quite aggressive)/WSD%WSF 29% (he likes to call folks down). I am a bit worried that this is a blocking bet for a better flush draw but call and see what will happen. The TA raises to $4 (awful – confirms she has overpair but gives me perfect odds for flush draw). We both call her. Turn is ace. I guess we now get to see if her monster pair is AA or not. Check. Check. She bets $4 into $16 pot. SB folds. My odds are great. I call. River 7d. (that’s her boat if he has AA). I check. She bets $8. I fold. She shows AA for boat. I lose $9 but am not so upset. If she isn’t going to protect her monsters and telegraphs them like that I will catch her out eventually.

Hand 65. I have ATo in the BB. I get 2 EP limpers and SB competes. PT tells me that they all raise 8%+ pre-flop so I figure I am best and raise it up to $3. They all fold. +$1.50.

Hand 70. ATo in MP. UTG calls (he is fairly loose). I call. One caller behind. Blinds complete. Flop J93 rainbow. Checked around by all 6 players. River T (puts flush draw up). I bet $1 into $3 pot (weak bet - should have been 2 for sure but I don’t much like the board.) My old friend Mr 50% (the BB) calls. River is 8 (no flush). Mr. 50% checks it down and so do I. He has T7o and has caught his inside str8 and takes it down. After donating for me hand after hand he must have been annoyed when I just checked him down rather than betting at the end. Lost $1.50

Hand 71. I get QQ in EP. UTG limps. I raise it up to $3. They all fold. +$1.25.

Hand 73. I am still $4 up overall at this table but haven’t really caught any hands. I have stayed up by using PT to pick my spots to be aggressive with marginal hands. But the play at the table has been so poor and I feel so comfortable with my PT reads that I have been happy to hang around. Now I get rewarded. 88 UTG. I raise to $2. I sometimes do this with medium pairs when mixing up my play, especially on maniac-free tables where a re-raise all-in is unlikely. If you get a couple of early callers everyone can pile in to a huge pot or if you don’t you can end up isolating.

This time the first happens. I get 6 callers. That’s seven of us seeing a $14.25 flop. And it’s K84 (with 2 spades). I have middle set. With the spades there and so many callers I am not going to mess around. I push all in and get a caller (the SB from hand 51). The poor guy had pocket 44’s and hit his bottom set. Mine hold up and I win +$36.15. PT had very little to do with this except that without its ability to pick off weak-tight players with pre-flop raises I wouldn’t have made hand 73 at all…

Hand 89. The next and last hand played by me in this session (other than blinds for free) was this one. K9o OTB (again a hand that is +EV for me if played carefully - +.38BB/hand average). Three limpers to me (one the LA-A SB from hand 51, the other 2 new players – no reads). I just limp and blinds complete. Flop T92 rainbow. OK, I have middle pair, decent kicker. Checked to me so I bet $2 into $3 pot. LA-A calls. Rest fold. Another 10 (rainbow). He checks. I take a look at his post-flops stats. With 1.6 aggression I would expect a bet- is he trapping or worried I have a T – I just check (motto – if you don’t know where you are keep a lid on the pot’s escalation). River is junk 4. He bets $3 into $7 pot. Hmm..I check his stats again…do I think he has a T? Answer – no. Does he have an overpair? – no – he raises too many hands pre-flop to have a big overpair. Ok then – maybe a smaller pair or something like AQ or AJ (so long as it’s not A9). Those are at least as likely as the others. OK then it’s a crying call. And he has AQo and my call is good. +$6.85