Playing strong hands

[Soul]

The biggest concern in my game these days is post flop aggression when I have a really strong hand. I usually play Tight Aggressive. Which means I take alot of pots down at the flop or turn where I don't have the best hand.

The trouble is when I do hit on the flop. I try to continue my aggressive betting, don't letting on I'm really strong by playing weak. Also, as I have learned, to 'build the pot'.
However I usually get folds. And so I feel that I'm not getting paid for the hands that are supposed to be my biggest earners.

On the other hand, I realize that slowplaying can get you into a lot of trouble. But there must be something inbetween? The hand below can be used as an example.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG+1 ($23)
MP1 ($13.95)
MP2 ($28.30)
MP3 ($8.50)
CO ($23.65)
Button ($28.30)
Hero ($24.55)
BB ($25)
UTG ($25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with , .
UTG calls $0.25, UTG+1 calls $0.25, MP1 calls $0.25, 1 fold, MP3 calls $0.25, 1 fold, Button calls $0.25, Hero completes, BB checks.

: I complete because of number of limpers

Flop: ($1.75) , , (7 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG bets $0.5, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $0.50, MP3 folds, Button folds, Hero calls $0.50, BB folds.

: I sometimes bet with a draw like this. But I decide not to this time. The number of players in the hand for one thing. And as I'm first to bet, I have no information yet. After the betting it comes back to me. The bet is only $0,50 and normally I would raise here becuase it's such a weak bet. But I decide to check to see what happens.

Turn: ($3.25) (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $0.75, MP1 calls $0.75, Hero raises to $2, UTG calls $1.25, MP1 folds.

: I now have the nut straight and first to act. Since I checked the flop, betting out here would be a too strong indication of hitting so I check. But the bet is so weak I decide to raise. What do you think about the size of the raise here?

River: ($8) (2 players)
Hero bets $4, UTG folds

I still have the nut straight, but now there's a flush possibillity. I doubt he has it, my bet is hoping for a call. He folds.



Final Pot: $12

[k3nt]

You can't make em call when they don't want to.

Your "biggest earners" are not going to be your best hands necessarily -- they're going to be your hands where your opponents also have big hands, or choose to bluff for some reason. This guy didn't.

I likely play it the same way. You weren't intending on a check-raise on the turn, but you were unhappy with the size of the bet so you had to up it. But now that you've done that, you've repped a monster. Bummer.

UTG is probably just on top pair. With his weak bets it's probably top pair weak kicker -- maybe JT. If he had two pair or a set he'd call your river bet. He probably calls 2 bucks with just top pair, but not $4.

Out of position, opponent with a mediocre hand. You did as well as you could.

Jmho, fwiw, as usual.

[Felonius_Monk]

[legendary loser]

Monk is definetely right on about this one. I canon Poker Stars and have a big hand where I double up 1/300-400 hands, but on Party Poker, in that same amount of hands I may have that oppurtunity 3-4 times. You should consider moving to Party if you are very aggressive with your betting. The blinds are the same on Party, and you will get paid off more often.

[Soul]

Same night after the hand I posted I got more strong hands, I decided to slowplay more then I have done earlier. It worked in all cases, so I hope I have managed to adjust my game to an appropriate level. But only time will tell.

I only have a small amount on pokerstars. My main site for the past month's have been a crypto site where I experienced the same thing. I recently withdraw my money from the crypto site and moved them over to Gaming club where I'm working on the $300 signup bonus.

I have been playing some on partypoker but couldn't handle the swings and got broke. I've read several places (primarily on 2+2) that Party is the easiest place to beat That has not been my experience at all. I also register that very few players from BTP actually play party, altough it's supposed to be the softest.

I'll stick to Gaming club for now, and maybe when my bonus clears I'll give it another shot altough I doubt it.

[Smokin'Al]

As for Party Poker, back in the 50BB stack days, you could make a lot of money just nut peddling with sets and overpairs (since people got pot-committed very quickly, most raised pots ended all-in). But trying to play cards had quite a high variance.

(Once you were making a solid win rate, of course, you could start experimenting with more interesting strategies.)

I haven't played many full ring games since it moved to 100BB, empirically it seems tighter with fewer big pots, but too few hands to be sure.

I've just joined PokerStars, and found it to be vastly softer than Party (could also just be variance/good luck of course).

FWIW, I don't think slowplaying is good, whether it's on Party or PokerStars. On tighter sites betting marginal hands (or just bluffing) more often seems the best way of maximising profits (which means you also have to bet your monsters, although possibly underbetting slightly when you think people aren't drawing).

On the hand you posted I'd definitely not have slowplayed *more*: in fact I'd have lead the turn (people will talk themselves into believing you're bluffing), and as played check-raised more. If the opposition fold too much, just starting betting the same way when you *don't* have the straight (which is going to be more often than you do, of course)!

[Soul]

[MVPSPORTS]