5/10 6-max Tables - Need Advice/Help

[Ben]

I posted this elsewhere, but I'm hoping to get additional advice here as well.

I've been playing these tables at Party almost exclusively the past 3 to 4 weeks. I started out doing very well, but now I seem to be in a little bit of a slump. I could use help analyzing some of my play.

I checked out my PT stats and found that after 10,000+ hands AJo and KJo are significant losers for me. From what I can tell, I seem to be playing them too aggressively post-flop when I don't hit at least a pair on the flop. I've been raising these pre-flop in all positions regardless if there are limpers or not, including in the blinds. Should I be less aggressive pre-flop and raise less often? If there is a raise in front of me, I almost always fold KJo and will sometimes play AJo depending on the player and situation at the table.

One of my biggest problems right now is figuring out what to do on the flop when I miss. Since I'm raising a lot of the time pre-flop, I always have this urge to bet on the flop no matter what hits. I rationalize that my opponents don't know what I have and that they should fear me and fold because I raised pre-flop. A few weeks ago, this seemed to be working well. Between sometimes winning the pot by everyone folding and sometimes winning by hitting something on the turn or river, it seemed to be working. This past week it has not been working at all. Here's a couple scenarios I'm finding myself in quite often:

1. KJo - raise pre-flop with 2 to 3 callers. Flop is something like Q74 or T53, A95. Check to me and I bet... get one or two callers. Turn is nothing. Check to me. If I check hear, I show weakness, so I must bet, right? (being somewhat sarcastic since of course I'm weak with KJo LOL) River is another blank. Now my only chance at winning the pot is by betting... must bet. Get called and lose to someone who paired one of their hole cards or who has small to medium pocket pair. I saw a guy call all the way to the river with pocket 3's when the board was all overcards with 4 to the flush. Neither of his 3's were the flush suit and he beat a guy holding AJ who did not have a pair and did not have the flush either.

2. Raise overcards pre-flop and miss on the flop. Bet turn when it misses and get (check-)raised... easy fold, but what a waste. Other times I will bet flop, turn, and then get (check-)raised on river... even worse.

3. Pocket pairs TT-88 have been painful as well. Raise them pre-flop. Flop usually has at least one overcard. Bet, bet, lose... or bet, (check-)raised, fold.

4. Raise pre-flop and miss on flop. I and opponent go something like this: bet/call, bet/call, check/check... I lose. Or: check/check, check/check, check/check... I win/lose, doesn't matter.

I'm just very unsure of myself right now in these situations. I hate checking and calling. I'm supposed to be aggressive, right? Am I supposed to just check and fold to any bet on the flop? Should I be calling a flop bet and then checking and folding when the turn misses?

I know these are very general questions and so much depends on the players and situation at the table. However, I could really use any help and suggestions right now. Do you ever have those nights at the table where you feel like an absolute moron... like whatever decision you make, it turns out to be the wrong one? Well, that's kind of how I've been feeling the past several nights. Please help me find the controlled aggression that I'm desperately searching for! Thanks!

Ben

[Hofstra]

I recognize the problem and do not have a complete solution, but here are some things that work for me.

First, play hands like KJ, AJ only in late position and unraised pots. There has been some debate here about whether you should raise these hands. I believe you should not mainly because it allows you to play better at the flop. If you raise, then people will check to you on the flop and you still don't know if you're ahead or not. If you just call preflop, then you can make a more informed decision on the flop. If you miss completely and there are some bets and calls, then you fold with minimal loss. If you have a very good flop, say J high, then you can raise an early bettor and get it heads up with the likely best hand.
That is not to say that you should never raise. If you think that people are playing very tight and fear your raises then go ahead. Say in that situation you raise one mp limper with KJ and the BB and mp call. If there is an ace on the flop I would still bet if checked to me, but I would check/fold the turn. It's ok to take one shot on the flop, but don't continue betting with nothing on the turn. Keep in mind that your preflop raise built the pot, so that they will often be correct in calling with draws too.
Similarly with pairs 88-TT. If you're against tight players who know when to fold, then play more aggressively. But in general I like to limp in to see a cheap flop. And don't try to force it when the flop contains overcards.
If you find yourself at a table where someone with 33 calls all the way to the river then you should give up all attempts at stealing. Just wait for a decent hand and bet as much as you can. That will more than compensate for the couple of times you limped in and folded on the flop.
Finally if you find yourself making wrong decisions all the time, then you should seriously tighten up for a while and avoid making those decisions. At these stakes you can make good money by playing very tight ABC poker and by folding in marginal situations. Once you're back into your best game, you can face those marginal situations more successfully.

Pieter

[Drade]