Posted Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:31 am GMT by caltobe
Hi all
I've only played around 1000 hands 0.5/1 FL so I'm very much a newbie but I really enjoy the game. As many newbies (i guess) I have been reading loads of stuff and of course "know" how to play. But implementing this in real play is a totally different issue. I'm going to post my favorite mistakes with some annotations on how I was thinking and comments on why it went wrong. I'd be interested in added thoughts on the type of hands.
Favourite mistake nr 1 - Playing Ax
Has cost me around 30 unnecessary BBs...so far
***** Hand History for Game 2251083382 *****
$0.5/$1 Hold'em - Thursday, June 23, 13:19:15 EDT 2005
Table Table 36435 (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: PLAYER2 ( $21 )
Seat 4: PLAYER4 ( $127.11 )
Seat 6: PLAYER6 ( $69.75 )
Seat 8: PLAYER8 ( $24 )
Seat 9: PLAYER9 ( $44.76 )
Seat 10: PLAYER10 ( $9.5 )
Seat 3: OUR_HERO ( $36.75 )
Seat 1: PLAYER1 ( $47.5 )
Seat 7: PLAYER7 ( $23.5 )
Seat 5: PLAYER5 ( $25.25 )
PLAYER2 posts small blind $0.25.
OUR_HERO posts big blind $0.5.
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to OUR_HERO  
PLAYER4 folds.
PLAYER5 raises $1.
PLAYER6 folds.
PLAYER7 folds.
PLAYER8 folds.
PLAYER9 calls $1.
PLAYER10 folds.
PLAYER1 folds.
PLAYER2 folds.
OUR_HERO calls $0.5.
Now isn't this great! I got an ace! Gotta play it...you never know. He's probably bluffing with an early raise so I call him. HAH! I see right through you.
** Dealing Flop **   
OUR_HERO checks.
PLAYER5 bets $0.5.
PLAYER9 calls $0.5.
OUR_HERO calls $0.5.
Wow..look at that, a straight draw. I'll win for sure, I knew I should play this hand. How hard can it be to get a 5 anyway.
** Dealing Turn ** 
OUR_HERO checks.
PLAYER5 bets $1.
PLAYER9 raises $2.
OUR_HERO calls $2.
PLAYER5 calls $1.
Hmm..ok. Got a pair with a high kicker anyway and there's still one chance to get that straight so I move on.
** Dealing River ** 
OUR_HERO bets $1.
PLAYER5 folds.
PLAYER9 raises $2.
OUR_HERO raises $2.
PLAYER9 calls $1.
YAY! Gotcha suckers! Bet, reraise...wild and crazy...wohoo. Here pottie pottie...come to daddy.
OUR_HERO shows a straight, ace to five.
PLAYER9 shows   a straight, two to six.
PLAYER9 wins $16 from the main pot with a straight, two to six.
wtf...oh...darn...
Now, what did I do wrong:
1. Ax is junk most of the time. That's a well known fact that I have been told everywhere. I shouldn't even have played this hand.
2. Implied odds is 2:1 with 3 players and the odds of getting that straight on turn/river
is 5:1. Ridiculous to play the hand postflop also.
3. It's not even the nuts I'm going after postflop. Just the 2nd best and another player is raising (one that has been playing pretty tight before this). Maybe that could have told me something?
4. Even if I'd caught another ace postflop it would leave me with a very weak kicker and chances are there's someone there who got a pocket ace with a higher kicker (actually, chances are pretty slim someone would have a lower kicker this time).
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Posted Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:41 am GMT by Muck
I think your analysis was good but wouldn’t call this a classic Ax problem.
I think the problem here wasn’t the A x, since you would have lost this with A K, it was holding the bad end of the straight with 4 on the board. Had the turn not brought a 3 your hand would have been very strong since the risk from 6 3 was negligible.
| caltobe wrote: |
4. Even if I'd caught another ace postflop it would leave me with a very weak kicker and chances are there's someone there who got a pocket ace with a higher kicker (actually, chances are pretty slim someone would have a lower kicker this time).
|
This is the main danger of A x, in fact with a 3 the danger is the board cards will nullify it’s value.
Posted Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:28 pm GMT by jonesyb
| caltobe wrote: |
1. Ax is junk most of the time. That's a well known fact that I have been told everywhere. I shouldn't even have played this hand.
|
i read that with Ax if you don't hit your hand on the flop then you should be folding most of the time.
Posted Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:28 pm GMT by krakajak
You played it better than you give yourself credit for. I would've folded the flop, but calling from BB isn't horrible. If I had A3s, I would defiantely call.
Flop: you're gatting 8:1 with a gut-shot and an ace overcard. You were right to call. In fact, getting 8:1 with a rainbow board, I will usually chase a gutshot even without an overcard. Although it's 11 to 1 against hitting on the turn, implied odds make calling profitable. Note, however, that with two opponents, your implied odds are much smaller than if you were gretting 8:1 because a bunch of players limped in. Still, I think the call was correct.
Turn, you have 9 outs to 2 pair or better. You have to call.
River: You went a little wild. You had to bet, because you would loose a lot of EV if the hand got checked around. But when you were raised, you should have just called. Occasionally your opponent will raise with a set or two pair in this situation, but it is far more likely that he has an ace or a 6. If he has an ace, you will split the pot, and your re-rasing costs you extra rake. When he has the 6, you loose 2 more big bets.
Another thing: It is human nature to praise ourselves when things go well, and to blame ourselves when things go poorly, but this habit is the worst possible thing a poker player can do. There will be times when you make a totally idiotic play, but get lucky and are rewarded for it. Other times, you will make a brilliant play, but you get unlucky and it costs you a ton of chips. Do not let the out come of the hand affect your evaluate your play.
Also, tighten up pre-flop. This is hard for beginners. When I first started, I had a Sklansky hand chart, which I did my best to disregard. I told myself that it was unrealistic to play that tight. I would be folding 85% of the time, and the game wouldn't be any fun. Besides, no one else was playing that tight anyway. I would also see hands where I would have won if I hadn't folded pre-flop, and this reinforced my belief that all this talk about tight play was a bung of rubbish. But eventually I began tightening up my game little by little, and the tighter I played, the more I made.
Posted Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:30 am GMT by caltobe
Thanx all for your comments. Playing tighter preflop is thankfully one of the things I seem to have learned. I see a flop 21% of the times. What I really need to be better on is postflop play. Every 1/4 times I see the flop I go to showdown where I loose 40% of the time. Seems pretty high to me so learning to fold at flop and especially turn seems to be my biggest challenge right now 
Maybe I shouldn't complain anyway. I added 40% to my bankroll after my first 1000 hands so I'm happy for that 
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