New poker thread

[KrazyHorse]

how are things going (everybody that's been playing, that is). I had a pretty decent holiday season (1000$ in about 25 hours online). Last night was brutal though. Got beat bad on like 6 all-ins straight. Many of them were 3 outers or worse. Went down 260$ last night. Honestly, if I'd only carried as many hands as the probabilities dictated I would have been up at least 500$

[KrazyHorse]

What an fing streak. The really sad part is that I was playing well. Didn't make any really bad bets or calls the whole time. Put people on hands with pinpoint accuracy a lot of the time.

Fark.

[KrazyHorse]

Another hour of play and now I'm only down 130$

I think I'm going to satnd up for now. I feel like I'm going to start making bad calls soon.

[Dis]

you guys play poker with real money?

I think all of us at Apolyton should get a game of strip poker going.

[chequita guevara]

Re: New poker thread

Teach me, oh sensai.

[Shi Huangdi]

You play poker online, I assume?

I've thought about doing that.(wouldn't have any money for anything except the microlimit games though). I usually do well in home games. I've also won over $1000 in play money on Yahoo Poker, but I know that doesn't mean much since the play there is so abyssmal. Do you think the free tables on partypoker or any of the other sites are good places where I could learn to play poker at a level where I could reasonably expect to win money on microlimit?

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by Dissident
you guys play poker with real money?

I think all of us at Apolyton should get a game of strip poker going.

Frame this post: The worst idea in the history of Apolyton.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
You play poker online, I assume?

I've thought about doing that.(wouldn't have any money for anything except the microlimit games though). I usually do well in home games. I've also won over $1000 in play money on Yahoo Poker, but I know that doesn't mean much since the play there is so abyssmal. Do you think the free tables on partypoker or any of the other sites are good places where I could learn to play poker at a level where I could reasonably expect to win money on microlimit?

No. Play on UltimateBet though. They have 1cent-2cent limit tables (which is ridiculously low)

[KrazyHorse]

The play is sort of silly there too I imagine. The 0.25-0.5 tables are the first on which it is possible to actually make any money. Move up slowly from there (or stay there)

[KrazyHorse]

If anything, I suggest you play in a home game for small amounts of nmoney (money is important; if there's none people don't play at all logically). Look on it as learning. Discuss why you made certain moves with your friends after each hand.

The first thing to learn is about which starting hands to play, the value of kickers and how to calculate pot odds. Just with that you can beat most of the lowest limit tables online.

After that, you start to think about implied odds, bluffing (i.e. how much to do it and where it's appropriate) and how to put people on hands. These are skills valuable in limit games but most valuable in no limit.

Finally you want to start playing mind games with people. DO NOT DO THIS WITH BAD PLAYERS. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GAME ENOUGH FOR THIS **** TO MESS THEM UP. Learn to change gears rapidly and often. Learn to recognise opponents' grand strategy (if they have one) in addition to their style of play.

[KrazyHorse]

Another hour and now I'm back in the black by 110$

Phewf.

[KrazyHorse]

Che, what do you want me to teach you? The easiest thing to impart are starting hands. I'm giving you this on the assumption that none of you will be playing against me for serious money (not that I wouldn't want you to learn but that I don't want to tell opponents how I play)

The starting hands in Hold Em (the game which I am by far the most proficient in) come in a number of different categories. I'm assuming you're playing at a full (10 person) table. With less people you loosen your requirements

1) Big pairs (AA and KK). What am I going to tell you that you don't already know? Get as much money into the pot preflop as you can. You want 1 or 2 opponents in there with you. Raise a sizable amount (4X size of BB?) to get rid of the crap hands, but if you raise too much everybody will fold and you will win the blinds alone. Be careful if you have AA and flop comes K-Q-3 or something because youre opponent may have flopped 2 pair. Be very careful if you have KK and an ace comes on the flop because you can easily be beat now. Be very careful if you get 3 cards in the wheelhouse (10 through A) because your opponent may easily have just flopped 2 pair or a straight. In limit raise preflop, raise after the flop, can start just calling after flop if you're afraid of a monster hand.

2) Little pairs (2s through 10s): Drawing hands. Get in for cheap and try to hit a set, unless you're in late position (on the button, say) and everybody else has folded, in which case it's time to try stealing some blinds. In limit same advice applies. Remember that hitting a monster like a set pays off much less in limit, so with 2 raises before you act just throw the little pair away.

3) Frustrating pairs (QQ and JJ): the worst-played hands in Hold Em IMO. Raise with them (similar amount to above; 4X size of BB should be a pretty standard opening bet) but be careful if you get people showing a lot of strength. Assuming you're playing against decent players you're either a slight favourite (AK against QQ or JJ or AQ against JJ) or a big ****ing dog (KK or AA). You aren't going to be able to frighten away mediocre aces in limit, so bet unless you see overs hit. Then it's a judgment call. Bear in mind that people love aces, so if one hits and you have 2 callers on your raise preflop it's almost certain 1 has an ace. You can try one bet. If they both fold then you were lucky and ran into 2 smaller pocket pairs. If one calls or raises you're probably sunk.

4) AK: this deserves a section to itself. The beautiful thing about AK is that it's better than AQ. Even more beautiful is the fact that some players forget this. If you raise a significant amount preflop (which you should have), your opponent calls then an ace hits (but NO Queen or Jack) and your opponent raises you probably have them destroyed. Take them for everything they're worth.

5) other strong aces (A-Q, A-J, A-10 maybe A-9): READ THE SECTION ABOVE. AK BEATS YOUR SORRY ASS. BE CAREFUL. Depending on your position and the actions of the prior players you can raise preflop. If you see big raises and calls or big raises and reraises get your ass out of Dodge. You're beat by AK or KK or AA or some combination thereof. You certainly aren't a big favourite over anybody's hand (barring idiots) so why do you want to play with people who are either coinflips (small pocket pairs being played by idiots) or who have you wrecked (big pocket pairs and AK)

6) Weak aces. (A-2 to A-8 or A-9): never play a weak ace. Never play a weak ace. NEVER PLAY A WEAK ACE. You can either learn this lesson from me or by getting outkickered every time you hit your ace. The exception to this rule is when they're suited and you can sneak into an unraised pot with a lot of callers. Either you hit 2 pair or a flush or a flush draw or you leave. Period. This is a hand for no-limit. For limit your big hands don't pay enough to make this strategy worthwhile.

7) Two in the wheelhouse (K-10 (which is weak), K-J, K-Q, Q-10 (very weak), Q-J, J-10 (not as weak as you think)): you can play them on unraised pots or on small raises. Don't raise with them unless you're trying to steal a blind or something. Very "wait and see". If you hit top pair with them it's a judgment call as to whether or not you have the better kicker. Dangerous, but can pay off well against weaker players who just see that they have top pair and forget about their kickers. It's nice if they're suited but not necessary. Similar play in limit and no limit.

8) Small suited connectors (4-5 to 9-10): J-10 could go in here too as a pair of Jacks with a 10 kicker is not the best hand in the world. Get in on unraised pots with 5 callers and hope to hit a big hand (two pair or 3 of a kind) or a big draw (flush or outside straight). If you don't hit this get out and don't look back. People's bluffs are better than your hand a lot of the time.

9) Everything else: why would you play it? Might as well give me your money now and we'll call it even. I might play a K-9 suited on an unraised pot or even a K-5 suited. But remember that even if you hit your flush (1 in 15 over 5 cards on the board) there is such a thing as an Ace high flush to rape your King high flush. I've been the rapist on a lot of occasions so I should know. I'll play a "suited slightly off connector" like a 6-8 once in a blue moon if the blinds are cheap compared to the stacks and there are no raises (ONLY IN NO LIMIT) because I just might get the chance to bust somebody on a ridiculous hand...

Play these starting hands like this and you are guaranteed to already be better than most people at the lowest level.

[Ming]

Solid advice.

[asleepathewheel]

Wow, great tutorial

[Boris Godunov]

But I didn't understand half the jargon. We need a poker lexicon, too.