Poker talk - Specifically Hold'em - Hands and or strategy

[Steamtyme]

I was originally just planning on talking about how whatever your strategy is, no matter how much you plan there is still a weak link - and it's the player. I got on this thought as I was playing the other day, and got into that mind set of my bets and bluffs just couldn't miss. Had a pretty good run on taking blinds and chipping up after a good hand where I was just behind. Then I went loose on my range and just pushed a pure bluff, pre-flop and got caught. Had to fold the hand as they had me covered and jammed, this left me nearly crippled and I just couldn't recover.

It was in doing a bit of hand analysis - this one didn't take long - that I thought about sharing poker stories here. I've been playing a lot lately, mostly tournaments. So I figured I would gauge interest in sharing some more interesting hands, like key double ups, or beats both bad and deserved. Finally the hands that get me eliminated, often these won't be anything of interest as they will be an all-in from short stack, but I've had some beauties over the years that I didn't see coming.

It would depend on the week but I generally play 3 or 4 nights a week depending on my work schedule, and would maybe make a post or 2. I know it's not the general gambling discussion that goes on, but figured there's gotta be a few people who may take an interest.

I would also totally welcome others to post their tales. By the way I'm not pro, I play micro-low stakes, and just really enjoy playing (ignore those 20 seconds after some hands) and trying to improve.

[1715666785]

1715666785

[tokeweed]

^  Use a hand converter when sharing your hands (look for one that works in the forum).  And don't include the results for interesting discussion and analysis.  It also avoids any results based thinking.

Good luck on the tables. 

[nakamura12]

I'm also not a pro at poker. Bluff may also work especially to those who are weaker in mind. Some poker player bluffing to another player and other player return the favor and also did a bluff so the result is that the first one who bluff would only fold his hand. Actually, it happened to me in person playing poker in my neighborhood.

[Tipstar]

Poker strategy largely depends on the opponents. Bluffing could be a good strategy in 1 in 10 games. If you bluff enough, and found, you'd b cornered.
It's really difficult to play with a bluffer with huge funds to spare. Need to play safe until you get a very good hand.

[Wexnident]

Bluffing is as good as a strategy as it is risky. Heck, all of us probably already experienced being defeated by a bluff, even if we actually held on to a good hand. On the other hand, bluffing requires a huge push. A huge bet where its almost close to you going all in. And if you actually meet a fellow bluffer, that turns the fight into a quite interesting scene. And in all honesty, bluffs are the ones that make the poker games really fun and enjoyable, but also really risky.

[figmentofmyass]

I was originally just planning on talking about how whatever your strategy is, no matter how much you plan there is still a weak link - and it's the player. I got on this thought as I was playing the other day, and got into that mind set of my bets and bluffs just couldn't miss. Had a pretty good run on taking blinds and chipping up after a good hand where I was just behind. Then I went loose on my range and just pushed a pure bluff, pre-flop and got caught. Had to fold the hand as they had me covered and jammed, this left me nearly crippled and I just couldn't recover.

up against nitty players, it's tough not to get a bit loose-aggressive. on the button or in the cutoff position against weak nits, i'll raise any two cards. every once in a while, they catch a hand---that's the game.

It was in doing a bit of hand analysis - this one didn't take long - that I thought about sharing poker stories here. I've been playing a lot lately, mostly tournaments. So I figured I would gauge interest in sharing some more interesting hands, like key double ups, or beats both bad and deserved.

that'd be cool. it's been a few months, but i've been getting the hankering to fire up ACR and get a few tables going. MTTs are an old pastime of mine. maybe i can join you in some hand analysis.

maybe we could even get a bitcointalk private game going sometime. where do you play?

[panganib999]

Well, the player is the cause for a good and bad result of a strategy. I mean if you follow the strat to the last word, could lead to a potentially stupid loss since the person himself doesn't know how to adjust properly in various situations. On the other hand, impulsive reactions could lead to huge losses, just like the bluff OP has presented.

Though tbh, Bluffing is a huge weapon of gamblers. Have lost to them quite occasionally and have often used them myself. Just that... Me using it hasn't really brought any benefits or at least has made a close enough win to offset my losses from it.

[South Park]

Poker strategy largely depends on the opponents. Bluffing could be a good strategy in 1 in 10 games. If you bluff enough, and found, you'd b cornered.
It's really difficult to play with a bluffer with huge funds to spare. Need to play safe until you get a very good hand.

When you are caught bluffing you can use it to your advantage the next time you have a good hand, lets suppose that a few hands later you have a high pair or an ace with a high card and then when the flop comes your hand is improved or it is still the best hand, if you make a big bet it is still going to be fresh in the minds of many of your opponents the bluff you made a few hands ago, especially if you made a big deal out of it, so your opponents are more likely to not believe you and that is when you can get them and get most of their chips.

[Steamtyme]

~snip~Good luck on the tables. 

Thanks that's good advice I'll play around with what I've found so I can try and bring something polished in here for discussion. Wish

up against nitty players, it's tough not to get a bit loose-aggressive. on the button or in the cutoff position against weak nits, i'll raise any two cards. every once in a while, they catch a hand---that's the game.
~snip~
that'd be cool. it's been a few months, but i've been getting the hankering to fire up ACR and get a few tables going. MTTs are an old pastime of mine. maybe i can join you in some hand analysis.
maybe we could even get a bitcointalk private game going sometime. where do you play?

That's exactly what it felt like... that or they were sick of losing blinds either way hand was definitely caught in the cookie jar there. Like you said part of the game.
I definitely welcome anyone wanting to take part in analysis and just general chat. I'll try and take some time to get set up and put something together. I've played on and off for a few years usually call it quits when I drain the small bankroll. This time I took a different approach and decided to be a bit more focused. It's paid off. Currently I'm only playing on ACR, they drew me in with the BTC deposits. A Bitcointalk crew game would be pretty epic - might be tough finding enough players that fit the same stakes but definitely would be a good time I think. If you think we could get something like that going I'd be down for sure.

Don't have time to respond to everyone, but just to clarify for some. You need to bluff in poker - it just has to be a balanced part of your game. It's no different an aspect than raising, betting or checking; if you aren't trying it you will not win - unless you have a very well placed horseshoe 

Last night I had the opportunity to try something new in a final table and it was pretty sweet. Made final 2 and just steamrolled my opponent for the win. I'm still not trying to be results oriented and this past month or so is a small sample but I think I've been doing a decent job of plugin leaks and not letting a bad beat or sucking out wins sway me from my overall gameplan.

[figmentofmyass]

That's exactly what it felt like... that or they were sick of losing blinds either way hand was definitely caught in the cookie jar there. Like you said part of the game.

that's why bet sizing is so important. i see a lot of guys in late position overbetting---like 3.5-4x into an empty pot, no antes---to steal blinds. it's a high risk/low reward situation. in that situation, i much prefer to bet small because weak players will still fold a similar amount of the time. they are also more likely to call a weak bet then shove all-in, because an overbet from late position makes for good pot odds for them to re-steal. i don't like to give the blinds favorable pot odds like that.

Currently I'm only playing on ACR, they drew me in with the BTC deposits. A Bitcointalk crew game would be pretty epic - might be tough finding enough players that fit the same stakes but definitely would be a good time I think. If you think we could get something like that going I'd be down for sure.

great, i'm on ACR as well. i'd love to play on pokerstars or full tilt but alas, i'm in the states.

i'm pretty sure most of us would be happy to keep this low stakes. tourneys are always more fun than ring games IMO. ACR has private tournaments. we could set up a password-protected game. $5 or $10 buy-in etc? maybe we could make it a monthly or weekly affair.

[tokeweed]

I was originally just planning on talking about how whatever your strategy is, no matter how much you plan there is still a weak link - and it's the player. I got on this thought as I was playing the other day, and got into that mind set of my bets and bluffs just couldn't miss. Had a pretty good run on taking blinds and chipping up after a good hand where I was just behind. Then I went loose on my range and just pushed a pure bluff, pre-flop and got caught. Had to fold the hand as they had me covered and jammed, this left me nearly crippled and I just couldn't recover.

up against nitty players, it's tough not to get a bit loose-aggressive. on the button or in the cutoff position against weak nits, i'll raise any two cards. every once in a while, they catch a hand---that's the game.

It was in doing a bit of hand analysis - this one didn't take long - that I thought about sharing poker stories here. I've been playing a lot lately, mostly tournaments. So I figured I would gauge interest in sharing some more interesting hands, like key double ups, or beats both bad and deserved.

that'd be cool. it's been a few months, but i've been getting the hankering to fire up ACR and get a few tables going. MTTs are an old pastime of mine. maybe i can join you in some hand analysis.

maybe we could even get a bitcointalk private game going sometime. where do you play?

You sound like you know what you're talking about.  Were you one of the guys who joined the wave from gaming to online poker to crypto..? 

Just wondering...  And if yes, I wonder what you think what the 'next big thing' is after crypto. 

[swogerino]

I think the best strategy is to play safe and follow what the cards are.Also being extremely patient is a virtue only a few have and it adds up to your skills well.As for bluffing I would only use it as a last resource for example after I see all 5 cards and knew that I can’t win but I think the opponents are bluffing too.Trust me rarely use it and most of the time you will come up as a winner.

[figmentofmyass]

up against nitty players, it's tough not to get a bit loose-aggressive. on the button or in the cutoff position against weak nits, i'll raise any two cards. every once in a while, they catch a hand---that's the game.

You sound like you know what you're talking about.  Were you one of the guys who joined the wave from gaming to online poker to crypto..?  

Just wondering...  And if yes, I wonder what you think what the 'next big thing' is after crypto.  

yep, online poker was my gateway to crypto. i was in college during the mid-2000s poker boom---i miss those days. so many fish everywhere! after i graduated i played semi-pro for a while, getting staked, until black friday hit. that fucked up everything. the smaller networks still serving USA players didn't have enough player liquidity and they had all sorts of banking problems paying people out---bounced checks, delayed wires, etc. so i went out and got a real job.

but i still played casually on the smaller networks, and eventually in late 2012 i stumbled onto this thread on the 2+2 poker forum about a bitcoin-based poker client called "seals with clubs"---no banks, no slow-paying, no bounced checks. sounded great! so i bought some bitcoins and hit the tables. not nearly enough players, lost interest......but then in early 2013 the BTC price started bubbling. and then i became fascinated by it. all the things i loved about poker---the psychology, the numbers---it all applied to markets too. so my love for poker became a love for trading (and also a love for this new technology that cut banks and governments out of the equation!)

as for the "next big thing".....too early to say. i think we still have another major wave of cryptocurrency adoption ahead. after that, where do i want to invest my money? the legal cannabis and especially the hemp/CBD markets probably. the CBD market is going to be bigger than anyone can imagine right now.

[seoincorporation]

I think the best strategy is to play safe and follow what the cards are.Also being extremely patient is a virtue only a few have and it adds up to your skills well.As for bluffing I would only use it as a last resource for example after I see all 5 cards and knew that I can’t win but I think the opponents are bluffing too.Trust me rarely use it and most of the time you will come up as a winner.

So true, poker is a patience game, we need to wait for the good hand but if the good hand never comes them bluffing is the way to stay alive until the good hand comes.

For the bluff I like to rise from the start and then all in after the 3 cards come to the table, that's a nice bluff.

[bering]

For my strategy i will play with patience and waiting until i have good cards and if i already have it then i will pretend have bad cards but i will call the bets to those who very liked to bluffing while playing and if everything's open in the table then at the end of game i will go to all in from my bets so usually those who have no good cards will fold and i won the money but this strategy needed extra patience to ensure our cards really good

[wwzsocki]

I still keep playing poker but not so much as a couple of years ago. Of course, my favorite game is Texas Holdem and I play all kinds of tournaments and games like Sit N Go's or heads up.
As I said already, I don't have so much time lately to play but still, at least I try to play one tournament a week and if possible additional few hours on Sit N Go's or heads up tables.

The only problem with poker is that it takes a lot of time. You have at least spent a couple of hours to play a medium-size tournament with 5000 people. Many times I didn't have so much time and there is nothing worse as to play at the final table in such circumstances. This is obvious that if you want to achieve something in poker you will have to allocate a lot of time fo this.

Now I am waiting for OP to share the hands to discuss further.

[ReiMomo]

I still considered poker game is based on luck game, because when you have received cards in your hand try not to over-analyze everything when you are in a table. Because probably opponent players will find tricks in doing something stupid and for sure you could ever come up with on your own.

Yeah, it takes time but dont be afraid to bet a strong hand on the river that isn't the nuts just like a set when the flush hits, as you can almost always fold with confidence in your self to a check raise.

Nice thread op, I want to learn more on hand strategies.

[Yatsan]

Poker is based on luck and strategy, based on my experience, it's will always be a bluff game when you are playing on higher stakes game. You can do a safe game or win quick and big.

You can just read your opponent's gesture and betting pattern on the first half of the game. Based on my experience, it's easy to win if you know the person you are playing with, and if you don't, stay low on the first half of the game and read them one by one. Poker will always be a bluff game, so don't establish a betting pattern, the more your bet is unpredictable, the more it is okay. Real-life poker or online poker is just the same, so my tips is, if you have a brave heart, poker is for you.

[AniviaBtc]

On the other hand, impulsive reactions could lead to huge losses, just like the bluff OP has presented.

That's why bluffing is a skill and you need to practice while you play and play poker. That's why it is called poker because you need to control your facial expression for your opponent to become confused about the things that you're doing in the table. Bluffing is not that easy to perform because it is a way on how you will help yourself win a lot of money in the end.

Though tbh, Bluffing is a huge weapon of gamblers. Have lost to them quite occasionally and have often used them myself. Just that... Me using it hasn't really brought any benefits or at least has made a close enough win to offset my losses from it.

It is very hard to predict the cards of the opponent if he's very good in performing bluffing during the game. By bluffing you can manipulate the game but the risk are higher because if you're doing bluffing while you don't have good cards then you're dead. The consequences will be only towards your money, and some of the gambler in poker are losing a lot of money because of that. If you start a poker game with continuous losing then you're not that lucky in that certain day.

[tokeweed]

up against nitty players, it's tough not to get a bit loose-aggressive. on the button or in the cutoff position against weak nits, i'll raise any two cards. every once in a while, they catch a hand---that's the game.

You sound like you know what you're talking about.  Were you one of the guys who joined the wave from gaming to online poker to crypto..?  

Just wondering...  And if yes, I wonder what you think what the 'next big thing' is after crypto.  

yep, online poker was my gateway to crypto. i was in college during the mid-2000s poker boom---i miss those days. so many fish everywhere! after i graduated i played semi-pro for a while, getting staked, until black friday hit. that fucked up everything. the smaller networks still serving USA players didn't have enough player liquidity and they had all sorts of banking problems paying people out---bounced checks, delayed wires, etc. so i went out and got a real job.

but i still played casually on the smaller networks, and eventually in late 2012 i stumbled onto this thread on the 2+2 poker forum about a bitcoin-based poker client called "seals with clubs"---no banks, no slow-paying, no bounced checks. sounded great! so i bought some bitcoins and hit the tables. not nearly enough players, lost interest......but then in early 2013 the BTC price started bubbling. and then i became fascinated by it. all the things i loved about poker---the psychology, the numbers---it all applied to markets too. so my love for poker became a love for trading (and also a love for this new technology that cut banks and governments out of the equation!)

as for the "next big thing".....too early to say. i think we still have another major wave of cryptocurrency adoption ahead. after that, where do i want to invest my money? the legal cannabis and especially the hemp/CBD markets probably. the CBD market is going to be bigger than anyone can imagine right now.

Hah...  CBD won't be as much fun as the sickos here in crypto tho.  Lol.  But yeah...  Same story here but my introduction to BTC was thru none other than genjix, who used to play poker small stakes back in the day.

Anyway poker...  Anybody serious about the game should learn NLHE Short Deck.  IMHO.