Poker Discussion

[Prolifical ENG]

Originally Posted by bigben

Oh OK using AIM actually aides cheating....Ya'll can tell each other what cards you hold as a matter of fact how is this prevented when playing with real money online?

When playing on the smaller money tables, it is very difficult to tell. However on the larger tables like $20/40 there is actually a moderator watching the games and can find those things out by watching what hands you play, how you bet, etc. and close your account, bring in legal issues, etc. Observers also can't talk so there is no begging at the tables where people have thousands on their online bankrolls and some people looking for an extra dollar to play.

I don't know if the sites have records of who is on your friends lists to find out there is dishonesty. But even then when people are friends that can happen in real life when 2 friends play together at a table and play against each other competatively.

[beautifulrock]

yawn, the life of a poker player is a crazy one. Vampirish to be exact. It is now 6:25PM on the east coast and I am just now waking up. I seem to be on a rotating schedule of- play poker 20 hours, sleep for six, meaning I wake up 2 hous later each day. So when you see me tomorrow at 8:30 PM, wish me a good morning!

[Prolifical ENG]

I'm getting the hang of these freeroll tourneys now. Yesterday I got to the final table but unfortunately I grew disinterested since it was running late and it was a stalemate so alas I came in 9th with about a dollar in money from going in with AJ. I could have easily held out longer and capitalized when blind levels rose but I had to go. The last 30 people drop like flies until there is about 13 people left on 2 tables then the short tables tighten up a lot...even more than on normal tourneys.

[TeknicelStylez]

I haven't read through the whole thread yet, just about to the third page, but I just wanna post and say thanks for the thread it's definately helping me out alot, you know your shit.

I played hold em' in Atlantic City one time and I got eaten alive but after reading through this thread and playing online for about a month now I feel like I'm ready to do some damage, I took out a hold em tournament in a good 30 minutes yesterday just playing like you told me to.

Just lettin you know the thread is appreciated!

[Prolifical ENG]

When you placed in a few freerolls and managed to scratch up some change, it is better to enter a few low tourneys to increase the bankroll a little more or go to the lowest limit tables?

Rock, I seen you started doing the lower tourneys....but I took a gamble once in entering a .05/.10 table shortstacked with 50 cents...tried to go into a longer table but as soon as i posted 4 people left and the blinds came too fast..so you know what happened...didn't get anything. At least i got a few cents back from the rake today (every monday) I guess I should get at least a few dollars before doing anything like that. 4-5 bucks at least...thats placing at least top 3 in a freeroll....my 99 cents right now wont do much either.

[IRAN]

Great thread, really interesting reading. I have been playing Hold em with friends for about 7 years. Only recently started playing on-line, but not doing too well, finishing about 20 ish out of 150 for the last 6 tourneys. I just cant seem to catch a break when it really matters.

This is what happened in the last game. Ace Four off suit in hand, blinds 50/100, someone raised to 300 so I called, everyone else folded. Flop came Ace, Four, Ace. I checked, he checked, Turn Card was King, I checked again, he checked. River was 10 of hearts. I bet 400, I was raised all in and called. He had Ace Ten and I was fucked.

I was pretty gutted, cause I thought I had played it badly, but no matter when I raised I would have been called and ultimately would have lost.

I have also been stung by trips quite a few times, never see those coming!!!

[Prolifical ENG]

Hmmm...sometimes those can't be avoided. After the flop I likely wouldn't have slow played it and went all in. But chances are the other guy had an ace (and you know it) for trips and might have called you anyway unless he expected you had J or higher....then there is a possibility he would have folded and you would have won. Sometimes you need to be happy with a smaller won pot with a very good hand...you could have won 100+50+300=450.

That was a good loss to learn from! I guess you seen the "kicker trouble" posts in this thread.

But on the other hand if I wasn't in good position I would seldomly play A4 unsuited. The lowest I would play is A7 (maybe)...A9 or 10 a higher possibility depending on the circumstances. If I played A6 and if I took it down I would show people my hand so then they would think I actually do play hands as low as A6.

I guess you just need to excercise predicitng the cards that the other players are holding. Perhaps you didn't understand his raise or maybe you did understand and thought he had trips As and wouldn't fill it.

[Prolifical ENG]

Oh yeah, if you keep on finishing in that same spot, it seems you are playing tight which is good and can take you far. But the really tight players last in tourneys but never make it to the final table. There is a time when its really time to turn it on if you haven't been consistant with winning chips and you are below the chip average. If you are one of the chip leaders of course you can still play through. Around that time when a quarter of the people are left, the blinds take a higher percentage of most people's stacks since they have been playing tighter and haven't came through, unless they are a chip leader (which they will be willing to play more hands). You just need to realize the value of the chips. Take more chances in stealing blinds when it tightens up and the high stacked people fold. Stealing a blind when there is ante later on gives you almost 2 more bets to wait and play good hands. You also need to realize when the blinds are hurting your stack more, there are more people willing to call your all in because they guess that you are taking a big gamble and they take a chance with a portion of their stack in eliminating another lost soul competing for the final table. That means you need to start wagering before your stack starts looking relatively small.

[beautifulrock]

Originally Posted by TeknicelStylez

I haven't read through the whole thread yet, just about to the third page, but I just wanna post and say thanks for the thread it's definately helping me out alot, you know your shit.

I played hold em' in Atlantic City one time and I got eaten alive but after reading through this thread and playing online for about a month now I feel like I'm ready to do some damage, I took out a hold em tournament in a good 30 minutes yesterday just playing like you told me to.

Just lettin you know the thread is appreciated!

thanks alot tekstyles, its posts like yours that will make me continue to drop knowledge on the forum. My goal is to spread knowledge on the site, help others build an online bankroll, and perhaps one day the corp will have its own "crew" representing at the WSOP. If you have any questions at all, post them here or pm me anytime. I will do the best I can to help those in need. My plans for this week include another omaha post, a post on strategy for online freeroll tournaments, and my introduction to a live cash games. Stay Tuned!

[beautifulrock]

Originally Posted by IRAN

Great thread, really interesting reading. I have been playing Hold em with friends for about 7 years. Only recently started playing on-line, but not doing too well, finishing about 20 ish out of 150 for the last 6 tourneys. I just cant seem to catch a break when it really matters.

This is what happened in the last game. Ace Four off suit in hand, blinds 50/100, someone raised to 300 so I called, everyone else folded. Flop came Ace, Four, Ace. I checked, he checked, Turn Card was King, I checked again, he checked. River was 10 of hearts. I bet 400, I was raised all in and called. He had Ace Ten and I was fucked.

I was pretty gutted, cause I thought I had played it badly, but no matter when I raised I would have been called and ultimately would have lost.

I have also been stung by trips quite a few times, never see those coming!!!

The only mistake you made there, if any, was to call the A4 for a raise in front. The hand you described was a "cold deck" meaning no matter how the hand was played, all the money was going in no matter what. I would advise avoiding what I call the "ace anythings". The ace is obviously the most popular single card to play, so playing with a good kicker is a must, but if desperate sometimes it is necessary to play a hand like A4. I just suggest being the raiser as opposed to calling the raise. Let's look at what you can and can't beat (playable hands)

Beat
A3 A2 (barely a favorite, split most of the time)
KQ KJ KT QT QJ JT (you are about a 3 to 2 ((60%-40%)) favorite here

even odds
33 22 if your hand is suited, its a virtual coinflip

crushed (4 to 1 or better dog)
AA

dominated (3-4 to 1 dog)
AK AQ AJ AT A9 A8 44

badly beat (2-3 to 1 dog)
A7 A6 A5 KK QQ JJ TT 99 88 77 66 55

as you can see the prospects aren't good against a random hand that would raise.

[beautifulrock]

Originally Posted by Prolifical ENG

When you placed in a few freerolls and managed to scratch up some change, it is better to enter a few low tourneys to increase the bankroll a little more or go to the lowest limit tables?

Rock, I seen you started doing the lower tourneys....but I took a gamble once in entering a .05/.10 table shortstacked with 50 cents...tried to go into a longer table but as soon as i posted 4 people left and the blinds came too fast..so you know what happened...didn't get anything. At least i got a few cents back from the rake today (every monday) I guess I should get at least a few dollars before doing anything like that. 4-5 bucks at least...thats placing at least top 3 in a freeroll....my 99 cents right now wont do much either.

On a .05-.10 table you want a minimum of 40 bbs to even have a shot. Thats 4 bucks. What you were trying I would call a suicide mission, your only hope being the all-in preflop and pray. You CAN'T get blinded off in that situation. You just gotta try and double up right away. I always try to build my bankroll on absolute by playing .60 cent PL omaha hi/lo sit n gos. My reason is I am far and away better than anyone who plays those, and finishing in the top three for me is like 80%. Anything can happen in a no limit hold em game and usually does. I would call my chances of cashing in those like 55-60%. So I just play the odds. That being said, I'm back to the .60 centers now building as I have been continuously bubbled in dollar rebuy tournaments. If you do win a little $$$$ on absolute prolifical, there is a .50c multi-tourny at 5am est. The competition is very weak, like shooting fish in a barrell. After that work your way up to the $1 and $2 dollar no-rebuy tournies. and when you get to about $25 or so, play the $1 rebuys. Next is the $5 no-rebuys when you get to about $100. after that its up to you. This is my building strategy for ABS.

Also I would avoid playing the cash games on absolute altogether, unless you have friendly faces at the table with you. Absolute openly admits they hire proposition players to play on their tables but says they have no vested interest in the players. I disagree. The freerolls may or may not also be filled with these players. They are easy to spot. On absolute, all the props have simple names followed by a three digit number avoiding the popular ones 420,007,911,711...etc. Are these players shills? Maybe, maybe not. But just consider this: You have your own online site whose servers are in costa-rica (not subject to international gaming laws) and your company is located on the mohowk reservation in canada (also not subject to any searches and protected by law) would you be 100% on the up-and-up considering no one could touch you? I probably wouldn't. Why do you think that NO brick and mortar casino would touch an online site? I see unusual patterns in online gaming sites all the time, not just absolute, that make me question the ethics of the site. This is why I rarely play cash games online anymore. The tournies seem to be a much safer route to go, as the investment is small, but the reward is big.

[Prolifical ENG]

I guess I should start focusing on getting my AP bankroll off the ground. Its hard since on WPE I can place in the freerolls 80% of the time (like you in the PL Omaha) and they finish a couple hours quicker (under 4 hours). When I have more time I will do more on more sites.

I'm pressed for time right now since its exam period...hopefully after I can take some AP ones down too.

[Prolifical ENG]

Yes, I have seen unusual patterns on some sites. before I noticed this and cashed out after I started losing at regular intervals and why I decided not to actually deposit money into a poker site.

For the suicide mission, I was trying quite the opposite because the site gives rakeback so i tried to play in as many hands as possible hoping with a little luck I could walk out with the same I entered plus the rakeback. My experiment failed.

[beautifulrock]

Originally Posted by Prolifical ENG

Yes, I have seen unusual patterns on some sites. before I noticed this and cashed out after I started losing at regular intervals and why I decided not to actually deposit money into a poker site.

For the suicide mission, I was trying quite the opposite because the site gives rakeback so i tried to play in as many hands as possible hoping with a little luck I could walk out with the same I entered plus the rakeback. My experiment failed.

I didn't mean to imply that the way u were playing was suicide, I meant that trying to play that little was. As far as the rakeback goes, that's just a gimmick to get you to play those cash tables as the amount u get back is less than one tenth you put in. I know u spent tons of time building that .50c in the freerolls and now that time seems wasted. what is the lowest buy-in for multys and SNGs on the WPE?

[Prolifical ENG]

Yes, it was still suicide....but I never meant to do that "gut shot" move which is sometimes called the "suicide mission".

that 55c was from a 20th place that I got earlier on that day in a freeroll...wasnt all my change....I dont care much for the loss since the goal is to get a top 3 placing which will at least give a start rather than 20 lower placings from playing 100 hours.

rakeback and AA never loses are more for the bigger tables. getting thousands of dollars in rakeback makes it worth it and why there are so much more people playing $1-2 and above...it attracts more of those players.

The Tourney mins are higher...2+0.20 for SNGs (I think Ive seen some lower Omaha ones) and like 2 + 1 multis. Those tourneys also give you the %10 rakeback....but of course that means very little on lower tables.