Spidey1978

Good job! Homework #1 Done!

With tilting I am pretty sure that you are familiar with stop-loss. Has it been some kind of help for you?

Adjusting to opponents will come with more experience and skill but obviously the earlier you start the faster you will get used to it. Stats are very important in this aspect.

Impatience is actually a huge leak for every poker player. A lot of live poker players have such a leak and obviously as well in online poker. You have to find yourself a way how you gonna ignore it or make it disappear. Try every time remind yourself! Forcing into your life to be more patient in any activity you do, not only poker. Force! Force! Force! Always remind what you came to do and the patience will just help you earning more salary not the opposite.

Most of the other mistakes obviously we will be able to fix if you post the hands and we will see how you played them.

Best of luck in the Course! First points earned.

I've been using the Advanced Openraising Chart as a guide for the last few weeks - do you think this is +EV for the micros or would I be better off playing tighter and strictly to the Basic SHC at these limits?

Well, obviously +EV. If you are good enough then use it! It's most likely even more profitable if you are good postflop.

Veriz if I post some questions I have here would you do your best to answer them. Thanks

Definitely! I will answer all the question. In case I even skip any then just remind me. At some points it might take few days for me to give an answer. But don't worry, I will answer it!

Your Question #1 (Pre-Lesson 2)

So is raising to isolate a big no-no here? - I'm assuming not massive but by raising we run the risk of being called by at least one of the limpers and if we don't hit a set then we pretty much have to fold with a small pair like this. Which is why limping and re-evaluating on flop is better?
Furthermore, which pocketpairs would you isolate with? TT+?

Why do you want to raise 55 here? Rather play it multiway. If you hit any kind of set and they hit a pair you will often get paid much more. More loose player, more likely you get paid.
I'd raise most likely some higher PPs, starting from 88+. Depends really on their stacks and stuff. Although the safest would be obviously TT+ for value.

Your Questions #2 (Pre-Lesson 2 Continued)

Well the case with QQ is that if you are going to 3bet then it practically means you are doing it for value. 3bet/folding ain't a very good plan for you, while you could just Call and play postflop at the same time. Obviously at the best we are flipping but why are you then even squeezing and turning your hand into bluff.

About the 4bet size I make it easy and simple usually. While we even have position 2,5x opponents raise should be enough which would be ~$3.

We also get enough equity with AK, so to me it looks like we get enough equity in this situation to go broke with any pocket pair but is that something you'd actually recommend?

Well, obviously. Why do you 4bet in first place? There is no point to 4bet in first place and fold your AK or QQ.

Also, is it therefore okay to play QQ like you would play AA & KK?

Well, I wouldn't say so. It's still with QQ at the best you might face a flip against rather tighter player. There are a lot of spots where we gonna play rather passively with QQ.

Long time no post.

Have been playing and slowly working through the content really trying to get the info secure before moving on. Am up to Week 3 but have realised I haven't posted my homework for lesson 2 so here it is.

Question 1: What do you think you could play differently than suggested in the BSS Starting Hands Chart and why?
The obvious hands I play differently are when in LP and I will steal with many more hands depending on Opponents still left to act.
I will look to raise with hands like suited (and unsuited) connectors, suited one-gappers, suited kings, any ace depending on opponents. (Stats show I am stealing about 32% of the time).
Related to this though I think I could re-steal from the blinds a little more. Are there any articles on re-stealing?

Question 2: Do you have questions about your preflop play? Post your hand for evaluation.

Known players:
[tg]Position_Stack:hands/vp$ip/RaisePreflop/AF/WTS/ORL/BBvsSteal/W$SD;UTG1$1.06:230/12/9/4.0/43/31/100/40;CO$1.71:90/19/19/-/50/33/100/80;Hero$4.1:///////;[/tg]
0.02/0.04 No-Limit Hold'em (9 handed)
Hand recorder used for this poker hand: PokerStrategy.com Elephant 0.105 by www.pokerstrategy.com.

Preflop: Hero is BU with Q♥, Q♠
UTG1 raises to $0.12, 4 folds, CO raises to $0.36, Hero raises to $4.10 (All-In), 3 folds, CO raises to $1.71 (All-In).

UTG raise from a fairly TAG player but with a short stack
Range is something like TT+,AQs+,AKo
CO 3-bets with a mid-stack - stats (not many tho) show he 3-bets fairly wide (9%)
88+,ATs+,KTs+,QJs,AJo+
I decide to 4-bet shove - wise move or should I have been folding QQ here?
Flop: ($5.99) A♠, A♦, 4♦
Turn: ($5.99) J♣
River: ($5.99) 2♣ (2 players)

Final Pot: $5.99

Question 3: What is the equity of AKo against the top 5% range? 5% means 88+, AJs+, KQs, AKo.

       Equity     Win     Tie
UTG    46.32%  37.92%   8.41% { AKo }
UTG+1  53.68%  45.27%   8.41% { 88+, AJs+, KQs, AKo }

Good job! Homework #2 Done!

Totally agree with you about the stealing ranges. They can be very easily be balanced with even wider range. Depending on the opponent you can as well put a wider stealing range. Against some tight opponents who give up their blinds either preflop or postflop, why not to adjust? Against some shorties you can even steal with smaller raise, for example 3xBB. But don't overdo the stealing situations. Sometimes you might just put yourself into too many difficult spots if opening with marginal hands.

Isolating can be very profitable actually since people on lower stakes take the fast and easy line by just Fit/Folding too much. With that you will earn in long run a lot profit. Which means you can isolate with even wider range, sometimes even with the all range which you planned to limp.

About re-stealing, I doubt that there are any specific articles about it. There is a bluff article about preflop play but it's Gold.

Also please post the hands into Hand Evaluation forums to get them judged. Thanks! Good to have you back.

About Question #3:

       Equity     Win     Tie
UTG    46.32%  37.92%   8.41% { AKo }
UTG+1  53.68%  45.27%   8.41% { 88+, AJs+, KQs, AKo }

Hopefully you enjoy the School so far. Some more points earned.