[Closed] CaptLoeff

Hello CaptLoeff,

Thank you for your wonderful introduction and a big welcome to the NL Beginners Course.

I am sure that with plenty of work and effort on both you and the coaches part you will learn many new skills and fix the leaks within your game.

You couldn't have come to a better place

I hope you enjoy the course and that you succeed in your quest!

Kind regards,
Gary

Thanks Gary! I'm looking forward to it.

Question: Is there a Mac friendly version of the free software on PS or will I have to run a program like Parallels and Microsoft Windows on my computer? If I have to buy Parallels and Windows, the "free software" will become quite expensive.

Thanks,
CaptLoeff

Homework #1:

1. My motivation is primarily for the mental challenge. I'm also looking for some additional income through poker.

2. It's difficult to say what the worst part of my game is. I have so many leaks that I know about, and probably many more that I don't know about. I'm weak when it comes to the math of poker. I also have a hard time giving my opponent credit for a hand. Sometimes, it's difficult for me to fold a mediocre hand.

3. A TAG player is a player who only puts money into the pot when they are likely to have the best hand. As long as they continue to have what is most likely the best hand, they keep putting pressure on their opponents by playing aggressive poker.

Hello CaptLoeff,

About math we will have a great coaching on week #3, definitely stay tuned for it and try even to attend there. Also we have planned a lot of math-like homeworks which will definitely improve your poker-math.

What about tilting? Do you adjust to it, any rules or something?

Most of the other weakness you wrote can easily be fixed with you posting hands. We will start writing feedback to your play. And usually negative feedback will put you into thinking phase and trying to fix all those leaks. It's almost the same as you loose money, you will remember it more than winning part.

Welcome to the Course and Best of luck! First points earned.

Thanks Veriz. PokerStrategy.com is awesome because coaches and pros like you are willing to help guys like me. I can't thank you enough.

To be clear, I understand math very well. I'm just too slow at my arithmetic to play well online when I only have a very limited amount of time to make a decision.

I don't have too many problems with tilting. I tend to play as correctly as possible and if I continue to get unlucky until I start getting upset, I walk away for a few days. I use the time away from the tables to read more PokerStrategy.com articles and forums as wells a books. This helps me to confirm that I need to continue to play through the variance and understand that these things happen.

That's exactly what happened to me recently. I was playing live poker at the lowest limits I could find. I bought in for $200 at a $1, $2 NL hold 'em game and had my Aces cracked three times. I lost $400 that night. I donked on the turn and river once, which was a big mistake against my opponent who had quad nines. That was the only time I played poorly. The other two times, I lost to opponents who both had under-pairs (queens once, and sixes the next time). They both got lucky and sucked out on the river for a set.

My tendency to donk on the turn and river leads me to think that one of my major leaks is to get too aggressive with good, but not perfect hands. I think I need to learn how to recognize those situations for what they are and slow down. I hate playing for a small pot when I have a good hand. I guess I just get greedy or something.

Does anyone out there have any idea how I can learn to fix that leak?

Thanks,
CaptLoeff

To be clear, I understand math very well. I'm just too slow at my arithmetic to play well online when I only have a very limited amount of time to make a decision.

That's why posting hands helps. You will get used to the spots and the more you post the more you evaluate the more experience you get.

Taking few days off after having some bad runs is really helping out and I would even recommend using it that continue playing when your mindset ain't in a correct spot.

That's why the casinos or those live cash games ain't very good. Since you might even not have the BRM for it. You will get money-scared, will play very likely too tight and also might even not re-buy there and play with like 50BB. Try maybe finding some friends with you can play lower stakes or maybe even tourneys.

About donking I'd say it's just horrible. It's usually the case that with donking you can't represent much. Wouldn't take it as a habit since it's rather a bad habit. And fixing those kind of leaks is that you just try to analyze your games, post hands, evaluate other hands. With experience it will hop into correct play, you will stop doing dumb moves since you know that if you post your hand you will get negative feedback which your mind doesn't want to. That's also why posting hands is good and easiest way to find leaks.

HOMEWORK 2

What do I do differently that the BSS starting hand chart? If I'm first in the pot, I'm raising. It's very, very rare for me to limp or call. Since I'm not capable of playing randomly (like a computer), I think that raising every time I'm the first into the pot is a great way to disguise my hand. Philip Newall's book, The Intelligent Poker Player, talks about the importance of playing many different hands the same way before the flop. I agree and think that this will confuse an opponent.

Okay I've posted my hand to the following location: https://forums.pokerstrategy.com/forum/thread.php?threadid=148308

What is the equity of AKo against the top 5% range? 5% means: 88+, AJs+, KQs, AKo? 46%

I'm really interested to discuss what you think about my answer to question 1 and my posted hand!

Thanks,
CaptLoeff

Good job! Homework #2 Done!

In your case if anyone limps and you raise it's called isolation raise:
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 could limp.

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

Homework 3

Question 1: You are holding KQ. What is your preflop equity against an opponent who has 33? How does the equity change on the following flop: J53? pre-flop - just over 50% / post-flop - just over 26%

Question 2: Question 2: What would you do in the following hand? (Remember that it is important to explain your reasons, simply posting "Fold" or "Call" is not sufficient)

No-Limit hold'em $2 (9 handed)

Players and stacks:
UTG: $2.00
UTG+1: $2.08
MP1: $1.92
MP2: $1.00
MP3: $3.06
CO: (Hero) $2.08
BU: $2.00
SB: $2.00
BB: $1.24

Preflop: Hero is CO with AJ.
5 folds, Hero raises to $0.08, BU calls $0.08, SB folds, BB calls $0.06.

Flop: ($0.25) 263 (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, BU checks.

Turn: ($0.25) 5 (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.22, BU raises to $0.44, BB folds, Hero...?

An arguement could be made for raising, but without knowing my opponents stats/betting patterns/etc. I would just call. I'm clearly getting the necessary pot odds.

Question 3: Post a hand for evaluation where you have a question regarding your post-flop play.

$2 10 player SNG Hero's terrible play?

My question to the forum wasn't so much about my post-flop play, but please set aside the fact that my pre-flop play may have been too loose. I'm curious about my post-flop play and the analysis I went though in my head before my Cbet and semi-bluff on the turn.

Good job! Homework #3 Done!

About Question #3:
There are few situations on turn:
a) If we take just odds for the FD and we take into account that all our odds are clean. There which means:
Total Pot = $0,91 ; We have to Call = $0,22 -> According to that it means we are getting ~4,16:1 odds. For flushdraw we would need 4:1. Which tells us that we are getting perfect odds.
b) If we consider the opponent having sets here:
Which means we have to discount outs, for example 6:c and also 3:c. Which means we have 7 clean outs. Which means that we need 6:1 odds. That tells us that we need ~$0,41 on river to make it profitable. If we expect the opponent being loose enough and being able to pay us no-matter what then we can do the Call here properly.
c) We might even have overcards as outs or even 4 as a out:
Although this kind of situation ain't that likely. I'd rather discount that one and either pick a) or b). Most likely towards Call.

You are doing great progress! Some more points earned.

Thanks Veriz. To be honest, that was a VERY loose play pre-flop. Having said that, my bankroll is a lot healthier when I'm playing SnGs rather than ring games online. I'm not sure why, but I've been losing a bit while playing regular NL2 10 player games. It's getting a bit frustrating.

I've even begun playing a little bit of Omaha PL Hi/Lo I've always loved that game. I guess I just have to keep learning and practicing, but I can't seem to figure out why I tend to lose money over time when playing online vs. breaking even or making a little over time while playing live.

Any ideas?

Well, you answered already your question yourself. You are playing too loose, which also is very like that you are impatient, playing too many hands, too many situations. All those kind of difficulties gonna cost you in long run if you ain't good postflop. Although at the beginning we rather try to avoid it.

Guess you just haven't found a play-style what you like the most. Try to keep for one variant for some time and try to learn it as much as you can.

I do know that I'm best at SnG tourneys. I've cashed in 26 of my last 76 tourneys. That's about 34%. This is going to seem strange after my last post, but generally, I'm a very tight player. I think that's why I do so well at SnG tourneys. I seem to be much better at picking my spots in a SnG than I do in a ring game.

Oh well. I'm learning a lot on PokerStrategy.com and more importantly, I'm having a great time.

Thanks

Of course, sngs is a great format to play. Myself I do like cash games a lot more.

Also you can always decide whatever suits for you the best. Plus you can still continue with the School and later on decide. I am pretty sure that cash-game is one part of poker which you should definitely try to learn since you will be playing them everywhere. ♦ Also if you play live games.

I love to play live cash games. I play $1/$2 NLH right now. That's my only option at the local casino. So far I'm doing well I've had a few losing rounds, but overall, my BR is growing. I find live cash games easier than online games. I think that detecting and remembering betting patterns is more difficult for me than reading people.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the class so far. Thanks coach!

CaptLoeff

Totally true about Live Cash games. They are very loose, especially those 1/2 ones. I do play also in my Local Casino and they are very loose I would say like NL2. ♦ But a bit more nits nowadays.

So as I see the Course really helps you, gets you some living from Live cash. Worth to pass the course then and maybe even join more advanced one after it.

Homework 4 Question 1:

Live $1/$2 perfect play gone wrong

I'll get to the rest of the homework as soon as possible, but life is a bit hectic right now and I have to do some traveling for work.

CaptLoeff

Just post something in your blog here, so I will notice that you have updated the homework.