No-Limit Beginner's Course with confidant91 [2017 edition]

hello guys,

i was offline mst of th eweekend so i will go through the hands tonight.

Hey. Does the adjustments of pre only suit for the using of adjustments of post? If so, I hope the adjustments of post would release ASAP. Thanks!

u should always adjust both, preflop and postflop stratégy so far. But to make it easier for u we will do just preflop strategy tonight and next week we add postflop.

During the live play as always i will be using more advanced strategy than thoguht here so if u want to know how to adjust than follow my liveplays on coachings and feel free to ask whatever bothers u.

Gl at the tables!

Confi

Hi folks,

Two things today - first, a question:

If I was looking to adapt my game in stages rather than all in one go - which position would be best to start adapting first? My thoughts are that if would be best to start looking at the BU and see if I can steal some more and maybe start to develop a calling range?

Second, a hand:

Party, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players

SB: $4.31 (215.5 bb)
Hero (BB): $2.07 (103.5 bb)
UTG: $2 (100 bb)
MP: $3.86 (193 bb)
CO: $2 (100 bb)
BTN: $2.02 (101 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q♠: K♦:
2 folds, CO raises to $0.05, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.03

Villian had reasonable stats - maybe opening a little loose, but looked a reasonably solid player. KQo is a call in the BB as per the beginner strat, so that is what I did.

Flop: ($0.11) K♣: 9♥: 8♦: (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.08, Hero calls $0.08
So I have Top pair with a reasonable kicker - strat says to check/call as long as not above 3/4 pot. So I called his bet. Was this a board to donk on? What boards would you donk on? What range would CO have? I assume he probably cbets most hands after a check, so can we narrow it down at all?

Turn: ($0.27) 4♠: (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.18, Hero calls $0.18
Turn doesn't bring a flush draw and doesn't complete any straights. With this board would this be an opportunity to bet the Turn? Strat says to check/call as long as no more than 2/3 - so I call. On this street can we start narrowing CO range? Would a bet have been better and play bet/fold? Presumably he calls with straight draws, top pair - possibly raises overpair and better?

River: ($0.63) 7♦: (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.35, Hero calls $0.35
River does complete a straight and JT is certainly in his range. Again, strat says check/call 1/2 pot bets - this is slightly over 1/2 pot so I called as it was close. Would a small bet be good here? Folding to any action? Does he bet worse hands than mine? Probably not - feeling I should have check/folded the River.

I feel like I possibly played this hand too passively in general - what do you think?

If I was looking to adapt my game in stages rather than all in one go - which position would be best to start adapting first? My thoughts are that if would be best to start looking at the BU and see if I can steal some more and maybe start to develop a calling range?

exactly how u should start improving your game.

i woudlnt bet there either spidey.

i think vil has it at least sometimes, but we are not bad with kings. I thought he either must have a set or the Toppair aswell. He would maybe just check after you called him on flop. But if he is a decent player he rather just keeps barreling. So after the turnbet i would think he might have me beat seriously. River wouldnt change anything to me, because i wont believe he has a straight.

ok opend the results now. ofc AA are also like a set but weaker imo he would have played them the same way like a set. Either his betsizing was because he wanted to keep the odds good for u calling or he was just to scared to bet more. Who knows. Hopefully Confidant will go through this hand in his next coaching.

Cya

sry for bad writing on the phone atm

Btw. Confidant wil you visit my blog to talk about my hands or should i just repost them here? Ill do whats easier for you.

Here is the link from the hands, they are under "Day 1"- Maybe spidey could take a look too.

https://forums.pokerstrategy.com/forum/thread.php?postid=2709022#post2709022

thanks!

hello, it is definitely better if u can post a link here as well.

This article refers to lesson 2 of the beginners' course:
Beginners' course - Lesson 2

Lesson 5: Adjustments to the beginner strategy - Post-flop
In this lesson we will show how a beginner can improve his game and develop an advanced beginner strategy, especially when it comes to post-flop play.

You will learn ...
• ... what to take into account regarding an advanced beginner strategy.
• ... how to optimise your post-flop play:
- What do you have to take into account regarding hand strength categories?
- How do I optimise my post-flop play after raising pre-flop?
- Tips regarding bet sizes
- Advanced adaption to donk bets
- How do I optimise my post-flop play after just calling pre-flop?
• Tips regarding bankroll management

What to take into account regarding an advanced beginner strategy
The more advanced the strategy, the more difficult it is to specify it through predetermined ranges, sample charts and standardised playing styles.

Every player has to judge for himself when and how to play, and take responsibility for determining whether his playing style will be the most profitable option in the long run or not.

Therefore, this article won't present any more sample charts or ranges. Instead you will be shown how to start thinking about spots and how to further improve your game on your own.

How to optimise your post-flop play
Any recommendations for optimisation always depend on the respective spot you're currently in.

If you are unsure whether deviating from the beginner strategy presented in lesson 2 makes sense or not, then simply don't adjust your strategy and continue playing according to lesson 2. Afterwards you can post the hand you were unsure about in the working thread of the beginners' course.

What to take into account regarding hand strengths
Of course, there are nuances in each of the four categories (made hands, monsters, strong draws, trash).

For example, a top pair with a T is not as strong as an over pair with AA, or a trash hand not consisting of over cards is significantly weaker than, for instance, holding two over cards like AK.

These nuances lead to different playing styles making more sense in specific spots.

How to optimise your play after raising pre-flop
Because of the mentioned nuances regarding hand strengths it is not possible to cover any possible situation within a single article. Therefore, we will present one example for a feasible deviation in playing style for each category.

Made hands:
Especially when up against only one opponent, it can make sense to deviate from the standard playing style with made hands by not continuation betting on the flop. However, this should only be done when ...
• ... there are no draws on the board that the opponent could have in his range (betting against those is the better play).
• ... you are really only up against one opponent on the flop.
• ... your opponent could only hold a few or no weaker top pairs at all.
• ... your opponent could only hold a few or no mid pairs at all.

Suitable spot:

Unsuitable spot:

If you decided to check in a suitable spot, you should call bets of at most two-thirds of the pot by your opponent on later streets (turn/river), or simply bet yourself.

Monsters:
If you're holding a monster, you should think about which other monster hands are possible and which of these monsters your opponent could be holding.

Sometimes it can make sense to fold a strong hand against a lot of resistance when it's possible that someone hit a better monster on the board.

Example:
After you've bet on flop and turn, your opponent suddenly goes all-in.

Suitable for a fold:

Suitable for a call:

Strong draws:
If you're holding a draw, it is important to understand that betting a strong draw like an OESD or flush draw only makes sense when you also assume that your opponents are still able to fold.

If you're assuming that an opponent will always call anyway, it is better to play your draw passively according to odds and outs.

Hence, when you're up against more than two opponents on the flop, you can basically always assume that semi-bluffing your draw doesn't make sense, unless you're holding a monster draw with 15 outs. The same pattern should be followed when you're up against more than one opponent on the turn.

Trash:
Usually, these hands still won't have enough value to justify a move and should therefore be played as usual.

Tips regarding bet sizes
Since opponents on lower limits won't pay attention to the size of your bets for different hand strengths, it is recommendable to link your bet sizes to hand strengths on NL2 to NL5 in order to play optimally in each spot.

Bluff continuation bet = 1/2 pot size (the opponent only has to fold 33% of his hands to make it a profitable bet)
Made hand = 2/3 pot size (optimal size to ensure the opponents call with a sufficient amount of weaker hands)
Monster = 3/4 pot size (making sure the pot gets as big as possible since you're willing to go all-in anyway)

Apart from the bluff continuation bet that should ALWAYS amount to 1/2 pot size on lower limits, the bet sizes for made hands and monsters only serve as a reference point. In some spots it could make sense to choose a smaller or bigger bet size.

For instance, if you're holding a made hand and a lot of draws are possible that could still call, it definitely makes sense to choose a bigger bet size of 3/4 pot size:

If you're holding a monster on a board on which weaker hands don't really have a lot of options to call, then it could also make sense to just bet 1/2 pot size:

Conclusion:
Always try to adapt your playing style against recreational players on lower limits to the board when you're holding a made hand or monster.

However, adjusting to the board doesn't make sense when it comes to bluff bets since your opponents will usually tend to call with their draws regardless of the chosen bet size. Therefore, it doesn't matter if you're betting 1/2, 2/3 or 3/4 pot size in these spots.

Adaption to donk bets
The special rule for spots in which "the opponent bets first (donk)" (see lesson 2) still applies and offers only little room for adjustments. According to that rule, you should fold your hand when you're holding a good made hand but the opponent donk bets 2/3 pot size.

However, when switching to a more advanced playing style, you should rather try to assess the strength of your opponent's donk range and conclude whether you're still ahead often enough with your made hand. If you can still see yourself being ahead you should rather call his donk bet instead of folding right away, especially since you are in position.

In cases like this, it is important to pay attention to the size of the donk bet: If the opponent donks the pot or chooses an even higher bet size, you should simply fold your made hands and only continue with monsters. If he bets 2/3 of the pot or less, you can at call at least once with a made hand.

On the turn and river you'll simply have to make the same assessment as before. If you still see yourself ahead from time to time, you can continue calling or bet yourself when the opponent suddenly decides to check. If you assume that you're beaten, simply play check/fold instead.

How to optimise your post-flop play after just calling pre-flop
The same approach as before applies. You should try to assess which range your opponent could be holding and how you're holding up against that range with your hand. Subsequently, most decisions become self-explanatory.

Made hands:
When you're holding a made hand in a pot where you've just called pre-flop, you can usually stick to the recommendations (see lesson 2) since those represent the right play in the majority of the cases.

Deviating from that strategy can make sense when you are, for instance, holding a made hands against several opponents on a flop with a lot of draws and you don't want to risk everyone checking behind after you've decided to do so out of position.

For instance, you could take the initiative in the following spot and directly bet 2/3 pot size when you're up against more than one opponent on the flop:

Monsters:
Simply continue playing these hands aggressively by betting them right away when you're up against several opponents or when a lot of draws are possible on the flop.

If you're only up against one opponent or when the flop is particularly dry, you can also consider just playing check/call from time to time to give your opponent the opportunity to bluff again on the turn:

Strong draws:
Simply continue playing strong draws according to odds, outs and implied pot odds.

Trash:
Trash hands are still nothing that can be played in a reasonable manner, therefore simply check/fold them as usual.

Tips regarding bankroll management
From NL10 onwards we recommend that you always have at least 30 stacks for the current limit in your bankroll. Furthermore, you should move down a limit as soon as you only have 30 stacks left for that limit.

However, in general, the most important aspect is that you should always feel comfortable with your own bankroll management. So if you prefer to play with at least 40 stacks or even 50 stacks or more, simply do so and ensure that you're playing without pressure and with a clear mind, even when losing a stack unluckily from time to time.

Where can I view this video series in it's entirety thus far? I would imagine it requires gold status?

Hey, at the bottom of the first post, once you click "spoiler" button, you will see a list of links: https://forums.pokerstrategy.com/forum/thread.php?postid=2696092#post2696092

Originally posted by imgoingtomirage
Hey, at the bottom of the first post, once you click "spoiler" button, you will see a list of links: https://forums.pokerstrategy.com/forum/thread.php?postid=2696092#post2696092/blockquote >

Thanks

Hey guys,

I'm a little behind on lessons and only really jsut studying the pre-flop adaptations (hoping to catch up this week) - I have begun trying to implement stealing from button and SB and below are some thoughts/stats/questions from my blog. Thought I'd post them here too for discussion on effective stealing from these positions.

Originally posted by Spidey1978

I have already been opening up a lot more in late position and when opening from BU or SB have pretty much been opening any 2 with maybe only a few exceptions.

Steal Stats before I opened up (3320 hands):
Steal from Button - 52%
Steal from SB - 55%

Steal Stats since I opened up (1089 hands):
Steal from Button - 80%
Steal from SB - 96%

(One caveat - data before includes regs and Zoom tables, whereas data after is just from Zoom tables.)

My question then: is this profitable? I understand on reg tables it needs to be very player dependent, but on zoom where not many people have reads or hands on you it can be.

My success rate at the moment is:
Button Steal Success - 43%
SB Steal Success - 64%

I guess it may be a bit hard to tell if it is profitable in Button as it doesn't include the money I may have won/lost by cbetting the flop if SB or BB call?

Should I continue with my steal frequency or become more discerning?

What is your SB and BTN winrate?

Stealing a lot can be ok but it depends a lot on your villains. I can open 72o from BTN but then I have a decent sample on both SB and BB and know my steal is generating autoprofit. Without that info I wouldn't widen my stealing range too much.

One more thing you have to consider is that when you open wider pre (and this pretty much applies in every position) it gets a lot more important how you 1) play vs 3bets 2) play postflop and 3) play the 3bet pots postflop.
The most money you win/lose in a poker hand will be postflop. That is why beginners are often recommended to open smaller.

Originally posted by la55i
What is your SB and BTN winrate?

From SB I am making a profit atm and from BB I am down about 25BB (but his is only over about 2000 hands)

Originally posted by la55i...it gets a lot more important how you 1) play vs 3bets 2) play postflop and 3) play the 3bet pots postflop.

These are all topics I am not that experienced in - so perhaps I'll lay back a little of the stealing for the time being. Thanks @La55i!

Here is a quick hand for a check:

Poker Stars, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players

SB: $5.30 (265 bb)
BB: $2.03 (101.5 bb)
Hero (UTG): $2.03 (101.5 bb)
MP: $2.14 (107 bb)
CO: $1.78 (89 bb)
BTN: $2.45 (122.5 bb)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K♠: Q♥:
Hero raises to $0.06, MP folds, CO calls $0.06, 3 folds
Happy to raise KQo from UTG - no reads on villian other than he is less than 100BB.

Flop: ($0.15) 4♥: 5♥: K♣: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.12, CO calls $0.12
Hit top pair so I bet for value and a bit of protection against the flush draw.

Turn: ($0.39) T♣: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.30, CO raises to $0.66, Hero ?

Turn doesn't complete any flush or OESD draws, so I decide to continue to bet my top pair. As soon as I am re-raised alarm bells sound and I think I am going to fold. What is in his range here? KT, TT, some draws, QJ maybe (but does he re-raise with them - I'd assume not?).

What line would you take? Was I right to bet the turn here or should i have check/called? I think given that I had initiative and the cards weren't that scary then continuing aggression was a good thing?

Hi folks,

I have switched from single table zoom to 2-tabling regulars at the moment and, touch wood, am getting way more joy - finished over 200BBs up after 100 hands today (I know I shouldn't worry about individual results, but hey, it is nice when things pay off).

Had a few interesting hands today - one, I have posted below and the others in the hand evaluation forum (links below) - take a look what do you think?

Top Pair calling down as per lesson 2
Poker Stars, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players

SB: $2 (100 bb)
Hero (BB): $2 (100 bb)
UTG: $1.27 (63.5 bb)
MP: $2.05 (102.5 bb)
CO: $3.41 (170.5 bb)
BTN: $3.83 (191.5 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with T♦: K♥:
3 folds, BTN raises to $0.06, SB folds, Hero calls $0.04
BTN raises - over only 4 opportunities he has 50% steal from BU stats - as per pre-flop strat this is a call, which I do.

Flop: ($0.13) 4♠: 5♦: K♣: (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.10, Hero calls $0.10
Top pair - not much of a kicker on the flop - playing as per lesson 2 I believe this is check/call as long as bet is less than 3/4 pot. Bet is pretty mush exactly 3/4 (jsut over) - I decide to call. Any point in donking this board? I assume not as OOP and we'd have to bet/fold to any raise.

Turn: ($0.33) Q♠: (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.21, Hero calls $0.21
Again, as per lesson 2, I still have top pair and I should call as long as bet is no more than 2/3 pot. The bet is a little lower than that so I call again.

River: ($0.75) 9♣: (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.36, Hero calls $0.36
Finally, on the river I still hold top pair - lesson 2 says check/call 50% of pot. Villian's bet is less than 1/2 so I call.

Results:

Other interesting hands on the hand evaluation forum.

[NL2] KQs UTG - Top Pair on flop facing small donk bet from BB

[NL2] QJo - calling sb raise in bb - Two-pair on the flop

[NL2] 88 - set mining - make set but on completed flush board

Look forward to people's ideas and comments - good luck at the tables (unless I am sitting next to you).

I was pretty card dead today - only got to play 20 out of 112 hands and they were all pretty dull.

Just the one hand today - seeing if I play the 'all check' play well or not.

Poker Stars, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players

SB: $1.57 (78.5 bb)
Hero (BB): $2 (100 bb)
UTG: $1.27 (63.5 bb)
MP: $1.84 (92 bb)
CO: $1.13 (56.5 bb)
BTN: $2.11 (105.5 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q♠: K♥:
UTG raises to $0.06, 3 folds, SB calls $0.05, Hero calls $0.04
Think this is okay to call pre-flop - 2 opponents - UTG had played all of his 8 hands so far, SB is like 32/26 at the time.

Flop: ($0.18) J♥: 6♣: J♠: (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks
Nothing on the flop, so I go look to play check/fold, but before and after me also both check.

Turn: ($0.18) 3♥: (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.11, UTG calls $0.11, SB folds
With the checks all round - I sense they have either air, are slow-playing a monster (Jx), have 6x or 2 over-cards? The 3h does nothing (except maybe create a flush draw?) and I think I can possibly either make worse hands fold and also a lot of better hands (6x). As the board has flush opportunities should I have bet bigger?

River: ($0.40) T♥: (2 players)
Hero bets $0.26, UTG raises to $0.52, Hero folds
River completes a draw - how likely does he have this? I don't think so. Heads up I represent the flush, but I am re-raised (min) so at this point I think he has got something (either flush or was holding JX) and decide to fold - should I have check/folded this river?

Results:

Pre I think this would be a good squeeze.
Flop and turn are ok. When villain didn't fold OTT he either has something semi good or then he was on a draw. That Th OTR might not be the best card to keep barreling. Especially ig UTG had played 8 hands in a row we maybe could think he likes calling.

Hello!
Thanks for this amazing course, I just started again to play poker now since I've stoped about 5 years ago. For the first time ever I'll try to play NL 6max as in the past I only played sit and go.

For now I'm only through session 1 and 2 so I'm playing the very basic strategy. I've played about 1.000 hands so far, down about 2 stacks..hope to improve.
I Have a question about the strategy. How do we adjust our play post.flop when we are more than 2 players (3- or more handed)? As learned in session 2 we have to contibet every hand in position if our enemy checks to us...do we have to play different if there are more players involved? So far I also did my condibet, but for now it didn't work out really well...here I have a hand for example.

Thanks in advance for your help and I'm looking forward to the next sessions.

Poker Stars, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: $4.26 (213 bb)
BB: $1.80 (90 bb)
UTG: $4 (200 bb)
MP: $1.94 (97 bb)
CO: $2 (100 bb)
Hero (BTN): $2.02 (101 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BTN with 9♦: A♥:
3 folds, Hero raises to $0.05, SB calls $0.04, BB calls $0.03

Comment: basic steal-raise from the button according to chart

Flop: ($0.15) 5♥: 9♣: 5♣: (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.09, SB calls $0.09, BB folds

Comment:3-handed but as I have a made hand I contibet 2/3 pot

Turn: ($0.33) 6♦: (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.21, SB raises to $0.42, Hero folds

Comment: according to session 2 we have to go on betting 2/3 pot what I did here...as SB check-raises and the board is drawy, I fold

Results:

Hi again!
Is this thread not active anymore? Hoping to get some answers I'll post another hand...still playing the basic strategy. Here I have a question regarding the pre-flop strategy:

Poker Stars, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

Hero (SB): $2.09 (104.5 bb)
BB: $4.66 (233 bb)
UTG: $2.35 (117.5 bb)
MP: $2.79 (139.5 bb)
CO: $3.75 (187.5 bb)
BTN: $2.04 (102 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J♣: T♣:
UTG folds, MP calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, BTN calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.14, BB folds, MP calls $0.12, CO raises to $3.75 and is all-in, 3 folds

we are in SB and our hand is a blue one according to the chart so we should raise although there are limpers in front of us....i adjustet the betsize to 4BB + 1BB per limper......I played correctly according to the strategy, but I think here a fold would have been better because there are so many players involved and JTs is the bottom ange to play even there are limpers in front of us...what's your advice?

Results:

Hi!
Another Pre-Flop question I have on this hand:

Poker Stars, $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: $3.70 (185 bb)
BB: $8.14 (407 bb)
UTG: $2.38 (119 bb)
MP: $1.87 (93.5 bb)
CO: $2.99 (149.5 bb)
Hero (BTN): $2.54 (127 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BTN with Q♣: A♥:
2 folds, CO raises to $0.06, Hero folds, SB calls $0.05, BB folds

Comment: according to our char we have to Fold AQo in Button as soon as there is a raise in front of us...but as I assume that CO does a steal raise, I think that my AQo is good most of the time and I could go for a 3-bet....am I right on that? What would be the best range to go for re-stealing?

Flop: ($0.14) 6♣: J♠: 2♥: (2 players)
SB checks, CO bets $0.06, SB calls $0.06

Turn: ($0.26) 9♦: (2 players)
SB checks, CO checks

River: ($0.26) T♠: (2 players)
SB bets $0.22, CO calls $0.22

thanks for your help!
LacsapR

Results: