Friday, October 14, 2011

Questions for My Prep for Tonight

As I think about tonight's tournament some questions about my play come to mind.  I am not doing well on line in the crappy free games and don't know for sure if I am playing bad or getting unlucky, or a combination of the two.

1.  Am I better off playing passively or aggressively?  It seems that when I am aggressive with my super big hands like aces or kings I get no action.  When aggressive with my middle pairs I just get crushed by overcards or overpairs.  When passive I allow every garbage hand in cheap and am asking for trouble.

2.  Seeing more flops?  It seems to me that I do not see enough flops, particularly in position.  I have to think more about what kind of pot odds are being offered with ATC good with enough limpers. 

3.  Raising out of position.  I am often being exploited when I limp then the big or small blind comes in for a raise.  Should I float the raise or just fold?  Should I be doing more of this myself?

4.  I keep forgetting the old "stop & go" play when short stacked in the blinds.  Rather than push with my hand, either pairs or big cards, it is often better to shove on the flop....any flop.  Can't forget this play, particularly when it is a scary blind flop like 2/2/3.

5.  I have to find a way to combat the loose ATC players tonight.  Any suggestions?  They will call virtually any raise with ATC once they have limped or even against an early position raise.  I am thinking that when they are in the hand I slow play any big hand to manage pot size then evaluate after the flop.  A big pot spells trouble usually as they will not release any pair and can catch 2 pair to snap you.

1 comment:

7 Dewey said...

Great googly moogly. This is a lot to think about. Hope you want opinions, because here they are.

1. Aggressive or passive? As they indicate on every poker show I ever watch, aggression is rewarded & I believe it to be true. If you watched the WSOP main event, you will notice up to SIX raises pre-flop. However, as with anything in poker, this is situational.

2. See more flops in position? Definitely yes with any two playable cards ONLY when you are getting the right price, and the key word is playable. Should you call with 9-10 offsuit? I would. How about Q-2? Not in this lifetime. Again - situational.

3. Raising out of position? I think this is probably only a good thing with super strong cards or a plan to check-raise on the flop and get position back. Sometimes a small out of position raise is best. Then if you are re-raised you can re-assess the situation. There's that work situation again. Good grief.

4. The old stop and go. This is something I quite frequently forget about myself. I think it's a good idea.

5. How to play against ATC players? Who the hell knows? I think slow & steady wins the race. Try to keep the pots small and hope for the best.

GOOD LUCK TONIGHT! Hope any of this helps!