Your weakest spots...

Some of you might be aware that I'm on an extended bad streak. In an attempt to get out of this, I'm looking for specific areas in which my game is lacking. Therefore, what are yours? What do you feel your weakest aspect of short handed poker is?

Mine:
A) I think I might overplay suited connectors, particularly from the blinds. But I'm not too sure. Unfortunately for me, this is a very difficult part of the game, but I think its one that is hurting me dearly as well.

B) I get frustrated too easily. Over the last 600 hands I've had a 35% w$@SD, while maintaining a 38% W2SD. Hence, I was getting sucked out on alot and making a lot of strong second best hands. This frustrated the living shit out of me. I wasn't tilting, I didn't play stupid because of it, but I was really fucking frustrated.

C) I might be too aggressive. T7s is not an opening hand, and I don't care what my head is trying to say to convince itself that it is. For some reason I just get the, "Im going to open raise this J9s from UTG" feeling. Sometimes it works, and I feel I play well post-flop enough to mitigate losses a large majority of the time, but its gotta be draining me. Similar things go for A-mid-kicker suited.

D) Maybe the 30/20 style isn't for me. Or, more accurately, (since I LOVE the 30/20 style), maybe the 30/20 style isn't suited toward the games I currently play. (With retards.)



What are yours?

When I play against retards I find I don't have to be overly loose to get paid off. I'm running a shade under 20% VPIP with good table selection.

Howzabout moving to full ring for a while? I like 6max but I'm playing full ring now because the players seem tighter and hence are easier to beat-up on.

I, too, am guilty of overplaying connectors in 6max, suited or no, usually because there's not enough players in the hand to give me the implied odds to justify raise calls, which I often make anyway (can you say "leak"?). That's less of an issue in full ring as you have more multi-way pots.

My biggest problem is folding an overpair, top pair or high mid pair (one overcard) against a very straight forward opponent basically screaming they have me beat by checkraising the turn on a scare card, and I call them down too often. Folding feels like someone just stole my lunch money.

Originally Posted by Warpe

Howzabout moving to full ring for a while? I like 6max but I'm playing full ring now because the players seem tighter and hence are easier to beat-up on.

I, too, am guilty of overplaying connectors in 6max, suited or no, usually because there's not enough players in the hand to give me the implied odds to justify raise calls, which I often make anyway (can you say "leak"?). That's less of an issue in full ring as you have more multi-way pots.

Meh. The full ring games on party are ass-tastic.

calling down with KK/QQ on a raggedy board against a guy who would only 4bet preflop with AA.

not escalating enough pots to push up my bbs/100. But conversly may push down the amount of calls i get with second (but best) pair or the times i get bluffed out.

Im running nicely so over the next month ill get a better idea when i pump 30k hands into my database at 3/6 5/10.

I think im ok for the minute.

Not cold calling enough.

E) I think (aka, am pretty damned sure) I call too many rivers holding ace high after "inducing a bluff" by checking behind on the turn. I think I should restrict this to atleast holding a pair, preferably a minimum of second pair for most opponents, reserving A high for those supreme nutjobs.

Originally Posted by elipsesjeff

Not cold calling enough.

zomg he has seen the light

Agreed. These "I dont like to cold call people" are losing value with mid-to-high suited connectors, and mid pocket pairs.

Originally Posted by euphoricism

Agreed. These "I dont like to cold call people" are losing value with mid-to-high suited connectors, and mid pocket pairs.

I wouldn't go that far.

Originally Posted by euphoricism

Agreed. These "I dont like to cold call people" are losing value with mid-to-high suited connectors, and mid pocket pairs.

If they are losing value, it is probably not enough to mention. Really, how often can cold calling really be better than a raise or fold at a shorthanded table? 1/500hands? 1/1000hands? less? And when it is, how much value is passed up? Maybe .1-.2BB? Maybe less. Sure, all leaks add up, but this is pretty tiny. And there is the added danger of possibly convincing yourself to play more hands in clearly unfavourable situations because it's now 'ok to cold call more often'.

It is certainly an interesting question to ask when it is right to cold call, but probably one of the very last ones a good player needs to ask himself about improving at the game. Since I got serious at playing well over a year ago, I haven't even thought about assessing the cold calling part of my game. Short-handed, any hand I feel comfortable with a cold call, I almost always want to raise, so maybe I am raising what some suggest the cold call with? Maybe it's just one spot where the difference between 5max and 6 max shows.

Originally Posted by elipsesjeff

Originally Posted by euphoricism

Agreed. These "I dont like to cold call people" are losing value with mid-to-high suited connectors, and mid pocket pairs.

I wouldn't go that far.

You don't think people are losing value by not cold calling in spots with hands like TJs, QJs? The pairs 44 - 66 could be debated, but if you dont think youre losing value by not cold calling - why do it?

Originally Posted by elipsesjeff

Not cold calling enough.

wow one of best things ive seen all day

Originally Posted by Xanadu

Short-handed, any hand I feel comfortable with a cold call, I almost always want to raise, so maybe I am raising what some suggest the cold call with? Maybe it's just one spot where the difference between 5max and 6 max shows.

Actually, I think this is one part where the difference shows. Of the spots where cold-calling can be profitable in 6-max (even if only slightly above break-even), many happen on the button after three people are already in the pot. This is a sitation that can't happen in 5-max.