5nl review - dont be gentle

Hi!

so ive reached my goal BR for 5nl to move into 10nl ($250).

I posted the stuff i could think of, let me know if theres any other info required for a proper review.
A lot of the bigger dips in graph are the result of tilting after a dry run, and theres a wintilt in there after a heater. I think that some of those could be about half the size if i was playing sensible poker. I do feel like each time i tilt I'm more resilient against it but that could be wishful thinking. I'm certainly better used to bigger dry runs now, there is a ~3000hand one early on (a lot for me) that was new to me.

Please to tell me the ways i suck and also where im doing ok.

From what i hear i should limp less or raise more and thus tighten my vpip/pfr. I dont have a lot of postflop confidence raising hands like KJ or QJ from mp though, and this is not to say i open limp or always call behind with them, but they are the type of hands that would increase my pfr a little (which id like to do). My target stats are something like 12/10 or 13/11. I want to play a very solid TAGG game.

Thanks in advance.







the long 'played since' is because i had a fairly intense and extended period of exams for uni before being able to get back into it. probably played about 1k hands then a big break then the rest.

nice apart from open limp in early position.

Limping to set mine at 5NL is almost certainly +EV, but MuddyWicket is right that as you progress towards 25NL it becomes more of a leak. Make sure that you look around the table and recognize the late-position TAGGs and LAGGs who will isolate your limp. If you're sitting with a bunch of fish and nits, limping can still be OK.

The stats look pretty good. Even your ATSB and blinds stats look pretty solid.

Some things to work towards:

1. Play against the fish. Start isolating limpers with a wider range, especially when you are in late position. Your money comes from the fish so you want to get into as many hands with them as you profitably can. You'll end up getting in some interesting spots with 2nd pair mid kicker or air hands, and by necessity you'll improve your hand-reading a lot.

2. Slow down and think of ranges. If you're doing (1), you're going to need to make more and better plays postflop. Before you take your action (especially on the river), consider what Villain's range is and what the best play against that range is. Make more thin value bets on the river and make bluffs when Villain's hand can't stand pressure. When out of position, realize whether it is better to be bet/folding or check/calling.

3. Consider how to make life difficult for the regs. Start to look for spots where a 3bet bluff might make sense, i.e. against T/LAGGs in the HJ or CO when you are on the button. You don't have to start 3bet bluffing now, but if you are looking for good spots to do so it should be easier to do once you get to 25NL. Start to consider spots where you can profitably flat late position raises and outplay them in position postflop.

4. Suited connectors. Mix it up a little and throw some hands like 87s into your iso or MP open range from time to time (not always and especially not when fish have position on you). When you're on the CO or Button with 20:1 implied odds against a nittier player, "set mine" with these hands. Start to notice the kinds of players who are able to make big folds (i.e. overpairs).

5. Have a plan for the hand. The situation: you raise A K and get flatted by a set miner who has position on you. The flop comes J 3 3. Cbetting once here is bad, but barreling can be very profitable. We have a backdoor flush draw, so let's cbet the flop, expecting to get called. When the turn comes A or K we probably have the best hand. When the turn comes Q T or , we improve our equity and bet again. Thus we barrel with a good chance of taking it down almost 50% of the time.

6. Mix up postflop play against regs. Before value-betting on a given board, consider what you would do with the majority of your range. If you're out of position on a board that a lot of your range misses, it might be good to check/raise instead of just leading. In (5), we decided to barrel AK a lot of times on the turn to get a fold, so when we have AA, let's check the turn sometimes to induce a bet or get value on the river. Remember, this is against regs. Against fish, it's still all about value-town.


With some of these tips, I'm not recommending them to specifically make you more +EV at 10NL. With the SCs for example, I think they will help you get into some interesting spots that will help you further down the line. It's probably better to do that now when a mistake will cost you $10 as opposed to $25-100 down the line.

oh where does it say i open limp? it couldve been from early on, i have stopped as far as i know.

awesome, thanks doandiggy im gonna save all that

Originally Posted by mbiz

oh where does it say i open limp? it couldve been from early on, i have stopped as far as i know.

From position 5-6 your VPIP is not the same as your PFR, so you are limping some in EP. Like I said, if table conditions are right it can still be OK with low pocket pairs, but make sure the conditions truly are right and you're not just convincing yourself not to fold.

awesome, thanks doandiggy im gonna save all that

I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully it helps you out and doesn't just turn you into a spewtard like me :P

As you move up you're going to have to fight for pots more postflop if you want to maintain a win rate.