I can't stop the variance tonight.

Review these hands and tell me if there's anything wrong with the way I played..

PokerStars Game #4936103505: Hold'em No Limit ($0.02/$0.05) - 2006/05/14 - 19:48:55 (ET)
Table 'Lotis' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: joejohn9 ($1.13 in chips)
Seat 2: Darkheart ($3.09 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero ($9.53 in chips)
Seat 4: applejax1975 ($3.95 in chips)
Seat 5: SnowOwl ($10.17 in chips)
Seat 6: Dawn5 ($1.32 in chips)
Seat 7: Mclintock67 ($5.34 in chips)
Seat 8: chexnthemail ($16.05 in chips)
Seat 9: Reese-T ($4.35 in chips)
Mclintock67: posts small blind $0.02
chexnthemail: posts big blind $0.05

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Kh As]
Reese-T: calls $0.05
joejohn9: calls $0.05
Darkheart: calls $0.05
Hero: raises $0.30 to $0.35
applejax1975: folds
SnowOwl: folds
Dawn5: folds
Mclintock67: folds
chexnthemail: folds
Reese-T: calls $0.30
joejohn9: calls $0.30
Darkheart: calls $0.30

*** FLOP *** [8c 7d Jd]
Reese-T: checks
joejohn9: checks
Darkheart: checks
Hero: bets $0.70
Reese-T: calls $0.70
joejohn9: folds
Darkheart: folds

*** TURN *** [8c 7d Jd] [Ks]
Reese-T: checks
Hero: bets $1.50
Reese-T: calls $1.50

*** RIVER *** [8c 7d Jd Ks] [4d]
Reese-T: bets $1.80 and is all-in
Hero: folds
Reese-T collected $5.62 from pot
Reese-T: doesn't show hand


PokerStars Game #4935897755: Hold'em No Limit ($0.02/$0.05) - 2006/05/14 - 19:30:48 (ET)
Table 'Lotis' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: joejohn9 ($2.14 in chips)
Seat 2: Darkheart ($3.51 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero ($10 in chips)
Seat 4: bobrsny ($18.11 in chips)
Seat 5: SnowOwl ($10.87 in chips)
Seat 6: Dawn5 ($1.46 in chips)
Seat 7: goo05 ($1.83 in chips)
Seat 8: chexnthemail ($17.15 in chips)
Seat 9: Reese-T ($3.02 in chips)
Reese-T: posts small blind $0.02
joejohn9: posts big blind $0.05

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Qd Ad]
Darkheart: calls $0.05
Hero: raises $0.20 to $0.25
bobrsny: calls $0.25
SnowOwl: folds
Dawn5: folds
goo05: folds
chexnthemail: folds
Reese-T: folds
joejohn9: calls $0.20
Darkheart: calls $0.20

*** FLOP *** [8d 9h 2c]
joejohn9: checks
Darkheart: checks
Hero: bets $0.50
bobrsny: calls $0.50
joejohn9: folds
Darkheart: folds

*** TURN *** [8d 9h 2c] [Qs]
Hero: bets $1.25
bobrsny: calls $1.25

*** RIVER *** [8d 9h 2c Qs] [Kh]
Hero: bets $2
bobrsny: raises $2 to $4
HalogenX: calls $2
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bobrsny: shows [2s 2d] (three of a kind, Deuces)
Hero: mucks hand
bobrsny collected $11.92 from pot


PokerStars Game #4936078325: Hold'em No Limit ($0.02/$0.05) - 2006/05/14 - 19:46:44 (ET)
Table 'Hartmut' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Farrokh4493 ($2.28 in chips)
Seat 2:Hero ($18.64 in chips)
Seat 3: kml111 ($1.83 in chips)
Seat 4: flobbins ($2 in chips)
Seat 5: DBeat ($3.68 in chips)
Seat 6: killerklown9 ($9.95 in chips)
Seat 7: CJGiant4215 ($10.07 in chips)
Seat 8: mickeydee38 ($6.80 in chips)
DBeat: posts small blind $0.02
killerklown9: posts big blind $0.05

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [3c 3s]
CJGiant4215: folds
mickeydee38: calls $0.05
Farrokh4493: folds
Hero: calls $0.05
kml111: calls $0.05
flobbins: folds
DBeat: raises $0.10 to $0.15
killerklown9: folds
mickeydee38: calls $0.10
Hero: calls $0.10
kml111: calls $0.10

*** FLOP *** [Jd 9c 3h]
DBeat: checks
mickeydee38: checks
Hero: bets $0.35
kml111: calls $0.35
DBeat: raises $0.35 to $0.70
mickeydee38: folds
Hero: raises $0.35 to $1.05
kml111: folds
DBeat: raises $0.60 to $1.65
Hero: calls $0.60

*** TURN *** [Jd 9c 3h] [Ts]
DBeat: bets $1.88 and is all-in
Hero: calls $1.88

*** RIVER *** [Jd 9c 3h Ts] [5d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DBeat: shows [Jc Jh] (three of a kind, Jacks)
Hero: mucks hand
DBeat collected $7.71 from pot


Could I have played better? Was it obvious in any of these hands I was beat, and I should've laid down instead of called?

hand #1: dont c-bet into 3 opponents, i call that river
hand #2: c-betting into 3 opps again, check/call river
hand #3: unlucky even though you still played it bad, why are you minraising the flop...quit fucking minraising. there needs to be a sticky in this forum that says STOP MINRAISING.

Originally Posted by bair

hand #1: dont c-bet into 3 opponents, i call that river
hand #2: c-betting into 3 opps again, check/call river
hand #3: unlucky even though you still played it bad, why are you minraising the flop...quit fucking minraising. there needs to be a sticky in this forum that says STOP MINRAISING.

Agreed on all points. If you are going toc bet in multiway pots [I wouldnt suggest it unless other opponents are tight] then make it more than half the pot. On hand #1 you should put him all in on the turn, if you dont then you need to call that river bet. Hand #2 I would check that river and call a small bet, as played I think Id fold to the minraise. Hand #3 is unlucky, but again, dont minraise.

Hm and in another post you say you can't wait for 25NL.. I'd hold that off for a while if I see these HHs though. Take it slow, don't blame everything on variance.. c-betting into 3 people and minraising are clear indications you have some leaks to plug still. No biggie though, just calmly add one piece of new strategy/tactic onto your game at a time.

The mini raise in hand 3 was a mistake, I meant to call, but looking back I should've capped it all on the flop. It was an unlucky play.

Thanks for the advice on cbetting multiway pots. It's a bad habit I picked up from 6max, where there was seldom a heads up post flop.

I think the reason I want to move to 25 NL is so I can put all of FTR's advice to use. I'm so irritated with bad beats, 5 callers to a 4xbb raise and donks going allin on the flop when I think I have the best hand and I fold, stealing $1-3 from me.

I think you'll look back at these loose tables with nostalgia when you play tighter ones. A lot of FTR advice, especially here in the beginner's section, is catered exactly towards playing those looser ones. Think 19 hands etc.

I relentlessly annoy the crap out of my opponents with Lagg and floating just to loosen them up

Hand 1: I'd have checked the flop, made a pot size bet on the turn (if it was still checked around) and called about a 1/3-1/2 pot size bet on the river.

Hand 2: Check the flop if anyone makes a decent bet (1/2 pot+) I ditch the hand. Make a decent bet on the turn and likely check down the river. (if possible, fold to a decent bet).

Hand 3: If you have a set it's about 1-2% that your opponent has a set too. So you never worry about it. I'd have pushed on his reraise. Doesn't really matter though since you were going to get all your chips in the middle and lose.

Bear in mind that, with the exception of HH#3 you had big pots with one pair. That's not a big pot hand. You should try and keep the pot more manageble without 2pair+ especially at the low levels. If your heads up you can get more aggressive with TPTK.

GL.