Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
This is my first post so bare with me.
My poker name is Wyldfoxx. I play on FullTiltPoker.com and UltimateBet.net
My primary game is No Limit Texas Holdem' MTT.
But... I do play ring games and dabble in Omaha and Razz.
The reason I post today is to find advice and insight into my struggle with the game of poker. I recently qualified for Round 2 of Full Tilt Poker's WSOP seat giveaway TWO times back 2 back. In the last Round 1tourney I accomplished a second place finish using my A game. What blows my mind is that I only made it to the second blinds level in Round 2 both times. Now I admit that my nerves have made it hard to play my A game, and I'm willing to blame those failures on myslef. But since then all I want to do is take a SHOTGUN to my monitor! For the last 4 days IN A ROW. I have been busted out over and over and over by some maniac going all in with rags and cracking my monsters!!!
The latest bout I had AA in early-middle position (not the best but I figured in the situation it's ok) on the FIRST hand of the MTT. The UTG called the BB into the game so I raised 3 x the BB which was $90. I got 3 callers pre-flop; late-middle, button, and UTG. The flop comes 4c ks 10c. The button raised $150, the UTG folded, I raised it to $300, the LM folded. The Turn comes 8h and the button goes ALL IN. My thought was "Yes this guy MUST be a donkey and now I have him!" so I go ALL IN as well. Well the cards flipped and he has 10h 8d!!!:shock: I think to myself I FINALLY get AA and some maniac calls my pre-flop raise with rags and my re-raise on the flop with only middle pair! WHY! WHY! WHY!
I can't for the life of me figure out WHY??? Why is it that all the crazy maniac newbie donkeys can make absolutely REDICULOUS plays and they "seem" to ALWAYS WIN!!!
The only mistake I think I made was this... instead of only min raising post flop I should have raised it maybe to $600 or maybe $750. The only thing that REALLY angers me is the fact that he probably would have called ANYWAY!!!
Somebody PLEASE tell me why WE are even playing poker, when it seems to be more and more about luck of the draw instead of skill and mathmatics. (which is what made me LOVE this game in the first place!) :roll: HELP!!!
Re: Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
The latest bout I had AA in early-middle position (not the best but I figured in the situation it's ok) on the FIRST hand of the MTT.
AA is always good times for me, regardless of my position.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
The UTG called the BB into the game so I raised 3 x the BB which was $90. I got 3 callers pre-flop; late-middle, button, and UTG.
With someone already limping into the pot, a 3x BB raise is a little too timid. With a hand like AA, it doesn't play well in a multiway pot, so to isolate down to one player, I'd be looking to raise between 4-6x BB here. Early stages of a tournament when the blinds are still low, you aren't going to get far rasing to 3x BB when there were already 2.5 BBs in the pot. If anything, you're sweetening the pot for any drawing hands that might be out there, which is exactly what you don't want to do. You got another caller after you, which means, by the time it get's to the button, he has to call 3 BBs into a pot of 8.5 BBs, giving him almost 3-1 on his money. Given he also has a positional advantage over everyone else at the table once the flop hits, I can understand exactly why he would call with a hand like T8. He might not be as big a donk as you think he is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
The flop comes 4c ks 10c. The button raised $150, the UTG folded, I raised it to $300, the LM folded.
The button acted first? There's two clubs on the board, anyone holding QJ has an open ended straight draw, there's 4 people in the pot, and you're checking this hand round to the button? You're inviting trouble for your hand here. You want to take this hand down here and now. Make a proper pot sized bet. There's almost $400 in the pot. That would be my bet. Instead, it gets checked round to button who makes a bet of under half the pot. Your minraise is WAY too weak. With the button's bet, the pot is now about $550, and your raise brings the pot up to about $850. Even if no-one else calls, youre offering the button a price of over 5-1 to take another card. With 2 more 10's and 3 more 8's in the deck, the button has a 4.5-1 chance of improving his hand to two pair or better by the river.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
The Turn comes 8h and the button goes ALL IN.
The button has already committed a large portion of his chips to this hand. All in is the sensible bet here - he's managed to see the draws out there, even if you didn't, and now he wants to finish this hand here and now. I can't fault his play at all here. In fact, I can't fault his play at any stage of this hand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
My thought was "Yes this guy MUST be a donkey and now I have him!" so I go ALL IN as well. Well the cards flipped and he has 10h 8d!!!:shock: I think to myself I FINALLY get AA and some maniac calls my pre-flop raise with rags and my re-raise on the flop with only middle pair! WHY! WHY! WHY!
Why? Because he had the odds to make the call. Because he had position. Because his draw hand stands a better chance of cracking aces than a hand like AK or QQ ever would. Because you never properly defined your hand. Because you let him in cheap. Because you slow played a vulnerable hand in a multiway pot. Because your re-raise was nothing more than a pot sweetener.
With all due respect, I think you played this hand MUCH worse than the button did. And to top it all off, you called down all your chips in a WSOP qualifier with nothing more than a pair. Rather than point the finger at other players, take this hand and study it hard, and try to figure out how you gave it away.
Re: Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaemik
Rather than point the finger at other players, take this hand and study it hard, and try to figure out how you gave it away.
WOW! You disected that hand like a scientist searching for the cure for cancer!!!
I need to take notes of my hands and study my play! I got more leaks than the New York Times!!!!!!!!!! :oops:
Re: Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
[quote="Wyldfoxx"]The latest bout I had AA in early-middle position (not the best but I figured in the situation it's ok) on the FIRST hand of the MTT. quote]
So true, I'd much prefer 74o in this situation, it's a much more solid starting hand I think.
Re: Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
Somebody PLEASE tell me why WE are even playing poker, when it seems to be more and more about luck of the draw instead of skill and mathmatics. (which is what made me LOVE this game in the first place!) :roll: HELP!!!
if you think playing against newbies sucking out on you leads to more bad results than good results, you might not be that good yourself. There it is...harsh as it may sound.
I play where I can get a long term edge, which is against weaker players. Variance is part of that game.
Re: Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldfoxx
This is my first post so bare with me.
My poker name is Wyldfoxx. I play on FullTiltPoker.com and UltimateBet.net
My primary game is No Limit Texas Holdem' MTT.
But... I do play ring games and dabble in Omaha and Razz.
The reason I post today is to find advice and insight into my struggle with the game of poker. I recently qualified for Round 2 of Full Tilt Poker's WSOP seat giveaway TWO times back 2 back. In the last Round 1tourney I accomplished a second place finish using my A game. What blows my mind is that I only made it to the second blinds level in Round 2 both times. Now I admit that my nerves have made it hard to play my A game, and I'm willing to blame those failures on myslef. But since then all I want to do is take a SHOTGUN to my monitor! For the last 4 days IN A ROW. I have been busted out over and over and over by some maniac going all in with rags and cracking my monsters!!!
The latest bout I had AA in early-middle position (not the best but I figured in the situation it's ok) on the FIRST hand of the MTT. The UTG called the BB into the game so I raised 3 x the BB which was $90. I got 3 callers pre-flop; late-middle, button, and UTG. The flop comes 4c ks 10c. The button raised $150, the UTG folded, I raised it to $300, the LM folded. The Turn comes 8h and the button goes ALL IN. My thought was "Yes this guy MUST be a donkey and now I have him!" so I go ALL IN as well. Well the cards flipped and he has 10h 8d!!!:shock: I think to myself I FINALLY get AA and some maniac calls my pre-flop raise with rags and my re-raise on the flop with only middle pair! WHY! WHY! WHY!
I can't for the life of me figure out WHY??? Why is it that all the crazy maniac newbie donkeys can make absolutely REDICULOUS plays and they "seem" to ALWAYS WIN!!!
The only mistake I think I made was this... instead of only min raising post flop I should have raised it maybe to $600 or maybe $750. The only thing that REALLY angers me is the fact that he probably would have called ANYWAY!!!
Somebody PLEASE tell me why WE are even playing poker, when it seems to be more and more about luck of the draw instead of skill and mathmatics. (which is what made me LOVE this game in the first place!) :roll: HELP!!!
Dude, I love how you just CAPS LOCK random words throughout this entire post. I makes me laugh.
Re: Sometimes I wonder why we even play poker???
Quote:
Originally Posted by BowlinPinTim
So true, I'd much prefer 74o in this situation, it's a much more solid starting hand I think.
Yeah, atleast you can let go of 74o easily. AA all you do is lose big!
