Making my comeback, avoiding getting stacked
Lately, I seem to have a problem getting stacked a lot. A little history about me:
I used to play $25 NL online for a while, going so far as paying my rent/bills/etc. playing. I usually went back and forth between $25nL and $50 NL, depending on my BR at the time. I played at Poker Room and various Pokertime affiliates (which were, admittedly, very soft for a long time). I did really well over the 6-7 months I was playing regularly.
I stopped playing when I entered the "real world" and didn't really have time. I recently thought I'd give it another go since stars and tilt are both easily accessible for US players.
I did do a lot of reading here, at 2+2, and over a few decent books I have before I started playing. I started off ok, but ultimately, ended up busting out. Just when I'd start winning again, I'd bust out again.
For some reason I just can't seem to win consistently. I've made my share of bad moves, but ultimately I just can't seem to get my good hands to hold up (yeah yeah, everyone says this).
My brother and I have discussed this and he insists that I'm "sitting with too big of a stack and am giving people reverse implied odds to stack me." That's his reaction every time something like the below happens:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)
UTG ($2.20)
MP ($1.90)
CO ($2.12)
Button ($2.44)
Hero ($1.68)
BB ($4.32)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif.
UTG calls $0.02, MP calls $0.02, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.14, 1 fold, UTG calls $0.12, MP folds.
Flop: ($0.32) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif, 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Thttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
Hero bets $0.34, UTG raises to $0.68, Hero raises to $1.54, UTG calls $0.86.
Turn: ($3.40) 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (2 players)
River: ($3.40) 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif (2 players)
Final Pot: $3.40
Results in white below:
Hero has Kh Kc (one pair, kings).
UTG has 8s 8d (three of a kind, eights).
Outcome: UTG wins $3.40.
I only sat at the table with $1.50. I had been playing this table for about half an hour and had a pretty good read-pretty much maniacs. Lots of action, people playing Ax like it's the nuts on every street.
First: Am I just gonna be paying the guy off in this situation every time, or can I ever justify letting go of KK in this situation (I wasn't really thinking set here, more along the lines of A4/A10, based on previous hands)?
Second: Is sitting down at these micro tables with that amount too much? Too little?
I don't have PT (only the trial version), so the only real "stats" I am currently using are my stars stats.
I'd like to thing I'm staying reasonably aggressive (about 25% pots won without showdown, 53% at showdown).
The problem seems to be that, despite my aggression, late position play, etc., I seem to keep losing big pots where I either get busted by someone's draw/lesser hand or I get money in where I appear to have the best hand and have already been outdrawn (like the above).
Admittedly, though I'm not TERRIBLE at pot control, I could probably improve here.
Stars is obviously quite different from PR, but still appears to be quite fishy.
Anyone got any generic advice for:
-avoiding getting stacked
-pot control
-adjusting to the game now, coming back from a 2 year absence from the online game?
