2 hands - 10NL

I played a long time ago, when i was 16 (now 23) i built a bankroll from zip to about 2K before cashing out to buy myself musical instrument goodies. I've just redeposited $100 and am back playing, these are 2 of the more pivotal hands from my first few sessions. I have thought about them and will make notes about my thoughts throughout, would greatly appreciate any opinion.

please comment on my ranges, i dont think i judge them well. I think that I give players too much credit, then I see donk behavior, give them less credit and get in trouble. My thought process typically makes sense to me at the time and is invariably incorrect.

Hand 1. Villain is 40/31 but only over 22 hands so I'm giving next to no weight on that figure.

looking back at previous hands after the session I note that he has check-raised with a gutshot draw on the flop. aswell as raising preflop with 43s OOP and c-bets the flop with bottom pair, gets called and checked to the river. These are the only 2 hands where i know his hole cards.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (7 handed) -

BB ($3.49)
UTG ($10.39)
MP1 ($1.88)
MP2 ($4)
CO ($3.76)
Hero (Button) ($10.07)
SB ($8)

Preflop: Hero is Button with :4c::4d:
UTG bets $0.40, MP1 calls $0.40, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.40, 2 folds

Flop: ($1.35) :3d::js::4s:(3 players)
UTG bets $0.60, 1 fold

Villain range: AA-QQ, AK-AJ, JJ or 33, TT. Axs, Kxs
(I'm beating almost the entire range, however i dont think i really thought this through at the time. Also there is a flush draw on the board to I feel that I should have raised here to push out A-Kxs or destroy their pot odds.)

Hero calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.55) :6h:(2 players)
UTG bets $1.50

villain range: AA-QQ, JJ, 33, 66, AJ.

Hero raises to $4.10
UTG raises to $9.39 (All-In), Hero ???

I probably wouldnt have taken the villains line here without hold JJ, 33, or 66. My call flop, raise turn, is never a mid strength hand i think, I either have nothing or something decent. So i wouldn't raise all in without some big cards. That said I think alot of players at this limit will over value AA-KK here, even QQ and AJ, but i think the more likely line with those hands would be call my turn raise, check/call river. But then again, I've been paid off by horrid hands at this level, ie. called on all streets by a middle pair, no kicker vs my top set.

Perhaps though you would typically see calls only with these hands aswell, there would only be this aggression with made hands so is this a fold unless i can confidently label this guy a maniac? would also note that a maniac would probably bet harder on the flop..)

lastly on this hand, had I raised the flop and he had shoved what do i do then? I think its a call, my set on the flop bets AA-QQ and 33 which are all hands that could easily make that play at these low stakes.

Hand 2 -

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) -

MP2 ($4.19)
CO ($9.10)
Button ($4.40)
Hero (SB) ($6.73)
BB ($4.25)
UTG ($4.14)
UTG+1 ($12.54)
MP1 ($9.90)

Preflop: Hero is SB with :as::kd:
5 folds, Button bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.35, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.90) :ks::ac::2c:(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $0.40, Hero raises to $1.20, Button calls $0.80

Turn: ($3.30) :9s:(2 players)
Hero bets $2.80, Button calls $2.80 (All-In)

River: ($8.90) :th: (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $8.90 | Rake: $0.43

In this hand the villain held AA and took my money.
Firstly, dont ask why i haven't rebought and only have $6.80 at the table. I buyin for $5 as I prefer a 50bb stack. It makes me look like a scared douche and i can get paid off more frequently this way which means the less winnings in all in hands isnt relevant. Also as i deposited 100$ it means i have 20 buyins not 10 and is therefore lesser risk to my bankroll.

I'm interested to know if anyone thinks i can avoid being stacked here. I think that I couldve laid down AK preflop to a 3 bet if i had raised him. Also, i was so stoked to have hit a flop (had been running cold for some time) that I didnt think about his cards at all. What am I beating that calls my flop checkraise here? AQ KQ, split with AK? QJ for the gutshot if he's totally stupid?

I'm OOP so my checkraise flop line forces me to bet the turn or risk a donk bluffing me off the hand.. If i'd bet the flop and been raised I may have got out of this before putting him all in? or am i just being weak? ..I feel like if i'd played it differently i'd have given myself the option to make a read and fold, where as the way i played it left me with no choice but to put him all in.

Any thoughts appreciated.

I also have another hand where i laid down a set on the turn will post that also if anyone is interested.

yea dude, not idea how you got stacked on that second hand, so many obvious spots where he virtually told you that he had AA, you need to learn when to hold em and when to fold em

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Originally Posted by philly and the phanatics

yea dude, not idea how you got stacked on that second hand, so many obvious spots where he virtually told you that he had AA, you need to learn when to hold em and when to fold em

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ok, fine.. so to clarify. he's on the button and its folded to him.. so his raising range is pretty much any 2 cards. But if we give him credit then its AJ-AK, any pp, any suited connectors.

your saying that the only hand that calls a checkraise on the flop here is AA-KK?

because i think that Kx clubs, AK, AQ, A2 are possible, and since he's on the button then any 2 clubs is also an option if he's less than intelligent. i mean a flush is pretty likely to get paid off by my line here on the turn since his stack is small. I'm acting first so if he had a draw he's putting me on AA, KK, AK, 22. And for 3 out of 4 of those i'll be getting very close to good odds to chase a full house if i bet the turn small and he put me all in. So while I respect that he's telling me that i should slow down on the turn, i dont see where he's telling me that he has AA in more than 1 spot here.

Not trying to shut down your arguement.. I havent played in a long time so my judgement is probably way off. Just looking to understand why you think the way you do

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Originally Posted by philly and the phanatics

yea dude, not idea how you got stacked on that second hand, so many obvious spots where he virtually told you that he had AA, you need to learn when to hold em and when to fold em

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lol, i think Philly's drunk (or being sarcastic). I think you played this fine. You flop top 2 pair and you're shortstacked. Get it in. He didn't advertise AA. He generally would 3bet preflop with AA. He bet small on the flop when you checked to him and called the raise. He could have tons of hands (flush draws, str8 draws, AQ, etc) And on the Turn, you're AI and to a fish this won't change anything.

Without stats on this guy, I can't say you played it badly. You didn't say if he was a solid player or a donk. The problem is that you "didnt think about his cards at all". You have to stay focussed.

obv being sarcastic lol just sick of every hand in the BC being a cooler lol

Hand 2: Your thought process should be something along the lines of:

I have top 2 pair and villain is representing something like Ax, Kx + FD, or some kind of FD + SD. The turn missed all draws and may have completed a smaller 2 pair. I am going to make a pot sized shove for value to try and get action from all of the above and am only being beaten by sets which I have blockers to.

Why are you trying to find a way to get away from this hand?

I'm not trying to get away from this, I'm ok with losing a short stack with top 2 pair.

Most of the hands I played within these first few sessions were simple and dull. I either got it all in ahead and held, or got it all in and a donk sucked out.

I'm seeing a lot of donk play, bad raises, weak raises, no preflop hand selection. But my sample size is too small to judge atm (~3000 hands) so I want to get some feed back on whether this was typical or not.

There's always something to learn even from hands where the decisions are easy. My hand reading is what is weak in my game, so i'm interested in anyones perspective on my villains ranges and whether i'm thinking right.

I do still feel like maybe i should be re-raising AK preflop, which may have resolved my issue of being against AA in this hand. So is that correct or just not necessary here, especially when i'm OOP?

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Originally Posted by philly and the phanatics

obv being sarcastic lol just sick of every hand in the BC being a cooler lol

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maybe its because cards win here, not creative play. Do we get truly tough decisions at this limit? My perspective is that i dont need to involve myself in difficult situations where i have to force people to make mistakes. They are making mistakes all by themselves and i win when i have a hand, which works for me when all i'm doing is building a roll at micros..

maybe the sarcasm is good for me, just need to man up and bet.

Standard hands bro. Going broke a ton here with a set and top 2. lol coolerments.

First, and not I'm not trying to be a bitch, but I don't think that you're properly rolled for 10NL.

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I've just redeposited $100 and am back playing, these are 2 of the more pivotal hands from my first few sessions.

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You should really leave yourself a buffer to cover the inevitable variance.

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as i deposited 100$ it means i have 20 buyins not 10 and is therefore lesser risk to my bankroll.

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If your whole roll is < $200 then my recomendation is to drop to 5nl and practice some bankroll management to keep yourself from going broke. 5nl would allow you to buy in full.

Pretty std hands. I'd wind up reloading too.

Hand 1: His bet otf looks like a std continuation bet. Raise to like $2 and call a shove. As played: call the turn. If he shows you 75o, JJ or 66 then make a note and reload. It's possible that he's got 66 but it wasn't in the range that you gave him for the flop. If it's not there otf it won't be there ott. More likely JJ or or an overpair.

Never folding though.

Hand 2: Pre: reraise to like 3x of his raise. He's otb and his raise could be positional or a steal. When he comes over the top or calls then you can narrow his holdings to a big pp or AK, AQ and maybe KQs. Other than that I think you played it well. Since we didn't 3bet pre, I agree with this line of thought on the flop:

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Hand 2: Your thought process should be something along the lines of:

I have top 2 pair and villain is representing something like Ax, Kx + FD, or some kind of FD + SD. The turn missed all draws and may have completed a smaller 2 pair. I am going to make a pot sized shove for value to try and get action from all of the above and am only being beaten by sets which I have blockers to.

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Originally Posted by philly and the phanatics

obv being sarcastic lol just sick of every hand in the BC being a cooler lol

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when you are still learning your most likely hands posted are coolers as you don't actually learn what a legitimate tough spot is for a while.

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Originally Posted by philly and the phanatics

obv being sarcastic lol just sick of every hand in the BC being a cooler lol

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I don't mind coolers if OP is asking if he played the hand badly and if situation could be avoided etc, but I think your sarcastic tone is warranted for these two hands.

Top marks to OP for ranges and detailed thought process, but you really can't do anything about these kind of situation apart from say "nh" in the chat bar and get on with things. You're way ahead of the ranges, you know this, so you're doing just fine. Sometimes you'll run into the top end of people's ranges, that's to be expected, just reload and keep doing what you're doing. Clearly you're thinking about the hand more than the average player at your level, I don't see you having too many problems. Good luck etc, just accept these hands like you accept tax, it's inevitable.

Thanks for the input everyone glad to know I'm on the right track.

Re bankroll management. While I said buying in short lowers my risk, I mostly do it because I like playing short. The site I originally played on years ago had a Max buy in of 50bb so that's how I learnt. I understand the argument for buying in full but there are plenty of arguments for short aswell. Fnord wrote an article on this some time ago if your interested in some reading. Many of the fishy fish I'm seeing are short stacked aswell anyway so I'm not losing out on profit. Probably 70% of my ops have been stacks between 2$ and 6$. And they are who I'm looking for, plus the table is always reevaluated after time I don't necessarily stay there after doubling up when I'd be risking a larger portion of my roll.

Also, 100 isn't all the money I have, its just all that's on the account. If I had a horrendous run it's not as if its hard for me to find another 100. If I'd deposited 2000 and said I was good for 1/2 it would be a different story.

I understand. I definately meant no offence by the suggestion and apologize if it came across that way.

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Originally Posted by Shotglass

I understand. I definately meant no offence by the suggestion and apologize if it came across that way.

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no offence taken

it was a fair comment, based on my past experience br management is a major issue for beginners. I found it was very easy to tilt and play outside my roll before i got my head around the psychological challenges of variance in this game

the thought of grinding 1c/2c or 2c/5c makes me want to spew, 5/10c is bad enough when i know i can beat .25/.50 and .50/1. rent/food comes before financing poker though and since its been a while i figured some lower stakes grinding couldnt hurt my game. Also, my current gf's last bf was a degenerate gambler who bust a lot of money on poker machines. She wouldnt handle me diving into a higher level without seeing some winning results first. And since I live with her i have to consider that.

I can understand that. No worries though...you should be climbing the levels pretty quickly.
Oh, and

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I also have another hand where i laid down a set on the turn will post that also if anyone is interested.

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I'm kind of interested in taking a look at this hand.

GL