preflop hand chart for full ring NL and some basic rules

[flintyglint]

this is something i posted in another thread that changed focus. Outlaw posted a pre-flop hand chart by position along with some basic rules to live by in full ring NL. i can't pm the guy who posted it to ask him questions, becuase i'm too new, so i'm starting a new thread in the hopes i can get some answers to these embarrasingly basic questions i have. i'm really hoping to get clear about this, because i'm hoping it will set some good ground rules for me to start off with, and want to understand them clearly. my questions follow immediately, with his chart and rules after:

- does UTG-1 mean immediately to the left of UTG? i've seen UTG+1 mentioned somewhere else
- i get that MP is middle position, but what is UMP2 and U1MP3?
- you give suggestions for 7 positions. how about the other three (maybe that's what U1MP3 means)?
- i'm not clear about counting limpers when calculating the amount to raise. is that just people who have limped before you on that hand, or other players who have showed a history of limping previously at the table and are still in the hand (i.e. players who might be after you in still in the hand)?
- use the same rules for continuation bets (i.e. 4xbb at 1 bb/limper)?
- what constitutes a nut flush draw? have to hold the A & K? and "get it all in on the flop" means after the flop and before the turn?
- rule 7, is that assuming you are actually sitting at the button? or should you apply that range when you have the choice to call the small blind sitting in other positions too? and "if it folds to you in the small blind, raise your cutoff range"? does that mean if you're sitting in the cutoff and the small blind folds raise the hand range? can you give a specific suggestion for what to raise it to?



Outlaw wrote:
If you are new, I would suggest starting with full ring. Full ring would look something like.

UTG: QQ-AA, AK

UTG-1: JJ-AA, AK, AQs

MP1: 99-AA, AK, AQ

UMP2: 66-AA, AK, AQ, AJ, KQs

U1MP3: 22-AA, AK, AQ, AJ, ATs, KQs, KQ

CO: 22-AA, A10o+, A8s+, KTo+, K9s+. QJs+, 89s+

BTN: 22-AA A6o+, Axs+, K9o+ K6s+, Q8s+, 89o+, 54s+

BUT... since you are a new player.. you would benefit from playing..

UTG: QQ-AA, AK

UTG-1: QQ-AA, AK

MP1: JJ-AA, AK, AQs

UMP2: 1010-AA, AK, AQ

U1MP3: 66-AA, AK, AQ, AJs, KQ

CO: 22-AA, AJo+, A10s+, KQ, KJs

BTN: 22-AA, A10o+, A9s+, KJo+ K10s+, QJs, J10s

Simple rules.

1. Never limp a hand unless its a pocket pair not in your raising range and there are limpers before you act.
2. Raise 4xbig blind 1big blind per limper.
3. Continuation bet all flops with at least one face card or 3 cards 8 or under. Fold to a flop/turn reraise unless you have 2-pair or better.
4. Bet at least 60% pot on all bets.. a 50% river bet is okay sometimes.
5. Fold to a 3-bet (reraised after you raise first) unless you have KK+, AK. Shove KK+, call with AK and play aggressively if an A or K comes or you flop the nut flush draw. Try to get it all in on the flop.. but try to do it with a raise and reraise, not a shove (unless half your money is in the pot already or its the flush draw you have)
6. Call with pocket pairs as long as the raise is less than 5xbb (big blind) and either yours or the raisers stack is above 80bb. If you don't hit your set or an open ended straight draw, fold to a flop bet.
7. If its not in your button range, never call the small blind. If it folds to you in the small blind, raise your cutoff range.
8. Spend at least half of your playing time studying the game. Read/reread all of the guides on here daily. The first time you see them they will appear to be in a different language.. as you progress they will come in to focus.

I am not a full ring player... but I think by following the above advice it'll keep you out of a lot of tough spots and make decisions easier postflop. I bet I could use this chart and follow the rules to a T and run 10BB/100+ in 2NL through 10NL.

Once your postflop skills improve you will learn which hands to add to open up your range. I suggest trying this in play money first.. although no one will ever fold preflop or postflop.. even worse than 2NL

I hope this helps.. any of you good players feel free to rip me a new one if you think my advice sucks lol

O

[Luco]

I replied to this in your other thread flint...

Not bad Outlaw, couple of points:

-If Flint is planning to play Limit HE the opening raise advice is null & void.

-C-bets at $2NL are generally unprofitable. You cannot bluff a calling station. Save C-bets for an opponent who has shown considerable weakness post-flop before.

[JKDS]

[quote="flintyglint"]
postitions at the table go in order like so
utg, utg+1, mp1, mp2, mp3, co, btn, sb, bb
this is for a nine handed game. for a 10 handed game, we might say utg+2 or add HJ instead. I dont get why outlaw put a u infront of mp2, but it doesnt really matter what the names of the positions are so long as we know what order they come in.

counting limpers is counting whoever entered the pot before you. for instance,
utg limps, utg+1 folds, mp1 limps, mp2 folds, mp3 folds, co folds
if you were on the button, we have 2 limpers. sb and bb dont count, nor do any people left to act.

continuation bets should be at least two thirds of the pot size but should not be drastically different than the bets you use with hands you might bet for value.

nut flush draws are just draws to the nut flush. If you hold Ah2h, and the board comes 5hTh2c, then we have the nut flush draw. Similarly, if you hold Qh4h and the board comes AhKh3c, we also have the nut flush draw. This is because the highest possible flush can be made with our hole cards. Get it all in on the flop means to try and bet/raise/reraise/ do whatever you can to get all your money in before seeing a turn card.

rule 7 is for whenever you and the bb are the only ones in the hand, i.e., everyone else has folded. from here, he wants you to raise your co range. so play the small blind using the cutoff range. raise it to 4xbb +1bb/limper

hope that helps