Hey everyone thanks for takin the time to read. I need some advice. My 11 game winning streak (.25/.50 cash game) came to an end a few weeks ago. I wasn't mad about it at all, it was bound to happen. I lost a $100 pot with QQ. Opponent had AK. The board read 2 4 9 J when my buddy fired off a huge overbet. I ofcourse shoved and he instacalled thinking I was making a ridiculous bluff. He spiked a K on the river and the cards have been so brutal for me ever since. Everything from 4 betting the pot preflop with QQ and getting called with 8 9 and ofcourse the flop coming 10 9 9. AA and KK have also been cracked multiple times. I know I'm on a downswing right now, but something happened a few nights ago that really bugged me, and it's been the story of our game the past few weeks.

Straddling has gotten really popular at our game and there have been a few people who really like to punish the straddler. If the straddle gets called by 3 players they feel the absolute need to raise to over $8 just to see everyone fold. It's gotten to the point where you can't put anyone on a hand, espicially the player I lost a huge pot to.

It was a straddle pot with 3 callers. I was the 4th caller with K 10 off. Which I usually would never play, but I just had a feeling that the idiot player next to me was going to make a ridiculous raise. He did and everyone folded to me. I knew my K 10 was strong. Just had a feeling. Flop came K J 6. He bets $6 and I smooth call ( Looking back I deffinetly should have raised, but I didn't know whether to put him on a monster or garbage.) Turn comes an 8 and theres now 2 diamonds. He bets 12 and I smooth call again, Hoping that I'm good and he will give up on the pot since I've earned respect for being a tight player. Turn comes a 4 and he shoves. At this point I am just in shock. I tank on the desicion, and eventually fold because I was pretty sure he wouldn't just bluff his whole stack away on a stone cold bluff. He says "I had ya, and shows 6 4 suited. Rivering two pair. I got really sick to my stomach. After sitting around with 25 bucks for an hour I pick up a pair of kings. Shove preflop and get called by the bigstack and he flops a flush.

I feel like I need a new group to play with. There is no longer any respect at our table. It seems like all anyone wants to do is call a 4 bet preflop with 8 7 and flop 2 pair or a straight.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I'm feeling so down right now and I don't have the desire to play at all. And what makes me sick is that these idiot players have been winning, and the few tight players at our table are startin to scratch our heads. Any input would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to let it out! See ya fellas.

I have 2 suggestions:
1) get better at poker yourself:
it seems you have a long way to go yourself, as you getting surprised by villians actions instead of anticipating them amongst other things indicates)

2) appreciate the awesome games you are playing:
if people are eager to get their money in bad, that is a good thing (because you will win that most of the time if you are better). If they win, this is a good thing too (the key to making money at poker is having bad/worse players playing. if they would never win, they would stop playing or become better)

I disagree with you. I know I have a long way to go, but "get better at poker yourself" was not what I wanted to here. I feel like a strength in my game was always having a good feel for where I'm at in the hand. But with the crazy play recently it's so hard to put people on anything.

I wasn't surprised by villians acts because I was smooth calling his bets. I had a feeling he was weak. I just ran into some bad luck on the river. Looking back I deffinetly should have just had faith in my hand and made a hefty reraise on the flop or turn. Instead I was confused on whether villian had rags or something like A K. He might have shoved on the river anyways with a pair of sixes because he was so commited to the pot. Just a wierd situation. I'd maybe like some tips on how to handle my feelings after this happens. Or maybe how to play better against them. I don't know, just something other than "Become a better poker player." This isn't the first time this has happened in the past few weeks. It's happened quite a bit. So i hope some of you dont read this and say "Dude you got sucked out one time get over it." It's a little different.

You should always be learning and adapting to the game. Sounds like you need to change your approach

What does "just had a feeling" mean?

You play straightforwardly so that everyone knows what you have. And you wonder others don't do that?

Just reverse it: Why would someone want to play so that others could easily put them on a hand?

It sounds like you're saying that it's easy to play any two cards and make money. But tight is right, and how can people make money being wrong (I'm just guessing your thoughts here).

I don't know you, so I'm just going by your written words, but it doesn't seem like you have a strategy. If you do, maybe you could clarify what it is, and why you feel it ought to be profitable.

You say you decide to play K10o oop against an unpredictable player because you think it is strong against his range pre flop. Then you hit TP otf, so from your pre flop read you are now really strong, so why not c/r right there. Seems as though your trying to max value a hand oop and at the same time allowing your unpredictable opponent to catch up. He will probably call your c/r otf with his 6 and then you can shove the turn putting him to the decision. If he calls and spikes the river, well so be it, he spazzed and got lucky. Seems your outplaying yourself atm, you think you have this read pre flop, hit TP and then have doubts about your read after you've hit. If your not going to go with your read, feeling, what ever you want to call it, don't play the hand to begin with.

Lose your fear of losing money.

Bigoleboss,

You sound like a fanatic guy who loves to play poker. I think you are still young too. Don´t take it wrong, but hopefully for you, you will read this topic back in like 1 year and you will say to yourself:
¨Man, I really was a donk that times!¨

tbh I probably would have called with k-T and lost more, so don't feel too bad. I think you should have squeezed pre-flop instead of calling and hoping to get squeezed. Then if that is your intention you should have called river because only AK and AA should have you beat when the 4 falls.

what we need to hear often is not what we want to hear.

you seem to like playing poker and you seem to be ambitious, so you have to get better, all the time, as we all have to (if we want to make money).


well this reads different to me:
it is actually not different. becoming better at poker is not only becoming better at reading your oponents hand ranges etc, it is also becoming better in handling beats, tilting less etc.
do you only play live poker? if so, maybe start playing online too. this way you will be able to get in more hands, and a single suckout doesn't stink as much (as you will have plenty more hands where you hold when ahead, or where you suck out yourself etc). spending some time reading up on variance should be good too.

if you cannot handle variance and if you don't want to work on it, then it would be best if you stopped playing completely, to save you from further headaches and frustration.

Very true.

I thought about squeezing actually but I didn't think he would lay down any hand right there. I know he didn't want me to know he raised with air so I think he was going to call any reraise.

I don't know how to even describe my strategy. Just playing tight. Playing how I've always played. It was working out, and my few bluffs were very affective over my winstreak. I think do need to rethink my strategy. Thanks for the input. It's got me doing some positive thinking. I'm thinking about how to improve my game against the idiots trying to punish the straddler. Also thinking how to NOT put myself in the K 10 situation. If I put my opponent on something I need to have faith in my desicion, not flat call and let my opponent catch up. Looking back a raise on the flop probably would have taken the pot, but I was sitting there thinking "Hmm maybe I am outkicked". Thanks again guys.

I only skimmed the op, but seems like you should start off by being a nit in this game and then you can take all the gold from these "idiots" who you don't seem to like very much.

When I first started playing, I used to hate it when opponents played out of line or like maniacs.
Now i salivate...

I hate donkeys so f*****g much, surely there should be legislation on them playing? People say it's better to have donkeys than good players, I disagree, I say it's easier to get into the mind of a good player and think about what he is doing.

Fold more. If I have learnt anything about poker
at small stakes, fold more would be it.