No it's not that simple. $.50/$1 is a decent level to be playing at, no random ass guy that knows BR management and emotionally stabled can just beat it. You're leaving out the most important factor.

You need to know how to play poker. Guess it depends on your definition of donkey. I would never start at $0.50/$1, unless you really wanna test your emotional stability.

If you're just barely starting, start at 2NL, if you have software post your stats post your hands and ask for tips or advice. Try to raise preflop as often as you are in the hand.

GL.

Question for Doug.

Do you feel that playing nit at low limit cash games is the best way to win them? (ex. 13/13/inf for 6 max)

Another question.

Books, how drastically do they help your game? I feel I'm a decent player now, and I have not yet to read any books. I'm not a very good reeter... I've never tried reading poker books, but I feel I probably would have a hard time reading them as I do everything I try to read. I have bad comprehension once I read it I forget it.

Would it be worth it to read books? I'd probably have to read it 10 times, would it be a good investment of time?

A value bet is a bet that you hope will be called because you think you are ahead in the hand.

Betting for value if you have a somewhat weak hand but still believe you are ahead of your opponent is a "thin" or "light" value bet.

I am sorry, I dont understand where the "thin" comes in at. I thought it refered to the amount bet, I guess not.

Hey, great thread

I have a question, as this is something that is really bugging me, and going through my PT stats, it looks like this is where I lost most of my money.

Im currently runnning at 17/12/3 but my BB/100 is only 1!! (11,400 hands @ NL20)

Anyway, out of the money I lose, most of it is my QQ v KK or my KK v AA etc etc

This is what happened yesterday at FR NL20.......me and villain both had $20.....villian (no info on him) raised 4xbb (.80) in mid position, I was next to act and had JJ. I 3 bet and made it $3....all folded apart from villain who called.

Flop came 2 4 8 rainbow and villain bet pot......I thought and thought and thought but eventually folded, thinking that he knows ive reraised so must put me on big PP or at very least AK, and has bet pot. I put him on QQ, thinking he wouldve reraised again preflop with KK or AA, but at the same time thinking he could make the same play with tens (over pair to the board, and the type of hand that would raise and call a 3 bet preflop).

Also, I thought a reraise on the flop would mean all my money in the middle and realised this is where im losing most of money (big PP v bigger PP)

Anyway, I folded the hand (much to the disgust of my friend who was watching!!!). Id be interested to know what you wouldve done?

Thanks for your time, really appreciated

Value bets are usually smallish because you think your opponent might not call something larger, so "thin" just reffers to the strength of your hand. You usually make value bets when you are very sure you have the best hand--e.g. the nuts.

If you make a value bet with a smallish hand that you think is best, you are making a "thin value bet."

Any paticular threads you could recommend about learning FR NL, as a 6max player? I've been a 6max player only for a while now and really getting quite solid at it, but whenever I check the higher end games I notice how fishier the FR games often look.

Thank You.

lately my arm has been falling asleep from laying on the desk while working the mouse. anybody ever have this happen? should i get a different style of mouse? thanks.

styleXX

Never had this happen. I can't see how it can depend on the mouse. I do use random soft things (two gloves on top of each other, needle pad) for a wrist pillow so that my whatever wouldnt' swell up, but I can't see what could make your whole arm numb. It has to be the position of the shoulder if anything.

Obviously it's opponent dependent, but versus a typical opponent I wouldn't fold here. Generally if he has a huge hand like a set or KK+, he will check to trap you if you have a hand like AK. QQ is possible, but there's no reason it has to be QQ rather than TT or 99. Those are the hands I would expect to see most often, probably weighted more towards TT and 99 a bit because QQ might reraise preflop and might checkraise, whereas I think TT and 99 take this line always.

A bit more precisely, it's a thin value bet if you think that your opponent's calling range contains nearly as many hands better than yours as it does worse hands. If you beat 51% of the hands that your opponent calls your bet with, that's a very thin value bet. If you think you're beating most of your opponent's calling range though (maybe because you think he would have bet into you with better hands) then it's not a thin value bet no matter how objectively weak your hand is.

Whats up Doug,

My question actually is more of a pyschological thing. I followed your prop bet very closely, and I know that you obviously considered yourself +EV and believed you could do it, etc. How have you dealt with not making it?

BC my situation is that I grinded 350 to ~1750 playing 25NL and 50NL on FTP, and since then I lost almost all of it, had my account closed and lost ~1000 in RB, deposited 750 on UB and have since lost 250 of it. While at first I thought I was just running terrible, this was over probably about 35k hands, which while not an enormous sample size (especially to a grinder like you) is something. I feel like I am completely awful, was never good at poker, and couldn't win a big blind if my life depended on it. Was wondering if you felt anything similar psychologically after those huge BE stretches at 25NL, and if you had any advice.

Thanks

Ill answer all of the questions later today or tomorow just for the heads up.

Also mods you can resticky this ill be around.

(By the way sorry for the delay, totally forgot about you guys =p.)

1) Hm, no they have gotten a bit tighter. But then again remember my career is only about a year old so there has not been much change.

2) I still believe this to be correct, and I actually experimented with a lot of stuff and i still like raising. I do think there may be an exception though in full ring. From some analysis over my 350k hands at nl 25 in my life or w/e there seems to be some fairly conclusive data that suited aces play significantly better in limped pots. But that was it, everything else was better raised. Perhaps has something to do with how much suited junk everyone plays and sometimes you over flush. But id never limp it in six max.