***** Official Dumb Questions Thread ****

[Harv72b]

Originally Posted by Maytree

So the question is: Is it "heads up" only when you START with two players, or if you cut 9 hands down to 2, does that count as heads up?

You got several great answers regarding the maths & percentages of this, but to answer this question in particular, "heads up" is used whenever the hand involves just two players at your decision point. I.e., if you shove from UTG with AA at a full table, you are not heads up. If UTG raises and it's folded to you in the big blind, then it is now a heads up situation. If 8 people see a flop, you bet and are only called by 1 player, then the turn is a heads up situation.

[miw210]

what is the meaning/origin of "wafflecrush" and why does everyone call shaun deeb shaun ****ing deeb?

[Vantek]

Can the fact that with 1400 hands with 16/15/5 at full ring Party 5NL I have won with:
0 Quads
2 Full Houses for one stack
0 Flushes
1,5 Straights for one stack
7 Sets for two stacks
be used as an indication of how well I've run, and how?

[J_Money_6]

POT ODDS HELP

Outs 2 Cards to come 1 Card to come
21 .4:1 1.2:1
20 .5:1 1.3:1
15 .9:1 2.1:1
14 1:1 2.3:1
13 1.1:1 2.5:1
12 1.2:1 2.8:1
11 1.4:1 3.2:1
10 1.6:1 3.6:1
9 1.9:1 4.1:1
8 2.2:1 4.8:1
7 2.6:1 5.6:1
6 3.1:1 6.7:1
5 3.9:1 8.2:1
4 5.1:1 10.5:1
3 7:1 14.3:1
2 11:1 22:1
1 22.5:1 45:1

When playing limit holdem at $0.10/$0.20 how do you calculate what what's right to call? I'll use these examples I've made & tell me if I'm right or wrong.

4 outs-so on the flop the pot needs to be $1.02 to call correct?
4 outs-so on the turn the pot needs to be $2.01 to call???

what about no limit, same way to calcualte right?

[Todpullen]

Originally Posted by J_Money_6

POT ODDS HELP

(snip odds table)

When playing limit holdem at $0.10/$0.20 how do you calculate what what's right to call? I'll use these examples I've made & tell me if I'm right or wrong.

4 outs-so on the flop the pot needs to be $1.02 to call correct?
4 outs-so on the turn the pot needs to be $2.01 to call???

what about no limit, same way to calcualte right?

Essentially yes. But you also need to consider whether you are closing the betting (is someone acting after you likely to make a raise? In which case you will need to put more money in to stay in the pot). Also you are not guaranteed to see the river having called a bet on the flop - so the 'two cards to come' pot odds need to be treated with caution - it is definitely possible if not likely you will be facing another bet on the turn.

Personally I just use the one-card-to-come odds for the initial calculation (and use approximate odds like 5-1 and 10-1 for the easy calculation in my head). Then you have to consider the above (will I have to put in extra bets on this street or a later one?). Also there is the possibility that you will make your hand but still be beat ('reverse implied odds') and all sorts of other stuff.

Pot odds work the same way in NL/PL as in FL it is just that the bigger size of the bets means that implied odds often have a bigger bearing (you don't have immediate pot odds to call but *if* you make your hand you will get paid off over and above the current pot by your opponents putting more money on on later streets with a worse hand than you). Also the bigger bets you will be facing will mean that you will often not have pot odds to continue with the lower number of outs draws in that table.

Hopefully I haven't made a mistake in the above, if I have I am sure someone will be along to correct me shortly. I mostly play FL too BTW.

[RedAlert]

What is a troll, are when someone is Trolling. I remember someone getting kicked off a board for Trolling, I think that's what happened. Anyway what is this about???

[MoonOrb]

Originally Posted by RedAlert

What is a troll, are when someone is Trolling. I remember someone getting kicked off a board for Trolling, I think that's what happened. Anyway what is this about???

The urban dictionary is a good place to check for general internet slang. Here's a link to several definitions.

To paraphrase, it's someone who comes on to the forums with the intent of disrupting them. An example would be by provoking low content or pointless argument or debate.

[Dr T]

Has anyone developed (or tried to develop) a version of the ICM algorithm which can take (as an additional input) the estimated skill levels of the players involved (whether on a simple scale of 1 to 5, say, or perhaps in some more sophisticated form) and use this data to "weight" the assignment of probabilities to each of the possible ITM finish sequences?

I'd be grateful for any info on this, or any links to threads or articles where the topic has been discussed.

Cheers!

[udbrky]

I think the waffle crushing and shaun deeb questions are probably best asked in mttc. But here's my guess:

team wafflecrush is a union of several really good MTT players who don't play as a team in the sense that they share money (though there may be some backing going on, but I don't know). In the microbrew, we all started "teams" that were more like "hey, we're all buddies and in this together". There's no meaning to it.

Wafflecrushing is when one of the players on that team is doing well in a tourney.

Shaun ******** deeb is called that, because he's really good. Also, it probably has some to do with his guide to playing 180s. Same thing with Adam ****** Junglen. They're nicknamed that because they're super good.

[Pedantic Fish]

I've never seen one used, so I'm curious how a "sleeper bet" works.

According to what I've read, a "sleeper" is a blind raise of the big blind placed from any position other than UTG. It is not a live bet. (So it is not the same as a straddle or "Mississippi straddle.")

How would this affect play pre-flop? For example, suppose the small and big blinds post, and then UTG+1 announces a sleeper bet. Hole cards are dealt. Is UTG first to act or is UTG+2 first to act?

If UTG is first to act, can he just call the big blind, and wait until it comes around to him to decide whether to call or raise the sleeper bet?

Has anyone been in a game where there was a sleeper bet?

Sorry this is so obscure, but I'm just curious.

[frumpus]

Originally Posted by Pedantic Fish

I've never seen one used, so I'm curious how a "sleeper bet" works.

I am stealing this explanation from elsewhere and cannot personally vouch for it's accuracy. Maybe someone else can c/d?

You have to be on the button to do a Mississippi Straddle. Essentially, it means the the small blind is the first one to act pre flop as well as post flop. The Rio is the only place I have ever seen that allows it.

Otherwise, people in other positions can put out a sleeper. A sleeper acts like a straddle if no one acts before the sleeper. So, if the person in 4th position puts out a sleeper, if the under the gun player calls the big blind, the sleeper is off and the player takes it back, like it never happened. But if the under the gun player folds, then the sleeper becomes a live straddle and the person who put out the sleeper gets the last option to raise pre-flop.

[Pedantic Fish]

Originally Posted by frumpus

I am stealing this explanation from elsewhere and cannot personally vouch for it's accuracy. Maybe someone else can c/d?

Interesting! Can you tell me your source? (I'm not challenging it; I'd just like to look at it myself.)

[frumpus]

Originally Posted by Pedantic Fish

Interesting! Can you tell me your source? (I'm not challenging it; I'd just like to look at it myself.)

http://cardclubs.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=3003

Basically I googled 'poker "sleeper bet"' and clicked on the first result. New fangled searchy thing is pretty amazing www.google.com I recommend everyone try it.

[Maytree]

How do I profit in a Hold'em No Limit SNG with a table full of chickens?

Here's the problem I'm running into.

I'm currently playing micro stakes SnGs (on Stars) -- either $1 or $5 buy in depending on how my bankroll is doing (Yes, it's tiny, but I'm still learning here.) I often find myself at a table full of "chicken" betters. Basically, they only give action if they have a monster hand. This makes it easy to win a lot of small pots, but makes it hard to win anything real.

For example: I had a JT suited in late position. I limped into the pot with four other callers. On the flop, I got two more tens and no overcards. I was last to act. The other four all checked to me. I also checked, knowing that if I bet, they'd all fold and I'd take home a minimum pot. I wanted to let one of them "catch up" so they'd have something to bid. As usual, however, I ran the risk of letting one of them catch up so far they actually beat me, which is what happened. Everyone checked the turn and I did too. On the river, someone drew a gutshot straight and bid into me. I called (not very much) and he took the pot.

Now, I know a pot in the hand is worth two in the bush, so to speak, so I should have raised them out and taken the pot right after the flop. But it would have been a tiny pot and my trips were worth more than that.

How do I defend against this? If the only time they bet is when they have a monster, I need a monster as well, and it's mostly a matter of luck who gets the bigger monster unless I have the absolute nuts.

Should I just play aggressively and take all the small pots I can until someone at the table gets frustrated enough at my steals to play back unwisely? This strategy tends to put me in a low chip position in the last half of the SNGs, because when the others play monster against monster, someone usually goes all in and the other guy gets all his chips (whereas I don't want to move in with a monster when I know the other guy has a monster too...). In short, skill becomes far less useful than pure luck at these kinds of tables.

Aside from "Don't play those kinds of tables" (not an option once you're seated...), what should be my strategy when I get a table full of weak-tights?

[udbrky]

I doubt they're all playing super tight. It doesn't happen very often.

Value bet. Pick up small pots. Learn ICM and pushbotting for the bubble. ?????. Profit.