Hello, I figured I would post this question here since it goes in the category of "naive." Maybe I'm way off, but lately all my play with the upper tier of hands (AA/KK/AK/QQ) has boiled down to the following options (I play NL 25):
Out of twelve hands
1) I raise preflop to $1, getting no callers (Win: $.60)
Three times out of twelve (Net Win = $1.80)
2) I reraise preflop from $1 to $3, getting no callers (Win: $1.60) Two times out of twelve (Net Win = $3.20)
3) I am called preflop by one person, and they fold when they fail to crack me on the flop (Win = $1.60)
Four times out of twelve (Net win = $6.40)
4) I am called preflop by one person, and they also call a flop bet of almost pot-size, and they fold on turn
One time out of twelve (Net Win = $4)
5) I am called preflop by one person, and they also call a flop bet of almost pot-size. They also call a bet of 4/5 the pot on the turn. They call and RR a significant amount on the river, causing me to fold one pair unimproved.
(Lose = $12)
Two times out of twelve = Net loss = $24
Overall: +$1.6 + $3.2 + $4 + $6.4 - $24 = a net loss of $7.80
THIS IS NOT A JOKE POST.....i know there are times where multiple people call me and I win some and lose some, and there are times when i whiff AK and C-bet and get called, but this is basically how it has been going for me, for almost a year. I either win a miniature dollarish pot (12-13 times), and then I lose half or most of my stack when I get cracked. Is this by definition, running bad? I do not play too tightly, as to discourage action, I have a VPIP of 15.5, PFR 8.81%, and postflop AF of almost 6.....is the postflop AF too high?
I'm really not sure what I'm doing wrong, I just never really seem to get paid off, but i inevitably pay off more than I win just by betting my overpair/top pair against a single caller, until that ugly RR rears it's head.
I can call it if I feel like losing the rest of my chips.
you forgot the time your big PP hit a set on the flop, the board paired on the river and you stacked some poor sucker with a "nut flush". Monsters do happen, and they will happen to you more often when you play premium hands. Do you have poker tracker numbers on your big pairs? I find it hard to believe you're actually losing money with them, but I understand that it can seem like it.
Just don't fall in love with overpairs, or TPTK for that matter. If your flop bet gets called, start thinking about checking the turn, depending on the board and opponents.
An AF of 6 is pretty high, even for a tight player. You'll become a target for people making moves, because they know you're able to fold when they make that big bet. They also know you'll bet their hand for them.
One play you might add to your arsenal is checking the turn to induce a bluff. This means calling bets on the river. Don't go overboard with this, obviously, but against the right opponent, you're better off calling a river bet than betting the river yourself.
Also, in position, check behind on that river! they're not calling with a draw at that point; you've got horrible reverse implied odds.
15/8 doesn't sound extremely tight for 9-handed, but make sure you're mixing enough hands into your preflop range that you're not an open book postflop. And raise more often preflop. Make these jokers pay to be in a hand against your big pair.
