I've been trying to improve my redline. I am winning a bit when playing conservatively, but I've read some articles and honestly my red line sucks. I just lose a lot of money when not going to showdown. So I've read that I'd need to c-bet differently, been more aggressive, double or triple barrel.

Here are two recent hands. Where exactly did it went wrong? How can I improve my redline without losing my shirt?

First hand:

PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BB: 105.5 BB (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 23.08, 3Bet Preflop: 33.33, Hands: 26)
UTG: 100 BB (VPIP: 22.73, PFR: 15.91, 3Bet Preflop: 6.90, Hands: 178)
UTG+1: 169 BB (VPIP: 62.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 8)
Hero (MP): 101.5 BB
MP+1: 271.5 BB (VPIP: 14.02, PFR: 13.41, 3Bet Preflop: 4.26, Hands: 167)
CO: 54 BB (VPIP: 45.45, PFR: 36.36, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
BTN: 117 BB (VPIP: 10.53, PFR: 5.26, 3Bet Preflop: 4.65, Hands: 116)
SB: 39 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 2 2

fold, UTG+1 calls 1 BB, Hero raises to 3.5 BB, fold, fold, fold, SB calls 3 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (9 BB, 2 players) 3 Q 4
SB checks, Hero bets 5 BB, SB calls 5 BB

Turn: (19 BB, 2 players) 6
SB checks, Hero bets 11.5 BB, SB calls 11.5 BB

River: (42 BB, 2 players) Q
SB checks, Hero bets 30 BB, SB calls 19 BB and is all-in




* * *

Second hand:

PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 104.5 BB (VPIP: 21.43, PFR: 21.43, 3Bet Preflop: 30.00, Hands: 28)
BB: 100 BB (VPIP: 22.60, PFR: 15.82, 3Bet Preflop: 6.90, Hands: 179)
UTG: 168 BB (VPIP: 66.67, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
Hero (UTG+1): 100 BB
MP: 271.5 BB (VPIP: 13.94, PFR: 13.33, 3Bet Preflop: 4.17, Hands: 168)
MP+1: 54 BB (VPIP: 41.67, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
CO: 117 BB (VPIP: 10.43, PFR: 5.22, 3Bet Preflop: 4.55, Hands: 117)
BTN: 77 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q Q

UTG calls 1 BB, Hero raises to 3.5 BB, fold, fold, CO calls 3.5 BB, fold, fold, fold, UTG calls 2.5 BB

Flop: (12 BB, 3 players) 9 8 J
UTG checks, Hero bets 7 BB, CO calls 7 BB, UTG raises to 14 BB, Hero calls 7 BB, fold

Turn: (47 BB, 2 players) 2
UTG checks, Hero bets 28 BB, UTG raises to 56 BB, Hero calls 28 BB

River: (159 BB, 2 players) 7
UTG bets 94.5 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 26.5 BB and is all-in

Regarding 2nd hand.

1. Bigger raise preflop. UTG already limbed in. Don’t give them good price. Make it 5xBB + # of limbers.

2 Postflop: overpairs are often beat by showdown especially when there are more than two players after the flop. Don’t be afraid to fold them.

3. It was a super wet board. The only thing you could win in showdown was top pair. Would someone go all in with top pair?

Regarding first hand.

Preflop you don’t get the right odds to play pocket deuces.

The only way to play them is to try to hit a set on flop. Which means your investment must be less than 1/10th of the effective stack.

Post flop why do you continue betting with underpair? The only think you can beat is high card.

Hand #1: Honestly, everyone telling you to bet more preflop are wrong, you should fold 6s a lower in this spot. That said, you are asking why this was a bad place to attempt and execute a triple barrel bluff.

1st - Your opponent had less than 40 big blinds. This is not the person you want to try to put pressure on as they have nothing to pressure.

2 - People tend to make WAY more calling mistakes in the micros.

3 - The board didn't really change on the turn or river. Any hand good enough to call the flop was good enough to call the entire way down.

4 - there wasn't a good draw that got there for you to represent.



You want to find people playing as deep as you are and only attempt to keep ramping up the aggression when either many possible draws missed, or the turn and river bring cards that are scary to hands that were only good enough to call a flop bet.

Hand #2: You got to bet more. Make it 5-7bb preflop. Turn is a Check %100 of the time. Once he check raises you a 2nd time, I think you have to fold. If you assume everyone who is check raising you on the flop has a really strong hand on micro tables, you won't regret it. This flop and river smash the range of a dude who can't help but limp in.

1. I have a somehow tight table image, so I got trouble getting callers even with 3BB. I regularly get AA, KK or AK folded after a 3BB raise. I thought 3BB + #limpers would be OK.

2. At what point would you have folded the QQ? On the the turn?

3. You are right... But other player had VPIP of 67 (OK, only 9 hands, but seems extreme) so I thought he could go all-in with top pair. Of course I was wrong, but not sure how to avoid it.

I was c-betting and semi-bluffing on a dry board. I thought if he did not have the queen I was ahead. You think I should have checked/folded?

Why is the turn a 100% check and what would I do if he bets... I fold top pair?

I don't understand why people recommend I raise 5-7BB preflop (you are not the first one to say that). When I raise 3BB many time people fold all around the table. I am not that tight, I don't understand. And if I raise more my best hands, wouldn't people be able to read me? I always raise 3BB because of that, whatever the hand, premium or just good enough. How is it wrong?

It is a check because you have a marginal hand and the opponent check-raised you on the flop. If you bet after they check to you on the turn, they will fold most, if not all, of the hands you can beat. Checking back on the turn allows you to call a river bet with a much greater chance of your handing be the best hand compared to the way you played it.

You should raise more when your opponents are limp calling with bad hands. Your opponents aren't making tight folds to you, you are just over thinking a small sample of hands. If you are raising, you should be raising more. This isn't advice for just the hands posted, play tight and punish people who make bad calls. it isn't sexy but it is how you will make 5+bb/100.

Thanks... I am only trying to understand... Why do you say my hand is marginal on the turn with an overpair? OK the board is a bit wet, but marginal? But if I have the best hand, shouldn't I try to value-bet?

As for raising more... maybe that's because I play NL2, but I swear half the time I raise 3BB everyone fold. And I don't only raise with the nuts... I just had two AA in 5 hands and both were folded, the first one with a 3BB raise and the second one with a 2.5BB. I don't see how it could get better with a 5BB raise... but I agree with a limper I need to raise more.

Do you have a tracking software? It would be best to get one if you don't. 2NL is exactly where you should be raising more preflop. Play snug and raise for value. Your goal at 2NL should be to win 0.20 every 100 hands. I think it is important to adjust your expectations and realize that they call it grinding for a reason.

You should not be rushing to get your stack in the middle with a single pair. Marginal doesn't mean bad, it means you need to be more careful. It is 2019 and the fact of the matter is that 2NL isn't filled with people just punting off stacks every other hand. You can't get 3-streets of value out of pocket QQs every single time you get them, probably less than half the time.

Same problem with this hand: I am preflop aggressor, and I fire three barrels.. run into a set... lol

PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 100 BB (VPIP: 22.49, PFR: 13.88, 3Bet Preflop: 2.90, Hands: 213)
BTN: 98.5 BB (VPIP: 45.45, PFR: 36.36, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
SB: 93 BB (VPIP: 55.56, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
BB: 88.5 BB (VPIP: 17.50, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 40)
UTG: 109.5 BB (VPIP: 14.74, PFR: 10.53, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 97)
Hero (UTG+1): 112 BB
MP: 137.5 BB (VPIP: 35.00, PFR: 15.00, 3Bet Preflop: 5.56, Hands: 40)
MP+1: 121 BB (VPIP: 20.83, PFR: 12.50, 3Bet Preflop: 2.17, Hands: 120)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 4 A

fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, MP+1 calls 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold

Flop: (7.5 BB, 2 players) T 9 5
Hero bets 3.5 BB, MP+1 calls 3.5 BB

Turn: (14.5 BB, 2 players) 4
Hero bets 8.5 BB, MP+1 calls 8.5 BB

River: (31.5 BB, 2 players) 8
Hero bets 22.5 BB, MP+1 calls 22.5 BB

Hero shows 4 A (One Pair, Fours)
(Pre 33%, Flop 2%, Turn 0%)
MP+1 shows 9 9 (Three of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 67%, Flop 98%, Turn 100%)
MP+1 wins 74 BB

Yes I have a HUD and I swear most of my RFI 3BB don't get any caller...

I don't know how to play these... I just got a KK busted against a set of 3... Man the flop doesn't look scary at all.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG+1: 100 BB (VPIP: 22.90, PFR: 14.02, 3Bet Preflop: 2.86, Hands: 218)
MP: 98.5 BB (VPIP: 35.71, PFR: 28.57, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 14)
MP+1: 45.5 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
MP+2: 90.5 BB (VPIP: 58.33, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
CO: 87 BB (VPIP: 16.28, PFR: 11.63, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 43)
BTN: 117 BB (VPIP: 15.31, PFR: 11.22, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 100)
Hero (SB): 100 BB
BB: 137.5 BB (VPIP: 32.56, PFR: 13.95, 3Bet Preflop: 5.26, Hands: 43)
UTG: 157.5 BB (VPIP: 21.14, PFR: 12.20, 3Bet Preflop: 2.13, Hands: 123)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K K

fold, fold, fold, MP+1 calls 1 BB, MP+2 calls 1 BB, CO raises to 2 BB, BTN calls 2 BB, Hero raises to 6 BB, fold, fold, fold, CO calls 4 BB, fold

Flop: (17 BB, 2 players) 7 9 3
Hero bets 10 BB, CO raises to 20 BB, Hero calls 10 BB

Turn: (57 BB, 2 players) Q
Hero checks, CO bets 61 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 61 BB

River: (179 BB, 2 players) Q

You hand has 1 in 3 chances of winning with that board and VPIP of your opponents.

If an opponent is betting or raising it’s a sign that has a strong hand.

The name of the game is to make the opponents bet or raise when you have a much higher chance if having a better hand. Something like 80%.

We're only two players at this point in the hand (on the river), not three... I think my equity must be higher! And he would surely have reraised preflop again with AA and KK, possibly AK as well, so I don't think those hands are in his range.

My non showdown winnings are way higher than my showdown.

I'd say a lot of this is down to raising correct amounts pre flop, 3betting in the right spots also against the correct player type.

Post flop - mainly cbetting and taking the pot down there and there, or pot controlling and betting the turn on the right card against the right player type. Position is important here, as well who was the initial pre-flop raiser and if it's a multi way or heads up pot.

Alarm bells should ring if they are re-raising you on streets, particularly on the turn.

Don't triple barrel bluff.

Hope this helps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, it helps!

First hand with 22, I'm not even in that hand. Agree with an early poster on that. IMO, I limp that (at best) and am set mining. No set, and I'm done. You can vary with a raise, but continuing to fire with 22, what's the point there?

On the QQ hand, the turn raise tells you that you are beat. Possible set, QT, two pair, perhaps TT (see below). IMO and experience, the raise there tells you that you are beat. As Pat Harrington has pointed out, most bets mean what they mean. Since I've started letting them tell me that I'm beat and laying down overpairs, my results have improved a ton. Clearly, you can't get push off winning hands, but this board and betting says QQ is no good.

The third hand with A4s, once again, I'm not in that hand. If I am due to varying my play and mixing it up a bit, post flop, you are just trying to bully off of of nothing. It's not even a semi-bluff. As another poster mentioned, triple barrel bluffing is almost certainly a neg EV in long run. Unless you are certain they are on draw and miss. In these hands, you were beat on the flop (and twice with hands you probably shouldn't be in the first place).

If it were me:
fold 22
the QQ hand, I bet the flop, but when UTG raises I smell a trap. Then he checks the turn. Weird. The turn was a total blank. He's trying to sucker me. I check it. Then river is a 7. Now he leads, I fold because he has me beat. Thinking about this hand, I would've put him on TT. He semi bluffs the flop, misses on turn, hits his straight on river. I probably would've called the flop, then check folded any aggression.
Fold A4s.

It seems to me you are playing 2 marginal hands here and firing triple barrel with very marginal holdings.

Hope that helps.

H1 everything is pretty bad except flop, h2 is just a check ott. dw about 'redline' too much, atm you need to focus on learning ev of plays and finding out for yourself which plays are +ev and which are close, and which are -ev. And what is standard strategy and why. If done right you should beat or even crush 2nl-10nl. You don't need to even learn how to raise as a bluff postflop to crush these stakes. Playing too many hands preflop like in h1 will probably destroy your red line fwiw.

Yes. Otf you have a junk hand. Check it.

Yes, you're better than 50% on that hand.

The KK hand sucks. You can't fold every time someone bets. Especially a min-raise. That can mean nuts or "I want to draw cheaply and make you think I have the nuts." Maybe get away at the overbet otr. Two overcards hit and it didn't slow V down. That's a sign.

When something like this happens. Take a note in your HUD on that player.

At 2nl and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way it's probably better to focus on everything else first. Get your pre-flop ranges in order, understand board textures etc etc. I think most fr players having losing redlines and it's totally fine.

One way you don't fix your redline. Is mindless aggression. Some of these hands are really really bad.

1st hand: don’t mind pf or flop, shut it down on turn bc short stack and he prob has it and even some of his bluff beat you

2nd hand: min raise from utg into pf raiser and caller is strong as hell, I had assumed flop nut straight. It is a more advanced move to min raise bluff expecting 2 folds. But what can he be doing this with less than 2 pair? Only if he puts u both on air. He prob doesn’t think you have air. If he thought u had AK (and he’s bluffing), he would squeeze harder. He might actually still think AK is in your range and doesn’t wanna blow you out— reason for min raise. You should have suspected it and either proceeded very cautiously like walking on a minefield or just get disciplined and fold the overpair a certain percentage of time to not get exploited for being nitty

since you do have blockers (Q) to the nut straight, 10J is potentially in the range so I don't mind the call.

However, getting check-raised twice for value would really defeat my morale as a human being. It is like the ultimate humiliation, and if Villain ever did it as a bluff then good for him but damn that is a big spew leak IMO. If you get check raised on flop you should probably slow it down vs these opponents. Check-raised again, it's like getting knocked out twice and coming back for more when you're fighting Mike Tyson, like why?