Poker Novice Questions

[aimar21]

I can only answer your second question mate because I also have the first queston .

Pot odds thing starts with a little reading on your opponents' hands and then figuring out what cards you need that could make your hand better than theirs. In play you will mostly use it when you have a straight or a flush draw. Like you have 6-7 suited on your hand and the board is K-8-9.
In this situation you realize that your opponent has the king and nothing else so if the turn or river brings a 10 or 5 you beat them. These cards are called outs. They are the cards you need to make your hand better. Once you count your outs (there are 8 outs for you now) you have to find the probability of them showing up on the board (you can memorize these percentages from most sites). Easy way to calculate them is multiplying your outs by two for only turn and multiplying by four for both turn and river. lets say your opponent didn't realize your straight opportunity or have a weak kicker so he bets weak into a 1500 pot, he bets 500. Your chance of hitting a 5 or 10 on the turn or the river is approximately 32% (8 x 4) which give you odds of 3.00. So you can call this bet and hopefully hit one of them. If you can't there is still river and the pot is 2500. You can only call bets up to 400-450 because you now have the percentage of 16% (8x2) so odds of 6.00. Same thing goes for flush, full house, three of a kind, etc. You can even bet if you have the position. Once you have everyone checked to you, you can bet the decent amount for your odds and maybe you can even win the pot there. this is called semi-bluff. Also as an advanced player you should think about the implied odds. You may be playing against a high stack player and if you hit your straight you can even double your money since he could pay you off. Also you should not bother playing against a low stack player in these situations because they can't pay you off and it's worthless. Don't just fold a bet because it doesn't fit your odds slightly, think about the future and implied odds as well. I hope this has been helpful to you mate.

[aimar21]

And two more things to add. If you are the first one to act in a board like that I suggest you bet that decent amount and show strength. If you don't, especially if that 8 and King on the board were two hearts(it's obvious since there are two hearts on the board) good players will bet the pot to outdraw you and you won't be calling. Because of this you should not overvalue suited hands because even you have a flush draw on the flop (two hearts while you have two hearts in your hand), people can bet the pot and you can't call. but your outs change if you have both flush and a straight draw. now you need 9 hearts and 6 cards for a straight ( you count out the 10 and 5 of hearts) which gives you 15 cards. so you can call up to 60% at flop (15x4) and up to 30% in turn (15x2).

cheers.

[Beejayville]

Originally Posted by aimar21

I can only answer your second question mate because I also have the first queston .

Pot odds thing starts with a little reading on your opponents' hands and then figuring out what cards you need that could make your hand better than theirs. In play you will mostly use it when you have a straight or a flush draw. Like you have 6-7 suited on your hand and the board is K-8-9.
In this situation you realize that your opponent has the king and nothing else so if the turn or river brings a 10 or 5 you beat them. These cards are called outs. They are the cards you need to make your hand better. Once you count your outs (there are 8 outs for you now) you have to find the probability of them showing up on the board (you can memorize these percentages from most sites). Easy way to calculate them is multiplying your outs by two for only turn and multiplying by four for both turn and river. lets say your opponent didn't realize your straight opportunity or have a weak kicker so he bets weak into a 1500 pot, he bets 500. Your chance of hitting a 5 or 10 on the turn or the river is approximately 32% (8 x 4) which give you odds of 3.00. So you can call this bet and hopefully hit one of them. If you can't there is still river and the pot is 2500. You can only call bets up to 400-450 because you now have the percentage of 16% (8x2) so odds of 6.00. Same thing goes for flush, full house, three of a kind, etc. You can even bet if you have the position. Once you have everyone checked to you, you can bet the decent amount for your odds and maybe you can even win the pot there. this is called semi-bluff. Also as an advanced player you should think about the implied odds. You may be playing against a high stack player and if you hit your straight you can even double your money since he could pay you off. Also you should not bother playing against a low stack player in these situations because they can't pay you off and it's worthless. Don't just fold a bet because it doesn't fit your odds slightly, think about the future and implied odds as well. I hope this has been helpful to you mate.

Cheers

So it is basically work out the percentages and bet when they are in your favour...

[aimar21]

Basically yeah but you should really think about the implied odds. You should be entering the pot when there are 2 or more limpers before you. once you have the best hand you get paid off more by more players. And you should look at their stack sizes. If they have big stacks and are top pair lovers they are only gonna double up your money and probably go on tilt to give you even more later. you should avoid playing with these hands against low stacked players because its not worth the risk. cheers

[GotaFancy?]

Originally Posted by Beejayville

Had a couple of Q's that I was hoping to get answered.

Have been playing a bit of texas holdem at the casino over here and a bit online and quite enjoying it.

Welcome on board mate - welcome to the slippery slope that is poker!!! Say goodbye to any "real life" you have!!!

Originally Posted by Beejayville

Question 1) How does the Poker work on PL?
For example...I read valiant's post about playing freerolls to make money without actually using any so to speak...I am assuming you need some type of software from a specific Poker place...What do other PL members use to play Poker on PL?...What would I need to do to become a part of Poker community at PL?...What do I need to do to play freerolls?

There are lots and lots of poker rooms on the internet - at the last count I did, I had the software of over 80 of them on my PC!!! Most bookies that you know will also have Poker Room software, so probably best to find a name you trust and download

Most poker rooms are "skins" - that is that they are just a front end on a larger network. For example, if you play poker with Paddy Power, then you will generally be sat at exactly the same tables (against the same opponents) as if you play poker at Blue Square (both are members of the Tribeca network). SO Blue Square may have 500 Poker Players on Line, however you will actually see, maybe 5000 online!!

There are various parts to the PL Poker community - your biggest problem to participation will be your time zone and whether you want to play at the same times as us (typically the games we focus on start at around 8pm GMT!!!)

The "Poker Tourneys" forum is where you can find out where our focus is!! Every day we have a published diary (a sticky) which flags a lot of freerolls and value added tournaments - for example - todays diary is here - **Poker Saturday 27th January**

Each day in the diary there will be one event with white text on a black background. This is our "focus game". The focus game will award ranking points. Your best 5 ranking points from the last 28 days will give you your overall ranking and help us determine who has the title of "Best Poker Player" on PL - current Heniek(BPP)!! You can see details here - goater14 is the best player on PL. Think you're better? PROVE IT!!

In addition, we frequently have PL exclusive leagues and events. Currently we have one with Sporting Odds which you can see here - SO Paradise MTT League January This runs every Wednesday Night at 8pm GMT

Other than that, for joining in the PL Poker Community? Just post away on any threads that interest you

Originally Posted by Beejayville

Question 2) Pot Odds
I have just been reading on the net about Pot Odds and how to calculate them, and kind of understand them, but am not quite grasping it to the point where i could use them in a game...Can anybody give an example that would make it more clearer?

Ok - you're a gambler - you want to win I presume? How do you do that over the longer term? You do it by backing teams/horses/dogs at longer odds than their real chance of winning represents ..... sometimes you will win, sometimes you will lose, but so long as what you are backing has more chance of winning than the odds you are being offered, then you will be a winner. Poker is exactly the same - you want to find situations where you can put your money in at favourable odds to the situation.

So if you are drawing to 9 "outs" for the nuts, with 2 cards to come and your opponent goes all in, then you have a fairly straightforward pot odds decision - What are my odds of hitting the nuts (we're assuming anything less and you are beat), then your odds of hitting what you need are about 36% - therefore if the pot is offering better odds than 2-1, you should call, if the pot is offering you worse odds than 2-1 you should fold!! With each individual hand, the result of that specific hand does not matter - what you want is to ensure it has positive expected value. So you may realise from this that it is often correct to go into a pot as an underdog (but with the correct odds).

Originally Posted by Beejayville

Poker appears to be a game that you could win more than you lose if you put the time in to learn the mechanics and used the percentages when they were in your favour, or simply be better than the average player.

There is a LOT of money to be made in online Poker at the moment!!! The Poker Rooms are in bonanza and falling over themselves for your custom - there are a lot of value added tourneys out there - EVEN "average" players can make a significant amount of money!! As you saw from Mr V's excellent thread, this can be done with ZERO risk to your own finances through a bankroll built through freerolls As your bankroll builds, the stakes you can buy in for can also build (very approximate rule of thumb - NEVER buy into poker for more than 5% of your bankroll)

[Beejayville]

Thanx for that GAF and well explained

Time zone over here could be an issue for me, but will have a poke around the Poker forum and see what happens.

I didn't know anything about the Pot Odds until I found it tonight and you guys explained it a bit better for me. I have been calling and betting whenever I see fit, with play money mind you...With some mechanics thrown in I can now hopefully minimise my losses and maximise my winning potential by having a percentage baseline to know whether to attack or fold...Never occurred to me before but it makes great sense to do it that way, as you know when to hold em and when to fold em.

Poker players who are not aware of the Pot Odds would be at a definite advantage in my view, would that be correct?

[GotaFancy?]

Players who play with an understanding of Pot Odds (and Implied Pot Odds - probably one for you later) will prove more profitable than players who don't!! Especially in the Heads Up later stages of a tournament, you'll find yourself often in a position where you should call for all your chips, irrespective of your cards......

A very important thing to be aware of too is not just in what odds you want to take, but also in what odds you offer your opponents when you bet. The minimum raise (what you are usually offered by the software with one click) is one of the worst things you can do in poker, because you are offering your opponent good odds to call with any draw!! Pre flop, you should generally look to bet between 3 and 5 times the Big Blind if you intend to bet, post flop, you should generally bet between half the pot and the pot. (If you bet half the pot, you offer 3-1, if you bet the pot, you offer 2-1)

The Play Money tables are great for the mechanics of Poker and the site, but dont read ANYTHING into the strategy of the game from what you see here. Nothing to stop you playing

Just in case - everything I say here, related to No Limit Hold'em - I presume that's what you're interested in? (Limit Hold'em is a VERY different game)

[Beejayville]

Yep No Limit Holdem was what I was talking about.

Thanx again for the great advice!...Might try and get the Pot Odds mechanics down pat until it is imprinted in the memory banks, and play money Poker good for that...Will work on the strategy in between.

Cheers

[aimar21]

hi mates

I'm arranging a sit and go at home, and I need to have a proper blind chart.. I need it to have blind structures according to number of players and stack sizes because we rarely make it to 10 players. If someone knows one please tell me it's an emergency . thank you...

[Pocket Lady]

Just had a quick search and found these - hope they help:

http://www.homepokertourney.com/poke...calculator.htm

http://www.homepokergames.com/setupstructure.php

Not read them through thoroughly but you said that it was urgent.

[aimar21]

hehe thanks a lot for searching mate I searched too but couldn't find anything. there was a video in youtube I watched weeks ago but now I can't find it.

the second link you gave me is kinda what I'm looking for but I think they can differ depending on the starting stacks and number of players.

I can also take suggestions instead of a chart. Is there anyone who is really experienced in playing live home sit and go's? I want a balanced blind increase structure advice. not so fast but not so slow either so people don't camp.

6 to 8 players
1000 to 1500 chips ( chips could be arranged but people can't )

thanks

[Hands Solo]

As somebody whose only played low limit tournament NLHE, and only for a year or so, I'm wondering what is the best way to get into cash games? I've always preferred to play turbo tournaments because they require less patience and are more idiot proof. Anyway, I always played on pokerroom, who have obviously gone to the gutter, and I can't really find anywhere that has appealing tournaments in my timezone, so I figured cash games might be the way to go.

I understand that lowest limits are best, in my case 1c/2c would probably be best. Don't have an account with limits that low, but I understand Titan have 1/2c tables, so I'll probably look to open an account there and try and get some bonuses too (I read a 150% bonus was available somewhere?).

Anywho, basically I want to know what kind of things I should and shouldn't be looking to do in cash games, particularly compared to Tournament play. One of the big things I always struggle with too is reading players. Given their actions in the hand I might be able to read something from time to time, but generally speaking, unless something is pretty obvious, I am rarely able to collect much info on players. To be honest, I don't look as hard as I should, but it's just something I struggle with. Any advice much appreciated

[Hands Solo]

Another question, having a Willhill Sportsbook account, I decided to try out their poker. Sat down to the cheapest ring game (15/25c), but they have some stats which I've not seen before (Games Won % etc.). Is there any range of stats which generally speaking I should look to be in etc., or is it all pretty irrelevant stuff?

[GotaFancy?]

Moving into Cash games I think you should play Tight Aggressive - other styles can (and will) be profitable for you, when you have more experience ..... that means you will fold, fold, fold and fold again pre flop .... discipline is key.....

At low limits, players are very bad ... in what way? Mainly, they call when they should fold!! I would recommend therefore that you NEVER bluff at these levels .... always assume that you will end up at a showdwon ... so dont even semi bluff ..... when you do hit, or have a big hand, don't be timid - overbet - they will call you when they should fold!!! Sometimes they will outdraw you, but that doesn't matter ... so long as they call when they should fold, over time they wqill lose and you will win.....

Moving into cash games, I think PokerTracker or PokerOffice are very improtant tools too ..... they will tell you where your weaknesses are (you'll have to do a little work with them to get an answer) .... both offer free trials for a few thousand hands..... If you go for PokerTracker, make sure you read the articles on www.bet-the-pot.com This will give you a lot more stats to think about ... as a good TAG player you should be looking for about 15% VP$IP (Voluntarily put money in pot) and about 7% pre flop raises. In Poker Tracker you want to be an Eagle!!! (with the revised conditions you can download from section 2a (IIRC) of betthepot)

My opinion of the main differences ..... Tournaments are very quickly short stacked .... this makes the key skill stack management and pre flop moves .... cards are often secondary...
Cash games are deep stacked ... they are much more about playing the cards, seeing flops and "playing poker" - making moves is not so much part of the game.....

Cash games are a lot more static, so can seem like a grind in comparison to the dynamism of tournaments .....

[Hands Solo]

Thanks for the advice mate. Have been playing around on Willhill with their 15/25c NL games, and after this particular hand I can't say I'm enjoying cash games so far. Probably erred on the river but thought I was fine up until that

Table "Sadko" Seat 4 is the button.
Seat 1: bmwYEAH ($28.10 in chips)
Seat 2: oyvols ($9.25 in chips)
Seat 3: Ukgatsby ($43.35 in chips)
Seat 4: Polly2007 ($30.85 in chips)
Seat 5: Mr_qld ($79.23 in chips)
Seat 6: kollega ($34.50 in chips)
Seat 7: 20tf20 ($27.33 in chips)
Seat 8: HanSolo ($24.75 in chips)
Seat 9: Gamberro6 ($7.80 in chips)
Seat 10: Kadet_cz ($31.65 in chips)
Mr_qld: posts small blind $0.15
kollega: posts big blind $0.25
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Mr_qld [Qc Qs]
20tf20: calls $0.25
HanSolo: folds
Gamberro6: folds
Kadet_cz: folds
bmwYEAH: folds
oyvols: folds
Ukgatsby: calls $0.25
Polly2007: folds
Mr_qld: raises to $1
kollega: folds
20tf20: calls $0.75
Ukgatsby: calls $0.75
----- FLOP ----- [2s 5h Th]
Mr_qld: bets $5
20tf20: folds
Ukgatsby: calls $5
----- TURN ----- [2s 5h Th][3s]
Mr_qld: bets $10
Ukgatsby: calls $10
----- RIVER ----- [2s 5h Th 3s][As]
Mr_qld: bets $25
Ukgatsby: calls $25
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Mr_qld: shows [Qc Qs] (A Pair of Queens, Ace high)
Ukgatsby: shows [Ah 3h] (Two Pairs, Aces and Threes, Ten high)
Ukgatsby collected $80.25 from Main pot

Regardless, I know this isn't a hand review thread, so I'll trudgeon off and hope that playing will seem more appealing later on

[GotaFancy?]

Looks like you were doing pretty well!!! $25 is the maximum buy in on the table and you got up to $79

I dont like your bet on the end ..... much prefer a check call or check fold once the overcard comes down (yes you are showing weakness and may open the door to being bluffed, but your hand isn't very strong by the showdown....) - other than that - great

UKGatsby overpaid on his draw thoughout - so you won and he lost!!! It was only when you paid him off when he hit the Ace on the end that you made that worthwhile for him - you gave him the implied odds for his draw .....

How good are you at laying your hand down when you think you are beat?

[Hands Solo]

Originally Posted by GotaFancy?(BPP)

How good are you at laying your hand down when you think you are beat?

Not the best mate, probably worse when I act first. If it's raised to me and I think I'm beat I can generally get out okay, but it's times when I say, raise with KK and the A flops that I run into a fair bit of trouble. I've got the hand history still handy so I might post up a couple of key hands in a different thread.

[scarface1975]

Crouch don't get too disheartened mate you played the hand perfectly, till you bet on the end. Remember in the long run big pairs earn you lots of money but they also lose you lots of money if you fall in love with big pairs too much . When people start off playing cash games they lose lots of money with AA KK QQ I guarantee it. Even good players still do but you must learn to minimise losses.

[Hands Solo]

Thanks guys. I'll probably leave it alone for a few days and open up a Titan account. Got a feel for cash games on Willhill but at this stage 1c/2c is a much more appropriate place to be than 15c/25c.

[Hands Solo]

GaF, continuing on from your original advice about not even semi bluffing at low levels, at what level should I start making continuation bets? For example, I raise pre flop with AQo, flop of say 8-8-6, if I am acting early or it's checked to me, when if ever would it be a good idea to make a continuation bet, and how big should it be?