A poker sermon

I havent posted anything for a while so i thought i would write a little piece on poker theory but first I will give you a bankroll update.

My bankroll on poker stars is now at $86 (+$27) have had some good solid results in the past day or two following a mini-slump.

I have somewhat tweaked my style of play, I am probably raising less pre-flop then ever before. When i say that I dont mean the amount of times I raise but the amount of chips that I raise by. I find this helps me get away from hands as I have not committed too much pre-flop. For example with AK i might just bring in a minimum raise from any position. If i am re-raised depending on the player I may call or re-raise but I am trying to get away from putting too many chips in pre-flop. I am also trying to keep my raises at similar amounts. If I miss the flop with my AK then I know that I dont have to put in a bet to try and win the pot because the pot is still small and I have not over-committed pre-flop so I can just ditch it if my opponents bet at me. If i hit I will continue to bet at it, if there is a draw on i will make sure I make them pay to see a card.

The main thing I am trying to avoid is going all in early on or committing too many chips in early hands against maverick style players and then busting out and getting outdrawn - I figure if I play nice and tight, keep my bets to the same sort of size regardless of my hand then this gives me plenty of options on the flop - if I miss the flop and have no draws etc I can get away from my hand, if i either make my hand or have a draw I will then bet out.

Crazy Bluffs

This is another part of my game I have tried to tone down - I dont bluff anymore, period. What i will do is bet with outs, for example if I think someone has hit top pair on the flop but gives me some draws I will get involved - all the time tho what I am aiming to do is not over commit to this draw - if he makes a minimum bet i will flat call it - at this level he will call a re-raise with his top pair so there is no point over commiting. If i then hit my draw I can then turn the screw knowing he will pay me with his top pair.

I am finding that by betting small pre-flop it doesnt tie me down after the flop, after all its easier to get away from a pot that you have flat called the BB or min raised in then the same hand/flop but having significantly raised into. All this boils down to me being confidently being able to have a good idea on whether I may be ahead or what my opponent is betting with.

Poker Indicator

Poker Indicator can be found here and is my new best friend. I dont so much use the hand odds and pot odds but the opponent stats, this is a handy tool that allows me to know exactly how many times my opponents had seen the flop and the turn and river and how many showdowns they have won.

It makes your Ace Jack look pretty strong when your pre-flop raise is called and then someone who has seen 80% of flops and only won 40% of showdowns bets the ace on the flop. The aim is obviously to read the players myself and I feel i am getting better at this. Conversely if you have pocket rockets and the player who has only seen 7% of flops makes a big pre-flop raise before you, you can make a big re-raise knowing that he himself has got a big hand and you may well get yourself a customer.

It is an excellent tool probably the best I have seen as a table companion.

Onwards and upwards!!