Help!

[AndyFatBastard]

I've been losing a fuckload online recently. March was a horrible, April had a small recovery, and then I lost 20 buyins in May and have moved down levels in June. I've done ok since but just had two horrible losing sessions in a row and am really struggling.

I think my general problem is one of spew. I'm getting involved in marginal hands with regs too often, trying to take a stand and be "captain of the table" too much. I also feel I'm overvaluing strong hands too much against fish and being incapable of finding my hero fold button. I've tried to adjust with these things in mind but once I get into a groove when I'm playing and old habits die hard.

I'll start with posting some hands and see what you guys think:


Villian has barely sat down and 3bet me twice already. Running 41/29 3bet 25% after only 17 hands:

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.25(BB) Replayer
SB ($25.10)
BB ($29.64)
UTG ($24.60)
Hero ($28.74)
CO ($24.05)
BTN ($26.72)

Dealt to Hero 8:club: 8:heart:

fold, Hero raises to $0.75, CO raises to $2, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $1.25

FLOP ($4.35) 4:heart: J:heart: J:spade:

Hero checks, CO bets $3, Hero calls $3

TURN ($10.35) 4:heart: J:heart: J:spade: T:club:

Hero checks, CO bets $5, Hero calls $5

RIVER ($20.35) 4:heart: J:heart: J:spade: T:club: 2:spade:

Hero checks, CO checks



This is a good example. Villian is a fish playing 45/8 after 45 hands:

Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.25(BB) Replayer
SB ($30.61)
BB ($9.98)
UTG ($17.25)
UTG+1 ($27.46)
Hero ($29.53)
BTN ($12.24)

Dealt to Hero A:heart: 6:heart:

fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.75, BTN calls $0.75, fold, fold

FLOP ($1.85) 3:spade: 5:diamond: 4:club:

Hero bets $1, BTN calls $1

TURN ($3.85) 3:spade: 5:diamond: 4:club: 6:club:

Hero checks, BTN checks

RIVER ($3.85) 3:spade: 5:diamond: 4:club: 6:club: 2:spade:

Hero bets $3, BTN raises to $7.50, Hero calls $4.50


Cbet too thin here? Go for the 3rd barrel once he's called turn? Villian is probably a fish but too early to tell. He's playing 59/36/0.7 after 22 hands:
Grabbed by Holdem Manager
NL Holdem $0.25(BB) Replayer
SB ($23.01)
BB ($36.62)
UTG ($28.18)
Hero ($36.66)
CO ($53.06)
BTN ($34.01)

Dealt to Hero J:spade: A:diamond:

fold, Hero raises to $0.75, fold, fold, SB calls $0.65, BB calls $0.50

FLOP ($2.25) 9:spade: 8:club: K:heart:

SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $1.25, SB calls $1.25, BB folds

TURN ($4.75) 9:spade: 8:club: K:heart: K:diamond:

SB checks, Hero bets $3, SB calls $3

RIVER ($10.75) 9:spade: 8:club: K:heart: K:diamond: T:spade:

SB checks, Hero checks



That'll do for now. These are all from last night's session, so I'll post a new thread tomorrow with today's disasters.

[Bubbleking]

Hand 1 - Im 4 betting

Hand 2 - I prob dont bet the river as you are only playing the board

Hand 3 - check back flop against 2 players and fold most turns Id say

[Emmet]

1. fold to the 3bet pre. It sucks that you're in this spot with a hand as good as 88, but being OOP vs this kind of player in a 3bet pot with a hand that can't really improve is a disaster. It's not weak, it's just not a nice part of the game. I'd give it two more orbits, and if he doesn't change, I'm off that table. Get on his left, and you get his money, stick to his right, and you're getting owned.

2. check river, definitely never call a raise vs this guy. Play some busto omaha, teaches you to fold hands you'd never dream of folding before.

3. If I'm firing turn, I'm firing river. I probably cbet and not fire turn though.

[AndyFatBastard]

Hand 1:

BK: I take it you're calling a shove?

Emmett: Fair point. I like to stick around a bit and get a bit of back-and-forth going since they end up stacking off with a gutshot or something after a while.


Hand 2:

No value in folding out the split pot? when he effectively minraised leaving fuck all behind I thought he looked full of shit, but maybe I should start playing some Yamaha to teach me some hard lessons.


Hand 3:

Emmett: I think the turn is standard, he's folding loads of 2nd and 3rd pair hands to the turn barrell and will probably raise with a K.

[Emmet]

exactly, so he doesn't ever have a K there, so fire the river!

[Strewelpeter]

Turn off hem and play less tables for a few days.

[islander32]

[QUOTE=Emmet;340383]1. fold to the 3bet pre. It sucks that you're in this spot with a hand as good as 88, but being OOP vs this kind of player in a 3bet pot with a hand that can't really improve is a disaster. It's not weak, it's just not a nice part of the game. I'd give it two more orbits, and if he doesn't change, I'm off that table. Get on his left, and you get his money, stick to his right, and you're getting owned.


I like ur comments emmet about being oop v this kind of villian but folding to the 3 bet pre is horrible..... you are getting better than 20 to 1 on a set mine against a loose villian that will prolly stack light.

[AndyFatBastard]

Turn off hem and play less tables for a few days.

This isn't a bad idea at all. I remember you saying that playing on your craptop without HEM had improved your game. I'm definitely getting myself into spots by making decisions using statistically insignificant information from HEM.

Emmett: You're spot on. I can see now that I was trying to be less spewy and bottled a good 3rd barrell spot.


Hrm, this is what I was worried about. I'm beginning to suspect that I don't have any obvious glaring flaws in my game, just lots and lots of little ones that all adding up. I wanted easy answers.

[Emmet]

I like ur comments emmet about being oop v this kind of villian but folding to the 3 bet pre is horrible..... you are getting better than 20 to 1 on a set mine against a loose villian that will prolly stack light.

I don't think we have any evidence of this just yet, even when we hit our set, do we get paid off enough to make it worthwhile?

We don't know much about this guy, he could easily be 3betting like a loon, cbetting all AKQ+ flops and only firing one more street.

If we have more info, then I completely agree with you, but how light do you think a villain will really stack off here vs an oop 3bet caller?

[BobSloane]

Hand 1 - if you were c/o v button I might 4bet/call. Mp v co I think folding is best. Although his 3b is very small so tbh I don't hate your play but its a slippery slope calling these 3bets oop

Hand 2 - Your bet makes no sense. He's never folding for the chop. You rarely have a 7, so he can try to raise you off a chop or value town you when he has a 7

Hand 3 - I would not fire flop often 3way as you are getting called too often. Its prob not a profitable cbet and you have no good turn cards to barrel(equity wise).

You're putting way too much stock in stats with very few hands also.
Emmets table selection advice is good. There's no reason to sit on the right of a 3bet happy player at 25nl - unless there's an awful goon to your right. Even if he's terrible he'll make life tougher for you than it needs to be

[Theresa]

I used to suffer from same problems. Now I just fold any even semi marginal spots at the start of a session until I get some reads/feel on/for the players.

First hand could be ok, hard to know without specific reads. I wouldnt 4bet though.

Second hand is ok.

Third hand, I defo wouldnt barrell that turn card, especially against a probable fish. If I did barrell the turn Id empty the clip.

Edit didnt realise the 3rd hand was 3way on the flop. I wouldnt cbet. And when called 3way. I 100% wouldnt fire turns now. I wouldnt fire if the whole hand was HU so defo not now. Also, if I didn fire turn, (and flop was 3way) I wouldnt barrell river. He has Hands like KQ, KJ, K10, in his range a lot.

[RoadSweeper]

Hand 1.

Fine I think. I might fold turn vs some players but I think its okay. He check back AK + Aq alot on river. I deffo think 4bet calling is bad this early in the dynamic.

Hand 2.

V poor bet call. He isnt bluffing ever and best you do is chop. Deffo a leak to be addressed. I do same sometimes when I am losing and tilted.


Hand 3.

I dont mind cbet. There is so many gutshots and straight draws that they can call with. But bear in mind that you will often have to 2 and 3 barrel on these boards if you cbet.

I wont be firing on the king turn vs this guy though. I think firing on the king can be okay vs some tighter guys but dont think this is the correct villain for it, albeit a small sample size.

[tipp86]

Consider giving up cash. Im serious enough now about taking the step into mtts & sngs again.

I have had only 1 out of 5 winning months. The games at 50nl are def getting tougher even 20nl has got tougher as crazy as that sounds. I think my current level is breakeven 50nl player but when you hit a downswing at that level as a breakeven player its a serious swing.

Im going to dabble in all sorts this month and see how the results go.

Lol strangest thing is i havent even looked at the hands you posted and really im to tired to now

[Mellor]

H1: I think its ok

H2: You river bet is bad. You never fold out the chop verses this guy. So you only lose money by betting. Check calling would be better as it costs the same as leading, yet you get to showdown. As for his 1.5min raise with fuck all behind looking FOS, this guy is a fish you say, if anything it looks v.strong. He needs to be bluffing about 40-50% of the time to call now. I don't think he is given his lack aggressive stats (we don't have agression stat in the OP, but can assume from vpip and pfr)

H3: I check back 3 way.

[Bubbleking]

re hand 1 - Im 4betting and calling it off like a boss. If this joker wants to roll with the big dog then he better realise Im getting them 8's in like they are the nizzels.

Just to note because this chap has 3bet us for like the 3rd time in less than 2 orbits I will prob 4bet my entire opening range that I think has any kind of equity at all.

This kind of villain is pretty much handing you money he just doesnt know it yet

[RoadSweeper]

Just to note because this chap has 3bet us for like the 3rd time in less than 2 orbits I will prob 4bet my entire opening range that I think has any kind of equity at all.

Often its more likely he has a big hand when he goes for the third time.

[AndyFatBastard]

Thanks guys. Episode 2 will be coming shortly, but for now here's the results:

1: Villian had 99. I know I played this hand well, but if there had been a puppy nearby I'd have kicked it.

2. Villian had 77. This is how I run these days. I see now I took myself to valuetown with the bet, so in future I'll be check/calling these.

3. Villian had A8o. The 3rd barrel would certainly have done the job. I didn't know inverse tilt was a real thing until now. I basically bottled it because I was trying to control the spew, when really I should have been firing on all cylinders in this spot.

[AndyFatBastard]

I've just gone through all the losing hands of that second session, and none of them are particularly bad. I'm just running like a pig at the moment. I missed every flush draw, I got outdrawn a whole bunch of times and ran a monster into a bigger monster. Blargh!

[Guest]

Your bet sizing is dubious in a couple of spots.

[AndyFatBastard]

Your bet sizing is dubious in a couple of spots.

Specifics? I try to use a standard size unless it's an exceptional situation.

[Guest]

In 2 I'd be betting $1.50 on that flop with value hands and so would be doing the same with bluffs/semi-bluffs.
Same goes for the flop in 3. I'd prob bet more on turn too if I were betting it, which I probably wouldn't against this dude.

Also, I agree with Tipp. It's too hard these days and Hold 'em is as boring as hell!

[shano_88]

Just seeing this thread now. Havent been playing much lately but if you want to do a sweat session today or tommorow Id be down for it.

[AndyFatBastard]

Just seeing this thread now. Havent been playing much lately but if you want to do a sweat session today or tommorow Id be down for it.

Not a bad idea. I should have a few hours to spare tomorrow night or Thursday afternoon. I'll pop onto Skype and see who's around before I start playing tomorrow.