Getting better in poker is not just a matter of experience. Simply playing a lot won’t necessarily make you a better player. You also have to learn from you’re mistakes. For every hour you play poker you should study poker for 2 hours.
By studying poker I mean read poker strategy books, discuss hands with other poker players and watch how other better poker players play. But most importantly, review your poker playing sessions. What mistakes did you make, what strategy worked out good and which didn’t go so well?
Too give you an idea of how reviewing your play works, I will give you an example of a review I made of a cash game session I recently played.
I always start with the basic statistics of the session.
Blinds: $0,05/$0,10 no antes
Time played: 1 hour 3 min
Number of hands dealt: 71
Number of hands played: 13
Percentage of hands played: 18%
Buy in: $10,00 + $2,17 add on
Cashed out: $15,31
Profit: $3,14 or 31 big blinds
Then I write an overall statement about my state of mind before the game and how the game went.
I hadn’t played cash games for a couple of months. I am heading up to Estonia soon to play cash games for two weeks, so I decided I needed to start practicing again. Playing $0,10 cash game on line is a good way to practice. In the beginning of the game I wasn’t focused yet on the game strategy. Therefore I made a couple of mistakes in the first two rounds. But then I got my focus back and played good. I made some good decisions about folding, check raising and bluffing. I made a nice profit so I am pleased with how I played. I do regret the mistakes I made early in the game, those could have been avoided if I was more focused from the start.
Then I review the total hand history of the session.
I write down which hands I folded and when they are in my normal playing range, why I folded them. And I analyse all the hands I played. I don’t focus too much on the result, but more if I played the hands right or wrong.
I won’t bore you with all the hands I folded, I will just discuss the more interesting hands here.
Round 1
Hand 5:
9 handed seat 4 AdKh.
I min raise pre flop, I get a late position caller and the big blind also calls.
Three way flop. Qc10s2h. Everyone checks.
Turn 8c. Big blind checks, I check, late position bets half the pot, big blind folds and I also fold.
I didn’t play this hand too bad, but AK off suit from early position I should have just folded. A min raise from early position is too expensive and usually a waste of money. Exactly as it turned out to be in this hand.
Round 2
Hand 18:
7 handed button 8s6c.
I make a lot of mistakes in this hand. It is checked around to me and I min bet from the button in an attempt to steal the blinds. But the small blind calls.
First mistake, I should have bet bigger, like 4 big blinds as a button steal.
Flop 4hJc7h. small blind checks, I check behind, taking the free card, hoping to hit my inside straight draw.
Second mistake, if you are on the button and don’t hit anything on the flop you should continuation-bet trying to steal the pot.
Turn 6h. Now there are three hearts on the board. Pot is $0,50 and sb bets $0,36 and I call.
Third mistake. I made a pair, but it is still a loose call. I should have folded here, my button steal didn’t work and I didn’t hit very good, I only have a low pair on a board with straight and flush possibilities. And my opponent made a big bet. Time to fold.
River is 7d, pairing the board. The pot is now $1,22. The small blind bets again, big $1,16. Almost the size of the pot. I am stupid enough to call with my two pair.
My last mistake in this hand. He has 2h3h and turned a flush. When an opponent makes a big river bet, most of the time he isn’t bluffing. People don’t bluff as much as you might think.
My continuation-bet on the flop probably wouldn’t have worked, but at least I would have lost less money that way because I could have easily folded on the turn or river after he calls my continuation-bet.
But if I had bet 4 big blinds instead of two pre flop, he even might have folded his hand pre flop. I lost $1,72 where I could have won $0,15 if I had played the hand right. Very bad start and clearly a sign I am not focused yet.
Round 3
I buy $2,17 worth of extra chips to get my stack back to $10.
I do this because I always like to play with a full stack of at least 100 big blinds.
Hand 23:
8 handed small blind 9s6d
An early position player limps and I raise to $0,30, he calls.
Heads up to flop. 6sAd8h. We both check.
He checks behind me, so now I know he probably doesn't have an A and missed the flop.
Turn 5c. I have one pair and think it is good, I also have a straight draw now as a back up. I bet $0,30 and he folds.
Hand 24:
7 handed button 8h6c
First player limps and I call. 86 off suit is not a very good hand, but I have the button and it’s a very small bet so i am happy to see a cheap flop.
The small blind re opens the action and min raises to $0,20, the other player calls and so do I. Three way flop. Qc5hAc. The small blind bets $0,10, second player calls and I fold.
I hit nothing on the flop and although I have the button, against two players it’s no use continuing this hand.
Round 4
Hand 26:
8 handed seat 6 KsKc.
One new player already had to put $0,10 in the pot pre flop. First player bets $0,40. New player folds. I re raise to $1,20. First calls. I put the first player on AK, AQs QQ or another pocket pair. With AA I think he would have re-raised me pre flop.
Flop is 10cQs2c, first player checks and I check behind.
I was afraid my opponent might have QQ thats why I checked behind. If he had AK or JJ I was way ahead of him. But to check was to much a risk on this board with flush and straight draws, you can’t give away free cards. Also, the change that he had QQ is very small. It’s more likely he had AK, AQ or a small pocket pair. I should have bet here.
Turn 8d, again we both check.
River is 5s, my opponent checks a third time and I bet $1,26 and he calls with JJ. I won, but played it bad. Should have bet on the flop. Gave him two free changes to hit a J or make a straight with 9 on the river.
Hand 32:
8 handed button Js9h
Early position player min raises, late position player calls and I fold. It’s just too much pre flop action to try a bluff.
Hand 33:
7 handed seat 6 5d2d.
Seat 5 bets $0,30. I haven’t played much hands and a two gap suited connector in late position is good enough too call.
Heads up too the flop. 9h2cKh. Opponent bets $0,54 and I fold. Although I hit a pair, it is probably not good enough without any kind of draw.
Hand 34:
8 handed Ac10d seat 6.
Early position player bets, late position player calls and I fold. A10o is just to weak against this pre flop action.
Hand 41:
5 handed button 5c4h
I bet $0,25 trying to steal the blinds and big blind calls.
Heads up flop, 7dQhQs, opponent checks, I continuation bluff bet $0,28 and he folds.
Good button steal.
Round 5
short handed now, only 5 players left.
Hand 47:
6 handed button AcQd
First player limps, I re raise to $0,40 and everyone folds.
Good button steal.
Round 6
Hand 53:
8 handed button 8h2d.
It was folded around to me, I haven’t played many hands so maybe I should have tried a button steal. But with 82 off suit I let this one go and folded.
Round 7
Hand 55:
8 handed seat 6 AdKc
I bet $0,25 the button raises to $0,68 and I call.
Heads up to flop, 7dAs6d. I check, button bets $1 and I check raise to $3,33. Button folds.
Always check the flop when you are out of position. Let your opponent try too steal the pot, then make a big check raise when you hit top pair top kicker.
Hand 62:
6 handed seat 4 7c6c
I limp, button bets $0,40 and I call.
Heads up to the flop. 4hJh5c, I check and button bets $0,60. I have a straight draw and think my opponent is just continuation betting with A high so I decide to semi bluff and raise to $1,76. My opponent folds. Again the check raise on the flop works great.
Hand 63:
7 handed seat 4 QcJc, I limp, lp calls and big blind checks. Three way flop. 7c3d2c. The big blind bets $0,17, I call with my flush draw and two over cards, the lp raises to $1,02, the big blind calls and I decide to fold. I think at least one of my opponents has a bigger flush draw so I only have 6 outs at best if no other club hits. The turn is the As. The big blind bets $2,44 and gets called. River is 6c. The big blind goes all inn and gets called. Big blind had 4c5h and made a straight on the turn, lp had Kc8c and made a flush on the river. I made a good fold on the flop. My read that my flush draw wasn’t good was right. Saved myself a ton of money. This hand shows that although you should play loose, when the action gets too big on the flop it’s better to fold you’re draws if you are not drawing to the nuts.
Hand 66:
5 handed button 8h6h
Seat 4 bets $0,40 and I call.
Heads up to the flop. 7s2h5s. Seat 4 checks and I check behind with my straight draw. Normally when I have position I would continuation bet, but I am not the pre flop aggressor and I have a good draw so I take the free card.
Turn Kh. Seat 4 checks again. I now also have a flush draw to go with my straight draw and my opponent showed weakness twice. I decide too semi bluff bet $0,68 and my opponent folds.
Round 8
Hand 69:
4 handed small blind AcAd,
First player limps, I raise to $0,40 and he calls.
Flop is Ah2d9h. Trips! I am the pre flop raises and with an A I just have to bet. Checking is to obvious and when he has the case A, a flush draw or 22 or 99, he might just call. So I bet $0,43 and he folds.
Time to leave, this table is dead with only 3 players left.
After I have analysed my poker session I write down a couple of lessons I have learned.
Next time I am going to play I read these lessons as a warm up to my next poker session.
Lessons learned
-Before you play, get focused and get your mind on the game plan.
-Don’t play AKo from early position
-When you try too steal the blinds from the button with garbage you shouldn’t min bet. Bet at least 4 big blinds.
-When you are the pre flop aggressor, totally miss the flop and your opponent checks to you, you should continuation-bet. It’s the only way to win the hand and if you get called or raised you know you are beat and don’t have too loose any more money on the turn or river.
-Don’t call big river bets when you only have one pair. People don’t bluff as much on the river as you think.
-If you have KK and there isn’t an A on the flop you should continuation bet, especially when it’s checked too you and it’s a wet board with straight and flush draws.
-When out of position on the flop, most of the time its best to check. Especially when you are not the pre flop aggressor and you have made an open ended straight draw, flush draw or top pair top kicker.
Now you know what to do after each poker session. I know it looks like a lot of work, and it is. But if you want to become a better poker player you have to put in the work. Becoming a great poker player is not going to happen by simply playing a lot of poker and just hoping you will get better. You will have to review your plays, read some strategy books and discuss play with other poker players. Also pay attention to other, preferable better, players when you are playing and are not in the hand. Look at how they play there hands and try to figure out why they play it that way.
I would love to know what you think of the way I played my hands and if you want to discuss yours please leave a comment below.
No comments:
Post a Comment