Originally Posted by tugger
Raising big with QQ+ pre flop at 1/2nl is essential. I just shove with aces now, it's the only way to guarantee you won't get four callers, and nobody is letting go of KK, and very few people let go of AK, QQ JJ and AQ, though I will to a massive all in, because it's nearly always aces or kings. It's only if someone has less than a dollar I consider it more likely they could be gambling with TT, KQ, 44 etc, and I open up my calling range. Shoving with aces might only win you the blinds more often then not, but you'll have them cracked much less often, and over time you'll make a lot of money thanks to people who can't let go of AK, QQ, KK pre flop. Of course, they will get beat by these hands from time to time, don't get angry, thank the person for calling in the chat bar. Proper bankroll management will take care of that for you unless you're the world's unlickiest person.
I'll go to 12c or more with QQ, JJ, AKs. Standard raise with average-good hands, such as AJs, KQs, TT etc would be to 8c (4xbb) + 2c (1xbb) for each limper.
As for being worried about people making their draws, just bet like 80-90% of the pot. If they call, that's good for you, long term you win money from this call. The chances of someone making their flush on the turn is around one in six, so if they're paying a pot sized bet to see the turn, they are losing money long term, unless they get paid off huge if and when they hit. So don't pay them off too much, and bet enough so if they call you're making money. It's important to see poker as a long term game, you're playing more than just one hand. He might make his flush when he pays a pot size bet, but he isn't making it every time. Over 100 similar hands, he's missing more often than he hits, which is exactly why you win more than you lose if you bet correctly.
Don't be afraid of folding to a bluff. It happens, we all get mugged off, and for sure it's annoying when you fold top pair and he shows two rags. But if you call every time he *might* be bluffing, you're gonna lose money. Call river bets that offer ridiculous odds if you have a hand, like 40c into a $2 pot with 2nd pair, because you only need to catch a bluff one in five times to break even, compared to folding. But if he bets twice the pot on the river to a thrid spade, and you have top pair, it's a fold, because you need to catch two bluffs in three hands, and that's not happening. Top pair is losing to this bet more often than one in three times.
And finally, don't let those who are rude to you get to you. There's a lot of people on this site that think being rude is constructive to a discussion. That's the internet for you, everyone has bigger bollocks than they do in real life. Sometimes they might have something useful to say, so don't disregard them completely, arseholes can make good poker players too.
Good luck at the tables! I might see you around, I play at stars 1/2nl.
