Anyone want to be a Hero? - Cause I really need some help.

[digitaldoc]

In a nut shell I'm a big fish when it comes to internet poker SnG and MTT's. More often than not i've been a camper in the MTT's and eventually die on the vine unless I catch some big hands up front. Otherwise I end up with a smaller stack against aggressive players who pounce on a checked hand or a missed flop.

After doing so poorly I started working on developing a better playing style more suited to building bigger stacks. Needless to say..it hasn't been pretty yet.

What I'm really asking for is help. Help from someone or some people to give me some coaching in the following areas:

1.) Strategy for first starting a SnG and MTT's that starts the accumulation of chips smartly, not recklessly.

2.) What to look for, or how to assess the level of play of the other players quickly when you or they just join a table.

3.) Maybe a way to get coaching or watching a great experienced player to get a better feel for the game from a better point of view.

The only real thing I can offer in return is the feeling of helping someone out and the possibility of helping you define your play a little better. I am a great listener and a hard study. I would love to better my game so that I can win a few SnG's or MTT's. I am an avid reader of this board and want to better my game.

Sincerely, The Doc.

[Spook]

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...pic.php?t=8202

Some of the best advise you will find, and its a sticky in this very section. It pertains specifically to SnG's but almost everything in there is compatible with MTT's as well. PokerStars now offers 3 table SnG's and they are a very good practice ground for the MTT battlefield.

Also, check out the stickies in the comunity thread. Join IRC and Ventrilo and you will probably find them to be an invaluable help. Lots of great players who are more than happy to help.

Oh, and welcome to the board.
-Spook

[chris_1069]

Have you read any of the SnG strats that are stickied to this forum??

I would sugest for you to read these first if you have not already as I found them to be a huge help! I would offer you more addvice than this but I am in no ways an expert, and I found all of thoes stickied threads to be very usefull in one way or another.

True they are not the same styles, but my goal, and everyones should be, to develope a style that works well for you, not try and mimic someone else.

Personally I like to play uber tight at the begining... fold everything except a premium hand. Then when I do get a hand I play it based on my position. ie sometimes limp from utg(or very small raise to test others for strenght and knock a couple out) or if I have the button and see 4-5 limpers before me hit a nice big raise to get a few of thoes fish off the pot. I tend to loosen as the game progresses. Start to steal blinds once they become important, lean on short stacks, rarely try to out bluff/steal from a big stack etc etc etc...

Read thoes stickies though! Best info ever!

I could continue on with the rest but really I use a mix of alot of styles and have yet to find the one I want to develope and tune to myself. Although the one thing I always do is play tight at the begining.

Not to mention some days my style works really well and can help me win SnG's and other times I find I am doing great, double the average before the bubble then do something really stupid like betting my flush with a full house posible then betting into into a large stack and loosing all 5k chips and ending up in 15th of 45.

Ohh and did I mention read the stickies!! :P

[chris_1069]

doh posting from work and guess it took a while to actually finish that and sent it...

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...pic.php?t=8202

Some of the best advise you will find, and its a sticky in this very section.

Basically the only thing I needed to post in the first place anyways! lol

[digitaldoc]

I've been reading all the stickies on this web site, and they have been helpful. Still would love to get some advice on how to get an assessment of people when they or you first sit at a table. What do you look for? How to spot the shark laying amidst the fish. And when to spot the fish that extremely lucky and just hit his monster hand and wants to play it slow?

Yes I know, basic questions. But I would appreciate your point of view.

Thanks,
Scott

[Spook]

It boils down to the things you would expect.

How many hands are they playing? (this is your first clue)

What kinds of hands are they playing?

Can they make the tough calls?

Can they fold when they have lower pairs?

Are they betting or calling?


Whenever you get to see someone else's cards, review in your head how they played it. This information is free and it is right out there in the open for you to use, if you just look for it.

[Theeggman]

And make notes on each player who shows down. Note their pf betting habits to give you an idea when you run into them again. This has doubled me up more than once (someone going all-in against my TPGK and I read their note that says "plays middle pairs like the nuts" or something like that) and saved me chips early against taggs. You'd be surprised when you collect notes how often you play against the same players in MTTs.

[digitaldoc]

Thanks for all the tips so far. Reading all the stickies and other post has opened this fish's eyes.

One thing I really would like a little more detailed type help on (and can't seem to find a good post on it yet) is how some of you take notes on players. I know we all develop our own systems, but I would like to get a good starting point.

Someone mentioned in this thread to look at the basics, like number of hands played from what positions, bet sizes and post flop betting etc. etc.. That's great, but how do you organize all that information into useful strategy. Most of you probably don't even think about it anymore, but as a newby it seems a bit daunting.

Any ideas?

[aokrongly]

Actually, you're asking if there's a shortcut to stack building early without cards... No. If you sit down already knowing what you're going to do, then you're not responding to the table dynamics. Alot of people try to build a stack early - hence all the people being knocked out playing way too loose and agressive.

2nd question is just as unanswerable. How can you QUICKLY assess the type of player who just sat down? Unless you're a psychic, you can't. You have to observe them over a period of time - one or two rounds won't do it. Someone may sit down and go AI 3 hands in a row. Does that mean they're crazy loose agressive? I don't know, maybe they got AK, AK, AA. It's unlikely but not impossible.

Boiling your questions down they are... where's the shortcut? There isn't one. And if you sit down with a set strategy, then you're limiting your game and will cause issues... whether it's Ultra tight, Laggy, Taggy, chip bully, etc. There are situations for all these types of play in the same MTT. How do you know when to switch gears? That's a good question. How do you play with a smaller stack? That's a good question. Am I misinterpreting where I stand and freaking out unnecessarily, or am I impatient; or am I evaluating my play and situations correctly? That's a good question.

I like your title. We'll help you out.

[aokrongly]

give us some background and currently info. how long have you been playing, what games, what sites, what stakes, how often, what's your bankroll. Obviously you're a bit short on experience, but give us an idea of how short.

To answer your question, you remember (or make notes) that a player has certain tendencies - only raises big pocket pairs and AK, AQ... Raised 3 out of 4 times in late position with no action in front of him... pushed AI with 87s and got lucky... or whatever. The way you use it is that you let their habits INFLUENCE your play. It doesn't define your play because even the tightest player bluffs and even the LAGGYest player gets AA and big slick. But if they have a tendency to do a certain thing, then you weight your read a little heavier toward their tendencies than you would without that information. And you might Call or raise a big bet when you have JJ in the pocket and an A flops. Maybe that guy played preflop like he had a middle pocket pair, or maybe he generally checks TPTK and this time he bet when the A hit. Does he have TPTK? He might, but why did he check it before and is betting it now? I'll throw out a strong raise and see if he likes his hand as much as he's saying. Cause if he doesn't have TPTK, then I may have him beat right now, or he may put me on TPTK... SEE?

[digitaldoc]

give us some background and currently info. how long have you been playing, what games, what sites, what stakes, how often, what's your bankroll. Obviously you're a bit short on experience, but give us an idea of how short.

To give the background info: Been playing poker for about a year off-line and about two months online. I have been playing NLHE almost exclusively offline and online. My online experience has been limited to PP playing SnG $5+1 and some $25/NL ring games. While I started with a BR of $100 I've managed to stay to the plus. Currently at $106. SnG stats are less than 30% ITM with majority of those 3rd places. I will play about two hours 4-5 times a week.