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northerntouch's picture
northerntouch's thread

Hello!I'm a 31-year old public relations professional in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. I have a good job but it's just that--a job--and I would like to free myself from the 9-5 routine. I love poker but haven't been able to produce results in the year and a half I've been playing. This year will be the make or break year for me, and I'm hoping this course will equip me with the tools to give poker my best shot. I currently play the $7 hypers on Stars. I've played a bit of the tiurbo speeds but prefer the hypers. I welcome all critcism as long as it's constructive. I look forward to getting to know all of you better.-nt    

northerntouch's picture
One of my standard lines...

I take this kind of line all the time...standard or spew? Why or why not? The villain is unknow and it's early on. No Limit Holdem Tournament • 2 Players$6.85+$0.15 Hand converted by the official HUSNG.com hand converter BBHero650  SBGladiator617350  Effective Stacks: 18bb Blinds 10/20 Pre-Flop (30, 2 players) Hero is BB Gladiator617 calls 10, Hero checks    Flop (40, 2 players) Hero bets 25, Gladiator617 calls 25    Turn (90, 2 players) Hero bets 55, Gladiator617 calls 55    Final Pot: 200

mrbambocha's picture
Why didnt you raise pre? I

Why didnt you raise pre? I think I would bet flop 30/40 for FE and to build pot if we hit. Seems fine to barell turn. 

northerntouch's picture
Why didn't I raise pre? I

Why didn't I raise pre? I guess I don't usually raise pre in that spot. I don't a solid theoretical reason for that decision. Why would you raise there?

mrbambocha's picture
Think you shouldnt have a

Think you shouldnt have a limping range at 10/20 if villain isnt 3B you light. Raising 87s for the same reason your raising K2o (you dont want to give him free EQ/letting him realise his EQ for free.). Thats what I think, Im sure Hokie can explain it better.

taikogod's picture
^ Hero is OOP

^ Hero is OOP

ibavly's picture
Hey I'm originally from

Hey I'm originally from edmonton, still spend a couple months there a year. Pretty awesome that there are two alberta people in FastTrack. Good luck.

ibavly's picture
I like the way you played

I like the way you played that hand. His range is weak on both the flop and the turn, you have great equity and no showdown value. A bit bigger on the flop might be good but I don't think that is a big deal.

hokiegreg's picture
hey man. welcome to the

hey man. welcome to the forum! big respect to you for going hard after what you want. i hope this program will help get you a little closer to your goal.one thing that stood out to me in your post was saying that PR is "just a job". i'm not suggesting you are guilty of this (you probably arent given you joined FT already), but i'd check out the article linked below...I wrote it a little after Black Friday. the general point is that most poker players are attracted to poker bc of the lack schedule or responsibility, and that without any structure or 'business plan' they just grind endlessly and run themselves into the ground. so ya, it seems you get that playing poker for a living still requires some hard work and discipline, but just wanted to reinforce that point just in case bc i think it really is huge. http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/185/heads-up-sng/playing-poker-living-...i get the impression what you mean by "just a job" is that you aren't passionate about it and it's not fun? i def think you have to love what you do, and approach things in your own unique way. anyways, i'll end my rant :) could go on with these type topics forever.

hokiegreg's picture
87: flop and turn lead look

87: flop and turn lead look great to me. i'd probably jam a lot of rivers too unimproved. i prefer just stabbing half pot though. sets up a little better stacks for barreling (tho not a huge diff)...mainly i think the avg villain just responds basically the same vs t20 and t25, so might as well use smaller size if it gets the same job done (it has to work less often...ask me to elaborate if u dont understand the math behind this thought process).stabbing oop in limped pots is great (stabbing in position in limped pots is even better). the avg villain doesn't fight very hard for limped pots bc they are less-committed. if you stab boards with some kind of equity, and boards that aren't so connected that they hit avg villains limping range too hard - there is a lot of EV to be had in leading light limped (alliteration, zomg!).for example, i'd be stabbing all gutshots, any 2 overs to 6X, and all pairs here. yes, it's totally imbalanced, but, no, it doesn't matter - the avg player just doesn't play back nearly enough. if you find your opponent is stabbing a ton when checked to limped, you should start c/r bluffing more - an oesd prob wouldn't be the best hand to choose to c/r with though as it continues pretty meh.rambling a bit, haha. limped pots are the nuts.

hokiegreg's picture
@ibavly:  A bit bigger on the

@ibavly: A bit bigger on the flop might be good but I don't think that is a big deal.considering we should be leading a ton of air+equity here, i prefer the smaller size. plus stacks are short so it's not like villains implied odds are amazing or anything. villains fold way too much.also, like i said above, 20 into 40 needs to work 33%, 30 into 40 needs to work like 40%. important difference imo.

northerntouch's picture
@ibavly I lived in Edmonton

@ibavly I lived in Edmonton for over 10 years. Just moved up to FMM in August. It's cool that someone else knows Dirt City. :D@hokie Thank you for the post about poker as a job -- very enlightening. As to your analysis about only betting half-pot when we're bluffing...is there ever a time when we might want to increase our bet size as a bluff? For example if we're at 10/20, 20 bb effective stacks and we're about 10 hands in...Sometimes I'll pick up a hand like J5o in the SB and open to t45 instead of t40. Is this also something that would have no real effect on the average villain?

northerntouch's picture
No idea what the best play is here...no history with villain

This is villain's first 3bet and the sixth hand of the match. No Limit Holdem Tournament • 2 Players$6.85+$0.15 Hand converted by the official HUSNG.com hand converter SBHero370  BBHEPI22630  Effective Stacks: 19bb Blinds 10/20 Pre-Flop (30, 2 players) Hero is SB Hero raises to 40, HEPI22 raises to 100    Final Pot: 140

mrbambocha's picture
if you find your opponent is

if you find your opponent is stabbing a ton when checked to limped, you should start c/r bluffing more - an oesd prob wouldn't be the best hand to choose to c/r with though as it continues pretty.- Could you expand that a bit? Why not cr with our OESD? We get more money in pot if we stabs with air and build the pot if we hit/take controll of the hand. 

hokiegreg's picture
As to your analysis about

As to your analysis about only betting half-pot when we're bluffing...is there ever a time when we might want to increase our bet size as a bluff? For example if we're at 10/20, 20 bb effective stacks and we're about 10 hands in...Sometimes I'll pick up a hand like J5o in the SB and open to t45 instead of t40. Is this also something that would have no real effect on the average villain?eh, i think it can work ok and has some merits, but it's more complicated than it is worth imo - and opening an unbalanced junk range really has an impact on your overall range that i think is super-complicated and a lot of players don't understand. basically, without great reads on it working v well compared to t40, i don't think its worth it. when you raise to t45 compared to 40 villain can correctly play a few less hands oop, so if u are getting a few less folds you aren't really accomplishing anything. if you can get him to play shove/fold with a lot more of his range, i think it can be ok w a polarized range of air that doesnt play well post like J5o and hands that can raise/call but dont play great vs a flatting range (A6s, 55 type hands).

hokiegreg's picture
JTo: i would definitely flat

JTo: i would definitely flat the 3bet. his range would have to be pretty damn nitty for us to not be able to realize exp better than folding with a flat here. if you find you are getting 3bet a lot in this spot in the future, limp pre. otherwise i like the raise.

hokiegreg's picture
if you find your opponent is

 if you find your opponent is stabbing a ton when checked to limped, you should start c/r bluffing more - an oesd prob wouldn't be the best hand to choose to c/r with though as it continues pretty.- Could you expand that a bit? Why not cr with our OESD? We get more money in pot if we stabs with air and build the pot if we hit/take controll of the hand. our expectation vs that range that continues vs a c/r isn't very good. i definitely think c/r has better expectation than flatting bc of the fold equity. my argument is basically that, with our equity w this hand, we likely have better expectation leading and having a lot of good barreling opportunities on the turn and river. it's close though and really depends on effective stacks imo. 

mrbambocha's picture
our expectation vs that range

our expectation vs that range that continues vs a c/r isn't very good. i definitely think c/r has better expectation than flatting bc of the fold equity. my argument is basically that, with our equity w this hand, we likely have better expectation leading and having a lot of good barreling opportunities on the turn and river.- Ok I see your point and agree, maybe he will check back some hands aswell that we dont want to give eq to. If villain raises to 90/100 do we have to fold? If you advise calling, and we miss turn, is there any merit in trying a blockbet on turn or should we just fold? - JTo hand. I thought we could call his 3B that short. Would call it down to 21bb, to nitty?. 

hokiegreg's picture
@mrbambocha:- Ok I see your

 @mrbambocha:- Ok I see your point and agree, maybe he will check back some hands aswell that we dont want to give eq to. If villain raises to 90/100 do we have to fold? If you advise calling, and we miss turn, is there any merit in trying a blockbet on turn or should we just fold? if we play it that way, i like a blockbet so that we can realize equity.ya, i'm second-guessing myself on this a bit. if villain is stabbing a lot i like a c/r more even with an oesd. just reevaluate your equity if jammed on. if flatted, jam a decent bluff card turns probably (like K74 A) or blockbet turns that arent great bluff cards (like K74 2). something like that.- JTo hand. I thought we could call his 3B that short. Would call it down to 21bb, to nitty?. i told him to call JTo. no? 

mrbambocha's picture
"JTo: i would definitely flat

"JTo: i would definitely flat the 3bet." (at 19bb) -   I thought we could call his 3B that short. Would call it down to 21bb, to nitty?. 

northerntouch's picture
All-in EV

How relevant (or not) is the all-in EV line that PT3 has? Maybe a better question would be: how can I use it to help my game?

hokiegreg's picture
How relevant (or not) is the

How relevant (or not) is the all-in EV line that PT3 has? Maybe a better question would be: how can I use it to help my game?it's as relevant as the all-in EV line in HEM as far as i know. PT3 is just chipEV, while HEM is $EV. so you can't tell how much $ you should be up or down exactly with PT3, but you can definitely tell if you have an overall edge (thats all that really matters anyway imo)i just wouldn't pay attention to it much until you get a 2-3k games in. i mean if it's just awful after 1k games or so, i'd be worried, but there is a ton of ev-line variance (esp in hypers).too many players focus wayyy too much on looking at their ev-line every day. generally, it doesn't mean a ton in the very short term and is a waste of time.i've heard so many players say "i lost 1k today but my ev line was +200". it was probably a 100 game sample or something tho (meaningless almost)

northerntouch's picture
All-in 3bet bluffs

@hokie Thank you for explanation about the ev line. Very helpful.I just realized today that I don't really have an all-in 3bet bluff range. Should I have one for hypers? If so how would I go about constructing one against a readless opponent? I'm thinking mostly about play in the 10-25 bb range.That leads to another question...I don't have a non-AI 4bet range. Should I?

hokiegreg's picture
I just realized today that I

I just realized today that I don't really have an all-in 3bet bluff range. Should I have one for hypers? If so how would I go about constructing one against a readless opponent? I'm thinking mostly about play in the 10-25 bb range.That leads to another question...I don't have a non-AI 4bet range. Should I?shit sorry, missed this. i don't think 21-25bb deep you should readless, no (nai 3b bluff). as stacks decrease though, some low suited connected stuff will be best as a 3b shove readless. mess around with the 3b shove calc at diff stx depths vs the avg players opening freq at that particular depth (i.e., 18bb deep prob 45-50%) - pick the hands at the bottom/right outside your flatting range that have the best expectation for 3bet shoving. no, i don't think you should have a non-ai 4b range barring very specific situations.

northerntouch's picture
playing your range rather than your hand

Hey Greg...do you have any HH's that illustrate good (and bad) instances of playing your range instead of your hand?

hokiegreg's picture
do you have any HH's that

do you have any HH's that illustrate good (and bad) instances of playing your range instead of your hand?honestly, any hand works for this. you should always be considering your range when making a decision. this skype chat from a past program should clear things up for you:http://www.husng.com/content/skype-chat-excerpt-playing-your-range-and-not-your-individual-handlet me know if u have any follow-up ?s to that thread.

northerntouch's picture
Yeah I should have mentioned

Yeah I should have mentioned I had read that chat. I was just looking for a few HH's to help bring the theoretical into the practical. I guess I feel like playing my range could lead to spew pretty easily and was just hoping to see examples of it in play. If any hand works for this, would you mind posting just a couple and explaining why playing the range was better than playing the hand?

hokiegreg's picture
i feel like that is exactly

i feel like that is exactly what i did in that thread, no? thinking about playing your range and not your individual hand should do the exact opposite of leading to spew (unless your ranges are incorrect in a spot).if the example i used in that thread doesn't explain it clearly enough. let me know what type of hand you are looking for exactly. that's really the best example i can think of...barreling 3 streets and how we adjust our range for different reasons street-to-street.i'm definitely happy to help, but i think the answers you are looking for are in that thread tbh.

mrbambocha's picture
Hey hokie, I didnt understand

Hey hokie, I didnt understand that chat convo either. I take it like we can/should 3barell everytime because we can rep both the high boards and the low board, but I know that not what u ment. So if the turn paris the board we should barell because that how we should have played our set. Or if the flush gets there on the turn and villain cc turn and check river we should valuebet because that how we would have played our flush. 

hokiegreg's picture
We can talk about it in skype

We can talk about it in skype chat today.

hokiegreg's picture
@northerntouch: i hope you

@northerntouch: i hope you feel you got solid value from the program. thanks for participating. if you have any follow-up questions please feel free to email me at gtillerhokie@gmail.com. you will have read-only access for another 4 weeks approximately.good luck