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peterbirksAfter a final too-small-a-raise because it was a turbo table and I just wanted to get something down, I cracked and downloaded Auto Hot Key and PokerPad. Maybe it was late at night, but it took me quite a while to work out how everything worked with AutoHotKey (in the sense that it was working, but I didn't realize that it was working). "Ease of use" can sometimes be taken too far I feel. When you are used to the old-fashioned line editors and the like, all this modern stuff is far too user-friendly.
First problem was that the program I used failed to open up the NOIQ site as promised. It opened up Party, Stars and Full Tilt, but not the IP Network. The path was fine. A 20-minute look through the source code revealed that a "default" path of C:\Program Files\ was running in front of the path that the user can see. This would be fine, were it not for the fact that the IPoker Network just installs into C:\Poker. I hesitated to rip out this bit of "helpful" script (mainly because that would necessitate rewriting the paths for all the poker sites that do install into C:\Program Files). Instead, I just moved the IPoker sites over to the C:\Program Files folder.
I then toddled around on a single table to see if I could get things to work. It was late, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that the whole experiment was slightly uncomfortable. The system uses a large number of HotKey combinations and, while I got the simple ones working (e.g., "Fold" and "Call" and "show last hand report") I didn't get the hang of any of the raising buttons. Then again, I only had a couple of hands worth raising, and in a panic I resorted to the mouse. Unfortunately, even with NumLock on, with AutoHotKey and PokerPad running, the Number Pad seemed to ignore me. So I was frantically moving the little pointer to the raise amount I wanted.
Then I noticed that PokerTracker wasn't updating properly. Oh fuck. Of course. It's looking for files in the old folder location. A quick re-jig there, and were were up and running. I haven't tested it on Betfred yet (because it only gives you "one" IPoker location, and I'm using that for NoIQ), but I suspect that this is just a matter of opening and closing the site, and nothing to do with the actual playing.
If I can get the hang of it, it should be useful, because it has hotkeys for half-pot, 3/4 pot, 0.9 pot, pot, 2x pot and all-in . Getting seriously used to it would take some time and practice, but I would think that playing more tables would be considerably easier once that was done.
I think I played this hand wrong, but I got away with it.
Texas Hold'em NL $0.50/$1.00
Table TURBO Switz City
Seat 1: CracKKerJJack ($99.50 in chips)
Seat 2: jarleh ($38.50 in chips)
Seat 4: “desperate opponent” ($27.35 in chips)
Seat 5: bjornk ($72.80 in chips)
Seat 6: BotteLul ($20.00 in chips)
Seat 7: “loose-passive opponent” ($109.37 in chips)
Seat 9: Hero ($102.70 in chips) DEALER
Seat 10: Franky4Finga ($64.50 in chips)
Franky4Finga: Post SB $0.50
CracKKerJJack: Post BB $1.00
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to “desperate opponent” [K♡ K♠]
Dealt to Hero [Q♡ Q◊]
Dealt to “loose-passive opponent” [7♣ 7◊]
jarleh: Fold
“desperate opponent”: Allin $27.35
bjornk: Fold
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $27.35
Hero: Raise $60.00
I think that I should shove here. Buzzer was sounding. The turbos on IPoker are a bit like the turbos on Boss Media. You seem to have less time, but the hands still only move at 70 per hour max. So, it's about a three-second decision. Once again the "raise $60" thing was in my head, because that is what I type. But it isn't, it's a raise of $33. Looking at this now, I'm actually getting more confused than I was at the time.
Let's put desperate opponent (he'd been playing like a nutter and had lost quite a bit) on a wide range. Maybe the top 20%. Loose passive opponent has a narrower range. He's likely to call here with most pairs, bar AA or KK. I've even known players call here with KK "in case an Ace flops".
So, all-in-all, I think I'm ahead. If I think opponent will call my shove with any of the hands he has put $27 in with, then I should shove, except perhaps if he has AK.
But, what about his lower pairs? Might he fold the weaker ones to a shove?
If so, perhaps the smaller raise might get a better result. He might fold to a shove, but call all-in to two smaller bets (say, for example, if an A or K doesn't come on the flop.
On the other hand, if he has AK, he might call the shove, but if I raise the smaller amount, he would fold on the flop if he misses. But if he has AK and calls the shove, he gets to see five cards, whereas if he has AK and calls the smaller raise, he folds if he misses the flop (or does he? he's actually almost priced in to call if he misses. I know that this means he should reraise me pre-flop, but I had an opponent in this situation who did precisely this. He called my raise and then called my bet on flop — which set him in — even though he missed).
It's a lot easier to work out if you presume opponents are acting rationally in the best way, given their holding. Suppose opponent has a smaller pair than me. Will he call me on the flop if he misses and there's one overcard? What about two overcards? Suppose opponent has AK. Will he re-reraise all-in my small raise? If opponent has AK, will he fold to my all-in bet on the flop if he misses?
Bleeaagh. So, assuming anything but perfect play on the part of my opponents (i.e., in the real here and then of the time), I suspect that, in order, it's shove, raise, call, fold. But I'm less annnoyed now at my raise than I was at the time. Given the way opponent played, he might have folded to my shove, but called the bets "a bit at a time". Although I know that I'm committed to the pot and that I am betting any flop, he might not. In terms of overall EV and allowing for less than optimal play from opponents, I don't think that there's much difference.
I see this quite often in weak players. He calls my smaller raise pre-flop with the line "I'll fold if an A or K flops and he bets, but he's probably got AK, so I'll call if it doesn't". The flaws in this line are fairly stark, one of which is that I'm not putting in this kind of raise pre-flop with AK.
Franky4Finga: Fold
CracKKerJJack: Fold
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $32.65
*** FLOP *** [9◊ 2◊ T◊]
“loose-passive opponent”: Check
Hero: Bet $42.00
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $42.00
*** TURN *** [6◊]
“loose-passive opponent”: Check
Hero: Allin $0.70
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $0.70
*** RIVER *** [Q♣]
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $231.25 Rake $3.00
Hero: wins $231.25
I strongly suspect that opponent would have folded to my shove, but was willing to call for all his money "a bit at a time".
++++++++++++++++
No fun again on Full Tilt this morning. But I hit nothing and came away breaking even. In that sense, things are improving.
Here's a couple of hands where I'm not sure that I did the right thing. I'd be grateful for opinions.
FullTiltPoker Game $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em -
Seat 1: northerwasp ($137.35)
Seat 2: PandaOnFire ($173.05)
Seat 4: Hero ($104)
Seat 5: LovesDeuces ($101.50)
Seat 6: NostraDonny ($61)
Seat 7: john1226 ($105.90)
Seat 8: TonyTheT ($107.10)
Seat 9: mmays1 ($15.80)
northerwasp posts the small blind of $0.50
PandaOnFire posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [T◊ T♠]
Hero raises to $3
LovesDeuces folds
NostraDonny folds
john1226 folds
TonyTheT folds
mmays1 calls $3
northerwasp folds
PandaOnFire folds
*** FLOP *** [3♡ Q♡ 2♣]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero?
+++++++++++++
Hand 2:
FullTiltPoker $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: pokerbumwon ($122.30)
Seat 2: schmidt02 ($100)
Seat 3: JimtheJakal1 ($122)
Seat 4: billfugate ($45.80)
Seat 5: john1226 ($97.50)
Seat 6: The_Shizzo ($162.20)
Seat 7: F____J____Z ($97)
Seat 8: Villain ($170.15)
Seat 9: Hero ($107.35)
Villain has 5 seconds left to act
Villain posts the small blind of $0.50
Hero posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [2♠ 9◊]
pokerbumwon folds
schmidt02 folds
JimtheJakal1 folds
billfugate folds
john1226 folds
The_Shizzo folds
F____J____Z folds
Villain calls $0.50
Hero checks
*** FLOP *** [9♣ 2♣ 5◊]
Villain checks
Hero bets $2
Villain raises to $4
Hero?
First problem was that the program I used failed to open up the NOIQ site as promised. It opened up Party, Stars and Full Tilt, but not the IP Network. The path was fine. A 20-minute look through the source code revealed that a "default" path of C:\Program Files\ was running in front of the path that the user can see. This would be fine, were it not for the fact that the IPoker Network just installs into C:\Poker. I hesitated to rip out this bit of "helpful" script (mainly because that would necessitate rewriting the paths for all the poker sites that do install into C:\Program Files). Instead, I just moved the IPoker sites over to the C:\Program Files folder.
I then toddled around on a single table to see if I could get things to work. It was late, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that the whole experiment was slightly uncomfortable. The system uses a large number of HotKey combinations and, while I got the simple ones working (e.g., "Fold" and "Call" and "show last hand report") I didn't get the hang of any of the raising buttons. Then again, I only had a couple of hands worth raising, and in a panic I resorted to the mouse. Unfortunately, even with NumLock on, with AutoHotKey and PokerPad running, the Number Pad seemed to ignore me. So I was frantically moving the little pointer to the raise amount I wanted.
Then I noticed that PokerTracker wasn't updating properly. Oh fuck. Of course. It's looking for files in the old folder location. A quick re-jig there, and were were up and running. I haven't tested it on Betfred yet (because it only gives you "one" IPoker location, and I'm using that for NoIQ), but I suspect that this is just a matter of opening and closing the site, and nothing to do with the actual playing.
If I can get the hang of it, it should be useful, because it has hotkeys for half-pot, 3/4 pot, 0.9 pot, pot, 2x pot and all-in . Getting seriously used to it would take some time and practice, but I would think that playing more tables would be considerably easier once that was done.
I think I played this hand wrong, but I got away with it.
Texas Hold'em NL $0.50/$1.00
Table TURBO Switz City
Seat 1: CracKKerJJack ($99.50 in chips)
Seat 2: jarleh ($38.50 in chips)
Seat 4: “desperate opponent” ($27.35 in chips)
Seat 5: bjornk ($72.80 in chips)
Seat 6: BotteLul ($20.00 in chips)
Seat 7: “loose-passive opponent” ($109.37 in chips)
Seat 9: Hero ($102.70 in chips) DEALER
Seat 10: Franky4Finga ($64.50 in chips)
Franky4Finga: Post SB $0.50
CracKKerJJack: Post BB $1.00
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to “desperate opponent” [K♡ K♠]
Dealt to Hero [Q♡ Q◊]
Dealt to “loose-passive opponent” [7♣ 7◊]
jarleh: Fold
“desperate opponent”: Allin $27.35
bjornk: Fold
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $27.35
Hero: Raise $60.00
I think that I should shove here. Buzzer was sounding. The turbos on IPoker are a bit like the turbos on Boss Media. You seem to have less time, but the hands still only move at 70 per hour max. So, it's about a three-second decision. Once again the "raise $60" thing was in my head, because that is what I type. But it isn't, it's a raise of $33. Looking at this now, I'm actually getting more confused than I was at the time.
Let's put desperate opponent (he'd been playing like a nutter and had lost quite a bit) on a wide range. Maybe the top 20%. Loose passive opponent has a narrower range. He's likely to call here with most pairs, bar AA or KK. I've even known players call here with KK "in case an Ace flops".
So, all-in-all, I think I'm ahead. If I think opponent will call my shove with any of the hands he has put $27 in with, then I should shove, except perhaps if he has AK.
But, what about his lower pairs? Might he fold the weaker ones to a shove?
If so, perhaps the smaller raise might get a better result. He might fold to a shove, but call all-in to two smaller bets (say, for example, if an A or K doesn't come on the flop.
On the other hand, if he has AK, he might call the shove, but if I raise the smaller amount, he would fold on the flop if he misses. But if he has AK and calls the shove, he gets to see five cards, whereas if he has AK and calls the smaller raise, he folds if he misses the flop (or does he? he's actually almost priced in to call if he misses. I know that this means he should reraise me pre-flop, but I had an opponent in this situation who did precisely this. He called my raise and then called my bet on flop — which set him in — even though he missed).
It's a lot easier to work out if you presume opponents are acting rationally in the best way, given their holding. Suppose opponent has a smaller pair than me. Will he call me on the flop if he misses and there's one overcard? What about two overcards? Suppose opponent has AK. Will he re-reraise all-in my small raise? If opponent has AK, will he fold to my all-in bet on the flop if he misses?
Bleeaagh. So, assuming anything but perfect play on the part of my opponents (i.e., in the real here and then of the time), I suspect that, in order, it's shove, raise, call, fold. But I'm less annnoyed now at my raise than I was at the time. Given the way opponent played, he might have folded to my shove, but called the bets "a bit at a time". Although I know that I'm committed to the pot and that I am betting any flop, he might not. In terms of overall EV and allowing for less than optimal play from opponents, I don't think that there's much difference.
I see this quite often in weak players. He calls my smaller raise pre-flop with the line "I'll fold if an A or K flops and he bets, but he's probably got AK, so I'll call if it doesn't". The flaws in this line are fairly stark, one of which is that I'm not putting in this kind of raise pre-flop with AK.
Franky4Finga: Fold
CracKKerJJack: Fold
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $32.65
*** FLOP *** [9◊ 2◊ T◊]
“loose-passive opponent”: Check
Hero: Bet $42.00
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $42.00
*** TURN *** [6◊]
“loose-passive opponent”: Check
Hero: Allin $0.70
“loose-passive opponent”: Call $0.70
*** RIVER *** [Q♣]
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $231.25 Rake $3.00
Hero: wins $231.25
I strongly suspect that opponent would have folded to my shove, but was willing to call for all his money "a bit at a time".
++++++++++++++++
No fun again on Full Tilt this morning. But I hit nothing and came away breaking even. In that sense, things are improving.
Here's a couple of hands where I'm not sure that I did the right thing. I'd be grateful for opinions.
FullTiltPoker Game $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em -
Seat 1: northerwasp ($137.35)
Seat 2: PandaOnFire ($173.05)
Seat 4: Hero ($104)
Seat 5: LovesDeuces ($101.50)
Seat 6: NostraDonny ($61)
Seat 7: john1226 ($105.90)
Seat 8: TonyTheT ($107.10)
Seat 9: mmays1 ($15.80)
northerwasp posts the small blind of $0.50
PandaOnFire posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [T◊ T♠]
Hero raises to $3
LovesDeuces folds
NostraDonny folds
john1226 folds
TonyTheT folds
mmays1 calls $3
northerwasp folds
PandaOnFire folds
*** FLOP *** [3♡ Q♡ 2♣]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero?
+++++++++++++
Hand 2:
FullTiltPoker $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: pokerbumwon ($122.30)
Seat 2: schmidt02 ($100)
Seat 3: JimtheJakal1 ($122)
Seat 4: billfugate ($45.80)
Seat 5: john1226 ($97.50)
Seat 6: The_Shizzo ($162.20)
Seat 7: F____J____Z ($97)
Seat 8: Villain ($170.15)
Seat 9: Hero ($107.35)
Villain has 5 seconds left to act
Villain posts the small blind of $0.50
Hero posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [2♠ 9◊]
pokerbumwon folds
schmidt02 folds
JimtheJakal1 folds
billfugate folds
john1226 folds
The_Shizzo folds
F____J____Z folds
Villain calls $0.50
Hero checks
*** FLOP *** [9♣ 2♣ 5◊]
Villain checks
Hero bets $2
Villain raises to $4
Hero?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-12-13 11:54 am (UTC)Hand 2: I call it down if he keeps betting. If he checks turn (unlikely) I would put in a big bet.
matt
no subject
Date: 2007-12-13 01:39 pm (UTC)On hand 2 I was thinking of a decent sized reraise (~$12), as his min check-raise could be strength or opportunism and I'd want to know which it was early, but on reflection I like matt's line better. You're likely to be ahead, but you're a bit vulnerable and if he doesn't show any weakness which you can exploit (with the turn bet) then barring runner runner clubs or a 5 on the turn I can't see how you can get away from this hand, but you'd want to keep it small unless the turn is a 2.
Lurker
no subject
Date: 2007-12-13 03:47 pm (UTC)matt
no subject
Date: 2007-12-13 05:25 pm (UTC)I seriously thought about flat-calling the mini check-raise in Hand 1 (in as much as 'serious consideration' is possible in the short time available, that is). Indeed, if I had had 95o, I might have done so, since that gives me extra protection against 93 and 94 (plus an additional factor mentioned below).
Had this been a live game, I'm certain I would flat-call it. But online when multi-tabling, it just seemed like an added complication. I took the simpler and less volatile line. I suspect that flat-calling is higher EV for the hand, but I'm not sure that it was the right play for me when multi-tabling.
Opponent is probably speculating back at me on this flop with a couple of overcards. There's no real draw unless he has something like 43. If he's got A9 he probably going to call my reraise. Indeed, he may well do so down through K9, Q9, J9 and T9.
One thing that I've noticed about most players at this level is that, if they have the goods, and you smack back a decent-sized raise, then they shove it in. Mainly because this is profitable for them, in that a person who reraises a check-raise is considered (with some justification at this level) to be certain to call an all-in follow-up.
I think that reeraising here wins me the pot nearly all the time. If he flat-calls me then he's probably looking for a three-outer and has to act first. If he reraises me back on the flop then I'm probably beaten.
Note that if I have 95 and I reraise and he reraises me back, I might be winning, because 92 comes into the equation, and I also have added outs against a set of 2s. However, in a live game I'd be willing to rely on my reads and I'd be less occupied elsewhere.
Oh, and did I mention that it was Full Tilt?
Dealt to Hero [2♠ 9◊]
pokerbumwon folds
schmidt02 folds
JimtheJakal1 folds
billfugate folds
john1226 folds
The_Shizzo folds
F____J____Z folds
Villain calls $0.50
Hero checks
*** FLOP *** [9♣ 2♣ 5◊]
Villain checks
Hero bets $2
Villain raises to $4
Hero raises to $12
Villain folds
Uncalled bet of $8 returned to Hero
Hero mucks
Hero wins the pot ($9.50)
The second hand shows something even more important. When multitabling, it's very easy to miss that your opponent is short-stacked as you make your standard continuation bet (indeed, I still do so about once an hour, noticing only after I have put my bet in that opponent has little more than my bet). It's also incredible how often they fold, having put in half their stack pre-flop to call my raise. And people wonder why I love short-stackers. Many of them have a short stack for a reason, and it's nothing to do with a strategy.
First question to ask yourself is, how likely am I to be ahead? On this kind of flop, I expect (from experience) to be ahead about 80% of the time on this flop. If I'm behind here, I'm way behind.
Second question is. if I am ahead, am I more likely to get all his money by betting all my money, half my money, or by checking?
That tends to be opponent-dependent and time-dependent. But, late at night Full Tilt Time, people are far more likely to see an overbet as a steal. So, well, that's what I did.
Dealt to Hero [T◊ T♠]
Hero raises to $3
LovesDeuces folds
NostraDonny folds
john1226 folds
TonyTheT folds
Villain 2 calls $3
northerwasp folds
PandaOnFire folds
*** FLOP *** [3♡ Q♡ 2♣]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $12.80
Villain 2 calls $12.80, and is all in
Hero shows [T◊ T♠]
Villain 2 shows [T♡ 8♡]
*** TURN *** [3♡ Q♡ 2♣] [8◊]
*** RIVER *** [3♡ Q♡ 2♣ 8◊] [6◊]
Hero shows a pair of Tens
Villain 2 shows a pair of Eights
Hero wins the pot ($31.45) with a pair of Tens
___________________