This week I'm concentrating on 3Bet pots and SPR strategies. I'll have more soon!
R
Monday, July 23, 2018
Lot's going on this week. Still working on my book. Will be uploading material from journals as soon as I can figure out what's wrong with my scanner! Watch this space. Have moved up from NL2 to NL5 finally. I wanted to wait until my bankroll got a bit fatter first. Here's my graph for the past 50,000+ Hands.
This week I'm concentrating on 3Bet pots and SPR strategies. I'll have more soon!
R
This week I'm concentrating on 3Bet pots and SPR strategies. I'll have more soon!
R
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Connector Leaks - Part 4 - Suited 3-Gappers
Now for the final part of this series. We look at hands which are suited and also have straight potential. In this case the hands have a gap of 3 between ranks. Let's get into it.
Suited Connectors (3 Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,5)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-5 Suited can make the nut flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(6,2)
2 3 4 5 6
Six-two Suited can make a Six-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(7,3)
3 4 5 6 7
Seven-Three Suited can make a Seven-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(Q,8)
8 9 T J Q
Queen-Eight Suited can make a Queen-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(K,9)
9 T J Q K
King-Nine Suited can make a King-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(A,T)
T J Q K A
Ace-Ten Suited can make an Ace-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
All suited connectors with a gap of 3 between ranks, have exactly 1 way to make a straight. Regardless of what 3-gapped hand it is.
Taking action:
This a very straight forward post. You can see from looking at the hands above that there is no difference between A5s and Q8s in terms of ability to make a straight. The real power in these hands lies in their high card power, ability to hit a flush and to complete a concealed straight later in the hand. I don't personally play these hands very often. When I do play them I limp into multiway pots behind several limpers and try to see a cheap flop. But in general I'm folding these hands (Except A5s which is a decent equity hand to bluff with). Occasionally I will use K9s and Q8s for 3Bet bluffs as they have decent equity when called. But I am far more likely to take this line with a suited connector or 1-2 gapper. It depends on who I'm facing and what the situation at the table is.
------------------------
So that's it for this short course on plugging suited connector leaks. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I had fun putting it together. If you have any questions please feel free to post them below. You can also tweet me at the links above. Good luck at the tables.
Ragequit
Suited Connectors (3 Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,5)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-5 Suited can make the nut flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(6,2)
2 3 4 5 6
Six-two Suited can make a Six-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(7,3)
3 4 5 6 7
Seven-Three Suited can make a Seven-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(Q,8)
8 9 T J Q
Queen-Eight Suited can make a Queen-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(K,9)
9 T J Q K
King-Nine Suited can make a King-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(A,T)
T J Q K A
Ace-Ten Suited can make an Ace-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
All suited connectors with a gap of 3 between ranks, have exactly 1 way to make a straight. Regardless of what 3-gapped hand it is.
Taking action:
This a very straight forward post. You can see from looking at the hands above that there is no difference between A5s and Q8s in terms of ability to make a straight. The real power in these hands lies in their high card power, ability to hit a flush and to complete a concealed straight later in the hand. I don't personally play these hands very often. When I do play them I limp into multiway pots behind several limpers and try to see a cheap flop. But in general I'm folding these hands (Except A5s which is a decent equity hand to bluff with). Occasionally I will use K9s and Q8s for 3Bet bluffs as they have decent equity when called. But I am far more likely to take this line with a suited connector or 1-2 gapper. It depends on who I'm facing and what the situation at the table is.
------------------------
So that's it for this short course on plugging suited connector leaks. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I had fun putting it together. If you have any questions please feel free to post them below. You can also tweet me at the links above. Good luck at the tables.
Ragequit
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Connector Leaks - Part 3 - Suited 2-Gappers
Aaaaaaand, Part 3 here we go. This section deals with suited connecting hands which have a gap of 2 between their ranks (Suited 2-Gappers). With a larger gap it is now harder again to fill a straight. Let's check it out.
Suited Connectors (2 Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,4)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-Four Suited can make the nut flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(5,2)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
Five-Two Suited can make a 5-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
(6,3)
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
Six-Three Suited can make a 6-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(Q,9)
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
Queen-Nine Suited can make a Queen-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
(K,T)
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
King-Ten Suited can make a King-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
(A,J)
T J Q K A
Ace-Jack Suited can make an Ace-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion 1:
A4s and AJs are the only suited two-gapped hands that can fill exactly 1 straight.
Taking action:
We don't need to adjust much here. Obviously we are not removing A4s from our range. It can hit a straight, top pair and also give us the nut flush. It is also a good bluffing hand when we want to attack high fold-to-3bet frequencies. We aren't removing Ace-Jack suited either for the same reasons.
Conclusion 2:
The Suited Two-Gapped hands {52s, 63s, 74s, 85s, 96s, T7s, J8s, Q9s} all have exactly 2 ways to make a straight.
Taking action:
These hands make straights half as often as suited connectors. Some of the higher ones like T7s, J8s, Q9s can conceal hidden monsters in multiway pots, so I play these sometimes depending on the situation (But very rarely). I almost never play {52s, 63s, 74s, 85s, 96s} but I sometimes throw one of these hands in if I think it will balance my range.
Overall:
I am very focused on playing hands that have multiple ways to win at showdown. Suited 2-Gappers need to be played carefully in pots with plenty of dead money to offset their weaker drawing strength.
Ragequit
Suited Connectors (2 Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,4)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-Four Suited can make the nut flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
(5,2)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
Five-Two Suited can make a 5-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
(6,3)
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
Six-Three Suited can make a 6-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(Q,9)
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
Queen-Nine Suited can make a Queen-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
(K,T)
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
King-Ten Suited can make a King-high flush and can only fill 2 types of straight.
(A,J)
T J Q K A
Ace-Jack Suited can make an Ace-high flush and can only fill 1 type of straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion 1:
A4s and AJs are the only suited two-gapped hands that can fill exactly 1 straight.
Taking action:
We don't need to adjust much here. Obviously we are not removing A4s from our range. It can hit a straight, top pair and also give us the nut flush. It is also a good bluffing hand when we want to attack high fold-to-3bet frequencies. We aren't removing Ace-Jack suited either for the same reasons.
Conclusion 2:
The Suited Two-Gapped hands {52s, 63s, 74s, 85s, 96s, T7s, J8s, Q9s} all have exactly 2 ways to make a straight.
Taking action:
These hands make straights half as often as suited connectors. Some of the higher ones like T7s, J8s, Q9s can conceal hidden monsters in multiway pots, so I play these sometimes depending on the situation (But very rarely). I almost never play {52s, 63s, 74s, 85s, 96s} but I sometimes throw one of these hands in if I think it will balance my range.
Overall:
I am very focused on playing hands that have multiple ways to win at showdown. Suited 2-Gappers need to be played carefully in pots with plenty of dead money to offset their weaker drawing strength.
Ragequit
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Connector Leaks - Part 2 - Suited 1-Gappers
Ok, welcome to part 2 of this series. Next we're going to look at suited connecting hands with a gap of 1 between cards. What you will notice is that the gap makes it more difficult to hit straights. Let's take a look.
Suited Connectors (1 Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,3)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-Three Suited can make the nut flush but it can only fill 1 type of straight.
(4,2)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
Four-Two Suited can make a 4-high flush but it can only fill 2 types of straight.
(5,3)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
Five-Three Suited can make a 5-high flush but it can only fill 3 types of straight.
(6,4)
4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6
Six-Four Suited can make a 6-high flush but it can only fill 3 types of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(Q,T)
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
Queen-Ten Suited can make a Queen-high flush but it can only fill 3 types of straight.
(K,J)
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
King-Jack Suited can make a King-high flush but it can only fill 2 types of straight.
(A,Q)
T J Q K A
Ace-Queen Suited can make an Ace-high flush but it can only fill 1 straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion 1:
Any suited 1-gapper below 53s has less than 3 ways to fill a straight.
Taking action:
We could remove the gapper 42s from our range. It is not a powerful hand and we know now that it has 1 less way to make a straight than other suited 1-gappers. A3-Suited needs to stay as it is a nut flush hand and also can complete a wheel draw. 53s+ can be played in good position, preferably limped in behind in multiway pots. But otherwise I am mucking these hands. These hands are good for concealing hidden monsters but they don't hit often enough for regular use.
Conclusion 2:
Any suited 1-gapper between 53s and QTs can fill 3 different straights.
Taking action:
KJs and AQs can fill 2 straights and 1 straight respectively. Obviously we are not going to trim AQs out of our range as it is a powerful hand but we could play KJs a little less often. It is an easily dominated holding and is best played in good position as a drawing hand. Knowing that it has limited straight potential reminds us to play it sparingly.
Overall, suited 1-gapped hands are worse at hitting straights on average than suited connectors.
Ragequit
Suited Connectors (1 Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,3)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-Three Suited can make the nut flush but it can only fill 1 type of straight.
(4,2)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
Four-Two Suited can make a 4-high flush but it can only fill 2 types of straight.
(5,3)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
Five-Three Suited can make a 5-high flush but it can only fill 3 types of straight.
(6,4)
4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6
Six-Four Suited can make a 6-high flush but it can only fill 3 types of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(Q,T)
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
Queen-Ten Suited can make a Queen-high flush but it can only fill 3 types of straight.
(K,J)
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
King-Jack Suited can make a King-high flush but it can only fill 2 types of straight.
(A,Q)
T J Q K A
Ace-Queen Suited can make an Ace-high flush but it can only fill 1 straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion 1:
Any suited 1-gapper below 53s has less than 3 ways to fill a straight.
Taking action:
We could remove the gapper 42s from our range. It is not a powerful hand and we know now that it has 1 less way to make a straight than other suited 1-gappers. A3-Suited needs to stay as it is a nut flush hand and also can complete a wheel draw. 53s+ can be played in good position, preferably limped in behind in multiway pots. But otherwise I am mucking these hands. These hands are good for concealing hidden monsters but they don't hit often enough for regular use.
Conclusion 2:
Any suited 1-gapper between 53s and QTs can fill 3 different straights.
Taking action:
KJs and AQs can fill 2 straights and 1 straight respectively. Obviously we are not going to trim AQs out of our range as it is a powerful hand but we could play KJs a little less often. It is an easily dominated holding and is best played in good position as a drawing hand. Knowing that it has limited straight potential reminds us to play it sparingly.
Overall, suited 1-gapped hands are worse at hitting straights on average than suited connectors.
Ragequit
Friday, July 13, 2018
Connector Leaks - Part 1 - Suited Connectors
Ok, so I want to talk about something important. One of the first things I learned about on the Cardschat forum was Leak Busting. The fine art of digging through your hand histories and finding difficult spots. Many players regularly dig through their histories and look for mistakes. I decided to give this a try, so I went into my tracking software and sorted my hands by largest USD loss. I found that I was losing a large amount of money from playing too many junky hands. Stuff like {53s, 87o, 64s, K2s etc). I noticed that I was entering a lot of pots with hands that were trash now but COULD be monsters later (But mostly weren't). While I was examining this I noticed something interesting.
I started looking at which kinds of connecting hands were performing the best. I really wanted to know WHY a hand like 65s does better than 42s, or 63s on average. How did gaps between numbers affect their chances of hitting? And which connecting hands were weaker/stronger? I got a pen and a pad out and started to analyse this. Under each of the different hand headings I wrote the hole cards in brackets. For example: I wrote 65s as (6,5). I then showed the different possible straights that each hand could fill. The results I got were eye opening. I did a LOT of work on this problem so I'm going to publish this in 4 parts. Starting with Part 1. Suited Connectors. (Hands with no gaps between numbers).
Suited Connectors (Zero Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,2)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-Two Suited can make the nut flush but it can only make 1 type of straight.
(3,2)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
Three-Two Suited can make a three high flush and only 2 types of straight.
(4,3)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
Four-Three Suited can make a four high flush and 3 different types of straight.
(5,4)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
Five-Four Suited can make a five high flush and 4 different types of straight.
(6,5)
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
5 6 7 8 9
Five-Six Suited can make a 6 high flush and 4 different types of straight.
(7.6)
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
5 6 7 8 9
6 7 8 9 T
Seven-Six Suited can make a 7 high flush and 4 different types of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(J,T)
7 8 9 T J
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
Jack-Ten Suited can make a Jack high flush and 4 different types of straight.
(Q,J)
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
Queen-Jack Suited can make a Queen high flush and 3 different types of straight.
I started looking at which kinds of connecting hands were performing the best. I really wanted to know WHY a hand like 65s does better than 42s, or 63s on average. How did gaps between numbers affect their chances of hitting? And which connecting hands were weaker/stronger? I got a pen and a pad out and started to analyse this. Under each of the different hand headings I wrote the hole cards in brackets. For example: I wrote 65s as (6,5). I then showed the different possible straights that each hand could fill. The results I got were eye opening. I did a LOT of work on this problem so I'm going to publish this in 4 parts. Starting with Part 1. Suited Connectors. (Hands with no gaps between numbers).
Suited Connectors (Zero Gappers)
---------------------------------
(A,2)
A 2 3 4 5
Ace-Two Suited can make the nut flush but it can only make 1 type of straight.
(3,2)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
Three-Two Suited can make a three high flush and only 2 types of straight.
(4,3)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
Four-Three Suited can make a four high flush and 3 different types of straight.
(5,4)
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
Five-Four Suited can make a five high flush and 4 different types of straight.
(6,5)
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
5 6 7 8 9
Five-Six Suited can make a 6 high flush and 4 different types of straight.
(7.6)
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
5 6 7 8 9
6 7 8 9 T
Seven-Six Suited can make a 7 high flush and 4 different types of straight.
`
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
(J,T)
7 8 9 T J
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
Jack-Ten Suited can make a Jack high flush and 4 different types of straight.
(Q,J)
8 9 T J Q
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
Queen-Jack Suited can make a Queen high flush and 3 different types of straight.
(K,Q)
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
King-Queen Suited can make a King high flush and 2 different types of straight.
9 T J Q K
T J Q K A
King-Queen Suited can make a King high flush and 2 different types of straight.
(A,K)
T J Q K A
Ace-King Suited can make an Ace high flush and 1 type of straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
So what does this all mean? And how should we respond?
Conclusion 1:
Any suited connector of 54s and above has 4 ways to make a straight. Connectors below this only have 3 or less.
Taking action:
I tend not to play the connectors 32s and 43s*. I do this to trim my range because I know they cannot hit as many straights as 54s and above. I have kept A2s in my range as it can hit the nut flush. However when I take this hand to the flop I know that there is only 1 straight that it can fill. So I play this hand cautiously on boards that do not offer flush equity.
Conclusion 2:
Any suited connector above JTs has less than 4 ways to make a straight. Connectors below this down to 54s can all make 4 different straights.
Taking action:
I now play hands like QJs and KQs sparingly and with excellent position. When I enter pots with these hands I am ready to fold to heavy action. I consider these drawing hands that want to hit straights and flushes. I am constantly aware that these hands are crushed by AQ, AJ. So if I read that my opponent has one of these hands, then my goal is to draw cheaply or get out of the pot. Now that I am aware that these hands have a harder time hitting straights I focus more on their flush potential and Big Card equity.
*In low games, this logic must be reversed but it works well for NLHE.
Ragequit
Ace-King Suited can make an Ace high flush and 1 type of straight.
------------------------------------------------------------------
So what does this all mean? And how should we respond?
Conclusion 1:
Any suited connector of 54s and above has 4 ways to make a straight. Connectors below this only have 3 or less.
Taking action:
I tend not to play the connectors 32s and 43s*. I do this to trim my range because I know they cannot hit as many straights as 54s and above. I have kept A2s in my range as it can hit the nut flush. However when I take this hand to the flop I know that there is only 1 straight that it can fill. So I play this hand cautiously on boards that do not offer flush equity.
Conclusion 2:
Any suited connector above JTs has less than 4 ways to make a straight. Connectors below this down to 54s can all make 4 different straights.
Taking action:
I now play hands like QJs and KQs sparingly and with excellent position. When I enter pots with these hands I am ready to fold to heavy action. I consider these drawing hands that want to hit straights and flushes. I am constantly aware that these hands are crushed by AQ, AJ. So if I read that my opponent has one of these hands, then my goal is to draw cheaply or get out of the pot. Now that I am aware that these hands have a harder time hitting straights I focus more on their flush potential and Big Card equity.
*In low games, this logic must be reversed but it works well for NLHE.
Ragequit
Cardschat
I'm a member of the Cardschat forum. I think it is an incredible place to get help on any Poker problem. The people there are fountain of knowledge and give their time willingly new players. I'd recommend joining CC if you haven't already. I'm a microstakes Cash game grinder who mostly plays at NL2 and NL5 and this forum helped me a lot. I'm now starting to take shots at NL10 and NL25 but I'm waiting until my bankroll grows a little bigger.
Hi
I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm an Ex-Engineer and maths teacher who left the working world to pursue something a little different. Poker has always been a passion of mine. I have always wanted to go pro but didn't really have time to take it seriously until 2017. I've been working hard since last year on studying the game and analysing how I play. The worst of my leaks have now been plugged and my bb/100 has finally gone positive. I've learned a lot from other blogs, videos and people I've met on the way. I'm starting this blog because I want to share my experiences and hopefully make some new friends. Here's my graph for the last 25,000 hands. I will be uploading some material from my game journals that I've kept for the past 18 months. I'm still setting up my Twitch and YouTube accounts but you can follow me on Twitter.com/RagequitPoker.
Test
Hello everyone, this is my first blog entry. This will be a space for me to share my journey as I move up through the stakes of online Poker. I hope you will tag along with me. R
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Pokerstars MTT and SNG Rake Analysis
Hey guys, thanks again. When a few of you mentioned MTTs it got me interested. I wanted to know how much Pokerstars make in Rake from diffe...
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Ok, so I want to talk about something important. One of the first things I learned about on the Cardschat forum was Leak Busting. The fine ...
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My last 35,000 hands. In a bit of a dip at the moment but nothing I can't handle. Still heading up! -
Now for the final part of this series. We look at hands which are suited and also have straight potential. In this case the hands have a gap...