Ask Gripsed Anything About Cash Games

[Evan Jarvis]

There is a problem with the stack. The games are good. Well, I don’t know what to do. In 90%, after 30-60 minutes of the game, a bad card starts to go and I stand for 1-2 hours with the same stack and I just eat hoods. In the end, I will lose. What do you advise?

Play shorter sessions and learn how to be more disciplined with river play.

Just because a bad card comes off doesn't mean you have to pay off a big bet.

Also practice bringing more than 1 buyin with you, that way if you do get unlucky and lose a pot where you got all the money in ahead you can always reload and keep yourself in the game.

I never go to play live poker with anything less than 5 buyins in my wallet, it's key to be able to keep playing when a game is good. :bike:

 

[Evan Jarvis]

All poker players know (or should know) that one of the factors that must guide the payment of a bet is the odds that are at the time of the play. Odds are calculated based on the outs the player has to form a winning hand. However, are you calculating your outs correctly? Are you sure that all the outs you calculated are really yours, friends of the cards, I have, fallen a lot in these traps, I would like to know from you what you think of that.

I make a rule to only count all outs that I know are CLEAN, i.e. when I hit it doesn't mean I will have the second best hand sometime.

When considering counting outs that might be 'dirty' it's better to count them as half outs (if at all)

If you stick with playing premium hands though, you will find more often than not that all your outs are good. This is why playing suited aces is much better than playing suited connectors. There need be no doubt in your mind that all your flush draw outs are good.

It's a trap for sure, but once you've fallen into it a couple times I tend to find that most people never fall into that same trap again.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[KristaK]

Hi thwenth,
I don't quite understand your question. In poker the best hand will not always win, even in many of the most favorable situations the best hand is an 80% favorite and not 100%.
Randomness determines who will win, and while the software is the place in which the randomness happens, it is not choosing one player over another.
The key with this issue, of anger, of disappointment, or feeling thigns are rigged against you is to evaluate your level of entitlement.
If for whatever reason you think you deserve more, to win all the time, to do better than others, then you are experiencing entitlement which is unhealthy and doesn't serve you. If however you accept the reality that everyone wins their fair share of hands, and just as often as they will get lucky do to will you, then you can play from a health place.
If entitlement is in your game, it's better to address this before playing more poker. When you have unrealistic expectations about how often or how much you should win, you will usually end up experiencing disappointment which can lead to beliefs that the game is rigged against you because your mind is trying to rationalize/justify your position that you should win. Hope that helps!

hi hi evan!!! :ciao:

this such a brilliant reply - thank you
please i can use this you said, when people wrongful accuse poker sites
be crooked rigged, from get bad beater?
thank you evan, you & gripsed wonderful resource for us all

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Hey Evan,

I'm moving this comment from a different thread to this one so I can expand on it a little bit.

You had mentioned this in terms of ranking poker sites:



Ok so I have some questions. I am a pure rec, typically sticking to cash games but will partake in SnG's and MTT's.

I play right now on (in order of volume): Stars, Party, GG Poker, ACR, 888.
My bankroll is split among those sites with the most on Party and Stars.

For someone like me is GG the better room for cash over the others?
Is it worth getting more funds on ACR at the expense of Party?
Do you recommend having your bankroll split over 5 sites?

Hey CR,

I cannot speak of partypoker as I haven't really played there in 5 years.

I can say without a doubt that when it comes to cash games GG has the softest action right now. The asian player pool has much more gamble in it than the european heavy ones do.

ACR is also nice but only in the evenings, I find the daytime games there to be pretty reggy.

Use your time zone to your advantage and try to align your sessions with when it is nighttime for the majority of the player base and you will do quite well.

There is nothing wrong with splitting your bankroll over 2 or 3 sites for playing cash. The only time I would split it over 5 sites though is if playing tournaments. Unless you are extreme game selecting at high limits there is no need to have your bankroll spread so thinly.

At smaller stakes pick the 2 or 3 sites who's software you enjoy the most, align with those time zones (GG is mostly Asian, PP 888 PS mostly Euro, ACR mostly American) and ideally play on one software at a time when grinding (it's much easier on the mind).

Hope that was the kind of advice you were looking for and that it helps!

 

[Evan Jarvis]

hi hi evan!!! :ciao:

this such a brilliant reply - thank you
please i can use this you said, when people wrongful accuse poker sites
be crooked rigged, from get bad beater?
thank you evan, you & gripsed wonderful resource for us all

You most certainly can Krista, you are welcome to quote anything I ever say... as long as it makes us sound smart

It's a pleasure to be of service and I'm very happy to hear that you enjoy my posts!
All the best Krista, hope you are doing well.

 

[LedZeffelin]

How did you acquire your fabulous disposition/demeanor and how seemingly obvious is it that your mental state alone can increase E/V without regard to skill?

 

[Evan Jarvis]

How did you acquire your fabulous disposition/demeanor and how seemingly obvious is it that your mental state alone can increase E/V without regard to skill?

Thanks for the compliment Led!

It's taken a fairly long time to cultivate it, but I can certainly say it's worth it and that mindset goes a long way towards being a successful player.

I've always been a bit of a perfectionist from my gaming days (I played lots of RPGs and would look up the character builds so I could built the strongest heroes), and I learned from gaming that as long as you're putting in quality reps, all is well and you will level up.

That carried over to poker where I just accept that I'm going to lose plenty of hands and knowing that's part of the game. I learned from great teachers like David Sklansky the nature of variance and that as long as I could focus on playing well that it would all work out.

Reading lots of personal development books and audio programs over the years has certainly helped too. I've invest $10ks into Life Coach Training, Yoga Teacher Training and formal meditation training as well so that I can be at my best when I need to 'be on'.

In the poker space I think the best program available on the topic is the A-Game Poker Masterclass by Elliot Roe. I did a review video on it which you can check out here.

Normally the program is $1000, but right now they're doing a 70% off sale until June 1st. So, it's a very sweet opportunity to save a lot of money on a very powerful program.

http://agamepokermasterclass.com for more info

 

[Chicungulla]

with how much money do you think I should sit at a blind table $ 2 -5 $ the entrance to the table is $ 100. to be comfortable and play freely without the pressure of short chips for buying cards for projects

 

[Evan Jarvis]

with how much money do you think I should sit at a blind table $ 2 -5 $ the entrance to the table is $ 100. to be comfortable and play freely without the pressure of short chips for buying cards for projects

The more important thing is how much you should keep in your pocket.

Ideally you want to be sitting with $200-$500 (depending on what stack depth you are comfortable playing with)

And, you should have 3-5x this amount in your pocket to feel comfortable.

When I play a game with $500 max buyin, I always bring $3000 with me to the casino.

I almost never have to go in for more than $1500 but just in case it's nice to know that I have basically 'unlimited reloads' available and that I can always choose to keep playing or quit, me taking a few beats won't run me out of the game

 

[Dkerridge14]

Wondering your take

Is there any sense in betting the flop the same size every single hand you’re in. Say a 30% bet every time due to the fact people will start reraising then you can catch them when you have a big hand? As the way I see it is the smaller size allows you to bluff a lot more and it conceals your big hands nicely.
What’s your take?

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Is there any sense in betting the flop the same size every single hand you’re in. Say a 30% bet every time due to the fact people will start reraising then you can catch them when you have a big hand? As the way I see it is the smaller size allows you to bluff a lot more and it conceals your big hands nicely.
What’s your take?

In a lot of situations this is a great strategy (And one that's easy to implement most importantly!)

When you have a stronger range than your opponent (like when you open the pot and they defend the big blind) on most boards you will be ahead, and thus is makes sense to get money in the pot.

Also when you give yourself such a good price, your opponent doesn't have to fold much for your bet to be profitable regardless of your actual holding.

This is why this 30% bet size with your entire range on the flop in position is a great strategy that gives you the best of both worlds in a sense.

And as you said, many opponents will just call with their marginal hands (allowing you to bluff them out later or keep betting small for value with your strong hands) and raise their best hands (allowing you to get away very cheaply or call draws with implied odds).

I'm a big fan of this strategy on most boards, and it's a great place for new players to start as their baseline postflop strategy! :icon_king

 

[Lenka65]

Cash Games

In cash games, I won something only in Omaha. As for the cache in hold'em, then I have never been in the black. It happened that it took hours to wait for a good hand, but after putting my monsters some two younger couples moved. Besides the words about the downstream, does anyone have anything to advise me on?

 

[lolshovaments]

Do you think still possible to climb the stakes from NL25 to NL1000 (or highest stakes) this days?

 

[psygif]

Great Infos.. Thanks =)

 

[Dkerridge14]

In a lot of situations this is a great strategy (And one that's easy to implement most importantly!)

When you have a stronger range than your opponent (like when you open the pot and they defend the big blind) on most boards you will be ahead, and thus is makes sense to get money in the pot.

Also when you give yourself such a good price, your opponent doesn't have to fold much for your bet to be profitable regardless of your actual holding.

This is why this 30% bet size with your entire range on the flop in position is a great strategy that gives you the best of both worlds in a sense.

And as you said, many opponents will just call with their marginal hands (allowing you to bluff them out later or keep betting small for value with your strong hands) and raise their best hands (allowing you to get away very cheaply or call draws with implied odds).

I'm a big fan of this strategy on most boards, and it's a great place for new players to start as their baseline postflop strategy! :icon_king

Yeah man, it kind of allows you in a sense to already be levelled in sense of their strategy. I mean it’s kind of setting a betting trap I guess. Thanks for taking the time to respond

 

[johnoman]

Betting lines and ranges

I don't know whether you can help with this one or not; here goes anyway though. It's a bit of a two parter.

I'm really struggling to think in ranges and place an opponent on a range in game. I believe this is the biggest leak in my game at the moment.


Couple that with a lack of knowledge with a lack of experience and knowledge on what line to take (check-call, bet-raise, check-check-bet).
Is there any advice you could offer me on either of these points at all? How to use ranges in game and then what to do for betting lines post flop etc.


Sorry for the long winded question! I hope it makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Evan Jarvis]

In cash games, I won something only in Omaha. As for the cache in hold'em, then I have never been in the black. It happened that it took hours to wait for a good hand, but after putting my monsters some two younger couples moved. Besides the words about the downstream, does anyone have anything to advise me on?

It's important to get a decent sample size before having such doubts. You will want to get in at least 1k hands, and then 5k, and then 10k to really see where the money is made in hold'em.

Yes, big pots and stackin players are part of the equation, but another big part is simply winning a lot of medium sized pots without showdown. These 10-20 big blind pots add up to a lot over thousands of hands. But when only playing a few hundred hands it won't seem like a lot.

Remember, even the best BEST players in the world still typically win at most 10 big blinds per 100 hands, which means on average they need to play 1000 hands to win a stack.

It's the small edge combined with the LARGE SAMPLE OF HANDS that leads to large amount of money being won. Keep grinding my friend, and follow the wisdom in these 2 videos

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Do you think still possible to climb the stakes from NL25 to NL1000 (or highest stakes) this days?

Of course, anyone who is willing to put in the volume and the time working on their game can move up.

Ali Imsirovic moved up from 0.01/0.02 to 25k high rollers in a matter of 3 years. He was all in on poker, studying the right stuff, and surrounded himself with the right people.

If you have a work ethic like that and a desire to keep fighting no matter what happens then you too can certainly rise thru the ranks like he did.

 

[Evan Jarvis]

I don't know whether you can help with this one or not; here goes anyway though. It's a bit of a two parter.

I'm really struggling to think in ranges and place an opponent on a range in game. I believe this is the biggest leak in my game at the moment.


Couple that with a lack of knowledge with a lack of experience and knowledge on what line to take (check-call, bet-raise, check-check-bet).
Is there any advice you could offer me on either of these points at all? How to use ranges in game and then what to do for betting lines post flop etc.


Sorry for the long winded question! I hope it makes sense. Thanks!

Hi Johno,

First thing to do would be to look at typical opening ranges from each position, typical 3 betting ranges from position, and typical defending ranges from the blind.

Using programs like flopzilla & equilab will help you to see what ranges really look like.

Here are a couple of videos to get you started. I would highly recommend getting flopzilla and playing around with it so you can get a visual representation of how to picture ranges.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDUt1Hq_XtQ&list=PLBrNnyWekagO_N2USvvxB2ykzb_kQn0hy&index=19[/ame]

 

[johnoman]

Hi Johno,

First thing to do would be to look at typical opening ranges from each position, typical 3 betting ranges from position, and typical defending ranges from the blind.

Using programs like flopzilla & equilab will help you to see what ranges really look like.

Here are a couple of videos to get you started. I would highly recommend getting flopzilla and playing around with it so you can get a visual representation of how to picture ranges.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDUt1Hq_XtQ&list=PLBrNnyWekagO_N2USvvxB2ykzb_kQn0hy&index=19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj9DnuoeckE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z7qR08PQP0

Thanks man

 

[UkoChebuko]

What do you think , about going from NL25 directly at NL100, without NL50? Is really a big difference between NL25 and NL50, if we talk about $/hour? I mean if you have 6bb/100hands at NL25, what can be a reason to play NL50 with 3bb/100 hands?
Sorry for my bad English...

What do you think? Thank you!

 

[cese1962]

Affirmations, tips to help you control yourself at Poker !!!

Affirmations, tips to help you control yourself at Poker !!!
Can anyone help me with self-control tips on internet poker?
A few years ago, I drank compulsively, without control, and for years I completely abolished the alcohol of my life.
But what helped me was a little more the reason for my health.
In the case of impulses like the game of poker, I suffer a lot for not knowing how to control myself and knowing how to stop at the right time.
I often erase all rooms on my computer and, after a while, come back again as if nothing has happened and make other deposits again until I lose everything again.
When I win a tournament, I get excited and keep playing compulsively until I have nothing left.
When is the right time to stop?
How do you know if your concentration is 100% active to continue?
Please, I would appreciate it if you guys gave me some tips.

 

[Evan Jarvis]

What do you think , about going from NL25 directly at NL100, without NL50? Is really a big difference between NL25 and NL50, if we talk about $/hour? I mean if you have 6bb/100hands at NL25, what can be a reason to play NL50 with 3bb/100 hands?
Sorry for my bad English...

What do you think? Thank you!

I think that if you're game selecting well and finding soft spots then there is nothing wrong with this.

Nobody says you need to move up step by step, it's just the typical way to do it because that's what people's bankrolls allow.

If you've built up a huge BR at nl25 tho and want to try nl100 that's fine.

Just know that you have to be ready to stomach the bigger swings. That's the hardest part about moving up limits is just 'getting used to that feeling' and not being reactive to the higher stakes.

That's the other reason people typically move up step by step, to build their tolerance up. The same way that weight trainers slowly and steadily increase the weights rather than doubling or tripling the weights from session to session.

Hope that helps and keeps you feeling comfortable about the decisions you make :icon_thum

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Affirmations, tips to help you control yourself at Poker !!!
Can anyone help me with self-control tips on internet poker?
A few years ago, I drank compulsively, without control, and for years I completely abolished the alcohol of my life.
But what helped me was a little more the reason for my health.
In the case of impulses like the game of poker, I suffer a lot for not knowing how to control myself and knowing how to stop at the right time.
I often erase all rooms on my computer and, after a while, come back again as if nothing has happened and make other deposits again until I lose everything again.
When I win a tournament, I get excited and keep playing compulsively until I have nothing left.
When is the right time to stop?
How do you know if your concentration is 100% active to continue?
Please, I would appreciate it if you guys gave me some tips.

Hi Cese,

Mindset and honesty are important in this situation. If you want to do well in poker you need to be honest with yourself about how you're doing, instead of just 'restarting' and 'pretending nothing happened'.

Desire to be ACCOUNTABLE to yourself and for your actions and you will act more rationally and less impulsively/emotionally.

Before you sit down to play or jump to a bigger game take a few deep breaths and ask yourself if what you're about to do is in your best interest. Don't just consider the best case scenario, but consider the worst case and the most likely outcome of your action to give yourself a realistic picture of the risks and rewards you are exposing yourself too.

The same way you were able the quit drinking, you could quit poker. If you can control yourself then by all means play, but if you have difficulty controlling addictive impulses then you may be better off not playing (because gambling can be very triggering).

Here are some videos that will help you

and also yes, constant self talk (being your own mental game coach) will keep you in the right mindset. Pretend that someone is in the room with you, watching, and then you will be less likely to do things you will later regret simply because "nobody is watching, nobody will know"

 

[Dealter1]

My supposin' cash game is a bad idea

Whassup, everyone, I gonna say some facts that can amaze you, I suppose cash game is not a good kinda of texas hold'em, cuz you must focus on your dough n someone is afraid of losin' all dough, however cash game's better that the tournament only from one side, you can make a big amount of money in a few games, but in tournaments, you must play long n kick out all playas.