Adjusting from Online to Live Play

luckylucky

I played in the Austrian Poker Open this weekend. While I was reasonably happy with the way I played, I think I had some difficulty in adjusting from online to playing live, particularly in not being aggressive enough post flop. There was a few hands which I felt a bit iffy about. All of which if I erred I did so on the side of caution, anyway just wondering what people think.

Hand 1 I raise in earlyish position about 3 xbb with AQo, this in relatively early stage of tourney, probably about level 3, I get one caller the small blind who is a tad loose but not psycho imo. he checks back to me before the flop is dealt. Now there's an important bit of history to this first one I have recently raised with Ajs and betted this on flop though the board didn't hit me and had it called by a very fishy player, i checked it down from there and it held up!

The flop misses my AQ again and if I remember right it has middle cards something like T8x, given the piece of history I mentioned I decide to just check it back. The small blind instantly bets the pot on turn, I think he guessed my type of hand and pushed the turn, in fact he said to me you have Ak eh after I folded? Anyway imo i obviously can't call that turn bet, but I think maybe I should have just done the standard continuation bet on flop regardless of that past hand?

Hand 2 Middle stage of tourney. Stacks are getting shortish now, I'm about 2/3rds the average stack with something in the region of 16 big blinds. I raise about 3 x bb in mid pos with 88, 1 caller on the button who I don't know much about as I haven't been at table long. The flop comes K9x. I felt I should have betted here but I chicken out and check, the other guy check backs.

I then bet about 2/3rds on the turn when something like a 6 hits. Then my opponent takes ages, he acts like he's just about to fold, then he acts like he's goinhg to raise and does this back and forth for at least 2 to 3 minutes. He's obviously trying to phuck with my head, and though I'm trying not to show it, it's working. I'm praying he folds, eventually he raises me, if I call I'm all-in. I really think there's a big chance he has sensed weakness here and is trying to bluff me, I reluctantly fold however.

I know I played this hand real bad, I should have betted the flop and when I didn't do that there's no way I should have betted the turn. Given that there's a high chance of him bluffing and I have pot odds of about 5 to 2 anyone call knowing that if your beat the tourney is over?

tbh I think one of the reasons I folded here was I didn't want to look foolish getting knocked out with a moderate holding and having played the hand all wrong on flop and turn.

Anyway what does his tactic of feigning folding and then feigning raising back and forth mean do you think?

Hand 3 Well past halfway stage of tourney, I raise 3 x bb in late mid position with As8s, guy to my immediate left who has been playing pretty tightish flat calls my raise, this sends alarm bells off in my head. flop comes Tc9c8s . I have about the size of the pot left in chips. against someone else I probably bet hoping my pair of 8s is good enough, against this guy I decide to check and I fold to his 2/3rd pot bet. I think I probably played this right given my opponent, though I'm still a bit dubious about it, any thoughts?

LuckyLloyd

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Hitman Actual

Hand 1: Just c-bet like you said, but I wouldn't worry to much about a small hand like this early in the tournament. If it's a mistake, it's definitely not a big one.

Hand 2: I doubt this is a pure bluff here. Usually when a guy is bluffing he'll do it with a minimum of fuss, as any posturing tends to make the opponent suspicious. He either has good hand begging for a call, or a marginal hand (but one that's better than 88).

Hand 3: You don't give relevant stack sizes, but something looks wrong with this hand. You seem to be raising with a marginal hand around the 10BB mark. I don't like it, but maybe I'm wrong on the stack sizes.

luckylucky

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Barry,

The first thing that strikes me is the fact that you can't accurately retell the relevant stack sizes, blind levels, average stack etc for all three of these hands. Is it a case that you just threw the hands up in a rush, or can you not fully remember those details?

I am fairly good at remembering the stacks, betsizes levels etc when reviewing tourney hands from a couple of days back. Did you have any problems focusing on the action and maintaining concentration? I would imagine that if you are an exclusive online player who multi - tables, adjusting to 20 - 25 hands an hour can be tough.

HAND 1:

IMO, a dark check is generally a case of a small pocket pair or suited connectors - maybe a J10 KQ type hand the odd time. I think you probably folded the worst hand here, though you should definately continuation bet the flop. I will even re - raise the turn sometimes in this spot - given that you continuation betted last time, he could be forced to put you on a slowplayed over - pair. I agree that calling would be bad.


HAND 2:

His actions are more often a monster than air - though it is usually one or the other. You can't bet that turn if:

A) a reasonable re - raise from villian sets you all - in

you can't call it


Sounds like the only bet you should make is a shove to maximise your fold equity - though check, folding is probably best.


HAND 3:

Again, it doesn't sound as if you are deep enough to be raising 3x the BB in this hand if you only have a 2 / 3 pot bet left behind after one person calls. Unless you are deliberately on a go and go - in which case you should shove any flop.

Sorry I did kind of rush the post, I have a cold at the mo so I'm probably struggling to make sense even more so than usual.

Hand 3, I think you have misunderstood it, I have more than 2/3rds pot left after that raise has been called, i have a little over the pot left, the guys bet was 2/3rds the pot so I don't think an open raise all-in or a go and go are automatic here. In the very next hand with a9s i did go all-in however as that would hvae been the case then.


HAND 1 Both out stack sizes are healthy enough, about average stack size, it's only at level 3, and I can't remember exactly I';ll admit but stack sizes I think are comfortably over 100x Big blinds each.

In the other 2 hands both guys have me well covered In both cases about 3 times my stack.

Again sorry for the original post I realise I didn't detail it enough now.

luckylucky

lenny_leonard wrote:

Hand 3: You don't give relevant stack sizes, but something looks wrong with this hand. You seem to be raising with a marginal hand around the 10BB mark. I don't like it, but maybe I'm wrong on the stack sizes.

Yes I have about 10 x bb here, i think i'm 2 from the button if i remember right, I realise A8s isn't a great hand but in a resaonable (not great I'll admit) position and the need to get some chips here is getting vital I felt it was right to try to take down the blinds, I know a lot of people would either fold or go all-in at this point but I tend to wait until I'm down to 8 x bb for that as too many people ar over doing all-in bets with borderline hands post HOH imo.

The callers stack size is decent enough - exactly what I don't know but it's a helluva lot more than mine, to say he has 30 x BB is probably a bet guestimate.

Anyway as mentioned these are the 3 hands I was most unhappy with so don't totally write me off as a donk please . In general I was happy with the way I played and wouldn't change much about it.

LuckyLloyd

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luckylucky

Lloyd you asked if I had difficulty concentrating, I played in the Bolton UKPT in January and I found I had big problems in this department. I do think I learned form that experience and was extremely focused for this however. Maybe too much so if anything as I was getting fairly stressed.

LuckyLloyd

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Hitman Actual

luckylucky wrote:

Yes I have about 10 x bb here, i think i'm 2 from the button if i remember right, I realise A8s isn't a great hand but in a resaonable (not great I'll admit) position and the need to get some chips here is getting vital I felt it was right to try to take down the blinds, I know a lot of people would either fold or go all-in at this point but I tend to wait until I'm down to 8 x bb for that as too many people ar over doing all-in bets with borderline hands post HOH imo.

Fair enough, but I still prefer the open-push route. I suppose it depends on table dynamics as well; if 3xBB raises are getting through, then fine. Personally I open-push with a lot of hands, but that's just the way my game developed over years of short stack games in the Fitz.

TBH, I don't think there's anything majorly wrong with these hands at all. I might push the flop/CRAI in the last one when I hit, but against the tight player you mentioned folding might be right. Dunno, I'd have to be there.

luckylucky

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Well, if you are playing focused poker and pushing your edges - you should experience a degree of adrenaline and stress. In my view anyway (Halfbaked might disagree!!). It just shows that you are involved and playing in a determined fashion.

Did you play live in between? Oh and, what was the buy - in and structure of the Austrian Open?

Cheers for the feedback Lloyd and Lenny btw, much appreciated.

I played pot limit omaha in the casino for a short while the night before, first time I ever played it live and really enjoyed it, I was kinda surprised at how easy it felt to adjust.

I bought in for the minimum €500 in to a €10-€10 game. I made a little over €300 in that, all from one hand, the standard was appaling imo. Any guy who can even break even online at $2-$4 plo or higher would murder that game imo. I meant to play some more on Sunday but I was too shattered after having played for almost 12 hours the day before and not having gotten much sleep in a few days.

Tbh in regards to these trips to casinos, maybe I'm better off not trying to qualify for tournaments, just to go straight for the cash games.

Jaden

On hand 3- declare a misdeal. There are 2 x 8s in the deck.....

HalfBaked

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Well, if you are playing focused poker and pushing your edges - you should experience a degree of adrenaline and stress. In my view anyway (Halfbaked might disagree!!). QUOTE]

And exactly what is that scurrilous remark supposes to mean!

LuckyLloyd

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HalfBaked

LuckyLloyd wrote:

HalfBaked wrote:

LOL!! You know. Don't pretend you don't know.

Not sure to be honest. Though I do admit that I rarely feel stressed when playing (due in part to my secret weapon ). IMO it's not good to feel stressed when playing poker. If poker is stressing me I take a break.

Gholimoli

HalfBaked wrote:

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Not sure to be honest. Though I do admit that I rarely feel stressed when playing (due in part to my secret weapon ). IMO it's not good to feel stressed when playing poker. If poker kills me due to stress I will take a breaker..

FYP

HalfBaked

Gholimoli wrote:

HalfBaked wrote:

FYP

LOL

luckylucky

luckylucky wrote:

Hand 3 Well past halfway stage of tourney, I raise 3 x bb in late mid position with As8s, guy to my immediate left who has been playing pretty tightish flat calls my raise, this sends alarm bells off in my head. flop comes Tc9c8s .

Demand your money back and leave, obviously you were being cheated