Analysing my game [Calling a river bet]:

So here we are again to look at a leak of my game. I call the river down to light, but before we come to the actual problems I try to give you some more background information about calling a river bet.
There are 4 situations where I call a riverbet.
We call a riverbet because if we raise better hands call and worse hands will fold.
We call a riverbet because the pot odds given.
We call a riverbet because we think villain is bluffing. (my leak)
We call a riverbet for information on how villain is playing.

1. We call a riverbet because if we raise better hands call and worse hands will fold.

It has a little to do with the reversed implied odds (RIO) and the Way Ahead/ Way Behind theorem. Here a small example:
Hero holds AK

Villain calls, Hero raises, Villain calls

Board: A25
Villain checks, Hero bets, Villain calls

Turn: J
Villain checks, Hero checks.

River: T
Villains leads out for 2/3 pot. Hero??

By showing a lot of weakness on the turn we are inducing bluffs from worse aces like AQ A9, A7, etc. So we should raise against them, but we are way behind against AJ AT A2 A5, wich is possible at 10NL. So the only thing we can do here is call the river. With betting the turn we achieve worse aces to fold and better aces to call, while checking induces to make a bluff on the river and reducing the RIO for ourselves. RIO’s come in to the hand when you betting a hand which is probably already beaten or only get called by better hands, while worse hands will fold.

2. We call the river because of the pot odds given.

We have AJ on a [6 9 T] [A] [J] board. Villain bets into us for ½ pot. Giving us 3 to 1 pot odds. Villain check called our cbet and frontbetted the ace, which Hero calls. On the river we are not sure were we stand. We have top two pair on a very drawy board (Only no flushdraw, but the range on villain says he is a strong player who likes to trap but also bluffs on dangerous boards. So we need to win only 25% with the 3 to 1 odds, with the read we have I think we beat those odds. So I call. This looks pretty similar to point 1, but here we are thinking we are behind more of the time, but ahead often enough to beat the pot odds giving. So here we are thinking call/fold. While above in the AK example we consider call/raise.

3. We call a riverbet because we think villain is bluffing. (my leak)

Here is a real example. I have [Ac Tc] on the BTN, it is limped around and I call. (Don’t play big pots with marginal hands, with big IO) Board [Qc 3c 8h] I call a bet, and villain and me are heads up. Turn [6c] Villain checks and I check to induce River [3s] Villain pushed allin, I make a crying call with the knowledge he probably has me beat. So where do I go wrong? I’m thinking to much in perspective to my own game. I make big bets on the river to bluff a scare card (I also bet big with big hands). So automatically I think a big bet is a bluff or a monster. But on this limits I should know big bets are more than 80% not a bluff so I should learn to lay down hands. Especially when donkys go out of line you have to be very aware about the strength of your hand. So this will be one of my focussing points for the next weeks. Before I make a call for a big pot I try to give myself some thinking seconds before I act. Sometimes I press call and afterwards I think I would have folded if I took some more time to go through the hand 1 more time.

4. We call a riverbet for information on how villain is playing.

This is one thing we don’t see very often but on the lower limits I ran into it once in a while. Lets say I C/R the flop with a combodraw but didn’t hit it on the river. My showdown value is ZERO. So I expect never to win here, but villain minbets the river 1BB in a 13BB pot. Because I think I gain more than 1BB from him with this information I get at showdown I will call this weakish bet. When he slowplayed a monster I should be very carefull when he minbets again.

Analysing my game [Sets]:

I consider myself as a TAG player, my avg stats are around 20/16, but I try to open up my ranges a little in the Co and from the BTN. My stats goals are around 22/20, but if I can make that on 10NL is not likely, because of the very laggy tables you need to tighten up (table stats: 65/20/2 etc).

Because of the players online all saying that they are winning, where is my edge on this limit? Where do I, and my fellow bloggers, get the money in? Where do I have to focus on while playing. I analyzed my game a little yesterday and you wont be surprised my trips hands are the most profitable ones.

What does this mean? Can I adjust my style off playing these hands even more, to gain more? I think I can. Against other Tags I’m considering to reraise smaller pocket pairs from the blinds like 77-99 (or maybe even in position CO/BTN). I think the FE makes this a very profitable play, because a 3-bet from the blinds almost always says:“STRENGTH!.”

Against weak calling station players you will have less FE and they will not think about what you might have, but look more to there own hands. (I don’t lay this down I got AQ!! WTFOMGBBQ! WAIT THEY ARE SOETED TO! HE IS LUCKY I DON’T PUSH THIS MONSTAAH!) So 3 betting them wouldn’t gain me more, just call and hope they hit there Ace against my set, you will get paid enough.

Sometimes I see other players mini3-bet from the blinds against me ( I raise 3 to 4bb and they raise 3 to 7BB), this is about the most weak play I have ever seen. I always call PP due to the set-odds given and I think you are ahead with AQ+. They flip over AJ, KQ a lot of the time. And get payed off a lot when you reraise the flop with trips and they can’t lay down there overpair. So the lesson is never mini3-bet just make it 13BB preflop.

How are we playing sets when Hero is the IR (initial raiser)? I always frontbet, due the fact of my cbet % the are call me down lighter and even with marginal outs or already drawing death. Checking in this spot is the most terrible thing to do. They are used to your cbetting pattern. So a bell will ring when you don’t c-bet. So I don’t see how we can check the flop and plan a slow play. The only thing I would do, is to make a little weaker c-bet on a very dry board, to hold em in the hand, but checking always kills the action I think. Unless a player is tilting of course or you are getting donkbetted on the flop on a dry board, that would be my case I would consider to raise/bet on the turn. If some one has thoughts of slowplaying sets in a particular situations pls leave a comment.

How are we playing sets when Hero is not the IR? So we’re talking about PP’s 22-99. I call those pairs most of the time and fold when I don’t hit. But if I hit in position I like to float a cbet on the flop and raise de turn on a dry board, on a very drawy flop I like to raise right away and hope to see a call and bet on a blank or check behind when the 3th flushcard or a str8 card comes up. I fold the river to a PSB or call a smaller bet.
Out of position I like to lead the flop for a ½ potbet and hope to get raised by TPTK or an overpair which I would call and planning to raise the turn on a dry board or drawyboard.
Also here I would like to hear some other thoughts about playing sets.

On Friday im planning to write an article about calling down the river to light, what is a very big leak of me.