PAHWM: NLHE Microstakes Fun (1 Viewer)

MathijsVS

Flush
Joined
Apr 9, 2020
Messages
1,313
Reaction score
1,792
Location
Aalst
Since I started blogging (for lack of a better word) about my poker progress, I felt it was time I did one of these as well to see how well my thought process actually is :)

Game: 6-max 1c/2c NLHE on PokerStars

Players: Online microstakes, so most people are there for very short timespans, and only 2 people stand out so far:
  1. Seat 1 is an absolute tight ass, even when he plays, he minraises and yields when overbet. Stack is just a bit over the max buy-in, so probably won a small pot or two before I came in.
  2. Seat 4 has been rather successful and seems to know what he's doing. TAG as far as I can tell.
  3. Hero is in Seat 6
Seat 2 is on the Button and here we go!

S5: Fold
Hero - 4,20 ( :ad::ks:): Raises to 6c
S1 - 2,15 : Flat calls
S2 (Button): Fold
S3 (SB): Fold
S4 - 4,75 (BB): Raise to 12c
Hero ( :ad: :ks:): calls
S1: Fold

Total pot: 27c

Flop: :3s::7h::kd:

Villain: Checks

Action is on Hero, so yeah, what do you guys do? :)

(Starting off basic, it gets more interesting, promise)
 
Last edited:
Need stack sizes.

Also, what hand can ever be a call for 6c and then a fold when raised another 6c?

My bad, I added the relevant stack sizes as far as I remember them :)
The others all had 1-2 $ in their stacks, most recently joined the table.
 
Info on S4's betting patterns would be useful (does he usually C-bet when leading? Does he check-raise often?

Blind with a TAG label, figure he either has a medium-to-large pair, Ax, or Kx. Either checking because he missed (and fears the K), or thinks he's ahead by spiking a set of 7s, hitting top pair with Kx, or holding AA. Probably not AA or KK though, since you have blockers. TT, JJ, QQ most likely.

With no flush or straight draws, I'm happy to check it back and let him catch up or bluff on the turn. Best way to stack him is if he has Ax and an A pops up on the turn.
 
Info on S4's betting patterns would be useful (does he usually C-bet when leading? Does he check-raise often?

Blind with a TAG label, figure he either has a medium-to-large pair, Ax, or Kx. Either checking because he missed (and fears the K), or thinks he's ahead by spiking a set of 7s, hitting top pair with Kx, or holding AA. Probably not AA or KK though, since you have blockers. TT, JJ, QQ most likely.

With no flush or straight draws, I'm happy to check it back and let him catch up or bluff on the turn. Best way to stack him is if he has Ax and an A pops up on the turn.

At this point I've been at the table for around half an hour, so not a ton of data, but his bet/raise sizes are fairly consistent with this hand. He folds a fair bit of hands, plays aggressive whenever he doesn't fold, and the times he reached showdown he always had a decent hand. Have seen him check-raise once, but I felt like he was bluffing the other guy off the hand. If so, he succeeded, so never got to see his cards :) Other than that time, he raises, check-calls or check-folds.

Again, half an hour of play, so not a ton of data.
 
Min-raising from the blinds vs an early-position raiser (and a caller) usually takes a pretty decent starting hand, some serious balls, or no regard for money. Sticking with TT-QQ (with outside chance of AQ) and fear of the flop King.
 
In a live game, maybe betting is best. Aiming at exploitation.

On line, I think hero checks behind. I wonder why villain didn't c-bet on that dry flop. Skilled TAG - playing on line, I fear traps more than I worry about missed value. It would be interesting what solvers have villain do on this flop.

Hero should be taking things carefully. He is not going to get lots of value from a villain with a worse hand - maybe a bet, maybe two. Hero is likely way ahead or way behind. Checking, giving a free card can't be that risky.

DrStrange
 
I like a check here too.

Most of the hands Villain could reasonably have, and that he would be willing to give action with, either tie or beat you. The rest will likely fold. And the board is so dry, on top of his range, that he doesn't stand to gain much from a free card.

What you stand to gain is roping in hands like 88 through QQ for a bet on the turn, especially if the turn is something like a K or a low card that doesn't pair.
 
Nothing about that board scares me - I know my AK is good - check and maybe he hits something on the turn. Betting now just leads to you taking the pot down now. This hand stinks like you both share the A and if you can turn one you will empty his wallet
 
S5: Fold
Hero - 4,20 ( :ad::ks:): Raises to 6c
S1 - 2,15 : Flat calls
S2 (Button): Fold
S3 (SB): Fold
S4 - 4,75 (BB): Raise to 12c
Hero ( :ad: :ks:): calls
S1: Fold

Total pot: 27c

Flop: :3s::7h::kd:

Villain: Checks

Hero: bets 10c.

Villain goes into the tank, which is unusual, and flat calls in the end.

Pot: 47c

Turn: :ac:

Villain: Bets 20c

Hero: ?


It’s very interesting to see how everyone is on fairly the same line with this hand so far, let’s see if it sticks :)
 
Hero: bets 10c.

Villain goes into the tank, which is unusual, and flat calls in the end.

Pot: 47c

Turn: :ac:

Villain: Bets 20c

Hero: ?


It’s very interesting to see how everyone is on fairly the same line with this hand so far, let’s see if it sticks :)
Hollywood for a touch, then just call. The fish is eyeballing the worm on the hook. Don't spook him!
 
You're only losing to AA, KK, and 77, but now crushing everything else (except AK). Raising might get extra $$ from Ax hands (plus those that beat you), but will fold out other losing hands that might still bet into you on the river (Kx, pocket pairs) if you flat, so I just call. This could be a chopped pot when all is said and done.
 
Villain's bet says one of two things: (1) he improved on that ace, in which case he either crushes you with AA, ties with AK, or is in really rough shape with A3, A7, or just a single pair of aces, or (2) he was slowplaying on the flop, in which case he likely has a set (possibly including AA).

Some of it comes down to how well you know your man, though. Is he ever making that 3-bet preflop with A3 or A7? Would he 3-bet AQ or AJ and then come along on that flop for $0.10 (into a $0.30 pot) trying to spike the ace? How invested does he get with one-pair hands after the flop? Is he capable of bluffing the ace here, maybe expecting that it hurt your hand?

Anyway, put in a decent-sized raise here, like to $1 total, and see what happens. If he's truly a TAG, a reraise should tell you that he means business, and likely narrows his range down to AK (4 combinations) and sets (8 combinations). If he flats, that's an invitation to squeeze out a bit more value on the river.

You could alternatively flat the $0.20 and plan to flat any reasonable bet on the river, if you'd rather play it safe, but aces and kings is a little strong for that IMO.
 
Since I started blogging (for lack of a better word) about my poker progress, I felt it was time I did one of these as well to see how well my thought process actually is :)

Game: 6-max 1c/2c NLHE on PokerStars

Players: Online microstakes, so most people are there for very short timespans, and only 2 people stand out so far:
  1. Seat 1 is an absolute tight ass, even when he plays, he minraises and yields when overbet. Stack is just a bit over the max buy-in, so probably won a small pot or two before I came in.
  2. Seat 4 has been rather successful and seems to know what he's doing. TAG as far as I can tell.
  3. Hero is in Seat 6
Seat 2 is on the Button and here we go!

S5: Fold
Hero - 4,20 ( :ad::ks:): Raises to 6c
S1 - 2,15 : Flat calls
S2 (Button): Fold
S3 (SB): Fold
S4 - 4,75 (BB): Raise to 12c
Hero ( :ad: :ks:): calls
S1: Fold

Total pot: 27c

Flop: :3s::7h::kd:

Villain: Checks

Action is on Hero, so yeah, what do you guys do? :)

(Starting off basic, it gets more interesting, promise)
When he min three bets, he has no regard for appropriate bet sizing is most likely a fun player (Unless he miscicked). I would be betting this flop when checked to almost always, at 1c/2c you don't need to be getting tricky or balancing on this flop, bet for value. When the opponent calls, and leads turn, just call and decide river as you are in position and can get a third street of value on the river either being bet into or getting checked to and you betting.
 
When he min three bets, he has no regard for appropriate bet sizing is most likely a fun player (Unless he miscicked). I would be betting this flop when checked to almost always, at 1c/2c you don't need to be getting tricky or balancing on this flop, bet for value. When the opponent calls, and leads turn, just call and decide river as you are in position and can get a third street of value on the river either being bet into or getting checked to and you betting.

What would an appropriate bet sizing be, in Villain’s position? :)
 
General request to PAHWM authors:

I really appreciate it when authors provide all cards played at each major step. Helps me remember what we’re talking about when PAHWMs spread out over days, especially when there are multiple (phone viewing). Makes them more enjoyable.
 
Should be $1.50 in the pot at this point. Bet $1 for value. If he raises, that's a little ugly, but I don't think you can get away from top two here if he doesn't show any strength all the way until a deuce river. Sometimes he'll have you paying off a set, and I think you have to accept that in this spot. It'd be especially nasty if he turns up with 22.

Certainly don't reraise if he raises less than all-in over the $1. Just flat.
 
General request to PAHWM authors:

I really appreciate it when authors provide all cards played at each major step. Helps me remember what we’re talking about when PAHWMs spread out over days, especially when there are multiple (phone viewing). Makes them more enjoyable.

Woops, I tried quoting my last post with all cards, but of course quotes don’t get quoted. Will keep it in mind!
 
Hero offered us a villain read from the original post, "Seat 4 has been rather successful and seems to know what he's doing. TAG as far as I can tell."

Someone is in the process of making a huge mistake, with the exception of both players holding AK. There are no flush draws. No OESD either. This is a bone dry board, the winner to be determined by pure power.

Is villain some sort of weak-fish who got lucky for a short while? < meaning Hero isn't getting HUD data, just his opinion from casual observation.> Is hero getting suckered in by a villain who holds a range advantage? Basically greed vs caution.

Villain's line is quirky. Check/call flop, leads turn but calls the raise, then checks the river. I guess villain could have three-bet a suited ace - a lot of solvers recommend that line. Then villain check/calls his weak pair and the hand proceeds as played. That makes a little better sense than flopping or turning a set.

Even so, I think I prefer the cautious line. Let's check behind.

Yes I know this gives up value -=- DrStrange
 
The villain seems to be thinking, but since we know what you are holding we know villain is overthinking. I might over bet the pot, making it look like you are trying to buy it.
 
I like the 1/3 flop bet. I think 1/4 to 1/3 is small enough to start building the pot as it will be called by a very wide range and won’t fold out much.

interesting that V leads turn and calls the raise. Could be A3s or A7s diamonds. Calls flop tanking with middle or bottom pair with a back door. Makes two pair and donks?

There are no draws. If he’s not 3 betting light could be AA or KK. Still the donk lead turn and calling the raise concerns me. I’m checking behind here.
 
Really bizarre line by villain. I'm betting 80c for value on the river blank, but okay with checking back if really afraid of AA, KK, or 77. And If he shows up with 33 or 22, well, he's not nearly as good as you're giving him credit for.

Flatting any raise, which I suspect would only be 2x.
 
Is villain some sort of weak-fish who got lucky for a short while? < meaning Hero isn't getting HUD data, just his opinion from casual observation.>

I haven't picked up any software or HUDs, so all my claims are based on very limited experience and pure observation :)
 
The big reveal:

Game: 6-max 1c/2c NLHE on PokerStars

Players: Online microstakes, so most people are there for very short timespans, and only 2 people stand out so far:
  1. Seat 1 is an absolute tight ass, even when he plays, he minraises and yields when overbet. Stack is just a bit over the max buy-in, so probably won a small pot or two before I came in.
  2. Seat 4 has been rather successful and seems to know what he's doing. TAG as far as I can tell.
  3. Hero is in Seat 6
Seat 2 is on the Button and here we go!

S5: Fold
Hero - 4,20 ( :ad::ks:): Raises to 6c
S1 - 2,15 : Flat calls
S2 (Button): Fold
S3 (SB): Fold
S4 - 4,75 (BB): Raise to 12c
Hero ( :ad: :ks:): calls
S1: Fold

Total pot: 27c

Flop: :3s::7h::kd:

Villain: Checks
Hero: bets 10c.

Villain goes into the tank, which is unusual, and flat calls in the end.

Pot: 47c

Turn: :ac:

Villain: Bets 20c
Hero: raises to 50c

Villain calls

River: :2d:

Villain: checks

Hero: bets 60c

Villain: calls and shows :7s::7d:



Plot twist: I was the Villain.

While I read our Hero fairly well early on (made hand, but not beating my set), I did feel that my play was a bit "off" or at least less than perfect, which is why I wanted to let you guys play this one from his perspective. To see what I could have improved, what info did I give away and where did I just show plain weakness.

Some things that stuck out for me:

Info on S4's betting patterns would be useful (does he usually C-bet when leading? Does he check-raise often?

Blind with a TAG label, figure he either has a medium-to-large pair, Ax, or Kx. Either checking because he missed (and fears the K), or thinks he's ahead by spiking a set of 7s, hitting top pair with Kx, or holding AA. Probably not AA or KK though, since you have blockers. TT, JJ, QQ most likely.

With no flush or straight draws, I'm happy to check it back and let him catch up or bluff on the turn. Best way to stack him is if he has Ax and an A pops up on the turn.

I gave an estimate of how the table was seeing me, as far as I could tell. They hadn't seen a single one of my bluffed hands and I was the most aggro player out there if I saw the flop, which didn't happen 5 times a minute. A bit scary that my set of 7s was spotted in the first post here, but I was glad to see you later abandoned the 7s :)

Hollywood for a touch, then just call. The fish is eyeballing the worm on the hook. Don't spook him!

Funny, the point where I mention Villain going into the tank, I was doing just this :)

When he min three bets, he has no regard for appropriate bet sizing is most likely a fun player (Unless he miscicked). I would be betting this flop when checked to almost always, at 1c/2c you don't need to be getting tricky or balancing on this flop, bet for value. When the opponent calls, and leads turn, just call and decide river as you are in position and can get a third street of value on the river either being bet into or getting checked to and you betting.

This is absolutely one of the biggest flaws I spotted while reading this thread. The bet size was a bit ridiculous, didn't give me any info and only sweetened the pot a tiny bit. Could have gotten more out of this.

Is villain some sort of weak-fish who got lucky for a short while? < meaning Hero isn't getting HUD data, just his opinion from casual observation.> Is hero getting suckered in by a villain who holds a range advantage? Basically greed vs caution.

Villain's line is quirky. Check/call flop, leads turn but calls the raise, then checks the river. I guess villain could have three-bet a suited ace - a lot of solvers recommend that line. Then villain check/calls his weak pair and the hand proceeds as played. That makes a little better sense than flopping or turning a set.

That quirky line is a direct consequence of my lack of decent post-flop strategy.

Also, "weak-fish who got lucky"? That stung :( :p

Really bizarre line by villain. I'm betting 80c for value on the river blank, but okay with checking back if really afraid of AA, KK, or 77. And If he shows up with 33 or 22, well, he's not nearly as good as you're giving him credit for.

Flatting any raise, which I suspect would only be 2x.

As I said above: my post-flop strategy is all but absent at this point, and it's definitely one of the reasons I wanted to put this here. Based on what I saw at the time, I figured Hero had something solid without beating my set, so with that knowledge and a decent strategy, I could have wrangled out a bit more cash.

Thanks for playing everyone!
 
I would advice against 3-betting a hand like 77 regardless of whether you’re in position or not. The absolute majority of the time you’re going to find yourself in hard to maneuver spots post-flop with a bloated pot and overcard(s) present.

At this level you should really only 3-bet for value i.e. say AK/AQs/JJ+ as a default and expand from there depending on position/situation.
When you do 3-bet, use a larger size - a min 3-bet doesn’t really accomplish anything but sweetning the pot and makes it profitable to call with just about any open. Use at least a size that’s 3x the open (add for limpers and flat callers in between) and make it even bigger when oop.

In general don’t worry about being tricky at this level. Villains won’t notice/care about how you play. Just worry about taking the best lines in terms of getting the most money in the pot when you have a good hand. Don’t take weird trappy lines, just bet/raise when you have it and print money.

Imo this hand should have been flat pre, check/call flop (because K73r is as dry as they come), check/raise turn big, bet big/shove river.
 
Oh boy...
I'm writing this knowing the results and looking at it from the perspective of the "hero" with 77.

Starting preflop.

It's not that you can never 3bet 77, but you def want to be in position when you do it, and you don't want to be doing it against an early position raise. You also don't want to be making such small 3 bets pre when you are over 200bb deep. You have tons of incentive to just call from the BB getting a better price than in any other position.

I find most people SERIOUSLY underestimate how bad it is to be out of position. Imagine how bad you think it is, and I promise it's worse than that. It's much harder to raise equity oop. It's harder to disguise your hand oop. It's harder to get 3 streets of value oop.

So long story short, this is a pretty standard call preflop. 3 betting range probably something like AQo+, TT+, maybe AJs, KQs, and some occasional A2s - A5s. It's still 6max, so you can 3 bet a little wider. And the raiser wasn't UTG.

As played, we go to the flop.

You flopped a set on a bone dry board. A lot of people think checking here is the easy play. But I disagree. You were over 200bb deep to start the hand, and you 3ber from oop. This board is supposed to heavily favor your range, and you have a lot of money behind to win.

This seems like a pretty clear bet of 25-33%. This protects your entire range, and this is a board you should be betting as the preflop 3 bettor nearly 100% of the time. Your opponent will have to call that small bet a decent amount of the time with stuff as weak as 88-QQ, A3h, A3d, and even stuff like broadway Aces that have backdoor flushdraws. Especially because your opponent has position. And the big bonus here is that your opponent will have a lot of Kings in his range here for you to get value from, like AK.

Turn

If you are going to play the passive game, you can't just suddenly lead out on the turn. You take away any ability for your opponent to bluff, and take away any ability to shovel more money into the pot with a raise. The amount of time your lead is going to get raised on this turn is nearly 0% unless they have 2pair plus. Now lucky for you he does. So try to pile in all the money now. Your opponent can't have you beat here as AA or KK would have 4 bet pre almost always. So opponent has either strong A, two pair, or bottom set. And he isn't folding two pair or a set almost ever.

River

You don't raise the river why exactly? Your opponent has AA or KK basically never because he didn't 4 bet pre. You just called turn, giving you a pretty easy check in flow on a blank river.

You lost a lot of value in this hand. And IMO made a mistake on every street. And it's not that you made a mistake pre and then played okay given you did that. Even with that, you played very oddly post flop on every street.

But this is the point of having a strategy section. To discuss and learn. Keep playing, keeep practicing, keep learning.
 
Last edited:
Okay, so from the perspective of the set of 7s:

The preflop raise? Meh. Not the greatest move, but not terrible either. In an easy, low-stakes game, you generally want to see cheap flops with small pairs. Better odds that way. Save the pot-bloating until after you've hit your set.

The flop call was okay. Very dry board, don't want to scare off someone with just one pair. Makes sense.

The donk bet on the turn is a little weird, but I don't totally hate it. Let's start right after that point.

You bet out $0.20, Villain raises it to $0.50 ... and you just call? This should have been your signal to spring to action. With a safe set, you want to have your eye on building the pot. And in this spot, where your set seems safe (specifically: Villain didn't reraise preflop, so AA and KK are unlikely), you need to be ready to press the action even if it risks Villain getting spooked.

Instead of just calling the extra $0.30, maybe consider making it $1.25 or $1.50 there. Try to judge what raise size will make it feasible for your opponent to come over the top, or at least that will create a big enough pot for you to shove into on the end. As it is, there will only be $1.50 in the pot going into the river, with each player still having $3+ behind.

The only play that compares to the call on the turn is the check-call on the end. I'd say this was about equally bad. The board poses only three threats to your set: unlikely AA and KK, and a really bizarrely played 45. This is the kind of river sets would dream about if they were sentient. What was your reasoning behind closing the action there?
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom