Chrome,

Played tonight in the Austrlaian poker league which is a free league going around Synday and south coast of NSW. I decided I would only play good hands which were Ace and 8 or higher, King and 10 or higher and Queen and Jack. I would also limp in from small/big blind when I could.

The game started at 7pm and I was knocked out just over 3 hours later. There were 165 players and I ended up 10th. The most important thing was I only played 6 hands all night and won all but 1 hand which I had to go all in becasue I was short stack and I hit King Ten suited . The big blind beat me with Ace Queen and she hit an Ace on the flop and proceeded to get a full house. All night my highest cards were 6 and 9 except for those 6 hands. I think i saw the same "2" and "3" cards 30 times plus in the space of 3 hours.

But it shows how you don't have to win many hands to progress ( espeically in tournaments) and had I hit a couple of more Aces or Kings in the final few hands I would have easily made it a lot further but the cards never came and the blinds ate my chips.

Anyway I wish I had made 2 more spots as instead of getting 82 points I would have got 165 points.

BTW First prize was $175, second was $75 and third was $50.

If you play alot on freerolls I suggest doing a similar strategy.

Good Luck.

wesmip1,

I think the key is as you have done, only play hands when you feel the odds are in your favour.

Some players feel the need to play every hand and hope for some miracle straight or similar, even before the flop.

I was given some tips on strategy, which has seen me do very well...

1. Do not go all in before the flop, unless you already have a potential winning hand in front of you.

2. Do not raise after the flop or call a raise, unless you already have a potential winning hand.

Example: I've had 7h 8h, and the flop came 6h Kd 9h, so that's a potential open ended heart straight.

I folded a huge raise, and of course the 10h came out, but in the long run it has saved me heaps, the odds of getting the next needed card are very slim.

Wes, where'd you play? I only ask because I've gone to one of those things at the Bayview (Gladesville) in December.

I would've gone to more but unfortunately work has interfered.

Mofo,

I play in Wollongong (Steelers club) once a week.

I ended up about 50th tonight from 157 players. I had a AhQd and raised double the blind. i had one caller but the pot was huge (blinds were 400/800). The flop came down Qc Td 6s so I went all in. He called and showed a AK os. the next card was a 3 and the last card was a K.

I would have been chip leader had I won that but I guess these are the breaks. I couldn't believe he called with nothing on the table.

Oh that was only the 4th hand I had played in 90 mins. Its amazing the crap cards some people play. I had won all my previous 3 hands easily and doubled up each time.

Good Luck. Its all fun.

Hi CP,

I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Maybe you're exagerating to make a point, and if so I agree with you, you can't go all in with just any "good" hand and hope it holds up. You might win the most pots that way but that's hardly the point. Eventually you'll come up against someone with a much better hand and you'll be put to the sword.

So much of no limit holdem depends on reads - not just on wether you have the nuts.

Example:
At a small poker site I play at occasionally I'z in a no limit ring game and had a pair of 9's in middle position. UTG limped in, I put in a pot sized raise and the button raised all in.

Against a tight player I'd know I'd likely be dominated or at best a coin flip - so easy fold. As it was I'd noticed this player had bet large frequently, and in the last orbit had won a hand all in pre-flop with something like K7o. I called and it was the right decision (he held J8o or something ridiculous).

I don't want to overstate this but it's important to be observant and notice other players styles. Poker tracker software helps and can be a useful aid (not essential but I'd estimate 80% or more winning online players use software like this).

Anyway, continue...

Well you got you're money in there when you were a big favourite and that's all you can ask for really.

Well done.

Any chance you'll make the final 80 or whatever it is... to get into next years Aussie Poker Millions?

Mofo,

Prize this season is WSOP in Las Vegas. Need to be top 100 and I am about 1125 I think out of 9000 players. I doubt I will make top 100 as I don't go every day. You need to get about 3000 points to make it which means winning at least 2 or 3 tournaments or placing in the top 8 at least 5-6 times.

Next Season starts April I think.

Mofo, I'm not saying allin on any good hand, I'm talking someone raising an initial bet to large proportions, but say you are already halfway committed and have a pair of Aces or Kings in hand already.....do you fold or call their bluff and go allin?

I'll go all in, as I have a better chance of winning with a pair in the hand already, ad there is also the chance they'll fold. So I have a better chance of winning.

Winning the most pots is critical, but I know what you mean, there will always be someone with a better hand eventually. The idea is to sniff them out and pull them in slowly so they are committed, but if I bet $100 on a pair of KK's preflop, and they raise it to $300.00, and I have $2,000 on they table, but they have $500, I'll go all in against them to bankrupt them.

I've got a stronger bank, so providing I bide my time and bet hard only when I have an advantage, probabilities say I will have their money.

If I were to go all in every single time I had a strong pair, then sooner or later I have to lose.

It's judgment that also plays a part in the process.

I must admit i havent had any probs with Party Poker...i only started out with 2 small deposits and have withdrawn 10 times that amount..
i usualy only play tourney's ...and sometimes 3/6 tables when i bored.,,

I havent played at any other site but i'll be looking at some of them just mentioned..thanks

Hi CP,

I think you're quoting me out of context here. In the paragraph you quoted I was actually agreeing with you, just putting it in different words.

The example you have with a pair of Kings is easy. You've got the best hand 95+% of the time here so of course you go all in. All I'm saying is that sometimes you can have much lower holdings that KK and still be in a dominant position depending on your reads.

I don't like to be too contradictory and so I hope you don't mind me pulling you up on one point. That is that winning the most pots definately is not critical. Winning the most money definately is.

Good luck at the tables!