Help me in texas holdem plz?

Question

Ive been playing a really aggressive loose style HU on ftp especially if i feel if i am better postflop.

However, one of my biggest problems is that i dont know whether or not my oppenent is playing back at me because of my agression or whether or not they have a real hand.

Alot of times, i will rationalize a call because there is always the possibility they are tired of my bluffing/agression and because my instincts are telling me to call. More often than not, my oppenent has a better hand. The problem is, once in a while im right and THEY REALLY ARE PLAYING BACK and i always remember those hands . Anyways, how do i plug this leak up and how do i discern whether they are playing back or just are betting for value?

Answer 1

On-line, there's no way to tell.

Brick & Mortar, you can usually pick up a tell.

That's why I stopped playing on-line.

Answer 2

Wow, these people have no idea what you're talking about.  I play sLAG too, so I have the same issue.  I'll sometimes be thinking too many levels ahead, and I know that my perceived image is loose, so I've kind of cuffed myself and that's the flipside of playing an aggressive style.  

You're required to call down lighter because people know they need less of a hand to look you up.  

Keep a few things in mind.  If you've really been leaning on somebody, and they're getting sick of it, but they're still letting you take advantage of them, they're looking for a hand they feel confident enough in to go after you, usually a top pair type hand.  If you have better than top pair, then you generally have no choice but to stack off and adjust based on any new information you gather from the showdown.

Some opponents though really are just waiting for the nuts or close to it, and are just too weak/tight to look you up with anything less.  These guys are easy, just fold, let them take the pot, then go back to stealing mercilessly.

You have to remember is that big bets usually are for big hands.  Just because you've been playing loose, that's no reason to shove your entire stack into the pot with top pair.

Finally, if this is the first time they are playing back at you, unless you have a strong hand yourself, you probably have to give them credit.  If they aren't playing back at you frequently, it makes no difference as you can continue to run them over with raises and cbets profitably.

*Edit*

PS, on a hand like described with 87 and T J 9, assuming that's a blank turn, I'm 3bet shoving every time here fully expecting a lot of villains to call on flush or straight draw, or "made" hand like a set or 2 pair that's desperately behind us.

Answer 3

i think you are overthinking things a bit here...the first problem that i see is that you are more clearly remembering the times when they were bluffing than when they had the goods, which means your thought process is distorted right from the start...just piece the puzzle together, and take the thought of a bluff out of your mind until you have thought of every logical hand he might have

one thing i would encourage you to think about is something that many players miss, and i am certainly guilty and i believe you are also...ask yourself if your opponent is capable of making a bluff like the one you are putting him on, does he understand the game well enough to realize how aggressively i'm playing, or has he just played his cards to this point? does he have the stomach to make a bluff like this, or is he too conservative with his money to make a risky play like this? these are questions that are often missed, and many players give their opponent credit for being a better player than they are and will try to make a sophisticated re-raise bluff that will invariably fail because their opponent is either not a good enough player or too conservative to ever be bluffing in that situation

Answer 4

What I tend to do is use the notes feature on FTP - that way I can check what type of player they are. If you tend to be aggressive, people will cash-in on you a lot. Try to change your style every so often so as not to get people playing back at you.

See you at the tables

Answer 5

Agression is great in poker, however untimed aggression is not.  You have to have the ability to change gears once in a while.  As most poker players do, I consider myself a good HU player.  The ability to be patient and and time your aggression is key.

Don't be aggressive just for the sake of being agressive, make it mean something.

Answer 6

Steps On Improving Your Texas Holdem Game

1. Keep reading up on Texas Hold Em! Become familiar with as much material as you can. This will not only help you understand Hold 'Em from your perspective, but it will help you to understand why other players play the way they do.

2. Play! The occasionally repetitive process of playing the same game can lead to boredom, but it helps you build on the cognitive skills you need to be a better player. For example, I've flopped the nuts quite a few times since I've started playing, and it used to be really exciting. It still is. Now though, I don't flip out and start rationalizing what my next play should be. It's automatic. That's because I've played my fair share of poker.

3. Play for keeps! Playing at an online casino's free table can be a minor learning experience. However, it doesn't truly help you improve your game. Most players at a free table will bluff their *** off for no good reason. They have nothing to lose by doing so. When real stakes are involved, players start to consider the real elements of texas hold'em. Suddenly these outrageous bluffs are no longer feasible, and players realize that there are also "check" and "fold" options.

4. Don't give up! I lost quite a substantial amount of money in my early days when I didn't understand holdem. I'm still debating whether I have evened out yet. Each big loss was a lesson though. Without any of these losses, I'd never have become a modestly decent player.

5. Step up! The higher the stakes, the more exact the play gets. This is because higher stakes attracts more skilled players. If you can clean up on the $1/$2 table all day, try the $2/$4. You'll learn from the better players, and soon you will graduate to that next level.

6. Watch better players! If someone rocks your wallet for all you've got, see how they did it. Single out and analyze these opponents by trying to predict what they might have, and what their next play might be. Once you can do that, they are no longer the better player.

7. Throw down! Try different styles of play. It's good to play tight as a beginner, but when you're branching out, try being that aggressive freak who everyone knows is bluffing. Learn how other players react to individual styles of play, and how they react when you change from passive to aggressive.

8. Be a b*****d! Hold 'Em is ultimately about making money. If you see a leak in someone's game, exploit it! That player will learn his or her lesson eventually, as we all did. Make them pay to learn that lesson. If you ever start feeling guilty about taking some fool for all he's worth, remember a time when it happened to you. Don't feel bad anymore, do you? Its part of the game.

Those are a few quick tips to help you out. Follow those, keep practicing, and you'll be beating the pants off your friends at home games (or maybe even online poker rooms) in no time. Ready to practice? Visit PacificPoker for a fun money Texas Holdem poker experience. Heck, you can play for real money, too, but practice first!

Answer 7

Don't listen to "instincts" in on-line poker.  You don't have enough info on the other person to make it work very often.

Bet on the button if you have anything at all, but don't go crazy.  It sounds like you're bluffing way too much.  Don't.  It's that simple.  If someone is calling every time you bet, slow down a bit and wait until you get a big hand and punish them.

You said in one of your edits that you do change gears, but you obviously don't do it enough or soon enough.

Answer 8

you know i was recently one of the guys who felt bad about breaking a guy at the table but thats because you get to chatting to them and you feel like you have a new friend but its a big mistake you let your guard down and dont pound them when they are calling and you have the nuts now im gonna pound their *** i have been felted way too many times and the gloves are off im going to be more aggressive im going to bet big when i have a hand preflop and bet bigger when it hits or when they check it to me this is all live games of course and these guys will not expect it because they have established me as a big fish so i am going to pound pound pound and it feels great when i bust one of them now i busted a guy the other night who usually steals a lot of pots off of me because i would fold top pair to him when he raised me but my bets were weak so i am taking advantage they expect me to bet weak so i do then they throw out a huge bet thinking i will fold but now im moving in over the top of them and they are just thinking im getting lucky cartds but in all i just changed gears on them maybe you  should try this tactic your self but you just tighten up instead of being aggressive be passive when you have a huge hand and let them think you arfe bluffing when your not it may work but honestly i have found out in FTP there are a ton of bad beats in there have you ever wondered why there is no bad beat jackpot i only play the tournaments online now good luck.