How to get max value oop against these two different villain types?
I have been trying to improve my exploitative play to get more value in low stakes live poker. When reflecting on my hand history, I wonder how I should play differently against V1 and V2.
V1: OMC reg. Someone who does not 3-bet enough pre (not 3! with AKo often), who does not get thin enough value on a A-high board with AK, who does not like to bet with a draw, who tends to overfold, who does not like big pots.
V2: 30ish reg. Someone who VPIPS a bit too wide, probably 50% in LP, who is very stabby in position, who is not scared of big pots. V2 has a fold button, so he is not a whale.
Hero: unfortunately hero has the image most difficult to get value hands paid. Hero is female. Hero is aggressive, if not too aggressive.
Hand 1
1/2. V1 OMC was the effective stack with 200.
V1 opened from UTG+1 to 8. One LP flat. Hero called with 55 from SB.
Flop (26)：Qc 6c 5h
Hero checked, V1 bets 12, LP folded, hero called. HU.
Turn (62) 6h
OK now we boat up. against this OMC, is XR too scary and he might throw away his Qx?
Let's say we led the turn bet, and OMC called. River came a 9d. Do we think V1 can call a pot-size bet OTR with Qx?
Shall we adjust our action line if we were against V2?
Hand 2
Hero was the effective stack with 300.
An EP limped, V2 opened OTB to 12, hero flat with A5ss from BB. Limper called. Three ways to see the flop.
Flop (37) 2d 4d 9s
X, X, V2 bets 25, hero called and HU.
Turn (87) 3s
With a made straight, and a nut flush draw, with 265 behind, what's our best strategy on this turn & river?
How to adjust if V1 was the player OTB?
Thanks everyone in advance.
It's interesting as Tomark also pointed out that ego seems to be quite a big part of (the fun of) your game. I can't represent Venessa Selbst, but maybe lots of the female players including myself have not much ego involved in the game. We already attracted more attention than what's ideal.
I am not saying you should ditch the ego part, particularly if that makes you enjoy the game.
A lot of the time I find poker just a mental game battling against myself.
Maybe more male players think in your way
My personal opinion, women are some of the least likely players to be big losers at my table, and the vast majority of them are winning or break even players who I dont want at my table, but I havent seen much to counter the prevailing wisdom that women dont bluff as much as their male counterparts.
I think bluffing does generate a ton of attention, and its not just ego that can stand in the way of poker dominance. if you want to be a good poker player, there should only be ONE thing that decides what choice to make: what will make me the most money?
If you dont bluff to avoid attention, or embarrassment, or to not feel stupid, or to not be called stupid, or even to reduce your variance, you are not playing to the best of your ability.
I think confidence is one of the most valuable things to have in poker. I cant remember the actress, but she said the best advice she ever got was “be as confident as a mediocre man”. My wife took that advice to heart lol. I am very confident in my game, so I couldnt care less what anyone else at the table thinks about my game. I dont make any excuses when my play looks stupid as ****, ill just get called and flip over my busted BDFD that i bet 3 streets cuz i dont care. Whenever im at the table, i feel like so many players at the table are trying so hard to make everyone else think they are smart and good poker players, and whenever they get caught bluffing, i feel like they fall over themselves to apologize about it like they got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
V2: 30ish reg. Someone who VPIPS a bit too wide, probably 50% in LP, who is very stabby in position, who is not scared of big pots. V2 has a fold button, so he is not a whale.
Hero: unfortunately hero has the image most difficult to get value hands paid. Hero is female. Hero is aggressive, if not too aggressive.
Lots of unbalanced aggressive players like V2 have a great deal of machismo in their character. They will immediately shut down to any aggression from a woman but often try to push her off a hand if she plays passively.
When you have a value hand, that's what you want him to do. With marginal stuff, you might best have folded preflop if he's in the pot. Play strong ranges against him, and let him do the betting for you.
I have an OMC that matches your description of V1. Plays for a profit and it irritates me to no end. People just pay this guy off. He plays like GG. His EP range is pure limp. AA-QJs. Limp raises EP with premiums and people pay it off. Just calls a ton in position, never 3-bets, always waits to see the flop and then traps relentlessly - but gets paid like 12$ when he has KK on a K-7-2 runout because everyone was trying to run him down with 67s.
My game with him is just to hit pure high value/premium range and then deny him odds or valuetown him. But my high value to premium being AK/KK/AA/77/22 on a board of K-7-2. Even KQ I'm check calling. Take free cards a ton from this guy since he doesn't bet enough.
I also know a guy that (when OOP HU with OMC) bets dark (!). Just bet 1/3rd pot dark OTF as he will never continue with hands that aren't super nutted.
