Microstakes. Aggro pre, overbet flop, overbet turn. Need help.
I'm looking for a bit of help here, because I'm frustrated with myself and some help.
So, I'm a microstakes player and have a good grasp of hand strength and pre-flop opens. My stats are basically this: VPIP 25-28, PFR 16-18, 3Bet 4%. Tighter, typical and obviously exploitable. The regs and the tables I play have a pretty good idea about my play and use that to their advantage, especially when they're IP.
To start, let's assume 100 BB effective. I raise UTG, get called by the MP or CO and on a flop something like JT6 two-tone, if I have AKK3 single-suited, without a flush draw or BFD, I'm typically going to at least bet 2/3rds or pot this flop, with the idea that I have a gut shot and an overpair but no good real blockers. My mindset is typically that I want to protect my hand and not give free cards. Now, I realize that the right move here is almost undoubtably to check and if I do, I'm likely going to face a flop pot bet from a reg who knows me and while I'll probably call, the turn usually tells the story.
Let's say that I've potted the flop and was called. Now, the turn comes and offsuit 7. Now, while the flush doesn't come in, the straight possibly does. So, I either bet 1/3 or 1/2 but FAR more likely than not, I'll check and if my opponent pots again, I'll probably fold. My fold to a turn bet is high. Now, if the turn was a blank - like an offsuit 3, I'm likely to pot. Again, on the thought (or fear) of both protecting my hand and not wanting to let the flush or straight draw get a free card. I want to make it expensive. So, my turn bet is also very high, like 70% plus. Now, if I get raised in this spot, I'm more likely than not to fold, mostly thinking that my opponent has at least two pair. Alternatively, If were to choose to call and then river brings in a flush or a 7 and I check and then face a pot bet, I'm almost certain to fold. My river fold % is absurdly high, when I don't have the nuts and face a pot bet on the river. When I say absurdly high, I mean, like 90 -100% So, I'm either bet on the river or more likely than not, making a bad call. When I try to adjust my stats and say, reduce my flop c-bet to 50% and my turn c-bets to around 40-50%, I don't do well with aggression OOP.
In a nutshell, I'm aggro pre and mostly on the flop, then become more passive on the turn, ESPECIALLY when my hand doesn't improve considerably or I face a scare card. I've mostly overbet the turn and I'm very weak on the river, ESPECIALLY OOP to an opponent's pot bet in a decent sized pot. I'm looking for suggestions and help and MORE THAN CHECK BACK BACK STRONGER HANDS ON THE FLOP.
TL;DR: Aggro pre, aggro flop; very weak on the turn without a strong hand or the nuts, and absurdly weak on the river. Need help.
5 Replies
Let's see your preflop stats by position.
4% 3b is the only exploitable part of your preflop as provided. Ramp that up. Throw more dominating and double-suited and high-card-blocking combos into your 3b bucket. 3b some more of your sb folds, perhaps.
You raise pre, get called once, oop, 100bbs deep, your hand AKK3ss, flop JT6 with a flush draw. Not too sure about a bet here. If you're betting this, you're probably betting too wide. You're not doing much protection, as a pair of kings is a pretty vulnerable hand that's getting smashed up by any continuing range. So you're counting on a fold or a gutshot to hit. You're better off checking all the AKKx that doesn't have a fd on this flop and instead moving some bare AKxx hands in there instead. Two broadway cards and a flush draw and straight draw on flop is a pretty dicey board to be betting on.
If you ramp down your flop c-bets, your turn c-bets have a lot more power. Sounds like you need to increase both your turn c-b frequency and identify better spots. Consider range advantage and blockers explicitly when you decide which hands on which flops play better as c/c or c/f or c/r. On some boards, when they call, they're calling all the way, but on other boards, they're very frequently making speculative flop calls to see if they hit or you slow down the betting. Barrel when you have enough combined range advantage, blockers, and outs to hit.
Not sure if you understand how absurd your problem is.
My mindset is typically that I want to protect my hand and not give free cards. Now, I realize that the right move here is almost undoubtably to check and if I do, I'm likely going to face a flop pot bet from a reg who knows me and while I'll probably call, the turn usually tells the story.
I'm looking for suggestions and help and MORE THAN CHECK BACK BACK STRONGER HANDS ON THE FLOP.
You claim to understand what you are doing wrong but refuse to do it in a better way. Now we need to tell you how to fix it without doing the only thing that helps.
Btw if you are OOP, you are not checking back. You are checking.
Thank you for the replies and help.
As far as what I'm doing wrong, that's why I posted the question, to see if I could get some help, because I'm frustrated. To further the problem, when I'm checking OOP (yes, my mistake for saying check back). I know that we're supposed to be checking more OOP. Another problem I have, is that I don't handle aggression well, so there's that.
I'm a relatively decent player and against many players I play check range OOP (except on A-high boards) no matter who opened pre. Just food for thought.
You likely don't handle aggression well because your range is weak. And why is it weak? Because you bet your strong hands. Your problems are related to knowledge and understanding.
As far as what I'm doing wrong, that's why I posted the question, to see if I could get some help, because I'm frustrated. To further the problem, when I'm checking OOP (yes, my mistake for saying check back). I know that we're supposed to be checking more OOP.
I'm a relatively decent player and against many players I play check range OOP (except on A-high boards) no matter who opened pre. Just food for thought.
You likely don't handle aggression well because your range is weak. And why is it weak? Because you bet your strong hands. Your problems are related to knowledge and understanding.
This is so critical. You know you need to check more, but internalize this - CHECK EVERYTHING. It's a totally different way of playing then what you are doing now. JJ -x, TT-x, KQ9-x, AK:fd-x, JTKQ-x. You will be xr'ing a lot more than you are right now (probably close to zero on these boards based on what you posted).
- 1. This is not a good spot - oop against two opponents. To a certain extent it doesn't matter what your hand is or what the board is - it's just a bad spot.
- 2. So play a small pot - unless you have the goods and then xr - and balance that with some other hands like mayb AK with FD
- 3. You won't need to "handle aggression" as well because the decisions will be smaller and worth less.
