I am planning on buying a poker book in the near future. But I am not sure how to categorize the type of poker i play. Me and my friends usually play ring games. We all buyin for 5 dollars worth of chips only and can bet as much as we want, so we play no limit. So heres the problem, when reading reviews of poker books, all the no limit ones(which we play) all are for big betting and high stakes games, not the 5 dollar buyins that me and my friends play. So what kind of book would you recommment, a one for low stakes and limit holdem or for no limit. That book at the top of my list currently is the book by Reuben and Ciaffonne, Pot-Limit and No-Limit.
Yeah my friends an i play similar but 10 dollar buy in... If i were you I'd get Doyle Brunson's "Super System" it has a pretty good section on no limit and it should apply to all no limit no matter what the buy in is. You also might want to get "Caro's Book of Poker Tells" by Mike Caro, which has a lot of different things you will catch your friends doing that give away their hand. If you are really into poker those two books are considered some of the best books to read.
Usually when they talk about large buyins/bets i try to narrow it down to what i play. For instance if i read a book where theres a $10,000 buy in and people are betting $2,000 then i will just think in my mind that its a $10 buy in and they are betting 2 dollars so that its easier to relate to our buyins/betting.
Skip Ciaffone and Reuben's book for now. It is a good piece but I don't think you'll get anything from it at your level of play.
Also, technically you are playing no limit. But for the low stakes, I would really classify this game as fun. I play in a NL home game sometimes where the buy-in is $20. If I play serious, I can easily beat it. But...I usually don't play serious. Frankly, I'll spend more in a bar on a Friday night than the 2 or 3 buy-ins I piss away by being stupid and trying new moves. I just checked my records and I am currently up $3 for that game. Yup, a whole 3 bucks LOL. But, its in all in fun for that one.
As for books, there are a couple you should read to start things out. I will list them in order of what I consider important for you. If you have the money lying around, buy and read them all right now.
1. Winning Low Limit Hold'em - Lee Jones
2. Championship NL and PL Hold'em - Cloutier and McEvoy
3. Super System - Brunson, et. al. (has both limit and NL sections plus other games)
Those 3 should get you off to a good start.
Any other ways to highly suspect someone's on the flush draw besides...
1) there's 2 on the board after the flop or 3
after the turn
2) someone keeps betting small or calling small bets on flop and turn
3) or possibly bets the pot with 3 on the board
(meaning they may have the A of the suit)
I think you've nailed the most common clues. Alot of players will bet out on the flop if they are on a four flush to throw off opponents of reading them for a flush draw. Basically, the easiest way to tell is if someone just seems to "hang around" a hand. To counter-attack that, I like to throw a raise somewhere in the mix if I'm on a draw. This does a couple of things for me. First and foremost, it throws off any kind of read on me. Secondly, it builds up a pot if I do hit. In this case, if I have the nut flush and the board isn't paired, I like to check the turn and trap someone into betting into me. If this happens, I'll either check raise or call and check raise the river depending on position and opponent. Sometimes, raising on a draw will actually push someone out who's just trying to get info as to where you stand in the hand. They may be on a draw themselves and decide that it's just not worth chasing.
It's a lot easier to figure out in limit...9x out of 10 the flush draw will raise your top pair or the like to buy a free draw at a flush. I always play back at that person if I have a set or top pair top kicker. If they slow down, then I know they are on a draw. If they don't, they still could be on a draw and jacking up their odds to call the turn, but that takes a real aggressive player and is rare.
In NL, it's much more complex. Sad to say, but I think the only way to find out is to make a healthy opening bet and see how they respond. MOST good players will not risk a significant amount of their stack on a draw, but you really have to look out for the "go big or go bust" players, because they will jam you right back and then you better have no less than two pair to stay in.
Now if you are talking live play and looking for tells, watch how they look at the board. This has only worked for me once but I remember looking for this and seeing it.
Watch closely how they respond when you act. If you put a flush draw to a decision on the flop, there is a natural human instinct to not trust what one has seen at first. They're pretty sure what they have in their hand (and if someone goes to their hand to look at their cards, don't fall for that--it's a pure fake unless the player is a bonehead), but the board has three heretofore unknown cards and before committing a goodly number of chips to the pot, a person not in total command may want to make sure that the spade he saw is not really a club.
This worked for me when the flop came 2hJhKd, and I made middle set. I bet out, and the guy took a quick scan and his eyes moved perceptibly to take in the whole board. He raised. Kh hits the turn. I checked, he bet out, I raised, he called. Got him again on the river too. I understand this hand plays the same way without the tell, but I remember seeing that moving glance and giving myself a pat on the back for actually picking up on it, which I usually can't do.
I was playing in a 2-4 game on Party Poker. When a guy berated me for being a bad player. Here's the hand...
Position: Mid
Pot Status: Called
Hand Held: 99
Action: Call
The SB raises to $4....I call....and 5 players see the flop.
Flop...8, 10, Q (rainbow)
SB bets $2
2 players before me fold....here's my thinking.
There's $22 in the pot. I put the SB on AA or KK, because he raised from the SB with so many callers (He could have had AK, but based on previous play, I didn't think he would raise with AK).
I am getting 11 to 1 on my $2 bet. I figure I have 6 outs... the two 9's or the 4 Jacks. Probability wise, cards work out to 6/47 or a little better than 8 to 1. Hence I call the bet. (So does the other player behind me which gives me a little better pot odds.)
The turn comes...now the board is 8, 10, Q, 10.
The SB checks.....why???? I don't know why he checks.....guess what?? I check too!!!! So does the other player.
Three players see the river. 8, 10, Q, 10, J
I now have a straight to the Q...not the nut straight, but worth the $4 call from the bet of the SB.
SB has AA...loses to my straight. This player then proceeds to tell me what a bad player I was for calling on the flop..."How could you call on 99? You are an idiot!!"
I don't really care what he said, but is my thinking wrong...should I have not called the pre-flop raise...the flop bet??
What do you think??
I think you played the hand extremely well. I would have maybe raised with 9's depending on how many people called in front of me. But what are you supposed to do when the small blind raised? Fold, I think not, especially getting 9 to 1 for your call.
The flop isn't a terrible flop for you, you have six outs and are getting the right pot odds to call, or maybe even raise if you think you might be able to get a free card. But hey the guy gave you a free card anyway. Not your fault he played it stupid.
The river you hit your money card, I like the call here since the board had paired and yours wasn't the nut straight. If the guy had any class or self control he would have said nice hand instead of berating you. I can't stand these guys who insist on talking shit at the table, it's bad poker. And they obviously don't understand that if you truly were a bad player they need guys like you to pay them off. I say well played too bad the guy was an asshole.
Calling with pocket 9s from the middle is fine depending on your style of play.
Calling the raise from the SB is fine.
You have the odds to see 1 more on the flop so the call there was fine. But, this can be dangerous against 5 players seeing the flop. I definitely wouldn't get cocky here.
The second T on the turn would have made me very nervous against 2 other players. Many people play QT and T8. Hell, I do on occasion. The fact that the SB checked means he was scared too. Hence, the free card.
As for the call on the river...I would have.
Nice play.
Thanks gentlemen...I would have folded on the turn had there been a bet....but what's a person to do....fold when there is no need??
I heard this somewhere on this board.... it would work well in this situation...
after he has blurted some crap about how bad you play... wait until the middle of the next hand... then type...
"I'm sorry, were you saying something... I couldn't hear you... I was stacking your chips."
He'll either shut up, or more likely go on tilt!
Of course you played it right. You won! Not only that, you got him on tilt which is a bonus because he may not play very rationally at least until he wins some money back. You can't always play by the book (if there is just one book) so being unpredictable is an asset also.
You're defenitely not a bad player, if anything, he's the bad player. Not because he "misplayed" AA (which I believe he did), but because he does not have the capacity to read or understand other players reasons for being involved in a pot. He decided AA was invincible, and then he froze when the 10 on the turn came, only fearful of trip 10s. He then proceeded to ignore the even more dangerous J on the river and bet right out. If you had even decided to be daring and raise on the river I'll bet you he would have gone even more ballistic! (and may have re-raised you). He just put too much value on AA with no respect to the other players and the board.
If you can rationalize to me why you play any 2 cards against another player/field, regardless of what you hold, and you take down the pot, then I respect you.
I agree with how you played the hand. Strong cards than yours were on the board, so playing it tight is the way to go.
I was playing in a SNG on Party the other evening and some guy said to me: "keep raising Dave you are winning these hands on BS anyway." What does that mean? This is probably the same guy. He was out in 2 more hands anyway.
I definately don't think you played the hand badly, but I do disagree with the calling of the bet on the flop. I understand that you had 'pot odds' to call the bet. However, there was also a good chance that even with any of the cards you were drawing to, you could have been drawing dead. That is the problem with computing pot odds and basing your play off it; your read of your opponent's hand has to be perfect or pot odds don't mean $hit.
For example, if he held AK, and one of the 4 Jacks hit, then you were toast. If one of your 9's hit then you'd still be smoked by anyone holding two 10's or two Q's. The pre-flop raise could have easily been two 10's, two Q's, or big slick. Just something to remember.
I play NL more than L so my comments may be flat wrong here. Comments??
A somebody else said, you won the pot, so nice job and congrats!
No one has mentioned the third guy in the hand yet. He's the one I would have been concerned about. On the flop, he could have held any of several hands that tie or dominate your 99.
The way the hand played out I suspect he had KJ or AJ, flopped a two-way straight draw with it, and didn't improve. (Other possibility: pair plus inside straight draw.) A nine probably would have made you an expensive second-best hand.
