Not working. Doing just terrible. Played this really bad player, nitty guy. I opened almost everything 2x. He knew exactly when I was strong and when I was weak. It was hopeless. Battled him for over 20 mins. He wins all the big pots. I win 1bb, 2bb. As soon as he has something he comes overtop and takes the big pot. So I called him on one, yup he had it, so all my folds were good. Then I was micro and battled back but it was a matter of time. Absolutely pointless. My heads-up game @#$% stinks! And it’s only getting worse.
I want to hone in on something you keep saying: “he knew when I was strong and when I was weak.”
What do you mean by that, and how can you tell that “he knew”?
I’ve skimmed through the entire thing up to this hand: Log In · Get into our Poker Games - Replay Poker
You’d played great up till this, but you just have to go for gold here. Ideally bet bigger on the turn, but be all-in on the river either way. You know this player is too tight and they’ve called a pot size flop bet on a pretty dry board, they almost certainly have a K here. Given how often they’ve potted the river when checked to in this line before, I’d probably be going for the check raise.
If you can battle back from being short, that’s a pretty good indication that your game is fine. No one wins them all.
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@lihiue I just want to extend my great appreciation for you going through all my hands like that last week. I can’t reply to PMs. My box is broken. Well there is more to it than that but the only way that I can speak freely about it with you is at a table.
I open 2x. If I have KQs, he folds pre. If I have T6o, he calls or very occasionally raises. I know by his frequency that his raises mean that he’s very strong. Eventually I tested that out and he was indeed very strong and that basically screwed me for the rest of it.
He could have been lucky, but it goes this way most of the time regardless of the opponent, so I’m not sure what kind of tell I’m giving off by very consistently opening 2x and some 2.5x, but they all just know. Either that or this open really wide at low blinds just doesn’t work. Ever since I’ve started trying it, my heads-up game has gone in the toilet.
Don’t buy into the “x doesn’t work at low stakes” stuff. Good poker always works. You may have a timing tell, but I doubt it. More than likely just variance. Remember that you can barely begin to draw conclusions about the robustness of your HU strategy with a sample as small as 10 games.
You’re trying something new; of course you’ll experience growing pains. It’s hard to think and execute at the same time.
Finally, if you’re used to playing one way, odds are you are making a lot of exploits the way you usually play, and now when you stop doing that (or doing something else instead) your results suffer in the short run. It makes sense, is my point. Doesn’t mean you’re “messing up” or that this new strat “doesn’t work.”
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That’s not unexpected. They’re overfolding, so you can mostly expect folds when you have good hands. You are opening wide so will mostly have trash when they call. They’re definitely not always calling when you have trash though, unless you were having an amazing run of strong hands pre. It never feels like your ahead when you’re only picking up small pots, but you had a chip lead most of the time without having to win a hand at showdown. That’s for sure going to be winning in the long run.
Also, in, the critical hand: Log In · Get into our Poker Games - Replay Poker
they call 3x pre with T9o and then go all in with just a gutshot on a paired board, so it’s not like raises are always that strong. (You should have just put the money in yourself on this flop though - too many outs to fold, but you have 9 high so getting folds with this much money in the pot is very good for you too).
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Played 2 more, tightened up a bit and sized up a little and won both. Much easier to get them in for those big pots when I’m strong.
Maybe crazy wide and aggro is good against good players but against weak opponents I’m just fooling myself.
Played this really bad player at 25k. I would open 2.5x, 3x and he would call a lot, then I would 1/3rd or 1/2 pot the flop and he would fold a ton. If I had to just barrel and he folds the river. Rare cases that he raises, I fold. I would bet any scare, any paired board, he ran away. I crushed the guy. Had him dead to rights. Got him short stacked and all-in FIVE TIMES! One time I knew that I was behind but he only had 200 chips. The other 4 times I was ahead and he hit the run out ALL FOUR TIMES!! It was hard to get him all-in because he folds so easily. Then he actually had something to call a bluff and took the chip lead. I took 90% of the pots. 27 freaking minutes of absolute total crushing!
I lost.
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heads-up in a nutshell! GG
Found another fish. Kicked his butt all over the table for 20 mins. He buttlucks one large pot and I’m in survival mode. I jam TT he calls with A8sp and the flop is 3 monotone spades (one of my Ts even blocks it).
Lost again. This is hopeless.
the bermuda triangle claims another soul…
How come everyone who beats you is “bad” or “a bum?” Just let it roll, get the next one. Insulting players all over the message board is uncalled for. My cousin plays crazy, but she still wins sometimes and for real money. But I wouldn’t call her “a bum.” She just enjoys gambling more than she cares about winning.
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reminder to self that this is what showdown can look like between two of the world’s top HU players (PR0DIGY overbet the river; Linus called):
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Awwww-send your cousin 2 Betmgm poker please-sounds like a fun lady 2 play with:)
Until you lose to her lol
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Awww, i will be honest-cash games ( i ONLY play ring games) i do not lose very often–and i am not even good at hold-em:)
I bet.
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