A few guidelines to posting hands for strategy discussions..

[CardWarfare]

Hey guys. I've been checking out the strat forums around here and noticed that a lot of the questions being asked are very hard to answer, because there is a lot of information being left out. I've been making my way through the threads here and I notice a lot of very general questions about how to play small pairs, or things of that nature.

I think it's important to remember that poker is a very situational game. Meaning, a hand can be played many different ways depending on the situation you're in at the time.

When posting a hand, try to include a Hand History (if available), or at least a detailed description of the hand, including the format, (MTT, cash game, SNG, etc) Position, Chip stack (Yours and the opponents!), as well as any reads you have on the opponent, and any thought processes that went through your head at the time, or afterward.

Also, don't post results. This generally tends to skew people's advice, and make it more results-oriented, instead of situational. As we all know, there are situations in poker where you make the correct decision and still lose. All we as players should be concerned with is making the correct decisions throughout our sessions.



This will make discussions over certain hands much more effective and help the poster much more the next time a similar situation arises.


Just my 2 cents :wink:

[chane]

Great post, I agree. There are so many factors in this game and it's so situational. Many times there is not necessarily a "right" way to play a hand.

Only after the hand is over can we really learn what the right move was and like you said, if we already know the outcome, it's easy to see what the "right" move was.

[CardWarfare]

Edited

[JMoney2681]

Originally Posted by chane

Only after the hand is over can we really learn what the right move was "

Well, not really. It shouldn't matter what the villian had, since we don't know what he had at that time, anyway. If you call an all in with JJ and he held QQ it doesn't mean it was a bad call, much like if you were to call an all in with JJ an he held 99, it wouldn't make it a good call, necessarily.

The reality is that we should be more focused on making the "correct" play, not the "perfect" play, considering we don't see what they are holding, literally, until showdown. As long as your decisions are correct, as far as what your reads are, pot size, player tendencies, etc, you made the right play, whether you won or lost, and whether he had the hand or not.

[gkunit20]

Originally Posted by JMoney2681

Well, not really. It shouldn't matter what the villian had, since we don't know what he had at that time, anyway. If you call an all in with JJ and he held QQ it doesn't mean it was a bad call, much like if you were to call an all in with JJ an he held 99, it wouldn't make it a good call, necessarily.

The reality is that we should be more focused on making the "correct" play, not the "perfect" play, considering we don't see what they are holding, literally, until showdown. As long as your decisions are correct, as far as what your reads are, pot size, player tendencies, etc, you made the right play, whether you won or lost, and whether he had the hand or not.

Well said.

Nobody plays every hand perfect (Except for Phil Hellmuth).

[chane]

Originally Posted by JMoney2681

Well, not really. It shouldn't matter what the villian had, since we don't know what he had at that time, anyway. If you call an all in with JJ and he held QQ it doesn't mean it was a bad call, much like if you were to call an all in with JJ an he held 99, it wouldn't make it a good call, necessarily.

The reality is that we should be more focused on making the "correct" play, not the "perfect" play, considering we don't see what they are holding, literally, until showdown. As long as your decisions are correct, as far as what your reads are, pot size, player tendencies, etc, you made the right play, whether you won or lost, and whether he had the hand or not.

You're right. I didn't phrase that correctly. By "right", I meant winning move.

Calling an all-in pre flop with AA is the "right" move, but if you're opponent has KK and a K hits the board, it wasn't the "winning" move.

[JMoney2681]

Originally Posted by chane

You're right. I didn't phrase that correctly. By "right", I meant winning move.

Calling an all-in pre flop with AA is the "right" move, but if you're opponent has KK and a K hits the board, it wasn't the "winning" move.

Yes sir. This concept is hard for players to understand.

The "correct" play versus the "perfect" play, and such.

[hexx54]

i find that no hand you start off with is GOING to win, its all about luck and the way people play. I've lost with my AA many times to mediocre hands such as 8-7, 5-6 and other suck.

Poker is luck.

Period.

[gkunit20]

Originally Posted by hexx54

i find that no hand you start off with is GOING to win, its all about luck and the way people play. I've lost with my AA many times to mediocre hands such as 8-7, 5-6 and other suck.

Poker is luck.

Period.

I'm not going to go into detail about how you're wrong. Just know that you're wrong.

[Irondime]

Originally Posted by hexx54

i find that no hand you start off with is GOING to win, its all about luck and the way people play. I've lost with my AA many times to mediocre hands such as 8-7, 5-6 and other suck.

Poker is luck.

Period.

if you beleive its luck period, please post where you play and your username so i can come take your money