---

Poker Video: No Limit Hold'Em by Grindcore (Micro/Small Stakes)

Grindcore, I am very impressed by your ability to judge your opponents skills. As a novice, I am having issues determining how to judge if a player is a thinking player or not. How do you know when a player is thinking past the first level of thinking? Usually I try to look at the vpip and pfr to guess if they are a decent player (tight is right). For example if I played with you, I would instantly and incorrectly believe you to be a fish because of your higher vpip and3bet % and I would incorrectly play you that way. How do you gauge their thinking level? Thank you

Grindcore, I am very impressed by your ability to judge your opponents skills. As a novice, I am having issues determining how to judge if a player is a thinking player or not. How do you know when a player is thinking past the first level of thinking? Usually I try to look at the vpip and pfr to guess if they are a decent player (tight is right). For example if I played with you, I would instantly and incorrectly believe you to be a fish because of your higher vpip and3bet % and I would incorrectly play you that way. How do you gauge their thinking level? Thank you

You can't really know what's going on in someones head if he's better than you. If you did, you'd be at least as good yourself. The larger your skill edge on your opponent, the more of the stuff he does you'll be able to figure out. I know with great precision what's going on in the head of the average SSNL reg when I see them making certain plays because I've been there myself and remember the things I knew and then things I didn't know yet when I was playing like them. So I guess it also largely comes down to experience.

Time Link to 00:15:50

Table 3, what if villain would have c/r 3x? Right here IP a call and OOP (for example BvB) a reraise/get it in? And what vs a minraise OOP?

Table 3, what if villain would have c/r 3x? Right here IP a call and OOP (for example BvB) a reraise/get it in? And what vs a minraise OOP?

Fold, he has a set, NFD or straight very often. I have reverse implied odds and am priced out to call for 1 street while he's likely betting the next too.

Time Link to 00:09:40

hi GC

3 questions about the same hand. table 2 with KQ

1). had are you doing on a brick river if he bets 2/3 pot ?

2) if the answers is player dependent what kind of reads you would need to ck/call on a brick river?

3) you are this hand against a 3/6 average thinking reg, but you open in CO and he calls on BTN... you cbet OOP and he call. turn comes the flush, would you also c/c? don't you fear your hand is to face up? can we gess game the river and try to gess if he bets river because we c/call turn?

thanks

Time Link to 00:31:48

table 1 with aj.

this is a kind of spot for one and done when called? or are you planning to barrel the fish?

That would work vs a reg. Fish are 1st level thinkers. They play their own cards, they're not responding to what you're doing. They'll call a larger raise with roughly the same range as a smaller raise.

You also miss a lot of value if you raise smaller because of the snowball effect of the potsize. Since postflop betsizes are sized based on the potsize, the more money that goes in pre, the larger the flop sizing will be, making the turn pot even larger (both the + from increased pre and the + from increased flop), which makes the river pot even larger (+ from increased pre and + from increased flop and + from increased turn). Lets say you raise 2.5x on BU and a BB fish calls. We bet x% of the pot on every street. Now at another table we play exactly the same hand, only we make it 3bb as only difference. We still bet the same x% on every street. On the 2.5x table the preflop money will make a pot of 5.5 big blinds. At the other table the pot will be 6.5bbs. Lets say the final pot on the first table is 100 bbs. The final pot on the 2nd table will be 100/5.5*6.5 = 118 bbs. So your 0.5 larger preflop raise earned you 9bbs extra profit (half of the 18 was your own money) without altering your postflop betsizes. Even if the fish folds some weak hands that he'd otherwise have called, this more than makes up for that.

ok I understand makes a lot of sense


so if we are in the BTN SB is a good player BB is a big fish then your standar raise size would be 3xbb here vs the fish. But this hand you did pick up a very good hand AA KK QQ AK something like that would you in this situation raise bigger maybe 4xbb or 5xbb. you are if you do this ofcurse lossing a lot of value vs the good player but maybe winning more vs the fish.

I understand that we are going to do what is most +ev but what do you think? is it just a big no no not to change your PF raising size depending on hand strength?

Time Link to 00:07:02

Table 3 with the KJs,
what do you think about leading the turn? Villain probably potcontrols a lot with pair + Draw Hands (T8;QT;98; QJ; AQ and so on), but he'll call with them on the Turn maybe some even River.
Problem might be that he's unknown and if he raises/ships we have to fold (depending on raisesize) even though we have some Equity (FD+Gutshot)

hi GC

3 questions about the same hand. table 2 with KQ

1). had are you doing on a brick river if he bets 2/3 pot ?

2) if the answers is player dependent what kind of reads you would need to ck/call on a brick river?

3) you are this hand against a 3/6 average thinking reg, but you open in CO and he calls on BTN... you cbet OOP and he call. turn comes the flush, would you also c/c? don't you fear your hand is to face up? can we gess game the river and try to gess if he bets river because we c/call turn?

thanks

1) c/c on a king, on a brick it'd be close. I'd probably call to see if he's giving away his hand strength with his betsize.

2) it's always player dependent. I'd need reads that he could be bluffing often enough to warrant a call (or valuebetting worse)

3) sometimes you have to be a slave to their frequencies. Just because our hand will be somewhat face up doesn't mean it's not the correct play. If you're worried about getting exploited, start thinking of ways to balance your lines, or if you know the way he's gonna try to exploit you, exploit him right back by counter adjusting.

table 1 with aj.

this is a kind of spot for one and done when called? or are you planning to barrel the fish?

I can't remember my reads on him anymore from just watching those few seconds of video, but if I feel he might fold a 2nd pair type hand on the turn, that'd be in favor of barreling (get value from draws at the same time). If I also have a read on his river play, it'd also be in favor of barreling (like him auto betting but the size equalling his hand strenght allowing for c/c's or CRAIs vs his busted draws/2nd pairs and c/f's vs his top pairs). Readless I'd probably be done on the turn.

ok I understand makes a lot of sense


so if we are in the BTN SB is a good player BB is a big fish then your standar raise size would be 3xbb here vs the fish. But this hand you did pick up a very good hand AA KK QQ AK something like that would you in this situation raise bigger maybe 4xbb or 5xbb. you are if you do this ofcurse lossing a lot of value vs the good player but maybe winning more vs the fish.

I understand that we are going to do what is most +ev but what do you think? is it just a big no no not to change your PF raising size depending on hand strength?

Depends on whether you can get away with it. The drunker the fish seems, the better it is to raise big. Like against the 90 vpip from episode 3 on table 2, I could probably go 8x with aces.

Table 3 with the KJs,
what do you think about leading the turn? Villain probably potcontrols a lot with pair + Draw Hands (T8;QT;98; QJ; AQ and so on), but he'll call with them on the Turn maybe some even River.
Problem might be that he's unknown and if he raises/ships we have to fold (depending on raisesize) even though we have some Equity (FD+Gutshot)

Yeah leading there is awesome. My bad for not having considered it. Talking while playing makes you auto pilot in the hands you're not talking about.

Time Link to 00:08:16

I have two questions on the KQs top right
1) any merrit to sqz this pre, I'm often not sure whats bether in those spots sqz. and taking it down preflop/isolate the Fish or call and play a Pot 3way. I guess you call because of skill advantage and the fact that they are both unknown. Do you ever sqz. with this hand pre? If yes when?
2) Not sure about the lead, I prefer checking there to let the PFR cbet (he seems to be aggro). If the donk was on purpose why aren't you betting the turn?

I have two questions on the KQs top right
1) any merrit to sqz this pre, I'm often not sure whats bether in those spots sqz. and taking it down preflop/isolate the Fish or call and play a Pot 3way. I guess you call because of skill advantage and the fact that they are both unknown. Do you ever sqz. with this hand pre? If yes when?
2) Not sure about the lead, I prefer checking there to let the PFR cbet (he seems to be aggro). If the donk was on purpose why aren't you betting the turn?

This was a clear squeeze preflop because of the fish. Postflop I didn't even realize I donked... As I said in the previous post, I'm on complete auto pilot when I'm talking out loud about other hands. I thought I was the PFR

hey grindcore, thx for doing this. 2 remarks:

To your A9o rebluff vs the 93s: at 32min:40sec

Why not check the turn? I'd def be checking the turn there, betting really just makes sense when you hope for a doublefloat which is probably too optimistic. His turn range is air and monsters (our assumption), so instead of hoping for a doublefloat on a card where we rarely are perceived to be bluffing - isnt it better to just pick up a turn bet by checking?!


To The KQ hand you are saying at the end that your line is consistent with a boat - I doubt it. Eventhough given the stacksizes it seems you'd never be bluffing there, most of villains range consists of bluffcatchers (given your pot size turn bet which polarizes your range quite a bit imo), so it doesnt make sense for you to go for a river c/r with a nutted hands, so I'd rarely bet/fold as villain. Dont you think?