Poker Video: No Limit Hold'Em by DJ Sensei (Mid Stakes)

Thanks, nice to see full ring videos too.

Just one question; Why are you skipping NL100 and NL200 levels? I think the play at those levels is a little bit different than at NL50 or NL400 so it would be nice to see at least one video at NL100 or NL200.

I may well make videos for the in-between levels later, but for now I kinda just wanted to do a brief overview of ssnl, msnl, and hsnl fullring.

Also, I haven't played any of these levels (aside from 10/20) in a long time so I may not even be well qualified to make a video specifically for nl100 or nl200. I don't know if I could really nail the best way to play if I don't know the games that well.

Another awesome video Dan. Taking furious notes like usual. I can happily say before this I have rarely played FR but ever since watching I have been able to get up a few buy-ins and tighten up my game. It has also helped me on my MTT strat too.

Thanks man and look forward to the next one.

Nice video again, thanks.

I am still trying to make up my mind if there was more 3-betting from position preflop versus 50NL but what was similar was that as soon as you stop firing and check, you get a bet back. BUT, it is couraging to see how our hero had to deal with those situations most of the time - by folding. I vote it is still to nit at this level.

It looked very similar to 50NL at FTP.

To me it seemed a little too ABC and passive - but what do I know I almost never play fullring. Maybe you did mention it, but how did you table select?

I didn't table select for the episode, I just loaded up the first 4 tables I could get on. I would not recommend that yall do that when playing, though.

As for ABC and passive, well, its probably a combination of me running bad and fullring being a more ABC and passive kind of game.

DJ

How would you compare the various online levels you're playing to live games? For example, does .25-.50 play similar to a typical 1-2 live or more like a 2-5? What about 2-4 online? How does that compare live?

DJ

How would you compare the various online levels you're playing to live games? For example, does .25-.50 play similar to a typical 1-2 live or more like a 2-5? What about 2-4 online? How does that compare live?

Tough to say specifically. I'd say low stakes live nl games (1-2 usually) probably plays as badly/softly as the lowest stakes online games (micro stakes like .05/.10 or .10/.25). 2-5 or 5-5 nl live probably is closest to maybe 50nl or 100nl online. 5-10 nl live is probably comparable to 400nl when its tough and 100nl when its not. 10-20 and up its harder to say, because generally they are played with uncapped buyins and deep stacks, which naturally lend themselves to a very different style and quality of play. They'll still usually be softer than their online counterparts, but you'll also find more live pros in them who are pretty good at doing what they do (even if they'd get owned online)

Also, a 5-10 game can be very soft or pretty tough depending on where its played: for instance, the bellagio 5-10 is probably super soft compared to the wynn 5-10, because the bellagio offers higher stakes games all the time (that the best players will be playing at), while at the wynn, 5-10 is often the biggest game and thus has the toughest players (who don't want to make the treacherous journey all the way over to the bellagio, lol).

Is the Ipod version of episode 3 available? I found the ipod version of 1, 2 and 4 but not 3.

Is the Ipod version of episode 3 available? I found the ipod version of 1, 2 and 4 but not 3.

We don't provide ipod versions of the videos that are more than 1-table as they are too small to see well on smaller screens.

Rob

I'm really enjoying this series, your commentary is concise and clear.
I love your tone of voice on the AK<AQ hand. "For a second there I was worried my hand would hold up," classic

.mp4 video is N/A, FYI

.mp4 video is N/A, FYI

Are you in Europe? Works fine for me on the US side.

Rob

Time Link to 00:31:20

I noticed here and at @ 34:00 you elected to fold. You didn't seem to have many hands with both players so you didn't have any reason they could be bluffing and thus they probably didn't have many to you and could be thinking the same, right? If so, why wouldn't a sized reraise be good in both spots?

Wouldn't a reraise in the J-T hand on @ 31:00 possibly alert the villain that you could be raising for value with a set in your range having the 7h now adding a possible flush draw on board?

And on the the 34:00 would that possibly allow you to ask if he has a jack like on a previous hand where you mentioned the raise as asking if he had a king while also possibly repping a stronger hand without him having too much info on you?

I'm curious as what the mindset of higher stakes players with these kind of actions are.

If so, why wouldn't a sized reraise be good in both spots?

In both cases, raising would be turning our hand into a bluff. In the first case, I don't really like the idea of doing that with top pair and also the sizing is bad because we'd basically have to commit stacks. In the second, its not quite as bad an idea but I'm still not psyched about it. One possibly nice result is that he's betting out with a flush draw, and I can raise for value and then checkback when he calls the turn raise. But thats probably a comparatively small part of his range.

In general, I don't like turning made hands into bluffs in FRNL until I have more significant reads on my villains. Its a sophisticated play and I don't want to just punt off chips to somebody who can't fold top pair.

Time Link to 00:48:50

GoldSeraph decides to jump on tables 1 and 3 to challenge DJ sensei

Time Link to 00:22:28

DJ,

when a short stak reraises OOP from SB to 46 over your LP w/KQs open you mention that the size of his stack (228 to start) made you more inclined to call.... "If I flop a pair I am happy to go with it", but then you fold to an AJx board you are looking at $75 to win his remaining $110?

I guess I am thinking the opposite (as a beginner) -- If I call his 3bet w/KQs my implied odds if I get a big hand are low, since he put in 20% of his stak pre, and him being a short stak, he figures to put in a pretty good percentage on the flop. So his $75 flop bet, which is not even a pot size bet means you will be folding 2/3 of the time?

I am just beginning to play NLHE, but wonder if I am just getting this spot terribly wrong. I typically fold suited connectors and medium/small pairs to 3 bets from short staks since there is no payoff post flop. Versus a 3bet OOP, your KQs hand seems very much a drawing hand?

which

DJ,

when a short stak reraises OOP from SB to 46 over your LP w/KQs open you mention that the size of his stack (228 to start) made you more inclined to call.... "If I flop a pair I am happy to go with it", but then you fold to an AJx board you are looking at $75 to win his remaining $110?

I guess I am thinking the opposite (as a beginner) -- If I call his 3bet w/KQs my implied odds if I get a big hand are low, since he put in 20% of his stak pre, and him being a short stak, he figures to put in a pretty good percentage on the flop. So his $75 flop bet, which is not even a pot size bet means you will be folding 2/3 of the time?

I am just beginning to play NLHE, but wonder if I am just getting this spot terribly wrong. I typically fold suited connectors and medium/small pairs to 3 bets from short staks since there is no payoff post flop. Versus a 3bet OOP, your KQs hand seems very much a drawing hand?

which

Well, I'm a bit removed from FRNL games and this is an old video, but here goes:

Depending on how deep we are, KQs can range from a top pair get-it-in type hand to a reverse implied odds hope-we-aren't-dominated hand to an actual implied odds lets-make-a-straight-or-flush hand. At this depth, it is the former, and while we wouldn't complain about flopping a straight or flush draw, our main plan is to flop a pair. If he's 100bb deep, then flopping a pair isn't as great and could be costly, but we also aren't deep enough to get really paid the times we make a strong hand. If he's 200bb deep, then we're looking at trying to make a 5 card hand and play for stacks.