Episode Three

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Episode Three

Watch as sthief09 reviews a 50NL 4-tabling video submitted by a DeucesCracked member, pointing out and discussing many mistakes commonly made by TAGs in today's games.

tags: sthief09 50nl member submitted tag mistakes nlhe no limit coaching video

This Series: Turning the Corner

Josh's highly-anticipated small-stakes No Limit guide. With all the widely available information on the internet, games are tougher than ever. This trickles all the way down to the small stakes and even micro-limit games. If you're not constantly improving, thousands of players who are will pass you right by, and as a result it's no longer good enough to be merely competent. Sthief09 moves from 50NL to 200NL, teaching you solid fundamentals, and showing you when it's correct to deviate from tight, straightfoward strategy. Whether you're a new player who wants to beat the small stakes games, or you're a veteran looking to increase your winrate and move up, this series will help you turn the corner on your poker game.

Previous Video: Episode Two | Next Video: Episode Four

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Comments for Episode Three

Echelon
Deuce High
19 posts
Joined 01/08

awesome

Posted Mar 21, 2008 9:27pm

foal
Deuce High
18 posts
Joined 02/08

I really like this format.

Posted Mar 21, 2008 10:32pm

Echelon
Deuce High
19 posts
Joined 01/08

this is the best format ever, hopefully more vids will be made in this style

Posted Mar 21, 2008 11:31pm

sthief09
Exec Producer
Set of Deuces
321 posts
Joined 07/07

sweet, glad you guys like this. there is one more like this that will be for 200nl.

also, sorry about the audio quality. we're trying to figure out what the problem is.

Posted Mar 21, 2008 11:32pm

shawn
Pair of Deuces
130 posts
Joined 03/08

Hey, this is awesome stuff.

One minor lol tho, in the hand where you advise against raising up the T7hh from the hijack with a 50 VP$IP on the button you somehow missed the fact that hero had just stacked that guy and he had left the table, so in fact hero is now in the cutoff raising a 22.5, 23, and 23.5.

Great video though, keep it up!

Posted Mar 22, 2008 1:23am

grunch
Deuce High
10 posts
Joined 01/08

enjoyed the vid

one thing tho. at around 21:00 hero had QTs against a fish in the blind, isolated preflop & the flop came rags. You said hero showed good restraint by not cbetting the flop, and the rest of the analysis was based on this, but he did cbet the flop.

Posted Mar 22, 2008 3:37am

caderousse
Deuce High
40 posts
Joined 01/08

Indeed this is my favorite format. Please do more of these.

Posted Mar 22, 2008 3:56am

Blixx
Deuce High
37 posts
Joined 03/08

5/5 for this video and I've only had time to watch half of it.

I think this is the best possible format for coaching/review/sweat type videos. It worked better than one of the others I saw, where students were asked to comment while the coach was playing, leading to a lot of timing out and rushed situations.

Here, the video's done in advance so the play isn't influenced as much by the reviewer and it also let you pause and go into much more detailed analysis of some trickier spots.

Bonus its NL50 and also 4 tables :)

Posted Mar 22, 2008 6:02pm

SlimboKarvell
Deuce High
61 posts
Joined 01/08

I didn't like this video too much.
First of all the technical difficulties. The sound quality is bad and the play is not in real time. That does not allow us to see any timing tells and generally it is difficult to follow the action on all the tables (also lot of table changes, stats popping up, sudden cuts in the middle of hands etc.) Then you seem to miss the action at some hands and comment on them anyway (e.g. T8 hand where the button sits out, QT hand). Perhaps 4 tables and super speed is a bit too much?
Concerning the play there are some comments I didn't agree with like completing the SB with KJ when the button limps, calling raises in position with JQ and KQ etc., no 3bets, calling 96s against a bet and a raise on a 9 hi flop. But then suddenly T9s is a solid hand UTG?
In my opinion such videos only make sense when you are sweating the player. He can explain why he plays in a certain way and you get some kind of discussion going.

Posted Mar 22, 2008 6:43pm

ybother
Deuce High
54 posts
Joined 01/08

really like this particular video and more importantly really like the concept of the video, would love to see many of these across limits and poker variants

Posted Mar 23, 2008 1:08am

corsakh
Deuce High
60 posts
Joined 02/08

Bro, he did cbet the flop at 20:50 ;) He bet 3 into 3.5.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with this cbet though.

Posted Mar 23, 2008 11:49am

mcmatto
Deuce High
19 posts
Joined 03/08

better than any Cardrunners video i have ever watched

Posted Mar 24, 2008 6:37am

sthief09
Exec Producer
Set of Deuces
321 posts
Joined 07/07

regarding the c-bet that he made when I thought he checked (where I said he showed good restraint), I agree it's fine. at some point you have to show players like that that you're capable of not betting every time they check to you, and I thought that was a good time to do it. it was a very dry board, so if I noticed he bet, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have commented, because betting is fine and standard on such a dry flop. but it's a spot where it's good to sometimes check vs. someone who's almost always calling with A high and often with K high. so since again, at some point we have to not c-bet, I felt like this was a good time to check. And checking the flop in no way means you forego your chance to take the pot down.

I still bet the river, but it's not "trivially easy." His most likely hand is a flopped pair, and a small (~1/3 pot) bet should get him to pay off. Anyway, not sure how this slipped through, and I apologize for that.

I noticed the T7s hand when I was giving it a final run through. The button was actually in the hand with like 5 or 10 BB, but insta-left as soon as he folded. I didn't think it was worth editing in the audio there, as it's usually pretty noticeable when I do that and try to only do it when I 100% need to. If the button wasn't in the hand, I agree shawn, good spot to raise with tight players behind.

Posted Mar 24, 2008 8:06pm

sthief09
Exec Producer
Set of Deuces
321 posts
Joined 07/07

I didn't like this video too much.
First of all the technical difficulties. The sound quality is bad and the play is not in real time. That does not allow us to see any timing tells and generally it is difficult to follow the action on all the tables (also lot of table changes, stats popping up, sudden cuts in the middle of hands etc.) Then you seem to miss the action at some hands and comment on them anyway (e.g. T8 hand where the button sits out, QT hand). Perhaps 4 tables and super speed is a bit too much?
Concerning the play there are some comments I didn't agree with like completing the SB with KJ when the button limps, calling raises in position with JQ and KQ etc., no 3bets, calling 96s against a bet and a raise on a 9 hi flop. But then suddenly T9s is a solid hand UTG?
In my opinion such videos only make sense when you are sweating the player. He can explain why he plays in a certain way and you get some kind of discussion going.




Timing tells are definitely important, and you're right that speeding up the video makes that tough to notice, but it enables me to fit many more hands into a given period of time, and minimizes the amount of sitting and waiting people do for the next interesting hand to come up. For this series, my goal has been to cram as many hands as possible. Watching hands play out helps gain experience without playing, and more importantly sharpens your hand reading skills.

You may be right about the conversation, but this particular person wasn't interested in being in a video. That would've reduced the number of hands we're able to go through also. Entity and I did that for I believe episode 3 of my first season series, and we were only able to go through 4 or 5 hands. Great, in depth analysis, but again that moves away from my goal of showing tons of SSNL hands.

And regarding your hand comments, it's hard for me to find them all without the times, but yes all those things sound fine to me. The 96s was a minbet and a raise. A minbet is closer to a check than a bet, especially from such a loose cannon. Rarely is it a sign of strength. If there's something in particular you don't agree with, I'd be happy to defend it here if you provide the time or the entire hand.

thanks for the critiques. they are much appreciated, and I hope you like the rest of the videos more.

Posted Mar 24, 2008 8:21pm

grebgokz
Deuce High
28 posts
Joined 02/08

I also liked the format of this video or rather the concept.

Concept of recording the play in advance and afterwards coment on the intresting spots, gives more intresting situations explaned (in some detail) in a shorter time then compared where we comment live while playing (and sometimes dont even get time to take the action planned because timer runs out while explaining the reasoning behind the desicion).

Better video as a base next time and it will be excelent.

Posted Mar 25, 2008 7:53am

chomp
Deuce High
71 posts
Joined 03/08

I liked the format and content a lot. Very practical, realistic advice on those common, "simple" situations that basically decide your winrate. Look forward to the next in the series.

I very much liked the characterisation of a blind battle: "more like a HU match than 6-M". I'd never thought of it in those specific terms, but it's a great macro approach to it.

On the downside, sound was a bit wonky for me too, but no big deal. And it would be good if the tables were identified 1,2,3,4 in commentary.

Posted Mar 25, 2008 7:29pm

sweetysven
Deuce High
71 posts
Joined 03/08

I really liked this video, also because you came across situations where I find it difficult to play. I take some notes and learnt a lot! Keep up the good work! Especially finding the good situations with nits behind you and a donk in the blinds, good stuff!

I have some questions, or people can answer them too ofcourse ;)

I see calling in position with hands like JTs/QKs etc, I normally fold them against TAG, because I have always learnt these are reversed implied odds hands, which can cost you lots of money, on flops like K high. Of course, I can fold these kind of hands on the flop when I am suspicious. Is this a big leak? What about low suited connectors?

My next question is can you recommend me something how to improve in reading players, like that play with, minibet flop and turn/push river. I always fold that, because I think he is playing some obvious monster. And the hand in the blind battle with KQ, and c/r all-in by the SB. You just explained me this is e easy call against a TAG, i would come up with these ideas of: I showed strength, raised him made a cbet, how can he think I dont have a good hand. He must have me beat. I try to understand these kind of plays.

Against those TAG regulars at 50NL at FTP, do you suspect those player understand all the aspects you were telling about? For example, calling a raise while he has a LAG next to him, do these player take these things into account? How much credit do you give them, because they (and I) are still playing on microlimits.

Thanks!

Posted Mar 25, 2008 11:44pm

johnnyson
Deuce High
38 posts
Joined 02/08

sick video

Posted Mar 26, 2008 8:10am

yummyt
Deuce High
1 post
Joined 01/08

I really like how you speed up your videos to the interesting bits.

Keep them coming!

Posted Mar 26, 2008 3:08pm

shark_fishin
Deuce High
67 posts
Joined 03/08

very nice video, thnx for that.
im interested to know if review peoples videos for a fee, as a coach, or do you only make these for the site?

Posted Mar 30, 2008 3:59pm

munkey
Deuce High
13 posts
Joined 03/08

+1 on this concept/video

Posted Apr 3, 2008 6:31pm

BoOm
Pair of Deuces
149 posts
Joined 03/08

+1 on this concept/video



FYP

+2

Posted Apr 17, 2008 10:20pm

ph2133868789
Deuce High
1 post
Joined 04/08

30:23 QJs - what do you think of a check here given that donkus has already limped and our hand plays decent multiway? How easily do you think Donkus could call our raise with some crap? then what do you think of our spot?

Also interested in some of what sweetysven said.

Posted Apr 29, 2008 8:39pm

thefist
Deuce High
63 posts
Joined 07/08

isnot it better to fold Q9 on the QJT board?tho the good odds i think only the 8s can be real outs if none of them flopped the stone cold nuts

Posted Jul 18, 2008 2:35pm

thefist
Deuce High
63 posts
Joined 07/08

good video btw!

Posted Jul 18, 2008 2:36pm

dcvn
Deuce High
1 post
Joined 07/08

Great work !!! Thanks for it, sthief09. Hope to have more time to watch other videos here.

Posted Oct 29, 2008 8:29pm