What do ya do here?

[Graham C]

PokerStars Game #6586760114:  Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/10/10 - 16:06:16 (ET)
Table 'Aethra III' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: dps51 ($27 in chips)
Seat 2: TheLuckyLuke ($12.10 in chips)
Seat 3: Vegas Hotty ($38.75 in chips)
Seat 4: throwin_down ($27.25 in chips)
Seat 5: CSGATOR ($51.75 in chips)
Seat 6: Graham0573 ($46.75 in chips)
Seat 7: Montes76 ($48.60 in chips)
Seat 8: Scarer ($59.40 in chips)
Graham0573: posts small blind $0.25
Montes76: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Graham0573 [ ]
Scarer: folds
dps51: folds
TheLuckyLuke: folds
Vegas Hotty: raises $1.50 to $2
throwin_down: folds
CSGATOR: folds
Graham0573: calls $1.75
Montes76: folds
*** FLOP *** [ ]
Graham0573: bets $3
Vegas Hotty: raises $5 to $8
apbt dog man joins the table at seat #9

What do you do here?

[jezza777]

reraise to $18

[Graham C]

Yeah you are obviously right.

I'm a weak cash game player I think. I got worried and called.  Ended up losing to trip 5's (5 came on the turn) and the person that won offered that I should have reraised then she'd have had to fold.

Need to work on things like that.  I only really seem to have a problem in cash games.  Mtt's I don't have a problem coming over the top but the thought of losing real money seems to affect me.

5 minutes to learn, a lifetime to master.

[jezza777]

"I got worried and called. "


 This can be a big leak in a cash game dont call when you dont know what to do . Fold or raise. If you do raise and they move in you perhaps have to give them credit for a hand and pass however at least you have a better understanding of where you are as betting provides information on your foes hand.

[Graham C]

Cheers Jezza, it has been a bit of a costly experience for me just calling.  I tried to slow play trip queens the other day and just called a bet by the guy on the flop, he ended up winning with a flush after I let him in with 10s  

Must sort myself out - cheers

[MrsLime]

Graham0573: posts small blind $0.25
Montes76: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Graham0573 [ ]
Scarer: folds
dps51: folds
TheLuckyLuke: folds
Vegas Hotty: raises $1.50 to $2
throwin_down: folds
CSGATOR: folds

Everything ok so far.

Graham0573: calls $1.75

[Royal Flush]

As Mrs Lime points out, why do you call pre flop with QQ?

In nearly every single 1 of your PHA posts the HH starts of with you flat calling pre flop with a big-huge hand! Perhaps if you re-raised you wouldnt keep putting yourself in these situations!

[Graham C]

As Mrs Lime points out, why do you call pre flop with QQ?

In nearly every single 1 of your PHA posts the HH starts of with you flat calling pre flop with a big-huge hand! Perhaps if you re-raised you wouldnt keep putting yourself in these situations!

Because I've tended to lose   People tend to call with anything and any kings or aces on the flop and I'm done for.  I think I'm too scared to lose real money.  Perhaps I'm not a cash game player.

OK, tonight I'll be more positive and be a tiger with decent hands.   I know long term you want the limpers in with their bad hands, but short term, I don't want them in, I don't want to lose the money I have at the table for any amount of time.

Something I need to work on.  Cheers for the input.

[matt674]

Because I've tended to lose   People tend to call with anything and any kings or aces on the flop and I'm done for.  I think I'm too scared to lose real money.  Perhaps I'm not a cash game player.

So dont play cash then - stick to what your best at and make most profit playing.

[Graham C]

I started playing cash to work off the Stars bonus after I began to lose my stt game for a while.  It worked well for the first two weeks, I was up over $300 which is massive for me, but then I became too cocky and played too many hands and ended up losing most of it.  I'm hopefully getting it back together now and I play better cash when I'm also playing a mtt - it's something else to concentrate on and I don't get bored folding a lot at the cash table then.   

At my level of buy in for mtt's it's going to take years to work off the bonus so I moved to the cash and I do enjoy it.  I'm still just about up overall, but I need to turn it around before I finish the Stars bonus off or I'll probably stop.  I only have about 20 points to go and will do that tonight all being well.  Last bonus it took me nearly 3 months to work it off playing stt's/mtt's but this time I've done it in less than a month - mainly down to the cash games (although that Dublin EPT qualifier did help a lot)

I do it also because it's fantastic winning decent pots - it's like getting a result in a multi table but more regular, it feels great.   I just have turned into a bit of a fish recently!   I also think playing cash has helped my mtt game.  I've cashed in quite a high percentage of the mtt's I've played recently.  I just need to get it back together and get back to the way I was playing when I started with a bit more aggression - get rid of this namby pamby calling with QQ and be more positive.

[byronkincaid]

I've just moved down in stakes and I think I'm playing a lot better cos I'm not worried about the money. Playing cash will improve you as a poker player much more rapidly than just playing tourneys.

[tantrum]

Yes, you have to re-raise pre-flop.  You get yourself into all sort of trouble if you don't do it, unless of course your name is......(put any player that you regard as great)

If you 'tend to lose' you have to ask yourself for the reasons.  You can't blame others for your 'mis-fortunes'.

[kinboshi]

As others have said, you could try one (or both) of these:

1. Go into a session and make the decision that you don't call pre-flop. Only bet, raise or fold.  That way you will be playing hands where you'll be ahead most of the time.

2. Drop a level.  Don't play scared.  No matter what stakes you're playing, if you're playing scared, then stop.  You feel OK in tournaments because you know how much the maximum is you can lose.  The same should go for cash games.  Your bankroll should be big enough so that even if you lose your whole buy-in a number of times in a row, your bankroll is still intact, and you haven't lost 'too much' money for you to live with.

Good luck with it.

[Graham C]

Cheers for the advise.  I am happy at the level I'm playing, I just don't like losing money full stop - it wouldn't make any difference if it was at /10c, I don't like throwing it away.

I obviously have a tightness problem that's costing me though.  I like the idea of bet, raise or fold though Kinboshi, I'll try it and see how I go (can I check if someone else checks ?)