Neo Narcos001

HERO($19.48) is BB w Ad7c
LJ calls $.10
HERO checks
(pot $.24)

FLOP: 7s 6s Ah
HERO checks
LJ bets $.24
HERO calls $.24
(pot $.70)

I decided to just flat the bot pet from LJ on flop. After giving it some thought, I think I actually like a raise here more than I do just calling. We're gonna be ahead of all of villians Ax hands that spew bet for pot, he can have some flush draws - but, we're okay w getting the money in vs flush draws so shouldnt be a worry against raising. The only hands we're behind here is 66/77 & we block some combos of 77's w our hand. Calling isnt awful - keeps in all of LJ's air hands, although idk at what frequency he is pot betting his complete air hands. We're also ahead of his Ax - but, I think that is more reasoning to raise this flop. Overall, feels like a raise is better here instead of flatting.

TURN: Tc
HERO checks
LJ bets $.70
HERO calls $.70
(pot $2.03)

When he pots again on the turn I'm not exactly sure what he is repping aside from a strong Ax hand, 66, 77, or AT that turned two pair, & maybe 89s that turned straight although I dont think we're gonna see that hand as often as the aforementioned hands. Given that we only called flop, I decided to flat again on turn. Our hand is strong, but idk if its strong enough to be good should all the money go in on turn. I decide to call turn w intentions of calling most rivers.

RIVER: 4h
HERO checks
LJ bets $11.90 & is all in
HERO folds

I have absolutely no idea what to make of this hand, or the line villian took. It sucks folding two pair, especially given how underepped our hand is as well as it being hard for me to come up w a ton of value hands that villian could have here given how the action went on every street. However, he bets ~5x the entire pot on the river - do players rly spew this spot w absolutely nothing, or even strong Ax hands? I would think his AK,AQ,AJ hands would raise pre flop instead of limping. Realistically, idk how many hands we're losing against here - maybe AT, 66,77. Feels like we should be calling but such a large overbet. However, if we're not calling this hand, what hands are we calling the river? Seems like this is pretty close to top of our range in this spot. If we fold this I guess we're only calling our sets & AT? This hand is still a tough one for me to figure out. Would rly appreciate any insight into the entirety of this hand.

HERO($34.79) is in CO w KdJs
BTN($11.42)

HERO opens to $.30
BTN calls $.30
(pot $.72)

FLOP: Jd Kc 7c
HERO bets $.25
BTN calls $.25
(pot $1.19)

I think we played this spot pretty well. I think small bet is fine. Standard flop play.

TURN Qc
HERO checks
BTN checks
(pot $1.19)

This wasnt an ideal turn card for our hand. For our overall range however, its gonna be a decent card. I decided to go w a check here to pot control & help navigate some rivers. Our hand is strong enough to call a bet on turn after we check should BTN take that line - however, if we bet turn & BTN raises we're in a rly gross spot going to the river where a lot of cards are gonna make our hand less likely to be good. Interested to hear what others think of this spot - is our check okay? Should we be cbetting small on this turn & reevaluating on certain rivers? This spot is unclear to me.

RIVER: 5s
HERO bets $.75
BTN folds
HERO wins $1.94

I think river bet is standard here given the action on turn & river card being a brick relative to cards that kill the strength of our hand. Could maybe size up here to get called by worse two pair & even some Kx hands. Overall, I think river bet is good - maybe use a different sizing next time.

Thank you for any & all input/advice for this hand. The turn was tough for me to play, especially OOP.

HERO($21.82) is HJ w AcAs
BB($36.02)

HERO raises to $.30
BB calls $.30
(pot $.62)

FLOP: Qh 5c 4c
BB checks
HERO bets $.44
BB calls $.44
(pot $1.46)

I think betting a larger sizing on this flop is okay, maybe better to bet small - 33%? I think this flop is gonna hit BB calling range at a decent frequency - hes gonna have some Qx that is gonna call, we block his A5/A4 hands so shouldnt have those too often, he can have flush draws, he can have 67s,78s, & PP's that just flatted pre. Hes also gonna have 55/44 here at some frequency but not gonna refrain from betting out of fear for those two hands. I'm unsure if small bet or large bet on flop is most optimal. As played, I dont think our size here is too bad.

TURN: Ts
BB checks
HERO bets $1.11
BB calls $1.11
(pot $3.57)

I think the T on turn shouldnt improve BB's range too often aside from his QT hands. I think once we bet & get called, BB is gonna have a lot of Qx hands, maybe/although when we barrel idk how often his straight draws are gonna continue so not rly too worried about those particular hands on turn. He can still have flush draws when he calls turn. Idk if pool is gonna be folding their flush draws here or continuing to see the river.

RIVER: Tc
BB bets $6
HERO calls $6
(pot $14.97)
BB shows 7Jcc & wins.

This call was frustrating. When the flush draw comes in on river & BB overbet leads hes gonna be so heavily weighted towards flushes & maybe even sets that filled up. Even holding the Ac as an important blocker - I dont think its enough to make this call. I dont have a ton of experience w online play, but seems like - at least in the .10NL pool players are always weighted toward nutted hands when the overbet. I think my play on flop/turn were okay - maybe my bet sizings werent ideal? However, when we get to this river & BB overbet leads into us, its one of those hands where we sigh muck cause we're so unlikely to be good here at a high clip.

Interested to hear others opinions on this hand - in particular the river spot. Is this always a fold? If so, what hands do we find calls w here? Our full houses/flushes?

HERO($10.96) is SB w QJdd
LJ ($10.78)

LJ opens to $.30
HERO raises to $1.20
LJ reraises to $2.80
HERO calls $2.80
(pot $5.42)

First & foremost, I dont usually 3b vs a LJ open w this wide of a range. However, once I 3b & LJ reraises so small, I'm priced in to call. Also, while not completely happy about it, our hand plays well vs some hands the LJ can have in this spot. Optimally, i think folding pre vs LJ open is better.

FLOP: 3d 8d 2h
HERO checks
LJ checks
(pot $5.42)

Was planning to x/c if LJ bet flop as we have decent equity against the majority of hands that LJ is gonna have in this spot.

TURN: Qc
HERO bets $2.85
LJ calls $2.85
(pot $10.83)

Im not so sure I like betting this turn. We turn top pair however given the action pre flop we're still gonna be behind here some of the time. LJ is still gonna have AA/KK that checked flop at some frequency. LJ can even have KQs/AQs although I dont think those hands 4b pre very often. Anyway, I think x/c turn is a better play here as we keep the pot small & makes playing rivers easier. Betting doesnt seem to accomplish much aside from folding out LJ's AK hands.

RIVER: 8h
HERO checks
LJ bets $5.13 & is all in
HERO calls $5.13
LJ shows KsKd, wins $20.58

I think our call on the river is horrible. We dont beat any of LJ's value range & its hard for him to have any real bluffs on this river given how the hand was played. I think our river call was a compounding mistake extending from our turn bet. This is a total station call imo.

Would appreciate any & all feedback on this hand. I think we played it poorly on essentially every street minus the flop when it checked through. I think we should be folding pre vs LJ opening range. As played, I think x/c turn, & maybe x/c some rivers is better play.

HERO($15.02) is LJ w QcQs
BTN($16.78)

HERO opens to $.20 - i misclicked instead of opening to $.30
BTN raises to $.50
HERO 4b to $2.10
BTN calls $2.10
(pot $4.14)

I think we played this okay. I hate playing vs min raises - so annoying. However, w QQ i think we have to 4b. I went a little over 4x to reduce the odds BTN has to just call. I dont think many players are min raising better hands so was okay w getting money in pre flop.

FLOP: 4c 8h 7c
HERO bets $1.75
BTN calls $1.75
(pot $7.46)

Coordinated boards can be trouble for me to play at times. In particular, picking a bet size to go w. Given how action went pre flop, we arent gonna have any sets on this board as those wouldnt 4b at a high frequency. Feels like our hand is face up as an overpair w the occasional flush draw combos. I bet a little under half pot. I dont mind checking this flop at some frequency as it will hit BTN calling range at a decent rate - 88,77,44, 65s, 9Ts, 87s. I decided to bet this time to protect vs his hands like 99,TT, JJ, AK, AQ, AJ, AT hands. Am interested to see what others think of this spot & how we played it.

TURN: Kd
HERO checks
BTN checks
(pot $7.46)

This turn is awkward for us. Feels too thin to continue betting as now BTN's AK,KQs,KJs have caught up. I think we can reduce at some frequency, any of the aforementioned hands that were ahead on the flop as those should be betting this turn almost always to maximize value.

RIVER: 3h
HERO bets $2.85
BTN calls $2.85 & mucks hand
HERO wins $12.88

I think once it checks through on turn its okay to bet some rivers for thin value in order to get called by BTN's weaker hands - 99,TT, JJ, even A8s, A7s.

This hand was mainly difficult for me on the flop/turn. River seemed like straight forward spot. Any advice/input on this hand is more than welcome & appreciated.

HERO($13.30) is SB w JhJs
BB($9.80)

HERO opens to $.30
BB raises to $.90
HERO calls $.90
(pot $1.71)

At these stack sizes idk if flatting or 4b vs BB is the optimal play in this spot. I'm assuming at some frequency both are okay? In retrospect it seems rly nitty to flat w JJ in SB vs BB spot. Any advice on what best option is in this spot?

FLOP: Ac As 5d
HERO checks
BB bets $.60
HERO calls $.60
(pot $2.85)

I think flop is standard. Folding is too weak & no reason to raise.

TURN: 2h
HERO checks
BB bets $2.14
HERO folds

I think this fold is okay given how the hand was played. Doesnt seem like BB is gonna have many bluffs here. Feels like most of his PP's that we beat would slow down on turn & even his KK/QQ hands would slow down. Narrows his range down to Ax. I was considering calling turn but in doing so I'm not sure how we play blank rivers. If we call turn & a blank peels on river & BB shoves we would have to fold. Altogether, I'm not sure if we played this hand correctly pre flop but as played, Im okay w how we played flop/turn. Any advice/opinions are welcomed & appreciated.

HERO($11.73) is LJ w AdKh
BTN($12.93)
SB($9.90)

HERO opens to .30
BTN calls .30
SB calls .30
(pot $.95)

Standard open. Multiway pots OOP are tough for me so going to the flop 3 way isnt ideal.

FLOP: Qc Ah 8d
SB checks
HERO bets $.71
BTN calls $.71
SB folds
(pot $2.30)

I bet a larger size on flop since 2 other players in hand. There a few turn cards that can make it tough for me to play OOP vs BTN/SB calling range so wanted to reduce their odds to make a correct call. Is this an okay size to use?

TURN: 2s

HERO bets $2.05
BTN calls $2.05
(pot $6.20)

The turn is a rly good card for me. Should rarely, if ever, improve BTN hand& doesnt bring in any backdoor flush draws or complete any straight draws BTN could be calling flop w. I think sizing is okay. Going a bit larger might not be a bad idea as it sets up our hand to jam river a bit easier since SPR will be closer to 1:1.

RIVER: Qh

HERO checks
BTN bets $9.87 & is all in
HERO folds

I'm not rly sure on this street. BTN value range has us crushed when he jams all in as I dont think he would shove a worse ace - would think he would check back or maybe even thin value bet. As played, his value range could include any Qx hand that called flop/turn, 88, 22. The only bluffs I could put BTN on were some combos of KJ, although we block w our K, & maybe J10 at some frequency. Idk how often those hands are calling both flop & turn given our sizing on both streets. I decided to fold cause I think we rarely have best hand when BTN overbet shoves the river. I'm not rly sure if this is correct or not?

Hey all, my name is Bryan. I'm 28 y/o & live in Tampa, Florida. I have been playing poker for about five yrs or so now. I have always enjoyed poker & its become my truest passion. In my short 28 yrs of life I have discovered, through working several jobs that arent fulfilling & draining on me mentally, that unless I'm doing something I'm completely passionate about, I wont be truly happy. So, I have finally decided to go all in, pun intended, & pursue poker professionally. Since playing live is out of the question for now, I'm gonna jump in the online streets. I dont have much prior experience w playing online. I do however, expect it to be much tougher than the live games I have played. Since the options we have in America are limited, I'm gonna start w a $500 bankroll on Iggy & try to grind it up through the stakes, starting w .10nl. The goal is to grind up a bankroll that would be sufficient to play 1/2NL live (~$6,000-$8,000). I do prefer playing live over online - i like the atmosphere of playing live as well as the games being a lot softer. In a perfect world I would cash out enough for a 1/2NL live bankroll & have funds left over to continue the online grind. I wanted to start this thread as a way to keep myself accountable as well as meet some poker friends to discuss strategy & hand histories w along the way. In addition to poker, I would like to assign myself a few more goals every month in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle balance.

First, I will start w poker goals:

1) Grind a minimum of 40hrs/wk.
2) Study HH's daily.
3) Add new poker journal before/after every session.
4) Focus not on results, rather making correct decisions.

Second, lifestyle goals for next 30 days :

1) Run minimum of 100 miles within next 30 days.
2) Monitor eating habits, drink more water.
3) Better time management : reduced social media, focus time on learning.

Thanks to anyone who read & is gonna follow along on this journey. Also, I'm completely open & look forward to any & all constructive criticism anyone might have. Always appreciate any input/advice & enjoy hearing other perspectives. Cheers everyone! Stay safe, stay healthy. See you at the tables!

HERO($13.56) is SB w AQhh
UTG($11.16)
CO($2.35)

UTG opens to .17
CO calls .17
HERO raises to .90
UTG calls
CO folds
(pot 2.02)

I decided to go large w this raise since there are 2 players in the pot and we're gonna be OOP on every street that comes. I usually go 4x when im in SB/BB facing an open so w 2 players i think going larger than 4x is okay. My 3b range from SB/BB is pretty tight so most hands im raising have playability and equity against most holdings.

FLOP: 4d 9h 9c
HERO bets .60
UTG calls .60
(pot 3.22)

I think checking this flop is okay too - maybe even better than leading since a lot of villians flatting range after we 3b is gonna have hands that continue this flop (66-JJ, AK, he'll have some 9's - A9s,9Ts,98s although idk how frequently hes calling those pre flop when we 3b large). If we are gonna be betting this flop i think going small is optimal. What do you guys think? Is leading or c/c a better play on this flop?

TURN: 2h
HERO checks
UTG bets 1.46
HERO calls 1.46
(pot 6.14)

I think if we are gonna be betting the flop we should be betting this turn as we pick up NFD to go w our 2 overs to board. I think this is a critical mistake we're making by c/c. Especially since it makes playing rivers tougher for us now cause when we hit our flush it looks fishy to lead. Also, what are we doing when we hit an A or Q on some rivers? I dont like my check here if im betting the flop. One question im unsure about is if we're betting turn what our sizing should be? On turn there is 3.22 in pot so if we lead again should we go bigger? Anytime we bet large and get called we know we're behind going into river. At that point if we bet turn, get called, brick river, are we always giving up? Is there a case to be made for betting smaller on the turn? It gives villian a better price to call w his marginal hands so not rly accomplishing much as since we dont have a made hand we want to be folding out our villians range on turn if we bet. Im not sure what best option here is in terms of bet sizing should we take the betting option. Thanks for any insight/tips cause this is a tough spot for me.

RIVER: 4h
HERO checks
UTG bets 6.14
HERO calls 6.14

On river I think calling is okay. We hit our flush and villian shouldnt have many fulls houses (A9s,98s,9Ts, maybe A4s at some frequency but not very often imo).

UTG shows KTdd, HERO wins $18.42

HERO($17.68) is UTG+1
BU($7.39)
BB($8.69)

HERO has AKo, raises to .15
BU raises to .45
BB raises to 1.57
HERO calls 1.57
BU folds
(pot 3.46)

This hand was tough for me to play. When BB 4b over BU raise it indicates hes more weighted towards value hands instead of just trying to squeeze. Is it reasonable to be flatting here w our stacks? I cover BB and am in position w top of my range. Should we be shoving over top of BB raise or is flatting reasonable in this spot? The BU still left to act makes things tougher but leaned towards flatting so can realize equity and be in position throughout hand versus BB should BU fold. Is this play decent or do i need to be getting stacks in?

FLOP: Ad Tc Jd
BB bets 7.12 and is all in
HERO folds

BB leads all in for 2x the pot. Idk what hands we're beating when he does this given the line he took. Seems his combos of hands he could have in this spot are AJs/ATs/TT/JJ( idk if he plays his AJs/ATs pre flop as a 4b so wont have those too often). He could possibly have AA even tho we block that w our hand. I thought theres chance he has AK/AQ - more so AK. I decided to fold cause given as played only beat one combo of hand i imagine he plays this way - AQs. His value hands - AA/JJ/TT/AJs all crush us on flop. we're nvr drawing dead w straight draw but getting awful price. Should i always be calling this? Our hand is strong but shrinks when villian overbet shoves the flop. Thx for any input/advice as this hand was a head scratcher for me. Cheers

HERO($8.78) is SB
Villian($5.61) is BB

HERO has AKcc, raises to .15
BB raises to .50
HERO calls .50
(pot 1.00)

Im unsure whats better, flatting or re-raising when BB raises our open here. We're not relatively deep and are at top of our range so does that warrant a re-raise w plan to play for stacks? Stack sizes here make it hard to 4b unless we're shoving. Tough when we 4b to $2 and then brick flop and villian only has pot size bet behind. These spots are tough for me to navigate. What do you guys think?

FLOP: 4s 4c 6c
HERO checks
BB bets .65
HERO calls .65
(pot 2.01)

Idk if flatting or raising here is most profitable play? Our hand has a lot of value w NFD as well as 2 overs. There will be a decent amount of time that our AK is best hand on this flop. Is there any merit in shoving here w villian having ~$4.45 behind? Our implied odds might not be great for our hand if BB isnt barreling on turns that give us best hand - if/when the ace peels on turn or club if hes checking behind then i think getting all the money in on the flop is best? Im unclear if this logic is right so any opinions/insight are welcomed

TURN: As
HERO checks
BB bets 1.75
HERO calls 1.75
(pot 5.51)

I think flatting the turn is a glaring mistake on my part. When he bets $1.75 he only has $2.71 behind so we should always be getting the money in right? By checking we allow him to check behind on the river and get to showdown w all of his aces, which he will have a lot of in his range when he double barrels after A rolling off on turn. I think flatting here costs us a lot of value to be had. Is this on the right track?

RIVER: Tc
HERO checks
BB checks

I think the river checking through puts in perspective why we need to be playing for stakes when villian bets turn. In this particular hand it might not have worked considering what villian has, but most of the time when villian double barrels 33% of remaining stack on turn when A hits, hes gonna have value. I think overall we costed ourselves his stack in this hand. What do you guys think? Im still unsure at what point is the right one to put in the raise - pre flop? Or turn? I think flatting the flop is okay since it protects our hand when he has pocket pairs that we arent ahead of yet.

SB shows AKCC, wins 5.51. BB shows 78dd

HERO($28.66) is on the button
Villian($26.70) is UTG

UTG raises to .17
HERO has AcKh, raises to .51
UTG calls .51
(pot 1.09)

FLOP: Jh 6h 5c
UTG checks
HERO bets .40
UTG calls .40
(pot 1.89)

I decide to bet 1/3 on the flop trying to fold out his worse ax hands. We also have backdoor straight/flush draws as well as two overs. We have range advantage given our 3b pre flop. I plan on barreling all hearts on the turn as well as A/K/Q/10. I think i need to be betting this flop if we're gonna be 3b pre flop. We have position as well as a lot of good turn cards for our hand. Does this seem okay to you guys?

TURN: Ah
UTG bets 1.89
HERO calls 1.89
(pot 5.39)

UTG leads for pot on this turn which is my nut turn. We have top pair now w a redraw to the nut flush. I think calling is okay in this spot considering how deep we both are. He can have AJ/A5s/A6s(some of the time, i dont think very often he'll have this). He could have 55/66 here some of the time. I gave some thought to the idea that he could have JJ here a portion of the time. I lean towards just flatting this turn since our hand is good here some of the time and there are a lot of playable rivers for us. Plus, dont want to expand the pot w just tptk. What do you guys think? Is there any value in raising this turn? Im not positive so decided to take the calling option

RIVER: Ts
UTG checks
HERO checks

I decided to check behind on the river. The huge lead on the turn makes me think he has some kind of value and didnt want to value own myself or be in a weird spot if villian raises my bet. The river wasnt ideal for my hand cause villian can have AT/JT w the T of hearts/KQ w Q of hearts. Plus he can still have A5s/AJ. I didnt know what hands we beat that villian plays this way aside from AQ w Q of hearts. Should i always be betting this river when villian checks to me on the end? This spot was rly tough for me. Thx for any feedback/advice. Cheers.

UTG has K5ss, HERO wins $5.39