OK, this may be way off base, but it's amazing what you can think of when you do nothing in school for 6 straight hours. I was thinking about all of the posts I see here about marginal situations in low limits. What I was thinking is that these situations do not matter really. At those limits, there are so many wasted bets by the other players that the difference between value betting and calling a river is so miniscule over the long run.

There is little EV difference in the two plays. These situations are much more important at higher limits where people aren't exactly giving away bets. I think more of the lower limit posts (Even as high as 2/4) should be geared towards correcting glaring mistakes. Most of the longest debates I see in limit are over hands that a different play wouldn't mean much of an EV difference in the long run. The situation is so marginal that playing it differently will result in a better winrate, but it will be very small in comparison to what your winrate could be at low limits.

Not really a huge point here, just an observation I had, and thought I'd throw this out there.

I agree with you to an extent. Playing the average low limit player on party poker, you might take a bad beat (you will), but it seems as though its no trouble at all to get it back. They almost spew them right back at you. For players like us who are constantly looking to improve our game, it makes sense to post hands we are unsure of. Once the bigger leaks are patched, the smaller ones take priority.

True, I just worry that many of the posters that are relatively new (not talking about any of the LHE forum vets) will post many complex hands and decisions while ignoring larger leaks, usually involving preflop decisions. I just can't count the times where someone has asked about a tough decision on the river, when my first response is "fold preflop".

what you say is correct for the single hands that get posted, but not necessarily regarding the big picture.
i can only speak for myself, but it probably holds true for a lot of the of the other posters as well. if i ask about a marginal situation it´s not so much because i wanted to squeeze every little bit of value out of specifically that hand, but because with every analyzed situation i´m learning more about the game.
i think with all the different perspectives that are portrayed during the discussion of a hand, or a played that is agreed upon, it´s possible to gain insight that will also help in other situations.

Well I disagree. It's those close or marginal situation that will really help you understand the game. This in turn leads to maximizing the most out of much easier decisions in other hands and increasing your earning potential.

And there are way more of the close decisions than you think. Remember, only about 8-10% of all players are profitable (and most of the 8-10% isnt crushing the game). The close decisions are important. Every bet counts.

And while most bad players do play too many hands. Seeing a flop with a subpar hand is not really that huge of an error. Where they lose tons of money is post flop on the big streets where they fold too many winners, chase down draws with bad odds, and fail horribly at maximizing there winning hands.

though you disagree, i think you are both correct.

these small decisions have very little effect on either short-term or long-term winnings. zimmer is correct that a lot of newer players focus too much on the marginal decisions, or tricky situations, when it was a significant mistake that got them into the situation, or at least they have other significant mistakes.

you are correct in that those small decisions imply the necessary knowledge and skills to play otherwise well. it also means you have the ability to move up limits when the time comes.

most of us in the strat forum are overbankrolled for our current limits, and don't move up because that would mean more time since the limits are reasonably high, and for other reasons we choose not to spend more time. so basically we're just posting strat hands as intellectual masturbation.

the very next thread i read - a good example:


EDITED:
http://fullcontactpoker.com/poker-forums/v...5143&highlight=

Your link is fucked up.

You're fucked up!


ok i'll go check it out

I think more of the lower limit posts (Even as high as 2/4) should be geared towards correcting glaring mistakes.


People don't post glaring mistakes.

They just pretend they didn't make them.

good luck.

no no no, we were "mixing it up" or "trying something different"

Smash, do you have any examples of glaring mistakes that are made by a lot of low limit players who still put in tons of time trying to learn the game like me?

I'm not saying I don't make glaring mistakes, I know I do. But not nearly as many as before.

Are preflop mistakes the most costly, as SSHE states?

Thanks.

Zach