The worse hands

is it odd that i play really bad hands on purpose and end up winning most of the time?

Context?

Thinking about it: I assume you mean NLHE. I don’t know who your competition is, but perhaps you’re just skilled at bluffing and have superior skill at post flop play.

What percentage of the hands you’re talking about make it to showdown?

Quote: Mission146

What percentage of the hands you’re talking about make it to showdown?

Back in the before times, I dealt poker in a bar league. NLHE.

Often, between games, one of the players would take the deck and deal out six hands and then ask the other people which one will win?

She would then deal out the five card board, and show that usually, the best starting hand does not win. That was her rationale to suggest that poker is all luck.

I then told her that she should eliminate the hands that wouldn’t call a raise, and then see which hand wins. I think she started to see the light right before C-19 hit.

Quote: Mission146

Thinking about it: I assume you mean NLHE. I don’t know who your competition is, but perhaps you’re just skilled at bluffing and have superior skill at post flop play.

What percentage of the hands you’re talking about make it to showdown?

I play very polarized hands (K2, crap like that and usually connect), as well as really good hands where im usually shoving. I dont go for gutshots, I usually only play to the flop even if they raise preflop, and if they try to c bet im snap shoving most of the time. People usually do not accept another game with me and if they do its because there are no other fish biting at the moment.

To me I think that Im presenting myself as someone who is a noob who is trigger happy sometimes and really nitty other times. It all depends on the flow of the game. Bluffing does get by more often than i ever had, but i think its because im playing lower limit crap right now and i dont care because im usually the one in control of all of the betting even out of position. My stack is like a wall I can setup so that the person has to know if they are sure if they have the nuts to continue to pass through.

and if i connect on the flop i usually proceed to the turn and if that makes the board more connected i will most likely want to see who has the nuts besides me (that i think i had them at least) and ill shove... check if needed... but the flop has the most information out in the open for me to usually make a decsion.

and usually when im in control of the betting situation, people get a bit more desperate for money so they show me they have a hand more often by betting big because they know what im going to do if they let me control the betting.

I have had several times when I've limped in with 53 suited, and for some reason I have won some very big pots with that hand.

Obviously, no one expects me to have it.

Also, when multiple people limp in ahead of you (say 3 or 4) there is a higher probability that they have high cards, perhaps some of them blocking each others prospects. It is fairly infrequent that they have a 5 or 3 in their hand - or cards you can make a straight with such as 2, 4 and 6.

Also, when the flop comes, its usually pretty obviously when you should just check/fold or when you have prospects. Borderline hands (such as K-9, J-8s) often cost you more than low suited connectors.

I'm not claiming that limping with 5-3s is a great move, but there may be occasional spots . . .

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Back in the before times, I dealt poker in a bar league. NLHE.

Often, between games, one of the players would take the deck and deal out six hands and then ask the other people which one will win?

She would then deal out the five card board, and show that usually, the best starting hand does not win. That was her rationale to suggest that poker is all luck.

I then told her that she should eliminate the hands that wouldn’t call a raise, and then see which hand wins. I think she started to see the light right before C-19 hit.

A variation on this was a casino game for awhile. It was called "Ten Handed Holdem". There were 10 different pre-flop hands for you to bet on and they all paid different odds if they won. It lasted longer than I thought it would at a local casino. Maybe 6 months.