What are you thinking... (2 Viewers)

[shorticus]

Over the course of my time on this site, I've spent my fair share of time in this section. I've watched and participated in a lot of the PAHWM threads, and I find those to be very fun. However, in real life poker practice, I often wonder how everyone processes information.

My question is simple, you are at a table playing Hold Em and you finally get a hand you want to play. What is your thought process? How do you begin your analysis process? How do you proceed throughout the hand? It's an open forum, feel free to share as much as you would like.

I think this should lead to some potentially interesting conversation.

 

[wickedwonka121]

The process started many hands ago. Hopefully I don't act first. But never sit on good cards, always make good hands pay, so I raise first if I have to. But in most cases I'm hoping for someone else to lead, at first. Setting the trap. That's the first thought I have. After that the next step is one of a million things depending on who's in, who's betting, the pot, etc.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I'm definitely guilty of having all my strategic thought leak out of my ears as soon as I get cards lol, but I try to keep my basics. Basics are context: what have the people acting before me done, and are the people after me telegraphing what they'll do. All this adds context to my position before I even peek my cards.

Once I peek, I think about my raise sizing and what I want to occur + what the worst case scenario is. For some I plan to raise/call, other's I'm comfortable raise/folding, all depends on the table/opponents/stacksizes/what I've got. Usually not a fan of limp/folding, not worth the money. I try not to be surprised by the situation once I raise.

I put lots of stock in tells and live exploits because that's how I have fun at the table, and if you're playing live low stakes you can sometimes see what the next few players will do before you act. Not every time, but occasionally you'll have a real special player on your left who physically tells you exactly what they're about to do, chips or cards in hand.

 

[ekricket]

• Position
• How many streets do I need to see to make my hand - if I’m drawing a straight or flush I most likely need to see at least the turn
• Who am I playing against in the hand? How many and aggression levels and how involved are they with the game - stack sizes
• Have the calling stations folded? Or the lucky seat?
• How desperate am I?
• Is the preflop pot more than my chip stack - can I use the all in hammer?

These are things going through my mind as the action comes around - I’m checking boxes and building raises based on it.
I’m not waiting till it’s on me to run all these things through my head.

 

[Frogzilla]

I observe the action and try to decide what the right play is without giving away what my own hand is

The decision what right play is…I dunno honestly the streets feel different to me. Preflop stuff I’m thinking much differently than flop.

@shorticus Do you ever watch those “poker out loud” shows that solve for why puts out?

 

[Highli99]

I just look over at @Chippy McChiperson and try to get a read based on his extensive foot tells. Then i fold or raise based on my read.

 

[demonnic]

Whether I want to play the hand or not will depend on position and previous action and player tendencies already. Generally speaking I prefer to come in for a raise, so how much to raise is often considered next and will depend on which players I'm hoping to keep in or fold out and how many people limped in ahead of me, whether I think I can buy the button, etc. The response to my bet, my relative position (IP or OOP), and the board itself will all go in to the decision of whether to cbet or not. Since I mostly play $1/$2 or $1/$3 live in the casino I try to avoid FPS (Fancy Play Syndrome) because I find my win rate plummets if I depend on the recs to get the money in when I'm good.

I could go further but it starts to branch wildly from here and you did just ask how we start it.

 

[shorticus]

I observe the action and try to decide what the right play is without giving away what my own hand is

The decision what right play is…I dunno honestly the streets feel different to me. Preflop stuff I’m thinking much differently than flop.

@shorticus Do you ever watch those “poker out loud” shows that solve for why puts out?

I haven't been on solve for why in about 4 months now, and I've never seen the poker out loud stuff. I'm going to have to check it out.

I could go further but it starts to branch wildly from here and you did just ask how we start it.

I was asking about the general progression throughout a hand, not necessarily just how you start out. Feel free to elaborate.

*Updated OP for more clarity*

 

[Legend5555]

First, I ignore any game flow and violation specific stuff:

1. What is my position?
2. What are everyone's stack sizes?
3. What is my opening/3 betting range?
4. If folded to me, open to my standard size of I have a hand in my opening range from this spot.
5. If limped in front of me, I treat 1 limper as if they don't exist in terms of my opening range. If multiple limpers, raise only my hands I'd raise in early position. Otherwise limp hands in late position that play good multiway.

Then I start taking game flow and villain specific stuff into account.

Are the players behind me tight? Loose? Is the opener tight or loose? Anyone on tilt? How is my image? Am I winning? Am I losing? Can I expand my opening range? Can I 3 bet lighter?

If it's a tournament there is even more I think about.

1. Any ICM considerations?
2. Think even more about stack sizes.
3. Am I in open jamming territory?
4. Do I need to be really tight?
5. Does anyone else seem to care about ICM?

A lot of this is automatic at this point for me.

 

[Josh Kifer]

How smashed am I.

Okay, how much fun do I want to have.

Is this fun, if I lose, going to ruin the rest of my fun.

*Checks cards again*

Js 3h

***All you can eat***

 

[JJDiamonds]

How smashed am I.

Okay, how much fun do I want to have.

Is this fun, if I lose, going to ruin the rest of my fun.

*Checks cards again*

Js 3h

***All you can eat***

Same but I usually wait for a premium hand like T9 offsuit...

 

[Hornet]

 

[k9dr]

First I ask what game we are playing, then I usually bet