I'm a winning 1-2 player. Choose your bluffing spots CAREFULLY based on not only the board, but also the player. Generally just avoid bluffing too much and play straight forward poker.
The great thing about these players is that they are so clueless to what just happened that they are actually showing their cards to prove "just how smart they are" which results in our hero benefitting 3 ways. 1. Makes correct player assessment, bluffs, wins the pots 2. Makes themselves even more exploitable by proving they can lay down top pairs on flops 3. To other mediocre players at the table, they will now believe these guys are folding correctly giving our Hero even more respect than is due, and he can pick even more spots to pull this off Kudos that you disciplined to NOT reveal your bluffs like so many players (even poker streamers) will do wanting that ego boost...IMO a horrible thing to do. I will keep bluffing and not showing so that it is only revealed when I get caught
@@patrickplayspokerbadly6230 I bluff frequently in my 2/5 game here in Las Vegas. Only occasionally do I show those bluffs, especially on dangerous river boards, to let players know (at least the ones paying attention), what I'm capable of doing. It helps to confuse my opponents, and in my online play especially (with players whom I frequently play against), I will often get called by bottom pairs and King highs, etc., when I have the goods. Occasionally I get caught, which is my cost of doing busines, but I am very sure it's a very profitable strategy to occasionally show my bluffs. Your mileage may vary. "Why do we bluff in poker? I’ll give you a few hints… it’s not for the thrill… it’s not for the rush… it’s not to satisfy your ego. It’s so that we can get paid off when we have a strong hand!" ~~ Evan Jarvis, Jonathan Little's, Excelling at No-Limit Hold'em
I love watching your channel because its the stakes I play. I like Brad Owen but I will never play those stakes unless I hit the lotto (knock on wood _P) so it is hard for me to relate.
@@NorCal_Poker you must be one of the best low stakes live youtubers now. You don't bs, you try to win and not make stupid plays to get viewers and the quality of the recording and audio is excellent too. I can just aboit afford £1/£1 from time to time in the UK.
@@NorCal_Poker I would still watch if you played higher. You are fun to watch. That be said the biggest draw is you play my ranks (1-2, 1-3, 2-5) and you play like a master. I can take a lot of pointers from you and apply at my games. Once you get to 5-10 and higher --> the play is absolutely different.
I alternate between capital 1/3 and stones 1/2. I also adjust my playing style between the 2 places and stakes. The 1/2 game can get crazy there sometimes depending on the type of players on the table.
I'm enjoying your videos. As a poker player, living in Las Vegas, I can appreciate the challenges, and especially your advice. Good editing and interesting narration, good luck with buiilding your channel. I'm a subscriber.
8:53 Tip #4 is actually wrong and what I used to think until I read Essential Poker Math by Alton Hardin. The whole point of calculating equity and pot odds is comparing whether your chances of drawing are greater than the amount of money you need to commit *for that particular decision*. So in this case *since you are not going all in on the flop* your percentage chance to draw to improve *on the flop* for the amount of money you are committing *to see just the turn* is approximately 2*outs as a percentage = 2 * 8 = 16%. Your pot odds calculation here was correct because *for this decision* you are putting in $20 to win $95 total (including your bet) = 21%. But your conclusion is incorrect. Based purely on equity and pot odds this was an unprofitable decision. Now IF you were going all in on the flop then your equity is 4*outs as a percentage, but then your pot odds would be different since what you are committing into the pot and what you stand to win would be different.
1st hand: don’t triple barrel bluff, they’ll call you with one pair. 3rd hand: with top top, my hand can only go for two streets of value Sure, he happened to have the draw this time, but the reasoning seems inconsistent. The second board might seem scarier to you because the obvious draw did get there, but from villain’s perspective the first one is probably scarier. So if you shouldn’t bluff the first because he’ll call with too many kings, you should also expect to get called by KQ, KJ, KT, K9, on the third. If you’re choosing not to bet because you think it’s likely villain does have the straight, that’s something else.
Well played, in a bad session, Not much you can do there. I cheered out loud when you caught the heart on the qj flush straight . Only thing I would say is in your 45 straight/ flush draw, unless you have a read, play your equity instead of leading. Even though you are the favorite, it's a coin flip and when you miss you are playing 5 high. Also when calculating odds, when i learned it decades ago...it's times 2+2 meaning 16% is actually 18%. Not much but might just be enough sometimes. If you're still in LA there's lots of card houses and casinos to play. Commerce and the Bicycle casino are old ones you might like. Good luck in the future.
@NorCal_Poker Ty sir leading out with 2 overs or high cards on in straight flush draw makes way more sense than 4-5 because if you pair up one of the overs you may not need the flush or straight vs low cards where you most likely need the flush or straight. Either way you don't fold but you might conserve and get to a river for cheaper
I have learned to be more of a Passive aggressive player in 1/2 along with next to no bluffing…. People always catch up. I’d rather win slow and steady rather then going for big pots
Your pot odds and equity for the QJ hand on KT3 flop was incorrect actually. I use to make the same mistake. You actually have 18% equity going to the turn, which is just one card. You have 32% equity for the full run out (2 cards) Technically you don't have direct odds to call but you have implied odds going to the turn. Just thought I should put that out there since its a common mistake and it cost me quite a bit of money and thought floating was actually a really profitable play than it actually was vs. certain bet sizings Other than that, Keep up with the good work, i think many players can learn from your thought process
16% is the simplified version (2% per out). The exact would be 2,27% per out, giving him 18,18%. And of course he has the correct odds to call even without implied odds. 82 times he loses $20 = $1640, 18 times he wins $115 = $2070. When played 100 times he is up $430. Seems +EV to me.
@@IbeatGTO where did you get winning $115? Wrong! He's winning $75 (??). That is 21% risk with 18% equity. Without implied odds, calling here is a losing action. If A comes down on turn, (you complete your draw) but, better say "good bye" to your implied odds,...he is not gonna pay you anything. So: this hand is best to fold, bro. Or bluff him off! Shove, and see whether he is gonna call with one pair.
@@pot_kivach160 We are on the turn, $95 in the pot and our opponent bets $20. I literally did the math for you by calculating the result for 100 run outs. How is it possible that you still don't understand? Btw. I'm a professional poker player for 17 years now. Just saying. But maybe I'm just lucky.
My stop loss is 3 buy-ins bc by the time you're entering with that 4th, there's so much pressure on you to start some fantasy comeback- it's just likely to make you play differently, i.e. poorly, and go from bad to worse. p.s. I wrote that before watching the back half of the video; you played excellently with the final stack.
I dont think I would have bought back in that many times. When your running bad, its better to fight another day… But I am not at your level, and I applaud your tenacity.
My stop loss was $1200 for that game so if I don’t reach my time limit I try to battle through since I’ve been there before! But usually great advice, thx for the feedback!
Wow it's scary the high level of play that guys like NorCalPoker bring to the 1/2 NL game these days! It seems that the 1/2 table will never die, even after all these decades of inflation. Twenty years ago 1/2 was crazy soft but clearly not anymore. Good luck at Stones, that room is famous for absolute soul crushers hanging out at the low stakes
I'm seeing higher level play at 1/2 & 1/3 too. Table selection!! No shame in ducking out to another. I've also seen many of the other capable opponents leave mine to hunt another or quit. 🤷♂️
Hey @NorCalPoker, another great video, I just wanted to say that I'm pretty sure your pot odds explanation is off a bit, You're supposed to only calculate your odds of completing your draw on the next card, because if you don't you assume 32% equity without factoring in the money you may have to pay to see the river, making your overall equity irrelevant on the flop. Second, you also aren't supposed to factor your own bet into the pot, for instance, here you're betting 20 to win 75, because the other 20 dollars is still in your stack and therefore can't be factored into the pot. I could also be completely wrong, but no matter what I love your vids!
Let's say the pot is $3, your opponent goes allin for $3. You have to call $3. If you include your call in the total pot , the pot is $9. You divide your call ($3 / $9), which gives you 33%. That is the same answer as if you have to call 3 to win 6 (ratio of 1:2 so you need 33% ) but easier to calculate.
Good Vlog. I agree that the pot odds calculation is off. You can only calculate odds for turn because you are putting in $20 to see the turn card so equity is 16% not 32%. I sill think it's a good call because you have implied odds of winning more money if you hit the straight but that's more guess work and based on opponent tendencies.
Your point about pot odds if you are calculating it as an odds ratio. The way Norcal did it is to convert the odds to a percentage, which makes comparing it to drawing equity easier.
Tip #5 (or any tip that includes “always”) is bogus. It is true that (1) you should stop playing if your mental game is off, and (2) you are likely to be a bit off after suffering a lot of losses, even if you don’t think you are. So yeah, setting a stop loss is a good idea a lot of the time. If you find yourself thinking about chasing your losses, you should probably be leaving instead. But you shouldn’t *always* leave. The sessions I have needed to add on the most are the sessions that I’m playing in the best game - i.e., when there are several players each consistently doing something wrong but just running hot. Like if I see a guy call a pot-sized all-in bet on the turn with < 20% equity, and he just gets lucky a few times, I’m hitting the ATM. Sometimes I end up losing a bit more, but my biggest wins came from sessions that started as my biggest losses.
Tip #11: Raise small from early positions and big from later positions. I don't like the $12 raise from UTG with QJs. It's a technical mistake. I raise $8 from early, $10 from LJ/HJ and $12 from CO/BU in $1/3 games. Also, I don't like the 3bet with 88 to $100. It's a dream scenario for a call. 3 players already in the pot and you have position. Now think about how much money you can make when hitting the 8. If not, so what? If you what to 3bet then 3bet small. When UTG pushes all in the 2 callers are in a very tough position because if they just call you can reshove. Also, if a player in the blinds wakes up with a hand you can easily fold. 😉
I dislike my sizing in the 88 hand but I respectfully disagree. The UTG player was opening super wide & the other players just called so I knew I had the best hand more often than not. So when that’s the case, I put more money in the pot! But I do like your sizings from EP, that’s pretty unique!
@@NorCal_Poker The idea with the raise sizes are pretty much GTO. You raise small from early because 1. if you get called, you play a smaller pot oop because oop it is hard to realize your equity 2. if you get 3bet the 3bet is smaller and therefore it's cheaper to call (for set value for instance) You raise big from late because 1. SB/BB will fold more often 2. SB/BB will 3bet less and call more because a 3bet should be 4x and that makes it very expensive. If they just call you play a bigger pot and you can make use of you positional advantage.
14:45 tip $7: Toss it into muck, bro! I'm not playing online poker. Nor would've advised anyone to. Online poker is actual slots in form of poker game.
QJ pot odds: Your odds are actually better than that against a calling station. If you hit a 9 or A, you likely get the rest of his chips if he has the K, especially hitting the 9. Regarding stop-loss, that's only necessary if you are 1. prone to tilt, or 2. playing a bigger game than usual ("shot taking"). If you are in a good game, you can keep playing as long as the losses don't affect your game. Never bluff in a super multiway pot: Actually, this is the PERFECT hand to bluff. It has a ton of equity. I'd bluff this one small because you can easily call a raise with all your outs.
@@NorCal_Poker I'm playing for 17 years as a professionel WITH a stop loss and I think it's the way to go. There are days when you just don't hit and when you cannot beat the fish. Think about loosing $2k in a $1/2 game and how long it takes to win the money back just because of one bad day. 100 hrs with an hourly of 10 BB. I play with only 3 BIs max. There is always another day and another fish.
You’re first hand AJ I like your line. Even the River no big deal just adjust this player is clearly weak tight not 3 betting pre and just calling off unless he’s strong seems like an easy adjust for alter in the session. Though to “bomb it” why not go $110 instead of $85 the triple digit is full pot and should fold out the sticky 10s with his exact holding whatever he’s going down with the ship you’re likely right though at 1-2 they just check back the air and even with a 10 they likely are just going to call now. Another line you could try a check raise on the flop and bomb turn for 3/4 pot to full pot unless he seems strong. You can rep two of the sets , top 2 , flopped flush, top top with draw and a lot of big hands if he doesn’t care this guy just hates money and you can get him later. shut down the river unless your hit even at higher stakes if turn called. It sets up a jam on most stack sizes if you’re many outs come in. To me you should jam all straights and flushes than arrive and sometimes bet top pair when it arrives if they are weak call happy.
I can't stress how important Tip#5 is where you set the max buy-in per day and do NOT ever go over it because honestly most of the money I lost in poker and gambling, in general, be it sports betting or casino table games, are due to the chasing money!!! From experience, it is quote rare "to get it all back" once you start chasing the initial loss that day :-/// Honestyly, if I can have all the money I spent "chasing" in my life, I'd be at least a quarter mill richer haha ;-)
JJ second hand. Fully agree on overall range and you are never 4! Here unless you are ready to punt with this opponent in SB this guy would fold the BB to. $4 raise min pre with most of his range I am sure. And if he has AK he will likely get it in pre with 1/2 of that sub type pre. Call is the only option here. On the flop why $35 ? This is way too much if it works you scoop a smallish post or are vulnerable to floats as well to the other players . This is a great flop overall. Your other two opponents likely have “2 pair draws” and if OMC has AK or AQ they are blocking each other on the higher cards than J. If OMC is check raising AA you can get out easily. Also if one of these opponents has trips or better (A5, 45 , 65 , 44) you will find out soon enough with a reraise or bet on turn to your turn bet. Anyways why not a down bet. Keep their pair draws in. $120 in pot. $15 is enough to play this OMC face up. He may fold out AK here easily especially as one of the others will call his air over cards that may be lower than a jack. Get heads up with one of the stations hope they hit a pair lower than a jack on turn and take them to value town. In this exact situation who knows if one or two of the others call the OMC may just call worried someone has a 5 with 2-3 in the pot as well ! If it folds to him he check raises his top Of range AA and maybe KK and you have an easy fold and save $20. If you only get called by one of the others bet most turns for 1/2 pot at least even over cards. Handle the River depending on runouts. If they come over the top on turn 98 percent you’re beat and they have trips or better.
Drove 4 hrs to play at stones once. Then a week or two later the scandal happened. Never been there since as I don't support cheaters and neither should you. Postle definitely had help from inside.
Why would 4! out of the SB be so face up? Wouldn’t you be doing this with a range of something t like JJ+, AJs+, AK, A5s, maybe some pairs like 88-99 and middle suited connectors as a bluff?
1/2 & 1/3 are very similar if they’re capped. A lot of calling stations. Pretty easy to maneuver but if you play in a high raked it’s hard to get a good hourly profit. 1/3 match the stack games play a lot like 2/5 + & have a lot more regs but if you play good poker you can win more hourly!
@@NorCal_Poker Yeah that’s definitely true if you’re playing solid poker should be room for profit. Unfortunately Bay area isn’t low stakes friendly & lowest stakes is Lucky Chances for 2-2-1. I believe which feels like a 2/5 game sometimes. We definitely need 1/2 or 1/3 this side of the Bay.
You run as bad as I have this year. It's amazing how poorly you have typically run vs how great McClusker usually runs. He hardly ever runs into these tough losing hands you're always running into.... missing huge draws in big pots as the favorite...getting Aces consistently beat, whacked by sets Etc. I've lost four very significant pots of between $500 -$1,000 over my last ten sessions playing 1/2/straddle 5/ max buyin $400... getting it all-in on the turn heads-up going to the river as a 90%+ favorite each time.... but losing all four of those big pots to 2 or 3 outers...this game can be incredibly brutal. Keep your head up, I like your process. Only thing I would say about your math equity vs drawing explanation is you also need to factor in the implied odds if you hit your hand based on the stack sizes, the specific opponent, the way the hand played etc.... along with your chances of occasionally representing a different draw getting there on the river versus the one were actually drawing to as a possible very effective river Bluff. There are many times I know I'm drawing at 5-1 or maybe even slightly worse than the 3-1 I'm paying to see the river, but based on stacks and the way the hand played to that point I'm very confident of getting paid more on the river than my actual turn drawing odds of 4-1, 5-1 etc when I hit.
i might be totally wrong but the last hand with the pocket 8s. I noticed that you peeled your hold cards way too high and that your hand is probably exposed and could be easily seen by the small blind. In fact, he 4 bet you with pocket Js??? and you said he's a Reg which makes it seems suspicious to be making such a move with Js preflop.
You are totally right about him peeling his cards very high, but I can assure you that the sb didn’t see his hand. I 4 bet because with his sizing I figured he never has me crushed with QQ+, sometimes I have him crushed 88-TT, and at worst I’m flipping. Honestly, my sizing was bad, but I was nervous cuz I had just started playing poker again and because I didn’t wanna get stacked in a vlog.
Your basically a calling station as well. You also tilted off at the ending raising against "stations" with gut shots. You might just be one of these players as well lol
I always play til 2 pm so regardless of how much I’m up I play til around the time! I struggle with that answer when I don’t have a time limit because when things are going good it’s hard to stop but then you’re mad if you’re Upstuck 😅
Ok sorry to disagree with another line but the AA .. you already got caught in a bluff, your Ak if you didn’t show looks like you got caught again and stationed off possibly with Ace high . Your image isn’t great to the table which is fine use it!. You get the nuts and what do you do ? Trap ?!?! I feel this is a major mistake. Use your image here. Shove this even for $1k. It looks like a punt or AK at best if they got 99 plus , big aces that put you on lower pairs they often will call for stacks as again your image to the table has to be questionable at best right now. Use the bluff equity you gained prior on your other hands and ship it. To me this is not even close with your image at this point. Always adjust your lines to your opponents image of you!
How to beat 1-2 in for 1k I been playing for more then 10 years never been down more then 400 at 1-2 LoL 🤦🏻♂️ what I learn from watching your 1-2 how to win video is that have more money then everyone and find a spot to completely bluff all in in a spot you feel is good hoping the other player only has one pair and folds LoL so basically play bully poker and rip it and pray.
