Actual poker discussion.

For the first time ever I'm going to actually type about definate poker strategy. Today I relearned the value of calling a raise with a small pocket pair, flopping a set, and cracking KK ($208 pot with 22, gotta love it). For future reference I will call this move "set mining" thanks to the article on pocketfives.com by the same name. This play is by far the most valuable in my playbook right now. So often you see people overplay top pair or an overpair and with a set you are only a 90% favorite going to the turn against an overpair and you have top pair drawing very thin. I would really suggest reading the article on p5 and using the strategy outlined there. Bobby thinks that 8-to-1 is not your true implied odds. Maybe something like 6-to-1 is more appropriate. Any way, the moral is to call raises with small pocket pairs in NLHE cash games. Trust me, it works.

I am also beginning to understand the concept of position in very real terms. We all know it is better to be in position, but until maybe a week or so ago I thought position was an added bonus to a good hand. Now I realize that position is the KEY to having a good hand and making money. Raising with AK and JJ under the gun (left of the big blind--aka UTG) is a thing of the past for me. It is very hard to continuation bet in 1st position. It is very hard to steal pots in 1st position. NLHE is an impossible game to beat from 1st position. That being said, I don't necessarily loosen up in late position either. I hate when people call raises with K10 offsuit because they were on the button. Position isn't an excuse to play rags--it is a tool you can use to make more money off big hands. I suggest slowplaying less in late position as well. You often will get called more when you bet from position because it looks like a steal attempt. If they are willing to call a bet with losing hands, you should give them the chance to do just that. I just fire away when I flop a hand in position because my "steal attempts" become value bets and profitable calls from my opponents.

Feel free to disagree with all of this. Just my $0.02.