Questions to Ask Thyself

So I posted this up on my blog like a week ago...but didn't have the confidence to cross post it into here for others to see (especially players just starting).

Hopefully this is of some help. Regs, if I'm off anywhere or if you just wanna flame, go right ahead. Also, if you have any other questions you think are important, please comment!

I am asking myself the necessary questions before actually taking action. Some of these questions include (but are not limited to):

Pre-Flop Raise
- Why am I raising here?
- Am I looking to be called or would I like to win the pot right here?
- What are villains' most likely actions here? Is this what I want?
- Am I looking to isolate anyone in particular?
- What is my plan for the flop if villain calls?

Calling With a Speculative Hand
- If with a pocket pair, how will I play this hand if I don't hit my set? Is this profitable?
- If with a [suited] connecting hand, how will I play this hand if I hit a pair (obviously this question is board-specific but it helps to have a plan!)?

Please note that we are ALWAYS asking these questions against villain's range. We do NOT ask these questions in a vacuum which means the answers to these questions will NOT always be the same.

Post-Flop
- How does this flop correspond with villain's range?
- How does this flop correspond with my perceived range?
- Am I going to need to draw? How many outs do I have?
- Given villain's range, my perceived range, and the outs I have, is a cbet profitable?

Turn
- What did villain's call/raise on the flop mean?
- Have I seen this action before from villain? If so, what was he holding (if it went to showdown)?
- Can he be floating me?
- Did the turn card complete any draws?
- Does villain's range include hands that may now be holding a straight/flush?

River
- All turn questions.
- Am I likely ahead or behind at this point?
- Can I win this hand without betting?
- If a bet is needed, what is my perceived range at this point?
- Would a bluff be profitable?
- Is my hand strong enough to catch a bluff?
- Should I value bet here or check to induce a bluff? Am I happy if this river is checked down without further value?

In addition to all these questions, one of my favorite questions is the whole "Do worse hands call here?" and "Do better hands fold?" Basically, are you betting for value or as a bluff? It becomes second-nature at a point...but ask yourself this at when you start!

Of course there are hundreds of other questions we should be asking ourselves that are specific to each situation. As of now, I will leave my list at that. I may add more in the near future.

I wouldn't mind if some of you guys helped me out with some of the questions you use to keep your mind in the game. It would be great to have some ideas of good questions to ask handy.

And for those of you losing focus or clicking buttons too fast, take a breath before taking action. While taking this breath, think to yourself about your impending decision. Good luck!

Originally Posted by BooG690

Calling With a Speculative Hand
- If with a pocket pair, how will I play this hand if I don't hit my set? Is this profitable?
- If with a [suited] connecting hand, how will I play this hand if I hit a pair (obviously this question is board-specific but it helps to have a plan!)?

How often can I take the pot away with air or a weak draw?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws04p1pmesQ

I think this is a good solid list of things to consider. If you go through these questions and don't find that you have a solid idea what you are trying to accomplish by putting more money in - keep it in your pocket. Folding is 0 EV and typically better than putting money in when you don't have a clear idea how that investment is going to pay off.

Many years ago (as a kid) I used to play a little chess and I was told never to rush my actions even if I was sure what I was going to do. The argument went something like this:

When the opponent makes his move and the action is on you a move will almost always appear to you as the one you should make next. 95% of the time or more you will end up making exactly that move. But you still shouldn't rush it.

When making the move it's important that you are conscious what you are trying to accomplish by that move and you are ready to interpret the countermoves your opponent is likely to make. That looking ahead to the next move and the one after that is what enables the first move that occurs to you when the action is on you to be the right one. The move is only obvious because I'd planned to end up in this spot.

Another way of saying is that when you study situations or in a given hand think ahead and plan how to exploit and make money off the situation on later streets you are validating that it is profitable to keep putting money in on this street and as a result your decisions on a later street become almost trivial because you've taken the hard decisions and the considered the big picture on an earlier street and determined that your overall line is going to be +EV. I like to think of it as honing my instincts, so when I play my instincts will tend to point me in the right direction.

I read Fnord posts for the content, but I stay for the youtubes

nice post

Originally Posted by BooG690

Calling With a Speculative Hand

What will my relative position be during the hand?

who are villains behind? what are their tendencies? am I going to get squeezed? will a shove over a squeeze? call? fold?