Niman's How The Games Have Changed 600NL Review

The video was awkwardly funny, but i didn't get anything out of it. The concepts you talked about were much too basic.

On the positive side, you were spot on how the state of todays games should change your plays.

I hated the idea of 4bet/calling with AJ for about 110 BB starting in the hijack. The SB coldcaller (he coldcalled a Buttons 3 bet when they were quite deep) could easily call something like (TT,) JJ, QQ, AK, AQs which he will shove over your 4bet if the button folds, being 110 BB deep with you. Those hands have you crushed and the call will be hugely -ev. The break-even point for your call of the shove to be profitable is with a 4bet-size of about 40% of your stack. I doubt you will ever 4-bet this huge in this situation.

Nevertheless, AJ is one of the best 4bet-bluff hands and since the situation is good, 4bet/folding is the best play in my opinion.

Gadir, although the first part of your post is not entirely without merit, you have made a couple of mathematical mistakes that undermine your conclusions.  I was going to point them out for you and also comment about some metagame stuff that you have missed, but I read the rest of your comment.  Unfortunately, it's clear to me that your attitude precludes you from learning from an intellectual discussion about this clearly interesting (and important) subject matter.

I had explained - using logic and an application of the situation at hand - to try and explain why it is a bad play to four bet small (giving an opponent in position 3-1 in direct odds with 80% of his stack still left behind) with a hand like AJo out of position.  I explained myself by analyzing the hand in question and explaining the specific parametrics of the situation at hand.  Instead of responding with any discussion or refutation of the intellectual merits of my explanation, you give me a bunch of idiotic drivel. 

"Go tell Giggy who 4-bets pretty small even though he gets a decent amount of 4-bets that he is terribly wrong. Even better, do you know that ansky advocates click it backs 4-bets in postion? Go tell him that he dont understand anything about poker. Go tell galfond who makes a lot of small flop 3-bets even on drawy boards that he has a huge leak and that he needs to 3-bet bigger on flops."

This nonsense from you really shows not only a lack of comprehension, but an inability to distinguish between the enormous difference between the situation at hand and the completely inapplicable 'examples' that you are trying to give.  I explained that a hand like AJo plays very poorly when a four bet is called out of position with a playable stack still left behind.  To that, you respond with a bunch of nonsense about Giggy, Ansky, and Galfond advocating smaller three bets IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE NOT EVEN VAGUELY SIMILAR TO THIS ONE. 

If you disagreed with my logic, a reasonable approach would have been to point out where you think it is flawed (much like tompoker has done in several of his posts in my last few videos).  That would lead to an educational and interesting discussion.  Instead, your stupid nonsense about Ansky clicking back four bets in position not only provides absolutely no value, it also makes you look like a first class moron.  For the record, I guarantee you that any of those three players that you mention would absolutely agree with me that four betting small with AJo OUT OF POSITION in this situation would be a mistake. 

As if that was not enough, you then sign off your post with incomprehensible nonsense, "humbly advising" me not to open 85s and 63s.  To that, I can say this:  first of all, I do just fine combating aggressive three bettors, thank you very much.  Second, what does that have to do with the discussion points that I was analyzing with regards to the hand in question? 

Like you, I will leave you with some parting advice.  If you do not understand or disagree with certain elements of the game of poker, it would behoove you to try and understand WHY a play is good or bad, what is the logical reason that you should bet or not bet, bet a certain amount, etc.  If you try and support your conviction by mimicking other players without understanding the core of the issue, you run the risk of completely misapplying the concept and making errors that you will never fix.  For instance, your little rant about other players and their small raises is completely and totally inapplicable to the situation at hand.  I actually don't disagree with the small raises that they make in the situations that they make them.  I don't necessarily do the same thing, but I do not disagree with the logic behind those plays as they fit in the framework of their overall approach.  However, you clearly do not understand the differences in the situations.  That by itself is not a huge problem, but your attitude and approach - your unwillingness to learn and your inclination to argue using irrelevant comparisions instead of logic - makes it such that you are going to have a difficult time improving in the areas that you might be deficient. 

If you want to continue to discuss this hand or anything else - with an intellectual exchange discussing the matter at hand - I will be more than happy to participate.   Regardless of who is right, a discussion based on intellect and logic will always benefit all the parties involved.  But as long as your response is based on baseless comparisons and personal attacks, I'm not going to waste my time with you.  I just hope you learn to approach poker by trying to understand the root of the issues rather than just mimicking other pros without understanding the reasonsins behind their actions.

tompoker, I agree with this.  If it's enough of an issue for you, please email support.  I think this has been a long-standing problem (albeit a minor one), and I would be among those that would be happy to see it fixed.

Thanks knowlestoo!  I'm glad you enjoyed it!  :)

fiveplusfive, could you please give me the details of the hand?  If you give me the specifics of the hand, I'll be able to provide more meaningful analysis.  Thanks!