If you've been reading my blog....i think that narrows it down to Davey.....then you know that i've been playing 1/2 in my cash games sessions and well, it hasn't been too much fun for me. When I was rolling and winning I was a fixture in the mid level games. Strictly playing 2/5 and occasionally bouncing in and out of the 5/10 when the action was good. Well I've tried to adjust my game to play 1/2 and it has NOT been an easy transition. I'm fairly certain that i'm a break even player on the 1/2 level. I've been giving it a lot of thought, and trying to determine why I can't consistantly beat the 1/2 game. The game should be easier , I think. Over the last couple months I have been struggling to turn more than a $200 profit in any 1/2 session and it's not b/c there isn't money on the table. I started to make a list of reasons that I feel are keeping me from turning a consistant profit (if you think i'm wrong, or agree, or want to elaborate, or give advice..PLEASE do so). Now I'm playing 1/2 becuase at the moment I am no where near the proper bankroll requirements to play 2/5 on a regular basis (which is 20 buy-ins, atleast the rule i've heard and try to honor, a buy-in for me in 2/5 is $500...therefore 10k bankroll). Now when I used to play 2/5 as my regular game I was very cautious of my bankroll and wouldn't play tournaments greater than a 2/5 cash game buy-in if I fell below my minimum bankroll requirement.
I used to have HUGH mental block with the 1/2 games and couldn't take them serious...at all! The only time I would sit in a 1/2 game was if the 2/5 game was locked up and they had atleast 4 people w/ over $500 infront of them. When the card club was open in Houma they would occasionally have a 1/2 game and I would sit down and just play wide open, didn't have a value for money in that game simply b/c...how do u fold two and three gappers when people make it $10 and how much do u raise with a good hand, I couldn't find that comfort zone and didn't really wanna find it b/c never thought I'd have to play 1/2. If we were following the circuit somewhere, 1/2 was the game we played if were gonna get drunk at the table and cut up. I very rarely drink at the table, pretty much never. Not because I think it affects me, just that when I start drinking I like to go do things and not sit a table with a bunch of guys who take themselves way to serious. With all that being said, I think I have over come the mental part of playing 1/2 and now I am just concentrating what I think I need to do in order to be a winning player. I am still struggling with making the proper bet and I think that is my biggest obstacle. The 2/5 just played so much different b/c people were a lot deeper, I was much more comfortable playing cash games deepstacked rather than short. I know that may seem like a no brainer, but some people don't know how they are supposed to play with $2500 infront of them. And play totally different with $300 infront of them. Not necessarily better or worse, but different. I've seen loose players go into a shell when they get up 1k or more, simply b/c they don't wanna lose it and get way to protective. I felt and still do feel as though I'm a better player when the stacks are deep b/c in my opinion people are easier to read. Now the complete opposite is true in the 1/2 game. I am no where near as confident and not as many players are as protective of $200 or less infront of them. They will move all-in or call $150 preflop with AK as where they would never call $150 preflop with AK in 2/5 if they had $400 infront of them. Just a different mentality which makes the 1/2 game play much more like a quasi limit game rather than a no limit game.
I understand there is nothing I can do about the buy-in so just assume I sit down with $200 everytime I play 1/2. One thing that has been KILLING me is that I can't seem to stay up when I actually get up. The last session I played I got up $60 in the first 20 or so minutes and before I knew it I was back to my buy-in. Davey and I were once told by a friend of ours dad who plays in some really big games and a hell of a tournament player (would prolly be on tv if he was 30 years younger, no bullshit!)...anyway, he said that rule he uses in cash games is to try to stay even during the session and if you do that you will make good decisions and be consistant. Well when I first heard that a few years ago I wasn't really sure what he meant, and then I went on the most sick run of winning sessions I've ever had. They guy knows what he's talking about. Staying even doesn't mean "try to keep you buyin infront of you" but rather when you do win a descent pot adjust to that level, and stay even with that. If you're playing 1/2 and pick up $15, well $200 is still your even and use the easy money to see cheap flops and then tighten back up if u fall close to your buy in. If you scoop a nice pot (around 20% of your initial buy-in) then adjust and try to maintain even on that. I think I explained that ok enough. Well for some reason, I have no idea why I can't seem to keep my profit infront of me. Aside from the shitty beats, it seems like I'm always hemorrhaging and I'm not sure why. The last session that I played and broke even, I swear I won about $600 b/c the times I'd be up $150 and then back down and then up. Maybe I haven't been playing with the "stay even" mentality.
A really really big thing that I feel I have gotten better at is giving my opponents the proper about of respect for their hands. Because 1/2 plays different, it's often difficult to always know where you're at preflop (atleast for me). Guys make $5 to go w/ aces and the same guy makes it $15 with 88. Just not always easy for me to narrow down the starting hands preflop. One good thing is that I'm so comfortable playing after the flop that i'm usually able to know where i'm at post flop. The problem is that I usually know i'm behind b/c we saw the flop 14 ways. One big problem with the 1/2 game and the no ipod rule is that you have to hear 9 people give your their best mike sexton explanation of why people do what they do and how I shoulda played my hand different b/c they knew exactly what the other guy had. Helmets should be standard issue at the 1/2 table. There is no clear way to know what people have, but I almost feel as though I'm helpless against some of these guys preflop. It almost feels as though reraising may be a better play preflop b/c most of these people would let you know what they have. Hand from the other day: guy makes its $10 and it's the first hand he raises in over 2 hours and sirens are going off in my head. Well I look down at JJ and just not sure where i'm at so I decide to play them like pocket 4's and jsut call. Flop is 9 high, now what the hell do I do. He bets $20 and I call and two other people call. Turn is a 3 and he bets $40 and I actually fold. I can't believe I folded there but I did!...one guy calls and on the river the guy bets $50 and the other guy folds and he shows AA. I'm lucky it only costed $30 but I think when he made it $10 if I minraise he will be so overcome w/ stupidity that he will prolly push back to like $60 or $100 and I fold and he's proud of himself as he shows AA..but then again, I don't get the chance to get lucky on the flop. I save money, but could cost myself money. If you play this game, you know people are scared to play postflop. So should I start to reraise more preflop or just continue to trust myself after the flop?
Another problem I'm having is right speed of the game. I'm having a difficult time "switching gears" as they say....whoever they might be. They're times that I know I should open up my game when the game is playing tight and start raising a little more and stimulating some action. This is something that I used to be able to do and stay under the radar. To be able to make some raises and make a few a moves but stay tight enough to appear to just be running good and once the game opens up again, just settle back down and pick my spots. Something Davey and I have always been good at is building a stack and never really appearing to play a lot of hands simply by picking up pots no one wants. It's not always easy, but it was definitely a strong point of my game. I have never, and I mean never been a fan of putting all my money in the pot. Just something I don't like doing. I'm starting to think that this is a main reason I'm not doing well in the 1/2 game. Since it is short stacked poker I think you have to a little more open to put all your money in the pot. I'm not saying look to get it all in there, but maybe not afraid to make that move more often. I have noticed that picking up limped pots don't add quickly in 1/2, it doesn't even beat the rake. In 2/5 on the other hand, picking five and six way limped pots really start to add up. I think the problem with opening up and raising is that with $200 infront of you, if you make $12 and get two callers and miss the flop and have to continuation bet....I think the proper bet should be atleast $20 and if you don't lose everyone, it's really hard to fire another shot on the turn so you concede or make a $45 bet and get raised and now your stack is almost cut in half and now what. I've been playing really tight and pretty much just hoping to hit a flop and pick up a pot and then open my game up with that newly aquired money. But then this goes against my "stay even philosphy" which has paid nice dividends in the past. I wonder if half the idiots I play against ever give a quarter of this much thought?
This post is already getting long and I'm not sure if I've covered everything I wanted to cover. I have stated some of the problems and issues I'm battling on the 1/2 game and it would be great if I can overcome these struggles and get a bankroll to just leave the 1/2 game alone and play in a game I prefer to play. But till then, I have to figure out a method of play that allows me to make some money in the 1/2 game. If I figure out a way to beat this game it would make me a much better player and allow me to bounce around the different buy-in levels and still be profitable b/c after all that's what it's all about. Any criticisms, advice, or opinions would be helpful. And if I agree then that's cool, and I think you're dumb I'lll send you a helmet.
Keep It Real Homies.
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in a time of political correctness you don't have to worry about getting a whole lot of that here...this will basically be my way of venting and analzying my play and thoughts at the table while being brutally honest with myself and others that i sit down at the table with...so "get your popcorn ready" and u might just learn something (i'm only about 63% as arrogant as i sound, haha)
5 comments:
Not bad stuff. I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about(the guy that gave you the stay even advice). He seems to know what he's doing. I would think you should play each individual hand as best as possible and not cost yourself money by trying to stay even. But WTF do I know? I haven't had a real winning session in ages. That's definetly an interesting approach. I to hate the 1/2 game for multible reasons. It's definetly not because I think I'm some type of highroller or something. I have difficulty winning at it also. I think is starts mainly at the preflop raises. Online you can raise to $6 and get somewhat respect. If you raise to $6 in a live game, you're getting calls from other tables. And there starts the problem. You must raise to AT LEAST $10 preflop. And as the hand progresses, you are very easily committed. I absolutely hate short stack poker. We can definetly discuss 1/2 strategy sometime. I'm frustrated with it too. For example, look at the hand I typed about the other day. When I raised $15 to go with Q-Q and got called by the guy to my immediate left with K-Jo. I mean I don't care about the call but what type of raise should I make with queens? I'm a little flustered myself and share your pain. Good luck to you in the future. I'll talk to you on AIM soon. Later
That's a great post by the way. And Matt, great line about getting called from other tables.
1-2 is troubling for everything you've said and then some. Though, I think the way you beat the game is to play tight (shocker from me) and do exactly as you say, once you establish that image build a pot or two and steal it. I innately try to hover around my buy-in but use the extra chips to attack. I also re-adjust to a level I call my minimum profit. Hate advertising that, because if anybody picks up on it, they can figure out any bet limitations I might have.
Simple poker too. Raise to isolate the weaker players that indicate some strength but you can crush after the flop.
Lots of this, is stuff you probably already do or have implemented, but I find it easier to put people on ranges of hands in 1-2 than say 2-5 strangely. There are only four holdings that repop preflop from your standard players. Bad players bigger ranges but you can spot the bad players pretty easily.
Okay bet size, $15-20 if the standard is 10-13 by tight players usually big preflop bets they are aholes scared to play 1010, JJ, even QQ (though I like 15 there because the hand has more value) AJ occasionally gets thrown in there because people are tired of getting mangled by it. A general rule a jack flops and it's probably bad for you. I like to call with garbage in position if a high card hits. He checks and if he isn't a call station you can still that pot.
Rarely anything better at that amound unless limpers in the pot, if a few limpers, that ups the likilhood genuinely big hands are firing it to $20.
$7 raise worthless. Suited connectors or medium or low pairs at best. Typically, it's a good raise for a pot sweetner type hand and for people to determine the price for their hand. Feel free to pound at that with a big raise. Initial raiser comes over the top he's the one ahole playing a big pair like he's Helen Keller at an orgy--blindly feeling his way around.
$10-$13 raise includes that range and better, players not scared of going broke with medium pairs, AJ, A10, AQ, even AK which gets probably the most variation in bets. KQ, KJ, K10.
Nobody raises $14. Do it to piss of the dealer. 6 chips per person. Extra work.
Sure sometimes, because of the stakes, you have weird hands bet at weird amounts but you have the turn and the river to figure it out. For example, your JJ hand you played great. It smelled like a rat, and you got away from it. Sounded like you were spot on.
We have a friend who likes to lead out big a couple of times, so that when he gets a hand he'll get a caller and a bigger initial pot. See that a bit in 1-2. Most do it for less, but it's the same concept. Some guys bet the same amount regardless $12 or $10. Repop them and c-bet. He folds or pushes back... either way you know where you are at.
My problems with 1-2 center on the the fact any draw is going to call you. Any beat is going to be live to kill you. Flop two pair and try to defend it and you'll get called if they have any sort of draw. Doesn't matter the price you give them. Got bankroll problems, you have to play it different. Because they'll felt you and you don't have a ton of chips in front, so break the rules. Plenty of bankroll and plenty of chips... you welcome those showdowns. Now without them, play opposite and play your small ball game. Control the pot. Don't price out the flush draws or straight draws just value bet an amount you are willing to lose. Here's why, even the better 1-2 players will advertise their made hands by betting them. Guy calls your bets twice, a draw is hit on the river and he then raises you 9/10 times he has it. Nobody in that game represents a made draw, because they all chase--they are so terrified when it hits you must have it. That's if they are halfway decent. The idiots don't even see it.
Rather than play for your stack by doing the right poker move, play for a little at a time. Hope his draw misses and he catches a pair that has to pay you off on the river.
I don't know. Some of this is probably long run bad advice, but if you read people well, it might help you as it seems to help me when I'm constrained. You don't get as many fun big pots but you aren't sweating a buy in on a 60/40 either. It's amazing how many more hands I play by folding medium hands in early or middle position.
If there are all average or short stacks on the table I won't even bother with little pairs. If they are chips for me to double through, I'll chase them to the flop.
Also, more importantly relearn the value of money. Rule number 1. Need some help? Go play some limit and get pissed about losing, and not pissed about the amount. Get back to the mindset of play to win, not to win a tangible amount.
I welcome any differences of opinions on the hand ranges I listed. Broad, broad generalizations that all vary by player and player style, but still I find more true than not when i know nothing about a guy at 1-2.
I'm not going to get too wordy but after reading your thoughts I began to look back at my play and see my winning versus losing sessions. 4 out of 10 times as the loosest player at the table I won. 8 out of 10 times as a tight aggressive player I won. Here is what I am getting at, when I start making the moves we can make in the 2/5 game in the 1/2 game, their poker intelligence is not where it needs to be for them to fold. When playing that 1/2 game, we are playing, mostly with level 1 players, some level 2 and a sprinkling of level 3's.
I love it when I am not in Harrah's because they are trying to outplay me and I am smacking them around with the nuts. Yet, in this game you gotta expect the unexpected...when you raise with quality be prepared to be called with worse because when the lunchboxes come a calling they don't care if they have Q 10 off, all they see is a queen and a straight opportunity. Reads and tells, tight aggressive play will help you in the long run. Those lunchboxes can only hide for so long.
STAY FROSTY!
Ray
Good stuff...
I know exactly what you mean as you know...I also bounce in and out of the 1-2/2-5/5-10 arena, but most of the time it is dependant on the place I play. Shorty's the games 5-5 and 5-10...Belle of Baton Rouge the games is a 2-5.
I think my overall assessment of the situation in all the games is that there are "Bad" players out there, and I try to pick the right game to get in. Could we all play better poker with 100k bankroll...absolutely. I think we all could, but being able to be consistant at the levels we play is going to make all of us better players.
One point I want to note is that I also play good "poker" once I get my stack up. If I get in a game with $300.00 and get it to $1000.00...I can then sit back and play the game like it is suppose to be played and like you said, people are easier to read.
I have been trying to follow some words of wisdom I heard once ...and that is you have to "Adapt" to your situation. You are going to find yourself in numerous situations in poker from cash games/tournaments/limit vs NL/online...I believe the key is to "Become Water". If your put in a teapot you "become" the teapot...if your in a glass...you become the "glass". I believe that the key to this game is adapting to the situation you are put in...and learning how to play these situations is through experience...and maybe some books
I fight with the same mental aspects at what you described. I wish I had the answer...and maybe the answer is just having the bankroll to move up quicker...I don't know.
Anyhow...good stuff
GeneD
Nice to see I'm not the only one reading(nice picture matt! You look like you just got caught w/ your hand in the cookie jar)I agree w/ almost everything you said, but I don't know if I agree w/ playin differently once you get up and seeing a few more cheaper flops w/ connectors and things like that. I think you should always be looking for those cheap flops. I may be wrong, but thats just me.
Bill I agree w/ what you said. Goon always nice to hear your wisdom.
Gene what the fuck are you talking about. Be a teapot? I didn't catch that! haha
take care and good luck guys
P.S. Go fuck yourself. Lipstick jungle is good shit
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