13 replies to this topic

[BiGV99]

I've always been interested since I started playing this winter if my early strategy was sound. We play $20 buy-ins and get $100 in chips with usually 6 players. Blinds start at $1/$2 with no antes. They go up every 15 minutes. When the blinds are $1/$2 I play nearly every hand unless there is a raise but play far less hands as the blinds go up. Basically I'm trying to hit a few pots before the blinds increase as well as show a more loose playing method before tightening up. Does anyone see anything wrong with this? It sounds fairly simple but I wanted to get a few opinions.As well, we are definate amateurs so if anyone has other suggestions for improving our home game it would be appreciated.

[Vade]

Welcome to the forum.I think the first level or two should be used for trying to figure out what your opponents are doing, and should be played tighter. Then loosen up a bit as the levels go up, and you have some ideas about your opponents play

[BiGV99]

Thank you! True enough however I play with these guys twice a week minimun so I know them pretty well now. Or at least as well as an amateur could know an opponent anyways. :? I'm just thinking it's a cheap way to take a shot at a few pots on hands generally not played and maybe get a bank roll going to use in the later high blinds.

[dms26]

Try to stick with hands that are more likely to hit good flops, a 92offsuit really only has 2 or 3 flops that you would really like.If you want to loosen up when the blinds are low fine, but don't play any two cards. Try to stick with suited connectors, any 2 face cards, pocket pairs, Ace/face and ace suited. If the other players are beginners too they will be playing worse hands than you, so when the flop is Q84 and you have QJ you will win nice pots against Q3, ect.

[mk]

This is actually the opposite strategy from the one I like to play in freeze-outs, and the opposite strategy recommended by most poker books that discuss tournament play at any length. Not that you should play by the book, but there are worse places to start.Try folding everything except premium hands early on (at least until the third level or so. (Having said that, you must recognize that a six person table is a short-handed game and more hands should be considered premium hands than just AA, KK, QQ, AK and the like.) Later on you can start opening up a bit. The logic is, why get involved in tiny pots? Your risk/reward is very poor early on. You run the risk of losing a substantial portion of your stack and winning only small pots. I really believe that unless you are a top pro, it is incredibly difficult to advance deep in a tournament playing a lot of hands early on. Most players will be playing fairly tight, so that means if you're involved in a pot with someone, they probably have you in pretty bad shape unless you're holding an excellent hand yourself. The pros are fine with this (taking a flop as a substantial underdog), because they make better decisions than their opponents post-flop, but this is not an easy thing to do. As the blinds increase, you need to start playing more hands because as the blinds begin to take their toll, the pots you win won't compensate for what you're siphoning off in blinds. Hope this is helpful/interesting.

[Rocketwadster]

There is no perfect way to play at poker (or all the pros would play exactly the same way, but look at a Gus Hansen vs a Howard Lederer...two complete opposites). :? While I agree with playing Tight Agressive early on, you also have to be aware of how your opponents are playing also, and adjust your style accordingly. If you see your table as being tighter than a (fill in blank) than you can try to steal a lot more pots. If your table has a bunch of maniacs raising and re-raising with any two cards, then you have to tighten up pretty good (at least for a while). Remember also that one player can play twice as many hands as another player, and they could both have won/loss about the same amount. :wink:

[mk]

Also, most home games have at least 1 or 2 players who really don't have a good grasp on the game. Target those players early on, and try to capitalize on their mistakes. It's weird to see a player put all their chips at risk with middle pair, but they'll do it. Be patient.

[BiGV99]

That is interesting for sure.I see what you are saying and it makes sense. I started playing with my strategy a few weeks ago after I noticed a few of my mediocre hands that I folded hitting flops. I started to kick myself for not even seeing a flop for so cheaply a price. I started trying this theory and had marginal success but it felt like a decent strategy.Most of the players I play with will see a flop at the $1/$2 blinds. I think I need to learn how to play after the flop when I hit it or miss it. Any links ya'll know of that adress this?Thanks for the input guys - we have a game tonight and as hard as it will be to sit out the small blinds I will give it a shot. But you also think it is better to play more hands at the bigger blinds as well? I know not bad hands, but more in general?

[mk]

Actually, most of this is old hat for regular forum readers. If you search the strategy and tournament forums you should be able to find lengthy discussions of this topic. In the meantime I recommend the following for a good discussion of the fundamentals:Tournament Poker for Advanced Players (Paperback) by Sklansky, David Championship No Limit& Pot Limit Hold'Em (Paperback) by McEvoy, Tom and T.J. CloutierHarrington On Hold'em (Paperback) by Harrington, Dan

[Vade]

Tournament Poker for Advanced Players is NOT a good idea for beginners. In fact, it will probably weaken a beginner's play.

[dharris]

Some things that I have realized from playing a lot of home games with inexperienced players:1) kickers -- these are almost always an afterthought for beginners -- if you can get into good situations where you think TP is the best hand, you can really sting beginners with your higher kicker. (Same type of logic applies to ignorant end of straights, weak flushes)2)aces -- beginners love aces and will often play ace-anything even to a pre-flop raise. Beware/exploit the fact that in multi-way pots someone or more people will have an ace.3) calling stations -- not only will beginners call almost anything, they rarely raise and will often check with a better (but unlikely to improve) hand. I love playing suited connectors against beginners and Ax suited because you can see a lot of cards for cheap and still get paid off if you hit! Limp in a lot because you can (with decent hands) and you will get paid off on the monster hands. Raise with the goods because you almost always get called.4)pick your spots -- related to the calling stations part, it is hard to bluff beginners, because they simply don't want to get bluffed and they just hope for cards and are willing to gamble. It can also be good to play tight against beginners for the simple fact that it can be easier to outplay them shorthanded.5) slowplaying -- beginners love slowplaying, and will slowplay hands you would never think of slowplaying (Like a pair of queens and i don't mean pocket queens or even queens with an ace kicker.) They don't know how to bet or raise for information -- this is why they will often call with a weak hand -- they don't know where they are in the hand.6) Most importantly, keep it simple, and don't try to be too fancy. Often they dont remember that you raised pre-flop, for example, so you can't assume that they are acting rationally with full information because often they aren't paying attention.If people have things to add to this list, or disagree with some of the points, I would love to hear it. I am happy with my progress, but always looking to improve my game. Thanks hope this helpsDevo

[akishore]

man, i hate tournament poker.sorry for the useless comment. aseem

[NickTheKid]

akishore said:

man, i hate tournament poker.sorry for the useless comment. aseem

You rarely make them, forgiven

[mk]

Vade said:

Tournament Poker for Advanced Players is NOT a good idea for beginners. In fact, it will probably weaken a beginner's play.

You're probably right. All three of those books are probably too advanced for a novice. I don't know of any starter books that discuss tournaments, though.Nice post, dharris. The only thing I would add is that while some (most) novices are total calling stations, others are maniacs who bet every round of every hand. It's important to not go on tilt and feel like you have to play back at those players. Wait for the goods, and then let them do the betting.