Ok guys this is a list of five rules that I made to help me and my wife become better players. We started playing 1/2 nl at our local B&M about a year ago. We were at best break even players(in other words we were losing). I came up with these rules at the end of January and since we started using them and following them we are up $2300. These are a collection of general rules that we all know but I really feel that if a novice or losing player followed them exactly then they would become a winning player also. Anyway I thought I would post them and see what kind of feedback I got.

Five Rules for Cash Games


1. Tight is right. If it’s not worth raising it’s not worth calling. You should only be playing 10-15 percent of your hands. I will only limp in with suited aces and small-medium pocket pairs out of position trying to hit a big hand.

2. Use the Gap Effect. You must have a stronger hand to call a raise than you do to open a pot with a raise. KQ is a good hand to raise with in an unopened pot in late position. If you have a ten dollar raise from middle position you are better off folding your KQ. Only call big raises( ten dollars or more) with premium hands i.e. AA, KK, AK, QQ.

3. Only push your big advantages. This equates to playing small ball. You only want to lose small pots while winning big pots. An example would be QQ versus AK, QQ is only a 55% winner. This is not a big enough advantage to risk all your chips.

4. Don’t risk your Yacht to win a rowboat. Don’t risk a lot of your money to try and steal small pots.

5. If you have one maniac at your table tighten up even more. If you have two or more maniacs at your table you should move tables. If you have 3-4 callers when you raise 10-15 preflop and you have AA you should move tables because the variance will be too high to be profitable.

This advice is very one dimensional, and over half of it is just flat out wrong. I disagree with with number three, and the second half of number five. Number one is only half right. Don't turn pro because you won't make millions, and for the love of God, don't write a book.

Turd I appreciate your input, but these very general rules are definatly geared for beginners. I already assumed that winning and experianced players would scoff at them. The level of players that you find in Oklahoma is pathetic. People will call,raise with any two cards. I personally play a very tight game and these rules have helped me eliminate most situations were I was losing money.

Fair enough, but make rule number one tight/aggressive. Selective aggression is key to this point. Also, throw out rule number five. Variance is high, but the game can be very profitable. Raise more with your premium starting hands preflop.

These rules are for the most basic extreme beginner that stinks at poker. That is the only person who should really follow these.

You should write these on your hand then. Or maybe write them on a post it and stick it to your shirt.

I'll be sure to do that. Might help my game.

So where do suited connectors fit into your strategy? If you are folding all of your suited connectors you hate money. Obviously, they shouldn't be played under any circumstances, but there are many situations where they are profitable.

Ok guys these are five general rules that are rules of thumb for playing cash games only. I made these for my wife who has never read a poker book or visited a poker forum. I limp alot with suited connectors and even suited one gap connectors. For Turds sake I did not want to write a book on my complete strategy. I still stand by my assurtion that these rules would turn a novice or losing player into a winning player.

The first few bits are great advice for new players, who're playing against even worse players.

Number 5 is terrible advice for anyone.

I hear ya. Would probrably work for my wife too, I guess. Good job on being +2300 though.

Abba I dissagree with your assertion for #5. When I get AA i usually raise to $10 dollars. I want action but normally not more than two callers. If I raise to ten and get four callers in a 5-way pot the odds my aces hold up are roughly 45%. At 1/2 I will not raise $20 becuase it is such a gross overbet. I am atight player and prefer a passive table that I feel I can control. These rules are personalized for my style.

If you still get called, what's the problem?

Turd I dont know how you play AA but in an unopened pot I will raise to ten. If there is a bet in front of me say ten dollars I will reraise to 20 or 30. I know that if i bet 10 I will get action but if I raise to 20 right off the bat I risk everyone folding and dragging a very small pot.

First of all, reraising the minimum to $20 is a very bad idea. The miniraise is one of the worst plays in no limit poker. Make it at least $30 to go.

Dragging a small pot with AA preflop is not a horrible thing. In fact I would prefer it to seeing a flop with three or four other players. However, you don't want to make a suspiciously large raise every time you have aces. This will become blatantly obvious to your opponnents. My advice is to find a middle ground that will get you action, but not raise too many red flags with your opponnents. At a very loose table you should be making larger than standard raises with your big hands. Don't leave a juicy table because you're afraid of variance. Not siezing the opportunity to make a lot of money is just as bad as loosing money. I'm going home now. I hope this helped.

If you're admittedly a losing player, you should welcome situations where the worst case scenario is one where you will win several big blinds uncontested.

If you're moving to a tight table, you're likely going to get killed given the rest of your advice.

And i doubt that you will get everyone folding for 20, if you get several people routinely calling for 10. You'd be amazed at how many people will think (and often say), "if he wanted me to call, why would he bet so much?" and use that rationale to justify calling a bet of ANY size.

Good Postings Turd.

i wish I could play @ tables with 8/9 being complete idiots. maniacs, lags, whatever...i love it.

- Jordan

I feel like I need to explain myself better. Turd makes very good points about min-raising. However, when I get AA and I re-raise the minumum what I hope will happen is that I will be re-raised again. If that happens I usually try to get all of my money in the pot heads up. Also, to Abba there is a difference between moving to a tight table and a more passive table. What I want is a table that is not making insane pre-flop bets and five way action every hand.

you must dislike money.

:/

re-raising min. is a horrible strategy when holding AA in a full ring game...unless you are in the game you are saying you want to stay away from..maniac tables..maybe you'll get lucky and get re-riased behind you..but you should just push your edge now and get more money in the pot and cut out other hands.

min raising with AA is disatrous when ppl start calling it, cuz it invites others in. And if you aren't comfortble playing AA postflop in Multi-way-pots...youre screwed.

- Jordan

Spades i think the flaw in your "rules", is that they seem to pertain to trying to be a winner in the short term.

I think the correct play is that if you have QQ and you know ur against AK you should push preflop everytime?

And your AA example where you get 4 callers and your only 45% to hold up, but that means the 4 callers split the remaining 55% for their hands to hold up?

So in the short term yes u may lose AA in that spot or QQ in the other spot but the plays will make money in the long run?

I could be completely wrong? I'm still learning?

you have equity with QQ over AK yes...

but you dont have to commit your hand preflop in a cash game if you dont want to.

players in cash games that know they have an edge over their opponents dont need to do these coinflips...however.....you have equity and should push it preflop etc....

idk, a lot depends on how you are comfortable playing your big pairs in cash games, preflop and post flop....

blah blahagwfe wae

Jordan I think something got lost in translation. I will give an example of how I would play AA in 1/2 nl and you tell me if I am playing it wrong. I am in middle position and have a couple of limpers in front of me. I look down at AA and make it ten to play. Lets say I get two callers and see the flop three way. As long as two kings or two queens dont come out I will make make a 3/4 to a pot size bet on the flop.

Ok lets say the same scenario and after I raise to ten I get reraised to thirty. Usually I will go ahead and push and see a flop heads up. As far as maniac tables go I just dont want four or more people in a pot when I have AA.

I guess my stategy is a little passive. I only buy in for $100 at 1/2 nl, I dont like playing at a table where pre flop raises are 15-20 to see a flop. I like to play a very controlled game and build my stack slowly by out playing my passive opponents post flop.

I guess if you dissagree with this than we just have a different philosophy on poker.

Magsugal,

What I am saying is that I dont want to push all of my money in the pot on a coinflip. I will raise preflop all day with QQ and play it accordingly after the flop.

if you are only buying in for 50bb you should be playing more preflop than post flop poker.

thus your raises with your premium hands AK/AA/KK/QQ should commit more of your stack.

in a 1/2 live NL game that is loose...and say 2 limp, there is 2 + 2 + 2bb + 1sb = $7 pot, you could raise to $21. You should def. raiser higher than $10, if you know atleast one guy will stay with you. Maybe $15.

There are no absolutes in poker obviuosly...but if you have less than 100bb in play, you should be playing more preflop and pushing your edges more there with your premium hands.

If you think your skill outweighs your opponents I dont see anything wrong with getting off QQ preflop if you think you are in a coinflip...however, on the same token...if I think my skill outweighs my opponents, I want 100bb on the table atleast at all times.

- Jordan

This idea that you want to stay away from loose-aggressive players is just ridiculous. Those are the easiest players in the world to play against. If it's routinely $20 to see a flop in a 1/2 game, and you're only keeping $100 on the table, then all you have to do is wait until you get TT-AA or AK and raise all-in. If they fold, you drag a nice pot with no risk, and if they call, then you'll probably be at worst a coin flip, and usually comfortably ahead. If you've got $2300 built up as you say, then you should be comfortable with a little risk when you know it's going to end up as a win for you in the long run.

So you're telling players to fold QQ to an all in pf raise against AK? I like you already.

Aggressive.
Not once in your instructions do you use this word. The first and arguably greatest book on NLHE is the Super System: A course in Power poker.

I see many poor and loosing players and their greatest problems revolve around their choices of times to be aggressive and passive. I think that aggression must be incorporated in any regimen of learning for a new or poor player.

In response to rule #5, I also believe this is flawed because your understanding of variance is flawed. I play a good deal of pot limit omaha, a game where variance is the name of the game. The reason it that it is also highly profitable is because good players make much better decisions than poor players and though the poor players get lucky often, their inevitable result is to go broke.

In no limit holdem, the variance overall is much less because hands hold up much more often. What this means is that when you get your money in with the best of it, you are usually a 2-1 or greater favorite to win, a fantastic scenario. A wild table should be welcomed by the good NL player. Sure, your aces will be called by half the table preflop, but it is only one pair and your post flop skills will be much more important here. In this game small pairs and suited connectors will play nicely if deep-stacked because you can bank on implied odds when you hit. I think that rule #5 should be changed from "move to another table" to "adjust to a wild table and play with the knowledge that you will have to make real decisions after the flop."

I'm all for keeping these concepts simple, but simple and misguided will not do. Variance has more to do with bankroll than it does to profitability, and if you can't take the swings maybe #5 is appropriate, though I believe it makes you uneligable to tap in on some of the juiciest games.

this about number 1 for a sec Spades13. If a Tight person raises UTG or 2 second position and you now for a fact he wouldn't do that with a premium hand AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ suited and you sitting with 10 10. I don't think itll be a good Idea to Reraise and have him move in on you then you can't play it at all. thats why we call take a flop for the right price and hope to flop trips where we can break him....