Yale NL

There is a game that gets together almost everyday. Blinds are .25/.5 and the typical buy-in is like $20. After 2 hours the table normally is 5-6 handed and there is about $200-$300 on the table.


The game is a mix of people who have no clue how to play (like me) and some who think they do. There is really only one player who is tough to contend with. He plays bigger games and is super agressive and selective.


Anyhow, that said, I am looking for who you all might be optimal/typical starting hands. And what hands and how much would you raise? It seems a big raise with AA-JJ is not always that smart as nobody with a worse hand will call you. But again you don't want everyone attacking your big pockets.


WHat do you all say?

Not that I'm trying to be mean to you, but your question shows you've got a lot to learn, more than you're going to get from this website. You need to learn the basic concepts before discussing specific questions.


I recommend clicking on the link to conjelco.com and buying the PL/NL book by Reuben and Ciaffone. It will teach you the basic concepts and strategies of big bet poker.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

We have a similar game with double the stakes of yours, and a few more players, so there's generally about $700 out there. I'm going to hazard that your Yale game will be almost exactly like the Duke game I used to play. This means that you'll have a lot of kids with large egos who think they're a lot better than they are.


In games like this, if you show domination and knowledge of the game, you can convince most of the clueless players to become passive towards you. That's exactly why the superaggressive player plays that way -- because he'll win almost every session. You need to become superaggressive, but tread lightly around the other guy who knows what's he doing.


Like Greg said, you have a lot to learn if you even think JJ should go in the same sentence as AA. Read the book Greg suggested, then read another one, then another one, all the while still playing everyday. For your game, the most important thing is don't go on tilt and throw your stack away. I'd read Super/System but keep an open mind and not try to emulate Doyle, as if you're incapable of making good laydowns (which you are at this point) it's a recipe for disaster.

In games such as yours, there are room for clear winners and clear losers. With a little bit of work you can become one of the clear winners, and take home a nice profit each night until they stop playing with you.


Anyone from my Duke game... if you're reading this, drop me an email and let me know how it's going this year!


Max