Went home early

[Play Tight]

Everyone has a bad night or two which I'm somewhat in the middle of right now. Got to my game late afternoon yesterday and found the room to be almost full, which is rare on a Monday night. Recently one of four remaining poker rooms in Colorado shut down so the others are much busier now. I get there, like I said, and only recoginize a handful of "regulars." Get my chips take a seat and muck the majority of the first half hour to watch the action and cannot believe the pot sizes and the cards that are winning.

I start getting into the action but play pretty tight. (BTW this is limited stakes $2-$5 poker, so not alot of bluffing and usually 5 to 8 to see the flop.) The betting is crazy, usually two bets to see the flop and two to three to see the turn with alot of drawing hands sticking it out to the river. I cannot begin to tell the number of overpair hands catching a pair on the river or two pair turn and river catches. It really made the action fast and big. The swings within the half-hour dealer downs were incredible. I saw one guy buy in for $200 re-buy for $100 and was down to the last $30 or so and make a come back to be up by prob $250 or so in about 45 minutes and then to be rebuying in about an hour. The chips were moving back and forth accross the table like they were on a teeter-totter.

So after all of that here is my question. I'm really not afraid of the swings, they hurt, but if you know when to stop I think this might even be a better game then it ever has been in the past. As my name implies, I play a very conservitive game and seemed to be mucking alot of eventual winners IE small pocket pairs tripping on the turn, straights and flushes making it on the river. Should I loosen up and play this game? This will mean completley revamping my style of play.

Last night I decided I was better off getting out of there and getting a good nights sleep. I have been re-reading Lee Jones Winning Low Limit Hold'em book all day and really cannot decide what to do. I have computed the probablity of some of the wining hands from last night and am thinking that maybe odds and probablity should be thrown out the window for a week or two and see how the chips fall who knows maybe this can be my get rich quick scheme of the month. What would you do?

[J.R.]

I have computed the probablity of some of the wining hands from last night and am thinking that maybe odds and probablity should be thrown out the window for a week or two and see how the chips fall who knows maybe this can be my get rich quick scheme of the month.

Don't quit your day job

[Louie Landale]

Lets consider this hypothetical game: stakes are straight $10 bets, one raise max, and [a] there is a single $2 blind. [b] there is a $3 and a $5 blind. How would you play these games? Conservative before and on the flop, yes? Well, these ARE the games you are playing.

[1] Lots of over-sized pots means LOTS of bad hands will win. You cannot have one (at limit) without the other. [2] Playing selectively means you will be folding a lot of eventual winners. You cannot have one without the other. [3] Bad loose players who keep playing MUST win fairly often, or they will stop playing. You cannot have one without the other.

I suspect your problem is that you are disregarding the size of the pot on the later streets. With the pot routinely large, you need to draw and/or show down your hand, even if you pretty much always figure that there will be one raise every street. If 7 players take one pre-flop raise ($7 each) and 5 players take one flop raise ($10 each), AND you figure the turn will get raised for 3 opponents, you are getting 13:1 to draw. That's plenty enough for a small split pair to draw, presuming two pair will probably win; and that's more than enough for any nut-gut draw.

You are also probably NOT pushing your flopped draws enough: even if your flush will LOSE half the time you make it, you are still making money if you cap the flop against 5 opponents.

- Louie

[Bob T.]

You probably did the right thing. On another day, you will walk into the cardroom with the same bunch of players, playing the same way, and you will see nothing but opportunity. Last night, you saw nothing but trouble. In that state of mind, you probably would fold too early too often, and not play your winning hands aggressively enough. Hard to win that way.

[AceHigh]

"I have computed the probablity of some of the wining hands from last night and am thinking that maybe odds and probablity should be thrown out the window for a week or two and see how the chips fall "

You would probably be better off playing the slots if you think this way.

[HDPM]

I have not played Colorado games for almost 10 years. When I did, I avoided the ridiculous ones. I thought the 2-5 games were more passive than the 5-5 games. But the level of play was bad and I could beat them regularly. Guys would go three or four bets on the river with a flush when the board was paired and I had a FH. It could be great. Anyway, I played more passively then and was less able to deal with aggression. So I would look for more passive game conditions if you can, I think you are having trouble adjusting. If the games are all aggressive you will have to play pretty tight, but you must play aggressively and play hands that can take some heat. You will be richly compensated for sets or other big hands. Re-read the sections in HPFAP re: loose games and the differences between aggressive and passive games. And don't give up and start to play slots or whatever.