How good is "good"?

[MRBAA]

The idea that better players are easier to beat is, by definition, mistaken. (They wouldn't be better if they were easier to beat).

I think looseness and tightness of players as it relates to structure is probably the most relevant factor. For example, in the CT casinos, there is a $1-5 game with .50 ante and $1 bring in and a $5-10 game with .50 ante and $2 bring in. I have never been able to beat the $1-5 game, yet can beat the $5-10. The reason isn't that the players are "better" in the bigger game, and hence can be played against more rationally. It is that the over-ante in the smaller game favors looser play, a style that I'm not very comfortable with and that makes hand selection and reading less of a factor. You get trapped in more hands by pot size, so just calling is more often right. The structure of the $5-10 game rewards the tight aggressive style I like to play. Throw in that both games are raked the same amount and I believe I know why I can beat the higher but not the lower game. This is confirmed by the fact that I have beaten the $1-3 game (and $1-5 in Las Vegas), where there is no ante and a tight style is correct. High rake is the main problem in those games.

[cavalier]

The 1/5 game is raked $1 every pot, regardless of pot size. The dealer antes $5 and $1 gets taken out immediately.

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The notion that bigger games are easier to beat because the players play better can be pretty dangerous

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Yes, I hear ya. I don't want to play the best players in the game because I think I'll win more. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I think the key is learning how to play loose players better. Complete freaks give me troubles. Especially when there are several of them in the same game.

[cavalier]

I think MRBAA hit it right on the head here.

This weekend was a really good weekend for me with respect to playing against sailors.

I played lots of hours this weekend and was lucky enough to have a few games that had a max of 2 sailors in it. I made it pay off.

Before even sitting in a game, you can tell what kind of player is in it by looking at avg pot size. The game I do best in can have $50 avg pots and $22 avg pots. Of course, when the pots are $50, it's a naval yard. At $22, showdowns happen 1 in 5 hands.

Like MRBAA, I tend to lean towards careful hand selection. Playing against several of these nuts builds bigger pots, but traps you more. I did, however, make a few adjustments this weekend that seemed to pay off when playing these guys. Hopefully, it will continue.