Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

Hey all,

I'm in college and me and about 7 or 8 of my buddies get together for a few $10 winner take all No Limit Hold Em Tournaments. I have won more than anyone, in fact I won back to back tournaments a last week. I definately think I am the only real, strong player. Everyone else just wants to see a flop. I am the ONLY player who ever really even raises the pot pre-flop. Players generally bet with their hand strength. I know of a few people who will call with bottom pair so I've at least learned not to bluff them. I got knocked out early the other night and watched the rest of the game and was just amazed at how bad everyone was, and I was just wondering if anyone had advise on how to approach playing this game. I think when I play them I assume they are around my level when they are not. Any advise is welcome, thanks all and good luck!

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

If you're winning, what's the problem? Play your game. Sounds like you've got a basic read on the others. It's not realistic to assume you will win all the time or even a majority of the time. Sometimes the cards won't allow it. Only advice I can think of is to try to avoid the all-ins without the nuts. If you still have chips after the bad beats or misreads, you are still in the game. If you play the coin-flips and 60/40 situations everytime, you're going to lose a fair percentage of those. I'm not saying to play weak-tight, just realize that if you are as much better than the others as you believe, you can afford to let those situations go and look for even better spots.

Good luck to you, too.

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

Playing with new players is just strange. One hand I remember from my last poker night had a newbie (had played poker, but not Hold 'em) betting really strong on the turn with a 3 flush on the board. She was re-raised by another player who wasn't quite as new. They kept re-raising over and over. Naturally, I suspected one or both had a flush.

The river card came, the fourth flush card. It was checked to the newbie. She min-bets for T50 (after putting in probably over T400 on the turn.). Then she folds when re-raised. I asked what she had. "Nothing, I was bluffing." Thing is, no one else folded, despite the 4-flush. And no one had the flush.

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

Play extremely straightforward poker. Bet and raise only with good hands (don't have to be great hands). Lots of value bets and very little bluffing. The biggest thing though is do not talk trash on their ability when they suck out etc. You want to play with these people again and again.

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

ABC poker gets the money here. What you want to vary is the level of agression based on your hand strength. i.e. you'll play the more "normal" players "normally" but you'll take note who will call almost any bet size with bottom pair and punish them when you have a near lock. You will also look for players that will overcall xBB size bets but not x+yBB bets. These overcalls can help you build a MOUNTAIN of chips.

These guys are also going to be wearing their hands on their sleeves, strong means weak man... strong means weak. Caro's book of poker tells can help you quite a bit for this game.

GL.

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

As others stated, ABC poker works here.

Play solid. Raise strong hands. Value bet. Don't bluff. etc etc.

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

I am on the exact same page as you are, bud. The best way is to play tight and just push it with every monster. For some strange reason, you will always get called when the caller just "knows" they are behind!

Honestly though, just play tight and play your opponents. Dont bluff too much unless you know someone is good enough to throw a hand away.

This has been my strategy for the last year or so and the only time I really lose is if I get sucked out. I havent really missed cashing in the last 4 weeks or so either

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

SS:

I am mostly in agreement with everyone here.

1. Play tight.
2. Value bet more, bluff less.

The onlty thing I would add, is that if you sense your opponent in weak, be very agressive when in a hand with him, and try to bet him out of the pot, but only if you can be sure he is week enough.

Re: Home Poker with Weaker Players
 

I have a home game that is similar to yours. I usually play tighter than usual and wait for big hands because the weak player will almost always pay you off.