Re: NL Cash Games
[ QUOTE ]
The advice I've gotten so far seems to suggest that Limit and NL are two completely different animals and as such I didn't want to become proficient in one just to swap later to my preferred game.
[/ QUOTE ]
You really should try to become proficient at both, over time. Just as you should also try to become proficient at Omaha/8 and stud, maybe 2-7 triple draw, etc. The reason is that you never know where the good games will be, so you should be ready to jump into any situation.
Interestingly, when I started playing poker in 2000, there were not many NL ring games being spread in casinos. It just wasn't available. Only in the last couple years have they really taken off. What will the poker landscape look like in three years? Who knows, so be ready.
[ QUOTE ]
I've played Limit on a few occasions and it just bores me to death, at the lower limits I'm unable to get anyone out of the pot and it's basically a game of luck based on who makes the best hand. With NL I think a lot more strategy goes into the game and that interests me greatly.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hoooo, mama.
Poker is a game of mathematics; it's simple math, but it's math nonetheless. If you don't understand how odds work in a limit game, your NL strategy will be incomplete.
The beautiful thing about NL poker is that you aren't forced to live with the odds you're being offered from the pots as you are in limit poker. Rather, you are able to manipulate the pot odds to your advantage (and your opponents are able to do the same). If you don't understand how the pot odds work in limit poker, you can't understand them in NL poker either.
Now, you're probably wondering why I would jump to the conclusion that you don't understand pot odds. I make this assumption based on your characterization of limit as a game where you can't protect your hand and where luck reigns supreme. If you understood the odds a bit, you'd understand that you don't need to protect your hands usually.
Don't be fooled by piles of chips being shoved into the center, NL hold'em is not a game about bullying and bluffing. It's a game about manipulating the pot to your advantage and trapping your opponents.
Big bet poker is a subtle game. The strategy is interesting, and I encourage you to take it up. Just be careful and don't assume pushing in a stack of chips will win you a pot.
[ QUOTE ]
I certainly appreciate your feedback but I honestly couldn't sit at a limit table for long, it's like watching paint dry.
[/ QUOTE ]
I had to smile at this because I often feel the same way about NL hold'em. To me, NL is a lot like I've heard combat described: hours of boredom punctuated by bouts of heart-pounding terror. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
I hope that's somewhat helpful.
Regards,
T
|