[DJ Sensei]

The 1-2 games in AC are grrrreat. I'd especially recommend the borgata (plus, its a very nice, new place, and the cocktail waitresses are not too hard on the eyes, to say the least)

Expect preflop raises to be very high, on the order of $10-$12 or more. Also expect your implied odds to be huge, as nobody will be able to lay down an overpair or TPTK.

It is also very important to keep an eye on what kind of player you're against. Here are a few typical styles that I ran into while I was there.

- Old man who normally plays limit (or slot machines) but is trying out NL. Should be a calling station, so just find out how much of a value bet he'll pay off, and do just that. They typically play on a short stack, so if you have a good hand (TPTK is good enough, usually) you should look to bet an amount on each street that is low so they'll call, but allows you to get it all in by the end. Typical river: You bet him all in, the pot is rather large, he says "oh well, can't fold it now". He calls, you win his stack, he buys back in for 60 more. Its glorious.

- Cocky drunk youngster. This is the most likely player to have FPS. I stacked several players like this, who saw that I too was a youngster with a deep stack and kept trying to bluff me out of a pot with a draw or some nonsense. Against these opponents, I typically was successful with a more passive style of play when they were somewhat shortstacked (just let them bet on every street, they'll end up allin, and I have their stack because my hand is better than a Q high missed draw). When they are deeper, you should play more aggressively, in such a way as to make them think you're putting some moves on them. They won't want to be "outplayed" in a pot, so the money will end up in there.

- deepstacked, quiet player. Could be any age. You won't really notice these guys at the table nearly as much as the rest (hint, they're tight and aggressive) but you should see that they are generally pretty solid players. If you play a good game, they'll notice it, and a mutual implied respect may form. This is fine, there are plenty of other fish at the table for you and him to feed on.


In any case, I find that players in live low stakes NL are incredibly easy to read. After half an hour or an hour at the table, I know exactly who the fish and who the sharks are. And don't be surprised if some of the old players (who you assume to be there just having a good time) are some of the best players at the table. You should be able to figure this out soon enough too. Also, when somebody is on TILT after losing a big pot or getting outdrawn, you should be able to pick up on it quick. Definitely get into a pot with this player soon after that, if you have a good implied odds hand. If you make your hand, you are very likely to stack him off.