[SheridanCat]

I'm late to the party on this thread, but here goes anyway.

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I have tried to play some lower limit games and I always get frustrated because people don't play the way they "should". I get called with 7 3 and the guy hit something on the river while I was clearly having the best hand up till 4th street. How do you play against people like that? Is there a way to win in the long run in these games?
I've also tried a few 2/4 games and they tend to work out a lot better.


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First, don't be fooled into thinking that playing higher is easier just because people are playing "more correctly". They often aren't playing more correctly. I guarantee your sample size is too small to indicate anything significant about your play yet.

Here's the thing you must understand to be a successful long-term player. When you face someone playing 73o, you may not have the pot pushed to you, but you still win. That's right. Your short term results were negative, but the overall situation is +EV for you. If you played that player (or players like him) exclusively, you will win over the long term.

You want your opponents playing crappy hands badly - that's how you win. You will have frustrations and experience what many call "bad beats" but you need to understand that there are no bad beats. If you get your money in with the best of it, then you still win theoretically. Winning the pot is only the immediate effect; long-term you are a winner.

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I really want to master .5/1 before I move one though, but I don't know how!


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Play solid poker. Do not get sucked into playing junk because you see others doing it. When you have a solid hand, raise for value. Don't bluff the unbluffable. Don't slowplay unless you're holding a monster hand. Don't cold call. If you feel you want to cold call, raise instead; if you don't think the hand is good enough to raise, fold.

Regards,

T