thoughts on playing sngs/mtts/nl cash games and limit cash games

snapfc01 · #1 03-09-2005, 03:48 PM

hey all... i realize this could/should probably be posted somewhere else. however this is the only place on two plus two where anyone would even notice my name and i would be able to notice others so i figured i'd ask here (plus i'm sure many of you have tested the waters). recently after a bad run in the sngs i started to test the waters in different games... playing some nl cash games and even started to play some limit cash games... i have done pretty well in both and just thought what everyone thought on playing many different games vs. sticking with one and "mastering" it. I not exactly sure what i am asking to hear but i'm sure many of you have also done this or still do and i'd love to hear any thoughts on the topic.

thanks alot
Gerard

Bigwig · #2 03-09-2005, 03:50 PM

I think it's an excellent idea.

gumpzilla · #3 03-09-2005, 04:02 PM

It probably depends on what your goals are. If you're just looking to maximize profit, then there are a couple of things to consider. Your efforts will probably be best spent getting really good at one particular game. Having great hold'em instincts is not going to help you that much in Omaha. However, it's probably worth experimenting a bit to see if you find a game that you really like. Once you find something that you think you're good at, start investing lots of effort into it.

Playing a wide range of different games is good if you're trying to have fun. I'm something of a dilettante by nature, so I enjoy mixing it up and playing a bunch of different games. Part of it is an educational experience as well; I like trying to take the general concepts that apply to all poker and using those to try and figure out how I should be playing 7-stud. In that context, it could be valuable experience that will help whatever poker you might end up playing. However, I think the success of such a venture is quite dependent on how reflective you like to be about poker, and is almost certainly less useful than really honing your skills in one game.

The other thing is that while NLHE ring games and tournaments are very different beasts, there are definitely some skills that are transferable between them. NL ring will be a good way to work on parts of your game that get neglected in SNGs. So, I think it's probably good no matter what you're trying to do to mix in some NL ring every now and then with your SNGs.

EarlCat · #4 03-09-2005, 04:05 PM

I find when I'm in a rut it's good to mess around with other games, even those I might not be as good at. Many times this is just the change of scenery I need to get back where I need to be.

I'm reading SuperSystem right now, and Doyle suggests to learn other forms of poker anyway just to give yourself a better knowledge of poker in general (and to give action in hopes of getting it in your game later, but I think that applies more to B&M games).

Either way, sitting down at other games once in a while can't hurt....much.

raptor517 · #5 03-09-2005, 08:33 PM

its definitely a good thing to get amazing at a lot of games, that way if one of them is not working out for you then you can play something else. it also keeps you from burning out. last month i played over 2k sngs. thats a lot. i dont want to see another sng for a while, so im playing the 2-4 NL games. they are super soft and ive been dominating. i guess that means sometimes its good to change it up. once those go sour i will jump back into sngs probably, but for now, mixing it up is working out well for me. i also used to play 5-10 and 10-20 6max. i duno, try out a bunch of games and get good at more than one thing, if anything it will keep you interested. holla

shejk · #6 03-09-2005, 08:55 PM

I think this is a bit related to some post of Lorinda a week or so ago. If you want to earn money on poker to pay your rent, you gotta be able to adapt when the games change. Playing all kinds of games, getting good at thinking about poker, rather that getting good at sng's with a specific structure, is great. On the other hand, me slowly earning some at sngs and nl cashgames, losing it at roughly the same rate at omaha hi and hilo tables, can't really be optimal. Maybe I should stop playing when I'm drunk :O