Can you learn to beat the low limit game?

[Basil]

Hi.
I'm a total beginner and don't know much at all abour poker at this point. I have read one book so far and that's about it.
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.

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

Thanks.

[MegumiAmano]

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Hi.
I'm a total beginner and don't know much at all abour poker at this point. I have read one book so far and that's about it.

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What book?


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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?

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Having opponents make mistakes is the way to win in the long run. Worrying about an opponent who just sucked out on you with odds he should not have been playing is the short run. That's not to say that you didn't make a mistake on that hand yourself though, which is why you'll see most people on this board focusing on specific decisions during individual hands.

[Basil]

It's a Swedish book.

I know I make tons of misstakes myself. I think what I wanted to know is if there IS a way of playing agains people that call and raise on everything and win, in the long run. Sure THAT person loses in the long run with odds like that, but then comes another, and another ....

[MegumiAmano]

That exact question gets asked and answered constantly in the Micro-Limit forum. It's a great forum to read and study. As I'm also in the process of learning, I've found that trying to answer people's questions (in my mind) before reading the replies is pretty helpful.

[topspin]

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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". [...] Is there a way to win in the long run in these games?

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I've also tried a few 2/4 games and they tend to work out a lot better.

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I doubt you've played enough hands at either limit to conclude if you're a winner in each level, much less to have an idea of your win rate, so I wouldn't be too results-oriented yet.

You might try posting a few hands where you were uncertain about your correct action in either micro or small stakes NL (depending on which game you play). It's much more constructive to focus on your actions rather than your financial results, which will sort themselves out in the long run anyways.

[Basil]

Nah I didn't see a point in posting hands as I really just wanted to know if the low (micro?) limit games are for those who just play any hand and hope to win, or if it's possible to get good at winning those games.

[topspin]

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Nah I didn't see a point in posting hands as I really just wanted to know if the low (micro?) limit games are for those who just play any hand and hope to win, or if it's possible to get good at winning those games.

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It is possible. The key is to widen your starting hand standards so that you too are cold-calling with almost any two cards. This puts you on equal footing with everyone else to dish out the massive suckouts.

[webgator]

It is possible. I started out playing the nano-limits eight months ago and after learning the basics of the game moved up to the .50/1.00 level. I am currently earning about 2 bb/100 hands. Not that great to some, but good for me, considering I play only about 8 to 12 hours a week and usually only play max 2 tables.

I suggest Ed Millers Getting Started in Hold Em and Lee Jones Winning Low Limit Holdem. I have read both these several times and they have helped be substantially. I will be reading Ed Miller's Small Stakes Holdem next.

[Altaslim]

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It is possible. The key is to widen your starting hand standards so that you too are cold-calling with almost any two cards. This puts you on equal footing with everyone else to dish out the massive suckouts.

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Shame on you... [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[pzhon]

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I really just wanted to know if the low (micro?) limit games are for those who just play any hand and hope to win, or if it's possible to get good at winning those games.

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It is possible. The key is to widen your starting hand standards so that you too are cold-calling with almost any two cards. This puts you on equal footing with everyone else to dish out the massive suckouts.

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That is really bad advice. When people post about their difficulty winning in soft games in the small stakes forum, they can expect to be told sarcastically to move up to $100-$200 immediately, but in the beginners forum such jokes should be avoided.

When people call too much, value bet more. That is a very important skill to practice. Rarely slow-play. If people will call on the flop with no pair and no draw, there is little reason not to bet with a monster on the flop. Don't bluff or semi-bluff.

People will still hit crazy runner-runner draws. That's a sign the game is good. Very frequently, they will pay you off the whole way with a weak draw or a weak hand, and quietly fold on the river or at showdown. The net result is that you will find these games much more profitable than if your opponents were more selective. Some people beat $0.50-$1 for abut 5 BB/100 despite the high rake, while 2 BB/100 is a fine win rate in a tough game with a proportionately low rake.

It is not right to play garbage in response to losing a few hands against garbage. You can play more loosely against loose players than you can against tight players, but you still want to play hands that are going to be profitable on average. When someone incorrectly limps with hands like T9o, than makes marginal hands like ATo worth more. I would fold with ATo in early position in a tight game, but it is a profitable hand in early position in a loose game. A hand like J7o should lose in any type of game except from the blinds or to steal the blinds.