Overlap

[Rosencrantz1]

Hey guys. Wasn't sure exactly which forum to post this in, but I figured this was a good shot.

I've been working on my limit game fairly seriously for the last few months with good success. After working through WLLH I moved on to GSIH, unlearned some of my weakness from WLLH and my limit game seems solid. I've tripled my BR playing limit games on-line and feel like, even on losing sessions, that I'm playing solidly.

I would now like to add SnG/MTT to my playing. I've played a bit on line with moderate success -- finished ITM on a Freeroll tourney (2400 starters) and have had a reasonable (~25% ITM) run with SnGs. However, I know that my NL Tourney game is weak.

I've just picked up HoH and am working through it. It's making a lot of sense, but I haven't really gotten that far in it yet.

My question (see? I got there eventually) is how much of my limit knowledge is directly useful in my new NL game? For instance, I've spent a decent amount of time with GSIH's starting hand recommendations and am really having good success using those as a guideline in my limit game. Likewise I'm really getting better with my value betting, protecting my hand, etc.

Will these skills -- more importantly, how I've learned to apply them in my limit game -- be useful to me as I move into more NL tournies?

n.b. - I don't have any interest or intention at this point in playing NL cash games.

[SheridanCat]

This is a really interesting question. I wish I knew the answer. My gut feeling, based on my own experience, is that there is not a lot of cross-over. However, I'm no expert.

My suggestion would be to also post this in one of the tournaments forums - I can't say which one since you refer to MTT & SNG, so I'd just pick one and see what happens. Then maybe try the other one once the original post has run it's course.

Regards,

T

[Rosencrantz1]

Appreciate the thoughts. And, if I haven't mentioned it before, I also found your beginner's FAQ quite useful. Thanks.

[K C]

One the one hand there's a fair bit of overlap since both are hold'em. Let's look at some of the main differences though. In a nutshell, the only essential difference with NL is that bet sizes are variable. Having said that though this does bring some significant nuances to the game, and although some would disagree, thus demends a higher skill level.

You need to be more careful with your play and pay even more attention to position. You want to try to avoid putting abandoned money in the pot, which are bets and calls made which you end up laying down later in the betting round when someone raises you out.

You want to try to get the most value for your hands, which is going to be trickier at NL because there every decision is going to have to be contemplated more, in regard particularly to what size of bets your opponents are likely to call with inferior hands.

On the other hand, you'll be able to protect your hands better, and this is going to be a factor in your betting decisions. And in most games it will be easier to get a read on your opponents, as most players tend to give away the relative strength of their hands. You'll also be able to use deception more effectively, as there are greater opportunities to do so with variable bets, in addition to being able to put a play on people more. Also, bluffing opportunities are increased, although you need to be careful with that of course and pick your spots properly.

Most importantly though, the opportunity to screw up and lose a bunch of money on a hand is greater. You particularly need to be careful with very strong hands you hold which may be beaten, where you'll be inclined to put a lot of money in the pot only to have it taken down by a better hand.

Tournaments are a great way to hone your variable bet skills, and I'd recommend that you stay with buy-ins that aren't going to put any kind of meaningful hit on your bankroll, at least until you're more comfortable and experienced.

KC
kingcobrapoker.com