NL Hold'em (or so they call it) variant

[happyjaypee]

Hi all.

I posted this in the poker theorie forum but got only one reply... Anyone here care to give his opinion? Thanks.

---------------------------------

I mostly post in the NL, Internet and Tourney forum so i'll introduce myself.

I'm a student and have been playing poker for over 3 years. I'm a big winner in my 25c/50c weekly live NL game and at 1/2 NL online. Also made some good scores in online tourneys

Now, there is this game where I have been invited. The guys are all total gamblers and refuse to read any poker books, saying they are crap (good start is'nt it! ). The game is a 200$ buy-in NLHE game... or so they call it...

You see, on my very first hand, they called me a moron for folding pre-flop and not paying to see the 1st 3cards. I decided to play ULTRA loose not to upset them (about 60-70% of my hands) but it was'nt enought. after the 1st hour, they decided to change the 1/2 blinds to a 2$ ante. Also, they cap the max bet/raise to 20$.

So basically, the rules are:

Ante 2$ (preflop betting start left of the dealer)
Max bet/raise 20$
80% of pot are behing raised preflop for min 5$ or more
Everyone goes to the flop
There is always a show down!!!
River is often 4 handed or more

The problem is I'm getting over charged for seeing the flop whit suited connecters, Axs and small pairs. I know that if I hit those, I can get payed big time in many spot. However, paying 22$ to see a flop is a huge chuck of the max buy-in. And the 20$ max bet rule on all street makes chasing less interessting since it shrink the implied odds. The way the game is played, I could easyly beat it anyway whit a huge bankroll to absorb the high variance. But I don't have that kind of money right now. Well, not live

Can you guys help me come up whit a good way to beat this game?

BTW: I know I should'nt play in games were I don't have enought backroll so pls, no need to point that out. I'm trying to figure the best way to beat those guys when I'll manage to get a roll togheter. While i'm on it, how much of a roll do you think I would need?

Thanks


-Happy

[Kaz The Original]

If you're short on bankroll, play less hands.

[edtost]

pretend it's a limit game, because it basically is.

[italianstang]

If you are not getting a good price to play suited connectors and their implied odds sucks, then don't play suited connectors.

It seems to me the main problem is that you feel uncomfortable folding pre-flop because you would be the only one and that would make the group upset/suspicious. There are ways to solve this problem. Bring an iPod and listen to music and tell them it helps you concentrate, this will cut down on them talking to you which will mean they would berate you less if you do fold. Bring some homework or at least some pretend homework and sort of act interested and focused on it so when you fold pre-flop they will assume you are just figuring concentrating on that.

As far as strategy goes, if you are a regular winner in 1/2 NL then you should be able to figure out how to beat this game just fine.

[smartalecc5]

I agree with italian

[bugstud]

tell them to stop calling their spread limit game a NL game

[parttimepro]

[ QUOTE ]
Bring an iPod and listen to music

[/ QUOTE ]
This is an excellent way not to get invited back. These guys are social gamblers, and if they think you just want to show up and play really serious and take their money, well, what good are you? I wouldn't invite you either.

Don't bluff, make big bets with the nuts, at least call down with TPTK and better.

[Loci]

If you're short on Bankroll, don't loosen up. You already said that you know better than to play short rolled, but if you loosen up, while you might piss them off for a while, you also won't go broke. Increase the size of your raises until they start to respect them, and THEN loosen up. When you get called down more, tighten back up. Punish them for calling you. Furthermore, as Tommy Angelo once said, "punish them with your checks and your folds." Make them be the ones to try to run you over. This sounds like a great game to check raise post flop in. You hit your set or a flop a straight, or a huge draw top pair, check raise them and bet out the turn. They'll put their money in the table until they realize that maybe they should have each spent 20 bucks on a book rather than 200 each on your private lesson.
Keep playing, player.
Ez

[tpir90036]

[ QUOTE ]
I decided to play ULTRA loose not to upset them

[/ QUOTE ]
... if they asked you to play your hands blind and/or give them your $200 and leave so that you would not upset them.... would you? not trying to be a jerk but playing more hands just to appease your opponents is certainly not an optimal startegy.

it would seem that the optimal strategy for this game is to play it like a limit game (which someone else suggested) and just wait for good top pair hands and jam them up as best you can. you are going to go through some swings if the game is as loose as you say... but all you can really do is wait for a hand where you think you have an edge and get your money in the pot.

i would also not have a problem playing almost any two reasonable cards in late potistion since you will be getting an insane price on your call to see the flop with all of the antes and players entering ahead of you. for example: ideally you would not want to pay 10% of your stack to play 98s... but if you are getting 10:1 to see the flop and it's just going to be a 20-20-20 limit game from there on out... i think you need to take a peek assuming that this $200 is not your entire roll and you can reload after a few inevitable misses. for my money though... i would just take some high cards or a decent pocket pair and go from there.

[edtost]

[ QUOTE ]
... if they asked you to play your hands blind and/or give them your $200 and leave so that you would not upset them.... would you? not trying to be a jerk but playing more hands just to appease your opponents is certainly not an optimal startegy.


[/ QUOTE ]

in ultra-fishy home games, getting invited back is +ev to the point where any 'optimal strategy' that annoys the hosts isn't even close to optimal in the long term.