Small stakes hold em, boredom, seeing the flop, and pot size

[spurgeon]

I have been playing before the flop the small stakes way. In a full ring game, there are not many hands you can call with. So, I am dealt such hands as: 7-2 off, 6-9 off, K-8off, 3-9 off. I fold and fold and fold some more. Finally, I get a playable hand K-J offsuit. However, someone UTG has raised. Ed Miller says, "Play very tightly if someone has raised in front of you." I am most likely dominated in this spot so I fold here. I get some more cards: 6-10 off, 32-off,I FOLD AND FOLD AND FOLD SOMEMORE. Wait I finally get another playable hand. K-Q off. However, someone has raised UTG and someone else has reraised. I am dominated so I have to fold. I keep folding and pick up a suited ace. Someone raises. However, you cannot call a raise with a suited ace.
I keep going and pick up Q-J no one raises so I finally get to see a flop. I miss it completely. It is a very small pot. Someone bets. Mr. Miller says, "Play tight in small pots." So, I fold.
I think I get it. You are not going to see many flops because most of the time you are going to be dealt a dog hand. When you finally get to see a flop, many times you will miss it completely and the pot will be small, so you have to fold. HELL, I do not know about you guys, but I get pretty bored not seeing many flops. When I do get in there I am ready to ATTACK simply because I have not seen a flop in the last 30 minutes. I am ready to be agressive. So it all kind of fits together. You play tight preflop and loose post flop(if the pot is large). Mr Malmuth says that most books have it the opposite. They are too loose pre flop and too tight postflop!

[yeltzen]

Maybe while you're sitting there, bored, you could find out whether these people who raise UTG are raising with hands that could dominate you. There are lots of low stakes players who raise with A-rag, K9, 22, 9Ts, etc. Knowing the person that made the raise is more important that what the chart says to do.

[oreogod]

This is true. And if u cant pick out which category the person fits into that is doing the raising, get poker tracker then download playerview...datamine your table for 30 minutes to find a loose one and jump into it. If u have someone with a low VP$IP raising be careful, someone iwth a high rating, dont respect the raises as much (this is very general, u also have to take into account their pre-flop aggression as well, and after the flop, their post flop agression which, with enough data will tell u if they hit something or not. Pretty simple really, at least at the low stakes.)

With SSH and poker tracker, u should really be dominating the tables. Hell if I know the other two in the pot with me missed their draws or their hands seem weak, I'll just keep pushing them around (be careful of their went to showdown rating, if its low, then push and push and push -- they push back then they either have something or think they do, but youd be freakin surprised at what these people go all the way with.)

Most of the people at these tables are literally playing the role of Rocky, they dont care about winning, they just want to go all the way, to go the distance. Everytime they make it to the river, the better they think they are.

this is a ramble, but really u need to take into account the other players at the table and get out of the box that is just your hand, and not follow the chart strictly...you eventually want to be at a point where it all just flows, where u know exactly how to play certain hands and how they perform at a table. Tight preflop and an excellent post flop strat is where its at.

Lata.

[yawak]

Try shorthanded games.

[oreogod]

Touche. Should have said the same.

[DocMartin]

Play a few tables at the same time,you should find enough hands to play to keep you occupied.

[As Zehn]

More importantly, what have your results been after employing SSH vs whatever you did prior? Remember the objective is to win money not play hands. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[amulet]

to be a winng player at limit hold 'em you fold most hands preflop, and then you often miss the flop and fold. that discipline is what will make you a winning player. if you want to play more hands, play 2 tables at once online.