Lowstakes limit O/8--Crapshoot? (Low content-high frustration)

[Rosie5]

Ok we all know it's not a crapshoot, people play too many hands and fade into oblivion all the time and it's no ones fault but their own. This is probably the biggest mistake a lot of players make in limit O/8

but today i was playing, a winning session I may add, but it was so riddled with bad beats my mind can barely take it.

The major annoyance is that every pot is 4 handed. I'm playing 6 max--and every hand we played is 4 handed at the 1/2 level whether I brought in with a raise or not. it sounds unbelieveable I know. Preflop raises are not respected 1 bit

the more I raised preflop, the less they would respect it. I would still raise my good hands before the flop for value, and the more I did it and showed down an a2 aa2 or a3 with suits the more they would call me later on!

My aces were crippled when 4-5 people called my opening raise, my good flops ruined by what fell on the river and my fingers sore from typing ALL those insults

I was usually happier when drawing to the nuts than holding them because I couldn't make anyone fold for anything. I know, typical limit your thinking, but this was INSANITY--The whole table is seeing every flop how do you beat it!? Do you just play good and take the man yogurt in you face until your hand FINALLY holds up?

after today I feel sick, the short term luck factor is insaaaaane

the worst is when you see someone raise infront of you and you want to reraise to narrow the field, then you just cry on the inside because you know--it's frivolous.

[templar999]

Rosie,

with all due respect, if you're getting frustrated by the loose players at low limits at this game, then O/8 is probably not the game for you, because frankly, unless you're a superstar, there is no way to win at this game if the players are tight. the proliferation of loose play is what makes O/8 so great.

i'm also assuming you're playing online. in the live games, it is not uncommon to see 6 players goto a flop for 2 bets each. in fact, it's a rarity when there are less than 4 players seeing a flop.

when the whole table is seeing every flop, you beat it by:
1. being content with half the pot, or even a quarter,
2. being content with a big scoop once an hour,
3. being prepared to fold every hand on the flop that has no chance of scooping, and finally, not to sound stupid or condescending,
4. being prepared for bad beats.

please realize that if 4 opponents are with you on the river, chances are better than good that one of them drew out on you. as a collective, the school of fish are not really putting bad beats on you. in fact, you may be an underdog against the field.

hang in there.

respectfully,
temp

[PollyEmory]

[ QUOTE ]
3. being prepared to fold every hand on the flop that has no chance of scooping

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I'd think in loose games drawing to just laws should be profitable as well just for the reasons you outline above. Everything else, I agree with.

--Polly

[templar999]

Polly,

yes you're right. nut low draws are usually profitable, with good implied odds with second best hand(s) paying off, albeit at an expense of higher variance.

i think i should have clarified point 3. it should probably add in front, "in the face of heavy betting..."

respectfully,
temp

[bohemian]

6 max $1/$2 can have some really wild swings, both on party and stars (plenty of bad players though, who can really make your hourly rate).

If you can't take it, build your bankroll up more and try $2/$4.

[highfidelity]

Rosie...

I play low-limit O8/B as well and what you wrote in your post is almost exactly what I think each and everytime I play.

The one thing that has helped me get over the insane beats at the low-limits is to look at my pokertracker and see that yes, I do have a positive BB/100, then look at the stats for the moron who just put the beat on me and see that he's acting like an ATM for the whole table. It's a small consolation at the time, but better than tilting away my buy-in.

Hang in there!

[Rosie5]

ugh I couldn't take it anymore, cashed out with an 11$ profit

It's easily the most frustrating game on the internet right now. Templar, your words of encouragement just depressed me. While your right, you can make money, you also point out how horrifyingly crappy the game is to play

I know I can beat the game for at least 1.5 bb/100 but when a game is making me this upset it's not worth it at such a low stakes level. I thank you guys though [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[graarrg]

[ QUOTE ]
ugh I couldn't take it anymore, cashed out with an 11$ profit

It's easily the most frustrating game on the internet right now. Templar, your words of encouragement just depressed me. While your right, you can make money, you also point out how horrifyingly crappy the game is to play

I know I can beat the game for at least 1.5 bb/100 but when a game is making me this upset it's not worth it at such a low stakes level. I thank you guys though [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

If it makes you that upset, then you're right, it's not for you. but if what you're describing is correct, you're simply not playing well enough. Also, your sample might be small, so I highly recommend getting pokertracker and figuring out the goods and the bads of your game.

Personally, I'm glad nobody respects my raises in O8. Then I can raise my AA23 from MP and get "disrespected" for value.

[Buzz]

Rosie - You may have to move up in limits, or play pot-limit, to get more respect, if that's really what you want.

Trouble is, as you move up in limits, your opponents tend to get tougher. However, there's a lot of overlapping, and you can still find some soft games at higher limits.

In any event, whenever you're in a game you're not enjoying, whatever the limit, and whatever the reason, quit the table and find another table (or don't).

Buzz

[sy_or_bust]

Rosie, what you are describing is normal. Your assumptions are your downfall. Hands like AA aren't very strong or even big favorites at 6-max. I just started O/8 the other day (I come from mid-LHE), read some texts and found the .5/1 and 1/2 to be very beatable with basic strategy. I don't think it's much of a crapshoot at all - if you play strong/nut draws and scoop hands, it seems you are usually going to come out a winner in a relatively short period of time (i.e. compared to LHE).