Online Cash advice wanted...!!!

THEIRISHMOB

Hi Guys.

Calling all profitable online Cash players.
Whats your top three pieces of advice for playing online holdem Cash games?

Hands to play and not to play....!!!
amount to raise pre-flop....!!!!
playing AK pre and post flop....!!!!
ect.




I think this will make very intresting reading for us beginners.

Rb

Stack size, opponent(s), table position,image and other variables that I can't think of right now dependent with regards to all three questions.

Lower levels (as I've only experience in these)
- Play tight, play more hands in position against fish and raise to isolate said players from the CO/Button frequently.
-Value bet, don't slow play
-Practise good game selection (and use "buddylist" where possible) and take good notes.
-Get pokertracker and PAHUD, critical for online play and stupid not to have.

I'm sure I could think of more.

dvdfan

1) Read Redjokers recent post on useful 2+2 links, have a search its well worth a read
2) Always Ask yourself when faced with having to call a reasonable size bet "What would he do this with that i beat" be honest in your answer and fold if the answer is not alot
3) Get some tracking software like Poker Office or Poker Tracker and PAHUD

Heres one useful link its also in RedJ's post

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=ssplnlpoker&Number=6570513&Searchpage=1&Main=6570513&Words=+munkey&topic=&Search=true#Post6570513

Ive attached a good hand chart for 6max SSNL stick rigidly to it until your making a consistent profit and then loosen up from CO and Button when your more comfortable playing post flop

Playing AK preflop just Raise if your first in and 3bet if theres a raise before you but probably fold if they 4bet (Villain dependant) If you see a flop cbet maybe 1/2 to 3/4 on any missed flop.

Post flop is very dependant on the texture of the flop but dont overvalue it. Generally i dont get all in with AK for a full buyin simply because of Step 2 above. This is of course villain dependant too, i might be willing to get all in with AK if i think the opponent is a donk and would get all in with AT-AQ on and A high board. If there was a 3bet preflop im much more likely to get all in on an A or K high board.

bohsman

Fuzzboxes post here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054889249

phantom_lord

all you have to do to be a winner is spew less and value bet more than most people.

RedJoker

THEIRISHMOB wrote:

Hands to play and not to play....!!!

Position

Position is extremely important. You want to play as much as possible in LP and as little as possible in EP.

The hand chart DVDfan linked is standard TAG so just follow that.

NEVER OPEN LIMP, better yet never limp at all, if you're playing the hand you are RAISING. That means raising all pocket pairs, regardless of limpers before you. Blinds are slightly different.

Play tight from the blinds, playing OOP is difficult and can be costly.

Stealing

Nobody entered the pot before you? In the CO or BTN? Go ahead and raise and see if you can take the pot down. You might be able to take the pot down with a cbet if you do get called. Stealing should be very profitable, if not then you are doing something wrong.

Good hands for it are basically anything that looks pretty. Aces, suited kings or queens, strong offsuit kings or queens, blackjack 20 hands, connectors, suited gappers, pocket pairs (obv). A lot of these hands are very good for isolating fish with as well.

THEIRISHMOB wrote:

amount to raise pre-flop....!!!!

4xBB + 1BB per limper is standard.

THEIRISHMOB wrote:

playing AK pre and post flop....!!!!

AK is the nuts, you should always be raising and nearly always 3 betting a raise with this hand preflop. You holding this hand means it's half as likely that your opponent has AA/KK.

Nearly always Cbet the flop (applies to all hands when playing micro stakes), the added benefit with AK is that you'll have overcards even if you miss the flop.

THEIRISHMOB wrote:

ect.

Table Selection

Table selection is one of the most important things to learn; finding good tables and leaving tables that turn bad can vastly improve your win rate.

If you are just using % of players that see flop and average pot size from the poker lobby you are leaving money on the table.

Use buddylists; I buddylist anybody with a VPIP over 50, sure there are some horrible TAGs that are very profitable to play against but game selection is a numbers game. The higher a player's VPIP the more likely they are to be a fish.

How do you find fish?

The search function - takes a bit of time but worth the effort.

Game Time in PT - open up each table and type the player's name into gt, does the table look good? no, then move on to the next table.

PAHUD - Open up some tables and wait for the stats to appear, if you can datamine, do so for half an hour and see what the table's like.

Software (SpadeEye, SixthSense, SmartBuddy) - If you can afford it these are the best options. Quick and effortless.

Some common stats to look out for:
50/6/0.5 - Calling Station, value bet relentlessly, TPGK is a monster against these guys, play for stacks with it. If they get aggressive, GET OUT.

75/47/3 - Maniac, these guys are high variance but extremely profitable. Tighten up your opening requirements and 3 bet strong hands in position, you're ahead of their range. Induce bluffs any way you can, check a street to them, min raise, whatever it takes to get them to shove their trash into you. Be willing to stack off with TP type hands.

SIT TO THE LEFT OF THE FISH, money moves clockwise around the poker table. You will be playing the fish the most often and you want to play most of your pots in position.

Value Betting

NEVER SLOWPLAY. If you're using table selection properly then you're likely to be playing against passive calling stations a lot. They like to call, so bet your good hands. Pots increase exponentially, by making a bet on the flop your river bet can be 3x larger than if you had checked the flop.

An example just to illustrate:
50nl

$50 effective.

Your OTB with 88

1 fold, CS limps, 1 fold, you raise to 2.50, blinds fold, CS calls.

Flop J82 (Pot 5.75)
CS checks, you bet 4.50, CS calls.

Turn 3 (Pot 14.75)
CS checks, you bet 10, CS calls.

River 3 (Pot 34.75)
CS checks, you have 33 left and push.

Now watch what happens when we slowplay:

1 fold, CS limps, 1 fold, you raise to 2.50, blinds fold, CS calls.

Flop J82 (Pot 5.75)
CS checks, you check.

Turn 3 (Pot 5.75)
CS checks, you bet 4.5, CS calls.

River 3 (Pot 14.75)
CS checks, you have 43 left and have gotten very little value from your hand.

Overplay your big draws, pair + fd, overcards + fd, OESD + fd, etc. on the flop. You get most of your value from the fold equity this creates, if you are called you will often be in a coinflip or slightly worse and can take a free river card if you're in position. To balance this you also need to play big made hands, like sets, the same way but this time it will be for value.

Bluffing

You're playing against loose passive calling stations, they like to call so obviously bluffing is a bad idea in nearly all situations. Most micro stakes villains never fold a made hand so bluffing is rarely a good idea. Just so we're clear a cbet is not a bluff, it's a cbet and it's very profitable so use it frequently.

Don't bluff into lots of opponents, it's very likely you'll be called.

Keep it simple, big elaborate bluffs are likely to look strange and get called.

Know that your opponent can fold and put him on a range, represent a hand that beats that range, if you can't don't bluff.

Be sure you have a tight image.

Common types of bluffs:
It's checked around to you in a limped pot (shouldn't happen too much since you always raise) and you take a stab at it. Or nobody bets the flop and you lead the turn from the blinds.

Betting the scare card, your cbet got called and an ace or king or flush card peels off on the turn, let's represent it. (only try this against weak tight nits, rocks, etc. Know your opponent can fold)

Floating, this guy always cbets, lets call and bet the turn if he checks to us. Try to have at least some outs when you're doing this, overcard, gutshot, etc.(Not an excuse to make bad calls) Pick your targets, unimaginative TAGs are best. Be aware of board texture. Be in position.

Semi Bluffs, pick your spots, try to be in position and take the free river card when it's offered.

PokerTracker, etc.

Not essential to beat micro stakes but definitely a lot of help and important for game selection. Better to have it then not have it. Learn how to use it and review your play, try to find leaks or ask people to spot leaks for you.

Note Taking

If you have a HUD then you don't really need to take too many notes about preflop play, you can work it out fairly accurately from the stats. Some things to note are how often they 3 bet and how often they limp fold.

Try to work out their postflop tendencies and note it. Do they like to call cbets but will fold to a second barrel, do they float (not to be confused with pure calling stations), do they overvalue TP type hands, will they fire 2 or 3 barrels on a bluff, will they semi-bluff, will they bluff at the river, will they check the river with a strong hand, do they slowplay, etc.

Was there a big pot played, review the hand history and see how they played it. Knowing how your opponents played in a big pot can give you a lot of information.

Tilt Control

Tilt is one of the things which will cost you the most money. If you're not playing your best, taken a bad beat, on a downswing, STOP PLAYING. Take a break for a few hours and come back refreshed. If you're not playing well take a break for a few days, you could be burned out.

For some reason I don't really suffer from tilt after bad beats, be happy that you played the hand well, made a good call, got the money in ahead, etc. Bad beats happen, be happy if it was against a fish and he stays on the table, you now get to play deepstacked against a fish, yum yum.

2+2 forums

Bookmark it and set it to your homepage. Not doing anything? Go read the stickies, respond to some hands, post some of your own, etc. I made a thread about the 2+2 forums recently, check my OPs or look in the stickies for it.

Macspower

well done on your advice posts guys..... they are spot on... just to add.... when you find your winning formula the easiest thing to do at low limits is just to stick to it... I know it's easy to read but at these level not many will have any clue whats happening outside their own hands...

just reading some of the 2+2 links.... some of the advice is very good and some is horrendous :eek: habe a look at this thread.... anyone else think some of it is very bad? or is it just me? http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=5235138&page=0&fpart=all&vc=1

Mac

dvdfan

Macspower wrote:

well done on your advice posts guys..... they are spot on... just to add.... when you find your winning formula the easiest thing to do at low limits is just to stick to it... I know it's easy to read but at these level not many will have any clue whats happening outside their own hands...

just reading some of the 2+2 links.... some of the advice is very good and some is horrendous :eek: habe a look at this thread.... anyone else think some of it is very bad? or is it just me? http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=5235138&page=0&fpart=all&vc=1

Mac

I just scanned through the first page and i was surprised that people were advocating to someone who described himself as a newbie to open up his range in early position when he was already playing KQo+, surely a newbie needs to get the basics first and make a profit playing tight before he starts playing a LAG game and strangely enough the advice came from pokey who posts are usually excellent but i think it was more of a case that he took the thread slightly off topic explaining the new system that he was using playing 30/20 and not so much that he was saying the OP should play this way, again i just scanned through so maybe im missing something.

RedJoker

dvdfan wrote:

I just scanned through the first page

Change your settings.

phantom_lord

wow raising with 22 from any position might be one of the worst ideas ive seen posted on 2+2

lol

Macspower

phantom_lord wrote:

lol

thats the one I was thinking about as well..... lol

Seriously the advice on here from some lower stakes players of late has been really spot on.... I'd be seriously worried about moving down levels :eek: there are also a few posters on here that make me laugh time and time again with their comments......... can you think of a few as well?? no names mentioned..

Mac

edited to say that I missed the original fuzzbox post...... great thread (bookmarked).... i think some posters in it have learned a lot since......