Re: Newbie question: What should I be doing while I wait?

On Feb 18 2008 11:17 AM, Michael Horowitz wrote:


That must be what I'm seeing; suddenly this guy is up a thou and I
stop and ask "WTF?" Turns out it's like "all in" wasn't a big deal to
him. And of course that's the case... I"m treating the money like my
own - others are tossing it around like Mardi Gras throws. Gotta move
to a table where the money represents something. Gotta look for a
table labeled "fixed income" :)

Stars has micro-limit tables (blinds are 02c/04c or something like that)
and I'll bet you find the play taking way more seriously there than at the
play money games. Sure, you'll get a few wild ones but you'll also get
enough people like yourself and kids for whom a couple of bucks is serious
money to make the game more realistic.





Although I'm sure the end result will be the authors of these tables
knew what they were talking about, I need some time to get some
confidence in them, hence the feedback. Not a 'spilt milk' thing.

If by tables you mean starting hand charts be aware that most of those
published relate specifically to limit holdem and are also intended
primarly to miminise losses for novice players. NL poker is a very
different game from limit. You make your money by identifying and
exploiting holes in your opponents games. You should therefore focus most
of your attention on watching the other players and then picking
appropriate situations to play against them. Starting cards are a small
part of the game and it's essential that you fully understand why you're
playing the hands you choose. Them being on a chart doesn't constitute a
full understanding by any stretch.




I bail if I'm at BB and someone raises unless there is some indicator
I should stick around. In your example QTo is on my chart, so I'd want
to stay to see the flop unless someone raised >3xBB, so it's not
"just because" - there is logic: a) it's a good initial hand and b)
the BB was a 'sunk cost', so I might as well hang in there until
someone raises enough to scare me away.

This is a good example of where I think you're lacking in your
understanding of the game. QT is a speculative hand - it has no real
inherent strength and needs a lot of help from the board. That doesn't
mean it should always be folded to a small raise though. Consider the
difference between the raise coming from:

1. A player with a very short stack;
2. A player with a short stack who gives up easily on the flop unless it
hits him;
3. A deep stack and a player who routinely continuation bets and finds it
hard to let go;
4. A player with a reasonable stack who would never call a raise with QT
and expects everyone to play like he does;
5. A player who frequently tries to steal the blinds but readily gives up
when played back at.

Also consider the difference it makes when other players have limped in
before the raiser and their propensity for limp reraising.


The point I'm hoping you will get from the above is there is a good deal
more to consider than just your cards and the size of the bet you're
facing. Also, the size of a preflop bet, in terms of it being big or
small, is more a factor of stack sizes than BBs in NL.


As far as the second part of
your paragraph, if the dealer raises... you're correct .. I haven't a
clue what to do .. hopefully I can dig out an approach from Kreiger or
Sklansky

Most of the books on HE are intended for limit play. If you're going to be
playing NL they will likely do you more harm than good, especially if you
are inclined towards a systematic approach to the game as seems to be the
case. So, get the idea of an approach or system out your head and if you
do pick up a book or two make sure it's appropriate to the games you play
in.

You'll make better use of your time playing and trying to get a real feel
for what's going on in your opponents heads. Look for patterns in their
betting. Look for plays they like to make in specific situations. Look for
how they react to changing circumstances - do they play
looser/tighter/more passive/more aggressive after a big win/loss or a bad
beat? Do they adjust to changes in the table dynamics or not? Do they play
differently with a big stack than a small stack? Like everything else this
will get easier with practice so even though you may feel slightly lost to
begin with keep at it and you will improve. You might even consider
watching a few games you're not involved in as then you can focus 100% on
the other players without being distracted by your own decision making.

------ 
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