Am going down to AC in a week or so, gonna try my hand at no-limit ring games while I'm there. I've only really had experience at limit and sng's online, and most of the literature out there is on nl tourney play. Any regulars at the nl ring tables want to share some basic tips for this newb? For example, what hole cards that are playable at limit become junk at nl, and vice versa? What's the biggest adjustment one should make in playing nl ring vs a small tourney or sng?
Play your position first, cards second, and be sure your bet size is appropriate based on the other players chip count. Raise between 2 and 3 times the big blind when in 5 or 6...be careful on button unless you are first to play (everyone else folded). Don't bet too much, so you don't appear to be bluffing all the time. Keep track of everyone's chips at all times, see if they continue to re-buy when blown out. A lot of players will purposely keep a small chip count so they can call without costing too much. You might like Phil Gordon's video, or perhaps Andy Bloch's. Hope this helps a bit, Don
enough said....good luck... Be careful going all in trying to push when there are draws on the flop..There are mad chasers out there...they will either hit or not so if they hit u dont want them to take all your chips just bet enough for them not to have the correct odds to call..unless u sense they will fold ur all in ( tight semi tight players ) ....peace
Read No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice by David Sklansky and Ed Miller right away. I'm a limit player but I'm always reading books on other forms, and I'm almost done with this one. It's a great book.
illiquid Not sure which tables you are planning to play. If you are playing at low buy-in/lower blind structure tables, you will quickly learn that bluffing doesn't work as well because guys don't care - they will call you down with any cards just to make sure you aren't schooling them. Don's comment about position is very important and an overlooked aspect of NL play for most beginners. Before you act before the flop (either to match the big blind or raise it up) make 100% sure that you know who will be forced to act first after the flop. Also, understand what the preflop actions of those who are 'behind you' (those who have yet to do anything preflop) will end up meaning after the flop. These things are much more important in NL because of the fact that your whole stack is at risk on every hand, and also, for you, it will be weird because there is more going in a live game and you will have a lot to think about just trying to keep up posting your blinds at the right time and figuring out whether you're first to act. I am assuming that you haven't played a lot of live poker. I can guarantee you that thinking about these things each and every time is hard and you will run into situations in which these considerations end up being important but you will not have realized the position you are in (literally and figuratively) until you are in the middle of the hand, especially in live play. At lower levels, as has been mentioned, going all in as a way to end a hand will not work often enough that you need to be careful doing it. Re: starting hands.... a lot of very good players say the following "To play good NL poker you have to learn to play tight aggressive, but to play great NL poker you have to learn to play loose" So the best players are able to play less than stellar starting hands because they have the skills. It all depends on your personality and your game as it is right now, but I would guess that the starting had requirements for live NL ring games are a little more stringent than those for limit, at least for most beginners. The reason is that if you play KQ for a small raise preflop, and you flop a set, You can easily be behind the guy with AQ, and in NL you will lose everything on this hand, whereas in limit you can obviously limit your losses. Having said this, if you're in late position and you have 4 callers in front of you preflop, and you have a slightly marginal hand, you may be getting the odds you need to call. This is where suited connectors can be huge if you happen to flop a monster. Controlling pot odds, both pre and post flop, is a big part of NL play and you should understadn it fully (see also the Harrington books for this, even though they're meant for tourney play). Anyway I could go on but A) I'm not Phil Ivey and B) You should spend some time reading the Sklansky book instead of listening to me. Let us know how it goes.
illiquid Sorry, man, I think I answered the wrong question - you seem to have played some NL before ( SNGs and tourneys online) so you know the importance of position in NL specifically. I hope you can take something out of that response anyway.
I actually played $10/$20 on pokerstars at 16 ,17 but now wish to become an on-line trader through college. I have played the cream of the crop and learned a lot. Discipline, bank roll management. I made a lot of money at 17, nearly 200k. Went through a bad patch. now my bank stands at 20k. I basically know how every hand is played. I play hands through pure memory and know how players will react to bets. Although this does NOT work at these stakes but at 3/6 , etc they will. Cracking thread. only read ur post though
Don't apologize, I've spent more time reading about NL than I have spent playing it, so I appreciate everything you posted there. Thanks. It's funny, I lost interest in limit poker online a while ago, and quit the game for about a year. But it's really been my trading as of late which has brought me back to the game. The way I trade now seems to have somehow re-sparked my interest in poker, albeit specifically NL B&M. When you sit down at a table, where do you look to make the bulk of your money? Do the large stacks regularly tangle with each other, or do they somehow know to only go after the short stacks who only play AA, KK, QQ, AK etc? Am I right in assuming the optimal strategy is not to look to win a number of smallish pots but to double through vs larger stacks? Just a bunch of random questions, nothing beats experience but I just don't get down to the casinos too often.