| Well, this is more of a question than advice. Anyone who knows me well will know I suck at cash games... until now.
I'm a SnG player at heart, plus MTTs . But cash games have always been my weakness. I'd sit down, maybe double up, then lose it all on a stupid call.
Anyhow, the ups and downs of SnGs, particularly as I'm playing $22 games now started to get on my nerves. You get put out by someone with 72 off only so many times before you pull your hair out. I take 4 steps forward and 3 steps back. Gets boring.
So, A few days ago I decided to try to play cash games "properly". 5c/10c NL.
I'm winning! - I've played 4 sessions of about an hour or two each so far, 2 tables at a time. I've left every time with a profit, ranging from doubling / trebling, and other times 5 or 8 bucks up.
Here is what I've learnt so far - please tell me if I'm on the right track
- Tighhtness pays. You just cant play "funny" hands at my skill level
- Position - is uber important - many many times it gives you the chance to min bet and steal pots with limpers.
- Avoid confrontations with lots (over 5xbb) of chips if you are not pretty sure you have won. Better to fold something questionable so you don't end up getting mega raised, or worse still , calling it and losing.
- Avoid coin flips. This is not a tourney - you don't "need" the chips. I've folded KK and 99 today - I didn't want to put $10 to a near coin flip. What's the point? I want to win by skill.
- Don't try clever raises to bluff - it can cost a whole lot. Often if I try it I do it with a small raise, a really small one. Frequently the smallness sets peoples' alarms off. If not, well, I only lose 20-40c
- If your raises keep getting called and you don't have a great hand, start checking. It's free
- Check a lot - checking, I am finding, after all this time, does not nesc. show weakness. It's often the only way of finding out where you stand. Again, if can often set alarms off too. Wish I'd learnt this ages ago.
- As someone else said, sets and boats are where all my big wins are from. The beauty with boats is when the board is paired you are often up against someone with trips - payday.
- Don't be afraid to call a large (5xBB) raise with a moderate pair - (10 10 in one case) - you may be sure he has JJ QQ KK or AA, but if a 10 flops you get paid huge, especially with lots of limpers.
- Don't defend you blinds - Maybe I'm wrong, but I find I'm much better off just letting them take them, then when you get a hand, you can act all "tilty" and raise them, and then... payday
- Multi table - I'm finding 2 tables keeps me alert and interested. One is just too slow.
- Take everyone seriously, as someone else said, donks get AA.
- Don't take anything to heart - applies to above, if someone raises 9 times in a row, he may well have had a rush of cards. If you can't find out, move table or wait for a monster.
Overall the thing I've found most important is this: Don't put all / lots of your chips in unless you are SURE you have won / got the read. I@ve nto once pushed all-in since my new stint on cash games, but I've called all-in many times :-)  |