Micro Hold 'Em

[Assistanc3]

Part 1 of 6

Micro Limit Hold 'em poker is really anything under $1/$2 blinds.
Don't fear, you play what your bankroll will allow you and your here to get info to help you with that, and that is what this lesson is about.

Fish Swim in Big Ponds

How often have you looked at your cards, to find something like
A♣ Q♣ and you raise 4 times the big blind, and everyone seems to call. Low Limit poker seems to draw the "call" so often, its not always because these players are bad, trust me, even higher up blinds have there share of fish too.

People call to see the flop cause the limits are low, that's how it is, that's how it will be.

• generally 50% will see the flop
• often you will find players play Aces to the river
• any suited or connectors looks like gold
• middle pair often gets played to a showdown

That is a few examples of things you often see on Micro Limit Hold 'Em tables.
Player Types

Remember, many players start in the lower limits to learn or to build a bankroll, but there are players that actually just play for the fun. Hard to believe I know, but those are the player types you run into at that level.

Loose Aggressive or Tight Aggressive?
Many tight players often start off tight at table, but will loosen up as the game goes on, they are trying to learn peoples patterns and exploit them after doing so. The Loose Aggressive player is there to try and score big in a few hands by scaring people out of pots with maniac raises.
Pre Flop

What kind of hands should you be playing? Well, it really depends on the style of play you want to have. Of course I teach tight aggressive but still throw in the 'maniac' variation with it. In general you want to play premium hands, A-T, K-T, suited and connectors and pocket pairs. You want drawing hands when there are many players to see the flop. Often times, it is the right call to see a flop with 72o just because everyone is seeing the flop too, never know you may get lucky and flop three 7's.

So how about playing real strong pre flop hands? Well, how often when you raise it doesn't seem to matter, there are still 40-50% seeing the flop? See, that is table dependent on how to play strong hole cards. If the table is very loose, you are most likely to be playing ABC poker and if you hit the flop its small bets and small calls. If you run into a strong hand, you should be raising of course, but don't be to crazy that you scare everyone out, lowering the field to 30% is good odds.

Blinds, give them up if your cards are weak, there is no value in protecting blinds at low limit poker.
On the Flop

There are a few things that must be learned to take advantage of low limit poker, and that is the flop. Far to often people are scared of flops cause they don't understand them, or they don't calculate proper odds of the flop to their hole cards.

1. Check Raise
   The check raise is when you hit the flop, and you check hoping someone else will bet, and then you can raise back and push out the field and drawing hands. This probably the most important skill to learn at this level
2. Draws
   Know what a draw hand is. If you need two cards (turn and river) to make your straight or flush, known as runner-runner or back door draws, the odds are really against you and being a call train to bets is going to deplete your bankroll real fast.
3. Slow Play
   Ah yes, you have the nutz on the flop, now what? Don't scare anyone out of a pot by going all in, you have the winning hand, so make it worth their while to stay in. Make pot odd bets, allow them to hit the turn or river, you never know they may re raise you trying to bluff, or possibly think they have the best hand.
4. Small Pocket Pairs
   Learn to chuck them when the price is not right. Don't fall in love with them and hope to catch something on the turn or river.
5. Everyone Checks
   This doesn't mean no one has anything, or it means someone is to scared to bet, chances are if you didn't hit the flop, and everyone checks, someone is slow playing something. That should be your first sign when the turn comes and someone bets when what looks to be a nothing card on the turn.
6. Be Aggressive
   When your cards hit the flop, and their is potential draw action. Raises it up to push the odds up. It will only hurt you more to place small bets into a top pair with draw potential, as that allows them to see turns cheap, they will call small bets to see it, so make them pay for that action.
7. Know when to Fold'em
   Learn to let go of 2 pair and trips. With so many seeing the flop, it is just so easy that someone could make a straight or flush draw, or even worse for you, the full house. Protect your bankroll for the time being and see another deal, by letting go of those hands, you will be surprised how much it saves you in the long run. They say the average winning hand in Hold 'Em is 2 pair, that is far stretched in low limit with the amount of callers to see flops.

Bluffing

Not the smartest thing to do in low limit. FPS ( Fancy Play Syndrome ) usually hurts you more then them. Specially when you get caught bluffing. It only leads to being called more often, and in fact the best thing you can do after being called on your bluff is to leave the table.

[Assistanc3]

Part 2 of 6 Table Selection

Picking the right table is just as important as playing the right cards.
At the low limit micro tables, picking up some fast cash with smaller risks yields are greater return.

Often players, not just new players, find themselves playing at tables below their skill level, and that is what you should be doing, that is how you make winning sessions. If you play at a table with 1/2 the players better, and half worse then yourself, your chance to win money is the same as losing money....break even.

You want to sit down at a table where you are the best player there. It shouldn't be to hard to find one. Join a game room, two or three in fact, and just watch for 5-10mins before sitting down. Already you will be able to pick out a couple of weak players. And those are the players you will exploit when you do sit down.

Just as important, you will see if there are any players who try to play fancy, raising 72o and everyone folds, and they show their cards. Maybe you spot a player who trys to steal blinds. Even better, you find a player who plays any two cards and plays Ace rag to the river.

On the low limit tables, you do want to sit at a loose table, the only time you really want to sit at a tight table, is when its short handed. Ideally you want to be at a loose passive table. Players who do play alot of hands, and do call with draws.

If your playing at an aggressive table, and even worse, a loose aggressive table, your chips will always be at risk on any given hand. Reduces the chances that jeopardizes your bankroll. If your a good player, and know the odds, why sit at a high risk table?

Just remember, you do not need to play every hand with these players, and if you do suffer a bad beat, do not tighten up or loosen up, play the game the way it suppose to be, and you will profit with the proper table selection and hole card selection. If the table becomes wild, sit out for a few hands, with that 1 less player in the pot, maybe they will settledown, or someone may get busted. Then you can return to playing. If the table does not chill out, leave.

[Assistanc3]

Page 3 of 6 Starting Hands

Here is the fun part of playing the micro limits, your starting hand selection.
Much discussions have been made over what your requirements should be, either its "groups" or by position.

Guess what, they are all wrong. We already know that when your holding pocket rockets, it really doesn't matter how much you raise in a micro game, someone is going to call...........maybe two or three will call your x4-x8 BB.

and no I am not saying fold the Aces, more or less saying be more carefull on how much you bet, being a loose table, opening with that large of a bet, could send your table on loose aggressive in a second, and we don't want that.

The ideal hand selection are still the 'premium hands' but with a twist.

Those small pocket pairs and low suited connectors, will make you more money in the long run.

How so ?

Well, when you do get Aces and you bet big to maximize your hole card odds, those odds plummet with everyone who calls. Your aces now have little room to improve, potentially being called by Ace rag or some donkeys calling with low and medium pocket pairs who likely will hit trips on the flop, as you stare at top pair.

Ever played Limit Hold'em ? If not you really should. It will help you learn the best starting hand selection for micro no limit hold'em.

Those starting hands in limit, that do well, the med pocket pairs, suited connectors let you draw better hands and its hit or miss in limit. So unlike when holding pocket Aces or Kings, where you feel you need to hit trips to know you have the nuts, gives you little comfort when drawing to the showdown. Difference is in no limit, you could be all in by the showdown, still holding 1 pair.

So let me repeat.
The best starting hands in no limit micro tables are drawing hands. Hit or Miss

You still will be calling the usually donkey hands like JJ and KQ with x2 BB with 3-4 callers, those are just to hard to let go right?

[Assistanc3]

Part 4 of 6 Marginal Hands

Marginal hands are hole cards like, KQ UTG, JTo in middle position, Ax(9-2) in late position, 98s on the button.

People often ask, how to play those kind of hands, and if they do play them and they fail to make +$ return, is that a leak in their game?

These types of hands I like to call positional, really depend on the types of players at the table. How do the players play their blinds. How do they perceive me at the table. There really are a lot of factors that go into playing your hole cards pre flop.

To a new player, these types of hands can get you into a lot of trouble. They look like good drawing hands, or potentially great hands to hit a flop hard. The more experienced players will know if they are ahead, or have the right odds to call a draw, so these hands to them are not a leak in their game, more like small mistake if it was a 'bad' call pre flop.

Hand selection for a new player is very important, so to those that are new, and still learning the game, I suggest sticking to strong cards by position. Playing to see a flop, and playing the flop. You really don't make that much by 'stealing' pots pre flop anyways.

IF
your playing a table where everyone simply limps in every hand, with little raising pre flop, these hands like said above can hit a flop hard, but know when you should fold it,

if the action starts to heat up, and you only hit small part of the flop. Get Out

KQo or JTo hitting middle pair in multi way pot is not very strong,
someone could easily have flopped 2 pair or trips......easily

[Assistanc3]

Part 5 of 6 Check Raise

The main object in Holdem poker is to get the other players to fold, so you win the pot. This is not so easy to do on the micro tables. So we need to do the second objective; make them pay for it.

On your typical low limit table, where you see 3-5 callers to a flop is the ideal check raise situations. The check raise is used when you are in early position, relative to the dealer, that being you are first or second to act on the flop.

You will be holding a hand that has little chance to improve but a worth while hand to play.
Top Pair Top Kicker, 2 Pair, set.

It plays out like this:

You check the flop, and the player after you bets x3 BB and two people call and its your turn.
You raise to push out those that have called with 2 over cards, but called the x3 bet, or possibly called with a med pair or gut shot.

If you take the pot there, great. Don't count on it as its a loose table, but understand that pushing a couple draw hands or middle pair callers out of the pot, makes your Top Pair Top Kicker, 2 Pair, set really strong, with a nice size pot to boot.

Don't get to caught up in a re raise game. If your holding 2 pr, a set ....flat line call, and check raise the turn if there is little to no flush/straigh draws. Top Pair Top Kicker, that's something else to think about, pending on what info you have picked up from previous hands on that player that has now re raised.

This is playing trap, but it really isn't. Its trying to maximize pots that donkeys simply call with bad odds.

Also noted:
Do NOT check raise with a pair, or open ended straight draw, or a four flush. You want to keep as many of those players around so when you do hit the nuts on the turn/river, increases your chances that one of them will call you bets when holding the absolute nuts.

[Assistanc3]

Part 6 of 6 B the Rock

A rock is known as a solid player that plays strong hands in good position. Will play the odds, and toss in the odd bluff now and then to try and pick up a cheap flop, while awaiting there pocket rockets.

The online poker world has exploded with information on "how to play poker" this lesson is prime example of that. So many players although there still are a lot of donkeys and fish playing, many have read a few books or online articles and know the generalized 'types of players' at the table.

The being the rock image, is not as great to be as it once was, specially on a micro table. Even that loose cannon will fold to a rock if they come out from under....their rock to play a hand with even the average opening bet. Bells and whistles will go off in their heads, maybe you might get lucky and they think, oh this guy is here after all.

This is little lesson has two parts to think about.

1. If I am the rock; my strong hands are not going to get paid because I am only playing that 1 hand a round.
2. If I am the rock; I am letting others take advantage of me, betting me out of pots with draws or bluffs.

Table image is not as important on the micro tables, but being the rock is something that will stick out. You really should avoid having a super tight image. A clear sign is when no one calls your bet when the flop has high rank cards and you haven't been in a pot in awhile.

[JdhMac]

Awesome stuff Coach!.

[Dodgey]

Excellent - thanks Assi. I'll re-read before I have another stab at my lousy cash game

[lkport]

yes, very good and informative.

[chitownman]

Originally Posted by Assistanc3

Part 1 of 6

Micro Limit Hold 'em poker is really anything under $1/$2 blinds.
Don't fear, you play what your bankroll will allow you and your here to get info to help you with that, and that is what this lesson is about.

Fish Swim in Big Ponds

How often have you looked at your cards, to find something like
A♣ Q♣ and you raise 4 times the big blind, and everyone seems to call. Low Limit poker seems to draw the "call" so often, its not always because these players are bad, trust me, even higher up blinds have there share of fish too.

People call to see the flop cause the limits are low, that's how it is, that's how it will be.

• generally 50% will see the flop
• often you will find players play Aces to the river
• any suited or connectors looks like gold
• middle pair often gets played to a showdown

That is a few examples of things you often see on Micro Limit Hold 'Em tables.
Player Types

Remember, many players start in the lower limits to learn or to build a bankroll, but there are players that actually just play for the fun. Hard to believe I know, but those are the player types you run into at that level.

Loose Aggressive or Tight Aggressive?
Many tight players often start off tight at table, but will loosen up as the game goes on, they are trying to learn peoples patterns and exploit them after doing so. The Loose Aggressive player is there to try and score big in a few hands by scaring people out of pots with maniac raises.
Pre Flop

What kind of hands should you be playing? Well, it really depends on the style of play you want to have. Of course I teach tight aggressive but still throw in the 'maniac' variation with it. In general you want to play premium hands, A-T, K-T, suited and connectors and pocket pairs. You want drawing hands when there are many players to see the flop. Often times, it is the right call to see a flop with 72o just because everyone is seeing the flop too, never know you may get lucky and flop three 7's.

So how about playing real strong pre flop hands? Well, how often when you raise it doesn't seem to matter, there are still 40-50% seeing the flop? See, that is table dependent on how to play strong hole cards. If the table is very loose, you are most likely to be playing ABC poker and if you hit the flop its small bets and small calls. If you run into a strong hand, you should be raising of course, but don't be to crazy that you scare everyone out, lowering the field to 30% is good odds.

Blinds, give them up if your cards are weak, there is no value in protecting blinds at low limit poker.
On the Flop

There are a few things that must be learned to take advantage of low limit poker, and that is the flop. Far to often people are scared of flops cause they don't understand them, or they don't calculate proper odds of the flop to their hole cards.

1. Check Raise
   The check raise is when you hit the flop, and you check hoping someone else will bet, and then you can raise back and push out the field and drawing hands. This probably the most important skill to learn at this level
2. Draws
   Know what a draw hand is. If you need two cards (turn and river) to make your straight or flush, known as runner-runner or back door draws, the odds are really against you and being a call train to bets is going to deplete your bankroll real fast.
3. Slow Play
   Ah yes, you have the nutz on the flop, now what? Don't scare anyone out of a pot by going all in, you have the winning hand, so make it worth their while to stay in. Make pot odd bets, allow them to hit the turn or river, you never know they may re raise you trying to bluff, or possibly think they have the best hand.
4. Small Pocket Pairs
   Learn to chuck them when the price is not right. Don't fall in love with them and hope to catch something on the turn or river.
5. Everyone Checks
   This doesn't mean no one has anything, or it means someone is to scared to bet, chances are if you didn't hit the flop, and everyone checks, someone is slow playing something. That should be your first sign when the turn comes and someone bets when what looks to be a nothing card on the turn.
6. Be Aggressive
   When your cards hit the flop, and their is potential draw action. Raises it up to push the odds up. It will only hurt you more to place small bets into a top pair with draw potential, as that allows them to see turns cheap, they will call small bets to see it, so make them pay for that action.
7. Know when to Fold'em
   Learn to let go of 2 pair and trips. With so many seeing the flop, it is just so easy that someone could make a straight or flush draw, or even worse for you, the full house. Protect your bankroll for the time being and see another deal, by letting go of those hands, you will be surprised how much it saves you in the long run. They say the average winning hand in Hold 'Em is 2 pair, that is far stretched in low limit with the amount of callers to see flops.

Bluffing

Not the smartest thing to do in low limit. FPS ( Fancy Play Syndrome ) usually hurts you more then them. Specially when you get caught bluffing. It only leads to being called more often, and in fact the best thing you can do after being called on your bluff is to leave the table.

wtg aj I think the tight aggressive is the way to play micro poker