Cash Game Tips

[Fonzi]

Cash Game players, please share your tips with other members on what works for you. Please include the limits you're playing as well as the table size.

[lkport]

I play pretty low limits. My tip is a general tip. Take your time! Snap calls cost you money. Look at the board. Why is he betting that much, or raising. Your bet or action told him one thing, what makes him think that his hand is the best. Everyone talks about bluffing, but really most players do not bluff much, and its usually a response to percieved weakness. If you are getting raised, stop and think...then act

[lkport]

Some of my little saying I repeat to myself while playing:
one is my signature...
Donkeys get good hands too!
that means just because he is a bad player, doesn't mean he never gets dealt AA.

There is another hand right after this one!
Go ahead, fold that marginal hand. The dealer deals a whole new hand right after this one is over. No need risking chips on a maybe hand.

[Dunbar]

Allways remember that in a NL cash game the biggest moneymakers are sets and full houses!

[YellowRoses]

If someone if raising everyhand they don't always have a hand they are trying to pick on the low buyin players watch and pick you spots with a good hand. You get them once good and they back offf.

[Assistanc3]

I think the most valuable tip to a cash player is think before you sit.


I generally will watch 2-3 tables for about 10-20 mins before I sit down. Sometimes I will spot the right table instantly, sometimes no table is worth playing.

I have a huge advantage over these players, as I have already started taking notes, and they don't even know it.

some of the things I look for are:
-all inners
--- quick to reload
--who plays position games
-who steals blinds / who doesn't defend

[Dunbar]

Learn to make big folds if you feel you are dominated. Holdem is not only about winning, but also about minimalizing your losses!

[Dodgey]

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 :-)

[Upward_Trend]

Couldn't help but register just to ask about your 10 10 advice --

Most all your thoughts are "play smart - don't lose your chips to careless bets etc... --" (that's how I would summarize it)

So betting 5xBB seems to contradict the list you've created....
Thoughts?
TIA

[Dodgey]

I see your point (I referred to calling up to x5 , not betting, with a reasonable pocket pair) - it does contradict what I said somewhat, perhaps that's a leak in my game. One of the things I constantly do is call reasonable preflop raises with pocket pairs, purely on the hope of hitting trips. The immediate pot odds don't make sense, but it's the implied ones that do, as if you hit your trips you have almost certainly got plenty of action from the initial raiser. It's one of the circumstances I think I win most on.