Maybe it is time

to move up limits.

I was playing the .50/1 table at Pacific and I was getting reemed, lost 17BB to a combination of crazy out-draws and no flops.

I decided what the heck its free Bonus money i'll try and find a good 1/2 table

Well, the first hand I played lost AKs flopped two pair to someone who turned the set of Tens, that was a good 15 BB. Then, about 2 hands later I get KK and bet a storm and I thought I was beat when a second 2 came on the river but I still won a good 20 BB.

I am finishing the day down about $5 on Pacific while still up ~$15 or so on Pokernow (I got a run of cold cards, didnt even see a flop) and while i was typing this i was dealt QQ and lost to a friggin K3o with a 3 on the river....man, good time to leave.

But this post does come with a question:
It confuses me when I see a guy with a $950 stack at my 1-2 table. Usually I try to avoid tables with such a massive stack but he sat down after I did. Does this convey strength? Or does this convey stupidity (you don't need $1000 to sit at a 1-2 table). I really didn't pay attention enough to him to find out how well he was doing (he never won a pot though). Over your experience what does the size of the stack mean to newly seated players?

We've had this conversation about stack size before.

I still think that someone with a large stack is, at the least, a confident player. You also know they have a bankroll, so there is a better chance they are a winning player than not. It is always possible they are just horrible players with a lot of money, but I find this to be less likely.

On the other hand, people that sit with small stacks are screaming "I don't want to lose a lot". These stacks are easier to bully out of hands, but if they play back at you, oftentimes they are on a big hand.

I try not to read too much into stack size at limit games but I admit that I do usually give a big stack a little respect until their play proves otherwise. Likewise, I like to sit with a healthy stack myself, I feel like it provides a bit of an intimidation factor.

I find that people who sit down with a huge stack tend to almost always be bullies. They are the people who want people to think they are really good players and be afraid to play vs them so they can bluff people out of pots. Usually this type of player is worth giving respect to, because even if they aren't great players, they are at least aggressive players and probably at least slightly winning players.

personally i like to sit with about half of the default stack. at party, default for 0.5/1 is 25 bucks. i sit in with 15. that's enough to wait for some good cards, and if you lose it all, then chances are the table conditions are not in your favour anyways so you should cut your losses. and since your stack is small the bullies will come after you, and that's when you reraise and show them your set Very Happy

I totally agree with lhoney2. I rarely play a limit hand without 12BB in my stack.

As for the large stack at the small stakes table, I think it is either someone trying to play psychological games with you, or someone who just clicked the "entire bankroll" radio button when buying in. The only time I pay attention to someone's stack size in a limit game is when it continues to increase throughout the session. Then I try to check hand histories to see if that person is just catching cards or playing really well.

Buy-in stack size can be a good indication of Bankroll Management skills and how aware they are that going all-in on a limit table is -EV. Given that good players have good Bankroll Management skills, there is some useful information here.

For Party Skins:

Less than 1x the default buy-in is almost always a really bad player. I expect them to bust out with-in 2-3 orbits unless they hit a big rush. Best case, they take the other good players' money and then I get a chance to take the fish to the cleaners.

1x the default buy-in. Neutral.

A little more than the default buy-in. This is fishy too, although not at first glance. More often than not, these guys are comming in with their entire balance. Similar situation as the short buy-in guy, only I expect this guy to last a couple more orbits.

2x the default buy-in. Probably a good player.

5++x the default buy-in. Penis size issues.

For Poker Stars:

The default buy-ins are short, making this kind of read harder. However, a healthy buy-in is almost always a pretty good player.

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Limit Hold'em Strategies

Maybe it is time

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Limit Hold'em Strategies

Maybe it is time