What makes a good cash game player?

Hey.
I was just wondering what makes for a good cash game player at stakes 100NL and up compared to lower limits.

hand reading ability. it takes hundreds of thousands of hands to be an awesome hand reader though.

Lots of aces, PP's, and nice flops.

Consistency. In order to make a lot of money you must play a style that you can consistently repeat. Even the most undesirable of situations must have "standard" solutions. You must be able to tap into your memory bank of "standard" solutions at any time, without really having to think about it.

hand reading, aggressive play, no respect for dough yo!
good understanding of position, good table selection, able to change gears.

Understanding implied odds completely, seeing a lot of flops cheap, applying pressure constantly, and making big laydowns against reasonable ranges. In a nutshell.

Hand reading ability puts you over the top. Play half a million hands and get back to me.

Well I have been really trying to apply myself in reading hands. Started by playing less tables at a time to focus on detail and it is starting to pay off in alot of situations. For one it has made some big laydowns easier and in turn saved me money. It also helped me identify c-bets and pot buying alot.

Table selection is one thing I have to apply myself more.

One generality that has really improved my game is ''Attitude''. I believe having a positive attitude towards your game and reminding yourself of your short and long term goals is a good way to help you prevent going off track. This in turn implies having good discipline on the felt and towards your Bankroll Management.

also: How to pick a good table? Avg. Pot, Avg players on flop, hands per hour?

Table selection hits home for me. I have OK ability to fold, read and use position/aggression etc, but sitting at great seats and tables is a big reason I'm a big winner (so far..) in 100nl. But I bet as you get to higher levels where there's more skill and fewer players, the other skills are more important.

DubRod, this is a good thread - http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/forum/poker-36159.htm I'll try writing what I do though...the first thing is look for people on my "buddy list" (on hollywood, I mark them with a green dot and scroll the tables lists). If they're on (preferably fully stacked), I get a seat to their left so I have position. If I can't get in on those tables or they aren't around, then I look at the average pot sizes and players/flop, the more the better...but if one table has high stats except all stacks are small, I go for the tables with big stacks.

Renton's table selection:

Join all of the 2/4 10-max tables on Party Poker.

or any other table on party- poker. LOL

What a terrible (great) site!

i would have thought a very good ability at reading opponents, being unpredicatble and being able to remain calm under pressure. a sufficient bankroll for the stakes aswell will propably help!

Alot of what is being said is true, but you have to relate it to the limits that you play at... 2/4 and under, most of the skills that everyone has listed is a bit overrated. We should all be able to beat the lower stakes by playing simple ABC style poker... Why play a high level strategy with players that think on a low level???

Low stakes poker is boring and profitable for that very reason (players that think on a low level.) I would love to make fancy plays at the limits I play, but it's not profitable when your opponents can't read the board...

My thoughts on a good cash player for NL online:

1. Patience especially if you have a lot of tournament experience.

2. PT or PO for tracking and profiling online opponents along with a good hud. It can take awhile to build up a good db but its worth it.

3. Know your pot odds and more importantly implied odds. Implied odds requires some knowledge of your opponents to be successful.

4. Don't just play strong hands that can win but play strong hands that can win a players stack. Obviously any PP is playable to just about any reasonable raise for this reason depending on the stack that backs it up.

5. Money is made in sets (and full houses from improved sets) and str8s. Flushes while strong are harder to get paid off on so implied odds generally are not very high on them like they are with str8s and sets.

6. Big pots need big hands (not my quote). Any pair, TP, TPTK, and any overpair (debatable) are not a big hand so don't get married to them.

7. Bankroll Mgmt - Don't be afraid to lose your stack on hand just make sure when you do, you can reload and keep playing. Playing tight with a short stack isn't a bad way to start.

Good cash game player:

#1) Game selection.
#2) Game selection.
#3) Game selection.
#4) Patience
#5) Discipline
#6) Playing Short Stacked * (works for me)

I'm up almost 6 1/2 FULL Stacks in my last 1000 hands of 25NL playing SHORT stacked !!!
($160)

Plan on trying 50 NL today shortstacked will see how it goes.

if you would have bought in full you would have won a lot more...

there is no point in buying in for 30 at 50nl. if you cant buy in for 50 go play 25nl

Game selection isn't very big in my book. I just go to the table with biggest avg. pot with a high percentage of people seeing the flop.

Playing as a short stack I feel is for weak players. It severely limits your type of play and doesn't allow you to win money on your big hands.

I've stacked people with full stacks at 200NL before. If I brought in $120 instead of $200, I just lost $80. Very pointless.

I'm all for patience and discipline, but I would stack off against certain people with TPTK. Some people are big fish, and you must realize that. Don't limit yourself to one strategy. It should change everytime depending on the table.

Poker Forum

Poker Forum Index

NL Hold'em Strategies

What makes a good cash game player?