Room for a little one?

Hi all, long story short I got into NLHE when it exploded several years ago. I got books, subscribed to magazines, followed BRM and posted on a forum whilst I plugged away for a good few years. Yet despite that I was still a fish and so I walked away 5 years ago.

However I am back - new start, new forum and hopefully new results! I would really appreciate advice and hand analysis. Maybe even in time watching over me during a session?

As I've been away I'd appreciate being brought up to speed on the state of the game, in particular:

• When I walked away NLHE was seen to be a solved game, everyone had trackers and knew the EV plays to make and so people were shifting to Omaha and other forms of poker. Even Moorman was saying the edge is wafer thin as to be not profitable anymore. Is this still the case? Am I wasting my time?
  
  
• I take it HUDs and trackers are still mandatory? Last time it was PT2 and HEM, are they stll the standard?
  
  
• I'm unsure about format. I appreciate cash makes a better player and the deep, refillable stacks means tilt is less of an issue but I love the thrill of MTTs and SNGs (plus the payout). However tilt a problem because I was focussed on my sharkscope stats and wanted to be taken seriously. Add to this the rising blinds eventually turned games into formulaic fold or shove. What do you suggest? Does being a cash player and treating myself to MTTs at the weekend sound like a good idea?
  
  
• Has low stakes strategy evolved or is it still TAG, play in position and chuck small pairs if re-raised?
  
  
• I played on Stars - is this a no-go zone now for fish like me?

Anymore info you think I need to know after my hiatus would be much appreciated.


Kathryn

I'm assuming that from your IP address that you are from the UK. Personally , i , and several other regular UK posters have played most of our volume on smaller sites. This is for a multitude of reasons,

- stars have cut the rewards to UK players as they have decided that we should be paying half of their tax levied by UK gaming commission.
- stars will soon be taking extra rake off UK players again because of the half of their tax.
- games are a lot tougher on stars as more of the user base has trackers etc and access to coaching videos.
-some of the smaller sites are a lot fishier so although the software is worse , the games are a lot more profitable to play in .
- stars were taken over by amaya and lumbered with 4.7 BN $ of debt to repay, that is coming from players by reduced returns.

- games are a lot tougher on stars as more of the user base has trackers etc and access to coaching videos.

Yeah, this. I was at stars for years, eventually moved because keith was telling me how much softer the games were at smaller sites that don't allow HUDs. I'm currently at SkyPoker, sometimes as high as 25/50 30bb cap games if the right players are seated; even at these stakes the games are very fishy indeed. I've gone from an average break even player at stars to a good winning player at Sky, relative to villains. Moving from stars did more for my winrate than any adjustement I've made to my game.

Stars is still the best site with the best software, the biggest player base and the best MTT games, by a considerable margin. But it comes at a heavy price.

Also, I hope you're named after these lot...

I personally think Bovada with their anonymous player pools is the best thing for the poker player as you have to rely on your own independent reads, betting pattern observations and poker skills and instincts. When we allow technology to take over the very skills needed to hone and improve our game, does this not take away from our own skill as well?