I think I just suck at ring...

I'm only an average player in general but I just can't make a decent long term profit at ring. It's fairly frustrating.

Seems like like I make consistent progress when playing only SnG's and when I play any significant amount of ring, it brings me down to negative or break/even status.

I'm thinking it's mostly a patience issue. After an hour sitting at a table I think i lose patience. Since I play NL $10 and no one folds, I'm playing mostly Taggy, and limping marginal hands with position. I basically feel like a nut peddler rather than a poker player. So after an hour or so I get frustrated and try to make moves, and anyone that's played at these levels knows that rarely works. People don't fold. They won't fold their Ax if they have any kind of flush draw. They won't fold overcards on a rag flop. This can work out to my advantage as long as I get in with the best of it. But it seems I end up bleeding more money then I take in when I win a pot.

Maybe I just don't get ring. I started as an MTT/SnG player, and made the move to ring a few months ago. I like the idea of ring and don't always have the time commitment for a longer MTT or SnG game but I just can't make my ring game work.

Nut peddling is the way to go at these stakes, play more tables at once to combat the boredom. Think of your time at these stakes as an exercise in discipline...

Yea play loads of tables. I find I get good hands pretty regulary if I 4 table. Helps stop the boredom.

Try playing at a 6max table. Marginal hands have more value, and the action comes back to you more quickly so you don't get a sbored waiting for all the other players to do something. I learned to play ring chasing bonuses. I started out playing mostly 5.50 S&Gs but have made way more in ring games now.

Hey 13, I suck at ring too.

Does this sound like you an hour into a game?

"A8s... man the last three showdowns were won with K4s, 78o and A3s... let's raise this up...
Callers... okay...
That flop doesnt help much but i'll continuation bet...
Damn. Callers....
Ooooh an Ace. Let's bet that.
Shit! Raised. I only have an 8 kicker. I better fold that.

OH MAN I JUST LOST MY LAST HALF HOURS PROFIT!"

I am trying tho!

I am your opposite, thirteen (but I share a lot of your frustrations) - I play stupidly loose and bluffy at the start, then calm down and become a TAgg for the rest of the session until I basically turn into a rock (this happens with tiredness more than anything), at which point I know I might as well stop.

6max or 5max, I find, takes a lot out of you as you're playing three times as many hands and you're doing it twice as quickly. The latter (where I play $50NL) I find I seldom stay for more than 30 mins at a time.

Originally Posted by biondino

6max or 5max, I find, takes a lot out of you as you're playing three times as many hands and you're doing it twice as quickly. The latter (where I play $50NL) I find I seldom stay for more than 30 mins at a time.

How can you play for such a short time? I find that I play at my best after the first 30mins (I play 4 6-max tables btw). I try not to play sessions longer than 3 hours though since then I start losing concentration.

I'm playing at pacific, they only allow 1 table at a time. And unfortunately they don't have six max till you get to the NL $50 level. I played 6 max at bugsys and enjoyed it quite a bit.

I may switch to pokerroom so I can multi table. But pacific is pretty fishy so I don't really want to leave.

(I have limited poker options as a mac user).

thirteen, if you do go to pokerroom can I refer you*? Then we can meet up on the 5max $50 tables and learn from each other

As a poker site, I like Pokerroom the most of all the ones I belong to. But that's just a personal preference.

*if you're up for this - you get a $25 extra bonus if you're referred - send me a private message. If not then no worries!

Originally Posted by biondino

thirteen, if you do go to pokerroom can I refer you*? Then we can meet up on the 5max $50 tables and learn from each other

As a poker site, I like Pokerroom the most of all the ones I belong to. But that's just a personal preference.

*if you're up for this - you get a $25 extra bonus if you're referred - send me a private message. If not then no worries!

I had someone promise to send me one already, but if it doesn't happen I'll let you know.

Originally Posted by arkana

Nut peddling is the way to go at these stakes, play more tables at once to combat the boredom. Think of your time at these stakes as an exercise in discipline...

You're exactly right. I actually tell myself this on a daily basis. Yet I still fuck up and get antsy. Making moves in bad spots... start limping in with bad cards...

It reminds me of a story TJ Cloutier tells, where he knew a guy who could play with the best of them but only for the first hour. After that he'd fall into a pattern of playing too many hands and taking them too far. So, he says people would just wait him out and then send him home broke. LOL.

I guess my other options are to Multi Table(assuming i switch to a site that allows it) or stick with SnG's.

Originally Posted by thirteen

I'm only an average player in general but I just can't make a decent long term profit at ring. It's fairly frustrating.

An average player is not supposed to make a decent profit at ring. The average player loses money in the ring. You picked up on the reason: trying to make moves with marginal hands, often out of impatience.

Originally Posted by arkana

Nut peddling is the way to go at these stakes, play more tables at once to combat the boredom. Think of your time at these stakes as an exercise in discipline...

Quoted for truth. Work on table selection & discipline. Find loose/passive games and camp.

Try a few thousand hands where you only play pairs/AK/AQs -- yes, I mean even on the button/SB. On 3 or four tables this doesn't take that long.

Practice dumping ATs in the SB. It feels good after awhile. You'll start thinking "there goes another so-so hand that I don't feel like worrying about". You will know how to play those 15 hands for a profit at that point. Might not be much profit, but then you can start adding in more stuff.

Good luck.

great topic, great responses

I'm there to where I'm just break even on the Ring Tables, but now have started multitabling and becoming more TAGG type of player which has worked to my advantage a bit, but then again I get impatient and start playing more OK hands, and I lose what I've won and break even. A Lot of it is patience at the tables to receive to cards you want, not playing the cards that "Look like a possible" something. Reminds me of spades, I'll bid 2 and a Possible.

Ok rambling on now.

Good thread