Your Not Grinding 'till you Grind 2NL
Nearly every beginner here at FTR is told to start at 2NL and work their way up. "If you can't beat the micro's you won't stand a chance at Higher stakes," you’re told. Sounds easy enough, I mean you’re new to poker, but you have a "feel" for it. You watch it on TV and you saw that movie Rounders. Yeah, you’re a regular pro. I mean, the regulars here make it sound so easy, "get dealt in" that's how you’re supposed to beat micro-stake poker. So off you go, "To the Tables" as it were. You put your 50$ deposit in and get ready. You open up a table and dig in. A few hours later you’re down to 33$ and within the week you've lost your whole deposit.... WTF?
Time to go back to that site. So you pack your lunchbox get a new backpack and off to FTR to learn. You read a couple different preflop strategy guides. Learn what hands you need to be playing with. Then you read a little more here and there, and maybe just maybe post a hand or two in the Beginner Forum, you get advice and your on top of the world again. Another 50$ and your set. You’re pretty much playing break even poker after your 2nd or 3rd deposit.... again, WTF????? "How am I supposed to do this when moron Fish is calling my preflop raise with 49o and catching two pair? This is bull... Back to FTR. Before long you realize just what you’re up against:
Passive players
Maniacs
Good players who take your ass to town.
Super tight players you can get to call a value bet if their life depended on it.
By now you've learned to "Get your money in when you ahead"
So you learn to value-bet and get out when you don't have the right odds... But wait... Everyone else doesn't know that? What the hell?
You start value betting when you've got the best hand, but Dumbshit doesn't know he's not getting the right odds and calls you down just to catch his overpriced flush against your Top set of Kings. Sure, you "got the money in ahead" But that won't fix whatever it is you broke around the house, when he flipped his 48s.
Now you say "screw it, I'm going higher where they'll 'respect my raises' "
Here you are with what remains of your Bankroll all at one 25NL table. Needless to say, you loose it... one more Deposit and back to the micro's.
Now when you tighten up and play only primo cards, you can't get anyone to call a value bet? And when they do they catch their draw and you’re screwed. Every time you get all folds you get .30$ and every time they do call they catch their draw and pull your ass all in for a total loss of 2.67$ HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BEAT THIS? You say.
Well, It's Grinding. At 2nl, there is no Fast track, there is no easy way. You have to grind. By the time you've FINALY grasped this concept, your BANKROLL will tell you to move on up to 5nl. It gets more complicated the higher you go, but the amount of money making basics learned in these few micro stakes is probably higher than any other single level.
Thank you thank you, Welcome to my lame ass contribution the this great web site. I figure if i'm not at least going to TRY and contribute, I might as well leave. Thanks whoever read it for giving me the time.
