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Poker ForumShort-Handed NL Hold'em

two questions...

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  1. #1

    Default two questions...

    My first question to you guys is "how do you stay focused during long bouts of junky cards?" Of course, we all watch the other players to see how they bet, what they bet, etc, but after you have done that for a while, it gets pretty boring.

    Honestly, one of the biggest leaks in my game is boredom causing me to play weak hands (T7, T8, 65s, 64s) in middle and late positions. Of course, they always hit the flop a little, keeping me around and basically causing chip deletion.

    Can anyone suggest some ideas for staying focused, aside from watching the other players?

    Second, if you find yourself at a table full of limpers and $0.50 callers EVERY flop, is it wiser to stay tight and punish them pre-flop, or loosen a little and see cheap drawing hands? If you loosen up, how low do your starting requirements go?

    Thanks!
    Crazyeddie
  2. #2
    Staying focused its tough.. alot of times I get bored, start surfing porn and end up quitting more involved in porn that playing poker.. end up quitting..

    Sometimes I'll take $10 and sit down at a $1/$2 table and play two tables.. Usually go broke like that.

    Best bet for me is to take a break, sit out a few, leave the game, or in most cases go to bed because its 4am and I gotta get up a 6:30

    As for your second question..

    I still play the same hands, but I make sure that I can beat the board if i'm taking a hand to the river.

    There is one thing I change about my game with a table of calling stations. I'll stop limping in. I raise most of the hands I want to play even if its only $.50. Usually just $.50 enough to run up the pots a hair. While still chasing out 1-2 people. With 8 people limping in before me they'll call the $.50 so the pots start at around $6-8.. Making it more profitable when you hit. And if your in the early position you can even put a few people out and limit the field.

    Now on the same not, I DO drop my hand pretty fast when the flop misses me. Don't get caught up in the pot size.. 3 to a straight on the flop? 2 to a flush? drop it..
    Even if it checks to me I'll "check-out" I'll muck it even with a free card. Dn't want to get caught up in a hand htat gets me run out on the river. Get out cheap.


    There are some hands you just have not business being in.
  3. #3
    agreed. These sound like legit limit holdem strategies. I still worry about raising with marginal hands to limit the field in NL hold'em, though. You usually end up dominated for 3 rounds of betting...
  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by crazyeddie
    agreed. These sound like legit limit holdem strategies. I still worry about raising with marginal hands to limit the field in NL hold'em, though. You usually end up dominated for 3 rounds of betting...
    (i revised my post above a bit. I don't raise EVERY hand I play usually, just anything you'd play in first position.)

    You can end up dominated. I'm trying to raise the pot a bit, not really limit the field. If the people are going to call and call and call, then make them pay for it. IF YOUR PLAYING LIKE THIS YOU NEED TO HIT YOUR FLOP!!!

    Like i said earlier though, MUCK YOUR HAND if the flop goes bad on you. You will end up trapping yourself if you don't. Use that "fold to any bet" button, or just muck it out right even though its free to check.

    It sounds like I'm just throwing money away, but if your going pay $.50 to see the flop then raise it to $1 to see where you stand. If you get re-raised big, let it go.

    Thats how I handle a table full of calling stations.

    I can not stress it enough, do not trap yourself! Just because you raised to $1 preflop doesn't mean you have to call bets after the flop.

    your raising to

    #1 increase the pot
    #2 possibly put out players
    #3 make people think your hand is stronger than it is.

    One other thing is you can end up with an image as a loose player who'll raise anything. People will start calling all of your raises.

    So when you do have the hand people tend to not belive you and you can get paid.

    This sucks because you can't bluff well with that image. Yet on a table full of calling stations I don't try to bluff the pots.

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