Playing against FTR guys in cash games

[Robb]

This is happening to me more and more often. People know my "ArsenalRocks" userID and say hey when we're playing. I know the big guys play each other a good bit, but I thought I start a thread for us noobies to think about how we should act when we bump into an FTR compadre in a cash game.

1. Try to win.

Seriously, try to kick my ass. 'Cuz if I get the right hand, I'm looking to take your stack. All that said, if I know who you are, I probably have a bit of respect for your game which puts you in the top 1% of opponents I face!! I don't try to run over good opponents, but I will make the occasional bigtime semibluff when I think they'll have to lay down a hand. And if I flop a set, I'm trying to get it all in the middle with the least amount of risk. I think you should do the same to me, if you get a chance. BTW, playing soft against a friend is cheating. But that's a hard line to find in some hands. Just know that if you stack me, I'm typing vnh and reloading, unworried. I'd rather my poker losses go to some of my FTR fellows rather than the dumbass fish.

2. Discuss any hands in the forums, pm's, via email, etc.

I am 100% open with the hands I play against FRT guys. I ship you the HH in a second. I will also let you know my HUD reads on your play and my general line of attack against opponents with your profile. I hope it helps. I think most of us feel the same. Reading people's souls is a myth. 99.9% of poker decisions are easy, and it's going to be a very rare series of hands where knowing who I am and my philosophy of playing is going to make the difference in who gets stacked.

3. I don't chat much - don't take offense.

I multitable, and I put most of my energy into playing poker. I often read the chat box but rarely respond. If I see an FTR guy, I say hi. But that's about it. Saying very little to FTR guys is probably best, but I'm perfectly happy to discuss our game away from the tables. Also, since I'm multitabling, I usually can't play soft against you. I've generally made up my mind before I see the NAME of my opponent. I've checked effective stacks, HUD stats, etc, then I look at the opp to see if I have notes/memory of anything that will matter.

I'd be thrilled to hear what the FTR regs at NL50 and higher think about this. I've found I enjoy playing against guys I know. Post some your thoughts please, and good luck at the tables (even the one's I'm at!!)

[dev]

Sounds like a plan to me... Hopefully I'll be at 50nl fairly soon :P

I know that in live poker rooms the regs that know each other tend to give each other respect, but never discuss anything, like, ever. It's bad for the table you're at and it's hard to trust anyone you meet playing poker. This forum is a good way to get past that, so if I play any hands with any of you, lemme know.

[taipan168]

Playing with anybody you know to be a reg or a poster on an internet forum about poker is -----------EV. Why beat each other up when there are so many fish around whose money you can take?

[Robb]

Playing with anybody you know to be a reg or a poster on an internet forum about poker is -----------EV. Why beat each other up when there are so many fish around whose money you can take?

All true. But in some of the smaller rooms, with fewer tables, those of who multitable do have a pretty decent chance of playing someone we know. But as long as the table has enough to fish to go around, why not stay?

For me, having an FTR reg at my table is no different than having one or two of the regs there that I have respect for. As long as stack sizes, position and table conditions are fine, I'm stayin'. I don't go out of my way to tangle with anyone I think is good, period. But we FTR guys do end up chasing fish to the same pond, some days.

[dev]

We''re all here to get better, and someone who was 'there' when we made a play can give us some perspective on what we're doing.

Besides, a table full of laggtards can get a lot more interesting when you add a rock. They all have to respect the rock. I've built really good home games out of one or two rocks that are there every week breaking even... not to say FTR guys are rocks, I'm just saying it's good to play with someone that most of the table has to respect... rock raises, 25/10 flats, we can't squeeze this.

That's not exactly clear, but I'm really tired... g'night

[Fnord]

Against anyone you know who tries to play TAggy assume at least a 10% chance of a bluff on any hand and don't try to over-think things too much. A line that seems obvious when you know your hole cards probably isn't. Or you might be playing so straight forward they don't think you have quite what you're repping because they're trying too hard to level you. Also, try to avoid getting into a "who can make the most silly bluff contest." That said, don't pass up up a good bluff if you think it's time to pull the trigger.

[sarbox68]

Gotta say is cool playing with someone u know, even if no time for chat (which most of the time, I don't even have turned on so I don't got to listen to all the snaps and whines... which not so bad at $25, but at $2 and $5??... daaaaaang...)

I'll tell u what I like the most... I got at least one known who got skills that'll let me make mine better. Fishing is alright, but I'm guessing THAT skill gets less valuable the more I move up. So I say test my sh!t... 'cause that's why I play over-rolled baby, so I can afford my education.

[Robb]

Gotta say is cool playing with someone u know, even if no time for chat (which most of the time, I don't even have turned on so I don't got to listen to all the snaps and whines... which not so bad at $25, but at $2 and $5??... daaaaaang...)

I'll tell u what I like the most... I got at least one known who got skills that'll let me make mine better. Fishing is alright, but I'm guessing THAT skill gets less valuable the more I move up. So I say test my sh!t... 'cause that's why I play over-rolled baby, so I can afford my education.

My wife who is an attorney - or was before we had 3 kids - always preferred to try a case against a top notch legal team. Yeah, they were tough to beat, but they did shit you could count on. No silly shit. No ethically challenged bullshit. They just put on their best case and tried to beat you. What Sarbox said kinda reminded me of that.