|
Luck, try this:
Practice identifying soft games. This is the single most important thing early on. Watch how many people are limping in. If it's 2 or less frequently, leave. If it gets to the blinds more than once it's a really bad sign. Look for players that will call pre-flop raises with crap. Watch the successful players. What hands they play and how they play them. Most of your time at the table is spent watching, get good at it.
Buy into a $25 no-limit ring game at $12. If your stack gets below that, buy more chips or reassess the table conditions and leave (there is NO excuse for making a despiration play on a PP ring game.) If your stack gets to around $24-36, leave.
Only cold call big all-in bets with AA and KK, it doesn't matter how mad they are. Likewise, if there is $4 or more on the table either one is an all-in bet. At that point you really don't care if you're called or not (if you're at the right table someone probably will call.) Calling with AK might be safe too, but it's the kind of hand you really want to see a flop with.
Play these hands on raises and call with them:
AA, KK, QQ, JJ
AK, AQ, KQ
Jacks or better suited
Limp in with these hands (no more than $1 pre-flop):
Jacks or better unsuited
Tens or better suited
Any pocket pair (drop it like a bad habbit unless you get your set.)
Don't bother to defend your blinds. They should not be a significant leak if you pick the right game. Perhaps call 25c-50c on the above plus Axs and tight/semi-tight suited connectors. If it comes down to a battle of the blinds you're at the wrong table.
Buying in a little short does a few favorable things for a new player. It takes away later betting rounds on big hands, leaving less room to make a bad call. It becomes harder to raise you out of a draw or the damage done by calling on marginal pot odds is smaller. It protects you from other players playing set against $2+ raises, since the payoff will have less profit. Other players will try to push you around a little by putting you all-in after the turn with a larger bet than they might otherwise make to force a fold. You're playing premium hands, if you got a good hand going disappoint them. Finally, it limits the swing caused by a single poor decision or bad beat.
|