Sorry for no post yesterday. It was my girlfriend's birthday. I took her on a romantic mountain picnic and got back a bit too late to work on the blog.
I've started a new arrangement for my poker time. I've collected over 20 $26 Full Tilt tokens, and I seem to be winning them quicker than what I can use them. So I've started running 7 cash game tables and 2 tourney tables simultaneously. I don't know if it is a good idea, and sometimes does get a bit confusing differentiating between cash and chips, but it does keep me focused and interested. Lately the cash games have become a bit of a grind (normally a sign that I'm ready to move up a level), so mixing it up a bit has really helped my motivation and interest. It probably isn't optimum profit wise, but I do want to improve my tourney play, so will keep at it for the rest of the week.
I'm off to New Zealand for 3 weeks next Tuesday. I'm taking my laptop with me, so hoping to keep playing and blogging while I'm over there, but I might miss a few days when I'm busy.
Today's Topic: 5 steps to No Limit Holdem success:
If you play small stakes no limit holdem full ring cash games, here are the top 5 pieces of advice from Ed Millers "No Limit Holdem theory and practice" to ensure success.
- Play tight: Playing tight is the easiest and most important step you can take to improve your game. Fold your trash hands. Most hands are trash. It's easier to define what's not trash, so I'll do that. The "Not Trash" list:
- All Pocket Pairs
- Two suited cards Jack or Higher (e.g., K J )
- AK, AQ, AJ, and KQ offsuit
Ok, it's not quite that simple. I have another list, the "Sometimes Trash" list:
- Suited Connectors (e.g., 8 7 or J 9 )
- AT and KJ offsuit
- Suited Aces (particularly the big ones like A T )
Everything else is trash. Don't play trash. (I'm not going to say this over and over, but I'll say it once here. These are the rules. Good players can and do break them. But you gotta learn the rules before you start breaking them.
- Don't play out of position: People playing out of position is the #1 mistake. Being out of position hurts you in every aspect of the hand. It makes it harder to read your opponents' hands, it makes it harder to bluff successfully, and it makes it harder for you to make money on good hands and get away from bad ones. Basically, it puts you at a big fat disadvantage.
- Don't over commit in small pots: No-limit decisions revolve around pot size. More to the point, they revolve around the balance of risk versus reward. How much risk you should take depends on what the reward is. When the pot is tiny compared to what's in the remaining stacks, like on the flop after two or three layers limp in, that's a small pot. When the pot is relatively large compared to what's in the remaining stacks, like on the river after there's already been a lot of betting, that's a big pot. Here's one guiding principle: Big hands deserve big pots, and small hands deserve small ones. If you have a super-strong hand like a set, then you want to get all the money in. If you have a weak or vulnerable hand, then you want to avoid a big confrontation. It sounds simple, but many no-limit players go wrong here.
Bluffing: Bluffing is the most mystical aspect of no-limit. Bluffing isn't the be-all-and-end-all, but it's a very important no-limit skill. A lot of bluffing in no-limit is "smallball." You throw out a modest bet to try to pick up a pot no one else wants. A continuation bet after the flop can be an example of such a bluff. So are position bets, bets from the blinds after a checked flop, and so forth. If no one else seems to want a pot, often you should toss something out there and see if you take the pot down. With big bluffs some general practical guidelines for getting the most out of your bluffs are: be in position, and make the bluff enough to force a fold.
- Keep your head in the game: It's impossible to have no-limit hold'em success without tackling the mental side of the game.
Today's Link:
The above advice and more can be found in a lot greater detail at Ed Millers excellent website "Noted poker authority".
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