Newbie Low Limit Player with Some Questions |
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Posted Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:45 pm GMT by Culebra
Hello, this is my first post on this site and ive only been playing for about 2 weeks. The first time I actually played for real money is yesterday online when i played $.25/.50 games and ended up winning $10. I have been reading books a lot such as doyle brunson's super system and Dennis Purdy's Illustrated guide to low limit texas hold 'em. I only plan on right now to continue to play low limit games and gradualy move up in stakes. I have a couple of questions for you guys:
- What books should I be reading, any names and author lists would be appreciated.
- I play on pacificpoker.com right now but I have heard people say there are better sites for low limit games, is this true? I also saw on a website advertisement that if you play at pacific poker you get a free book of winning low limit hold 'em by I think it was lee jones. I could not find this and I play on pacific poker, if anyone could direct me to the right place to claim the book that would be greatly appreciated.
- When I have a small or medium pair I usually come in raising before the flop to get as many people as I can to fold before the flop so I have a less chance of being beat by a higher pair on the flop, is this a good strategy?
- I have heard many unfamiliar abbreviations used on this site such as SnG, BB, BR, and I think FL means limit but I'm not completly sure. If someone could provide a list of some commonly used abbreviations means that would be great.
- Do I want to be playing in games where the players per flop is Higher or when it is Lower. Does Higher players per flop usually mean the players are looser or in many occasions weak callers?
All comments are appreciated along with any other strategies/suggestions you may have for me.
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Posted Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:53 pm GMT by MasterShake
It's a good strategy...sometimes. Your position will decide which cards are good to raise with and when. Raising with 99 after the big blind is probably not a good idea in most games. But raising with it on the button with few or no callers behind you may be the right move.
I learned a lot from reading Lee Jones Winning Low Limit Hold em. I'm sure the guys will mention other books that have helped them as well.
Posted Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:13 pm GMT by Gunslinger
Lee Jones' is a good starting book, and then try Miller, Skalnsky, and Malmuth's Small Stakes Hold 'Em. Both are great for low limit online games.
Posted Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:29 pm GMT by JewishPete
SnG - Sit n' Go: Which you could think of as a mini tournament with a set maximum of players, that starts when it fills up. Along with SnG you have:
STT - Single Table Tournament
MTT - Multi Table Tournament
BR - is an abbreviation for Bankroll. Your bankroll should be about 20x the maximum buy-in of the game you are playing if its No Limit (NL).
For example, if you are playing .50/1 NL, the max buyin is $100 dollars. Therefore you should have 20 buy-ins. Personally I play with about 15x buy-ins which admittingly is pretty low.
As far as small pocket pairs, it is usually best to limp into a pot with them and if you do not hit your set, get out of the way. Position is also something you need to read up on. It is the most important thing that gets overlooked by newcomers in Hold Em.
For books: Supersystem is a must have, and small stakes hold em is great as well so you're off to a good start.
I also would suggest Harrington on Holdem Vol 1&2 if you are itnerested in tournament play. The amount that that book has helped me personally is unfathomable. Phil Gordon's little green book is also a nice find and would probably help you out quite a bit.
Try to stay away from "Online Poker Play" books as they generally hurt the beginners more than help them.
And really, just hang around here. There are a lot of great players here who don't mind answering questions.
God Luck 
Posted Fri Jul 14, 2006 4:37 pm GMT by crack
Hi, welcome to the forum.
I read Super system 2 and although interesting, I didn't think the money was justified. I don't think the super system volumes are a must have but I have never read the first one.
What sort of .25/.5 games are you playing? I am assuming fixed limit?
If so go for Winning Low Limit Hold'em, Small Stakes Hold'em, Internet Texas Hold'em, and I think that's the basic books I have read on limit. You can then move up to titles such as Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players but stick to basics for now.
I don't really like a general raise with all pocket pairs. Have a read of a few books and you will find things like starting hand charts, what you should do if it has been raised and you are holding a certain hand. They are good starting blocks while you get the hang opf the game.
Good luck.
Posted Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:42 am GMT by 72o
| Culebra wrote: | | I play on pacificpoker.com right now but I have heard people say there are better sites for low limit games, is this true? |
There are sites that offer much lower limits. UltimateBet offers both limit and no-limit tables with 1/2/5 cent stakes. It's always a good advice for beginners to start with limits as low as possible. I guess that you have been lucky winning $10. Usually, you loose a lot in your first real-money games.
| Culebra wrote: | | Do I want to be playing in games where the players per flop is Higher or when it is Lower. Does Higher players per flop usually mean the players are looser or in many occasions weak callers? |
Depends. If the players are very weak it can be more profitable to play at loose tables. But i found such weak players only at play-money tables or at 1 cent tables. Most Real-money players aren't that stupid even if they are relatively weak.
Usually, you want to play at tight tables for two reasons. First, if you are heads-on your chances are about 50% to win. That is, the risk is lower even when the bets are big. Secondly, bluffing, putting your opponent on a hand, adjusting your play according to your read on your oppenent, and literally every form of advanced play works much better if you have only one or two callers.
| Culebra wrote: | | When I have a small or medium pair I usually come in raising before the flop to get as many people as I can to fold before the flop so I have a less chance of being beat by a higher pair on the flop, is this a good strategy? |
Yes. Another strategy, that works well at very loose and weak tables is to limp in and hope to hit a set. But today's online players aren't that stupid anymore. So it's best to raise preflop. But you have to be careful. Even if you raise the poket pair it is likely that you get two or more callers if you do it in early position. If you have nine players behind you it's much more likely that one of them got AK and wants to play it as if you raise it on the button with only two players behind you. And if you have a raise before you you are likely to run into a big hand, of course. And you have to consider that weak players don't like to lay down a big hand even if they didn't hit the flop. You got pocked nines and you make a pot bet on a rag flop and get two callers because everybody is drawing on overcards. And on the river somebody makes his pair of aces... I would recommend you to just throw away small and medium pocket pairs at loose tables in any position.
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