Turning $10 into ??? on Full Tilt

[Tyshalle]

So I've been playing mostly $5 SnG's for the past few months, with up and down results that sort of ended in the past week or so with me going on my worst losing streak since I started playing SnG's consistently, culminating in about 18 or so straight losses that has basically wiped out my Full Tilt account.

This wouldn't have been a big deal, as I was fully prepared to just reload, but then the economy reared it's ugly head and I lost my job, so until I get a steady income again I'm not going to deposit anymore money into the game.

So what I'm left with is just what's in my account. $9.88 and one $26 satellite token. So, being that this is what I have at my disposal, and I don't know how long it's going to be before I'll be able to inject some more money into poker, I'd like to try and see where I can take this 10 bucks.

But I'd like some advice on how to start this. Proper bankroll management hasn't exactly been on my mind up to this point, as I've just been doing $5 SnG's because I can afford to. My last $50 lasted me a few months before the huge losing streak kicked in, and up until the layoff I've had the money to just deposit another $50 if I lost the first one.

So, with only $10 to my poker name, where should I begin? My guess is the 0.01/0.02 microlimit cash games. Should I go fully rolled at 2 bucks for the buy in, or should I buy in for the minimum since I have such a small roll?

Another piece of advice I'd like is to know how I should play this. Everybody seems to advocate tight aggressive play, but considering that I've only got 10 bucks to work with, is this the best way to go about it? I know it's standard advice not to play with scared money, but if I call a big bet on a draw that I'm only likely to win 20% of the time simply because I'm getting the right pot odds I'm likely to lose my $10 pretty quick. It doesn't seem to me like there's much long-term to ten bucks. Am I wrong here? I understand the whole concept of long-term thinking, but it doesn't seem to apply to my situation right now.

Beyond this, is there any general advice I should follow when dealing with microlimit games? Should I treat them exactly like I should treat higher limit games? Personally I think they're completely different. It seems like, in general, hand reading skills go straight out the window most of the time. Everyone calls with any two cards no matter how much you bet pre-flop, and post-flop people will call with any pair, or even an overcard. With this many calling stations it seems like it would be easy to make money, and maybe it is, but I'm totally unprepared for it. I played for a few hours tonight and I'd constantly see people calling huge all-in bets with nothing but a gutshot straight draw, when the odds were clearly not there for them. How do you take advantage of this? Is this pretty much just about camping for the nuts? Should my range of playable hands be extremely small, or should it be pretty broad?

If I'm in late position, but I've got 5 people coming in behind me, as is pretty normal in micro games, should I avoid playing at all costs unless I have aces, or should I look to limp with hands like Ace-rag as long as they're suited?

I'm in no way claiming to know a lot about what I'm talking about. I'm just barely above total n00b level, I think, so if I'm way off base with some of my assumptions, please set me straight. I'm looking to learn, but I'm also looking to earn. Hopefully I can make something of my $10.

[JKDS]

Step one: Sell your satellite token.

Step two, option a: start playing 2nl, full stacked. Play tight aggressive poker, meaning you play a small range of hands but you play the shit out of them. This is one of the ideal counters to people playing any two cards preflop and calling river all ins with air. If you do not sell the token (Sell the token), then your bankroll is too small to afford to do high variance plays. For instance, I am regularly willing to put my entire stack in the middle with a strong draw on the flop due to my large amount of equity and fold equity, but risking a buy in on a 55% favorite coin flip is silly if you only have 5 buyins to begin with. (sell the chip... ).

Step two, option b: Or if you feel you are more adept at sngs, play 2 dollar buy in ones. (I could be wrong on the buy in here...not a sng expert by any means, you might actually need to play dollar ones)

Step three: post hands were you feel iffy about. any hands. winnerss, losers, big pots, small pots...just make sure you post the actual history and any reads available.

Step four: move up to 5nl when your bankroll reaches around $75, or move up to the next level of sngs when bankroll reaches the right amount for those.

In general: suited cards give an aditional like 3% equity to a hand. so A3 and A3s are almost identical. Although, limping in a multiway pot with some hands that play pretty well multiway isnt a bad thing so long as you know what you are looking to hit. Of course if you limp with 76s, and flop an open ended straight flush draw, your bankroll might limit you from actually being able to make the most of your 60% equity.

GL pwning poker

[oskar]

I don't think you can sell the token... maybe if you can transfer it to another player... I would take it btw, just pm.

Good luck to you.
Another vote for 2NL full stacked!

[Luco]

And another.

Buy in for the full $2 and just play ABC TAG poker. Limp in late in an unraised multiway with connectors (suited or unsuited doesn't matter as long as both cards are 5 or over, you haven't got the roll to throw your stack at an 8 high flush) or Axs, then get your stack in the middle when you hit. Often at $2NL someone will have hit the idiot end of the straight and will pay you off nicely.

I say unraised multiway pots due to your BR. At micromicro you can get your stack in after you hit the nuts and still get callers. JKDS has already pointed out though that 5BI may not be enough to cope with the variance, so be careful which draws you chase.

Good Luck,
Luco

[Tyshalle]

How should I play small pairs? Should I ditch them in early position or limp and hope nobody raises? If somebody does raise should I call, even from late position? My assumption with microstakes is that I should look to hit a set, if I don't on the flop should I bet like crazy if my pair is an overpair? What if it's not and somebody raises half the pot?

What if I have a decent pair like QQ in early position?

What kind of raises do people respect in microstakes? Last night I frequently raised 4x the BB and got four or five callers. It seems like nobody respects pre-flop raises at all. Should I avoid raising pre-flop and just hope I hit a better hand on the flop?

These might seem like standard questions, but I'm approaching them from a microlimit mindset which seems like a completely different world. I feel like I more or less know the answers to these questions in higher limit games and even in tournaments, but playing 0.01./0.02 feels like I'm playing in the play money games.

[Luco]

How should I play small pairs? Should I ditch them in early position or limp and hope nobody raises? If somebody does raise should I call, even from late position? My assumption with microstakes is that I should look to hit a set, if I don't on the flop should I bet like crazy if my pair is an overpair? What if it's not and somebody raises half the pot?.

It depends, it depends, it depends. I will typically fold low PP in the first few positions. The trouble with having so many callers is that your hand needs to be that much stronger to win.

What if I have a decent pair like QQ in early position?

It's into that region of high pairs that can sometimes stand on their own. My advice would be to read the table, and don't open fold QQ from any position. See below.

What kind of raises do people respect in microstakes? Last night I frequently raised 4x the BB and got four or five callers. It seems like nobody respects pre-flop raises at all. Should I avoid raising pre-flop and just hope I hit a better hand on the flop?

A lot of $0.02 players think in absolutes. it's quite common to see someone raise 10xBB ($0.20) just because $0.10 doesn't seem like a lot of money. Just because someone has put $0.20 down, doesn't necessarily mean they have AA and you should drop your QQ. Read the player, remember what they've shown down before, and trust a good read. Raising to isolate becomes quite hard, so you're typically only raising for value. Play the best hands and it won't be an issue.

These might seem like standard questions, but I'm approaching them from a microlimit mindset which seems like a completely different world. I feel like I more or less know the answers to these questions in higher limit games and even in tournaments, but playing 0.01./0.02 feels like I'm playing in the play money games.

Play the best hands, that's all you can do. Because a lot of players at this level bet in absolute amounts, often their bets will tell you the strength of their hand. Use your position, your pot odds and your patience and you'll do fine.

[Tyshalle]

Here's a trio of hands I'd like to offer up to be picked apart, keeping in mind I'm playing in the microstakes.


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($2.07)
SB ($1.89)
BB ($1.94)
UTG ($3.96)
UTG+1 ($0.40)
MP2 ($2.66)
CO ($0.49)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, Q
2 folds, MP2 calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, Hero bets $0.12, SB calls $0.11, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.10, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.40) 7, 5, 10 (3 players)
SB bets $0.10, MP2 calls $0.10, Hero raises to $0.50, SB raises to $1.77 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero ???



And the second hand:


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($3.23)
MP2 ($1.07)
MP3 ($1.86)
CO ($0.80)
Button ($2.55)
SB ($1.03)
Hero (UTG) ($2)
UTG+1 ($2)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, 7
4 folds, CO checks, 1 fold, SB calls $0.01, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.06) Q, 4, Q (3 players)
SB checks, [color=#CC3333]Hero ???


And the third hand:


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($3.18)
BB ($1.20)
UTG ($1.82)
UTG+1 ($0.65)
MP1 ($2.40)
MP2 ($0.98)
Hero (CO) ($1.97)
Button ($2)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 10, K
4 folds, Hero bets $0.08, 2 folds, BB calls $0.06

Flop: ($0.17) 5, 8, K (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero raises to $0.12, BB calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.41) J (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero calls $0.02

River: ($0.45) 6 (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero ???

[nibbles]

Ty, GL on your micro grind. Here are a few things that I hope you find helpful.

1. Table selection. This is of the utmost importance. Find the tables with relatively low average pot sizes. At these tables you will usually get to see alot of cheap flops against passive players. When you make a hand, bet for value and be wary of resistance. You don't have much room for error. If you are being raised by a passive player, watch out.

2. Passive pre-flop, aggressive post-flop. You still make pf raises with your big pocket pair and big slick, but eliminate the positional raises with marginals. Limp them and try to see a cheap flop. If players behind you keep raising your limps, change tables. Avoid pre-flop races. You don't want to put large portions of your bankroll on coinflips. So yes, FOLD AK as opposed to calling all in. You need to see cheap flops with that low bankroll of yours. Post-flop, bet good hands for value, but again be wary of resistance. Also, never, ever, ever bluff.

3. Lower buy in. I would buy in for $1.50 (that is what I bought in for when I started my op). That way you get 6 buy ins plus a 50bb emergency last ditch effort buy in for a total of seven. Every bit helps. Also, leave the table if your roll gets down to 50 cents, or reload. Do not wait for AJ+ and shove looking for the double up. Coinflips are not good for you at this point. Put that money towards another buy in.

Just keep in mind that it is more important to minimize your losses than to maximize your gains. In your original post you were absolutely right in that the tight-aggressive style of play is not effective when under rolled. That style is about maximizing your gains. It is about getting maximum value out of your winning hands. However, 5 buy in downswings are common and that would wipe you out. You need to play a tight passive style and really nut camp. That is, if you are serious about not reloading your poker account. This is only a short term approach until your roll has a little cushion, then everything listed on this great forum applies. But for now, minimize your losses. You can't win if you don't have any money.

My opinion might get blasted, but use your common sense. You hit the nail in the head in your first post. And alot of people haven't actually done this either. Your patience will be tested, but this can be done. These are all things I did when I started. I missed out on a ton of winning hands, but hindsight is always 20/20. There is a saying, "You can't lose what you don't put in the middle" (got it from Rounders). If your are patient, the winning hands will come. Take this with a grain of salt, as I am far from an expert. Good luck.

[Tyshalle]

Oy, pretty pissed about this hand, not because I lost, but because I didn't maximize value properly.


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($1.72)
Button ($1.97)
Hero (SB) ($2.22)
BB ($1.92)
UTG+1 ($3.70)
MP1 ($2.88)
MP2 ($1.96)
MP3 ($0.98)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 2, 4
4 folds, CO calls $0.02, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.01, BB checks

Flop: ($0.06) 6, 7, 3 (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, CO checks

Turn: ($0.06) 5 (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, CO bets $0.02, Hero calls $0.02, BB raises to $0.14, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.26, BB raises to $0.86, Hero calls $0.60

River: ($1.80) 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.34 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $1.80 | Rake: $0.12

[lockpull]

Not sure if you can trade/sell your tokens if this is on Tilt. I have been holding onto a token waiting for the right time to use it. I tried to find a way to sell/trade it just now but could not see one. If that is true (and only if there is no possible way to sell) then I would suggest the 24+2 90 player KO tourney. You start with 3000 chips and get $4 for every person you knock out. If you play tight and wait for someone to make a mistake you can increase your chance to make it to the final table and pick up $4. Concentrate on tight play and knocking people out and if you get lucky enough to make it to final table:
1st- 576
2nd- 351
3rd- 252
4th- 198
5th- 144
6th- 108
7th- 72
8th- 54
9th- 45

[Tyshalle]

Yeah I looked around today too and couldn't find a way to do it. Not a bad idea bout the 90 player KO tourney. Originally I was thinking I'd do a 9 player SnG but it seems like I might have a better chance of making some money in a KO tournament, even if it does have 10 times the players of a SnG.

What does everyone else think?

[lockpull]

As far as I could see Tilt doen't have any 9 player SNG's that you can use this on except for satellites or $75 tokens. I might have just missed them but the smallest field I can see that would take this token is a 45 player. Or wait for a really good scheduled tourn you want to try.

[Tyshalle]

Well yesterday I started out with $9.88 and I'm now up to $16.44. I'm hoping to turn that into $20 by the end of the day.

Any suggestions on when I should move up to the 0.02/0.05 games? I've heard varying suggestions on this in the past. Some say $50 is good enough, while others say you shouldn't do it with less than $100.

[sil693]

$100 is 20 Buy Ins for 5NL and should be fine. Any less than that and its a risk you needn't be taking. Gl.

[yourfather]

[quote="Tyshalle"]Here's a trio of hands I'd like to offer up to be picked apart, keeping in mind I'm playing in the microstakes.


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($2.07)
SB ($1.89)
BB ($1.94)
UTG ($3.96)
UTG+1 ($0.40)
MP2 ($2.66)
CO ($0.49)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, Q
2 folds, MP2 calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, Hero bets $0.12, SB calls $0.11, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.10, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.40) 7, 5, 10 (3 players)
SB bets $0.10, MP2 calls $0.10, Hero raises to $0.50, SB raises to $1.77 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero ???



And the second hand:


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($3.23)
MP2 ($1.07)
MP3 ($1.86)
CO ($0.80)
Button ($2.55)
SB ($1.03)
Hero (UTG) ($2)
UTG+1 ($2)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, 7
4 folds, CO checks, 1 fold, SB calls $0.01, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.06) Q, 4, Q (3 players)
SB checks, [color=#CC3333]Hero ???


And the third hand:


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($3.18)
BB ($1.20)
UTG ($1.82)
UTG+1 ($0.65)
MP1 ($2.40)
MP2 ($0.98)
Hero (CO) ($1.97)
Button ($2)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 10, K
4 folds, Hero bets $0.08, 2 folds, BB calls $0.06

Flop: ($0.17) 5, 8, K (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero raises to $0.12, BB calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.41) J (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero calls $0.02

River: (

Hand 1 is fine, I would get it in here at 2nl all day.

Hand 2 I bet like .04. Its a limped pot, you get a ton of folds here, are probably ahead and have the nfd.

Hand 3 , mehh I probaby raise/f turn and I would raise/fold river without more info. He can have so much dumb shit.

[yourfather]

Here's a trio of hands I'd like to offer up to be picked apart, keeping in mind I'm playing in the microstakes.


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($2.07)
SB ($1.89)
BB ($1.94)
UTG ($3.96)
UTG+1 ($0.40)
MP2 ($2.66)
CO ($0.49)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, Q
2 folds, MP2 calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, Hero bets $0.12, SB calls $0.11, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.10, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.40) 7, 5, 10 (3 players)
SB bets $0.10, MP2 calls $0.10, Hero raises to $0.50, SB raises to $1.77 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero ???



And the second hand:


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($3.23)
MP2 ($1.07)
MP3 ($1.86)
CO ($0.80)
Button ($2.55)
SB ($1.03)
Hero (UTG) ($2)
UTG+1 ($2)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, 7
4 folds, CO checks, 1 fold, SB calls $0.01, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.06) Q, 4, Q (3 players)
SB checks, [color=#CC3333]Hero ???


And the third hand:


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($3.18)
BB ($1.20)
UTG ($1.82)
UTG+1 ($0.65)
MP1 ($2.40)
MP2 ($0.98)
Hero (CO) ($1.97)
Button ($2)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 10, K
4 folds, Hero bets $0.08, 2 folds, BB calls $0.06

Flop: ($0.17) 5, 8, K (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero raises to $0.12, BB calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.41) J (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero calls $0.02

River: ($0.45) 6 (2 players)
BB bets $0.02, Hero ???

Hand 1 is fine, I would get it in here at 2nl all day.

Hand 2 I bet like .04. Its a limped pot, you get a ton of folds here, are probably ahead and have the nfd.

Hand 3 , mehh I probaby raise/f turn and I would raise/fold river without more info. He can have so much dumb shit.

[Poker Orifice]

First off.. you can't sell tokens on FUlltilt... simple. done.
With that token I'd only suggest entering into games you have the most experience and skill with (whether that be larger field mtts or sngs). Personally I wouldn't play the 90-plyr KO tourney... but that's just my opinion as it's not really a game I'm most comfortable with. You play sngs.. why not try an sng with it? Personally I use all of mine for MTTs.
With a super small bankroll where would I play??.. I'd probably play the .02/.05 tables but buyin short and be one of those annoying shortstack players who sit tight then raise it up pretty much only when they're wanting to get it allin preflop or on the flop (although it is not an optimal cash table strategy, there are strategic ways to play on a shortstack with ways in which to optimize your play while doing so,.. shortstack Bingo I call it, lol... maybe not the best advice although I see it work well for some who are most likely in a similiar situation as yourselfe).
I just can't see playing the 0.01/0.02 tables.. as you mention... you raise it up and most of them call (incidentally, I'd suggest raising to 5x but it all depends on the players on your table... if they're not respecting raises.. make them BIG). Are you playing FR or 6-Max? I've fooled around a bit on the .02/.05 6-Max tables as I'm still transitioning over to playing 6-Max and getting used to multi-tabling in them (usually I play mtts, sngs,.. and previously some FR). What I noticed was that there were usually a couple of good players on them (ones I've seen playing bigger buyin mtts) and a couple of really bad ones. I'll have a good idea of where my money is going to be coming from pretty quickly after sitting down at the table. I can't say I've played alot of sessions on those tables (maybe a few dozen) but I've never lost any money in any of them (only losses coming from huge suckouts). It's pretty easy to get your money in good in them I've found,... even when you wake up with AA you'll get some uber-aggressive donk who wants to 4-bet ya with 9-9 and then get into a preflop raising war.

If sng play is your preference, I'd suggest playing the $2 6-handed turbos but to do some research on playing turbos first (if you've been playing the $5 regs., it's quite a different game). Half the table in these are donks, with a couple of decent players and are pretty easy to cash in with some consistency (the $2's regs. are just so full of donks that it's a terrible game imo... the $1's are even worse and the tourney fee (rake) is HUGE... 25% is crazy). There is good turbo sng strategy stuff here on this site. I used to only play regs. prior to reading a bunch of turbo stuff and then realizing that most of the multi-tabling regs. actually play the turbos. Since moving over to turbos for a few months, it has helped my sng game tremendously (I was an ICM donk before).

Last bit of advice (I don't want to use the word 'advice'.. only you know yourself the best and what you play well at)... grab a $50 VisaGiftCard so that you're at least rolled well enough to play,.. or cross fingers with the $26token.
GL on the tables!!!

[Tyshalle]

Managed to get to $20.55 today, and it was pretty uneventful despite having doubled may bankroll in 24 hours. Decided my goal was going to be to turn the $10 into $1,000. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to move up to the 0.02/0.05 cent games at $50 or $100. I'm leaning toward $100 right now, but I might try my luck at $50 and if I lose my first buy-in I might drop back down. At this rate I should be up to $50 by sometime next week.

[JKDS]

I dont actually play on fulltilt...i assumed it was standard across sites to be able to sell or trade chips. I still say $75 is plenty to start 5nl IF you have a strong winrate over a large sample size at 2nl (like >5ptbb/100 over 50k hands). Moving at $100 is fine too, its a little more cautious but understandable. Trying at $50 i think is a little silly though, GJ so far!

[Tyshalle]

Didn't do so well yesterday. I think after playing all day I managed to either increase my stack by a dollar or lose a dollar. It was pretty insignificant of a change, but it still sucked because the cards just weren't there for me. Not a big deal. So far today, I haven't played for more than an hour and I've already doubled my stack twice. I'm up to $26.86 at the time of this post. I think my goal is to get to $32 by the end of today if I can. I'll be happy with $30, though. The sooner I can move up to 5nl the better.

[lockpull]

GJ so far. The bad card days will come. If you only manage to lose/win half a buy in on those bad days then I wouldn't worry about it too much. You could post some hands from yesterdays session and maybe see where the leaks were.

[Poker Orifice]

it must be tough for ya, grinding it out on those 2NL tables. I've been coaching & teaching my g/f to play poker now for awhile and suggested to her to try some play on the 2NL & 5NL tables to get used to cash table play (she plays mostly mtts & sngs) & to get rid of bad habits picked up from playing sngs.
I was a bit suprised to see the difference in play between 2NL & 5NL. On the 2NL tables (granted I only watched a half dozen or so) there seemed to be alot more limpers & also multilple limpers who would then call a sizeable preflop raise (like they just can't help it.. they 'all' want to see a flop,.. reminded me of a bunch of the crappy live players I see). On the 5NL tables the game seemed much better (I've actually played a bunch of hands on them as well).

I guess what I'm getting at is, I'd think it'd be way better (easier?) to grind out a bankroll on the 5NL where half the table seems knowledgeable with sometimes a couple of good players (6-Max) and a couple of loose calling stations & of course a Maniac. Just seems like a better avenue to grind it out on. I think the 2NL would be really frustrating to play on. For sure you'll be building up a ton of patience on those tables. Personally I'd try to make a score on a priv. freeroll so that you could play at 5 instead of 2NL.

Congrats on persevering though. So many players deposit over & over and start off playing on tables they can't beat with any regularity. Probably from placing emphasis on 'the money', instead of on how to play the game,.. and how to beat the players on the table.
Was wondering, do you place much emphasis on table selection at those limits or are they all pretty much similiar? Personally I usually use a table finder then narrow it down from watching a few rounds.

GL on the tables and hope you're able to grind away til you get a decent bankroll!!!

[Tyshalle]

I've found that the 2NL are both easy and hard at the same time. The opponents aren't good, but that brings with it a lot of problems. A lot of the more nuanced and sophisticated advice that most people around here give is frequently useless on 2NL. People bluff constantly at 2NL, and raises that would usually mean something at higher limits means nothing at the lower ones. And there's all sorts of goofy raises going on, too. I constantly am seeing people go all-in pre-flop as the first person to act, betting 2 dollars to win 3 cents. What sense does that make? The only time I can really see this as being even remotely viable is if you're sure that your table is so loose you're going to get a call, and you have a hand like AA or something.

You also have to be careful of pre-flop re-raises because you can wind up pushing people all-in for basically no reason. Give you an example, I'll see a guy make a standard raise to like 7 cents, and I'll re-raise to 21 cents, and they'll then go all-in for 2 dollars. I just can't really imagine when this would be a smart move in a cash game. I called a guy once with a pair of jacks and the guy had something screwy like K4s or something. People really think their suited cards are gold.

For the most part people are really transparent though. The hardest thing about this limit though is trying to not give the players too much credit. It's really hard because they'll wind up calling large raises looking for a draw, so it'll make you think that they've got a set or a full house or something huge, when really all they've got is middle pair with an ace kicker, and they're just looking for another ace. So you wind up betting a lot less than you would if you knew they were looking for a draw, frequently pricing them in for a draw on the turn and sometimes even checking the river thinking they've got you beat. Then you kick yourself later when you realize they're an idiot. Though I did once score the nut flush on the turn to someone I thought had trip sevens, and he wound up showing me quads after I went all-in against him. Pretty sick.

Which reminds me, that's one thing I've noticed about 2NL is that it's IMPOSSIBLE to put people on monster hands like four of a kind, and frequently even a full house. So if you have a good hand and you're going up against one of those, you're pretty much destined to lose your stack.

As far as table selection goes, I don't even know what a table finder is. The only thing I really look for with table selection is that I'm in position of the players who have more money than the max buy-in. I also look to make sure that most of the players aren't short-stack douchebags. I hate those idiots. You can't play poker with them, all you can play is "I hope I hit that flop!" because if you don't, they're gonna go all-in and force you to fold.

[Tyshalle]

Had what started out as a great session today. Went from 30 to 38 in just a couple of hours at 2NL, not bad, and I figured I'd make it my goal to get to 45 today. About 4 hours later and I'm now at about 29.50, which means today's been a loss. Decided that if I lose that much I'm calling it quits for the day, so that's what I'm doing.

What mostly killed me was one table. I've pretty much decided that until I get to $50 I'm going to quit my table every time I double up (I always buy in for the full, though), so I switch a lot of tables throughout the day. I get to this one, doing pretty good, but then this guy comes in who I'm pretty sure normally plays for much higher limits but came down to 2NL. A lot of people have been doing that on Full Tilt ever since they started this "Academy Challenge" thing, which has kind of turned the lower-stakes games into World of Warcraft. At anyrate, this guy would play super-aggressively, almost never fold, and whenever anyone actually went to the showdown with him he'd have the nuts. I found this out first hand a couple of times, and even though I wasn't on tilt after that my game just took a big slide. Eventually I went all-in on two pair on the flop and the guy rivered a higher second pair, which made today a loss, so I decided to quit.

I'll pick it back up tomorrow.

[Tyshalle]

Been doing pretty terrible the past two days. I'm down to $22ish. I keep getting up several dollars only to take a series of hits. I'm pretty sure all the losing's affecting my play. If I drop down to $20 I'm quitting for a couple days. It's not just that I'm getting drawn out on, though I am (a lot), but on top of that I'm playing badly. I'm paying people off for hands I shouldn't be, I'm playing a lot looser than I should be, and it seems like every attempt I make to tighten up is short lived. Not good, but I'm hoping I can get a grip and work it out. But like I said, if I lose another buy-in I'm gonna stop playing for a few days.

[Tyshalle]

It's not been going especially well as of late. It took me 3 days to go from $10 to $37, and 7 days after that I'm still drifting around the $20 to $30 mark. I don't think I was just lucky the first three days, because I have had some really good runs since then. They just happen to be followed up by bad runs that lose me some big pots.

There's a leak in my game somewhere. I'm just not 100% sure where it is, and until I find it I won't know how to plug it.

[Luco]

Session reviews are a great way to stay on top of your game. So are breaks from poker of 48 hours or more (seriously, I take 2 days every week for review). Take 2 days off, study your HH's in that time and see what you could have done better, read through this site for advice on your weak areas, and when you sit back down you'll be more than ready.

GL Tyshalle

[Outlaw]

It's not been going especially well as of late. It took me 3 days to go from $10 to $37, and 7 days after that I'm still drifting around the $20 to $30 mark. I don't think I was just lucky the first three days, because I have had some really good runs since then. They just happen to be followed up by bad runs that lose me some big pots.

There's a leak in my game somewhere. I'm just not 100% sure where it is, and until I find it I won't know how to plug it.

I am basically right where you are. I had $10 in my PS account on March 1 and its now at $156 playing 1 hr per day.

My advice is to follow these guidelines:
1. Read the FTR guides for your respective game. If you are playing 6-max, read/reread/print out and stick to your monitor Sauce's guide.

2. Value bet until given a reason not to.. ie. villain raises. If you don't have 2-pair or better, fold to aggression without a damn good read.

3. Never limp, seldom complete the sb.

4. Isolate fish.. get more money in the pot in position when ahead of villain's range and less money in the pot when oop.

5. Play in position.

6. Play in position.

7. Bet to get all in with your biggest hands/draws. No slow-playing!

8. No slow playing ever. That means never.. don't even think about it.

9. Follow strict bankroll management rules. No shots! Have at least 25 buy-ins for the next level before moving up. Here is my BR management plan:
-2NL until $125
-5NL until $300
-10NL until $750
-25NL until $1,500
-Always move back down when you drop below 20 buy-ins for the level.

10. Follow a stop-loss rule to avoid tilt induced BR purges. ie. if you drop 3 buy-ins in a session, take a break and come back later or quit for the day completely.

11. On the other hand, if you get up 2-3 buy-ins for the day you can also stop then as well. Use the time left over in your session to watch FTR/Grinderschool videos and study the game.

12. Oh yeah, play in position and stop calling so much oop!

Here is my graph so far following these guidelines:


Nothing fancy here, I am running nit-tight at 6-max. I choose my spots carefully and let the fish hand me their money when they are willing.. which is very often. I am running 25BB/100 over the past 10k hands.

[Tyshalle]

What does 25BB/100 stand for, anyway? I've been seeing that around a lot lately but I haven't seen anybody explain what it stands for.

Today I've been doing pretty good. I'm up to about $33 today. I'm not sure what I started with though, I forgot to look, but I want to say it was around $25. Not half bad considering how I've been running lately. I've been playing an extremely tight game today. I don't know what my stats are for the whole day, but in my current session of about 166 hands I'm at 23/14/2.6, which makes my claim of playing extremely tight sound kind of hollow, but I've had a good run of cards, and it's a small sample anyway.

[BooG690]

One "BB" is one big bet. One big bet is two big blinds. Therefore, if you were to run 25BB/100 hands...you would be running 50bb (lower case for big blinds)/100 hands.

Lets's convert this to real numbers. If the big blinds are two cents, the big bet is four cents. 25BB's would be one dollar. So 25BB/100 would mean you are earning $1/100 hands. The monetary amount is not used because it is arbitrary...it is how much you are winning in reference to the big blinds (or BB's) that matters.

Hope this helped!

[Tyshalle]

It did, thanks.

No idea what my BB/100 is, but I managed to pull myself out of my unlucky streak today. I went from around $25 to $42 today, which is probably my largest win yet, though I've dropped down to about $39ish now.

Took a pretty horrible beat earlier tonight, though I don't think I played it very well. I had Ace Ten off-suit in middle position against a very loose table. Most of these guys would limp in or min-raise with any two cards, and even though my VPIP was under 20% I noticed that if I made a standard raise of 4xBB most of the limpers would back off. ATo seemed like an okay hand to raise with in middle position when I'm the first to act, so I raised it to 4xBB (8 cents). The very next person calls, and so does the next person, and finally the big blind calls.

I've got 1.92 left, the person to my left has 2.38, the person to his left has 1.84 and the big blind has a mere 16 cents. I've noticed that the 1.84 guy calls pre-flop with a pretty wide range but shuts down if he misses the flop, and the guy immediately to my left is an absolute calling station. His range is enormous, and I've seen him make all-in calls with bottom pair or even with no pair at all.

The flop comes AKT, all hearts. I've flopped two pair, but with those hearts I'm potentially in big trouble. The big blind goes all in for his last 16 cents, so I figure it's pretty safe to just call, which should help disguise my hand a bit while I try to figure out where I'm at.

The loose guy min-raises to 32 cents, which I've seen him do half a dozen times already, and every single time he was bluffing. That's been my pretty solid read on this guy, whenever he has a strong hand he tends to overbet the pot, and go all in, and whenever he has a really crappy hand he min-raises as a weak way to push people out of the pot. The guy to his left folds, and the action comes back to me, and I flat call. The turn brings a 7 of diamonds, and I pushed. I wasn't really happy about the push, but I'd seen this guy bluff on too many pots and I figured if I waited for him to push I'd be stuck with the tough decision. I figured this way I could at least represent the flush, and maybe push him off of it even if he had it. He calls, and flips over the goddamn Queen-Jack of Hearts, and scores his royal goddamn flush. I bang my head repeatedly against my desk feeling like a donkey who should've known better.

On the other hand, it's the first royal flush I've seen, and I only lost 2 dollars to it, so I suppose it's not the end of the world (though I'm still not happy about the donkey push).