Ring Game Strategy

[asianvato]

I have been pretty successful at SNGs but at ring games it's a different story. My bank roll fluctuates a lot so I'm not consistently making money with ring games. Can someone post a good ring game strategy or how you play them differently than in tournaments?

[mike4066]

I'm going to assume you mean NL

Check the front page of FTR.

It has starting hands, and various plays in different situations.
Its a good staring point pretty easy read.

[asianvato]

Sorry, I'm talking about NLHE. I usually play the $25 NLHE ring games at partypoker.

[Xianti]

Generally, on a full NLHE ring game table, play every hand like you're in the early levels of a SNG with the table still full. No need to take any chances as the blinds aren't coming after you. Just sit tight and let the good cards come. Pick your bluff moments very carefully (seldom).

It takes a lot more patience and becomes a grind, but if done right, it's consistent profits.

[VeraN]

I think it depends on the stake that you are playing on, if you're playing .10/.25 tables on Pokerstars then you could definately play suited connectors etc to get paid a lot for minimal calling, but then when it comes to 1/2, it gets harder to call with those potential hands because the game gets aggressive and you usually have to call 6 dollar preflop raises.

If you play top quality hands, and lay them down when you know you're beat, you'll make money in the long run.

[elanto]

I consider ring games to be one of the easiest ways to win money in online poker. It'¡s really simple, most fish go to ring games and people in ring games don't observe your method of play (mayor difference from SNG's). This really helps because you can just sit and wait until you get a top pocket pair ie JJ, QQ, KK, AA, and just go all-in with it, no one will notice that you are playing tight so I guarantee at least 5 out of ten times someone will call. There are a lot of fish in ring games (especially in empire and party) and taking advantage of this is really easy and profitable

[elipsesjeff]

This really helps because you can just sit and wait until you get a top pocket pair ie JJ, QQ, KK, AA, and just go all-in with it, no one will notice that you are playing tight so I guarantee at least 5 out of ten times someone will call.

I dont know if i necessarily agree with your strategy and if this person is a beginner then I dont think this is the best thing to do. Granted, I am not an experienced NL player, but I did play a lot of NL tournies.

Basically, JJ and QQ (as are any pocket pair) are coin flips against any two overcards (AK, AQ, etc.) and theoretically the only people calling an all-in bet will have these quality hands. Granted, you can make your case for the fish calling all-in bets with anything but you say 5 out of 10 someone will call. So if you are all-in, then 5 out of 10 ten times you are called, and half of those times you will lose to the coinflip. This strategy has a possibility of increasing a bankroll quickly but sustaining this is impossible.

I believe a couple months ago someone started a topic on this same subject about going all-in with top quality hands and the majority of time someone will call with a less-quality hand. I encourage you to read that topic. Again, I am not that experience in NL, but I have tried your suggestion before, and at best I was break even.

Just my thoughts.

[elanto]

Well, it has worked for me, and most of the time I get called with one overcard, tops, and I dont usually go all in with QQ or JJ, just with KK or AA, most of the times I win, at worst Ill break even, you just need to know when you are beat pre flop. Its really risky but it works most of the time

[ginko]

Most new players go allin because they don't know how to play. Learn to play and enjoy making more money!

Imagine a 2-4NL game. Is anyone ever gonna call a 400 dollar preflop raise? NO! Only with AA and maybe a few with KK.


As for strategy, try http://www.kleptic.com for a very tight game plan(which is what you should be using if you are new).

One of the trickiest things about NLHE is how to play certain hands, and your goals with them. Hands like QKs you raise preflop to knock out the hands like Axs(of your suit), so your flush is clean if you happen to hit it. Are you playing for the pairs or for the straight/flush?

QK is a good hand if a K or Q falls in a raised pot and you're sure nobody has AK or AQ. It plays well multi-way though too, because your drawing to the high straight and high flush. But if you play KQs with alot of limpers and a K or Q falls, your hand isnt worth very much because someone already has a better hand, or is drawing to it.

Does it make sense? The more/less players in the pot, the different hand your hoping to draw to. Heads up, drawing to a straight or flush is tough because you don't have good odds since your opponent will be raising and reraising.

And that's just one hand! People could write books on how to play all the hands. That's what experience is for.