Starting at the bottom. $2NL 6-max at PokerStars.

[DJJunkPauds]

Basically, I'm trying to build a bank roll and learn to play 6-max cash on Pokerstars. My rules as far as bank roll go, is that I must have more than 2000 big blinds to play in any cash game (so for $2NL, that's $40, I've got about $70), 20 times the buyin (including rake) to play a STT, and 50 times to play a MTT. I'm very strict about my bankroll rules, and I won't break them.

At one point I had enough to move up to $5NL, I did so, and instantly took a bad beat (floped the nut Full House, with AK, all-in, 44 calls, turn 4, river 4, grrr). Pokertracker tells me I'm up about about 16 bucks on $2NL after 11K hands. I was about double that amount, but I've just had a string of really pricey outdraws; that's life.

I've read a lot of stuff, including the FTR forums, and some other strategy guides around the web. They've all been helpful, for sure, but it seems to me that any decently written guide, or good piece of advice I find is only applicable against players who can play at least a bit. Basically they're mainly aimed at $100NL, and don't really apply to players who are making decision based less on their cards/position, and more on what they had for lunch that day. How can I read someone who one minute checks the nuts, and the next calls me all in with 83o? How can I figure out the structure of someone's play, if it has no structure at all?

What I'm looking for is some basic strategy advice geared towards the micro stakes, so that I can beat it, build a roll, and move up.

Other questions - is there any difference in play between $2NL 6-max on Stars, and 5$NL 6-max? Is my 2000 BB BR rule sound? Is it overkill/underkill?

My PT stats for $2NL After 11k hands (I believe these are the relevent ones):
VPIP - 25, PF Raise - 3.7, Total AF - 0.74.

Is that about right for the game I'm playing? If not, how not?

My ultimate goal is to eventually move up through the limits to $100NL, and consistently beat it. For that I need a roll, and I want to build it from next to scratch. (I'm pretty sure if I loaded 2k of my own money and went straight on to $100NL, It'd all be gone in a week).

I'm basically a begginer, compared to a lot of the people on here, and if anyone could give me some decent advice, I'd appreciate it greatly.

[Numbr2intheWorld]

When i started 6-max about a year ago, this was very helpful to me. It's really simple but essentially tells you how to play 6-max.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...oker-41642.htm

[DJJunkPauds]

Thanks.

Do you think that's a good way of playing at micro stakes though, where anything is possible?

[Ash256]

Your PFR sucks. You should be raising good hands preflop so that you can isolate one bad player who has K7 rather than 5 bad players who have a lot of random shit.

[DJJunkPauds]

What sort of miminum raising hands should I have?

I basically only raise TT+, and if the pot's unraised, AQ. I fold AQ to a raise before me. TT, and JJ, I fold to a meaningful reraise, or just call if there's already been a raise. AK, and QQ I reraise with, or raise, and then call a reraise, but I'm never going all-in preflop with them, unless I'm against someone whom I know is a complete maniac. I'm obviously all in with KK, and AA.

Way too tight for micro stakes? Should I be raising KJ, on the button? KT even?

[Ash256]

Tell me some stuff about the 2NL games, what is the play like? What kind of hands get to showdown there? Do people stack off preflop with crap, or do they stack off postflop with bad hands like TPMK? Are there any nutcampers?

[Numbr2intheWorld]

Thanks.

Do you think that's a good way of playing at micro stakes though, where anything is possible?

I'd say yes. I played 10NL 6-max loosely based on that guide and i did well. Since 2NL there's not that much preflop raising you're Reraise range should probably be a little tighter, it's player dependant.

You're not going to find anything that's going to tell you what to do in all situations, that's for you to figure out yourself, with the help of forums and other things. As long as you have a solid preflop and flop game, though, i think you'll do fine at $2NL. I'd say that in general, you should never slowplay because people aren't going to be doing the betting for you at these levels.

[DJJunkPauds]

Nut campers? People who limp a lot, and then fold ever flop, unless they have the nuts? Not a great a deal. There's the ocational 'rampager' as a friend of mine calls them. They sit at the table short stacked (about $1, max buyin is $5) fold ever hand, and then go all in with QQ+, or AK.

If there's been no raise PF people are showing down any two cards from any position. People are going all in on the flop with trips bad kicker (not a set, three of a kind made with one hole card). 2 pair goes all in a fair amount of the time, but not all the time. People arn't just raising all in with these kinds of hands, you understand, but they will call an all in, or bet in such a way as to try and get a reraise, and then go all in. TPTK goes all from time to time. Flopped flushes are betting very small, like half the pot, or even minraise, all the way to the river (this is a big money maker for me, because if I've got the ace for their flush, I can draw to the nut flush, and they hardly ever have the discipline to to lay down their exiting flopped flush when I go all-in on the river). People are making straights, but for some reason they know about having the big straight. If a straight wins a hand it's usually the nut straight, which leaves me assuming a lot of lesser straights are being laid down, or just called with. People don't really seem to be set mining (is that the right term?).

People minraise PF an awful lot; so much so that I just ignore and call if I was going to limp anyway. I guess they do it when they're bored, or they have one paint card. It seems to mean nothing at all, they can have any two cards; i'll see the same players limp with better hands.

If there's been a proper raise PF, like 3-5x the BB, there's usually 2-3 people seeing the flop, they're showing down Ax/Kx, connected Queens, suited connected Jacks. The callers to raises usually have the same or SC or PP.

People reraise with AQ or even AJ, 77+ sometimes.

They're all in PF with JJ+/AK, and every now and then AQ. You do from time to time see someone who must have taken a bad beat or something, and is just going all in every hand, but I play all day and I only see that about once a day.

There is seemingly little to no blind stealing, or recognition of position.

With all that said, it's actually pretty hard to make any kind of statement about what goes on at these tables. The above is what happens half the time, the rest of the time any 2 cards are played any way you like.