home game structure and strategy?

[Chopper]

this belongs in "live," but i felt it would get more play here...

i play in the dumbest structure ever known to mankind once a month.

start with 30 chips (yes, 30). blinds start at 1/2. blinds go up every 10 minutes (live dealing mind you). oh, and they double from 2/4 to 4/8....they skip anything in the middle that makes sense like 3/6 to slow things down a bit. rebuys allowed for the first 20 minutes or so. oh, and WINNER TAKE ALL. no money for 2nd, unless you can find a smart player to "chop."

before you laugh your ass completely off and tell me this is a long-term ripoff, there is only one reason i still play in them. the winner has to take the losers to the bar up the street. so, the money is gone anyway. thats the only reason i find this remotely tolerable.

my strategy has been more of a "bubble strat." since our M's get so low so fast, i feel the only thing to do is shove what i play after the first 10 minutes. however, as most live donkey games have, this one has mostly call stations that love the "all in" confrontations.

last week, i was dealt KQ 3 times, AA twice, KK once, 88, 44 twice, 66. and, those are just what i remember. needless to say, i was white hot. but, i still only finished 4th because my AK lost to Q9. oh well.

if i dont push pre, i push almost any flop. i dont really have much FE unless i overbet the pot in a big way. but, when i connect post flop, no one is folding so its easy to double up and bust someone.

is this about all you can do? or can you think of any other decent tips to try....other than open the beer earlier?

[flomo]

don't rebuy
if the money gets spent at the bar anyways

buyin $ ?
# of players?

[Chopper]

buy in is $5. and, so are rebuys. players varies from 6 to about 14 depending on the month.

14 last month meant we all drank for free. well, that and, there were about 3 players that rebought about 3 times each.

here's an example of what i saw... i had picked up on this guy the last month as a total station/fish. he limped and called everything.

i am BB, first hand of tourney, he limps UTG. several others do, too. i pick up Q6o and check. i flop two pair and lead out 5 into about 10. with a stack of 27, that put me at 22 and would get a pot-sized shove with a couple callers. of course, station/fish calls. everyone else folded because 5 chips into 10ish was "too rich." i laughed and slammed the turn.

he called with AQ. he limped AQo utg in a format where no one folds and all pots see flops 4-5 handed and players are calling with SO much worse. that said, he still didnt come over my 5 chips with TPTK to thin out the others. he only called.

nuff said.

[drmcboy]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'bubble strategy' but given it's winner take all you should take every edge you get, which is more or less the opposite of bubble strategy

[Chopper]

i mispoke.

by bubble strategy i am referring more to Harrington's "red zone" stuff. bubble was way off. i tend to use the two terms more interchangeably because of the DoN's i've been playing lately. my bad.

[d0zer]

Do the games ever last more than an hour?

Sounds like your friends like a crapshoot instead of a real game, which would be good for those donks.

The home games I frequent used to have 25/50 blinds, 5k starting & doubling every 1/2 hour. I slowed em' down to a more gradual structure. 25/50, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 150/300, ...

[Chopper]

its both...

donkeys that like a crapshoot AND a time constraint thing. they only have until 11p before they have to be out of the building and poker doesnt start until 945p (after a meeting) most times.

and, since i am new, i am not trying to change rules yet. but, i will get this group into a cash game format within the year. too many of them would rather bullshit instead of concentrate. so, i figure i can sell the pro's of ring games over tourneys easy enough. and, i already have some nibblers. i can put the dagger in this stupid format easy enough....just need a bit more street cred first.

then, i'll have my edge....lololololol. i guess i think like a poker player...

SCREW YOUR VERY OWN FRIENDS OUT OF THEIR MONEY IF GIVEN THE SMALLEST CHANCE.

[drmcboy]

re read OP, I don't understand, if you are all spending the money at the bar having a tourney seems way more fun than a cash game and who cares about your edge?

[d0zer]

I managed to introduce a cash game into the mix, selling it as a convenience thing. "you can leave whenever".

Also some guys think it's cool to play 'with real monies'. So we play .25/.50, $20 BI. busto/re-buys constantly. After a couple hours we have 4+ guys who are 120BB+ deep.

[d0zer]

re read OP, I don't understand, if you are all spending the money at the bar having a tourney seems way more fun than a cash game and who cares about your edge?

It seems like it's -EV to win since you gotta buy drinks for guys who have only put in $5 to the drinking fund.

So it'd be +EV to lose on purpose so you can drink for $5.

[Chopper]

re read OP, I don't understand, if you are all spending the money at the bar having a tourney seems way more fun than a cash game and who cares about your edge?

It seems like it's -EV to win since you gotta buy drinks for guys who have only put in $5 to the drinking fund.

So it'd be +EV to lose on purpose so you can drink for $5.

thats a good point.

but, i'm competitive. i like to win. i dont care if i buy drinks or if someone else buys drinks. i would like to be the guy paying the tab every night. however, i would much rather KEEP what i win. so, in a nutshell, i figured i would try and discuss "tips" to win money, in this crazy format, whether it goes to the bar or not (thats what this has to do w/ OP). but, the ultimate goal is to turn this into a cash game....at the church or not....and keep the money won. i like rings. my edge would be in rings.

not that its a big deal. these are friends, for the most part. and, i never plan on paying rent off of friends....thats just dumb. but, nothing wrong with coming out on the winning side more often than not when you get together to play some cards.

and, the convenience is the easy sell. come as you want...no late starts. leave when you want...just cash out and go. watch tv/game on the side and shoot the shit. no worries about busting on the 2nd hand and sitting the rest of the night....we all play for as long as we have a game. simple.

[drmcboy]

you could pitch both, have the bustos start up the cash game, then maybe everyone will decide they like it better or be steaming when they sit

[flomo]

don't bluff

[Chopper]

don't bluff

lol. hard not to when your M is a 3 and you are deepest stack at the table.

and, i have pitched both, but we dont have the time unless we go to someone's house.

basically, we need to designate a night and roll with that. but, these guys play this way when they get together apparently, and i wont play these games when we arent strained for time or headed to a bar.