GTA on How to Crush Live NL Cash Games 5/5 and Below

GTA Poker

pokerJAH;324774 wroteI will try to find a couple interesting spots from my $1/$2 ($400 max) session tonight for your comments.

What are your thoughts on re-raising pre-flop at a weak table? The regular game I play at, you may see 2 or 3 re-raises pre-flop over a four hour session. Usually the re-raise takes down the hand pre-flop.

Most players are calling stations pre-flop, and they will just call the $2 and if it gets re-raised (even to $20), they will just call pre-flop. Do you like to try and steal a lot of pots in this situation?

Depends on the table. When I first started playing poker I played my hand just like everyone else. When I started thinking more about the game I realized that there are so many exploitable spots but people don't want to get out of line.

Just look at your example. How often do 3 bets take down pots preflop in a 1/2 game -- VERY often. Why not play around with the concept and add this as a tool in your game. Sometimes you will win chips uncontested and sometimes you will see a flop heads up. Very rarely KK or AA will 4 bet you and you will lose chips preflop. You need to have a plan formulated when you do get called and be able to assigns a range of hands to the player flatting your 3 bet based on your knowledge of him. Based on this you should know what flops to Cbet and what flops to give up on at times, etc. You have to take into account stack sizes and what's in the pot to know if you are committed to the pot when you feel you are only 30% vs a range, etc.

Even if overall you only break even with this play alone you are becoming much more difficult to read and the times that you do have a monster you will get paid more often. People see you as loose or at least very active and are more likely to call you down lighter when you have a monster. So overall adding this element to your game should make you a larger winner although it will certainly add more variance than playing ABC poker.

This also loosens up the table. I've seen some rocks make really retarded plays at me when they get fed up and decide to take a stand. 2 or 3 barreling me with AK on a wet board that they miss , etc.

I suggest trying some moves here and there at stakes where the money doesn't concern you too much and just have fun. Have the mindset that you are going to "play poker" and not just grind for profit. How many times have you thought that this would be a great spot to reraise bluff a river but you can't do it and end up folding, see the winning hand and know that a raise of $100 would have taken down the pot? We have all had those spots, but pulling the trigger now and then and taking it down is much better than always folding. When you are wrong and get called down show down your bluff and get paid later based on the image that you can bluff at times.

I've had to adjust in Cali a bit because here you can squeeze 4 $20 callers to $140 and get 3 callers, whereas in Vegas or Alberta (in general) you almost never have that happen. Cali players are WAY looser and I have to adjust by playing tighter.

Always have the mantra of playing the opposite of the table in your mind and try and act on it in the correct spots. Of course, you have to adjust to other players' image of you as the session progresses too...it's a large ongoing dynamic.

djgolfcan

I like making bluffs into small pots, early on in my session. If I get caught, I don't lose a lot, but it helps get paid later on.

JimmyHo

GTA Poker;324838 wroteYou need to have a plan formulated when you do get called and be able to assigns a range of hands to the player flatting your 3 bet based on your knowledge of him.

Saw good example of this last night where the player making the play, 3 bet the wrong guy. This guy earlier in the night called an all-in with 109 on a 10 high board (seen him stack off several times with top pair, shitty kicker). Not the player you want to make a move on. Guy raises $120 into his $20 bet, with only about $70 behind. TPTK goes all-in and 3 bettor feels committed so he makes a unwanted call. TKTP shows A8 and 3 bettor shows 35 suited. 35 wins the pot when a 5 hits. Definitely a juicy 1/2 game :)

GTA Poker

Need more info on the hand, players, board etc

JimmyHo

GTA Poker;324985 wroteNeed more info on the hand, players, board etc

the 3bet was pre-flop.

[deleted]

GTA i would love your insight on a 2/5 hand I played in BC that is still really bugging me.

villian was a loud middle aged guy, massage the whole time he plays, gold everything, drinking cognac, thought he was the shit for playing 2/5 on the reg lol. He was berating me for wearing a pokerstars hoodie and my beats haha I had only been at the table not even an orbit after being moved when the other table that was running broke.

I have a bit over 1K in front of me, him 3K +

Have AKo EP, I open for 20 , folds all around to BB who flats. flop came KJ8 rainbow

he checks in the dark, even before the dealer peels the board lol, I c bet 30$ , he calls, and checks dark again.

turn was a Qh , I fire 65$ , he clicks it back to $130, I call.

river was a blank, he checked to me, I tanked then fired 150$, he clicks it back to 300

easy fold? probably should have checked it down, i hate myself for betting in this spot.

I know TPTK here is blah, but I had a real tough time putting him on a range. Checking dark really fucked with me, and being a primarily online player, it tilted me ... from his little jab's at me I thought he was either a) trying to out play me or b) was nutted.

i would like to hear your observation as you have much more live experience. If you could touch on checking in the dark as well, I would really appreciate it.

thanks.

ReefAquarium

Rule #1 about checking dark.

1) As you check your cards watch to see who isn't looking at you.

2) Yell, "I check dark!"

3) Push the free money button.

GTA Poker

costanza;325013 wroteGTA i would love your insight on a 2/5 hand I played in BC that is still really bugging me.

villian was a loud middle aged guy, massage the whole time he plays, gold everything, drinking cognac, thought he was the shit for playing 2/5 on the reg lol. He was berating me for wearing a pokerstars hoodie and my beats haha I had only been at the table not even an orbit after being moved when the other table that was running broke.

I have a bit over 1K in front of me, him 3K +

Have AKo EP, I open for 20 , folds all around to BB who flats. flop came KJ8 rainbow

he checks in the dark, even before the dealer peels the board lol, I c bet 30$ , he calls, and checks dark again.

turn was a Qh , I fire 65$ , he clicks it back to $130, I call.

river was a blank, he checked to me, I tanked then fired 150$, he clicks it back to 300

easy fold? probably should have checked it down, i hate myself for betting in this spot.

I know TPTK here is blah, but I had a real tough time putting him on a range. Checking dark really fucked with me, and being a primarily online player, it tilted me ... from his little jab's at me I thought he was either a) trying to out play me or b) was nutted.

i would like to hear your observation as you have much more live experience. If you could touch on checking in the dark as well, I would really appreciate it.

thanks.

As far as your player profile it doesn't tell me much without actual hands shown down, raising frequency, etc...hard to assume anything by physical characteristics.

I generally play this hand post flop for 2 streets of value, not 3. I mean you have a strong hand but not a hand where you want to be put to a big decision 200bb deep.

Preflop and flop I play the same most of the time.

I generally check the turn to make it look like I was Cbetting air and either call a bet on the river or bet $60-80 if it is checked to me... depending on what I think will get a call and balancing what value is least likely to get raised by a better hand that is not the nuts. I will likely check behind if a terrible card like a jack or ace falls on the river -- against some players I will still value bet these cards. In general, I am folding to a raise on the river.

If you want a rule then if you fold every time you get min (or any amount, really) check raised on the river at these stakes then you will rarely be folding the best hand. In fact, a min raise on any street is usually done with what the raiser perceives as the nuts (especially when he is on the nittier side)...overall, it's a huge bet sizing tell.

[deleted]

thanx.. yeah i mucked, i hated the turn, no idea why i didnt check river

checking turn was a better line i think too.

thanx for the insight man.

JimmyHo

what your range on a player that will push any two cards pre-flop for 100bb? Would you call with any ace/king high hand? Had a new player show up at my usual 1/2 game that was pushing almost every hand.

blackmagicz

pokerJAH;325684 wrotewhat your range on a player that will push any two cards pre-flop for 100bb? Would you call with any ace/king high hand? Had a new player show up at my usual 1/2 game that was pushing almost every hand.

Any pair/any ace/any king :)

GTA Poker

pokerJAH;325684 wrotewhat your range on a player that will push any two cards pre-flop for 100bb? Would you call with any ace/king high hand? Had a new player show up at my usual 1/2 game that was pushing almost every hand.

Range changes depending on your position. Are you asking if it is folded to you in the BB?

PS: #reppingthebonksforcanada

preflop:

showdown:

#shippingcookiesinamericazeh

JimmyHo

was playing 2/5 the other night and one of the players raises to $15 and is re-raised to $60. He quickly folds when it is his turn to act (another player calls). Flop comes 10 high and the guy who folded had pocket 10s. He is about $1,200 deep and the guy who had raise to $60 had him covered.

I can't believed he would fold pre-flop given their stack sizes. I ask him how he could fold given his stack size and his response is he knew he was behind pre-flop. It boggles my mind sometimes. Other guy had QQ.

JimmyHo

blackmagicz;326591 wroteAny pair/any ace/any king :)

A6 no good against 810 pre :) :( :)

Macke

I'm going to read this again

[deleted]

Macke;334053 wroteI'm going to read this again

spiderman.jpg

Macke

BlondeFish

After grinding online tournaments for years, I read GTA Poker's OP to see what I would need to adjust to if I want to play live cash games (when not playing the tournaments at OLG Slots or Brantford) like xx23 & one other forumer used to do regularly at Fallsview. I'm decent with his keys #5 (tilt) and #8 (odds), but could use improvement in the other areas.

GTA Poker;322901 wroteYou can't be afraid to bluff and get caught or to make hero calls in the right spots or to showdown crap.

Since I'm used to multi-tabling tournaments with a buy-in of $70 or less, I'm finding it much harder to risk up to $500-$1K cash on one hand of a live cash game, e.g., facing overbet all-in bluffs. I have to keep reminding myself that I have a more than adequate poker bankroll, and that it's okay to make +EV risks of losing my entire stack, and that I can afford a couple more reloads for the maximum. I hear some cash game grinders of being down $2K+ in a session, but they seem to be winning overall. I haven't been bringing enough cash, so I will start having at least three max bullets.

You can't be up $300 or $500 in a session and go into lockdown mode.

Things I have to improve in live cash games include:
- Feeling the need to be up in every single session, and becoming too tight when my stack has grown to ~$1K.
- Hating to be down in a single session and the tendency to stay way too long, even though I'm now playing a "C" game and my table is no longer +EV for me. I mistakenly keep playing "until I get even" or "until I win one more big pot", but I'm more likely to lose money. I need to set a time deadline whether I'm up or down so I can return another day with a higher EV.
- Unlike online, it takes two hours of driving round-trip to the casino for me. I had sextupled my stack quickly and the donators had left, but instead of leaving early since I had a family event in the morning, I feel the need to have long session every time because of the two hours of driving.
- Being too lazy to ask to change tables or seats.

Resolutions: try to make EV-maximizing decisions in live cash games just like I did online, e.g., call overbet all-in, 3-bet light, 3-barrel all-in bluff, all-in overbet including the river, change table or stop playing based on EV. Set a time deadline so I won't play too long.

pkrfce9

Buddy, you should start your post with, 'Dear Diary'.

djgolfcan

pkrfce9;354104 wroteBuddy, you should start your post with, 'Dear Diary'.

Putting it in writing makes some people more accountable to themselves, knowing others have read it as well.

Great post Blondefish, great goals to strive for.

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