Rama 2-5.
How would you handle a game like this, where the big bets on the turn and river are more than double the small bets?
Is there a change in strategy as far as preflop card selection goes? Can you afford to see more flops and turns than usual, and would be more likely to let a marginal drawing hand go at the turn?
Is there a change in strategy as far as preflop card selection goes? Can you afford to see more flops and turns than usual, and would be more likely to let a marginal drawing hand go at the turn?
Comments
These two points are contradictory. The usual reason to play looser or tigher in the small blind is the size of the small blind relative to the big blind.
The most dramatic example of this is 3-6. If the small blind is $1 I'll play *very* tightly on the small blind, and if the small blind is $2 I'll call $1 more with any two cards.
If you decide to play looser than normal pre-flop, you should play looser than normal in the small blind also.
IMO, the difference between 2-4 and 2-5 is so small I don't think significant startegy adjustments to a good 2-4 strategy would be necessary.
ScottyZ
I'm not actually sure what the blinds are myself. Are the 2-5 blinds 1 & 2 at Rama?
ScottyZ
I doubt that an American company (can you spot which one?) would be too interested in supporting the Canadian Olympic movement.
ScottyZ
a little bit off-topic???
It sure was.
WHAT DA?!
I've had a couple of double posting problems so far today, but I've never seen a post go "off-thread" like this before...
First time I've replied to a thread *before* even viewing it that day.
ScottyZ
I've played on a few Fridays nights, you get some good players and then you get calling stations that will call to the turn regardless of the bets.
I found most people will stay until the turn and then will try to check all the way to the river hoping for miracle cards. You can use this against people if you do it right. ($2 is alright, $5 is too rich for them)
Also I would suggest that if you are thinking about playing a hand then raise it, because most people have no problem paying the $2 to see the flop but then get nervous about $4.
An example of a hand:
I was dealt QQ on the BB. Lots of callers (about 6) when it came to me I raised.
About 1/2 the people then called my raise (3in the hand).
Flop comes out and it is 10,10,2. I was UTG so I check, next person bets, next calls so I raise. (Figuring if they have a 10 they would re-raise) first player folds, second calls.
Next card comes out and it's 5. I (as fast as humanly possible) bet, the player then immediately folders.
I have done that a few times not too often but when the calling stations are in and you have a hand you have to make them pay.
As a specific example, low pocket pairs in early position are much better hands at 2/5 than at 5/10. If your hand plays well against a lot of players, you can almost count on seeing a cheap flop with a lot of players most of the time. Even if it's raised behind you, it likely won't have a big effect on the number of players calling to see the flop in this type of game (this factor is more about the looseness of the players at 2/5 compared to 5/10 I think) . No matter what pair you play from early position, you will likely have more than enough callers to make it worthwhile, and the players at this game will pay you off very handsomely if you make a set.
If you make a flush on the turn you will typically still get paid off there and on the river (especially if a 4th suited card does not come up), often by several players, and with the lower initial investment in the pot to see the flop and turn cards, this is a game wither high implied odds for drawing hands. Sets are even better, because the players at this level often have trouble recognizing this hand.
So I say that yes, the structure along with the looseness of the play in this game, means that drawing hands are more profitable.
I find it very hard, I always encounter calling stations and get rivered. Also, I find that ppl play anything connecting and anything suited. Pre-flop with 6-8 players entering, its really just like playing BINGO, no matter if your holding AA or 38. If your lucky, you win. I hate playing 2-5!!!
Yes, your aces will get cracked more often in this type of game, but you will win WAY more money when they hold up, more than enough to compensate for the times they get cracked, and it will be a lot easier to recognize when you need to fold this type of hand. I drool over the thought of someone calling my preflop raise with 38 when I hold AA!
The calling stations and more generally people playing badly makes the game easy.
The high rake, and the fact that many (otherwise good) players don't know how to play well in this kind of game makes the game hard.
ScottyZ
Probably bad advice, but it seem many low limit players play that way....
You can play more drawing hands, but you want to stay away from "dangerous" drawing hands. Q4s and 85s are out, mostly because you can hit your hand and lose a lot of chips. This is actually a great demonstration of *reverse* implied odds working against you, since you will be often be paying off your opponents' implied odds hands (namely, their higher flushes) when you have these kinds of holdings.
Hands with limited or no drawing potential and no high card strength like 72o and KTo are out.
I would certainly take a flop in the situation you described with 22 or A3s. The key idea is you want to be drawing at a *very* big hand, ideally the nuts.
And one thing is for sure. Playing like everyone else does will not get you the money in low-limit. :cool:
ScottyZ
...and these are the guys who lose money. Better yet, these are the guys who lose money TO YOU if you play a better game.
Read Lee Jones book, play a session, and then reread the book a little more slowly, taking into account what you have learned in your first session. I can almost guarantee you will notice a big difference when you go back to play the next session.
The point is to win BIG hands not lots of hands....or else the rake will eat you.
The first pot I was involved with was one where I held AQo in mid position and raise a bunch of caller and the flop came Q75 rainbow. I missed seeing the straight draw, and with all the betting and raising, I was finally beat out of the $80 pot by a rivered straight.
I do agree through that it's a very soft game. (I find it slightly softer that Brantford's 2-5 game) I believe the reason for this is that we have a lot of good University students in the area and the lowest limit they can afford is 2-5, so depending on the time you get some decent players at the table.
I would even hazzard a guess that Brantford's 5-10 is softer than the 2-5.
I think that's a reasonable guess actually. A simple reason: impatience.
Generally, impatient people make poor poker players.
The last couple of times I've been at Brantford, they have had 1 table of 2-5 going, and maybe 3 or 4 tables of 5-10. So, for the 2-5 game you'll be getting a lot of players who are perfectly willing to wait for several hours on the waiting list before getting into the game. Under normal conditions, you can usually get a 5-10 seat in under an hour. Which game will the impatient people prefer?
I totally agree with Zithal's point too about some specific sub-groups of players (like students) being better than average at the stakes they're playing; but having a restricted bankroll, they choose to not move up in limits. (The fact that someone would intelligently consider bankroll limitations is also likely to be positively correlated with their general poker skill.)
ScottyZ