Hi, Newbie here

[Absolution]

I'm new to the forum and poker actually. I just got into the game starting last weekend and have been cutting my teeth at the free tables on UB. I have the mechanics down no problem. I have been reading pretty much every online article I can find and actually ordered 'Poker Theory'. I thought I'd relate my experiences so far and maybe some people could give me some comments/advice.

Anyway, I started with the play money limit holdem games (5-10) and of course they are very loose and full of maniac players. You often see 3 raises before the flop (with 7 or 8 players) and people just keep calling on the turn and river. So, you end up with a flushes and straights winning more than half the time. I think it's safe to assume this won't happen in a real money game. These games are basically a coin flop, but you can turn an overall 'profit' if you play extremely cautiously. I mean, you generally need a monster. I have lost too many hands of two pair (AK) to low straights made on the river by some guy who called reraises with 2 4 off suit.

So, I have pretty much abandoned those. It's not much fun to sit there and play maybe 3 or 4 hands an hour. Sure, my tally goes up, but it's boring and slow. You could sit there for an hour and not be able to play a hand. It's either that or you play coin toss (it's the strategy that's attracted me to this game). I'm now into the no limit hold'em tables. I think there is a little more skill involved here. People generally have bigger bankrolls and are more concerned about giving it all away (not much though). It's still exceedingly difficult to get people to fold before the flop (they all want to see it). At least in these games you can get people to make some real decisions and fold rag hands. You also seem to get a lot of people with big bankroles trying to boss the other players around, and that's probably how it should be. These people of course bluff way more than they should, but you get far fewer lucky straights/flushes made on the river (still happens way too often). The discipline I learned in the low limit (and from what I have read) has generally served me well and I'm way up right now.

All-in-all, people are just far too reckless in the free games. Would it be worth it to even play the .20/.40 limit games? I'd learn a lot more wouldn't I? I'm still investigating the legality of that in Canada though.

Well, hi and I don't blame you if you didn't read all that.

[ballbp]

If you can play for real money then DO IT. The real money micro limits are a little better than play money but you still get those guys chasing the river since it only costs a couple bucks, but it's not as bad. The higher you can play, and mainly afford, the better.

[shortstacked]

Hi, I just started playing online a short time ago myself. I've been playing .50/$1 or $1/$2 and you aren't going to find the games much better. I don't have the bankroll to feel comfortable in moving up to the bigger limits. If you play right you can win at the cheap tables, you just can't play with junk. Tonight I won 25 bucks or so in about 90 minutes on a .50/$1 and I only played maybe 4 or 5 hands and I didn't lose a showdown. The games are a bit tighter than the free games, but not by much. Just the other night I had trip Aces and A/K pair cracked by some nut that chased his flush to the turn and the river and hit both in 2 consecutive hands. This is common stuff that I've seen in my limited experience online. It's pretty easy to spot when someone is chasing a flush, if they don't hit it just bet on the river and more often than not they'll fold.

I have played the tourneys (low buy ins). You'll find some better games there, but at least on PartyPoker I'm having a hard time because I find myself getting to the final 3 or 4 but getting into trouble because the blinds get so big, so fast.

Good luck, if you play a good game you'll do well.

[Absolution]

Okay, I was wrong. The no limit guys are almost worse. They call on anything. It's impossible to protect hands before the flop. Your only chance is to maybe go all in. Anything less and you'll bring at least half the table (any reasonable amount and they will call because they HAVE to see the flop, and any large amount and they will call because they don't care about odds and think they can just get lucky) with you to the flop and most likely get outdrawn, hence wasting your fake money. It seems that anyway you try to play it, they make it into a coin toss. You're only way to be successful is to be annoyingly tight. If you play their game you just call on anything and get lucky a few times in a row (then get up to a huge amount of money and apparently brag about being lucky). If you try to get them to fold you have to go all in, but even then several just call and rebuy if you win. So, either of those strategies screws you.

Oh well, fake money, what do you expect right? Is my assessment correct or does anybody have any advice on other ways to play these tables (while I'm still learning)?

[BrianGre]

You are pretty much spot on so far... that's the problem with the play tables and the lower limit (and no limit) tables.

if you are actually still making money at the low limits, then I'd steadily increase your bank roll until you have enough to be comfortable at a higher limit and slowly move up..

[JohnnyCache]

Playing annoyingly tight is a good character builder. But then, I got about all the character I can stand.

[myonker]

I've noticed that the better I get at this game the worse I do in the free games. Lately I've been playing "on tilt" just as much as one can!

Last night I had a A-10 suited, called a small raise, and flopped two pair. I bet 500 and 2 people call. turn comes up junk but now theres a small chance at a straight draw...the board was A-10-9-6. So I decide to go all in, the two people call me. River came up with a 7. The other 2 both had the 8. what made me mad was one of them had a 8-2 off, the other a Q-8 off.

Its hit or miss on these tables, sometimes I get on a good table where people play correctly (or close at least), while others I get stuck at a table with cowboys who bet like they piss.

I'm thinking that this weekend will be my transition from these crap shoots, to the money games.

[JohnnyCache]

I find you have to do a whole different thing . . . I've been doing very well at play money/micro games by applying a philo. of staying as cheap as possible and stinging very late . . . the upside of stupid NL play is you see a lot of BB sized calls to get to flop . . . I check a LOT and call a lot instead of trying any clever play before the flop and try to keep the action as cool as possible, and then if I get a hand made, I go ahead and make a big obvious sting on 4th or 5th when I've seen what's going to fall. . . I don't rake up much when ppl fold, but I almost never fold everyone out . . . they think I'm just bulling for what's in the pot. . . and I've realized that in a low NL game, there are so many ignorant calls to the river that any hand is worth calling if all you have any kind of draw . . . it might take you a full 5 8/9 out draws to make a hand, but you if you manage to get three or four fourth street callers on an all in, you can make it pay.

[Absolution]

Ya, slow playing them can work too. I worked them pretty good last night with a variety of strategies and turned 2k into 60k in a few hours. They are generally predictable. They are stupidly curious and I think that is their biggest weakness. They HAVE to see the flop, and they willl almost never let you take a pot uncalled. Ocassionally you get burnt and it can take a while to get going, but even if you get some bad beats it just makes them feel like they are doing something and works out even better for you when play a hand properly.

[myonker]

everything comes in streaks for me. I'll make 100g in a couple days, then it will take a month to make another 100. I went nuts last night and played every hand, went to the river about 75% of the time and did not win a hand for the first 50 minutes. I get onto another table and win 8 grand in the first 3 hands. i go into it saying that I'm gonna slow play but then get smoked on the river a few times and say the hell with it and start playing like an idiot.

I do well at the good tables when people actually play correctly, and have 100% more fun. I'll only see like 20% of the flops but enjoy watching others do battle.

One thing I found was that at good tables, people will complement you on a win, and thank you when you do the same. these wild games, I never see anything like that, just people bitching....and saying "thats was lucky" when they get beat....nevermid they just won a pot playing a 6-4 off suite a few minutes ago.