Holdem

Yeah cant get around the casinos wanting their fair share of the table. but you do build hours and get freeroll entries for earning 40 hours in a month and if you have the highest hours played you win cash

Quote: kauboj

thanks for the tips. ill keep them handy, i think for having ADD i do pretty good at not chasing hands... i fold probably 75% of my hand and try not to play too many ace/face + number unless they are runners. chasing the flush is something i try not to do but sometimes you get yourself in a hand and you gotta hope the flush turns or rivers up. my biggest thing is wanting to see the flop before i make any large bets... but these tourney players are make big bets pre-flop so i just fold out and let those people smack each other around.

Tournament play tends to be very different than cash play.

In tourneys, there rarely are hands that aren't raised pre-flop. And often hands that do not see a showdown.

In cash games, it depends on the table, but often there are hands where there are many limpers and no pre-flop raise. And rare for it to not go to the showdown.

Quote: kauboj

i play delaware park and they have a 1/2 limit holdem i might go check it out maybe take $50 and see what happens like i said cant loose no worse than i do at bj or craps

I've never played there, but most of the casinos I've been to have a minimum buy-in of $60 (max $300) for the $1/$2 game. And if you buy in for only $60, they'll pretty much peg you for a new player and play you differently / more aggressively.

So in short time, you might be down to, say, $20, then get a good hand, but not make much money because you'll be all in, etc.

It happened to a player at a table I was at yesterday. Spur of the moment trip to A.C.

At the river, there was about $40 in the pot. An old man had $37, but bet only $35. The younger guy got cocky and put the old man all in. We all gave him shit for wanting the old guy's last $2. He later admitted that he would have bet far more, if the old guy had more - which would not have been criticized.

There was no pair on board. The young guy had the nut-flush - an ace high flush. The old man had The Nuts - a straight flush.

The young guy then said, sheepishly, "I guess I got away cheap..."

Quote: DJTeddyBear

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I've never played there, but most of the casinos I've been to have a minimum buy-in of $60 (max $300) for the $1/$2 game. And if you buy in for only $60, they'll pretty much peg you for a new player and play you differently / more aggressively.

To be fair, he did say it was a 1/2 LIMIT game, where $50 should be enough for a good player to last a while. Of course, this is assuming he is playing correct, low limit strategy and being moderately tight aggressive, which most 1/2 LIMIT games are not.

Come to think of it, I would double check and make sure that it IS a limit game you are talking about... if it's NL, then $50 won't be enough at all.

I missed the part that it's a limit game.

Typically, the lowest limit game offered is $2/$4 while $1/$2 is usually the lowest NL game. (I HAVE seen both $1/$1 and $1/$3, but these were still NL.)

Note that in a $2/$4 limit game, the blinds are $1 and $2.

Kauboj,

Congratulations on your 5th place! Always cool to get into the money. It looks like you're playing NL tourneys which are very different from cash games (as has been pointed out by everyone else - please hear that loud and clear - VERY DIFFERENT). As far as reading to better understand strategy - I agree that David Sklansky is good. However, I would add anything by Dan Harrington and Daniel Negreanu's Power Hold'em Strategy.

Dan Harrington is one of the top players with a world class Chess rating background and Backgammon as well. His writing is easy to follow and a quick read...you'll need to highlight and go back over it as you gain experience - there's that many levels to his game.

Negreanu's book contains chapters by some of the best players with slightly different takes on the game. Some of it is for tourney's, some for on-line and some just Negreanu's "small ball" philosophy. Also an easy read, plus you can jump to what topic interests you most.

If you're shopping by just title on-line or in stores be careful - many of the books out there are aimed at Limit games not No-Limit. There is arguably as large a difference between these two types of games as between cash and tourneys.

For myself I've pretty well converted from cash games to tourneys almost exclusively. I like paying my entry fee and playing as long as possible and avoiding the swings that can occur at a cash table.

The wife and I are in AC on Friday...I'll play the Noon and 6PM tourneys at the Borgata. Let me know if you want to meet and play. It's sounds like you're ready to sit at a live table.

Quote: Woldus

There is arguably as large a difference between these two types of games as between cash and tourneys.

Ditto. The biggest difference is, because of the relatively limited betting / raising action, people tend to stay in with marginal and/or calling hands a lot longer. Therefore, it's a lot harder to bluff or be bluffed. So at the showdown, you better have a damn good hand.

Quote: Woldus

The wife and I are in AC on Friday...I'll play the Noon and 6PM tourneys at the Borgata. Let me know if you want to meet and play. It's sounds like you're ready to sit at a live table.

I got an email today. Showboat is having a relatively big tourney, with relatively small buy-in, 11/25-11/27. 11:00, $175+$25. Friday and Saturday it has a $20,000 guarantee prize pool. Sunday, $10,000 prize pool. There are also evening tourneys.

I may go on Sunday 11/27.

Showboat Tourney Email

My bad its a 2/4 limit, and 1/2 and 2/5 no limit.

yeah i am gonna stick with the tourneys for awhile. i figure i wanna give my self 2 years before i start entering a wsop ring event so i will just keep plugging away and keep my winnings for the entry fees to the bigger games..

but did wanna thank everyone again for the great advise.

Well another night of successful tournament play, after going from chip leader to short stack back to 2 way tie for 2nd highest chip count.... pot was chopped for 2nd place prize money pulling in $535.00 for a three way split. chip leader didnt want to chop so we gave him 1st place $935. After 2 hours of play to take the final to 4 players we were ready. 5 hours was long play.. gotta build up the stamiina if i wanna play in the big boy tourneys. lol!