ITH Poker Forum

[woodyman4916]

After fighting with the Russian TAGs and 15/12 BOTs on Stars for 80k hands at .5/1 and 1/2, I find myself having to make a big adjustment to Lock Poker. Any obvious adjustments? I find myself lost. 5 limpers per pot! Hell open limping at most Stars tables was exstinct. Should I narrow my MP PFR range? Open up my PF over calling range. Is open limping +EV with 4 or 5 probable callers behind?

Any broad suggestions appreciated as I haven't seen tables like this online since Party was facing the US.

[Misunderstud]

First thing I'd do is buy a bigger wallet.

You don't really have to adjust your game as such - the table conditions will mean that you'll end up playing more hands automatically. Open limping sometimes becomes viable, yes, but don't overdo it. Bluff less; steal less; value bet more; call down more, don't get fancy. Remember that sitting at a table of fish doesn't give you a divine right to win - just to get drawn out on more often. (But they'll also pay you off when you hit, which more than makes up for it.) Don't join 'em, beat 'em.

[woodyman4916]

Remember that sitting at a table of fish doesn't give you a divine right to win.

They remind me from time to time

[kinnipak]

Bluff less; steal less; value bet more; call down more, don't get fancy.

I might just get this tattooed someplace where I can always see it....

[thew92]

After fighting with the Russian TAGs and 15/12 BOTs on Stars for 80k hands at .5/1 and 1/2, I find myself having to make a big adjustment to Lock Poker. Any obvious adjustments? I find myself lost. 5 limpers per pot! Hell open limping at most Stars tables was exstinct. Should I narrow my MP PFR range? Open up my PF over calling range. Is open limping +EV with 4 or 5 probable callers behind?

Any broad suggestions appreciated as I haven't seen tables like this online since Party was facing the US.

1st you where practicing poor table selection at Stars if that was the type of players you where playing against. Now on merge you limited to the games available so just be happy the ones you are in are soft as of now.

Open Limping is never good. *Disclaimer I play 6 max.

So far I have discovered that the merge network tables are a little softer than the avg. Stars table. (I would never play in the "avg" Stars game) But over the past few day I have noticed that they are filling up with the old Stars regs.

My biggest problem with Merge is there dam "rake pile" looks just like the button.

[woodyman4916]

After fighting with the Russian TAGs and 15/12 BOTs on Stars for 80k hands at .5/1 and 1/2, I find myself having to make a big adjustment to Lock Poker. Any obvious adjustments? I find myself lost. 5 limpers per pot! Hell open limping at most Stars tables was exstinct. Should I narrow my MP PFR range? Open up my PF over calling range. Is open limping +EV with 4 or 5 probable callers behind?

Any broad suggestions appreciated as I haven't seen tables like this online since Party was facing the US.

1st you where practicing poor table selection at Stars if that was the type of players you where playing against. Now on merge you limited to the games available so just be happy the ones you are in are soft as of now.

Open Limping is never good. *Disclaimer I play 6 max.

So far I have discovered that the merge network tables are a little softer than the avg. Stars table. (I would never play in the "avg" Stars game) But over the past few day I have noticed that they are filling up with the old Stars regs.

My biggest problem with Merge is there dam "rake pile" looks just like the button.

Try finding a 1/2 FR limit table on Stars with more than 27% players to the flop especially with the regs 12 tabling, unless it's a weekend. I do wish Merg software was a little cleaner. I find it hard to play more than two tables.

[thew92]

Try finding a 1/2 FR limit table on Stars with more than 27% players to the flop especially with the regs 12 tabling, unless it's a weekend. I do wish Merg software was a little cleaner. I find it hard to play more than two tables.

I was playing 6 tables at a time at Stars and never was I at a table without at least one 60+ VPIP player. Of course that was at 6max It's been a really long time since I play FR. Yeah merge needs to step up their software soon. At least give a better sound when you about to time out. Or maybe I just need to get used to it. So far it seems like they are going to be the biggest benefactor in "Black Friday" at least in the short run.

The biggest thing I am going to miss is that I put a lot of time and effort in table selection and now I just have to play in whatever is available instead of having 40 tables to choose form like I did on Stars.

[woodyman4916]

I was playing 6 tables at a time at Stars and never was I at a table without at least one 60+ VPIP player.

You might see this once every other day and once a week the 70/40 guy from Belarus who loved to stack off or double in 30 minutes. The exploitable players were the 27/4 guys who were mostly fit or fold post flop and I think I had a slight edge on the 15/13 "BOTS" as they would never float a flop HU.

(I didn't know there was a Belarus until recently. Yikes! What does that say about me?)

[jeffnc]

Play good starting hands and play them well for value relative to your opponents. Always raise and cap premium pairs from any position and play them strongly after the flop. Fold them if it's obvious you're beat, but prefer to see a showdown with them if possible. Do not raise lower pocket pairs for set value in any position - pocket pairs want low preflop cost, and aggressive postflop action. Fold weak unsuited broadway hands in early position. Cautiously play weak broadway hands in late position. Raise strong multiway hands in late position in multiway limped pots, basically because on average this is a stronger hand than your opponents are playing. e.g. KJs, T9s, ATs. KQo is a raisable hand in middle position after a couple limpers, but don't turn into an aggro donkey just because your opponents are playing weak hands. Raising KTo just gives up your advantage to them (open raising in the cutoff is different of course, but presumably the point here is we don't get to open raise on the CO very often.) Put in lots of money on the flop with top draws, and never slowplay sets or 2 pair hands. Always play hands like TT on a flop of very strongly.

[Piscivorous]

I'm seriously thinking of writing some articles on Bingo for my poker blog. Bingo is the term I use for the lowest [and sometimes two lowest] limits played in B&M casinos. Usually $2/$4 and $3/$6, but sometimes even $4/$8 and $6/$12. I've seen $1/$2 LHE locally on the weekend, but won't go near it. It is even seen online at the micro limits on some sites, but lately I've seen it as high as $1/$2 on Merge. I've been playing a lot of this at my local B&Ms this year [and especially after Black Friday] and it rarely differs from house to house. 6 or more players to a flop. Rare raises preflop. Players chasing dreams and little else.

It is Limit Holdem, but such a radical departure from what we are used to online, that I think it really is a topic that needs to be discussed. I haven't played much cash outside California or Reno. It may be a geographic thing, but I don't think so. My limited play in The Trump Taj Mahal and at the casinos down in Tunica suggest this isn't a localized occurrence at the lowest limits. I do, however, believe that there is probably better play in Vegas. I only say that because there is a better likelihood that you'll have a few decent players at your table there looking to cash in on the tourists. The locals in Reno really suck, so it is a bad comparison with Vegas.

It departs so much from good TAG play online, that I think it would be a great topic. I'll probably post some questions here as I get busy researching and writing.