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hello, I recently started playing HU limit cash ( 2-4) and I really like it, but Im not very good at it,or so my results dictate.
I have a few quetions on how to fix up my game ( I searched this, but got mostly HU NL rather than limit)
#1) PF rasing and limping range, I generally dont like to raise 8-5o and J-7 and all these 2-3 gappers. what about hands like K-2 Q-3? whats hands do you limp- and call a raise? what hands do u limp-fold ( or do ever limp fold in HU limit)
#2) calling a 3bet range, are u insta-priced in to call a 3 bet preflop, considering you have postion even with a random hand 5-9s or Q-6o?
#3) many of my oppenants are raising EVERY hand against me straight out the gate, w/out knowing how I play at all, I played 277 hands with an oppenant who raised 275 of those hands,and insta called all my 3 bets? how do I play oppenants like them?
#4) is semi-bluffing as usefull a concept as it is in HU NL? I find open betting a flush draw works sometimes, but I never get anyone to fold to a 3bet when I flop a nutflush draw.
#5) How much do I buy in for ? at 2-4 Im buying in for 50 at the moment, I find this to be okay in the sence that Im not in reload mode after 1 pot against me, and its not like Im gunna get stacked in 1 -2 hands with 50 either, is 50 enough ?
#6) flow of the game in almost all my matches I bust for my 50$ one or twice only to come back and win it all back and then some. OR Ill bust my oppenant for 40-50 twice only to loose it all back and then some. and this momentum is hard to brake, one I start getting grinded down, I inevetibly go broke, and when I start I comeback, I get it all back ? are the momentum swings the norm in Limit ?
I know HU is player dependant I jsut want some generall guidlines to go by as a template. ANY IMPUT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]
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1) You should never limp and fold in limit hold em . It's almost always correct to raise or fold from the button . If you decide to limp , it's usually with the intention of limp re-raising to gain 2 bets instead of 1 . This can be accomplished with your strong hands against an aggressive player . All the hands you mentioned are pretty marginal with the exception of maybe j-7 so I'll either raise with them or fold .
2) Of course , you have the correct odds to see a flop .
3) Well your opponent is over-playing some of his hands because it's correct to fold your worst hands . However , he's right in that once you raise , you cannot fold anymore since you're getting great odds to see a flop with even something as crap as 2-3 o . You may want to check out
www.poker-academy.com to see how some of the bots play limit hold em . You'd be very surprised at how effective they play and you will never see them fold to a 3-bet .
4) At the higher limits , bluffing with the right frequency can often times separate the pros from the ordinary players . One who has a thorough knowledge in game theory is at an advantage over his adversaries . However , it's important that you do not semi-bluff too often or that you semi-bluff too little . Finding the right balance against each opponent is a hard skill to master but with experience it can be achieved . To put it succinctly , if your semi-bluffs are not working then don't semi-bluff as often . If your opponent folds often enough to your semi-bluffs , then it can be a valuable tool .
5) 50 is more than enough .
In limit hold em , the maximum amount of money you can lose on a hand is 4+4+8+8 = 24 big blinds or 12 big bets . So with that being said , anything more than 12 big bets will suffice but you may want more to avoid the hassle of always having to reload . This is very different in NL where many players advocate having 100 big blinds in a given session .
6)A typical standard deviation for the limit player is something like 20 big blinds/100 hands . So with a win-rate of 2 big blinds/100 hands , you can expect to win anywhere from 2 + 2*20=42 to 2 - 2*20=-38 about 95% of the time in your first 100 hands . So even if you're a great player , there is a 95% chance that in your first 100 hands you've won anywhere from 42 big blinds to losing 38 big blinds . These swings are very common in limit hold em , but if we're adequately bankrolled , things will eventually fall into place for the winning player .