the most ****** up med stakes home game EVER

[SykoraG]

Here's a little background,

Due to unforseen circumstances, I was forced to move to a country where such things as Poker - Drinking and Porn are strictly forbidden. As luck has it, I am well received and connect myself to the underground Poker society (the small one it has).

I'm a new commer to their 'Home Game', and I feel I am not perceived as a threat because I look inexperienced (I'm 22, everyone else is 30 - 50 and is a table coach). I've only mentionned that I play online. Upon getting to this 'Home Game', I see that there are two tables ... I sit with the host who invited me.

The buyin is just under 600 American, in which you get 2000 chips. Blinds are 25 / 50. Its dealers choice (games alternate between NL Hold'em, Omahahahaha and 10 card Omahahahahaha, real real [censored] up) ... and after 15 mins it becomes aparant how bad everyone is. Money is being splashed around like a fat man doing a cannon ball off the high-dive.

Firslt, any input on strategy in a 600 dollar, 40BB game is greatly appreciated (the game has about 6 - 8 players in any given orbit).

I ended up losing 2400 that night and would like to reverse my fortunes. I know I'm buying into a very high variance donk fest and would like to know how to play optimally.

Online I beat 100NL for 8ptbb/100, 200 for 5pbb/100 and 400 for 2.2ptbb/100 over around 350k hands. I consider myself a decent player ... but that kinda money hurts.

On a side note, when the game got shorter and both tables had a combine number of 8 players, the cash game turned into a tournament with w/e chips you had left. The winner ended up taking down about 22k in money.

[BrianBigNFun]

Try to avoid all but the best starting hands when it comes to the weird games and play tight in the games you know well. Eventually youll come out on top.

[cardshark]

I don't get it???

You buy-in for 600 and get 2,000. This sound like a tournament. But you said it was dealer's choice. Was this a dealer's choice tournament? I've never heard of such thing.

Also you said:

[ QUOTE ]
... the cash game turned into a tournament with w/e chips you had left.

[/ QUOTE ]

How can a cash game just become a tournament, mid-way? I've never heard of such nonsense?

BTW, you should avoid any type of dealer's choice games. Rotation games are OK, but dealer's choice sucks.

[Small Fry]

first I'm confused as to whether this is a cash game or a tournament. You say the buy in is $600 and you get 2000 chips. But then you describe the game like it's cash. (I've never heard of a dealers choice tournament with blinds fixed at 25/50)If it's cash what does it mattter about the number of chips? I assume from the descriptions that it is possible to cash out at some point. Or did the players who left bust out? And obviously rebuys are allowed or you couldn't lose $2400. If it's cash can you add to your stack at any point in time to keep it at $600?

With that in mind, generally speaking I think you need to apply short stack strategies. If you call a raise preflop, I don't see how you avoid getting it all in on the flop with any decent made hand / draw. Play really tight up front as just calling commits like 8% of your stack. You might loosen up, but just a little in cutoff / button when you see a family pot brewing (at least you'll be getting some decent odds. In summary you really have no implied odds to play marginal / speculative hands. You want to start with the best hand, get it all in pre flop or on the flop and hope it holds up.

And how the heck can you play NL Omaha with only 40bb stacks? That's got to be an all in fest.

[rubixxcube]

"You say the buy in is $600 and you get 2000 chips. But then you describe the game like it's cash. (I've never heard of a dealers choice tournament with blinds fixed at 25/50)"

I think he is saying the following. The buy in is 2000 units of their currency(remember OP said he is in a foreign country). 2000 units of their currency is equvalent to about $600 US.

so $1 US= 3.33 units of their currency.

Their blinds are 25/50 units.
so their game seems to translate into a US game of $7.50/$15 no limit but with only a $600 buyin, basically forcing a shortstack play.

As far as strategy i would play tight and fast when i'm in a hand similiar to a tournament strategy.

[Small Fry]

If correct that clears up a little confusion. Brings up another question though. Do they use the same exchange rate at buy in and cash out?..... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[SykoraG]

Let me clear some things up

I'm in Saudi Arabia, and the buyin is 2000 Ryals in which you get 2000 chips about 600 bucks I figured (I might be wrong with its value). Yes there are no set rules (dealer choice)... and its a cash game that turns into a tournament near the end (still dealers choice). (half the people left and cashed in their chips while the other half busted out).

[Small Fry]

Just as Rubixx surmised. Very strange structure indeed. I would play the cash game as I outlined. Not sure if I would participate in the tournament portion. If it's poorly structured, (eg. big blinds, fast levels, short stacks) I would be less inclined to go into it with a large stack and risk my winnings on short term luck. But the same basic principles are going to apply. If I'm stuck and short stacked I might be more inclined to play depending on the payout structure. Either way, cash or tourney, with a very short stack your limited to pushing but if you have a decent shot at some money in the tourney it might be a good risk vs. reward scenario.

Say you bought in just once for the night for 2000. If you go into the tourney with 4000 you are risking that to win ???. But if you go in with 500 you are now risking much less to win ???. You're risking 4 times the amount. If you figured you were 20% to win with 500 are you now 80% to win with 2000? Does the additional 1500 buy you that much greater of a chance to win? And how much is the reward?

Maybe I got this touranment stuff all backwards and I've screwed it all up.

But I know I'm correct about the strategy of playing with the short stack. And if possible I would try to keep my stack as close to the 2000 as possible, because if the game is like you describe you're going to want to get it all in and you'll want to maximize that.

I see this as a very high variance game and if you cannot tolerate that my advise, unfortunataely, would be to not play.

[Dr. Detroit]

[ QUOTE ]
Here's a little background,

Due to unforseen circumstances, I was forced to move to a country where such things as Poker - Drinking and Porn are strictly forbidden. As luck has it, I am well received and connect myself to the underground Poker society (the small one it has).

I'm a new commer to their 'Home Game', and I feel I am not perceived as a threat because I look inexperienced (I'm 22, everyone else is 30 - 50 and is a table coach). I've only mentionned that I play online. Upon getting to this 'Home Game', I see that there are two tables ... I sit with the host who invited me.

The buyin is just under 600 American, in which you get 2000 chips. Blinds are 25 / 50. Its dealers choice (games alternate between NL Hold'em, Omahahahaha and 10 card Omahahahahaha, real real [censored] up) ... and after 15 mins it becomes aparant how bad everyone is. Money is being splashed around like a fat man doing a cannon ball off the high-dive.

Firslt, any input on strategy in a 600 dollar, 40BB game is greatly appreciated (the game has about 6 - 8 players in any given orbit).

I ended up losing 2400 that night and would like to reverse my fortunes. I know I'm buying into a very high variance donk fest and would like to know how to play optimally.

Online I beat 100NL for 8ptbb/100, 200 for 5pbb/100 and 400 for 2.2ptbb/100 over around 350k hands. I consider myself a decent player ... but that kinda money hurts.

On a side note, when the game got shorter and both tables had a combine number of 8 players, the cash game turned into a tournament with w/e chips you had left. The winner ended up taking down about 22k in money.

[/ QUOTE ]

I play in a game like this 3 nights a week and the ending is pretty much the same. The players are all donks but they dont care and it works out well for me at least 2 nights a week.

FWIW

I play Hold-Em much more openly and aggressively as the players I am with prefer Omaha. I am often forcing the action but slowing up pretty quick to aggression.

The Omaha is also played NL and I play extremely conservatively (limping and calling with almost no raises)and try to control pot size thru position if I am there at the river I will have a premium hand.

Overall I always find myself wanting to make moves on these guys because they are suck donkeys... and saying to myself "Don't outsmart yourself, they aren't smart enough to fold to your moves."

[Al Mirpuri]

Forget the poker. It seems to me that daddy moved to the oil-rich gulf. If you get caught you are going to get lashed. Even online may be too dangerous but it must be far less so than playing in an underground game.