The Long Term - will you ever get in enough live hands?

[45suited]

I played in a wild game yesterday at my local casino. In a span of an hour, there were 5 or 6 hands (some straddled) capped at least 6 handed pre-flop. YES, it gets frustrating when your hand does not hit or hold up, particularly when you are going in pre-flop (or on the turn, whatever) with the best of it.

I think that those of you who seem to constantly get rivered in these types of games are missing one thing: these pots are HUGE and perhaps YOU are not sticking around long enough with what seem to be hopeless (or non-existent) draws. If you see a game like this, see the crap that people end up showing down, you need to realize that PRE-FLOP you are essentially tying yourself to the pot, unless it becomes completely hopeless.

Often times (especially if, as seems to often be the case) players will lag it up pre-flop, then not protect their hands enough after the flop, allowing you to stay in getting tremendous odds. When I first started playing limit, I folded way too often on the turn in pots like this, only to realize that my one overcard was actually affording me sufficient odds to call. The game I played in yesterday, the pot was often re-popped by the third or fourth limper (after I raised a big suited ace from the blinds). These people are capping with junk, I won a huge pot by spiking a queen on the river after the flop came king high. I called on the turn getting over 20:1.

My point is: play the player in a game like that. If a rock takes the lead post flop, that's one thing. But if the straggling LAGtard represents a big hand, go ahead and make some crazy flop and turn calls. You can't play your standard game in gigantic pots against crazies. Maybe you are folding too quickly in the pots where you are behind. Because of this, you remember the times they caught up with you, not vice versa...

[Yodaman]

In my experience playing live has actually done better for me than I've been doing online. Online I 4-table 3/6 and live I've been playing 8/16. The players are SIGNIFICANTLY worse at live play as compared to the competition of 3/6 players online, even at live 8/16 and 20/40.

That being said, I don't think that playing live for 2/4 and 3/6 is profitable at all. The rake is too large to be making any decent money. At my B&M, the rake is 3$ for 2/4 and 3/6, and 4$ for 6/12 and 8/16. Thats 1 SB per pot that you lose as compared to 1/2 a SB in 8/16. That will cut into your 1-2/BB per HR greatly.

[Yepitis]

I think long term comes down to simply playing every hand right. When we talk about one bet per hour as being a good player then missing a vaule bet on the river is an hour lost. As is playing two weak hands preflop.

Huge pots are great when you hit them but everybody has the same chances of hitting them. Now stealing a pot from a better hand is much better for your overall win rate.

Just my thoughts.