Very little cash game experience.

[CleanUpMan]

Would you guys recommend starting out in full ring or 6 max? .25-.50 level. I have alot of experience in SnG's and MTT's but I'm just learning how to play cash games. From what I hear and read, cash games are a completely different animal. TAG seems to be the best approach at these lower levels from the tables I've observed. Any advice would be appreciated.

[EN09]

full ring in either limit or no limit. plus i'd recommend you pick up a couple of books. 'small stakes hold'em' for limit and 'no limit: theory&practice' or 'professional no limit' for, umm, oh yeah... no limit.

standard play as in tight early, loose later stuff... good luck.

EN

[Khaos4k]

Cash games actually play pretty similar to early stage MTTs, except of course that you will always have 100bb+. TP is no longer a hand you should be stacking off with a lot.

[llleisure]

If you're just starting out cash, you might want to try multiple short buyins instead of always sitting with the max. This way you'll do less damage to your BR while you get a feel for it vs tourneys. I know some people will say this is awful advice but it worked for me and eventually I came to understand why you really do want some $ in front of you.

I did this when just starting out playing holdem (started playing cash 1/2 live) and it was initially helpful to ease the pain when I got myself in trouble - which was often.

[CleanUpMan]

Thanks for the responses.
ENO9, why do you prefer full ring as opposed to 6 max?

Khaos, Have you found that most players avoid stacking off with TP? If so, this seems exploitable, no?

llleisure, I understand the logic of wanting to minimize the damage to your BR while learning, but didn't you find yourself at a disadvantage playing short?

[bigblackbuddha]

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Thanks for the responses.
ENO9, why do you prefer full ring as opposed to 6 max?


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I think he meant you should just start out at FR over 6max, not he meant that he preferred FR (although this could also be the case). This is because in 6max you are forced to play more hands because of the blinds coming around much more often. If you are new to cash games you will most not likely be able to handle the increased number of hands with generally poorer starting cards.

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Khaos, Have you found that most players avoid stacking off with TP? If so, this seems exploitable, no?

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Depends on the site really. At bodog TPTK was practically the nuts to most people, although after moving to FT it is really hard to get someone's stack with just top pair. Of course those kind of fish are still out there, which is why PAHUD is so damn useful.

[CleanUpMan]

That makes perfect sense BB. thanks

[llleisure]

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llleisure, I understand the logic of wanting to minimize the damage to your BR while learning, but didn't you find yourself at a disadvantage playing short?

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Sure you will be at a disadvantage being short but just starting out you will run into situations where you think you need to protect your hand when you are behind either the whole way or post flop.

Just a few of these costing you $75 instead of $200 can quickly make up for the disadvantage while you're learning and getting a feel for where you're at in a hand. Add to that that you'll probably start out just playing fairly tight and if you're short it isn't profitable for a full stack to be coming after your ~40BB when you raise from early position with AA and he's got suited connectors on the button or something. Yes you don't get the action, but if you're sitting there with a full buyin and you're brand new to playing cash, it may be action you didn't want to get involved with anyway as a beginner.

The other thing that I sort of noticed starting out, when I was breifly a big advocate of buying in short - if you do get hands, people tend to call you down lighter because you're short. Great if you hapen to be picking up hands not so great if you're trying to take down pots without a hand and have no chips to threaten with.

[GrassHopperAA]

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Thanks for the responses.
ENO9, why do you prefer full ring as opposed to 6 max?


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A big discussion on FR vs 6max
Why don't you play 6 max?

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Khaos, Have you found that most players avoid stacking off with TP? If so, this seems exploitable, no?



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Sklansky said a big concept in NLH is bluffing or being bluffed off top pair. You can't routinely fold it, and you can't routinely call big bets with it. You have to "play poker" with it.

No it's not that exploitable. In order to exploit someone's unwillingness to stack off to top pair, you would have to put in a big bet with less than top pair. Doing that often is not part of a good strategy, in general.

With any bluff, you're story has to add up, you're image should be tight, you should correctly read your opponent to be weak, and your opponent should be one to get away from weak hands.

[CleanUpMan]

llleisure, I actually like that idea alot more now after reading that. Here's the plan...full ring, sit w/short stack (atleast while learning), TAG, don't stack off with TP and don't try to bluff the wrong guy off TP. Thanks for your help guys and thanks for that link GrassHopperAA.