Where to start?

RapidEvolution · #1 08-14-2007, 09:24 AM

I'm a relatively new poster (I've posted some hands before) and would really like some start-up advice from the more experienced players. (compared to me, that's probably most of you lol). I've been playing poker for a few years, NLHE for about 3 years and have been doing some serious work at my home games. After a good bit of reading and re-reading (HOH 1, 2, and 3, SSHE, Super System and some others) and participating in freeroll tourneys (best finish 4th out of 700) I feel ready to jump into some micro limit.

I'm thinking of starting with a $50 bankroll. First of all, is this enough for the lowest limits? Is it better to do cash games or SnG's? Any recommended sites? (I'm in the US)

I know I'm asking a lot, but any help/advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

pocketse7ens · #2 08-14-2007, 01:03 PM

$50 would be right for the smallest nl cash games around, nl2 (1/2 cent blinds), I think UB has them. Whether you play cash/sng's is just a matter of preference.

casey_brick · #3 08-14-2007, 01:12 PM

Stars has a lot of $1 MTTs and they're alway running $1 45 man SNGs.

If most of your experience is with tournies these will probably
your best way to build a bankroll. Whatever you choose micro cash, MTT, or SNGs, I'd recommend reading through all the stickies in those forums.

RapidEvolution · #4 08-14-2007, 03:09 PM

Thanks guys. I know that Stars will match up to $50 (which seems good for me) so I'll give that a shot. (almost had a bad typo there lol) Happy Birthday casey! (I assume that's what the cake means) I'll make sure to read the stickies as well.

StefanBD · #5 08-14-2007, 03:12 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys. I know that Stars will match up to $50 (which seems good for me) so I'll give that a shot. (almost had a bad typo there lol) Happy Birthday casey! (I assume that's what the cake means) I'll make sure to read the stickies as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

This might only work with MTTs and SNG because you won't be getting any FPPs playing the microlimits cash games (still not much playing the other type of games too though), so you probably want to concentrate on the former if you're aiming for the bonus.

SmartBugger · #6 08-14-2007, 05:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys. I know that Stars will match up to $50 (which seems good for me) so I'll give that a shot. (almost had a bad typo there lol) Happy Birthday casey! (I assume that's what the cake means) I'll make sure to read the stickies as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

This might only work with MTTs and SNG because you won't be getting any FPPs playing the microlimits cash games (still not much playing the other type of games too though), so you probably want to concentrate on the former if you're aiming for the bonus.

[/ QUOTE ]

Better advice would be to play micro-limits and grind them up to about 150-200 where you can move up. You have like a year to clear the bonus.... don't aim for that, aim for a bigger bankroll and it will come over time.

SNGs have huge swings (and MTTs even more). It takes at least 100-200 SNGs at any level to see if your a winner or not.

RapidEvolution · #7 08-16-2007, 08:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys. I know that Stars will match up to $50 (which seems good for me) so I'll give that a shot. (almost had a bad typo there lol) Happy Birthday casey! (I assume that's what the cake means) I'll make sure to read the stickies as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

This might only work with MTTs and SNG because you won't be getting any FPPs playing the microlimits cash games (still not much playing the other type of games too though), so you probably want to concentrate on the former if you're aiming for the bonus.

[/ QUOTE ]

Better advice would be to play micro-limits and grind them up to about 150-200 where you can move up. You have like a year to clear the bonus.... don't aim for that, aim for a bigger bankroll and it will come over time.

SNGs have huge swings (and MTTs even more). It takes at least 100-200 SNGs at any level to see if your a winner or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

Better to evaluate early while building bankroll...very good idea. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Is there a difference in the level of play in the 2NL and 5NL tables?

Dumb Fish x · #8 08-16-2007, 08:51 AM

Wow ... I guess I'm a crazy wild guy then going straight into 25/50c with 6 months experience. LOL.

Are you kidding, micros?

I don't know, I'm a complete novice myself, but I'm not conviced this is a great idea. People playing at the 25c/50c level don't play "properly", let alone people betting for "big pots" of 60c or so with blinds of 1c/2c.

My feeling is most of them will call you down with anything better than K-high (god knows they do it often enough in medium-limit games). Not sure how much useful stuff you will learn playing 1c/2c limits.

The smallest game my local casino offers is $1/$2 and these guys play as if they were using monopoly money.

I dunno. I'm a beginner myself. Maybe I should be playing micro limits. Hehe. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I just find it hard to think I'd learn anything useful about playing "proper" poker at those levels.

RapidEvolution · #9 08-16-2007, 10:26 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Wow ... I guess I'm a crazy wild guy then going straight into 25/50c with 6 months experience. LOL.

Are you kidding, micros?

I don't know, I'm a complete novice myself, but I'm not conviced this is a great idea. People playing at the 25c/50c level don't play "properly", let alone people betting for "big pots" of 60c or so with blinds of 1c/2c.

My feeling is most of them will call you down with anything better than K-high (god knows they do it often enough in medium-limit games). Not sure how much useful stuff you will learn playing 1c/2c limits.

The smallest game my local casino offers is $1/$2 and these guys play as if they were using monopoly money.

I dunno. I'm a beginner myself. Maybe I should be playing micro limits. Hehe. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I just find it hard to think I'd learn anything useful about playing "proper" poker at those levels.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd probably go right into the .25/.50 cash tables if I had a bigger starting bankroll. I'm just starting with a $50 initial investment (which would essentially be just one buy-in at that level).

From what I hear, some of the .25/.50 online tables are tougher than the $2/4 tables live (I assume it's because in live poker, $2/$4 is pretty f'in low).

Dumb Fish x · #10 08-16-2007, 10:30 AM

In my experience online players with no access to a Casino like to say that online players are just "better".

I don't find this to be true.

I find online players just as loose and reckless as live players - sometimes even more-so.

Online players always seem to hate me saying this, but I think live play is easier for a more skillful player due to reading players better.

In online all you have to go on is their betting patterns. And certainly, this is the most important "tell" of them all. But that doesn't mean other tells (body language, attidude, etc) count for nothing.

I think if live play is easier at all it's because you're playing "blind" online with none of the extra subtle and subconcious information available in live play.

But having yesterday been busted by all sorts of loose calls - and the day before losing with AKs to someone who called me preflop bet with 72o and then flopped two-pair, I can say with no doubt at all that online players are, in general, every bit as silly and reckless as live players.