Sreiously on line poker the hardest game in the world

[Molson]

I play poker as a part time job basicly. Iv played live tournys for about a year and place in the final 9 about once a month. costs me around £200 a month for my buy in but i return around £700 realistically may be a little more cos i also play small games which wins me the odd £50-£100.
Now i recently started playing on line around 6 months ago and i cannot win for [censored]. Seriously if you are winning money online can you point me in the direction of some tips. I normally play $1-$2 blinds is this a good place to start is it too small or too big. I find people calling me with sweet FA and hitting lucky every time. seriously in a live game this does not happen bad beats yes, damm near impossible no. have these people got too much money to throw around. would this happen in the bigger blinds i.e $10-$20. i love poker and online would be a great place for me if i could only grasp it.
Thanks

[AKQJ10]

Online games are much tougher than live games of similar stakes, but it's not because of the bad beats.

I would first suggest that you read Getting Started in Hold 'em with emphasis on the last chapter, about why a game can't be "too good" to beat.

[Molson]

thank you i will do that

[ProPoker2006]

Depends how experienced you are though, I'm breezing through easy levels recently.

[RoyalMag]

Ive only been playing online for a few months, and Ive never played live so cant compare the two, but Ive found that the $2/4 and $3/6 levels are actually easier than $.5/1 and 1/2.
At $.5/1 and $1/2 people seem to just call down with absolutely nothing and then hit lucky on the river. I'm sure theres plaenty of ways to improve my own game to minimise the damage this does, and I'm working on it, but it gets very frustrating.

[A_F]

[ QUOTE ]
At $.5/1 and $1/2 people seem to just call down with absolutely nothing and then hit lucky on the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

You must realize that them calling with nothing is what will give you a long term profit at these limits. Read the chapter of SSH mentioned earlier in the thread.

[RoyalMag]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At $.5/1 and $1/2 people seem to just call down with absolutely nothing and then hit lucky on the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

You must realize that them calling with nothing is what will give you a long term profit at these limits. Read the chapter of SSH mentioned earlier in the thread.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know this, I just find it hard to put it into practice. Because they call down with anything I find that I cant get a read on them to judge whether my hand is better than theirs. So unless I have the nuts or very close to it I am hesitant to invest much money in the pot and end up playing passively so when I do win, the pot is smaller than it should be.

[phydaux]

You just have to understand that TPTK is almost worthless at this level. Suited connectors, particularly big suited broadway, and middle pairs that make a set are what earn you your money in the micros.

And remember to play agressivle. When you have four other players in the hand with you, you have sufficient pot equity to raise with a flush draw or an OESD.

Re-read Small Stakes Hold'em, and read the first half of Hold'em on the Come. Discounting outs and finding hiddden outs are gold, and I did not understand that my first or even my third time reading SSH.

Properly cound your outs, call when you have pot odds, raise when you have pot equity, and fold everything else.


And don't fall in love with TPTC. She's a bitch and she'll break your heart.

[SheridanCat]

[ QUOTE ]
I know this, I just find it hard to put it into practice. Because they call down with anything I find that I cant get a read on them to judge whether my hand is better than theirs. So unless I have the nuts or very close to it I am hesitant to invest much money in the pot and end up playing passively so when I do win, the pot is smaller than it should be.

[/ QUOTE ]

If people are truly taking poor hands too far against you, then you don't need a read on specific hands. As long as you are properly bankrolled for the limits you're playing, people can take their junk to the river against you and you will win in the long run.

Yes, you'll experience some painful beats. And, it's important that you've read your opponent(s) as playing substandard hands against you. And, it's important that you haven't started to play junk as well out of frustration.

[zerosum]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At $.5/1 and $1/2 people seem to just call down with absolutely nothing and then hit lucky on the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

You must realize that them calling with nothing is what will give you a long term profit at these limits. Read the chapter of SSH mentioned earlier in the thread.

[/ QUOTE ]

Another beautiful theory rendered false in practice. To be sure, if you face one or two of these calling stations, you'll be fine in the long run. But in practice, you will often face several of these players. The combined effect of their play greatly reduces the winning chances of the "good player," and usually, one of the "bad players" will catch a river that crushes you. The combined redraws of the bad players can be positively overwhelming -- regardless of how long your "long-run" may be. Can you tell that I'm a little tired of reading the often stated advice that you presented?