The Hammer
I won’t go into the recent debate (debacle?) over playing the hammer, but this happened to me in a $20 SNG on Wednesday night. Yes it was the big blind, but I min-raised it anyway (it doesn’t count unless you voluntarily put money in the pot, right? plus it was only Level 1 so it didn’t cost much):
‘Nuff said.
Maybe I shouldn’t have made a pot sized bet and tried to get some more out of it, but I figured people would think I was pulling something and would call anyway.
(No, I didn’t get to show, I was too busy taking the screenshot.)
No Limit
I’ve continued to play the no limit games, both on Empire and Gaming Club. I am at the $25 on Empire and the 50/1 blinds at TGC (why can’t sites agree on a way to determine the size of a NL game?). The normal buyin there is $100. Yikes. It’s kind of interesting to be facing a $30 bet when you’re first starting no limit for real money (as opposed to tournament dollars).
I think I found the slowest table on Empire on Wednesday, it’s just plugging along, but at least once a hand the timer comes on. I should have moved, but I was playing three tables and it worked out OK, but is not helping the bonus clearing much. I dropped one buyin there not thinking that my trips would be dead to a double gutshot, but hey, that happens. I did, however, win it back plus some, so in the end, thanks to being able to bet $15, I was able to come out ahead. Played in 3 SNGs and got 2nd in one, bubble in the other and 7th, so I broke even minus the fees.
That, however, is being results oriented, so let’s move on.
I do like no limit though. I’m still getting used to facing larger bets at times and I’m sure I’ve been pushed off some hands because I’m just not totally confident enough yet. Either that or I’m awesome and am making great laydowns that only pros can make.
I think I’ll stick with the “I’m not totally sure yet”…
Like I’ve said before, I really have no reference on how to play NL “correctly”. I am kind of winging it betting wise. I am trying to charge people for their draws and make people pay when I have the nuts. Of course, that implies that I always know what the nuts are, which is not always the case 
I also am starting to buy some pots if I have position (either first or last). Things are going pretty well and I feel like I’m starting to understand it a bit. Obviously I do not really understand it after just a few days, but I’m starting to see some of the differences between lilmit and NL and how to make some of the needed changes in my game.
I am playing pretty tight though. The other night I folded so often that if I raised pre-flop everybody would fold. This was at a table where there were usually 5 people were seeing a flop. That’s OK for now. I still have to get comfortable seeing some of these bigger bets, and more importantly, getting comfortable making the bigger bets.
I am having fun though, which is good considering how many hands I still have to clear. I think I need to concentrate on one site per night though and just hammer out a bunch of hands in order to clear some of these.
NL definitely different, but with 2 + 2 and the bloggers there’s a lot of good info out there.
I usually play the $25NL tables to clear bonuses and have had mixed results.
I found out about the TGC’s NL tables in the right way, those things are super weak-loose, but with the $100 buy-ins its scary playing there. Don’t know if my stomach can handle playing there again (but I did make $100 in 45 mins on my first try…).
Yeah, TGC’s tables are fairly weak. While in NL things can change dramatically from one hand to the next, I have not had much trouble at least holding even there while burning through hands. They seem to have a lot of pre-flop limpers who bail on the flop to any $2 bet. Sitting with $100 and knowing it could all be gone on one hand is kinda scary though.
The big advantage to NL (or pot-limit, which was my preferred game) is you can really protect your hand. If you flop top set against five callers and there are 2 spades on the board, you can really punish the chasers. The yutzes who will call you down to the river with weird gutshot/backdoor/miracle draws in limit poker will either run away from your big bet or paid you off handsomely for their foolishness.
I liked PL over NL because, one, I’m a coward who doesn’t like pushing in my entire stack preflop and, two, it keeps the wealthy sociopaths who DON’T mind betting like asylum escapees somewhat under wraps. That might actually hurt my profitability, but at least I get to sleep nights.
I too play the 25NL on party and empire to clear bonus’ (as well as the 1/2 6 table max LIMIT games)..
YOu can usually use your position pretty well in the NL games to pick up some small pots on the flop from LP. With 1 or 2 (or 0) limpers.. I’ll often come in for a raise for $3 (knowing that my 2 limping friends are sporting KJo, QJo, KQo, A2o any 2sooted and the like) .. one or both will call.. and you can usually take the pot away on a rag-rag-rag flop (you rarely have players play back at you at these tables without top pair - although they often call you down w/ middle pair unless you push them hard)
Great post Chris. I agree with Gene that Pot Limit is the best of the 3 games (Limit-NoLimit-PotLimit.) I am in the opposite situation as you. I play mostly Pot Limit or No Limit in our home games, so I have a difficult time adjusting my strategies to the Limit games.
The best advice I could give you in the No Limit games is pretty simple really: get your money in when you have the best of it, and make your opponents pay for their chasing. Usually, you’re able to force them to either lay down their hand or call (incorrectly.) Sure, sometimes they’ll get lucky and hit their draws, but anytime you get them to make the wrong decision, it is +ev!
Tights ok. One time you will get a hand and someone else will have a hand also, and you will make your money. Why bleed away 10 bucks playing marginal hands, only to have your good hand bring you back to even. Keep up the good work!