Starting to play for real (money)

[kompressaur]

Alien if this is crap then bin it. Ive a load of bet365 promo texts. Thought i'd post some.

Written by: Dave Colclough (2004-04-12 18:59:19)

Howdy Folks,

I hope you have all been practicing hard at the Play tables at bet365poker? I'd guess you've had fun, but the stimulation isn't quite there? There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, you don't have any of your hard earned dough on the line. Secondly, your opponents don't have any of their hard earned dough on the line. So they just don't play the same. Have you played a hand yet where you have the Aces, raised at every opportunity, and still there are five opponents on the river? And low and behold, one of them hit a gutshot, middle pin, inside straight draw. Ouch… No. They would not have been there if you were playing with real wonga.

So if you have got the hang of the pop up buttons, how the game flows, and generally feel comfortable, it is now time to move onto the cash tables. No, not 100/200 limit, or even the 10/20 limit. The sharks will be slobbering at the thought. They haven't been educated by Finding Nemo yet, and 'fish, are not friends. They are food''.

Let's start small : $0.10/$0.20 or $0.50/$1. Fixed Limit Hold'Em is the next step. This will drastically reduce the lunatic opponents scenario. All of a sudden, only 2 or 3 opponents are calling your raises. Your opponents don't want to give their money away, and they want to take your money off you! Let's sit down with a $50. If this doesn't last you at least 20 hours playing time, don't move up. Ideally, you shouldn't move up until you are breaking even. This is probably a good rule to abide by at all levels.

Ok. I know what you are thinking : I haven't given you any clues on what sort of cards to play, what situations, or 'position', to play them, and how to play them. If only it was that easy! The answers are, it depends, it depends, and you guessed it, it depends. (I should have been a politician.) Over the weeks, I'll try and cover as many 'it depends' as possible.

Do!
› A starter for ten… 7 2 off suit is not a good hand. 9 3 is also not a good hand. Just watch me blow $15000 (real money) on Sky Sports next month for proof. I was heads up with Peter, having outlasted the other 4 opponents. I believed Peter was playing too tight for heads up play, so I decided to bully him. Wronggg. I raised his big blind once too often with 9 3, and he surprisingly called me with 10 Q. Whoops! Not a very nice scenario. Needless to say I went out, lost my money, lost the $15000 prize money, lost the opportunity to win $200,000 in the final, looked rather stupid on TV, and lost my pride. And the moral of the story is… 'Let's stick to decent starting hands'.

Dont!
› Don't call any bets with an off suit, high card, low card combination, e.g. J4, Q3, K5.

› Don't call any bets with an off suit, two low cards combination, e.g. 84, 72 and especially 93!

Try!
› Only call with suited connectors, e.g. 9h,10h if the price is right, i.e. one bet and no raises.

› Only call with low pairs, e.g. 5s if the price is right, i.e. one bet and no raises.

› Let's try and play high cards like AJ. KQ, A10. These are calling hands.

› Let's only raise with AK, AQ and the high pairs 9s and up.

Ok, this all sounds very predictable. But you will be surprised how little your opponents notice, and believe it or not, how little many of them care.

See you next week folks,

Dave

Dave 'El Blondie' Colclough is the European Poker Player of the Year. He is sponsored by bet365 poker, part of the bet365 Group Limited, one of the world's leading betting and gaming groups. Dave writes a weekly column full of poker tips and his experiences playing professionally.


Ive got some more here called-
2005-04-01 - Who's the Daddy
2005-03-15 - Stars and Stardom
2005-01-07 - Omaha High
2005-01-07 - 7 Card Stud
2004-12-30 - Five Diamonds
2004-12-08 - No Limit Hold'em Raises
2004-10-25 - World Speed Championships In Estonia
2004-10-18 - Playable Hands Part 2
2004-10-12 - Playable Hands
2004-10-04 - Post Flop Probabilities - Part 2
2004-09-20 - Post Flop Probabilities
2004-09-17 - Odds and Probabilities - Part 2
2004-09-01 - Odds and Probabilities - Part 1
2004-08-19 - Basic Reminders & Contradictions for NLH Tournaments
2004-07-26 - 100 Up
2004-06-25 - Short Handed TV Tables
2004-06-25 - Heads Up Play
2004-05-21 - Poker Diary with Dave Colclough at 2004 WSOP
2004-04-26 - Slow playing to maximise value
2004-04-26 - Using your Position to Bluff
2004-04-23 - An Introduction to Position
2004-04-23 - Down Under
2004-04-12 - Starting to play for real (money)
2004-04-05 - Texas Hold'Em Intro
2004-03-30 - An Introduction: Poker Advice and News with El Blondie

If anyone want a read of any then just ask and i'll post them up for a read for you.

[aliensyndm]

It's a little bit simplistic. It would be a reasonable start for someone completely new to the game and just wanted some general guidelines as to what kind of starting hands to play. I mean you shouldn't be calling with K5 etc as he says. His advice there is also for fixed limit.....and most poker played is no limit, hence that's what I would suggest learing. No point learning how to ride motorbikes if everyone races cars is there ?

[A.M.P]

Are you suggesting Alien that "fixed" limit is for those without testicles?

[aliensyndm]

Ah now I didn't actually say that. I just said most of the time it's no limit that is played. Afterall the world series of poker is no limit hold 'em. There's far more no limit events in any poker room going etc etc and it's by far the most popular with the most oppurtunities. I also think it's a far more interesting game to play and learn.

[A.M.P]

How's the fence - comfortable?!

[aliensyndm]

I didn't say it in that post but I'll say now it..... limit is for poofs !

[mrmuzeman]

Limit is gay

[moDtheGod]

Limit is easy money. 4/5 tabling fixed limit really is easy money. You can make faster money in big bet poker, but equally you can lose faster and not everyone can handle big swings. If we're talking STTs though, it MUST be big bet. Fixed limit tournaments are a big of a joke.

[mexineil]

Agreed (with Mod). 4 and 5 tabling $1/$2 limit is a very very easy way to make money, especially if you're clearing bonuses at the same time.

Here's what I prefer:
Live cash game - NL or PL
Online cash game - Fixed
Any holdem tournament - NL