No Limit Cash Games
I’ve been playing a lot of no limit cash games lately and I’ve noticed a lot of players making huge mistakes. They’re too willing to go all in on a coin flip, they slow play their pocket kings against scary boards, and misplay their AK or AQ on the flop. Why? They’re treating a no limit cash game like it’s a tournament and they’re losing tons of money doing it.
I’ve been playing the majority of my games on Full Tilt and Bodog. I’ve run $50 up to $100 in a matter of 6 hours playing $.05/$.10 NL. That’s right - micro limits. Why? I’m focusing on building a significant bank roll in hopes of consistently beating $2/$4 NL games sometime in the next year. I’ve decided to start at the lowest limit and build my way up so that I can find the biggest flaws in my game at the lowest limits - so far it’s working out.
I see lots of people misplaying their draws - they are calling with terrible pot odds or drawing to the 2nd best hand. Why? They’re playing with a tournament mindset. In a cash game you’re playing with real money and shouldn’t be as willing to push all in on draws or mediocre top pairs, your goal is to extract as much money from your opponents as possible.
Rather than push all in, I would advise value betting your medium pocket pairs and your top pairs in the early betting rounds, force your opponents to put money in when they’re behind and they will eventually lose money to you. Mike Caro wrote an excellent article on value betting if you’re not sure what it means or how to execute a successful value bet.
When you do have a drawing hand, make sure you understand the number of real outs you have and make sure you’re not drawing to the second best hand. If you’re only getting 2-1 on your money and you’re calling with a flush draw after the turn, you’re making an unprofitable play - you’d need to be getting 5-1 on your money. Fold the flush draw and wait for a better spot.
While no limit hold ‘em allows for a little more creativity than limit hold ‘em, you still need to understand the odds and do your absolute best to make profitable plays.
Another thing I notice is people playing far too loose preflop. I like to play a lot of hands, but in a full ring game of no limit you really should be playing tight-aggressive poker. Playing hands like K♥J&spades out of position will get you into a lot of trouble. If you’re in the SB - why call with hands like J5o? It’s not going to be a profitable play and while it’s only half of a small bet, in the long run you will start losing a significant amount of money on this play.
No limit hold ‘em can be very profitable if you focus and play solid poker, but remember: it only takes one hand to lose all your chips. If you stop focusing for one hand or make one bad read, your entire stack could be gone in an instant.
Related Posts
- Getting back into limit
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- Don't Play Newbies for Money!
- Pascal and Poker - Seeking Safe Wagers For Pocket Queens
- Limit holdem strategies: Part I
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