Quote:
Originally Posted by waterwolves
Really don't know where else to ask this so if I shouldn't be putting it here mods just erase.
I occasionally play a live 2-5 limit game and I am wondering if the rake is to high for it to be profitable. They take out for every hand 10% up to $3.50 plus $1.00 for the bad beat jack pot. So if the pot is $25 they would take a total of $3.50. If the pot was was $80 they would take $4.50 because that is the max they take. I am not sure if this is enough info for people to make an accurate assumption but maybe someone can give me an educated guess.
I was just debating it with someone and I was telling him I would be surprised if many people were beating the game at all. I am not blaming the rake for my loses cause I know I am not any good at limit just wondering if anybody can beat that kind of game?
This is the right spot.
I started out playing 2-5 spread limit in Colorado. I know that there were many winners with a 10% rake capped at $3 + $1 BBJ drop. I probably won 2-3BB/HR + in these games. As long as the competition is poor and the pots are much larger than the cap, it matters less.
The games moved to $4 + $2 BBJ and then to $5 + $2 BBJ, and somewhere in there, I believe that they became unbeatable. The issue is that the fish go broke so quickly versus the drop that you need a constant stream of new bad players to make the game playable. Even if it is only another $3/hand, that rake kills the game.
Given that your rake schedule is more like 5% up to $4.50, the game should be quite beatable. Most people underestimate the edge that a good player has an a spread limit format. If you have fish making $2 raises and calling $5 ones, an expert in this edge has a much larger edge than a fixed limit player. Since the turn bet doesn't increase, the biggest mistake that many "trying to play well" TAGs make is to fold to much. That's right, they fold too much. Your backdoor draws, your 5 outers on bottom pair, and the like often have the odds to continue. In this sort of game, your big draws really matter, and you need to jam them.
GL,
Doug
PS. My experience that online poker is much more profitable than these small live games. You should check out the microstakes forum and consider making a small deposit to play online.