Please only respond if you have put in significant volume in at live poker.

What the **** is wrong with fish?!?! they never fold. Do I just never ever bluff them and not worry about being imbalanced.

Here is a recent HH.

1/2

500 or so eff, I open 96o UTG 15, 3 calls IP, SB calls. Flop T52r: I 50, MP calls SB fish calls. K I 150, SB calls. A I ship, SB calls with K3o.

Obv I need to have bluffs in my EP opening range and be balanced with air when cbetting into the field otherwise i am extremely nutty heavy if i only cbet with value hands, but what is this fish thinking otr???

I do have a very spazzy/bluffy image. should I consider that when barrelling it all of?

Kettle=black

everyone is so bad, i seriously think playing close to 100% vpip is correct

Sorry to break it to ya man, but 1/2 players aren't interested in the slightest about 'balancing ranges'.

You're better off playing a TAG playstyle which consists of folding 96o UTG 100% of the time. And when you have a hand, bet massive.

Also, don't overvalue image in 1/2, although some might be paying attention, chances are they don't care, they'll be calling your 3b with A3cc hoping to hit a flush or an ace, and if they do hit an ace, they won't be folding.

A TAG style in a live game? I can't imagine having anything below a 50 VPIP in the games I play. aren't you worried about giving up too much by playing too tightly vs these types of players?

I just turned 21 and came from playing home games with all these genius indians kids who played poker instead of get girls, and have never played with a live fish before.

in those games my vpip is much tighter since there was no motive to get into a pot. if just one of these players were at the home game I used to play in, every single one of us would play atc against the fish every chance we got.

why would my mission change in a live game with not 1, but 8 other fish?

Not at all, just sit back and get some popcorn and fold fold fold raise fold fold fold fold fold fold fold raise fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold.

That's how its done, aim for a 10VPIP.

EDIT: just play AA KK AKs and QQ only in position, fold QQ OOP.

Hi, welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of the answers you are looking for either in the stickies (which everyone is encouraged to read), other threads and in the people who respond to your posts. In this thread, your posts indicate you need considerable help.

To start off with, it is against the rules of this forum to tell groups of people not to respond. You don't own this thread. The second you make it, it is open to all of the community to respond and get value from it.

Next, the term "fish" means nothing. To Phil Ivey, even the best players posting in this forum are fish. I'll be honest, but to most of the posters in this forum you are the fish. Think about your statement that your villains won't fold. If they won't fold, why are you trying to bluff them?

It isn't obvious at all that you need bluffs in EP. You'll miss plenty enough times with tight range in EP to have enough "bluffs" on the flop. In fact, I can't think of any full ring table situation where 96o would be an "automatic" raise.

You are trapped in the stage of poker playing where you've been exposed to a few things, but don't fully understand the implications. Read Ray Zee's article in the latest 2+2 magazine to see a 50,000 foot view of the stages of a poker player. You're not past the first stage yet. You have several years to go before you can say you've mastered LLSNL.

Fish play 100% VPIP....that's why they're fish and exploitable. TAG style plays best at 1/2 NL....LAG players get crushed in most of these games because their opponents (fish) don't understand when the correct time to fold is. Bluff the good players and value bet the fish to death...

Once you go up in limits you'll see the difference in play....playing 96o from EP is simply spew and you not having a plan for the hand. Your thought process was simply...I'm going to bluff!!!!

Take the constructive criticism and learn from it....Ego is what keeps the majority of players from getting better. If you're bringing this question up...you're not ready to play a good LAG style at 2/5 or 5/10....need to become a solid TAG player before you can open up your range IMO...this game takes discipline.

"fish" will usually not fold top pair and to try and bluff him off if it is spew.

ask the other fish with K3 he will help you with this question.

You said you already had a spazzy/bluffy image...

Change gears, play tight, stop bluffing, and go for max value on your good hands....watch how it pays off...you'll be amazed.

This thread is amazing.

most fish would never even notice if you're balanced or not - they're not even thinking about your cards. All they're thinking about is the hand they have and how it might improve. (and most of them are wildly optimistic about how often it will improve).

Based on that information, why would you ever enter a pot with a fish with a worse hand than them and try to bluff them off it?

I'm going to assume this is a troll.


If it's not. Please stop posting here. We need your kind in the pool.


I don't even know where to start with OP.

I thought it was pretty obviously a joke...?

Balance if need be. Dont if there is no need. Simple.

Ace on River and K3 calls shove? You must have some pretty obvious physical tells and/or image issues for that to happen for $200+. I have seen a lot but I would probably have to see this one in person to grasp it. Timing tell or attitude tell ... something gave you away here.

What was your goal when playing poker previously? BB/hour? At 1-2 live you can 3-bet 1 hand every 30 minutes and 'easily' make $20 per hour ... if you can handle it. Play position, play the player, play the situation .. no reason to create your own situations in 1-2. They naturally create themselves. You have to be 'more' aware of your opponents at 1-2 than higher levels IMO. Some play their kids birthday like its AA, some call with 2nd pair regardless.

You have already figured out that you 'always' have to have 'something' ... just make sure that the something you have makes sense for the opponents in the current hand. GL

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm assuming you are older and more of an OMC type player (just learned that term and its awesome). Yes, i would most definitely be viewed as a fish to any thinking rec player that you would probably find on these forums, but the adjustments they've been making vs me are lol. keep trying to tarp me, and then complain when they get zero value with their set vs my tpmk that they waited "all night for to get me". In the meantime, fish are calling 200bb off with mp vs my tpnk while they sit around and play like a 15 vpip in a live game. have you seen the mistakes going down post flop? I can't imagine not being involved with these fish post flop with atc as often as possible.


You think playing like a NIT/TAG is discipline? thats the easiest style of poker there is. Everyone i've seen playing that style is just on their smart phone the entire time.

Playing a super LAG style is much more difficult to execute for extended periods of time. I challenge you to play like a good LAG for 8hrs, and not spew off.

obv I spew too since this fish wasn't folding K3o here, but that was probably because of the whole image thing, and the fact that I had bluffed him countless times this session already and he was suspicious.

Said by guy who probably has not put significant volume in at live poker...

If you had, you'd understand why this hand is terribad

And while your typical fish is not good at poker, they aren't complete morons in general. When you continually bully and push people around, eventually they crack and spew chips because "he can't have it every time". He just happened to spew more profitably than you

Troll/level thread count: +1

If it was easy to play tight, more people would play that way. It's a good way to bring home the bacon, but I guess that wouldn't be kosher money.

I really want to believe OP is serious.

That and play in his game.

Not sure why Venice didn't lock, but I will, cause much as you're trying to learn, this thread is troll bait. . Read the stickies. Don't balance. Value is king in LLSNL.