I'm not a professional live small stakes player nor do I claim to be but I thought this could construct some good discussion from the 2+2ers. My thoughts are based off $1/$2 and $1/$3 NL Holdem Live games. This is advice is from an occasional online 6max .25/.50 NL player. I don't play as much as many online but thought I'd put my thoughts down for a live player coming from that field. At the very least hoping people would say I am crazy, or would add valuable tips for everyone to learn from.
1. Tighten up your range. Especially in EP. Coming from 6max to FR should be a given. Many people think live players are so weak they play far to many hands in EP thinking they can outplay everyone Post Flop.
2. Most of the plays you make in online games at .25/.50 will not work in SS live play. Trying to “represent” hands is lost on the typical live player. They are just playing the strength of their hand.
3. Given #2 you really just need to value bet your big hands and really don't get into leveling yourself into making thin calls. Sure you are going to lay down the best hand occasionally but you will make more in the long run betting 2 pair on scary boards then making hero calls with 3rd pair on the flop into 2 players.
4. Curb your 3 betting way back. Most live games play bigger than the stakes indicate. In the live games I've played at a standard raise is $10 or $15 (which in a $1/$2 or $1/$3 game is pretty big). Also once guys limp they don't like to fold. So 3 betting hands like AK, KQ, AQ, etc, hands that you most likely 3 bet in 6max online tend to lose value in FR games because guys aren't going to fold. So when you 3 bet them and whiff the flop you CB and get called then have to shut down on the turn.
5. Instead of being the guy “making plays” be the guy picking off the plays. This kind of goes along with #2 as well. Just find the guys who see poker on TV and think those plays work all the time and trap them with big hands. I've seem some hands that I thought “wow how can you call there, or how can you raise there” but in the end it is just a version of fancy play syndrome. Like I said you might throw away the winner a few times but in the end you will come out better for it.
That is it for now. Please add or dissect what I have already put out there. I'm looking forward to learning about live poker.
Tight is right and don't bluff in live poker is reasonable advice for anyone starting out.
Standard raise size for premium pairs is 6xbb is also useful info.
Don't talk poker at the table is also good advice especially if your intention is to show how smart you are.
But a lot of the other stuff just varies from table to table and with effective stack sizes. You're almost always going to be profitable if you play tight ABC poker but there is a lot of other stuff that you just have to change depending on the table. Its good to use the first two hours to try and come up with a plan for 4 or 5 of the other players at the table.
I like to decide my range and my raise size before looking at my cards. Helps me not give away weakness or strength.
