I'm just wondering if in general is it necessary to cbet, or semibluff, or bluff, or attempt to spot bluffs in micro limit 9 max games such as 25nl? Is it a positive expected outcome? Or is it simply unnecessary? Like to be honest it is quite hard for me to not do these things because I try to think 3-5 steps ahead of anyone I play against, yet I think I might be realizing that this is unnecessary and actually possibly wrong to do this in the micro limits, although I just have such a hard time playing "abc nit poker" so to speak. It just doesnt really keep me engaged.

And its actually worse in the 6 max games in my opinion because the players arent just bad, they are also reraising light and making maniac plays nonstop which means lots of variance no matter how good a player you are. And I also find them unnecessary even though my style is naturally a very loose aggressive and deceptive style, because I dont see any reason why I cant still play that way in a 9 handed game over a 6 handed game, if im managing to isolate one player before the flop comes down, which in either situation, 9 max or 6 max, i have a huge advantage either way. But yeah back to my original point, I just want to know if my game is just naturally not suited for the low levels, and if so, should I just be playing a tight nit strategy with no cbets or bluffs, if my goal is obviously long term profitability? BTW, please dont think im overconfident about my game because im definitely not, all im saying is that I am a very methodical player, although I do admit to making my fair share of mistakes now and then.

this is all very villain depedent, but try to play as straight-forward as possible at these stakes. you're going to do well enough playing abc poker. although, abc poker does include those things you mentioned. pay attention to your hud; again this is all very villain dependent. cbet when v has a tendency to fold to cbets, bluff when you believe you can take your opponent off of a hand, pick off a bluff if you have a solid read, value bet thin if v calls down light, etc. don't get too tricky, adjust your style for table conditions, and stay aggressive.

Ok well here's the deal, I dont use a "hud". I dont use pokertracker or any hud or anything like that. I just play what im hoping and assuming is a solid game. And if I ever make an advanced/tricky play, its like 90% of the time just based off one of a few things...those being
-betting patterns (i then come up with a decision based on the average 25nl players tendencies).
-how much villain bets and i try decide what his bet is trying to tell me, and if it makes sense or if it doesnt then i make my decision partially based on that.
-his range obv.
-occasionally, and i mean every once in a blue moon, a decision i make might be based on how long villain takes to make their move, and this is only if im sure villain is only playing 1 table.
-what villain thinks my range is and if i decide to bet, i gotta make sure that he will react how i want him to react the majority of the time, based on if the puzzle adds up in my mind to a point where i think the puzzle will also add up in his mind likewise. if not, then i usually stray towards the more conservative possible decision(s).
-my general (and often vague and incomplete and possibly innaccurate) view of the table image.
-player notes
-my instincts

So that is how I currently play my poker to be completely honest with you. And I play usually 2 tables of 9 max 25nl. Now im gotta say, I have actually recently been considering the possibility of purchasing pokertracker3, which i think comes with poker acehud. Anyways, do you guys think such product is absolutely necessary considering my naturally methodical way of playing and the fact that it can be reckless at times (the results can be too) considering my lack of more complete information on my opponents? Or is such a product more along the lines of something that is mainly personal preference? Because if the majority of you guys say I should buy this product and stop playing poker immediately until i have it because its that important, then thats what ill do. But i would like to hear your views on it first.

The well respected MSNL-HSNL player Fees recommends that we don't use a HUD as he thinks it stunts growth as poker players and prevents us from developing good reads. I personally use one, but basically only look at preflop stats which I use to generically divide my opponents into categories; I still like to take detailed notes and figure out how people play different types of hands.

As for bluffing at 25NL, absolutely it's profitable. The key is to bluff the right people, people who are weak tight. There are plenty of people at 25NL who are weak/tight. The majority of the rest are loose passive. These are the people you should be less inclined to bluff and more inclined to value bet.

Edit: Also if you're thinking of getting a HUD, I've heard Holdem Manager is better than PT3 (note that these are HUDs and databases).

Also, you can get a free HUD called Realtime HUD. I'm still using it. This would be a good way for you to determine whether you want a HUD without having to get database software as well.

HUD/database software's primary usefulness, in my opinion, is multitabling (playing more than 4 tables at once). If you're going to do that it's almost required to use PT/HEM, because you just don't have time to pay attention to your opponents. You need stats on them so you can at least, at a glance, get an idea of what their ranges are.

It depends. If your primary goal is to get up to NL50 or NL100 and consistently beat that game while playing 12 or 16 tables and make money, yeah, use and mastery of PT/HEM is pretty crucial. If you're just trying to become the best player you can, though, you have to pay nitpicky close attention to everything your opponents do. So in that I agree with Fees; it's better for a beginning player to learn to read opponents first, then add PT/HEM to their game.

I'm not saying HUDs are bad or you shouldn't have one. I'm saying too many people rely excessively on them and don't watch their opponents themselves.

The #1 problem I see with hand histories posted here isn't that the posters are too weaktight, or that they're too spewy, or that they want to fold a set on the flop when they should never do that, or that they bet or raise without a clear idea of why. The #1 problem I see is they aren't really paying attention to their opponents. Yes, I know sometimes a hand develops against an unknown player within your first orbit or two. But it seems like most of the uNL posters are getting themselves in tough spots because they just don't know their opponents. And then sometimes we think '38/14/4 over 41 hands' is a read.

I'm TAGgy, but there are times I'll go 200 hands and VPIP 90 of them, because I just pick up that many small pairs or suited connectors, or the table dynamics (lots of limping) are such that I'm encouraged to play all kinds of semitrash like 97. If you raise with KJ in the cutoff and I call you on the button, and the flop comes J49, and you c-bet and I raise and you call, and then the turn comes 4 and you check and I bet half the pot, you'll post a hand history and explain how I've been playing 45/22/4 over 200 hands, wow, this guy's an aggrodonk... except surprise! I'm really more like an 18/15/3 player, and though I push hard preflop and on the flop, if I'm still in the hand and betting the turn, It means I was holding 99 or AJ, and you're in trouble.

Yes, there are stats that will tell you how hard I push after the flop action and what it probably means. But it's hard to look up those stats to help you on the fly, while your time bank's running. If you'd been paying attention to me, you'd have an alarm bell going off in your head saying 'this guy's aggro but when he's still pushing late in the hand he's got a strong hand, I better get out of here' as soon as I bet the turn.

OK... it's 5:30 AM and I'm rambling and probably ranting and making no sense But I really think it's a collective weakness of uNL--and I include myself in this statement--that we don't pay attention to our opponents enough. This is bad, because whereas at 2000NL Villains will be subtle and tricky, at 25NL most of them are caricatures, and the information's there to be had. And please, please, TAKE NOTES! I can't always do it when I'm 4-tabling (4 is the most I do, and more often I stick to 2), but I try to put a note down every time I see a showdown happen at the table (not just the ones I'm involved in).

CLIFF'S NOTES/TL;DR VERSION: A HUD is a poor substitute for notes.

It’s not always -EV to bluff, semi bluff or bluff catch at 25NL. But it's not how you make your money at this level.

You make money by value betting, value betting, value betting. You make money by playing raised pots in position with the countless passive fish because they will make so many mistakes. You make money by playing your big draws very aggressively. You make money by constantly raising in late position and c-betting often.

Basically you make the vast majority of your money from the straightforward stuff. There are times to bluff or bluff-catch, but they’re pretty rare and very villain dependent. Most players at 25NL are loose and passive, which means they rarely fold and rarely bluff. So why would you want to try and bluff or bluff-catch them?

Just value bet them to death. Watch what they call down with then adjust how thinly you can value bet. With some villains you can value bet middle pair, with others you will need two-pair or better.

And you should definitely get a tracker. You are at a massive disadvantage without it. Not just because all the other decent players are using it, but because it makes identifying the loose passive fish and the type of player you’re facing so much quicker. You still need all the other things you said, instincts, reads, observations and history, but a tracker will just give you a quick rough image of how someone is likely to play. They are especially useful before you play (for table selection), and after you first sit down for the first few rounds. You can then adjust the impression the stats have given you as you see things for yourself. Also if you want to bluff and make tricky plays, a tracker will help you insta spot the players that stuff will really work against.

And also, I just noticed you’re talking about FR, I'm not sure but I think this forum is supposed to be only 6-max.