Poker Help

[Menudo]

O.k. I had to come on here and brag and offer help to my fellow Huddlers. Over the years, I have been playing ring games online, and though I'd often get up some money, I'd eventually lose it all. I never lost a ton of money playing, but, I was definitely putting in more than I was taking out. Then I started playing Sit and Go's at Bodog and doing a bit better and having more fun. Then I read an article that completely changed my game.

 

I put in $85.00 on June 16th. I now stand at $1,448.33 I've come in first in 5 of my last 6 and took 2nd in the other. $625 of my winnings have come in over the last 3 days.

 

I've done this by playing Sit-And-Go Turbos, ranging from $15-$25, with the occasional $55 play. I have also played in 3 of the large guarantees, taking 14th in a 550 players one, which got me $300.00. A lot of it has come from learning to be a better player, but, I've got to give tons of credit to the article I am posting below.

 

The basics of it is that the low-entry sit-and-go's have a lot of weak players. Early in the game, you let the weak players take themselves out, and then to the solid players that are left, you appear to be a rock, and at that point, you can intelligently get aggressive and steal blinds at the best time, when the blinds are high. I thought I would post this to see if it could help others the way it has helped me. It is by a guy named Roy Rounder. The italicized part is the most interesting, I alter my play slightly, as I do play dual-face cards on the flop, but, I simply call the minimum and get out of large raises. I don't follow this exactly, but, I definitely use the theory as my base strategy.

 

 

It's so simple...

 

And so obvious...

 

Yet no one seems to get it!

 

What's this easy-to-use secret for beating Sit and

Go tournaments online?

 

The answer is this:

 

PATIENCE.

 

I know... I know... you were expecting something

more, um... "secretive".

 

But the truth is, winning at Sit and Go's is

pretty damn easy. I find them easier than "real"

poker games, actually.

 

And that's why every time I turn on the computer

these days I feel like a kid in a candy store...

ready to clean out the amateurs at the poker room

of my choosing.

 

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

What I want to discuss here is why PATIENCE is so

critical for Sit and Go success.

 

First, let's get back to some basics. There are

four types of poker playing styles:

 

1. Tight-Passive

2. Tight-Aggressive

3. Loose-Passive

4. Loose-Aggressive

 

Your style should be tight-aggressive.

 

Don't confuse "styles" with "preferences". If you

want to be a good card player, you DON'T get to

DECIDE to be tight-aggressive.

 

You MUST be tight-aggressive in order to be good.

 

Period.

 

Of course there are DEGREES of each playing style,

and that's what accounts for the differences

between one pro and another... the DIFFERENT

DEGREES of tight-aggressive.

 

OK, now let me ask you:

 

What does "tight-aggressive" really MEAN?

 

Here's the answer:

 

It means that you play TIGHT in terms of hand

selection, but AGGRESSIVE when you enter a pot.

 

Be careful... "tight" and "aggressive" are not

opposites. "Tight" and "loose" are opposites. And

so are "aggressive" and "passive".

 

TIGHT refers to hand selection. AGGRESSIVE refers

to betting.

 

OK... so this is how playing styles relate to Sit

and Go's...

 

The NATURE of Sit and Go's makes them OVERRUN by

LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE style players.

 

The reasons are simple:

 

1. You can play a Sit and Go virtually anytime,

anywhere, and with anyone.

 

This means there's very low risk in LOSING, since

you can easily just move on to the next game. It's

not like in "offline" poker when once you get

knocked out you're DONE.

 

2. The money seems less "real".

 

Let's be honest... We all know the feeling of

making a deposit into an online poker account and

thinking to ourselves how it doesn't quite feel

like REAL MONEY. Am I right?

 

3. There's no "embarrassment".

 

Online poker is virtually 100% anonymous. If you

make a stupid move, you're not worried about what

the other players THINK of you. Who cares?

 

After all, the other "players" are really just

silly little avatars on an animated screen.

 

OK, so those are three (there are many more) of

the reasons why Sit and Go's (and pretty much all

of online poker) are dominated by the playing

style LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE.

 

Loose-aggressive is also known as the "manic"

playing style. And what's the FASTEST way to beat

a manic?

 

Yep, you guessed it...

 

PATIENCE.

 

The reason is because MANICS are constantly

playing many hands (loose) and doing so

aggressively.

 

What happens is that it's difficult to get a READ

on them because you never know whether they're

bluffing or not... unless you call their bets...

which you can't do because you don't have that

great a hand.

 

Has this ever happened to you?

 

Have you ever been up against a player who seemed

to be playing VERY aggressively and you just

couldn't figure out if they were bluffing or

holding great cards?

 

And then when you got FED UP with it and DID make

a call, he had you beat?

 

My guess is that it HAS happened to you... just as

it's happened for me.

 

The key thing to know is that THERE ARE certain

steps you can take to defend this. (I even wrote

an entire chapter about this topic in my book.)

 

But fortunately in Sit and Go's, this isn't really

much of a problem. Because you're usually not up

against just one or two manics. You're up against

an ENTIRE TABLE of them.

 

That means you shouldn't be CALLING anyone's bets.

 

Instead, YOU should push the action when you have

a monster hand... and ONLY when you have a monster

hand. And that, of course, requires...

 

PATIENCE!

 

It's actually much easier this way. Because with a

table full of manics, you can rely on getting

action with all your great hands.

 

(I should point out here that I'm generally

referring to Sit and Go's where the entry fee is

less than $50. When the stakes are higher the

quality of play is usually more intelligent.)

 

OK, so what I'm about to tell you might take some

of the "fun" out of Sit and Go's. But it will

increase your profits dramatically...

 

Here's what your Sit and Go "experience" should

look like when the field is from 8 or 10 players

down to 4 or 5 players.

 

**************************************************

 

If your hole cards are...

 

A-A, K-K - Go all in pre-flop if you're in early

position. If in late position and there was a

raise, go all-in. If people were just trying to

limp in, make a raise... and then bet very

aggressively after the flop.

 

Q-Q, A-K - If you're in an early position, bet

big (but not all-in). If you're in a late

position, use your read on the other players to

determine whether or not you think you have the

best hand. If so, bet huge or go all-in.

 

All other pocket pairs - Limp-in. If you spike

trips, go all-in. If not, fold.

 

Suited connectors - Limp-in if the blinds are

reasonably low. Fold suited connectors under 7-6.

 

Ace-X suited - Limp-in if possible. Only bet if

you hit the flush.

 

All other hands - Fold.

 

**************************************************

 

What you've just seen will be completely different

than most "starting hand strategies" out there.

 

And that chart is NOT for all types of no limit

Texas Holdem. We're ONLY talking about games that

match these three criteria:

 

1. Online poker Sit and Go tournaments

2. Low stakes (under $50 entry)

3. While there are more than 4 or 5 players at the

table (in an 8-man or 10-man Sit and Go)

 

DO NOT use that starting hand advice for any other

poker games... because that's NOT how you should

play your starting hands in general.

 

So why would Sit and Go's be so much different

than "normal" poker play?

 

Like I said before, the reason is because Sit and

Go's are heavily dominated by loose-aggressive

players... and THIS is how you beat those guys.

 

Why exactly does this strategy work?

 

It works because you're only playing monsters.

 

Now... if the players at Sit and Go's were SMART,

they'd OBSERVE that you're only playing monster

hands... and they'd FOLD as soon as you went

all-in.

 

I mean... it only makes logical sense, right?

 

Indeed, this is how it works in live games. But

not online. Because for online poker there's

another important factor working to your

advantage...

 

NO ONE'S PAYING ATTENTION!

 

The truth is, many players are either drunk,

hungover, stupid, or playing multiple tables at

once. Or all of the above!

 

They're not paying attention to your betting

patterns. They're just playing the CARDS, not the

PLAYERS.

 

I call my strategy for patiently waiting for

monster hands and then going all-in:

 

"Tight-Aggressive Squared"

 

The reason is because my strategy is like the

playing style tight-aggressive... but on STEROIDS.

 

Why go all-in so much?

 

It's like I said... you WILL get action. Maybe not

every single time, but enough times to make it

well worth your while.

 

For Sit and Go's, all you need to do is double-up

ONCE before the field gets to 4 or 5 players.

 

THEN you can start playing aggressively. What will

happen is that the 4 or 5 players LEFT IN THE GAME

will usually be the smarter ones. And some of them

WILL notice by now that you're playing tight.

 

SO THEN what you do is steal blinds. It's easy.

 

Everyone tightens up when there are four or five

players in a hand because they want to make the

money... and they want to be VERY CAREFUL to make

it into the top three.

 

That is when you steal some blinds and add to your

chip stack.

 

Then, after that point you'll be in third place

and will be in the money.

 

I have a ton of strategies for getting you into

FIRST place too (after you get down to three

players), but I'll have to save those for a

different newsletter.

 

You know, when I first came up with this strategy

of "Tight-Aggressive Squared" I wasn't COMPLETELY

convinced it was the best way to win at Sit and

Go's.

 

At the time, I had been trying a lot of things.

The idea of just being EXTREMELY PATIENT and then

going all-in with monster hands seemed a little

TOO SIMPLE.

 

Right?

 

Then one night, I was at a 10-man Sit and Go. I

went all-in with a big hand early and doubled up.

It was the only hand I got really involved with.

 

Then... with 9 players still at the table... my

Internet shut off. I didn't know what happened.

All I know is that the Internet just plain STOPPED

WORKING.

 

I would have called someone... but it was past two

in the morning.

 

I messed with it for like fifteen minutes and then

just gave up. Oh well... it's just one Sit and Go.

 

Anyway... I started working on something else on

my computer for awhile until all of the sudden the

Internet came BACK on.

 

I logged into my poker room to see what had

happened with the game. Immediately the screen

POPPED-UP and the action was to me...

 

I was still in the game, it wasn't over yet!

 

Not only that...

 

But there were only three players left!

 

I was in third, but still had some remaining chips

to play around with.

 

I immediately went all-in and everyone folded.

Then I did it again and everyone folded. And a few

hands later I did it AGAIN.

 

I picked up three enormous sets of blinds and was

right back in the game. The reason everyone was

folding was because I hadn't played a hand in 25

minutes. They were probably wondering what the

hell was going on!

 

Anyway, as it turned out, I actually WON 1ST for

this Sit and Go. First place baby... and my

Internet only worked for about 1/5 of the game!

 

After I was done I started thinking about what had

just happened. I realized that by PLAYING in a Sit

and Go you can often do MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD when

there are lots of players at the table.

 

And of course, I became 100% convinced that the

"magic equation" for success is:

 

PATIENCE + AGGRESSION

 

Your goal for these games should be to place in

the money as much as possible. Period. So why risk

chips on silly hands early on?

 

They're just not worth it...

 

The other thing about this strategy is that it's a

HUGE time-saver. Because it doesn't require hardly

any work until there are 4-5 players left. It

makes it MUCH easier to play multiple tables at

once... or do other things while the Sit and Go

plays in the background.

 

OK, so here's your "Tight-Aggressive Squared" Sit

and Go strategy:

 

1. Be patient, be patient, be patient!

 

Only play the hands I showed you earlier. Only bet

before the flop with Aces, Kings, Big Slick, and

Queens.

 

2. When you catch a monster, go all-in. Don't do

this if you think someone has you beat (i.e.

there's an obvious straight or flush draw on the

board).

 

I'm talking about only playing hands when you know

you have the best odds of winning.

 

3. When the field gets down to four or five

players (depending on how high the blinds are and

how many all-in showdowns you've won), shift gears

completely and STOP using this "Tight-Aggressive

Squared" strategy.

 

That, my friend, is the "secret" to Sit and Go's.

 

It's obvious... but not-so-obvious.

 

But it is DEFINITELY simple.

 

And you can start implementing it IMMEDIATELY...

Edited June 28, 2007 by Menudo

[wildcat2334]

ahhh Menudo- enjoy the winning streak- but be careful it can turn quickly............

 

I agree though- the Bodog sit n go's can be easy money, I usually play the turbo 25 or 55's. I normally play my best when I am doing other things on my laptop, playing tight as a drum, and not trying to catch some flops.

 

what is yer user name?- wouldn't mind getting a piece of you heads up............

[darin3]

Yeah the Bodog SnG's was where I made a bunch of my money. Note the word "was".

 

I'm playing the $5 to $10 SnG's these days, and as usual, playing my tight-aggressive style.

 

In a game now, and doing pretty good.

 

Feel free to look for 'darin3' there. Unlike PokerStars, you can't track users.

[bushwacked]

The secret is to keep playing smart (sometimes aggressive, other times passive) while you are getting good cards. As someone who has put thousands of dollars into poker bettings sites and taken out withdrawls of thousands more, you can go on a decent losing streak and/or winning streak playing patiently or aggressively. My best run was when the internet poker sites were just starting to boom and a lot of new dumb players were on their learning curve.

 

I've played with a lot less freqeuncy in the last couple years compared to 5-6 years ago.

 

BTW, I just got a $200 check from Ultimate Bet the other day in the mail, the first withdrawl I've made since the big gobment Republitards banned online poker.

[alexgaddis]

The secret is to keep playing smart (sometimes aggressive, other times passive) while you are getting good cards. As someone who has put thousands of dollars into poker bettings sites and taken out withdrawls of thousands more, you can go on a decent losing streak and/or winning streak playing patiently or aggressively. My best run was when the internet poker sites were just starting to boom and a lot of new dumb players were on their learning curve.

 

I've played with a lot less freqeuncy in the last couple years compared to 5-6 years ago.

 

BTW, I just got a $200 check from Ultimate Bet the other day in the mail, the first withdrawl I've made since the big gobment Republitards banned online poker.

 

Youre welcome...

[bushwacked]

Youre welcome...

 

 

The Easy Money is still around, just not at the level it used to be. ~ 6 years ago I was playing online with maybe a couple hundrerd people. Within a week or two, there were suddenly a couple thousand playing at one time.

[Menudo]

ahhh Menudo- enjoy the winning streak- but be careful it can turn quickly............

 

I agree though- the Bodog sit n go's can be easy money, I usually play the turbo 25 or 55's. I normally play my best when I am doing other things on my laptop, playing tight as a drum, and not trying to catch some flops.

 

what is yer user name?- wouldn't mind getting a piece of you heads up............

 

 

My username on Bodog is 'Menudo'

 

...and yes, I did get a "What kind of username is Menudo comment ?" over there. I thought it was one of you guys, but, he/she never heard of the Huddle.

 

As for being careful, I think the big thing for me is to resist the urge to play the bigger money tournaments because my funds are there. I need to keep playing the $15-$25 tables primarily, where the players are weak and my style is continuing to bring in rewards. We shall see how it goes, but, right now, I'm having a lot of fun.

Edited June 28, 2007 by Menudo

[wildcat2334]

My username on Bodog is 'Menudo'

 

...and yes, I did get a "What kind of username is Menudo comment ?" over there. I thought it was one of you guys, but, he/she never heard of the Huddle.

 

As for being careful, I think the big thing for me is to resist the urge to play the bigger money tournaments because my funds are there. I need to keep playing the $15-$25 tables primarily, where the players are weak and my style is continuing to bring in rewards. We shall see how it goes, but, right now, I'm having a lot of fun.

 

 

 

picturing you in the chat box- "Are you a member of the Huddle?" "Suffering succotash! you talking about Menudo?"

 

Good idea to stay in your comfort zone, once you start bumping it up, your play may suffer.

[Menudo]

picturing you in the chat box- "Are you a member of the Huddle?" "Suffering succotash! you talking about Menudo?"

 

Good idea to stay in your comfort zone, once you start bumping it up, your play may suffer.

 

 

I thought for sure it was a Huddler, cause the wording was exact. It went something like this....

 

PokerPlayer: What kind of username is Menudo anyway ?

Menudo: Do you know what the Huddle is ?

PokerPlayer: What ?

Menudo: Nevermind.

 

It was something like that.

[Bronco Billy]

I thought for sure it was a Huddler, cause the wording was exact. It went something like this....

 

PokerPlayer: What kind of username is Menudo anyway ?

Menudo: Do you know what the Huddle is ?

PokerPlayer: What ?

Menudo: Nevermind.

 

It was something like that.

 

 

 

[Bronco Billy]

Word of advice - take a significant chunk out right now. Leave in whatever you don't mind losing like it was your money (well, it is your money, but I mean money you earned honestly ).

 

If things go sour & your lose it all, you'll have the satisfaction of still having a bunch in your pocket. If you roll that remaining $$$ into another bankroll, you'll know that you did it playing with "free" money.

 

Just a word to the wise - and something I learned a long time ago at the casinos.

[Hat Trick]

I thought for sure it was a Huddler, cause the wording was exact. It went something like this....

 

PokerPlayer: What kind of username is Menudo anyway ?

Menudo: Do you know what the Huddle is ?

PokerPlayer: What ?

Menudo: Nevermind.

 

It was something like that.

 

 

but was it WHAT? or just What?

[Big Country]

Yeah.... I made the mistake after going on a nice run of playing at the higher limits. Long run I can beat them, but as I had pulled just about everything out, my online bankroll just isnt there. One bad streak and I am back down to a smaller bankroll. Havent deposited since my initial deposit some 5 or 6 years ago, but as I no longer have funds just sitting in Neteller to reload when needed, I need to get squeaky tight and regrow.

 

But, SNGs are a great place to do that. I've had several good runs in the MTTs there as well. Been way up in the cash games, then hit a bad run a couple weeks ago when I jumped up a couple levels since I had been running good and being stubborn since I knew I could beat the game, let my bankroll get decimated by playing with a short bankroll.

 

I'm debating if I want to reload a bit in there or just try get more live games going.

[darin3]

Word of advice - take a significant chunk out right now. Leave in whatever you don't mind losing like it was your money (well, it is your money, but I mean money you earned honestly ).

 

If things go sour & your lose it all, you'll have the satisfaction of still having a bunch in your pocket. If you roll that remaining $$$ into another bankroll, you'll know that you did it playing with "free" money.

 

Just a word to the wise - and something I learned a long time ago at the casinos.

 

This is actually wise advice, Menudo. I should have cashed half (or more) of the nearly $700 I had built up (from $30 or so) but ended up blowing it on cash games.

[Menudo]

This is actually wise advice, Menudo. I should have cashed half (or more) of the nearly $700 I had built up (from $30 or so) but ended up blowing it on cash games.

 

 

I am going to withdraw a chunk of it soon. I've decided to stay completely away from cash games, as the swings are extreme, and I don't enjoy them as much. If I stick to the low stakes SNG's, I'm not putting much of my winnings at stake, and most importantly, I actually enjoy the SNG's a lot more than the cash games.

Edited June 28, 2007 by Menudo

[darin3]

I am going to withdraw a chunk of it soon. I've decided to stay completely away from cash games, as the swings are extreme, and I don't enjoy them as much. If I stick to the low stakes SNG's, I'm not putting much of my winnings at stake, and most importantly, I actually enjoy the SNG's a lot more than the cash games.

 

Make sure you actually do that... like I said, I was just about to pull out most of my winnings and then got on a hot (and subsequently icy cold) streak on the cash games.

 

You might also want to try out the MTTs (multi-table tournaments). I know BC plays those quite a bit. Why not sit and play tight-aggressive for 2-3 hours instead of 1 and win 10x what you win on SnGs?

[i_am_the_swammi]

This is actually wise advice, Menudo. I should have cashed half (or more) of the nearly $700 I had built up (from $30 or so) but ended up blowing it on cash games.

 

 

you and I seem to suffer the same compulsive disorder, Darin.

 

i made my initial deposit into bodog about 3 months ago, and worked the account to an amazing $2400 thru sin-n-go's and low limt cash games ($100-$200 max). I cashed out for $1400, and left $1000 as some play ching. Feeling good about myself, I jumped into the $600 tables, treaded water for a couple weeks, and then lost the bundle on a couple bad plays, and one horrific bad beat.

 

Moral of the story: stay true to what got you there. I played so tight on the $600 tables, I was an easy target for the loose/agressive players at that level. They ate my blinds for lunch, chipping away at my stack. The sit-n-gos (specifically the 6-player ones) are easy money. 2-3 players are always the desperate types, and you can make it into the final-3 by just folding your blinds for the 1st 20 minutes. And since they pay the top-2, if you are any good, you are in the money.

 

Just don't get tempted by the big money at the big tables...there's always someone better, and a bad beat can wipe your stack clean.

[Menudo]

Swammi, I was wondering if that was you.

 

No wonder I broke my hot streak, Eagles fans are bad luck !!!!!

Edited June 28, 2007 by Menudo

[Menudo]

you and I seem to suffer the same compulsive disorder, Darin.

 

i made my initial deposit into bodog about 3 months ago, and worked the account to an amazing $2400 thru sin-n-go's and low limt cash games ($100-$200 max). I cashed out for $1400, and left $1000 as some play ching. Feeling good about myself, I jumped into the $600 tables, treaded water for a couple weeks, and then lost the bundle on a couple bad plays, and one horrific bad beat.

 

Moral of the story: stay true to what got you there. I played so tight on the $600 tables, I was an easy target for the loose/agressive players at that level. They ate my blinds for lunch, chipping away at my stack. The sit-n-gos (specifically the 6-player ones) are easy money. 2-3 players are always the desperate types, and you can make it into the final-3 by just folding your blinds for the 1st 20 minutes. And since they pay the top-2, if you are any good, you are in the money.

 

Just don't get tempted by the big money at the big tables...there's always someone better, and a bad beat can wipe your stack clean.

 

 

Trust me, the temptation is always there. When you start winning, you start thinking, now, I'll play the bigger money games and win even more money. I'm going to stay strong and stick with the low-entry stuff.

[i_am_the_swammi]

Swammi, I was wondering if that was you.

 

 

 

sorry to jinx your streak....i thought you were going to fold away and hope you finished third.

 

hitting that straight against those ladies was nice, though.

[Menudo]

 

sorry to jinx your streak....i thought you were going to fold away and hope you finished third.

 

hitting that straight against those ladies was nice, though.

 

 

I was in trouble that whole game. I stayed in a hand early that I probably should have gotten out of with my pair of Aces that got beat by a set, and that sunk me big early, which isn't good in a super-turbo. It was an uphill battle from that point, and I was lucky to even be in it as long as I was. Things are going good, but, I still have more to learn, as despite the streaks, I still make mistakes every game, where I think, I shouldn't have done that.

Edited June 28, 2007 by Menudo

[Timmypg]

[gbpfan1231]

Does this strategy still hold when you play a 45 person SnG?

[Menudo]

Does this strategy still hold when you play a 45 person SnG?

 

 

Wow, I have no idea. I bet it would still do pretty decent though. You would obviously have to turn to the aggressive mode a bit more quickly, as the blinds got higher, but, I think being patient early is always the way to go in tournaments.

[Menudo]

Well, the hot streak is officially over. Played 4 games last night, finishing out of the money in each one.....

 

I still blame Swammi

 

Actually, I blame my bragging....... if I just could have kept my damn mouth shut.