playing against absolute beginners

I have been playing poker just over 2 years and have done ok (making a profit). Throughout the 2 years i have been spreading the word, about texas holdem,to anyone one that will listen at work. Now 6 of us are going to meet up over christmas for a home game. The problem is, none of the other 5 have ever played before, and i need to come out on top by the end of the night just to prove it is a game of skill. Anything less and my life back at work (on a building site) in the new year will be a nightmare.

What would be my best strategy against these know-nothings hell bent on beating me with with nothing more than their ego's and their 'it's all just the luck of the cards' strategies.

Also what odds would you make me an intermediate player to beat this field?

Sounds like there will be alot of calling stations to just see the cards and hardly any folds for them. Take advantage of that of course you probably already know that. Plus when they hit a good hand it will be a very big tell for beginners. I used to have a card ranking poster on my wall when we played and my sister in law use to look up at the rankings when she had a good hand. I definitly played that to my advantage. Have fun, I would say good luck but you don't need that.

lol no offense but i would say you are going to be hard pressed to come out on top in this tourney. Ive played at tables with new players and let me tell you they dont know proper holdem lol. since you have 5 of them all i can say is good luck and only play premium hands if possible.


g/l

If they haven´t played before, be sure to explain them all the rules so they don´t complain about something in the middle of the game (i had an experience where someone wanted his money back because he thought that QKA23 was a straight and lost lot of chips on that hand). If it´s a friendly home game i suggest that, but of course if it´s not then every player should know the rules.
In relation to the strategy as kraigus said it´s most likely that your friends will be just calling stations, specially if they hold a face card. The best way to take advantage of that is to just play good hands. I know that 6 handed you cannot wait forever for a premium hand, but try to avoid playing garbage. Remember that if they are calling stations you can´t bluff, because they are going to call you anyway. Also remember that you won´t have any table image, so don´t try to take advantage of something you won´t have.
You can play just good hands as i said or maybe you can try limp in hope to hit a monster, because it´s most likely that there won´t be raises preflop.
Once you hit the monster or you already have a monster preflop, be ultra aggressive. Overbet, because they won´t understand the value of your bet and will call you anyway.
If you play in that way you won´t learn anything, it may be boring, and you shouldn´t play like that at any other table, but against those opponents that style is going to be profitable.
Now it could happen the opposite situation. They haven´t played before but maybe they read an article or asked someone else about some tips and now they just top 10 hands and fold to any bet if they don´t hit something. I think that it would be better for you if some of your opponents play like that, because they don´t understand that they´ll start playing 6 handed so they have to change their hand requirements. In that situation you just have to loosen up against those opponents, because they´ll fold to any bet if they don´t have premium hands, so they´ll become predictable.
In relation to prove that poker is a skill game, you have to remember that luck is a factor that counts specially for single events, so be prepared to accept any bad beat that could cost you the 1st place. The skill factor will be shown in the long run.

I can use any kind of help i can get.........

in a major slupppp!!!!!!!!!!

i havent been able to get past the second break.........Unbelivable............

This is more of a re-hash of what JL has said, but ive played lots and lots with these sort of players.

1) Play your big hands hard and fast. If you pick up AA,KK,QQ for example, dont be afraid to over-bet, dont try anything fancy, be prepared to go all-in on a whim with them. DONT SLOW PLAY ANYTHING.

2) Limp-in to lots of pots while the blinds are small. The likelyhood of these guys raising is slim, these guys wont respect your table position, so limping in will be cheap. If you hit the flop, bet it hard, the likelyhood is that these guys will chase gut-shots and backdoor flush draws, make them pay for it.

3) Beware of the A-rag play, especially if your playing Top pair and an ace comes on the turn or river. Ive seen novice players pay out nicely chasing their ace, ive even seen them call bets on the river with their Ace high.

4) Be fully prepared to fold, if you see 2 guys betting and raising each other, get out quick unless you have a monster.

5) Your more likely to get outdrawn in this type of game, take it on the chin if you bust out ! Smile and say "See you guys next time".

This is a home game so before you start, clearly explain the house rules. New players a a real challenge to play agianst becuase you don't know their style of play. Don't bluff against them (at least the first hour anyway) becuase new players generally will call anything because they want to see the next card. Within an hour, try to figure out their playing style and adjust accordingly.