$1/$2 Cash - I really need help & advice

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MIDNIGHT115

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Hello,

I have been studying poker: reading articles, watching training videos, and reading the forums. I have been playing $1/$2 no limit with absolutely no success. It is very difficult to play $1/$2 with people who don't really think. I am a very tight player and I don't mind waiting, waiting, waiting & waiting for a good hand before I jump into the action. At $1/$2, even if someone raises it to $20 pre-flop that player may still get 3-4 callers (because the odds are so good is what I hear them say). And that same person wins the pot calling a pre-flop raise out of position with Q-3 or something similar. There are a lot of crazy stories. But my point is, because we are so short stacked, I play ABC poker waiting for a good hand, that gets sucked out by people who call you so quickly and shoves all in when they hit bottom pair.

I'm really beginning to think there is no way to win at this level, that you have to be really lucky to win any money (which I am not). Most of my cards are never higher than a 7. Because of that and the way the people play, I spend a lot of time folding, and I spend 95% of my time at the poker table trying to put people on hand ranges, but action moves so fast, they don't even take time to think about the action, they just throw out their chips, that while I still thinking and trying to pick up tells, the action has already moved to the flop and is on the 3rd player to act. I try to calculate pot odds and outs. I am okay with that.

I want to get so much better at poker, but I REALLY CANNOT AFFORD TO CONTINUE LOSING MONEY, because my AK didn't hit, and the kid next to me who called with 7-3 off, continues to win chips because the pot odds were so good he had to call. Not to mention, I'm continuously getting blinded out. I may call with AJ-AT, KQ, and maybe T9 if I'm on the button, and maybe I might call an A9 + if I'm in the blinds, but those hands don't come around very too often. I don't dare call or raise with Speculative hands. Not deep enough, and "MY HANDS" never hit.

When I try to bluff, which isn't very often (maybe once every 2 hours), I still get called, and I'm never deep stacked enough to continue to barrel. Which in my case is good, because people call crazy all-in bets with one pair weak kicker all of the time.

I have not played enough hands to get a feel at where I am at. But most of the hands I have played, I lose. I will say I have lost about 87% of the hands I played. And the hands I have won, were not substantial wins. The loses always hurt way more than the wins. More goes out than are coming in.
 
HypnoT0AD

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Hi,

I don't play $1/$2 so can't give you strats, but if you're not winning then wouldn't the easiest thing to do is play lower stakes?
 
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MIDNIGHT115

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What is lower than $1/$2?

I'm not in a state that allows me to play online.
 
HypnoT0AD

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A lot of sites have $0.01/$0.02 as their lowest stakes, but I guess you are in the US so I'm afraid I can't help, I play on stars form the UK.

Are there any other sites you can play on with lower stakes?
 
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MIDNIGHT115

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There are free sites, but I can't get better at the game with those sites.
 
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subsinind

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You can just play craps and make more money than playing 1/2 live if you cannot be patient.

You can also try playing 2/5 live and see how you cope up. When your table is as loose as you describe, its a good table and you just need to more patient. Raise more pre or go all in on pre/flop.
 
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MIDNIGHT115

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@ subsinind - thanks, but I covered all of that in my original post. I am very patient, almost too tight. When I raise, I get called, and I don't have much wiggle room if I don't hit. When I go all-in, I get called, and I lose. I'm not going all in with crap hands either, they are AK and AA. KK - yet I still manage to lose.

The small hands that I do win, are so small that they do not help

Craps? I don't know what that is. And isn't the saying "if it were easy, everyone would do it?"
 
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subsinind

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Craps? I don't know what that is. And isn't the saying "if it were easy, everyone would do it?"

What you need to know more is "Easy come, easy go"

"Nothing come easy baby" - Scotty Nguyen

I still think you need more patience. If you think, you cannot be anymore, maybe try a different game (craps). Your odds are -ve against the house but when you see some good shooter at a table, put your chips in and get out when you hit it.
 
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QA77

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This sounds like such an easy table when you have people calling $20 preflop with junk hands. Try to play all your pairs and suited one gappers as well as suited connectors. If you hit your straight, flop straight or flush draws, those are strong hands. And if you hit your set, you'll make a lot of money. Avoid putting in a lot of money with Ax. Like AK on a K108 board is very vulnerable so don't go nuts with it. You need to know what kinds of hands your opponent might have. $1/2 is a very easy game especially when it plays very loose. It can be hard when there's no action and rake makes it hard to beat. But you have to make sure you make the pot as big ss you can when you hit your straights and sets.
 
jashiggs

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What is your total bankroll that you have set aside for strictly playing poker?
 
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PKRNRS

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Story seems a little fishy. I know it can be a hard game but you should win at some point just out of variance. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
 
Omahahahaha

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Maybe start out at .02/.05 online and build up your skills at that level.
 
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braveslice

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Learn by playing play money first, or zynka poker. Talk a lot with the guys playing with your, buy couple of beers and talk after game. Most resources are for higher limits, so be sure you read something aimed for around NL5 to NL25.
 
Cmoneytaker5

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200nl live is the softest game on earth...just wait until you get the nuts and just bet them hard...i wish i could find a place like this! Few years ago i was in berlin for 7 months for business and their casino was exactly like this...the best place on earth to play poker full of agro donks, i cashed out every single night...you can't beat them because you do not wait for da nuts son...mix your play a little bit and overbet every street when you are 100% sure you got the nuts, if you see that river is cooler just fold...
 
Durk

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Winning at 1/2

Hey Midnight 119
I'm a professional poker player and have spent many hours at the frustrating 1/2 tables and I definitely understand where your coming from.. ill try to give you a couple small tips to help with the frustrating times at the 1/2 table...
Now by the sounds of it the guys and gals your playing with are playing very loose. This is great news for you! If people are calling 20$ preflop with Q4 that's exactly what you want. One of the biggest things you have to remember though is that you will get bad beats! Bad beats are a great thing! Why is that? Well without bad beats bad players wouldn't come to the table! Without luck bad players would never win which would mean they would never come to play! Now my suggestion to you is spend more time at the table. The more hands you get in the more a better player makes money over the bad player. Now If you need some help becoming a "good player" or atleast a better player then thats where you need to put in the work. I suggest reading Phil Gordon's "little green book". It's a great start but far from the whole solution.
If your interested post more questions or reply to this message and I'll try and help you out a little bit for the next time your at the table!

Durk
 
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Ametist17

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If it is difficult to you to play at any level, it is necessary to lower it!
 
Pauliefromgoodfellas

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As has been said earlier you are lucky to be at a table with that many bad players. When you are on average playing more opponents you will have higher variance.
Here is a situation:
Imagine you open shove utg in a 10bb effective stack cash game with AA preflop, you want to get as many callers as possible but you know that generally, the more people that call you the higher percent chance you will lose.

You can try to find games that are lower than 1/2, maybe home games or something of the sort, or you can try to build up your bankroll playing live freerolls since this seems to be a bankroll problem as these situations (opponents calling raises w/ 27 preflop and things like that) are long term +ev for you
 
RidersFan

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Sounds like your running bad, it will turn around. Also for a table like that you should open up your game playing suited connectors in any position, 3 betting with with hands like A 10 + and suited broadway cards as well as middle pairs with the intention of getting it in pre flop. You need a little more gamble in your game. Don't worry about picking up live tells so much, it a common mistake players at 1/2 make. Putting too much emphasis on tells. You will still pick up on the obvious ones when your not looking for tells. Your much better off on paying attention to bet sizing and betting patterns of your opponents to determine hand strength
 
Beanfacekilla

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You can just play craps and make more money than playing 1/2 live if you cannot be patient.

You can also try playing 2/5 live and see how you cope up. When your table is as loose as you describe, its a good table and you just need to more patient. Raise more pre or go all in on pre/flop.


Not this. If OP can't beat 1/2 loose passive fish, it's hardly time to up the stakes.



OP:

Beating live 1/2 is pretty simple. If people call too much, value bet them relentlessly. Strong TPTK or even TPGK is usually enough to get 2 streets of value, sometimes 3 streets, or just stack them on turn cause they aren't that deep. If they start making big check raises, or show extreme aggression (not leading into you on flop for 10% pot, that is just silly), they just have what they are repping, a strong hand, one that beats 1p hand you have.


If they fold too much, like limp calling pre, and folding flop if they miss, cbet those types more.



Most tables villains just call way too much. You also must consider your image. If you have a losing image, cbets won't get through. You make a hand, and bet the **** out of it. Simple.


You won't win every time. People get lucky.


Also, you need to have a sound strategy. You need to know what hands you open from what positions, etc. I don't recommend limping too often.


If you have a game plan, that works, stick to it, and win long term. Like 500 hours is just a small sample for live poker. I've had 300 hour break even or slightly winning. It's not as easy as you may think to just print money every day. Luck is a factor in the short term. Stop focusing on short term results, and focus on making quality decisions, and good plays.


Don't bluff calling stations. You don't have to cbet bluff, especially when you have a losing image at the table.



I think you should start noting hands in a notepad App in your smart phone, and post them here for review. Here is an example of notes to take live......


This is a hand from 1/2 from a little while ago.


4. BTN ($328) As-Jh. 3L, we raise to $15, 2c. Flop Q-9-4r. Checks through. Turn 3s (two spades now). Checks to us, we bet $30, only first guy calls. River Kd. Checks, we bet $60, folds quickly. Tip $1. (+$57)


I note position, stack, and cards. If V is short, or deep, covers us, I note it.


So then, you clean the note up, and post the hand, get opinions on it in HA section.




The reason I suggest noting and reviewing hands is because I suspect you are making mistakes and have leaks. We all have leaks. Put the work in, find out how to leak less chips, win rate goes up.



Just make hands and bet them. No fancy 3 barrel bluffs, stupid slow playing, or FPS. You can't move a fish off top pair (sometimes any pair/piece of board), so don't try. Make hands, bet them. Play premium hands. If you get C/R by passive villains, or if they suddenly become aggressive with betting, fold if you can't beat 2p+. They don't bluff hardly ever at 1/2. You can fold to extreme aggression without thinking twice, because LP fish and mostly incapable of bluffs. They just effing have it dude.




Post some hands. Let's see how you play. I think your game needs work.
 
Beanfacekilla

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Sounds like your running bad, it will turn around. Also for a table like that you should open up your game playing suited connectors in any position, 3 betting with with hands like A 10 + and suited broadway cards as well as middle pairs with the intention of getting it in pre flop. You need a little more gamble in your game. Don't worry about picking up live tells so much, it a common mistake players at 1/2 make. Putting too much emphasis on tells. You will still pick up on the obvious ones when your not looking for tells. Your much better off on paying attention to bet sizing and betting patterns of your opponents to determine hand strength


No.



This entire post is just cookie cutter nonsense. No mention of what villains to attack, or why, just advice that we need to start 3b and getting it in, and gambling? Good grief not this.


No mention of stack sizes, and position doesn't matter?



I don't mean to be disrespectful, but dude this is just horrible advice.


We don't need to be going to war with A-10 against an opener (these people limp constantly, and they raise like hardly ever). We just wait for cards, in position, and strong top tier hands out of position, and raise when people limp. We apply pressure to passive players, make hands, and separate them from their chips. Most 1/2 players hate money.
 
RidersFan

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No.



This entire post is just cookie cutter nonsense. No mention of what villains to attack, or why, just advice that we need to start 3b and getting it in, and gambling? Good grief not this.


No mention of stack sizes, and position doesn't matter?



I don't mean to be disrespectful, but dude this is just horrible advice.


We don't need to be going to war with A-10 against an opener (these people limp constantly, and they raise like hardly ever). We just wait for cards, in position, and strong top tier hands out of position, and raise when people limp. We apply pressure to passive players, make hands, and separate them from their chips. Most 1/2 players hate money.

It not non sense he playing against players who have zero strategy, don't understand game theory. When you play against player who are just playing two cards in front of them position isn't much of a factor because the other player won't be paying attention to position. I've played at tables like this they are very easy to control if you play aggressively with plan obviously mindless aggression is not what I was saying. Sitting waiting for a hand simply doesn't work, you will end up winning just small pots that don't make up for the hands you play and miss unless you wait to make hand over hand which is more rare.
 
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RakeMyLife

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Hey Midnight 119
I'm a professional poker player and have spent many hours at the frustrating 1/2 tables and I definitely understand where your coming from.. ill try to give you a couple small tips to help with the frustrating times at the 1/2 table...
Now by the sounds of it the guys and gals your playing with are playing very loose. This is great news for you! If people are calling 20$ preflop with Q4 that's exactly what you want. One of the biggest things you have to remember though is that you will get bad beats! Bad beats are a great thing! Why is that? Well without bad beats bad players wouldn't come to the table! Without luck bad players would never win which would mean they would never come to play! Now my suggestion to you is spend more time at the table. The more hands you get in the more a better player makes money over the bad player. Now If you need some help becoming a "good player" or atleast a better player then thats where you need to put in the work. I suggest reading Phil Gordon's "little green book". It's a great start but far from the whole solution.
If your interested post more questions or reply to this message and I'll try and help you out a little bit for the next time your at the table!

Durk

Best advice here. One thing that 1/2 can teach u is how to deal with bad beats and bad runs. And as durk mentioned, try to think of bad beats as the key ingredient to get bad players at ur tables. You WILL reap the rewards if u play long enough (and well enough). That's why it's so important to have the bankroll to play through those times.

Also, that is a great book to get u started! I recommend that to all newer players.
 
Beanfacekilla

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It not non sense he playing against players who have zero strategy, don't understand game theory. When you play against player who are just playing two cards in front of them position isn't much of a factor because the other player won't be paying attention to position. I've played at tables like this they are very easy to control if you play aggressively with plan obviously mindless aggression is not what I was saying. Sitting waiting for a hand simply doesn't work, you will end up winning just small pots that don't make up for the hands you play and miss unless you wait to make hand over hand which is more rare.


How many hours have you actually played live? Honestly.


Position isn't important? Yes it is.


Sitting and waiting for a hand works fine. I've spent thousands of hours doing just that. We can also exploit limpers with a wide range in position (position matters).
 
scorpi224

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i guess you're just unlucky :D i played zoom games on poker stars too and i still lost most of the time because i don't run away when i win a hand i'm just to greedy which i hate that in me ...good luck further though
 
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