Home Games how to play !!! agains newbs

Hi everyone here's the situation, I play poker at home with 7 of my friends... Most of them are newbies and I just want to know how to play against them because I cant read theyre J 3 hands they play and hit 2 pairs... How can they win and always hit their crappy hands... I play tight and cant raise cauz they call any raise so what i have to do to beat them ???

Just raise with the absolute premium hands (AA, KK, QQ, AKs, AKo in any position, add AQs, KQs, JJ, TT and maybe AQo and AJs in late position if pot is unraised), and raise big to try and get down to one or two callers.

If they're playing loose/passively, suited connectors (straight/flush value) and low pairs (set value) go way up in worth, so feel free to limp in mid/late position with these if there's not a lot of preflop raising going on, and bet big right away if you hit on the flop (if they're very loose they might call with something that isn't good, and slowplaying gives yourself the chance to be drawn out on later unless you flopped something huge). Don't bet draws unless you have any specific reason to think you're not going to be called. If people are getting crazy with preflop raises as well as playing loose, just wait for one of the aforementioned premium hands until you play back. If you get drawn out on, or if you end up playing card dead for ages... well, it happens I'm afraid.

Dorkus hit it on the the head.

Play straight up. These guys will not understand the implications of suttle or even obvious plays. Don't get fancy and slowplay or check/riase. They won't get it. They don't even get the value of a raise (implied strength) and what it means to you or me.

Bet if you have it, call/check if not sure and fold if you don't. I tend make decisions about my hand post flop or at the turn. If you have not improved, just bail because top pair just doesn't win all the time.

That is why straights/flush/sets will win you big. They may not see them on the board and it usually is the winning hand. You never are sure if your top pair/two pair will always win.

Here is my one tip:

Watch betting patterns. Here is a very common situation: Most newbies will play anything suited before the flop because they're thinking "Flush, flush!" Oftentimes, they will make, say, two diamonds or spades on the flop and have 4 to the flush. They will bet. If you have a pair or better, or even a good draw, call. Now, watch how they bet on the turn. Many people who bet on the flop and miss their card on the turn will check. It's an easy tell. Now, you should make a VERY large bet. They don't have it. If they call and make the flush on the river, that is just bad luck. But, most of the time, you'll win a big pot!

In loose games where your raises get absolutely no respect, you want to limp with a lot more hands and play against them postflop- this is where the money is won.

You want to raise with the premium hands and occasionally with a med-suited connector like 10-9 suited just to throw them off occasionally.

Well I finished 2nd... I was short stack 3700 chips against 4800 chips... Got Ad Qs blinds 400-800 I was Small blind... so i go all in with my AQ to get the BB of the other player... He calls after a long reflexion with... (Ks 8s).... heres the fukin board (8h,Kc,Qh,8c,Js) so he beat me with the full house on a all in... do i did the right move.. I think he was very lucky to win that all in... I was so disapointed I did no mistake all the tourney and lost it like that ...

All in heads up with AQ with blinds so large compared to stacks is standard. You just got unlucky.

I feel your pain, Ben. We (my hubby and I) had our friends over for a friendly game of poker (another couple, plus my cousin). The couple (both of them, but especially the wife) had no idea what they were doing, despite our best efforts to school them in the ways of NL holdem. They would bet anything, call anything, and NEVER folded their hands! And somehow, they ended up sucking out nearly every hand.:shot: It was sickening. We don't invite them to our poker games anymore... :ciao: :laugh:

Well don't you love them calling your raises if you have a good hand? I stopped playing live games with my friends for the same reason. It just gets on my nerves. The answer is your doing the right thing playing tight. Play tight and play some poker that is the only thing you can do unless you stop playing with them.

I LOVE playing against newbies. Its great fun, basic basic poker. As was mention only play with premuim hands, and then hit HARD. The harder the better, never come in with a mim raise. Overbet and overbet hard, easy to get a suck out but eventually these guys will start to realise your strength when half or all their stack is in trouble.

that's a funny scenario man...most times when i play home games - one half of the table is pretty good and the other half are just drunk and ignorant to it so they play anything. it makes for an interesting read. The other day actually i had to muck so many hands that i was down to 1/20th the chip leader and then learned em and played smart to come back and win...you take the worst peoples' stacks and then use em against the beter ones...when they all suck though - thats a great mean time......

I would play tight and observe how other players bet. If "newbie" you mean playing poker, I would raise unless you have a good hand. A "newbie" at poker usually calls anything. If "Newbie" you mean playing against, play tight and on the rare occasion semi-bluff until you are comfortable with the player(s) betting and playing style. Good Luck! :beer:

I like that way you stated tenbob, I for one enjoy playing with the newbies I'll watch and observe for a while and when I do hit the big one I usually bet a medium raise and sure enough I am raised and they are gone, but that is with premium hands we play every weekend with about 10 regulars who usually bring a friend or two and it makes for bigger payouts so yes newbies are welcome at our games and just wait for the good hands and have lots of patience which we need when playing with new players.

Last time I played with friends I later was told one guy doesn't want to play with me cause he thinks I cheated.

He played all hands no matter the cards. I played great hands and didn't waste my money chasing. I left with about $180 he and his friend left broke.

My favorite was he bet a lot on a Omaha hand he misread. I hit a full house and he thought he had a straight flush. But he was using 3 of the cards in his hand.