Fast Fold Poker Tendencies/Limits

[RollinFatties]

I play a lot of Zone/Blitz, mainly micro-stakes. I've noticed that I tend to have more success at 1/2NL vs .5/.10 or .10/.25 as players are more predictable and not as reckless.

For example, players at 1/2 will typically fold to CBETs and doubles, yet at lower stakes I find myself getting called down by opponent w/ 3rd pair after triple barreling on wet board.

What are some of your strategies for this type of poker, specifically at the lower stakes? I'd love to move up to 1/2 but I don't have the bankroll to comfortably stay there. Or am I wasting my time and should stick to cash games and MTTs?

 

[fundiver199]

If you dont have the bankroll to play 200NL, you have probably only taken a few "shots" at it, and then you have no idea, what your real winrate is going to be. It is beyond naive to think, that higher stakes games are easier to beat. The are not, so you just ran hot over a very small sample. If you find, that your bluffs get picked off to often, then dont bluff. It is literally the most simple thing in the world

 

[mkdrummey]

I've lost the most money playing zoom tables, usually when I was chasing points as it seemed a quick way to get them.

I used to play on a site called terminal poker, which was one of the first to introduce the fast fold format. Initially I did well but it soon dropped off. I'm sure there's a strategy for busting these tables. I won't play high stakes

 

[sebastianrm]

I think edges on fast fold poker are way thinner than in regular cash games since you are rarely capable of spotting the fishes and even less likely to exploit them in a significant number of hands. There's not a lot of value playing medium or even strong hands in this mode, because player are way too nitty in the micro stakes and you will more likely extract value of them just with premium hands.

The only real benefit fast fold poker has for you is the increase of volume in the hands you play and the experience you can gather by playing this mode, or at least that's what I get from this video by Ryan Fee.

 

[Rahatis]

Keep playing were you feel comfortable as long as you have fun.

 

[AntA_KO_v]

If you find, that your bluffs get picked off to often, then dont bluff

aaaahaha! that's true =) I allways say it to myself on the bubble!!! and sometimes it works =)

 

[Vallet]

If a person believes in their hand, they will also call with the third pair in a live game. You need to stay on limits that are comfortable to play with. As long as the bankroll is not to increase several times.

 

[fundiver199]

I think edges on fast fold poker are way thinner than in regular cash games since you are rarely capable of spotting the fishes and even less likely to exploit them in a significant number of hands.

And in top of that even fish play tighter, because they dont get bored, when they fold trash. A lot of the time its not like, fish dont know, its bad strategy to play bad hands all the time. They are just impatient and trying to make things happen.

The only real benefit fast fold poker has for you is the increase of volume in the hands you play and the experience you can gather by playing this mode, or at least that's what I get from this video by Ryan Fee.

I actually got a bit p.... off by that video, when I originally watched it. While I sort of get, what Ryan is trying to say, I think, that for most people its important to experience success in poker to keep up their motivation. So by deliberately playing in the toughest games, you can find, you are probably just setting yourself up for a situation, where you will end up quitting. You are also not building your bankroll, so if you are ever going to move up, the money has to come from elsewhere.

I think, the best strategy is to do the exact opposite. Find the soft games and the path of least resistance, and go from there. To be honest this is, what Ryan and all other pros from that generation did themselfes. When they started playing, games like 25NL and even 100NL were incredibly soft. So they never had to face any hard resistance, before they had already made it into mid or high stakes. So to me Ryan is a bit like a father telling his son to "do what I say, not what I did".

For me fast forward games are only for practicing ABC-poker, and I dont recommend spending a lot of time on them. If the rake was lower, or if you play on a site, where you can collect points for a huge rake-back, then maybe there could be a point to them. But on a site like pokerstars, where you pay 4,5-5,0% and get nothing back, its just a rake-trap.

 

[Evan Jarvis]

I play a lot of Zone/Blitz, mainly micro-stakes. I've noticed that I tend to have more success at 1/2NL vs .5/.10 or .10/.25 as players are more predictable and not as reckless.

For example, players at 1/2 will typically fold to CBETs and doubles, yet at lower stakes I find myself getting called down by opponent w/ 3rd pair after triple barreling on wet board.

What are some of your strategies for this type of poker, specifically at the lower stakes? I'd love to move up to 1/2 but I don't have the bankroll to comfortably stay there. Or am I wasting my time and should stick to cash games and MTTs?

Regarding what to play, you should play whatever
A) you enjoy the most and
B) makes you the most money

Regarding zoom, the strategy isn't too different from cash games other than you can open a few more hands late position than on regular tables because people defend their blinds less (because of the fast fold option).

Otherwise just like regular cash games, solid play, and patiently putting in volume will get the results at the end of the day. A main perk to zoom is the ability to get a lot of player points and cash in on the vip program.