[live] how to deal with people constantly raising in 1-2 NL?

[pyrotheassassin]

Alot of people have pointed this out already, but a live $1/$2 game is much softer than some of the lower online levels. That being said, it seems you have issues with two aspects, bankroll management and short stack play.

If you have only $200, buy in for all of it and play to have fun. You aren't going to haul a $3,000 payday, and more than likely, you'll go broke because you only have one hand to make a mistake. The problem with buying in 4 times with $50 is the one time you get AA v. KK and win, you only get $50, instead of $200. Don't think you are helping yourself by buying in short, you are only neutralizing any skill advantage in the game, which is bad if you are the one with the skill advantage.

I think you should follow PapaC's advice of depositing $50 on pokerstars and playing online for a little while. I would recommend you do the following: Buy in short (40-70 BBs) and get comfortable playing those stacks at the lowest level (2 NL). 2NL online is the closest representation that you will get to live $1/$2 since the newer players and the players that don't want to gamble too much will play there. You can test out your strategy and see how these players respond. You may be surprised to see how wide those ranges are. Also, study the types of hands that work well in mid stack situations.

Lastly, buying in live and waiting for AA/KK is not a good strategy. Just as those players continue to raise all your opens, they will fold when you open if you are playing, on average, 1 hand every 110.

Funny story: When I played my first live $1/$2 session, I busted out with K8o on a 852 flop in a raised when I shoved into KK. In my most recent session, I busted out with AA against 75o in a raised pot on a 76427 board. This is just one example of how wide these ranges can be and what players chose to continue with.

 

[Adict]

Generally, $1/$2 NL is the lowest live game available in the US in most locations. It is as low as it gets. Some places offer $1/$1, but that's rare. The only way to go lower would be to play online or find a home/private game that plays lower. We typically spread 5c/5c up 25c/25c in my home games (yes, we prefer flat blinds for various reasons) so the kids can afford to play and no one gets too hurt. It's all for fun anyway.

It is also a huge mistake to compare $1/$2 NL live with $1/$2 NL online (usually called $200NL). They are not even in the same league. I can destroy a $1/$2 NL live table, and I would probably get eaten alive at $200NL. The stakes online do not compare. The live games are closer to $0.05/$0.10 NL online (10NL). Although, even those are often tighter and tougher than the live games. People play live games to play cards, not sit around and wait for huge hands. They committed some amount of time to get there and play, they're only playing that one table, and they intend to actually play cards and not just fold. It is common to see tables where 7 out of 10 people were seeing nearly every flop, even with 5xbb raises pre-flop. That's rare even at the lowest stakes online.

The live games are a ton of fun. Enjoy them. Don't take them too seriously or look like you're there to only play the nuts (even if you are). Talk to the people. Poker is a social game, be social. Seriously, if you can't afford to lose a couple full buy-ins, gracefully, then you might not be rolled to play live.

Interesting. I don't usually talk to people when I play live poker.

I enjoy live more than online though, it's a more interactive game.