A little advice.

OK so ive mainly been playing cash games as it gives me the time to wait for hands to play rather than being blinded out in a tourny. The last few days ive taken a bit of an interest in tournaments and MTT's and haven't placed too bad (managed to provide a decent bump to my meagre BR). Admittedly i think variance was on my side as I had a few lucky escapes.

Cash games have really started to piss me off. i end up waitin for an hour to play one decent hand only to be massively out drawn when i get it. Its not really an option to try bluff at the .2/.4 level as you probably all know that half the tards that play at this level will call anything down if they even have a tiny piece of the community cards

My question is: Should i just stick it out with cash, switch over to tourny's or switch between both.

i feel that im gettin the patience in tournaments unlike before id get about an hour in and get bored and start chuckin my chips away. Im startin to get bit more confidence in my tournament play even if i can be bit of a donk at times( was berated today for pushin 2 guys out of a 4 way pot when one dude was all in. he took the pot but a guy who wsnt even in the pot raged at me for pushin the other guys out incase they had a piece and could have put the guy out). IM finding that i dont get blinded out as much in the games that im playing in bubbling few times and being lucky/unlucky the rest.

thoughts?

thanks jim

hey ... i'm in the same spot... and for that reason, my adice would equally be of some value, i think.

My advice:

1. you need to love the game; do not play the game so maybe ... just maybe you get your money back!!!

1. Never stop thinking about yur game and your opponents game - if you sometimes have to pay a bet just to see the cards, do it! At the end of the day, you are playing for cents ...

2. Be stuburn and don't give up; I do ot mean calling any bet. I mean - be tough on you; criticise yourself; try o unersand wha you doing wrong!

3. Keep in mind, poker is also a mind game! In many cases you can play your opponents mind, rather than your cards!

4. don't play with fear! you need to be confidet you doint the right moves - as long as you do that, work on your mental strengh so you can overcome the bad beats successfuly

5. Keep pressure on your opponents; don't let them do it to you

Some people might slag off the 2/4 cent limit tables and the play there but ignore them. It's a great place to learn solid ABC poker. It's really the only style that works there. It'll also teach you the patience you need and toughen you up to bad beets as they'll be a regular slap in the face at that level.

Focus on your game, don't try to do things that are more sophisticated than your opponent can recognise and you should turn a small and steady profit. I advice using strict bankroll management, if the max buy in for the table is more than 5% of your roll you're playing too high. This may seem overly cautious but being properly rolled has a great effect on your attitude to risk when playing on the tables (not playing with scared money) and takes the sting out of the bad beats.

2/4 is where I started a year and a half ago with $50 and only a basic understanding of the rules. With patience, persistence and many ups and downs I'm bankrolled for 50c/100c and close to moving to 100c/200c.

Good luck and all the best.

Magpie

Stick to cash games, and get Harrington's cash books.

If you're waiting for an hour to play a hand (even if you exaggerate), you're doing it wrong. You don't want to play tight if the table is loose. You want to play loose, but tighter than them.

At 4NL, I think drawing hands go up in value, because you can make good hands (straights and flushes), and get paid off multi-ways, and get paid off by the guy who's been waiting for AK and flops a K and gets stacked by the river.

So start playing 68 suited and all sorts of stuff.

FearTheChaos, 17/11/2009

@ FearTheChaos i dont fully agree with your statment about playing loose but not as loose as them! i play NL4, dont know if you do or not - but it is crazy loose there - im talking vpip 80 - 90% aint all that uncommen...

set mine all PP and play your strong hands strong!

thats the only advise i would say...

ohh and dont bluff @ ALL!

get MAX value out of you good hands - im not saying dont play suited conecters! play them in possition (around the button) all day long.

anyway i play NL4 so what do i now just my thoughts thats all...

j1mb0b