1/2 Nl Super Loose Games.

[Startled 0]

The 1/2 NL (live) game i've been playing has been getting progressively 'better' or 'worse', depending on your perspective. A lot of 3/6 players are moving to 1/2, and they're bringing their "call anything with anything" attitude along with them. it isn't uncommon now to see calls and pushes with marginal hands like gutshots or KTo. So far, so juicy, I know. It creates two questions regarding how to play in a super-laggy NL game.1) I've built my BR up to about 2500, and have only "dipped in" when it got above that. As the game (d)evolves, I'm thinking I need to move that baseline up. Does anyone have guidance?2) Playing strategy for this type of game... should one be more aggressive, or move to lock-down mode? I've tried both, and while I don't have anywhere near enough hands to be sure, I have been having more success with lock-down, but I know (see) I'm getting moved off a lot of winners and leaving money on the table. Anyone else playing these types of games?

[psujohn 0]

BR questions depends on what the BR means to you. Namely is poker a hobby, an important source of additional income or a full time job. Assuming hobby and your BR is replenishable if you bust then I wouldn't worry too much. If it's not easily replenishable I'd want more like 4K.As for strategy I'd play fairly loose passive pre-flop and look to make a hand. I wouldn't worry about getting pushed off hands if they're top pair or over pair kinds of hands. You'll make so much on your monsters that you can afford to give up some winners and play passive with your mediocre hands - and TPTK or an overpair is a mediocre hand in a very loose game.

[Startled 0]

BR questions depends on what the BR means to you. Namely is poker a hobby, an important source of additional income or a full time job. Assuming hobby and your BR is replenishable if you bust then I wouldn't worry too much. If it's not easily replenishable I'd want more like 4K.

We're talking 1/2 here. Is anyone playing that game except as a hobby? Still, I have a very low tolerance for going "broke" -- I haven't taken money out of my disposable income for poker in about 5 years, and I'd hate to do that now. 4K seems like a lot, though, but it would be manageable, I think. I just have to avoid peeling off the bills for non-poker stuff for a goodly while.

As for strategy I'd play fairly loose passive pre-flop and look to make a hand. I wouldn't worry about getting pushed off hands if they're top pair or over pair kinds of hands. You'll make so much on your monsters that you can afford to give up some winners and play passive with your mediocre hands - and TPTK or an overpair is a mediocre hand in a very loose game.

If I'm reading that right, you'd try to limp or see cheap flops with a lot of hands, and only get aggressive with the monsters? There are so few limping opportunities in this game -- occasionally, you'll be able to limp from very late position, but 'limping' is often a 10-12 proposition. I think it's because of the frequency of raises that the newer players are calling 6x-8x raises with weak hands -- they just can't stand folding preflop. There probably isn't a correct strategy, and there's probably more money in the long run in being a controlled maniac, if I could hang in for the long run.

[KoRnholio 2]

From the little 1-2 NL I have played at my local casino, it seems a lot like 3-6 LHE but with variable sized (and much bigger) bets. Except that people will fold on the river to large bets after calling down with who knows what, instead of calling with busted draws/ace highs like they do in 3-6.I am seriously contemplating betting any time I have an above average piece of the board next time I play against some donk call stations..

[maniacinaction4 0]

It depends, at the 1/2nl level there are a lot of calling stations, and extremely weak players. I like to limp a lot and simply outplay them. I don't get into raising wars with them. Straightforward solid poker is best against these players. Try anything fancy against these unsophisticated players and you will be broke in a day. Don't even try it with the super loose-aggressive opponents, I like it though because the majority of the people are afraid of calling off their whole 300-400 dollars on one hand. I would definitely play straight up solid poker against these players, I don't mind showing down the best hand or scooping up all the orphan flops no one really wants.

[pocket3s 0]

Tight is right in loose games.

[maniacinaction4 0]

Tight is right in loose games.

You want to mostly play solid, but since most of the players are dead money players who don't know what they are doing, it is more correct to see more flops with them and play a bit more loose. I like to see flops with extremely weak players.In a weak loose game, tight is wrong IMO

[antistuff 0]

You want to mostly play solid, but since most of the players are dead money players who don't know what they are doing, it is more correct to see more flops with them and play a bit more loose. I like to see flops with extremely weak players.In a weak loose game, tight is wrong IMO

this is correct. in a deep game with lots of horrible limpers you should be playing a huge range from lp. in an unraised pot you might just play every single hand from the button, it can't ever be that big of a mistake and you will look like a complete moron which is always a plus.

[bigstack1980 0]

I too am having trouble with this donkey-ish styles of play in the lower limits.... this is why i want to save up to get me into higher games where the word respect.... still means something...

[Zach6668 513]

I too am having trouble with this donkey-ish styles of play in the lower limits.... this is why i want to save up to get me into higher games where the word respect.... still means something...

This is a joke post, correct?

[Zelphade 0]

i use to play in loose 1-2 nl games all the time and i played tight and did really well. The players are so bad that they dont realize how your playing so they pay you off when you make a monster hand. But they will suck out sometimes so just remember that its their money they got back not yours!!

[cubbybri 0]

I'm playing .25/.5. I'd like to play higher but guess what, my stats say that I shouldn't go up yet. I even have the bankroll online to go to .5/1 (almost 1/2). How the heck can you play higher limits if you can't successfully beat lower limits?It's a lot easier to deal with the variance swings in a smaller limit then save up for the big game and have your @#$ handed to you. Learn to play the game. Then learn to play it well against poor skill, then learn to play against better skill.ANd although you can run across donks at all levels..... poorer skill=lower limits=losing at this level means you are not as good as you think you are.

[CrazyJoe 0]

I too am having trouble with this donkey-ish styles of play in the lower limits.... this is why i want to save up to get me into higher games where the word respect.... still means something...

ya, people will definitely respect your raises more the higher you go.

[Royal_Tour 0]

This is a joke post, correct?

i hope so too.1/2NL live is a jopke. The only reason i havent switched to 2-5NL fulltime is because 1/2 is like guaranteed money.if you can guarantee 1 or 2 buy-in's a day from 1/2Nl without having to stress your brain, wouldnt u want to stay there for a little while?

[Lil_Hellmuth 0]

The 1/2 NL game I had a strategy that seemed to work for me. I played 2 strategies. Play real loose on my first buy in and try to hit a flop to double up. Play second buy in real tight. Play real tight first buy in and play small ball then loosen up when I had the chips.I had a better win rate with 2nd strategy but made a lot more money with the first.