Playing at Limits above Penny Poker

The games are tighter and doesn't seem beatable.  However, the statistics show that tighter games have tighter player standards, so the King's percentage of hands seeing the flop of about 22% seems reasonable for winning in games where, on average, the players see the flop 30 to 50% of the time.

With so few players, playing overcards comes into play more. It seems like if overcards are not played, winning would not be possible or just barely profitable.  Playing overcards and marginal hands at least is action and helps in getting action later with better hands.  Still, playing overcards is not fun. 

There is more to hold 'em than starting hands standards.

How to Play at the Low Limits

The percentage of seeing the flop is an important statistic and PokerStars has this statistic. The percentage of players playing beyond the flop is not listed by PokerStars, so this is a statistic that the King has to have either thru Poker Tracker, thru observation or possibly by pot size.  As the limits go higher, the percentage of players seeing the flop decreases, however there is quite a variability in the pot size.  Malmuth in Poker Essays recommneds to the reader to play in games with medium size pots. Small pots has more folding and big pots must have players going to the river or must have aggressive players who raise often.  It would be time well spent to handicap a table before jumping in.

Microlimit Heads Up

There are no real money heads up games on PokerStars or Full Tilt except for Sit n Go games.  The reason must be that the rakes don't kick in in small pots.  Whatever the case, playing heads up poker with play money is very addicting because of the action.  Playing against very aggressive players is very stressfull, and not fun, because of the necessity of going to the showdown with no hand.  The benefit of playing heads up is when, in a full ring game, most of the table folds and there are just two to four players remaining. 

The Rules of Poker

The King finally learned the split pot rules of poker after setting up his Turbo Texas Hold' em computer that has Win XP.  TTH is not compatible with Win 7.  The King thought that learning these rules would rarely be helpfull and instead they are helpfull occasionally when playing play money heads up.  Studying the rules of split pots this past week was time well spent.

Fat City

Fat City is a movie directed by John Huston and starring Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges.  Keach plays an alcoholic, over the hill boxer and Bridges is his protege.  It is a good movie and rated high.  In this scene the two main characters are walking into a spacious card room and bar in California somewhere. A railbird is on the left.

This poker room is spacious and has just a few tables.  There at least six players per table and they must be playing poker.

Walking towards the bar.

This looks like a scene from Nighthawk by Edward Hopper.  This is not a poker movie and worth watching.

The King is back at the penny tables and taking a few shots at the higher tables when they are loose and passsive ones available.  There are many loose aggressive tables all the time.

Back to the Penny Tables

The King went back to the loose penny tables.  There were some loose tables at higher micro limit tables but they were few and far in between.  Most tables tend to become tight and even more so at the tables with higher stakes. With tighter play, the pots won become less.  After giving up, temporarily, on the 25-50¢ it was a relief, because the last two big pots the King won were showdowns with high cards - what a stressfull way to play poker.

Losing Again

The King moved up in stakes but still at the microlimit level.  These tables are tougher with isolation plays and tight play.  Most of his pots were won without a showdown and these pots were smaller.  The past two months have been terrible. 

Romans 5:3-4


Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.