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No-Limit Holdem Cash Game Tactics
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Author: Marc Weinberg
August 21 - I've played a lot of short-handed (6 player max) no-limit cash games this month and I'd like to share some of the tactics I've employed so far. My results have been good with positive cash flow, but they could have been even better if I'd started out implementing the following strategies.
First of all let me stress that these tactics are designed for cash games and not for poker tournaments, and second that all these games took place on Party Poker where the general standard of play is atrocious. This is obviously a huge factor, but to take full advantage you need a substantial bankroll because weak players really play havoc with variance in the short term.
The central strategy is to play from a position of weakness knowing that if you catch up you can win a huge pot. In basic mathematical terms let's say you are dealt a small pair and know that your one opponent has a premium pair. You know that one time in eight you will hit a set and that you can expect a big pay-off from someone with top pair or an overpair. You can take the flop and in some cases even see the turn and hope to spike a set there, if the payoff is big enough.
The key, however, is to recognize when you are too far behind and to acknowledge that there isn't enough value to stick around in the pot. You see this so often with poor players, and that means you see it all the time at Party Poker. A guy has the nut flush draw and he's four to the flush on the flop. But, the board has also already paired. Here you might be too far behind to justify paying to hit your hand - you could still lose to a made full house.
My philosophy with no-limit is to desire the hands that can win big pots and not wait for premium hands that win small pots (AA, KK) but can also get burned for huge losses. Give me small pairs, suited connectors, disguised straights on the flop any day and save the pocket Rockets for the chumps who still think this is the same game as limit poker or tournament poker like they see on the TV.
A perfect example of the difference between the two games is flopping middle pair. If you're short-handed in a big cash game this is potentially a wonderful position. The flop comes A-9-4 and you hold 9-Q. You put your opponent on an Ace with a good kicker because he put in a raise preflop and then made a strong continuation bet on the flop. In fact, you're pretty sure he has AK. If this was limit poker or a tournament you have to fold your crummy middle pair here.
Why? Because in the tournament a loss of chips is permanent. If you lose the chips you are eliminated. In limit poker you have to fold because if you do improve to beat your opponent it will not occur often enough for it to be profitable. When you win you can only get a couple of extra bets from your opponent. But let's say it's no-limit and both of you have deep stacks. You each have $1000 in front of you and the pot is already a healthy $150. Now you want to stay for that turn.
Imagine the turn is a 9. He will bet out again with his AK and you will raise hundreds of dollars, which he will almost certainly call. I guarantee you will find a lot of players at every level on Party Poker who cannot lay down this hand in the spot I have described. You can easily double up your bankroll in a single hand like this.
Imagine you just hit a Q on the turn. In many ways this is an even better card for you because it is so hard for the AK to realize he's behind and likely to be beaten. The implied payoff makes the loose call with middle pair a good play.
You need this degree of loose play to win at no-limit cash games, but it has to be controlled and you need to know what you're doing. Don't call for the sake of calling. You need a plan based on a specific opponent and a specific final board. If you can visualize that in advance you could make a lot of money rallying from behind in this game.
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