How to beat 1-2 NL games (Playing against bad players)

 

It’s ironic but to me one of hardest things to do in NL poker is beat a field of bad players. It sounds like it should be easy, but bad players can actually be more frustrating to play than more talented ones. Many bad players don’t understand the intricacies of the game. They don’t see the value in building a pot or folding a draw. All they know is “ALL IN” or fold. A while back I was having difficulties beating a local 1-2 NL game. It was so annoying because I knew that about 8 out of 10 of the players were terrible. The most frustrating thing is that they were terrible in a knitty way They could never bet their hand but they could always call. Many times these players would limp for $2 get raised to $15 and still make the call. It drove me nuts trying to figure out if I was value betting or bluffing. I tinkered with a few different strategies to try to get the most value from the game. Finally after some trial and error I think I have come up with a sound strategy for beating your typical Vegas tourist low limit NL game. I started following these simple rules a couple months ago and have started seeing longer winning streaks and bigger winning sessions.

Rule #1
See as many flops as possible for as cheap as possible - It was once said about the great Stu Unger that he played every hand at the table but the pots he won were bigger. In this day in age almost every player that sits down at a 1-2 NL game has some idea about pre-flop play. A lot of them are of the “I never win with this hand” mindset. They don’t know about isolating and protecting pre flop. What they are trying to do Pre flop is either see a flop for the minimum or go all in. Let me know if this sounds familiar, a player limps for $2 the pot gets raised to $10 and they ship for $100. If you haven’t then consider yourself lucky. Many solid players will sit down and try to bully these guys by making large pre flop raises, but what I have learned is that it’s almost futile to do this because they are intent on seeing the flop they can care less about the price pre. I have found many times that it is much more effective to play smaller pots pre flop with them, knowing full well that they are not experienced enough to play post flop. especially if your in position. If you do this you have to understand that this doesn’t mean that you don’t raise your big hands your simply opening up your pre flop range. Be prepared to raise and fold as well because many of these players will only raise with big pocket pairs. A lot of times I will limp from early with hands like A-10 A-J K-Q Q-J suited. To add deception and keep out of position pots small. In position I will open raise with these hands. This leads me to lesson #2

Rule #2.
C bet selectively - This could almost be number 1 because it is so important. They way poker has evolved evening the most novice player now understands the concept of Continuation betting. They expect that the raiser is going to bet the flop most times. Because of this I want to keep these guys guessing, a lot of times you will be playing with calling stations who are more then happy to check call you with top pair on the flop. It’s very situational dependent. If I’m heads up with a guy I’m going to C bet much more than if there are 4 people in the hand. The one certainty is that I will C bet almost every semi bluff. For two reasons.

1.To build a pot in case I get there

2.To make one bet that might get me all the way to the river. If you are playing correctly your opponents should never know quite know when your going to C bet. A lot of times because of this your Pre flop raise will allow you to get control of the pot at least until the turn.

Rule #3
Make Hero folds - it’s funny because this used to be one of the hardest things for me to do in NL. All of us who cut our teeth playing limit have been there before. We flop a strong hand but a flush draw is on the board. We bet the flop get called the turn is a blank we bet get called the river is the flush card and our opponent comes out betting. It seems so hard to lay down our top 2. I can think of so many times that I would agonize and level myself into making the call knowing full well that I was beat. In these type of games many of the players play with their cards face up. In fact the mere bet size is a clear indication that the player has made their hand. For example they will go all in for $100 but there is only $40 in the pot. I decided to start using it to my advantage. These type of opponents have been told over and over that the way to win at NL hold em is to wait patiently for a good hand and play it strong. Many times they are only playing the strength of their hand and they can’t wait to show it off. Occasionally you will have to throw away some winners see my (Straight hand)but that’s okay in the long run you will irate and frustrate your opponent who are constantly looking to get action when they make a hand.
Rule # 4
Keep control of pot sizes - If you want to have a good laugh try this some times in one of these games. Make the minimum bet into the pot every now and then. Watch how many people just call. To me the reason why position is so important is because you have a better chance of controlling the size of the pot. This is why I won’t raise with some hands from early position that I would raise with from late position. If you are playing your best your should have no problem controlling pot sizes in these games, in fact many times your opponents are so happy to win a pot they can care less about the size of it. Try to keep your winning pots bigger than your losers. This means avoiding expensive draws even after you called a raise pre flop. While you might miss out on some action you should be more than able to make up the difference by manipulating your opponents. Because so many of your opponents will be taking passive aggressive lines, you will have a great chance to build you winning pots while at the same time minimizing your loosing pots. Think about it if your opponents are constantly checking to you, you have the power to decide when money goes into the pot and when it doesn’t.