Some Low-Limit Hold'em Problems

Just like all other Card Player columnists, I usually try to respond to reader questions or comments within a couple of days. Because I appreciate any feedback I get and I genuinely want to help readers of this magazine in improving their play (most of all, those who look at my column first, of course), I take any question I get seriously. I try to answer each and every one of those questions as well as I can, and try to help where I think help is needed. Most of the time, my solutions get down to this: Stay calm, cool, and disciplined, take your time and move up slowly, never give up learning, do not overestimate yourself or underestimate your opponents, try to keep things in perspective, and stay critical toward yourself – but also have fun. In this column, I will share with you some of this advice. It is from an e-mail discussion I had with someone (John) who was having a bit of a bad run, and wanted some advice on how to solve a few problems he sometimes encountered at the table.

Mail No. 1

Rolf,

You are probably a very busy person. However, if you could take the time to answer two questions (the second question is in mail No. 2), it would be so much appreciated. I consider myself a 7, maybe 7.5, out of 10 player. I am on disability, so I get paid once a month. I play mostly $3-$6 hold'em. I like and can play $5-$10, but there seems to be more action in a $3-$6 game. OK, here's the situation: A guy sits down, buys in for $30, and raises 90 percent of all preflop hands and continues to bet or raise on the later streets. Because he was not winning many hands, I was able to see his cards only twice (6-4 suited and 9-7 offsuit, both for a raise). When he had gone all in, he would buy in for $30 more, then $30 again, then again … anyway, you get the picture. Now, I know that it's time to tighten up with all of this aggression and to simply play solid hands. But many times, five to be exact, I had a hand I could have played but didn't, when in fact it would have won. Also, the table consisted of mostly ignorant players in addition to the bully (no one used the check-raise, for example), so I got pretty frustrated that I kept folding winners – so frustrated, in fact, that I decided to quit.

Rolf, I learned a long time ago that if you are nervous, upset, or worried, it's best not to play and to wait for another night. I know that what this player did was legal, and he is not the first I've seen who plays like this. Now, how do I handle this type of player? I don't gamble for "fun"; I am there to win money. I live only 20 minutes away from the casino, so I win a little and there's always tomorrow. Please help me to mentally cope with this type of gambler – if there is a way to do it.

Mail No. 2

This one is more mental. This does not happen often and depends upon the amount of money in the pot and the size of my stack. I am dealt A-K suited and get reraised; so far, no problem, it happens all the time. Now, the flop comes A-K-X, the turn is a blank, and the river is a queen. No problem here, until I get raised on the river; it was obviously trip queens, and so it was. I am mad as hell, even though I don't show it in any way. I don't cuss or throw things; as far as anybody is concerned, I am my jolly, fun-loving self; however, I am burning inside. And, Rolf, I swear I am telling you the truth; when this happens, after I take a beat like the one here, my cards turn to garbage immediately, and for a REALLY long time (K-5, J-3, K-2, you get the idea). I take breaks and then come back, but I keep getting the same old garbage. What should I do? Also, regarding the situation above with the queens, do you think it is best to call or fold? It may be a stupid question, but in my casino, in the $3-$6 and $5-$10 games, raises on the turn or river represent a VERY strong hand most of the time. I would say that in 95 percent of the cases, the raiser holds what he's representing.

On a different note, let's say someone raises before the flop, and after the river, I have a pair or better (even a pair of deuces). I will call every time an ace or king has not hit the board. You would be amazed at the amount of money I have won by doing this. What do you think – is this the right or the wrong way to play? That's about it. Thanks very much for your time, and maybe you can use one of these situations I described in your book. If so, maybe I get $100,000 (lol).

Dear John,

I have read both of your e-mails and here is how I look at things. The situation you described in your first e-mail is in fact a rather common occurrence. If a maniac/highly aggressive player comes to your table, you indeed have to tighten up, and you will be folding a lot more hands that would have been winners than usual. While you will also win a lot more with your good hands than usual, the swings will be huge, and if you're playing on a short bankroll, playing in games with maniacs will not be profitable for you, especially when taking into account your emotional state of mind whenever you lose a pot. If you want to become a good player, you will simply have to put your emotions out of the way, and stop thinking in terms of "this guy put a beat on me." You should actually be happy if someone calls you without having the proper odds, because that's how you make money in the long run. Also, the correlation you make between getting a good hand cracked and not getting a good starting hand for a long time is a mystery to me, and it must be in your mind only. Cards run in cycles, and there's no need to complain when you're not getting the hands you're "entitled" to; the cards have no memory, and what's more, you cannot change them – so why worry about them? In my opinion, you will just have to look for soft, passive games in which people aren't that aggressive or are in fact rather predictable. Until you are financially (and mentally) ready to get into these exciting but dangerous games, you should just try to find yourself the softest game in the house.

Regarding question No. 2, while it may be true that your good hands get cracked quite often, it also might mean your basic game is simply not good enough yet. It is my experience that lots of players who still think in terms of "good" and "bad" starting hands often lack a certain "feel" for the game that makes the good players really good. Of course, if you are playing low-limit games, your good hands get cracked all the time. Still, if your A-K wins 30 percent of the time when five players go all the way to the river, you will still make money! It also might mean your hand selection is not as good as you think: If you're in a very loose game, your A-J or K-Q offsuit will not make you a lot of money, whereas volume hands (A-X suited or big suited connectors) will.

Regarding question No. 3, I know it's true that you will often catch your opponent with just two big cards on the river and that simply calling him down with any pair might have made you quite a lot of money. Still, I wouldn't recommend playing like this too often. You will be in danger of becoming a calling station, and while playing like this won't be that horrible at the lower limits – because lots of your opponents will be oblivious to the way you play anyway, and will keep on betting their big cards when rags flop – at the higher limits, calling stations simply don't stand a chance. If people catch on to what you're doing (which they inevitably will), they will value bet on the river with just one pair, or else just check on every street, and you will lose a lot of money by playing the way you do.

In general, I would recommend this to you: Don't be too results-oriented. Poker is a beautiful game, and you should enjoy it even when you're down. It is my experience that people who really love the game perform much better than people who just think in terms of money made/money lost. Anyway, I hope my answers may be of benefit to you. Take care – and good luck.