Texas Hold'em?

Question

First off, I am an amateur player but I've been playing poker online and been watching poker on TV, primarily World Poker Tour. I've been playing NL Hold'em for about a year now and I know basic strategy, such as when to call, raise and using pot odds to know when to get your money into the best possible spot. But whenever I get together with my friends who don't have a clue how to play it's hard for me to win because they play every single hand even if I riase pre flop, and it seems like someone playing a garbage hand always catches something on the flop and I can't do anything to protect my own hand. I need some help to improve my game?

Answer 1

Rule #1. You can't win if you're not in, and when you're playing with idiots, you want to be in as often as possible.

Without going overboard (94o isn't a hand, it's a beer-break) get in on every cheap hand you can.  Preflop raising should be rare, and to mix it up a little, feel free to use stupid (but cheap) sweetener raises (doubling the BB.)  These schmucks won't know the difference.

Post-flop, tighten your game WAY up, and forget about making moves.  Outplay them from that point forward.

The key is to be able to throw away missed pairs and AKs without feeling like you've been robbed.  Your home game loves playing c**p, so when c**p flops, you're out of luck.  Let it go and be confident you'll make it up.

Two other thoughts ...

Crappy players don't understand position, so make sure you take full advantage when you're in the Dealer or Cutoff or even one off that.

When you are the best at the table, you should AVOID big pots.  Play small ball.  Avoid the all-in 'lottery' plays.  You can outplay them, but once you're all-in, there's no playing left.

Answer 2

Play tighter against maniacs.  You're not playing against serious players, you're playing people who want to play for action and just to have a good time.  You want to wait for VERY premium hands, see the flop as cheaply as possible and jam it when you have the nuts.  Don't gauge the overall progress of your ability based on playing some for-fun homegame.

Answer 3

The only way to play against players like that is to play tight-aggressive (as mentioned) and MATHEMATICALLY sound.  Too much TV poker can go to a person's head if they are not careful.  I've read it over and over again, but I want to reiterate for you in case you're not aware: do NOT waste advanced (or even intermediate) moves on fish.  They are not aware of what you are doing, so it's pointless.  When you have a monster hand, you are statistically favored to win, so put your money in.  If the flop misses you, just bail.  Don't try to outplay your opponents.  It's like trying to rationalize with a 4 year old; just pointless.

Playing against fish has its cons you know.  On the bright side, strategically you can't get much simpler.  Play your good hands, and get maximum value for them.  If they're calling anything, I'd suggest overbetting when you have the nuts.  One of two things will happen:

A.  They'll pay you off enough times that you can afford to lose the other times you don't hit.

B.  They'll wise up and start to realize that when you bet, you have a hand.

Most likely it'll be A though, as most people who play poker do not play in order to "improve" their game, but to have fun.  Folding and just watching other people play is not FUN.  Bear this mentality in mind when you play; you're playing human beings with individual motivations for participating.  I recommend letting them go crazy, even encouraging it.  Swallow your pride and say "nice hand" when the ten-trey suited rivers a second pair on your pocket jacks.  Encourage it and have faith in the statistics.

On a side note, you might want to try some more loose-passive pre-flop play when the odds call for it.  When you're getting the right price, go ahead and limp in with those suited connectors, A-rag/K-rag suiteds, or just plain connectors in general.  Those hands are fantastic when you flop straights, boats or even trips.  Loose players with KJ won't wanna fold their hand when they see an apparently dry flop like 347, which is fantastic when you're holding 65 and the turn gives them the jack they've been waiting for.

In any case, I recommend playing post flop more passively when you're unsure of your hand, but betting the **** out of any monster.  If they fold, fantastic: You've found an amount you can bet to bluff with occasionally.

Answer 4

There is an old saying in poker, I have heard it for more years than I care to remember "swim up stream".  What that means is you play opposite of how others are playing at your table.  If everyone is playing loose, play tight, if everyone is playing tight play loose.  If everyone is calling, never call always raise, etc....see where this is going?

Pro's will tell you they would rather play against folks that have a clue as opposed to folks that don't, there is a very good reason for this, fancy play,  bluffing, and to some extent sand bagging doesn't work.  If you are playing against those who have no clue, go back to basics, play possiton, play tight and play aggressive.  Don't base your play on what you are seeing on the WPT, that is the final 6 (not a full table) of a tournament.  When only 6 people are at a table, and  you have big blinds and antes, your opening hand selection is going to be looser that in normal play, it has to be for a heck of alot of reasons.   You aren't saying wheather yall are playing a freeze out tournament or a cash ring game, and that matters alot on how you play.

If yall are playing for cash, don't do a 3x or 4x bb raise preflop, hit it hard, a heck of alot harder, make them pay to play trash, simple as that, and then make them pay to stay, you are going to lose some, but in the long term, if you are only playing good hands, they will stop because at some point in time, the cost to them is going to out wiegh the benifit of seeing every flop. there won't be as much limping and most can't afford to be a calling station all night long.(once you get them trained that they are going to loose alot of money, then you can start playing looser and bluff at times).  

There is one virtue of a good poker player that I have seldom seen mentioned here, and here it is...PATIENCE...just because everyone else is a fish, don't you become one, be the alaskan fisherman, catch the fish, do't let them catch you, when you go fishing, sometimes it takes a good while to get a bite, the same in poker. There are many times in a cash game that I will go for almost an hour with out commiting to a pot, you have to be able to do that in a ring game, you can't get bored and play substandard hands just because everyone else is, and when you enter a pot after being that way, people take notice, and slow down. If they don't slow down, doom on them,  cause I am normally gonna get most of their chips.  

There are many levels of poker play, you are at the bottom, concentrate on no frills basic stratagy.  but always observe them, try to figure out what they have, notice their betting paterns, notice how the act when they have a great hand on the flop, remember, and if need be take notes (there is no rule against it).  Soon you will be at the second level, you can get into their head, understand what they are attempting, etc....Then you are at the next level, you are making them think about you,  and you know it, and you are being deceptive and making them think what you want them too.

Read, learn and above all never be satisfied with your play, be your biggest critic, learn from your mistakes.  Remember, poker is warfare, only the weapons are different, but like all warfare, stratagy, intellegence and knowing when to attack and knowing when to retreat are all paramount to poker. While it can't always be done, put the tough decision on your opponet, try not to have to be the one with it.  Oh yea, don't drink, I love whiskey as much as anyone, but at the table, it is cranberry juice or coffee for me.  Good luck and sorry I didn't get into basic stratagy because in all reality, each stratagy is determined by your opponents.

Answer 5

It is tough to translate sound play to a situation where everyone calls and sees a flop with any old garbage.  When you are watching the WPT it is generally professional players or really good amateurs and there is often over a million dollars on the line.  You are watching the six best players out of a field of maybe 500.

I personally play in a pub poker league at a race track now and then.  The blinds increase at a crazy pace and everyone players loose/stupid.  There is no regards for pot odds, or anything.  If they have two suited cards or a face card, they are calling.  And you certainly have to adjust for that.

The best advice I can give is to play very tight, only play premium hands and fold if you miss the flop.  But when you hit your hand, like flopping trips, make them pay.

I agree with the earlier answer too.  If many players limp then feel free to do that too.  See the flop and if you connect, again, make them pay.  if you miss, dump it.  Remember that your opponents will often draw when the odds are very slim to make their hand, like they will draw to an inside straight for example.

Answer 6

plain and simple "ITS POKER"

Answer 7

They are gonna play everything, but you need to stay tight.  The trick is to be very aggressive when the odds are in your favor, make sure they are paying maximum for their mistakes/looseness, and also make sure not to give in to the tendency most people to loosen up when playing with loose people.

Answer 8

Thanks to Jaime Gold, not only the people that don't know what they are doing play those hands but some people who do know what they are doing play them too.

I have the same problem sometimes at my home game. I play with this unbeleivably lucky Croatian guy that calls almost anything.  K 2 is his favorite hand. He wins all the time with squadoosh.

The most effective way that I have noticed is to limp alot. See more flops and try to know where you stand and outplay them from there. Dont be afraid to let better starting hands go if they don't hit.

And when I say limp alot, I mean basically everything thats not Aces. Yes limp with Kings too. They arent pros like you said and you cant push them off anyways. Try to catch something nice on them and you will blind side them and leave them crushed. If you limp with Kings or Quenns, and someone raises you (if your sure its not Aces) then reraise alot.

This will allow you to try and improve your reads on people. When they look at thier cards alot. Betting patterns. Etc. Knowing how to play a hand after the flop is every bit as important as before the flop.

If they are playing these loose hands alot, they will probably beat each other up and pass around chips. Just be patient and pick your spots. It will come around. Just like thier chips.  LOL.

Now this is not by any means an overall great poker stategy, but for this style of game you mentioned try it. It should work better. Also, with limping with prime hands, you will lose less and win more with this style. It sounds like thats one of the problems.

The more people that are in a hand, the more likely someone will hit something. So you have to outplay them after the flop.

Another good idea would be to buy them all a cheap poker strategy guide. LOL

Answer 9

play a tight aggressive game, fold alot and trap those fools with the right hands. if u been playing 4 a year, i would say u should have a very good grasp of the game by now.