Few Observations from the UB Games
Well I haven't been playing that much lately due to March Madness and work, but in the few sessions I have played on UB I've noticed a few things that are common among most NL $25 players at the site.
1. They suck
I know it's micro stakes, but I had assumed the games were getting tougher. I guess not. There are many players there who still think on the zeroth level. They can't seem to put you on a hand, or even think past what their own cards are in relation to the board. They also are way too eager to put all of their money in on the flop with one pair, thinking that it's almost impossible for them to be beaten, unless the flop comes really bad, like 7
89 while holding two red aces. Other than that though, they don't consider what kind of player you are, and that you wouldn't raise them with two players left to act (for instance) with a hand that doesn't beat a pair of aces.
The downside of this is you have to deal with the damn short stacks. Many of the bad players buy in for $10 and sometimes the minimum, $5. It's very frustrating when you're playing two tables and you call a raise out of the BB with 55 for set value and realize the guy only has $7 left. Also, with the limited number of 6-max tables at UB, you're forced to play with one or two of them at your table almost every time.
2. When they check the turn, you can usually take the pot
When a player raises, he will usually make a continuation bet on the flop. Some players will not unless they have it, and those are the ones you most want to play against, but the flop bettors are fine opponents as well. Why? Because you're going to find out what he has on the turn. If he fires again, he either has top pair or an overpair. If he checks, he missed.
Say you have 8
7, UTG raises to $.85 (6-max remember, so he'd be equivalent to middle position in a full ring game) and you call on the button. Blinds fold so you're heads up. Flop comes down J5
2, he bets $2, and you call. Turn is the harmless 3
and now your opponent checks. Bet. Do not take the free card. Against a tougher opponent you might check behind here because he may be trying to trap you (or may even checkraise as a bluff) and you'd be forced to fold your entire equity in the pot. But against these opponents betting is better because a) you'll tend to take the pot now and b) you won't make any money if you get there anyway.
Sometimes your opponent might play scared with 99 or something and check/call the turn. But you can be almost sure that you won't face the dreaded checkraise. So even if you're called you have a chance to hit on the river and maybe even make a little more money. I suppose you can try a bluff on the river too, but you better have a good read that your opponent is going to lay down after calling the turn. But part of the reason you can afford to call a pot size bet with a flush draw (and even sometimes with weaker draws) is because there's a good chance your opponent missed and you can pick it up on the turn. So go for it.
3. When you bet the flop and get called, often you'll be able to check it down
Being out of position sucks in no limit. Against a strong player, even if you have top pair or an overpair, bet the flop, and get called, the situation still sucks if you're playing with deep stacks (100bbs or greater). You can either fire again on the turn, and perhaps face a raise, or check and face a bet from your opponent. If you call either bet, your opponent can make another bet on the river and put you to a really tough decision.
Fortunately, this is rarely the case in UB NL $25. You have AK, bet the flop, and a player with position on you calls, he will often let you check it down. This is good because sometimes he'll have a draw that doesn't get there and your AK high will be good enough to take the pot. You can also check down a vulnerable hand like 88 when a couple of overcards show up and you don't necessarily want to put any more money in the pot. Still though, don't go nuts playing marginal hands out of position.
4. Continuation bets in position often take it down
I saved this one for last, and it is probably obvious to people who have been playing for awhile, but it bears repeating. You raise preflop, a player in the blinds calls, checks after the flop, you bet like 2/3 of the pot, and take it down. Almost everyone knows about this play. However, they don't know how to use it to its full potential by creating situations where they can set up a c-bet.
You're on the button and two players have limped in. You have a good "limping" hand, 76, A4, 33. Don't just limp, raise. Make it $1.50 to go. You might take the pot down immediately, but you may also limit it to one or two callers, getting the blinds out of the way. The flop comes, you have position, and will usually have it checked to you. You can bet a lot of flops and take a decent sized pot down. You also have a hand with potential to make a monster, so you have that working for you as well. Also, you have a better chance of stacking someone in a raised pot than an unraised one, so limping has little value anyway. You're better off taking control of the hand than trying to catch in an unraised pot and hope someone is willing to go broke (it might happen in these games, I'm really not sure though if people will go all the way with hands like QJo or Axs if they hit top pair). Most hands miss most flops, so you're better off establishing strength early in the hand. And you have something to fall back on just in case.
So that's it for now. These behaviors are typical of most players, but it's still a good idea to use a HUD (I use Gametime+, it's free) and get solid reads on your opponents. Use the note tool also. All of the major sites actually offer this. You can right click on a person's name at the table, and make a note. Something like "willing to go broke with top pair", "overbets with the nuts" will help you make a good decision against this player. The note will be there any time the player pops up at one of your tables. Make sure to take note of the good players as well.
One last piece of advice I would give is to vary your play a little bit. Don't always raise on the button with a "limping" hand for instance. Once in awhile limp behind so your opponents don't get the impression that you're always trying to steal from them. This will be especially important if you have to show down that suited connector or small pair. Also, sometimes check behind on the turn when you call a flop bet. You can't bet every turn, otherwise even the weakest opponents will know you can't have it every time.
I have experimented playing LAG (back in the Party Poker days), and it's fun, but your opponents WILL react if you try running over the table. They will either start calling you down weak or start raising you. While that is great if you can pick up monster hands, it's not when your continuation bets stop working or you have a marginal hand and you don't know if your opponent is bluffing you or not. In a live game you may be able to play this way if you can get accurate reads on your opponents (I still think tells are overrated, but that's another discussion for another time), but online it's much tougher. So keep it simple and you'll win more than your fair share of the pots.
Good luck at the tables.
1. They suck
I know it's micro stakes, but I had assumed the games were getting tougher. I guess not. There are many players there who still think on the zeroth level. They can't seem to put you on a hand, or even think past what their own cards are in relation to the board. They also are way too eager to put all of their money in on the flop with one pair, thinking that it's almost impossible for them to be beaten, unless the flop comes really bad, like 7
89 while holding two red aces. Other than that though, they don't consider what kind of player you are, and that you wouldn't raise them with two players left to act (for instance) with a hand that doesn't beat a pair of aces.The downside of this is you have to deal with the damn short stacks. Many of the bad players buy in for $10 and sometimes the minimum, $5. It's very frustrating when you're playing two tables and you call a raise out of the BB with 55 for set value and realize the guy only has $7 left. Also, with the limited number of 6-max tables at UB, you're forced to play with one or two of them at your table almost every time.
2. When they check the turn, you can usually take the pot
When a player raises, he will usually make a continuation bet on the flop. Some players will not unless they have it, and those are the ones you most want to play against, but the flop bettors are fine opponents as well. Why? Because you're going to find out what he has on the turn. If he fires again, he either has top pair or an overpair. If he checks, he missed.
Say you have 8
7, UTG raises to $.85 (6-max remember, so he'd be equivalent to middle position in a full ring game) and you call on the button. Blinds fold so you're heads up. Flop comes down J52, he bets $2, and you call. Turn is the harmless 3 and now your opponent checks. Bet. Do not take the free card. Against a tougher opponent you might check behind here because he may be trying to trap you (or may even checkraise as a bluff) and you'd be forced to fold your entire equity in the pot. But against these opponents betting is better because a) you'll tend to take the pot now and b) you won't make any money if you get there anyway.Sometimes your opponent might play scared with 99 or something and check/call the turn. But you can be almost sure that you won't face the dreaded checkraise. So even if you're called you have a chance to hit on the river and maybe even make a little more money. I suppose you can try a bluff on the river too, but you better have a good read that your opponent is going to lay down after calling the turn. But part of the reason you can afford to call a pot size bet with a flush draw (and even sometimes with weaker draws) is because there's a good chance your opponent missed and you can pick it up on the turn. So go for it.
3. When you bet the flop and get called, often you'll be able to check it down
Being out of position sucks in no limit. Against a strong player, even if you have top pair or an overpair, bet the flop, and get called, the situation still sucks if you're playing with deep stacks (100bbs or greater). You can either fire again on the turn, and perhaps face a raise, or check and face a bet from your opponent. If you call either bet, your opponent can make another bet on the river and put you to a really tough decision.
Fortunately, this is rarely the case in UB NL $25. You have AK, bet the flop, and a player with position on you calls, he will often let you check it down. This is good because sometimes he'll have a draw that doesn't get there and your AK high will be good enough to take the pot. You can also check down a vulnerable hand like 88 when a couple of overcards show up and you don't necessarily want to put any more money in the pot. Still though, don't go nuts playing marginal hands out of position.
4. Continuation bets in position often take it down
I saved this one for last, and it is probably obvious to people who have been playing for awhile, but it bears repeating. You raise preflop, a player in the blinds calls, checks after the flop, you bet like 2/3 of the pot, and take it down. Almost everyone knows about this play. However, they don't know how to use it to its full potential by creating situations where they can set up a c-bet.
You're on the button and two players have limped in. You have a good "limping" hand, 7
6, A4, 33. Don't just limp, raise. Make it $1.50 to go. You might take the pot down immediately, but you may also limit it to one or two callers, getting the blinds out of the way. The flop comes, you have position, and will usually have it checked to you. You can bet a lot of flops and take a decent sized pot down. You also have a hand with potential to make a monster, so you have that working for you as well. Also, you have a better chance of stacking someone in a raised pot than an unraised one, so limping has little value anyway. You're better off taking control of the hand than trying to catch in an unraised pot and hope someone is willing to go broke (it might happen in these games, I'm really not sure though if people will go all the way with hands like QJo or Axs if they hit top pair). Most hands miss most flops, so you're better off establishing strength early in the hand. And you have something to fall back on just in case.So that's it for now. These behaviors are typical of most players, but it's still a good idea to use a HUD (I use Gametime+, it's free) and get solid reads on your opponents. Use the note tool also. All of the major sites actually offer this. You can right click on a person's name at the table, and make a note. Something like "willing to go broke with top pair", "overbets with the nuts" will help you make a good decision against this player. The note will be there any time the player pops up at one of your tables. Make sure to take note of the good players as well.
One last piece of advice I would give is to vary your play a little bit. Don't always raise on the button with a "limping" hand for instance. Once in awhile limp behind so your opponents don't get the impression that you're always trying to steal from them. This will be especially important if you have to show down that suited connector or small pair. Also, sometimes check behind on the turn when you call a flop bet. You can't bet every turn, otherwise even the weakest opponents will know you can't have it every time.
I have experimented playing LAG (back in the Party Poker days), and it's fun, but your opponents WILL react if you try running over the table. They will either start calling you down weak or start raising you. While that is great if you can pick up monster hands, it's not when your continuation bets stop working or you have a marginal hand and you don't know if your opponent is bluffing you or not. In a live game you may be able to play this way if you can get accurate reads on your opponents (I still think tells are overrated, but that's another discussion for another time), but online it's much tougher. So keep it simple and you'll win more than your fair share of the pots.
Good luck at the tables.
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