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Finding The Fish
Hey guys,
I'm been playing cash at the very low levels for a while now and I'm a winning player but maybe not as much as I'd like. It's been suggested to me that I find the 'bad' players and follow them round as a good way to increase my bankroll/win more. This is obviously a good idea but my main problem is I sometimes have problems spotting them or it takes forever, or they may just be having a bad day when I see them.
I mean I know what to be looking for but you often have to be playing with the same person for a fairly long time before you get to see even 10 of his hands at a showdown and so can get a feel for how he plays certain hands.
I'm basically looking for any tips on finding the bad players or taking notes on players, because I find it hard taking notes on players when you might see them slowplay a flopped straight once but do the complete opposite next time.
At the moment, the main things I look out for is people who are serial limpers and people who don't come in for the full buy-in. Obviously you can't give any hard fast answers that are right 100% of the time but I'd be grateful of some things I should be considering??
I'm been playing cash at the very low levels for a while now and I'm a winning player but maybe not as much as I'd like. It's been suggested to me that I find the 'bad' players and follow them round as a good way to increase my bankroll/win more. This is obviously a good idea but my main problem is I sometimes have problems spotting them or it takes forever, or they may just be having a bad day when I see them.
I mean I know what to be looking for but you often have to be playing with the same person for a fairly long time before you get to see even 10 of his hands at a showdown and so can get a feel for how he plays certain hands.
I'm basically looking for any tips on finding the bad players or taking notes on players, because I find it hard taking notes on players when you might see them slowplay a flopped straight once but do the complete opposite next time.
At the moment, the main things I look out for is people who are serial limpers and people who don't come in for the full buy-in. Obviously you can't give any hard fast answers that are right 100% of the time but I'd be grateful of some things I should be considering??
Comments
Another is those funky players who think minraising from the SB is a good play, oh how I love them.
Short stacking is also a pretty typical play from bad players (sorry if Don's reading lol)
Yes seeing showdowns helps a lot and I would always advise checking them when you can after hands as some plays tell you the guy isn't just bad but terribad like DEAD MONEY which is useful for tracking.
Higher up you probably get crazy notes like 'floats with overs IP', 'can check raise with air' etc etc but lower down I doubt these are needed.
All imo
Carl.
So do you advocate noting down the REALLY bad players and following them around using 'Find a Player' or do you think thats a bit excessive?
And I know people say you should watch a table before you sit down to see if there's any 'value' there but I've never really bothered. Am I just looking out for people doing the things you mentioned Carl and how long would tou watch (if you do)? Is it necessary do you think? I've always found value where I've sat but I'm sitting on the lowest limits possible like 2p/4p so I imagine you never run out of donks there.
Note who's playing badly right now. Then get in as many pots with them as you can. Isolate them. Virtually ignore the other players at the table.
Then recognise that they may still turn you over!
I will probably get shot for saying this but following fish/bad players is very dangerous in my experience, I have done this in the past and has cost me dearly, the bet with anything, wreckless in play, chase and hit, wont lay a hand down and get lucky.
Yes 'over time' you will beat them but I'm fed up of hearing over time, you identify 1 everyday but if u have a new one everyday, u tend to lose (DYM's in my case).
Im not saying Im a good player even but with all listed above i get screwed more often than not.
this is another part I will get shot, I like playing the regular strong players at my DYM level, and more often than not I will cash in them cause they do know the game, when to lay down, not to chase, not be wreckless on a consistant basis, but hey everyone has their own opinion
However even if you find a good table the 'MONEY' (awful bad players) can soon disipate i.e. get bled for all they have, this is a shame for them but it's even worse for you as now you're most likely on a table with 3/4 other sharks all sitting there with their tidy £8+ stacks folding pre and getting more walks then most pet dogs so this is where you have to move and move quickly as sitting here folding pre with everyone else is no good.
Sometimes I used to move 4 or 5 times on multiple tables before I found a few that were goodies, takes time but always means when you get your big hands you will have people to pay you off.
You've given me a lot of good solid advice that I'll keep in mind next time I go to the cash tables. Right well wish me luck because I'm in the 12k bounty hunter in 5 mins.
Why sit playing against tight players who wont easily be parted from there cash when there are 100s of players who will gladly stick it all in with only top pair etc time and time again.
Things what i would be looking for would be players who get married to t/p t/k etc or players who you see calling big bets on river when there could be dozens of hands beating them ( eg holding 2pair on a flush or straight board and calling or even worse raising when the board is screaming they are beat).
Also every now and again you will see some lunatic who wont fold anything and these players are like golddust and must be followed over broken glass if need be because they are mostly 1 week wonders and if you dont get there first someone else will
If you watch enough tables you can quickly see which players know what they are doing and which players could go into the above bracket.
Its trail and error really and i would advise you to try watching as many tables as you can in your spare time aswell as playing them and things will become alot clearer.
Imo the most important thing in online poker is table selection and if you get this right your bankroll will only go one way and that is up.
Best of luck. Jenny.
Sit, tight and wait to get paid - but do not rush just hold tight
play the table as a whole, adjust accordingly to new players with full buy in - if 2 full buy in's join table then find another table
The only players you really want to chase are the ez money sort, the ones who will stack off terribly light.
You know TPWK, also the players who just can't lay down. Once you have found these players who play short stacked and stack off light then note them. If they stack off light with full buy in then it's xmas.
Almost did my ars$ in on the electronic roulette machines in the bookies yesterday - Was £150 down at one point