Cash Game Tips/Strategy

Alright guys..I've been thinking about more stuff I can do for the site strategy wise so I'm going to start putting some of my coaching concepts down into poker articles. My first set will be about cash table basics, which I outlined for those who attended my free aim chat coaching session last night.

Index

1. Basic terms and explanations
2. Table Selection and Stack Sizes
3. How cash tables are different than SnG/MTTs
4. How to exploit those differences

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1) Basic Terms and Explanations

Before I begin, much of my coaching deals with a lot of terminology involved with poker and cash tables in general. You may laugh, but a lot of people are not familiar with some of the terms. Also, some of them may have different meanings to other people. Therefore, I'll be explaining these terms in a general sense, and how they apply to the games and how you should typically be viewing them.

A. Table Selection

This refers to your selection of tables when trying to find a game to play. For more detail on this, keep reading where I go in depth on how you can use table selection to ensure all the games you're in are as +EV and good as you can get them.

high stakes players that run into the same players over and over, they use table selection to pick their games. For example, if they see a person they know they can beat or have won money off of, they will choose to play at a game or table involving that person. On the other hand, if they see someone who they have difficult playing with or they know to be good, they will stay away.

B. 3-betting

If you're playing a limit poker game, a "bet" or a "1-bet" would be the blind. In NLHE, a general sense of the term "bet" would be the big blind. Therefore, the person posting the BB is posting a "1-bet".

To continue with this example, lets say a person in middle position raises to four times the big blind. This is a raise, or a "2-bet". They are raising above and over the "1-bet".

The 3-bet therefore, would be someone raising over top of the original raiser, or the 2-better. 3-bets are very, very important in cash tables and its essential you read my section on 3-bets later in the next article.

C. C-Betting or continuation betting

A c-bet is generally regarded as making a postflop bet after originally showing strength preflop. For example, I raise preflop and get called and I'm first to act. Fairly irregardless of the flop, I make a continuation bet, or in other words, I'm continuing my strength in the hand post-flop like I did pre-flop. More information on that in my next article as well. Also very very important.

D. Position

This refers to where you are located in the situation in the hand. You are either in position or out of position. Your goal is to be in position as much as possible. This means to be last to act, or to be able to see how your opponents play a situation before you have to make a decision. This makes it easier for you to make your decision and therefore can exploit his tendencies. To be out of position means to play the hand first or with people still left to act after you. More on position in a later article.

E. Delayed c-bets

I'm not going to go into detail on this because I'll be talking about it in future articles, but this is similar to a c-bet but you aren't showing strength on the flop. Instead you check the flop, then "continue" your strength from preflop on the turn irregardless of it. Basically, you go into the flop knowing you're going to play the flop weak but play the turn aggressively regardless of what it is.

F. Floating

This is a pretty weird concept, not sure if I'm going to go into it more deeply later on in other articles.

As I understand it, floating consists of you making calls with a fairly weak hand or drawing hand with the intention of later on either hitting your draw, or trying to steal it if you miss. Either way, you're playing it sort of weak/passively early on with the intention of playing it aggressively later in any situation.

G. Blocking bet

This is a pretty simple one. Basically a blocking bet usually comes on the river when you're fairly certain your opponent has you beat. Your blocking bet comes where you're making a somewhat small bet that you're hoping they are just going to call. Look at this example:

You have say, QT and board is 3T775. You bet the flop and he called. You checked the turn and he bet into you and you called. On the river you're feeling very vulnerable, but you feel obligated by odds/your hand that you have to call.

You can make a bet of $5 and he can call you assuming he doesn't have a complete monster. He can raise you and it lets you off the hand.

OR

You check, he makes it $10, and you still feel obligated to call so you do so. He shows AT and takes the pot. Theres $5 you just lost in equity. If he raises you, your medium strength hand is fairly void. If it's good, great. If not, you saved yourself money.

Some more terms/explanations will come in later posts.

2) Table Selection and Stack Sizes

So now you already kind of understand how table selection works..here's how to make it practical for you to increase your proficiency with finding tables and maximizing your profitability:

High stakes players that run into the same players over and over, they use table selection to pick their games. For example, if they see a person they know they can beat or have won money off of, they will choose to play at a game or table involving that person. On the other hand, if they see someone who they have difficult playing with or they know to be good, they will stay away.

There are, however, several different other factors you can use to help find tables. Keep in mind that at micro tables, 99% of the time you're playing with random people at different tables and times, so these other factors are important:

A. Try to find tables with minimal or no shortstacks

Playing shortstacks is one of the most annoying and difficult parts of playing cash tables..avoid it completely by just playing with more even stacks.

So if we aren't playing against shortstacks, who are we looking at?

B. Try to find tables with generally even stacks around the 100bb mark.

Having a random guy or two at 125-150 bbs isn't that bad, but you don't want to see at least one guy tearing the table up with a lot of money..keep your players around even.

C. Average Pot - Keep it even

You shouldn't really be sitting down at tables that the average pot is extremely high or low. Play tables that look to be around the average mark. Same for players per flop.

D. Table Breaking/Finding a new table

If it gets down to 3-4 handed, there's no shame in just leaving. It may seem tedious if you're multitabling, but I'd much rather do that than have to play 3-handed at a 6-handed table. Playing that short is more of a nuisance than finding a new table is.

E. ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS have auto-rebuy on.

Therefore, you will always have the maximum stack at all times. Never ever play shortstacked. If you can't afford to continue to have a maximum stack, or you're too nitty to sit full stacked, move down. There's no sense in playing without a higher stack.

I really shouldn't have to expand on this idea, but just think about it. You have AA on a A95 flop. Would you rather have 90 more bb's to get it in with or 50 bb's? It's common sense.

3) Differences between SnGs and MTTs and cash tables

There are lots of differences between sngs/mtts and these cash tables, and you must be aware of them and no how to change your style.

A. Position

In sngs/mtts, you defend your blinds. Blinds are very very important. You have less bb's typically in these games so these are the hands you will be defending.

In cash tables, you will always have 100bb's or higher, so you will be defending position. Therefore, you'll be defending or protecting your button. Position is everything in cash tables. I'll be discussing this more fully later on.

B. Stacks

Like I said, you'll always have 100bb's or higher. You'll rarely have that in tournaments past the 10/20 level. Therefore, preflop raises will need to be slightly stricter. I'll be going in more depth here later on, but preflop raises are 4x the bb rather than 3x the bb.

Playing post-flop will be different too. You'll have to understand how to control the pot smarter, make smarter raises and calls, etc. Again, when I talk about more in depth play later, you'll understand more clearly.

C. Hand ranges

Because you have 100bb's, your opening (raising) range preflop should be a little bit more loose in cash tables than in tournaments. This will also be affected by where you are in position, your hand strength, your table's aggressiveness, etc.

There are more differences, but those are the main ones.

Please understand I'll be explaining some of these concepts in more detail along with other concepts later on down the road.

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1.basic #1

terms/explanations
table selection/stack sizes
differences between cash and sngs/mtts

2.basic #2

3bets
cbets
player notes

3.basic #3

position
ranges
more on c-betting

4.basic #4

wrapping up cash
delayed c-bets and other tricks
double/triple barreling
adjustments
tendencies

That is my plan outline in my four cash table articles, in case any of you are still reading.

I realize this is long and in depth but this place needs something like this. Individual hands are alright, but maybe what we need are nice, thought out, well-worded explanations of basic concepts and situational plays.

Thanks for reading. Feedback would be much, much, appreciated.