The High Stakes Learning Process

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Babygrand United States. Jan 08 2008 09:09. Posts 142

This last two weeks has been quite the poker camp for my buddies and I in East Lansing, MI. We have played so much poker I can't even see straight. We have pretty much learned every lesson in the book. How to create a bankroll from nothing. How to lose a bankroll from the top. How to win at full ring games. How to tilt off winnings. How to win heads up. How weak limit hold'em is on Stars. Overall, it was a very fun and progressive couple weeks. The biggest take I got from this past week is how weak the 10/20 game is on Stars. I have developed my game specifically for the uber aggression that takes place on those tables. For example:

I am sitting on button with AA. Guy in cut-off makes it $80 to go. I smooth call, knowing there are two aggressors behind me. One of the aggressors makes it $400 to go. The original raiser calls. I instastick. Both players call. One with AJ and one with QQ. 6k pot. These are plays that will never, ever work at limits below 2/4. There is just not enough action preflop. The higher limits allow you to add one big element to your game: preflop uncertainty. Lower limit players don't care what you are holding and don't ever attempt to make plays based on what two cards you have. Make hands, that is how to be profitable at low limit. I constantly disguise the strength of my hands. And I play enough garbage for players to pick off tons and tons of pots off of me and me to do the same thing, without them picking up on the fact that I am setting them up. Another thing is I am not afraid to shove any two cards in preflop. (Not call, shove). A couple days ago I shoved all in over the 3rd bet with 89dd and got a fold. I have gotten a call as well, but I kinda sucked out. (10 7dd v AQ). I don't want players to think that every time I raise garbage they can make money off of me by reraising. I want them to know that I will come back and often, when the time is right.

High stakes players have one thing going for them. They are fearless. This sucks for the average player. When you are staring at an all-in on the turn and you only have top piece, it is tough to make big calls. But we can definitely use this fearless tool against them. Set them up in big hands. Look across the table when you are holding big ones and think, is this guy going to make a reraise here. Utilize shortstacks, do not reraise them out of hands. When they push their chips in and you come over the top, it disguises your hand strength because it looks like an isolation move and not a value shove.

There are more donks than I previously thought at higher limits. One in particular absolutely raped me on Saturday night for like 6k. I am not sure if they post here, so I won't say their name, but there is a huge whale at 10/20 and 25/50 tables these days. You have got to know who is the donk and who is the shark. We can make money off of both of their styles, but we have to know who they are. Straaaaate actually tipped me off on this whale when I was watching him at a table and he was talking about this player. I wish he hadn't cuz the whale sucked out big time on me. However, I will find them again. For now, I am going to reload my roll at the midstakes games and wait til I have 60k to play the big ones again. Until then, enjoy the whales.