Dipping My Toe Back Into Cash Games

I have played almost no cash games post neteller. The games just felt tougher after neteller. I figured it would be more work to obtain the same level of profitability, and I was not willing to go there with all the time I would be spending on Fantasy Sports Live. So I transformed myself to just about my opposite self pre-neteller. I stopped played with $/hr as my primary driver, and switched to playing for pure enjoyment. I dropped cash games and switched to MTTs and S&Gs when I found the time to play. Today, I play primarily at Bodog in the beginner Sit and Goes that remain easily crushable to this day.

There is a big problem with Bodog though. They only let you play three tables at once. I could easily start 6 of the beginners around the same time, because the early play is so tight. If I only have an hour or so to play, when I get knocked out of the first beginner of the three, I can't start another one. So I always bleed down to just two and then just one table open when I could be playing 4 to 6. This is like throwing money away, and I hate that. The obvious answer is cash games. The play early in the beginners is so close to ideal cash game strategy, that you don't need to be to worried about any adjustments. So I have given it a try by filling in with .50/1 NL at Fulltilt. I only did this a couple times, and both times got slapped around. I just did not have the stomach I guess for online NL.

I am heading to Vegas this weekend, and in preparation I figured I should get some NL Cash practice. Some how I luck-boxed into a starter $100 online poker bankroll at Lock Poker. No way I would drop down to a roll safe level with just $100 so I opened up two tables of $.25/.50 NL. It was a nice change of pace and I felt comfortable playing NL cash again. I did make a ballzy feel preflop push with TT early that I probably should not have done, but it was not called. After settling down, I realized what I missed about cash games. When you are playing S&Gs and MTTs, you see some pretty strange and questionable plays, but a good portion of the time when you think it through it may not have been that horrible based on limited stack sizes or table dynamics. In cash games against poor players you get more strange and questionable plays that really have no justification whatsoever. When the player you are against does this, you grab some free cash, that you really did not even need to earn, but it still feels nice to the bankroll. A couple hands from my first session at lock poker are good examples of WTF type plays that padded my roll.

Hand #1

.25/.50 NL

I'm in the SB with KK and there are three limps, and I pop it up to $2.50. One Caller.

Flop 456 rainbow.

I bet $4.00 and get a call. Caller has another $20 behind.

Turn 9. I bet $10, other guy shoves, I call.

77 vs KK

River Q

I collect $52.25 pot.

So you can justify the preflop and flop calls by 77. On the turn I fire out $10 first and there is no way I am folding to a $10 raise. So he jams on a draw with one card to come when I can't fold and obviously have him currently beat.

Hand #2

I limp from late with 88, both blinds and the button for a 4-way flop.

Flop J86 rainbow

Checks to me. I bet $1, and the SB calls

Turn 3

SB bets $2, I raise to $5, SB calls

River 3

SB bets $7, I raise to $18 putting the SB all-in, he calls.

88 vs. J7o

I collect a $45.55 pot

So you can justify taking a peak with J7o in a 4-way pot, and justify the call with top pair 7 kicker on the flop. When you fire into the better on the blank turn, you better be ready to fold to a reraise. If you don't, your just going to let yourself get stacked on the river by overplaying the weak hand once again.

Hand #3

Well this hand speaks for itself.