Midstake level

[tmiby]

I'm curious about this.

I was just watching Fulltilt cash games, 2/4NL up to 5/10NL.

A couple of things surprised me. There are stil people that...

...open OTB for 2BB in unraised/unlimped pot. fold flop.
...minbet 2 streets into a Preflop raised pot. (pot is about 40, flop bet is 4, turn bet is 4)
...limping UTG
...shortstakes that put in about 70% of their stack to fold on later street


Am I just to focused on the basics for my lower levels, that I think, those are bad moves?
Or do they already think 2 steps ahaed of my horizon...?

I hope I will get there one day.

good night!

[given1982]

There are still fish at midstakes. You think the regs just play each other all day?

[Spinage]

It's the rich kids or drunk business men who deposit a load of cash and drop it all on one table when they're drunk! I'm sure that's where most of the money comes from at those levels?

[Silverthunder]

I guess some of it is people who gamble for entertainment. Think of the brick and mortar casino & all the money they make from their customers.

A lot of the moves that you pointed out can be done effectively. I think that you actually can play loose passive effectively. It involves making your hand a complete mystery to the opponent and hand reading them. It's probably a strategy that can beat up to certain limits (not sure which one).

At some of the limits that you are referring to you come across these aggromonkey LAGs who are solid. Sometimes they are passive like that preflop.

I think historically and not too long ago actually, weak tight was actially considered optimal play.

Lastly, doing a 2x the BB bet sometimes isn't that bad. If it gets people to fold, go for it

[chinz]

Originally Posted by tmiby

...open OTB for 2BB in unraised/unlimped pot.

Go look at stars NL5k games, they're doing the same there. That means those games are full of fish, right? Some guys (aejones and DaEvils for example) prefer minraise-opening OTB. There's a thread about it at 2+2.

When the blinds are aggressive, it gives you much better odds to call their 3bets in position or 4bet bluff without commiting yourself. It also simply gives your steal much better odds. I think most of the guys are going for 2.5bb, but you see minraising too.

But anyway, of course there's fish at midstakes.

[podbelski]

I have a feeling that very large portion of fish try to play the style they've watched on TV shows like "High Stakes Poker". They cannot do it to the full extent and thoughtfully, but just reping some spots.
At least playing a lot of junk regardless of position but without the skill required to do this profitably, calling down w almost nothing, limp-reraise premiums UTG, huge bluffs but at the wrong spots etc...

[Silverthunder]

Originally Posted by podbelski

I have a feeling that very large portion of fish try to play the style they've watched on TV shows like "High Stakes Poker". They cannot do it to the full extent and thoughtfully, but just reping some spots.
At least playing a lot of junk regardless of position but without the skill required to do this profitably, calling down w almost nothing, limp-reraise premiums UTG, huge bluffs but at the wrong spots etc...

yea, maybe so. I used to watch tons of poker on TV when I was a bad player and it is just horrible programming, for the most part. It's 100% entertainment 0% content. They don't show you all the no action hands where the players derived how they play in the action hands.

It almost reminds me of those poker movies where the hero calls down and like sucks out on the last card. Totally untrue to the game!