monkeytilt

Great post Sean. I think a lot of players become jaded and start playing their c-game, because it's just work.

I have a question for you. Let's say a guy has been a 100nl reg for a few years. He used to be a 4 to 5bb/100 winner, but over the last 2 years he's dropped to about break even or maybe slightly just under and is now just relying on rakeback. He's started expecting things to not go so well, so doesn't even sit down for poker in a great frame of mind. He's always played 4 to 6 tables. The stuff he used to do, just doesn't work out so well, anymore.

Do you think it's a good idea for this person to go back to playing one table and to do so with an extreme level of focus? Spending a decent amount of time on selecting which table queue he is going to join and then sweating that table, maybe for half an hour or more, before he actually starts playing? Setting up his HUD to show far more data than he would normally bother with and just really look to give himself an edge on the multi-tabling regs who are at that table, as well as the weaker players?

Of course, he's not going to make much money for a while, playing one table, but this seems like a good way for players to get their confidence back and to start feeling like they are making better decisions than their opponents again. There must be a lot of players who are capable of playing their A game at one table, but not at six. While the variance obviously makes it tough for anyone without a large roll, don't you think that a lot of 6 tabling 100nl regs would be better off working towards a stage where they were playing one table of 400nl but bringing their A game to that higher-stakes table?

If you really study one table, right down to timing tells, BS in the chat, watching table dynamics between other players you get to see so much more, especially if you are using all the capabilities of your HUD?Notecaddy and have the time to process all the data properly, in your head, I would have thought. I do actually think that the luxury of being able to focus contributes to how online players find live games so soft. Obviously, the play is pretty weak in most casinos, but as a decent player you pick up so much more info sitting down and watching how everyone is playing and what mood they are in, rather than trying to figure out how 36 players are playing over 6 tables, all at once, as multi-tabling regs have to.

I think you have to loosen up and take the variance, if you are going to be a regular there. Make it 10x yourself and raise at least half as often as they do. Try and get the money in on any top pair you hit (say tens and above), flush draw or open ended straight draw with backdoor flush draw.

You will still be playing better than they are and you want to be loose enough to get invited back. Nitting up is just not getting into the spirit of it. If I was playing like them and one guy was short-stacking or waiting for premium spots, I wouldn't want them at the table.

It's a recreational game, you can't treat it as just a cash cow. That doesn't mean you can't be +ev in there either. Sounds like a lot of fun, if you are rolled for it. You can play like Viffer and not even be the craziest guy at the table!

You didn't say how they were playing post flop. Does the action freeze up a lot, or are people getting the money in with draws and non top pair hands?