Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em

I am requesting suggestions on how to improve my live B&M cash play at the local Casino. I’m sure others have a similar situation.

Hadn’t played poker before, joined the craze, and about three years ago I deposited $100 into PokerStars playing $1 SNG’s. In 6 months took that up to $200. Tried some micro cash games and lost every time. At $200 I knew I wanted to do cash games, and join my buddy who was also going to Hawaiian Gardens Casino.

I began playing 1c/2c 9-person. Was "successful" that in a year and a half had it up to $500. Tried 5c/10c and larger a number of times, was never successful, kept going back to 1c/2c where I was winning.

At "HG" the small NL game is a $1/$2 blind with $40 max buy-in. I’ve been playing there for a year, and while I’m money ahead (even after rake) I’m not what I’d call a "winning" player.

I’ve read a lot and try to honestly review my play. Being tight I can go a long time on $40. I watch the loose players who walked away with large stacks, but know it took them 4 or more buy-ins to get there, so they weren’t really ahead.

I knew I needed to be more aggressive. But when I’d try to gamble it up with steals and bluffs at these no fold-em tables I’d usually be challenged and by showdown someone always had some type of hand (if I went that far). Plus with a small 20 chip starting stack, after a couple of pre-flop bets you down to nothing and also joined the "push ‘em in" crowd.

With Ed’s book I now am getting the instruction I needed on "how" to be aggressive. Explaining not just "you need to steal sometimes" but how to steal and with what, and more pre-flop betting.

I’ve stuck $100 into Ultimate Bet. My pre-Ed play in 4 months took that up to $200 in the 5c/10c 9-person game. After reading Ed’s book, in the last month playing 6-person it’s now up to $300.

But at my B&M with $40 buy-in I still have my previous problems, and I don’t seem able to apply the book. It says to do $200 buy-ins, but here that is not a $1/$2 game, plus it is played with $5 chips. I can’t afford it.

So I’m tight, patient, learning to steal and bluff, with a $200 bankroll. I’m open to advice on how to apply these lessons and have winning poker in a B&M with a $3.50 per hand rake and a 20 chip $40 buy-in?

Mid Orange County, CA. playing at Hawaiian Gardens. I know the Bike and Commerce are further up, but for me this is the closest one. The $3.50 rake is standard for the casinos in the area at that level, and is more for the $100+ games.

Small stakes are $40 buy-in and $1/$2 blinds played with $2 chips, or $20 buy-in $1/$1 blinds using $1 chips. Both which gives you 20 BB to play with.

Next step up is $100 with $3/$2 blinds, but it plays with $5 chips, so your still at a 20 BB stack. Plus with my beginner money two buy-ins if a bad night wipes out my beginner afordabiltiy. Goal is to become a winner at $40 and move up to bigger. But isn't that everyones goal?

There are differences between the differenct casinos, so if you're wanting a trip to So. Cal. by all means come.

Hawaiian Garderns, Bike, Commerce, Hustler, and the variety of Indian casinos will offer a lot to chose from. Though they are similar the games and buy-ins the table selections and dynamics do vary. One casino starts at a $60 to $80 buy-in with the next level a $100 to $300 buy-in. For me HG is a 20 minute drive to get to, the others are a 1 to 3 hour drive in So. Cal afterwork traffic. My buddy and  I usually go every Tuesday after work.

At HG, for No-limit, they have buy-ins of $20, $40, $100, $300, and a few above. The bigger the game the bigger the rake. As to the $100 game mentioned above, the blinds are $3/$2 and you are given $5 chips to use. The dealer comes with $1's and $5. If you were to fold  you do get change back as $1 chips, but with $5 as the standard chip, that is the betting increment normally used. With some thowing in those odd bets using the $1 chips they have. It is very rare to be at a table with betting in $2 and not $5 steps.

At all tables if you get down to half a buyin (or less) then you can rebuy for the full amount again. If you're tight on cash you can do a "short buy" of any amount, but if you re-buy again after that it has to be at the full amount.