Do you guys think ABC poker/Vanilla is the best way to go for the beginner at the lower stakes NL tables?

I have managed to take my AF to 3.25, and sometimes my flop AF is up to 5.5. The thing is I find myself making some of the moves you guys do at the higher stakes and people keep calling like they cant let go.

My endless losing streak has finished and I am winning again but i think/feel that maybe ABC is the best way to go, since it doesnt seem to matter how tight or rockish you are in a microNLtable: They will call you anyway!!!

I was playing ABC for a while (6K hands) and I did money with that style. Not much but some. I think NL25 could be crushed just waiting for monster and then betting hard.

That is what I think. I would like to hear your opinions....


AlexMR

You could never in your life bluff at those stakes and still make plenty of money. I would never make a big bluff if I were you. Semi bluffs and small bluffs are fine, but dont make any all in type bluffs. Just bet big with your big hands and you'll be fine.

Dont be afraid to overbet. if you bet and get raised and you have a set...you can just push all in alot of the time. No need to get tricky.

Actually, now that I think about it, I still rarely make big bluffs but they keep calling me.

i'm not an outstanding player by any means...actually somewhat of a newbie. but i've had some success at the microstakes. i play slightly loose (24%VP$IP) and pretty aggressive (10% PFR, total AF around 3, flop AF at 5).

pokertracker helps a lot....i've started checking my opponents' aggression ratings, and been really paying attention to passive flop players who have 2> aggression on the river. these guys draw and then bet really obviously when they hit. you need to know who calls with any draw, and you need to know to not pay them off...even if the pot odds are tempting. i've found that round-specific aggression ratings along with showdown % are equally/more important than VP$IP and PFR #'s.

i actually bluff/semi bluff pretty frequently....but never any sort of big all-in move. i will raise on the flop very frequently if i have any kind of hand/draw at all. most people will call a flop bet with any draw or overcards but i've found that even at microstakes...good-sized flop raises are respected. i've also found that microstakes players are more concerned of the absolute size of the bet than the size relative to the pot. so if i fire out $1 into a $1 pot and get 2 callers.....it's still worth putting out a bet on the turn...because the pot is bigger....so my bet will be bigger....and will look more frightening..even though it's the same ratio to the pot that my flop bet was.

there may be better ways to win at microstakes....but i've been doing 45PTBB/100 over the past 3K hands. i know that 3K isn't enough for an accurate sample size....and 45PTBB/100 probably isn't sustainable...even at the Prima $10 and $20 games....but i've also had some pretty significant losing sessions averaged in, too.

edit: i also keep specific notes for each player on what a min-bet preflop means, what a min-raise on the flop/turn means, and what random all-ins preflop mean. usually each of these moves mean either significant weakness or extreme strength....and it's good to know which players mean what.

edit 2: don't bluff the river unless you have a VERY good read on your opponent. i've found this to be a pretty fruitless endeavor, all things considered.


just my thoughts.

jon

"....but i've been doing 45PTBB/100 over the past 3K hands. i know that 3K isn't enough for an accurate sample size....and 45PTBB/100 probably isn't sustainable...even at the Prima $10 and $20 games."


This is the understatement of the century