Table image first hour 1-3
I usually bring around 600$ no debit card and play for max buy in or buy in first for 200$ to test the table and then either add on to get to 500$ or play it out and if I have to re-buy in for remaining 400$ that's fine. Bankroll size is around $25k whatever I bring in is all I am ever playing for that day. With any of these effective stacks how do you play typically when buying in for
$200
$300
or max 500$
Villain effect stack sizes are roughly equal around 400 new table opened.
Lets say that the table you join is 2 recs you played before with a TAG image. 1 Very aggressive Maniac drinking European late 40's you've played not very good huge range and plays a luck box game a lot who also happens to be to your left. Also 2 Nits one old and one young you've played with. The rest are just Friday night gamblers you've never seen before may or may not be drinking middle aged white guys.
What do kind of table image do we want with each stack size and what's the best play style. Also does this table seem like a positive or negative EV table.
5 Replies
The villain you want to target is the maniac and your image doesn't matter to him.
With the rest it's more knowing what your image is and if you can use it. If you have a bluffy image then bluff less and bet harder with big hands, if your image is tight then bluff more and bet smaller with your value hands. Your image will probably depend on recent hands, will change quickly, may be different for different players and may not make any sense. That is why playing image at low stakes is hard.
Your bigger problem will be the maniac will sometimes get lucky and drain your small reserve before you can make any money.
I don't have much to say in terms of image but in terms of buy-ins:
Question: Why do you limit yourself to $600 per day?
Is this a stop loss against tilt or visits to the pit? Good practice if so, but your long term goal might be to work on your propensity to tilt, so you can fully take advantage of +EV but high variance maniac.
My buy in strategy is similar to yours. I bring 1-1.5k cash to the casino with bank card on the rare occasion I need more.
I buy $200 red and $500 green at the cage. Greens go in my pocket.
I start with a stack of $200 to get a feel for the table. If bigger stacks are paying off, or at least calling raises a lot preflop and playing passive post flop, I'll add up to the table cap or the high stack.
Also, as I drop below $200 (or whatever my intended stack is), I pop green chips on the table. This helps me
- ensure I get value from fish when I make hands
- make sure I can still have leverage with bluffs
- Simplify calculating SPR and playing a more uniform preflop range
I always buy in for the max, but I'm an optimist and don't mind playing deep in any 1/3 game I join. If the table sucks, I just change tables, but I'm fortunate to play in a big room with lots of 1/3 games going 24/7.
I buy in for the max, unless I’m shot taking (which you certainly aren’t with that roll). Anything less than 200bbs practically feels like short stacking live what with the big raise sizes and multiway pots.
The table sounds perfectly fine to somewhat good. I guess it’s probably not the best table in the room for 1/3 on a weekend night, but I’d be pleased as punch with it.
I don’t really aim for a particular image, unless it’s a private game and I wanna look splashy. Most grinders probably benefit from a splashy image because they’re not ACTUALLY ever bluffing when they bet all three streets or raise the river or whatever, but I’m perfectly fine with getting extra fold equity from a solid image.
I prefer for people to think I’m sociable and fun to play pots with, especially the drunk fish, but that might have more to do with my people pleasing instinct and my validation issues than anything that has to do with EV.
Since its a live 1/3 game you should assume they all suck and just play your hand the way it wants to be played. If you stay after your up 600 you'll make a lot more money over your lifetime.
That piece of advice will be worth more than anything i could tell you about this diaster of a question OP
