Ring Table Advice? Win $5!

[Queen Admin]

I saw, what I thought to be, some good ring table advice in a forum newsletter the other day and would like to see what other advice members have for ring tables.  If that forum don't mind me quoting it, I'll get it and repost it here.

I myself am bad at ring tables for some reason.  There's been some times I've left the table with a profit, but many more times with a loss.  I am much better at tournaments than ring tables.  Why is this?     I pretty much play the same way.  Is that the problem maybe?  Do I need to play a different way at the ring tables than I do tournaments? 

So, let's see what kind of advice we can get out of this topic! 
I tell ya what, $5 to the best post on good advice for ring games. 


RULES (of course, lol)

• The advice I saw in newsletter, if I repost it, does not count, that person already won something for that post.
• The $5 will be transfered to the winner at Carbon Poker or Cake Poker.  So, if you don't have Carbon or Cake yet, this is a good way to start you out there. 
  [url=http://www.pokercs.com/_1ffe08ada6c05488e4b6002f06212308/1]Carbon Click Here![/url]
  [url=http://juicystakes.eu/?t=20334&Lang=en]Cake Click Here![/url]
• I will pick the judge/judges to choose the best post.
• Staff can post and can win.
• The deadline for last day of posting is September 30th.

How's that sound, did I miss anything? 

[King Admin]

Tournament games, you only have a fixed amount of money to enter, such as $1, $2, $5, $10, or $100 games, and everyone gets a fixed amont of chips. If in a private tournament, we may know who is who and how they play, so we can stay tight with our plays or get some what aggessive, at time.
In a public tournament game, we sometime know some and how to handle them, but yet we do see many of unknown ones. Some respect their tournament life and the respect for the money to enter the tournament, but most it depends at which amount of money, to enter. Yet, no matter if you are in a $100 tournament, you may still have an aggressive player. But yet we still know we only get so many chips for a certain value. Then you have these rebuy add on games and those are killers, as when you do take out an aggressive person, you risk to having him back.
As for ring games, it is all money, from your bank roll. Never ever take your whole bank roll to these tables and I suggest never go beyond half the bank roll at these tables. usually take only what it takes to get to table or a few dollars more, this way if your on a bad table you don't lose as much and gives time to think before you add too. easier to leave instead of fighting to regain, which normally doesn't happen. With a small bank roll, playing the 02-04 cent games is a pathetic game as these players are normally chasers. Even the $2-$5 games can make you scratch your head at times but some what civil game. But again never bring a big bank roll.
If you are taking a beating at any table, leave don't come back to it. Try another table, the first one was meant for you and if this one has the same encounters try another and then leave them alone for awhile if cards and players are doing the same.
Now if the table is working your way, play but don't stay forever. If the table turns on you, don't try to regain there, you got a little profit, just run. If you want to play still, go to another table, try it again. I even suggest, if the table is doing good for you, to try other tables. Remember, these players are adding money all the time and some do not care, and they will reach up and bite you.
Remember, never go beyond your percentage of your bank roll. Never get the notion, if you been beat up for the day, to think you may be able to rebuild that day, by taking you left over bank roll to a higer level to rebuild it as this is when you are on tilt.
Playing these games you need to switch your play at times, be some what tight, be a little aggressive. Heck show you bluff at times, oh and don't be afraid to show a good hand once in awhile. Show them you can play. Some of these so called players at these games look at gender when playing

[SharBear613]

Here is my thought.....(going to do this before I read King Admin's post, so sorry if any duplicate advice)

First thing that stood out to me was this "I pretty much play the same way.  Is that the problem maybe?"  The answer, in my humble opinion" is YES, that is the problem.  You can't play ring & tournaments in the same mindset.  In ring games players play more hands.  The lower the stakes the less the looser the play in my observation.

In touranment play, as the stakes keep rising, players are usually forced to adjust their play and betting. In a ring game though a player can keep playing the same general strategy for long period of time.  In a poker tournament a player needs to evaluate his stack and his position, taking into consideration the tournament structure and the prize formation (at the beginning of the tournament player may play one way, near the bubble another, and at the final more aggressively). In a ring game your only goal is to make as much money possible in every hand. Also, in most tournaments the game is over the minute you are out of chips.  In ring games the player can just sit down with more chips as long as their bankroll allows.

Also, are you playing 9 person tables or 6?  The less people there is the better those mediocure hands look.  Some hands you would limp on with now become raising hands against 5 other players. 

The other thing I play the same between tournament play and ring game is the advantage of position.  For example, if I had a decent hand in late position and I have a few limpers I'm going to raise it up to get rid of the limpers both in the tournament field and ring games.  It is just that in ring games, it seems to be harder to push people off unless it is a good size raise (and I mean more the 3X BB). 

Before I start playing at a table, I watch it.  Look for a table that has the loose cannon who calls everything or the fish that is loosing his stack.  Those are the players that are going to pay you off.  Don't sit at a table with sharks and what appears to be good players.

Finally, if you find yourself losing more at ring games then winning, be sure to just start off with the minimum buyin.  A lot of people argue with that saying you have a better chance of increasing your bankroll if you go in with the max.  I disagree until you begin to starting winning on a regular basis.  If you sit down with the minimum buy in your still have the potential if making a nice profit.  I call it the "Maximum potential with minimum risk".  You sit down with $20, you can still have one hell of a return on investment, but at worse you lose $20. 

Man, I hope all of that makes sense.  lol

[Tomturkey46]

I use what I call the 20% rule at ring games.  I sit down with the Table max(I usually play 10-20cent tables so the max is usually 10 Bucks) and wait until the big blind comes around to me.  I get to watch for a few hands and can get a sense of the players.  I play passitive-aggersive and see how the players react.  If I lose %20 of my stack I am gone and off to another table.
If I win %20 or more, I am gone from the game and usually the site.

                                                            The Turkey


PS, I just got 3 checks and 1 more to come

[tinheads]

for my part i've found that tournament and ring strategy are totally different and need a different approach.
In a tounament everyone starts out equal with small blinds but with most tournys having 10-12 minute blinds pretty soon youur in trouble if you haven't been gaining chips, so your under time pressure all the time during a tournament.
In a ring game the blinds never rise, so it requires a lot more patience and a different set of rules for hand selection and betting.
You might be dealt garbage for 10-20 or even 30 hands, in a tourny this would spell real trouble for you, but in a ring game all this has cost you is at most 3 sets of blinds which could be recouped in one hand without even having a large pot.
Position is also much more important on a ring table, it has a big say in whether you play a hand in a tourny but at a 10 hand ring game getting 10,10 under the gun  is really not a good place to be, especially if its a high flop

there's my say, dunno if it makes sense lol