Poker, Tourneys or Limit Tables?

[stevew]

I've been playing some Hold-em lately online for real money. I cannot seem to have much success in playing limit tables at all. I really dont like the "limit" style, but with the fluctuation in NL tabling, you can lose money quickly(and i dont really have a lot to mess around with) But, however, I seem to do very well in tourneys and sit and gos. Does anyone else primarily play tourneys or sit and gos, and forgo the table scene? Is it easier to make money than at tables? Im sure its a lot easier to lose money.

[MJ4H]

Right now I'm playing primarily sit and gos. I like them in that your losses are limited to your tournament buy-in. Sit and gos seem like a lot lower variance than ring games. I like that. I think at low buy-ins, sit and go tournaments are extremely easy to make a profit, but this varies with the site. For instance, I would steer clear of poker stars if you are looking for easy games. The sit and gos at party poker and pacific poker seem to be very easy to beat.

[cartman]

I too try to stick to tourneys. I do pretty well in them. In the Sit and Gos, I'll usually finish in the money 3 or 4 times out of every 5 I play. In the bigger tourneys, it is more hit and miss, but so far this year, I've made more than I've put in, but only by $34, according to Poker Tracker.

I've gone into the ring games, but I never do as well at them as I do in the Sit and Gos.

[TLK]

Unless it's for shits and giggles, I only play ring games. I've been playing at many sites lately trying to clear bonuses, and playing tournaments isn't too conducive to that...

[kcchief19]

I just recently entered the world of pay poker, having stuck to play money, free rolls and my DD Poker sim previously, and I am having considerably more success in tourneys. I have a low risk-tolerance level, so I don't really want to sit down and play poker for 30 minutes and be out $50.

When I first started my account, I primarily played at limit tables. I learned quickly what I have always heard -- if you don't have the nuts, you can't win. There is no bluffing and if don't have the best hand after the flop, you're not going to win. To me, that's not poker. I'm sure the more you play and the more money you expose the more success you will have at that, but to me it's not a lot of fun and it's not a good strategy for the beginners.

I played three single-table tourneys today and won one, finished third in another and was out of the money on the other. Sit and Gos are helping me restore my losses from ring games.

[Pumpy Tudors]

When I first started my account, I primarily played at limit tables. I learned quickly what I have always heard -- if you don't have the nuts, you can't win. There is no bluffing and if don't have the best hand after the flop, you're not going to win.
Absolutely not true, unless you're referring exclusively to play-money limit games.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Absolutely not true, unless you're referring exclusively to play-money limit games.

I'd have to agree with you. Even at the microlimits where I dwell, winning w/out the nuts isn't at all uncommon (hey, if I can do it frequently, how hard can it be?)

[kcchief19]

We must run in different circles. If you're talking pot-limit, I'll agree. But I'll challenge you to find many authorities who will agree that bluffing in pot-limit poker is a profitable thing to do. Can it be done? Sure, on rare occassions. But more often than not, bluffing in fixed-limit games is infinitely more difficult than in a pot-limit or no-limit game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

We must run in different circles. If you're talking pot-limit, I'll agree. But I'll challenge you to find many authorities who will agree that bluffing in pot-limit poker is a profitable thing to do. Can it be done? Sure, on rare occassions. But more often than not, bluffing in fixed-limit games is infinitely more difficult than in a pot-limit or no-limit game.
I'm talking about fixed-limit games. To say that bluffing is impossible is generally incorrect. Also, to say that you need to have the best hand after the flop is also not true. People can and do improve their hands on the turn and the river.

I'm not really trying to turn this into a huge discussion about fixed-limit play (although I'm open to that), but it is possible to run people off of pots. It just has to be done differently than it's done in no-limit, obviously.