10 June 2008

Low Limit Player Profiling

Low limit players have to be some of the worst players I have ever seen. By low limit, I mean, players between the minimum stakes and $30 sit and go's, tournaments up to $50, and cash games up to $200 NL. These players play two card chicken more than they should. I can't count the number of times I saw some really goofy plays. For example, the game was six handed and I get dealt 88. I open for 150 with the blinds at 25/50, I have about 1300 behind. The player to my left shoves for 2120. I have been seeing plays like this for the last few days more than normal. Usually you will find plays like this from time to time. However, I have been running badly over the past few days and just can't seem to find a way to win.
I keep getting cold decked or outdrawn. Which brings me to the reason for this post. I have been trying to not only tag players when I see them play, but I have been profiling low limit players in general. This is a little of what I have come up with. First, low limit players will generally overvalue top pair, no matter what pair it is. They could have a pair of 9's in a raised pot, and they will usually go to the river or go for a check-raise with it. Second, they tend to overvalue very marginal hands and call raises out of position with them. They will play broadway hands, any suited face card, suited connectors, almost any ace, and some suited connectors and gappers for raises. I have seen two big card hands call a lot of raises from early. In fact, I had a guy call me to the river with KQ on a 10-5-2 board while I was holding KK. It's just hilarious.
Low limit players don't think about what you might have. They usually only think about their hand. You can raise with a premium hand or big pair, and they usually won't put you on a hand. They will call and play their hand if they hit a pair or draw. Some players cannot get away from their hand if they hit a primary draw. I have noticed a sort of pattern in low limit players, in general. If they have a primary draw, like a straight or flush draw, they will usually check to you out of position and go for the check-raise. I have noticed that a lot of players love to check-raise all in with these kinds of draws. The problem with these draws is that if that is all you have, you are a 2:1 dog to get there. If you have pair or multiple draws, that is a different story.
On to two card chicken. Two card chicken is what I like to call the game of all-in preflop when you have more than 20 big blinds. It's one thing when the blinds are high and players are getting short. That is the time when you just have to pick a hand a go with it. Those are the times when you will see some very marginal situations. Short stack shoves with A8 and gets called by K5 or Q10. Those situations are understandable. I'm talking about early in the tournament when the stacks are relatively deep and there is a lot of play. You will sometimes see a player open for 3-4 times the blind, and suddenly a player behind him shoves or re-raises. If they re-raise the original raiser pushes in. I have also seen some very weak three bets and some very weak shoves early in tournaments.
Finally, I have noticed that low limit players play sit and go's and tournaments in some very wrong ways. They usually play sit and go's too loose in the beginning stages and too tight in the end. Or they will play too tight in the middle and just start shoving marginal hands when it starts to get short. Just watch them and you will know what they are doing. In tournaments, I have noticed that if the bad players get to the later stages, they usually play marginal hands in some really bad spots. Most of the field by the end stages are solid players and some loose aggressive players. But I saw some very weak plays by a number of players who just kept getting very lucky to stay in the tourney. So anywho, I'm having a rough week and just need to get my game back. I'll get there.

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