Poker Strategies - Extracting Large Profits From Low Buy-in N/L Cash Games

For the countless new players venturing out of their home games and into the to the world of brick and mortar casinos, the low buy-in No Limit Texas Hold’em tables can become surprisingly profitable.  If you are a serious player, with a seriously limited bankroll try applying the following concepts and reap in the profit.

Observation
The single most important element in having success at these games is your ability to actively observe the table.  Your play should lean towards the conservative side when first seated.  In these first couple of minutes you should observe the general attitude of the table and it should be easy to identify the weaker players.  Much of your profit will come from extracting chips from these several individuals.   Knowing which opponents to exploit first will build your chip stack and your confidence for the rest of the session.

You should have a rough idea of how much money everyone has at the table.  Generally speaking, those who have chips stacks hovering just above the minimum buy in are perfect targets for making profit.  They will predictably play one of two ways: a.) Ultra conservative and unwilling to commit their chips if they do not hit a flop or b.) Impatient to put all their chips in with small pocket pairs or marginal hands.  Observe their play, adjust accordingly and attack their stack! 

Another essential observation skill will be picking up tells.  At low limits tells will be relatively easy to make out.  Look for all the typical give aways; strong is weak, weak is strong, eyes concentrating on cards, eagerness to bet or check and so on.  You should be picking up this valuable information and constantly using it to your utmost advantage.

Buy-in/ Table Image:
I would recommend that you buy in for the table maximum, or at least close to it.  You may want to stack your chips in a manor that gets you noticed.  Why?  Because if you appear to be a serious player and show you are willing to spend money, you can immediately establish your image as the table captain, an essential factor in exploiting these games. 

You must follow this strong action with strong play.  Show people that you are in control by raising pot after pot once you get a read on the table.  New players have a tendency to want to see as many cheep flops as possible.  By raising you are telling them that you are now in control.  The result will be players calling with ultra-speculative hands because they can’t stand not to see a flop.  You could have the entire table on tilt in under 30 minutes!  With your table captain hat now on you must wear it with pride and confidence.  You should be in control of every hand you play coming into pots for raises, not making cold calls, and never going on tilt.

Picking Your Spots:
Due to the constant blind levels in cash games, it is important to pick spots in which you are playing with the greatest possible advantage.  You must be patient and resist the urge to call when facing large raises with marginal holdings.  It may be hard for the home player to read this, but get ready to routinely lay down top pair, two pair, marginal flush and strait draws, as well as over cards when facing weak players betting into you.  Understand that you can pick better spots, with superior hands.  Wait until you have the nuts and find out how you are going to extract as many chips as possible whether that means betting into someone who believes they are holding a better hand, trapping or slow playing (to be used rarely).

A final adjustment home players can make is limping in with marginal holdings in late position.  If no one is going to force a tough decision onto you, toss out an occasional call to hit a big hand. You  can play an array of speculative hands in this situation.  In an unraised multi-way pot, if you hit your hand you can get paid off in a big way.

Dealing with Other Skilled Players
While floating around at these small limits you may run into others trying to implement similar strategies.  You must remember they also are playing with a limited bankroll and are probably by no means a professional.   These players will be more susceptible to laying down big hands to bigger bluffs. First, it is important to build your table image and allow other skilled players to realize that you are a truly a good player.  Once that is understood, they most likely will not want to go after you.  Therefore, if involved in hands with these players you can exploit their chip stacks by praying on their tightness against strong opponents.  They will understand they should be saving their money for healthier spots against worse players.

By Tom Bostic
Poker Expert