Most players start off in these levels and do not have much luck. The looseness at these tables is very high which should make it very profitable for the average player but this is seldom the case. Many think that since people are seeing a lot of flops with less than premium hands one only has to play very tight and he should win money on a regular basis. This is simply not true, playing short handed means that people will see the flop more often due to the fact that the traditional “premium hand” is much less than at a full ring table. Here is an example.
Hole cards- A3
# of players in the hand- 9
What you should do?
Unless your in the small blind and no one raises you should fold this hand.
Hole cards- A3
# of players in the hand- 3
What you should do?
Depending on position you should either call or raise because statistically you should have the best hand.
In small stakes short-handed games playing too tight will not win you any more. A good style is semi-tight and extremely aggressive. You should see a good amount of flops but that doesn't mean calling with 3-7. If you catch a decent hand you should raise pre-flop and if you only get 1-2 callers you should bet post flop even if your hand didn't improve. You can win a lot more money winning pots by betting after the flop than catching great hands and winning a large pot.
When you play stakes this small you should always play draws very aggressive. If you catch your draw than you want as much money in the pot as possible, and even if you don't catch, the other players may fold. Small stakes Texas Holdem is basically a bunch of betting with less than top pair and bluffing with the occasional big hand thrown in for good measure. If I am dealt two hearts and two hearts come on the flop I will raise automatically, even on the turn.
People tend to call all the way to the river with bottom pair in short handed small stakes Holdem. You can profit greatly by using the notes feature that most online poker sites have. If you sit down and already know how half the players usually play, you can minimize loses and increase profits.
