26 October 2005

Is it OK to Play Like a Donkey at Low Levels?

In my downtime, I've been slumming at $25NLHE and PLHE at Party (meaning max buy-in of $25). The main reasons are to prevent doing stupid things to give my bankroll away (not very positive thinking), to get my bankroll over the $2200 or $2400 mark (similar to my rounding up tips to the nearest quarter vs. 15%), and to simply play stupid cards and catch monsters. Example: I'm one off button with Td8d, blinds of $0.10/0.25. Raise to me to $0.50 to go (which I cold call) with another caller. Flop is 2dQhQd. I bet $2 for my flush draw and am called by the raiser. Turn is Jh, and raiser checks (which I do as well). River is 4d. Raiser bets $3, I raise him another $7, which he calls. Raiser turns over AsQs. Now, this was horrible play by the trips to let me catch the flush for free, which I was able to earn with my flop bet. A clear trap play on his part, but then I had to listen to guy on my right for fifteen minutes about how he hates when people get lucky, etc. Another later hand I call with Ts4s ($0.50), flop is AsQs2h. One guy bets $0.25, I raise $1.25 with a caller, than another guy goes all-in for another $5.79. So it's $5.79 to me into a pot of, what $10 or so. I'm obviously way behind, but I figure the other guy will also call, so I'm OK with pot odds (plus, what the heck, let's suckout out, shall we?). Turn is 8s, so I go all-in for another $8.60 and am called by the third guy. Q on the river let's me take down AK and AJ. I then bled chips back to my critic, chasing etc. while trying to bust him when this hand comes: I call raise to $1.00 on button with KK. Flop is KJ6, all spades. Now I don't like these spades, so when original raiser bets $1, I raise another $3, which he flat calls. So I put him on As, but my magic card comes on the turn with Jc. He bets $7, which I reluctantly call. 8h hits on the river, my critic says, "cs has the flush", then "and hope has jk". Raiser goes all-in for $30. I type, "nope" and call with the second nuts (I'll pay $30 to see JJ for sure).

So the fundamental question is this: it is OK to play low limit, to play like a donkey at times? I think it just may be, as you can work on various moves (for example, raising 5xbb with three limpers, playing rags). But is it fair to play way below your bankroll and experience? Negreanu (which I'm not) has a long post about buying in big at a NL table at the Wynn. It isn't taking candy from a baby to be sure, as I don't want to insult solid players with limited bankrolls. But when Negreanu raises it up for $5,000 with J6o, and a guy calls with KQs and it's half his stack and KJ6 hits the board, I mean, is that simply poker, and you should be willing to give what you brung to the table away, or should you play with your own fishes? It was very different putting the shoe on the other foot, playing purposely like a donkey, taking down pots with nothing on the turn, catching cards, trapping with monsters, etc. Very different than being on the other side waiting for KK or AQs or 55 and catching A73. So is it OK to do this, or is slumming (no offense) not good or even unethical? I don't think unethical is the case, but is it good? Not sure yet. If it helps me to change gears when required, then it's a good thing. Let me know, and I'll keep you posted.

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