Actually, friends and neighbors, I love no-limit [NL] tourneys --- this post's title is just a way to hook you into the piece. But I'm an anachronism, a throwback, a freakin' dinosaur... *gasp!* ... I'm even way over 30. I'm reminded of this as I hop on the soapbox for this very brief post, because I have some harsh news to share:
I like other forms of poker, too.
A small problem with today's game is that with no-limit being the currently dominant form, other games are shunned, put aside, given the "this sucks!" treatment. Though I don't play at the highest levels, I play lots of no-limit hold-'em tourneys, and also some pot-limit, even some fixed. Add in some Omaha, 7-stud, and a little bit of anything else I can find, and it's easy to see that I enjoy the challenge of the different games. And lately I'm sick unto death of the No-Limit Nermal who accidentally wanders his way into a smallish fixed-limit tournament... and then proceeds to punish the table for his own lack of reading comprehension through his ensuing "chat" and manic play.
There's usually one at each table, starting out. After about three hands, everyone else is usually then treated to...
"F***! This is fixed. I hate f****** fixed.
"You're all morons. You're all f****** wimps. Grow some. No limit is the only real game.
"I want to leave.
"F****** loosers." (SIC, in most cases)
And then these types invariably go on a jag of capped-bet, push-push-push betting, apparently in an effort to show everyone just how big their cohones really are, compared to those of everyone else.
Whatever, little man.
Thank you for entering the wrong type of tournament --- not because you've made a mistake, because we've all made mistakes. But rather, thank you for punishing everyone else at the table because you're not yet man enough to take the blame and responsibility for your own actions. If you want to leave, leave: there's an "auto-fold" button at every online tournament table I've ever seen.
But, no, that never happens. Instead the disrespect for the fixed-limit players must be continued until the no-limit "purist" invariable donkeys his way to the felt. As inevitable as death and taxes, this also turns the opening tables into a crapshoot instead of the learning-how-others-play parrying it was meant to be. Catch a couple of big hands early against one of these joyous wonders, and you're likely to be in great shape later on. But if you're trapped into a large hand, your own exit is also much more likely.
Overall, of course, these players are a positive EV [Expected Value] for the rest of the participants, but their randomizing influence is also very large. And on very, very rare occasions, someone puts on one of these routines as a way of trying to con his way to an early chip lead. But that's a scarce sight, and you may play many tourneys before running into this sort of con artist.
Back to our hater. Seriously, let's just say you're one of these "Death Before Fixed Limit" types who accidentally finds himself in one of these dreaded beneath-your-dignity tourneys. Here's a bit of insight:
If you don't have the patience and ability for critical thinking to allow yourself to even sit at the table and give it a reasonable try, then you do not have the patience and ability to become really good at the no-limit version you cherish. Taking a rare stab at fixed (even by accident) will give you a chance to pick up some technical skills that will be of use to you later on. Oh, and by the way... there is room for bluffing in fixed-limit, but you're not likely to see it at the first couple of levels. A bit of fixed-limit play will improve your no-limit game, the same way no-limit play improves your ability in fixed. Other versions of poker improve your overall game in similar ways.
Look upon it as a learning experience.
But if you can't understand that, than whatever. But you should know the truth:
The other players don't respect you, either.
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