Fear and Loathing at the Micros

Been thinking about moving up recently and by doing that I have started to think about the mechanics and dynamics involved in 2NL and how these might differ at 5NL and beyond. What I have noticed over the past 6 weeks or so playing 2NL is I have really not been 3-betting at all. This is due to a number of different factors. Mainly being:

1. Working out the range of an opponent pre flop is really difficult at 2NL as every player is random in their patterns and player pool size

2. 3 Betting to squeeze is non existent in that pre-flop ranges are either the nuts or any random 2 pair. So how do we effectively 3 bet IP against with 98s against a villain that has  polarized range? Cos what is that range?

3. If we don't hit the flop, c-bets are not usually respected enough to get enough folds for it to be profitable

My 3 bet % at the moment is 3.3 - which is pretty exploitable I guess. However due to the fact that we are playing some many different players that the majority of don't use a HUD, then they really don't realize what your 3 bet % actually is.

At the moment I am winning consistently at 2NL which is great and this 3 bet % is obviously working. But having watched numerous DC videos most players seem to have a min 3 bet of 5.5.

I have read numerous times that when you do move up not to change your game that got you to that point in the first place, which I think it a great piece of advice. So how do we counter the fact that every level we move up, most players are gonna be a lot more aggressive and as a result of that we will be 3 betting more. We in turn must open up our game. 

I have read on forums how players have tried to move up and been crushed at a higher limit (it happened to me at the beginning of March) and I think that is a result of probably not being able to adjust to people that have a wider range pre and of course a wider 3 betting range as well. Being able to understand this is vital in adjusting to our new limit. So what should we do?

Well I think the best thing to do, is to simply observe more than we are now. When we move up to a new limit, it is cos we are beating our new limit to the point where we are able to move up, however I think that most of us are probably auto piloting somewhat. So it's about respecting the limit we move up, playing less tables and making notes on our opponents, especially in 3 bet pots. (Whether we are in the hand or not).

What is great about any DC video is listening to the coaches and how they break down the range of their opponents in certain spots. This is easier to do at higher limits to a certain degree, cos we expect the villain in a hand to play their perceived hand correctly i.e. the most profitable way it can be played, the way that gets most value. This is where we need to be careful at the micros as players will often count on us value owning ourselves or take non profitable lines they think are profitable. Checking the nuts on the river so they can raise. (How many times haven you seen that at 2NL)

So at 5NL I expect players to still count on us value owning ourselves, as well as players value towning us more. (By betting for value a lot more than players do at 2NL). If we combine this with the more aggressive nature of our opponents and the tendency to 3 bet more you can start to see our predicament. 

So I am intending to not change my game, but change the way I preceive my opponents game. I think and hope at 5NL board texture will come into play more and I will be able to work out whether I feel a player, is bluffing, semi-bluffing or has the nuts. This is something that is not really a factor at 2NL. At 2NL you can stick to the Baluga Theorem like it is going out of fashion. I expect it to still be extremely useful at 5NL too - however I am thinking that there must be some players that will c/r a flop or turn with a big draw. (This is again not prevalent at 2NL all that much)

So yes, let's not really change our game too much, in terms of the way we play our hands, let change the way we play against our opponents, or more to the point how we read them. Cos at 5NL, we should be able to make some reads, not many, but enough to make it tougher from 2NL, but more rewarding in the process if we make the correct reads. 

Well that is what I am hoping for.

Any thoughts from an DC members as always would be great appreciated.