Secrets of the winner number 1 - 8 stats, without which we can not live!

Very often there is information on poker training sites that proclaims the rapid destruction of micro-limits through the use of voiced charts, concepts and general recommendations, but created by regulars of much higher limits. Perhaps they have never played at the limits that they teach to beat. This approach looks superficial and completely ignores the specifics of the game at the lowest limits (NL2-NL10). No, with due diligence and thoughtfulness, you can easily overcome NL2 and NL5.

Another thing is that a number of problems could have been avoided if novice players had to use trial and error to distinguish between concepts working at micro-limits and those that are useful at higher levels.

In this context, advice from Nathan Williams looks like a real mine of useful information. Also known as "blackrain79", he has played nearly 10 million hands on Pokerstars (deservedly considered one of the most profitable players in the history of micro-limit poker) and is ready to share some of the best recommendations for the fastest beating NL2 and NL5. Nathan focuses on the fact that the main weapon in the arsenal of a poker player from the lower limits, of course, is poker software for collecting and analyzing statistical indicators.

At the same time, there is no need to make one of the most common mistakes of a player with micro-limits - cluttering poker tables with unnecessary stats and overloading your brain with excessive information. This is how the top 8 statistics displayed by the # 1 Low Limit Winner in his Holdem Manager 3 (or your Poker Tracker 4, Drive HUD, another poker program that displays HUDs) looks like:

• Voluntarily Put Money in Pot (in the familiar tracker language - VPIP). Voluntary investment of money (chips) in a pot. Raise, call, limp - we all refer to this. Not included - compulsory bets on the small and big blind. The higher the VPIP, the wider the range played by the opponent and the more likely he is a weak player and our client;
• Preflop Raise (PFR). Investing money in the pot exclusively by raising (3-bet, 4-bet, push - too). Together with VPIP, it helps to determine the type of opponent in front of us in a matter of hands. NB! Do not ignore the new data: if at first you thought your opponent was a fish, but over time his statistics and overall adequacy hint at a revision of the original vision - do not hold on to the first option, it can cost you dearly in the distance!
• Agression Factor (AF). This is a generalized indicator based on the ratio of bets and raises to calls. Indirectly, it helps to determine in making decisions about opening an alleged bluff and categorizing by types of opponents (for fish, it allows you to distinguish a phone from a maniac).
• Number of Hands. The number of hands that your poker program has collected against a specific opponent. The larger the sample, the more reliable the decisions made based on statistical indicators become. It allows you to understand whether your opponent is inclined to often bluff bet on a garbage flop or, on the contrary, only bets with strong made hands.
• Fold to Cbet. Demonstrates how often the opponent folds on the flop cbet. The most useful stat for increasing non-showdown wins (also called the "red line") in the lower stages of online poker. The first bluff that novice players learn is the continuation bet with an unprepared hand or complete trash.
• 3bet. Determines how often your opponent reraises preflop. Indirectly helps to reveal the aggressiveness of opponents at the poker table. Often the 3-bet figure allows you to determine a specific 3-bet range and its type (typical for players with a total stat of 3-4%, signaling the nut and linear range);
• Fold to 3bet. How often opponents, having played an open-raise, are ready to surrender to a reraise from another player. One of the simplest and strongest tricks to raise the red line through preflop actions.

Of course, this is far from an exhaustive list of statistical indicators that can and should be used during the game to increase its profitability. However, all other stats can be seen in a couple of clicks in the pop-up window.
Purchasing poker software for collecting and analyzing statistics requires an investment of money. It is a fact. Moreover, sometimes quite large and tangible micro-limits for a beginner player. Nevertheless, it is the purchase of a tracker that is always put on the first place in the list of actions necessary for self-development. It's not hard to explain this:

• Firstly, the importance of poker support software for analyzing your own game simply cannot be underestimated. Even a few weeks of fruitful hand debriefing can allow you to beat NL2 and gain a foothold in NL5 without overworking;
• Secondly, even a lot of losing guys use trackers. The effectiveness of the poker software service for them is not very high. But in order not to allow other players to gain an advantage over us from scratch, we must make the most of the available poker tools to maximize the expectation of our game.

A quick tip for newbies to poker: don't give up poker software just because you don't have the money for it. All poker programs offer some kind of free trial period. Most often, a whole month of free work is given. Taking into account a fairly large number of products on the market (Drive HUD, Hand2Note, Holdem Manager 2, Poker Copilot 6, Poker Tracker 4), you can have time to try all the available options, and in parallel successfully beat NL2 and NL5.

By the time you move to NL10, you will have decent poker experience and analysis behind you, as well as skills in handling various poker support programs. This will allow you to make the right choice from the whole variety of options offered. A choice made based on YOUR experience with the tracker, and not on the recommendations of an unknown and often biased (for one reason or another) poker coach or player.