[frob23]

What do people think about capped NL games?

I have been playing a little low stakes poker on FTP and gave their CAP NL tables a try today. I figured it would be a decent way to ensure I stayed within my bankroll management without needing to move tables because I could only put less than 3% of my bankroll into play at any one time. I am trying to build from the amount I have there until I have a real bankroll.

I don't hate the idea of a cap... in some cases I think it's a good idea. But I think 30BB is way too low for a proper cap. I felt absolutely crippled after the flop when it came to ways to play my hand.

Let's think about it. I was playing 5/10cNL with a $3 cap. I raise pre-flop to 30 cents and get two callers (this seems to be common even 6 handed at the low level). For simplicity, let's assume it was the blinds who called. So we have a pot of 90 cents. I make a decent bet on the flop (perhaps because I hit or whatever) of say 80 cents. I've now bet $1.10 and only have $1.90 left to go before the cap. If I get only 1 caller, the pot will be $2.50 on the turn and I have to go all-in, assuming I am going to bet.

And that assumes there is just a call on the flop, if there is a raise... we're probably getting it all-in right there if I have anything reasonable. This is almost like tournament stack play, without the worry about going bust.

I think the thing which bugs me most is that the majority of my real decisions in a hand are made on the turn and/or river. With a cap, there is just no room at that point to make a decision or do anything tricky. And, if you run into a monster, you're limited to the max you can win. Sure, your loses are limited if your opponent runs into a monster but I am comfortable with that risk.

I think a cap of 100-150BB would make for a good game. You're not going to worry about winning big and suddenly losing all the chips you've gained... but you have deep enough "per hand" stacks to make the game interesting.

Has anyone else played the capped games? What do you think about them? What sort of cap do you think is reasonable? Is the 30BB one good for you? Would you like something like 75BB or maybe higher than even 150BB?