Ok so first I should introduce myself, as this is my first post on here and its probably the best way to get the most pertinent advice.

I live in the U.K. and so any currency I list will be in GB £ the current exchange rate is a little over US $1.5 per GB £1 just to give you an idea.

So I have been playing poker for approximately 18 months now, although I don't play much online and only currently play about once a week in my local pub.

The poker I play in the pub is No-Limit Hold'em and the pub is a participant in the Redtooth Poker League (one of the largest leagues in the UK)

The buy-in is £5, for this you get 5,000 starting chips with blinds starting at 100/200 for the first 30 minutes, then 200/400 for another 30 minutes until the break. Re-buys are permitted until the break, after which there is a gift of a further 1500 chips and play becomes freezout resuming with blinds starting at 300/600 and raising 15 minute intervals (400/800, 500/1000, 600/1200) etc. ( I should stress that this isn't the official chip/blind structure advocated by the League but it has been adapted by the host pub to accomodate an elderly player with poor vision who was unable to tell the difference between his chips)

As well as the prize money (buy-ins split 70/30 between 1st and 2nd place) points are awarded based on finishing postions and at the end of each 13 week season the top 3 players attend a regional final.

I was lucky enough to attend the regional final for the 1st season of the 2009/10 game year having placed second in my pub. I was playing against 118 other entrants and didn't expect to get anywhere, in fact I went in thinking that I would do well to make the top 50.

Play started and I just couldn't catch any cards, then about 30 mins before the break I was dealt pocket Aces in late position, with 4 or 5 limpers in front of me. so I fired in a big raise a little too big maybe because everyone folded and one player commented that if that was the only way I could win a pot i was welcome to it, so in retaliation I showed my Aces

After that my luck changed at that table and I stayed there whilst many players came and went with one particulars seat becoming a "death seat" as 10-12 players came in sat in that seat and lost there chips within 5 hands, approximately 50% of these chips came my way.

It was at this point, with a healthy chip stack in front of me, that it was announced that we were down to the last 50 players.

"Great." I said to the table, "I've achieved my goal - didn't think I'd make it this far."
"So pack up your chips and go home." someone responded.
"Never" said I "I wanna see how far I can get now."

And with my goal achieved I felt more relaxed, then they started moving me to other tables where as soon as I sat down people started saying things like look how many red chips he's got - these were worth 10,000 each and very few people had them - so when I sat down with them the other players were visibly intimidated - which allowed me to capitalise my position.

Eventually I made it to the final table, placing 3rd in the end winning £100 and a seat in the Redtooth Poker National Final.

So thats me now down to advice

First - the pub, since my 3rd place in the regional final I have found it hard to play against the people in the pub - I figure this is probably because they are better at reading me than I am them, but also partly luck since nearly every flop sees most players limp in, and even if I raise they all call me so they end up catching flops with rag cards more often than I hit my premium cards.

Any advice on the best way to play against this very loose style of table would be appreciated - having watched a few videos the I understand the basics of an opening raise based on postion but none of these give any advice for what to do when loads of players limp before you.

Secondly - I am looking for advice on how best to approach the Redtooth National Final which I will be playing on the 28th of March.

Dusk Till Dawn are proud to be hosting the Redtooth Poker National Final for the third consecutive year.

We are expecting a whopping 405 players this year who will all receive a welcome drink and get to meet the attending celebrities to be announced.
Doors open 10am
Tournament starts 12 Noon
No Limit Hold-em with 5000 starting chips and a 24 minute clock Finishing time is expected to be 1am to 2am.

Personally I expect to place in the top 200, I am aiming fo hi the top 100 although I would also like to win, so any tips on strategy for this tournament would also be most welcome.

I am currently trying to improve my knoweldege of Pot Odds and Outs etc if anyone could reccommend some excersises to improve my skills in these areas I would be most grateful for that too.

Thank you for having the patience to read this post.

I would just like to say well done! :-) ,
and I also have a similar problem about the "extra loose" players , so I'll keep an eye on this thread

Well done.................been a mystery to me tooo
Seems that they have to be played aggresively..........if you loose them pre flop no problem
May take a few chips initially to do this but sitting at a table with same players for a time...they learn when their stack is diminishing and gone

Although you have to allow for the players playing merely for fun and going every hand cos they actually find it quite boring and only playing to kill time or actually think they have a natural ability

we know you have to learn your trade........takes time and money

Playing in a pub game you probably get alot of players who think it is all luck.......and if you play every hand you take the element of reading players and bluffing totally out of the game.........