Help!! Aggression numbers continue to go down...

[Kevin]

I feel that I am in a rock/weak tight rut. Since I purchased Poker Tracker in February, my aggression numbers - especially preflop raise numbers continue to go down. Feb/March it was about 7.5-8%. April/May it was 7.25-7.5. June July, I am at around 7 with numbers under 7 for July and (gasp) under 6 during a recent downturn the past two days. I have watched the hands and cannot find anything that looks passive except the following:

1.) I have slowed way down on AJo - dumping it early and open raising MP and beyond (obviously folding to an EP raise).
2.) KQo is an autofold from EP and usually an open raise late, but I don't play it for a raise in front.
3.) My cutoff/button play is atrocious. If I open raise in the cutoff or on the button with a hand like A7o and it doesn't hit, it goes bet call on the flop, check call check call, rag pair wins in the big blind and I invest a bunch of chips to show a terrible hand. As a result, I am only open raising now with a premium hand - since it seems that the blind are assuming a rag opener and will call it down with any piece of the flop. I am leaving a lot of money on the table (I think), but I can't seem to play it right - so I just dump it
4.) My blind play is bad heads up - If I three bet an open raise with a hand like AJo, flop misses, I go bet, call, check call check call and get shown the best hand. As a result, I have totally walked away from a lot of money making opportunities - even dumping small pairs because without a set, I can't seem to play it right post flop.
5.) reverse implied odd hands, like KJo and A10o are getting dumped. They tend to lose big pots and win small pots. I don't like to play them early and if I am playing them late, it is 4 and 5 way action. I am not sure if I am supposed to limp or raise with them - because I am in fear of getting tied to them and paying off a better hand. I have become weak tight.

All of this is adding up to a VPIP that is 3 points lower than 3 months ago and a PFR that is a point and 1/2 lower. Not coincidentally, June was a +.49bb/100 month after booking about 2.6 since February. I am getting predictable at the table and it is pretty clear to anyone paying attention.

Another issue is - I try to make cold calling a very noted exception. Since the 3/6 games are so much more aggressive than the 2/4 games that I primarily played thru late April, a hand like 89s goes into the muck in late position versus getting a cheap look in a 7-way pot and and getting paid off handsomely when the board cooperated.

Another issue is small and mid pairs. Raises seem to come so frequently that I don't want to play them early and, unless it is multi-way (like 3 cold calls before), I don't play them late either. Is there a general rule on how to handle small pairs in an aggressive game and what the rule is to cold call (and do you ever 3 bet - other than read/player specific?).

If I keep it up, I am only going to be playing red aces and only if it is folded to me on the button. I don't want to become this way - but I am headed down that path unless I can turn it around.

Please give some general advice on the points above.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Eder]

When I start playing too tight I drink a few beers...helps me loosen up ...

[BreakEvenPlayer]

I'm assuming Party $3-$6 games.

1.) AJo is an EP raise at most tables.

2.) KQo is an EP raise at most tables. If I get three bet or see too ugly of a flop I am not going to push these two hands. As always, every situation is unique.

3.) Stealing from LP is a fine art, I don't really know what to tell you other than keep practicing. But DON'T fold A7o on the button out of fear.

4.) Maybe get a little tighter from the blinds. Your agressive work from later positions will make up for this. Make KQs, AQo, 88+ your threshold for blind-steal three-bets.

5.) Keep dumping KJo and ATo, at least till 3 from button, then you need to be open-raising, even one or two limpers (especially if the blinds are tight players).


These are my thoughts, and maybe some will disagree. A lot of this is fairly marginal EV. I think the most important thing is that you are practicing good table selection and seating yourself to the left of horrible players. Remember that isolation 3-bets and raises against weak players with hands like AT, KJ, etc. are going to knock out many pocket pairs, AJ, KQ, and even AQ from most. The bigger hands you are going to hear from PF and on the flop so it isn't too tough to play. I think that aggressive isolation is an important step to success in the games above the $2-$4 at Party it's a skill that many don't learn.

[CORed]

I'm going to adress just the blind stealing aspect and defending aspect. From your post, it sounds like your post-flop play is much too predictable. If you raise Axo in the cutoff or button and get called by a blind, don't automaticly bet the flop. If the flop is uncoordinated (not much straight or flush potential), and your kicker is better than the bottom two cards, bet most of the time, otherwise be more inclined to check-fold. You should also be reacting to how your opponents are playing. If they're are folding a lot, or if they are calling with nothing at all (worse than your nothing) bet more. If they are calling a lot with any piece of the flop, be more inclined to give up on the flop or on the turn. You certainly don't need to see the river every time. If you pair your ace on the flop and your opponent bets into you, raise most of the time (and sometimes when you don't hit), but sometimes smooth call and raise the turn. You don't want to give away the strength of you hand by how you play it. Mix it up. If your hand has some drawing value, overcards, small pair, straight and flush draw, etc., or some chance of being best (middle pair, unpaired AK, AQ, etc., sometimes raise if bet into to try to get a free turn card. Depending on how agressive your opponent is, a flop raise will often get you a free turn card and sometimes a free showdown. You can often see a showdown cheaper be raising the flop and checking the turn than by calling all the way.

When defending blinds, sometimes bet with nothing and go for the re-steal. Often (but not always) check-raise your good hands. If you check the flop or the turn, it should usually be followed by either a fold or a raise if bet into. You want your opponent to be unsure of whether your check means a good hand or a bad. Again, the key is not to give away too much information by always playing the same. If you bet the flop with nothing and get called, check-fold about 2/3 and bet the turn about 1/3. Check-call rarely. Sometimes bet the flop and check-raise the turn with good hands. Again, keep your opponent guessing, and adjust your play to take advantage of your opponent's weakness.

[Boopotts]

Hi there-

The Pary 3-6 games are, by my reckoning, no different than the fifty cent games; and certainly no different than the 2-4 games. There's usually a couple other guys who have read a couple books and are trying (often unsuccessfully) to play well, and the rest of the players are terrible. When you play against terrible players, the bulk of your profit comes from one thing; i.e., showing your opponents the best hand. Everything else-- and by that I mean decisions about whether to open raise with bad aces in the cutoff, whether to raise, limp or muck with AJo in EP- is a distant, distant second. In fact, I don't think it matters for a damn how you negotiate these pre-flop issues. Just make sure you have a better starting hand than most of your opponents most of the time and you'll be fine.

How do I know this? Because I've played with every conceivable pre-flop strategy you can imagine, and have never noticed a bit of difference in my results. When I played 20-40 in the social clubs in Denver, for example, I played what most people would consider to be a ridiculously weak-tight pre-flop game. I didn't raise with AJo pre flop unless I was on the button and nobody else called. I never raised from the blinds without a group 2 hand or better. I NEVER tried isolation three-bets, since they just didn't work with the crowd I played with. My results? About 36$ an hour for 1500 hrs.

When I moved back to Detroit I limbered up a bit, and my results were almost exactly the same. Which leads me to say that it fretting over your pre-flop play just isn't worth the hassle. Don't cold call raises, and play tight in EP, and the rest is largely irrelevant.