Approaching very loose, large tables after flop

[georgesimpson]

I learned to play hold em' about 10 days ago and have been browsing and searching the site but I really haven't been able to find any thorough posts on the topic yet.

I've been playing some games where it's 10 people and anywhere from 6-8 people see the flop, 2/3 to turn, and 3 actually go to showdown a majority of the time.

Basically you really have to have a great hand to win at showdown, because it's generally people calling just to see all the cards.

I did a poker calculator analysis which shows if I play Sklansky/Malmuth categories of hands, against 9 random hand or loose (all 8 categories plus a few more starting hands) opponents and the "if everyone went to showdown results" are impressive. You win a much larger portion than 1/# of opponents.

However, I need guidance as to how to react to the flop, when to fold, how to foresee those X% of winners so that I can cash in on them.

Also it seems like trips only win a little less than half the time against so many people,

so if i was holding JJ after the flop I would be quite hesitant to try and hit this. I mean .5* chance of hitting it leaves me around 5% pot odds. I guess the chance of winning depends on the situation, how the board is,and whether or not it's a high win percentage trip you could hit.

My question is, how can I read the board to determine whether not continuing with a pair to try and hit trips and other more general hands?

I understand I should always see the flop with these hands because my expected winning percentage at showdown is greater than 1/# of opponents that see flop.

Also any advice to general strategies to beat large, very loose games would be appreciated.

I know this is a lot to ask in one post, but I've been frustrated for the last week trying to figure this out on my own.

Thanks very much in advance.

-George

[Piiop]

The answer to these types of questions is always "It depends." Try posting some specific hands and you'll get more feedback. Position, texture of the board, # of opponents, and opponent reads can all make a big difference to how you play a hand.

However, it's usually incorrect to see the turn/river with a small-med pocket pair if you didn't hit a set against a lot of opponents.

[Ajax410]

I played in a home game with friends that was $20 buy-in with very similar circumstances. Basically, tight is right. Against opponents like this, fancy moves don't tend to work, so I would bet when I had the best of it and fold when I didn't. In large loose games, drawing hands (Ax suited, suited connectors, even Kx suited) increase in value while high-pair hands (AK, AQ, KQ) go down a little. Against many opponents you love to draw - so adjust accordingly.

[JPNet]

You are correct, way too much to ask in one post. You really need to buy Small Stakes Hold'em and study it. Look in the Books forum for more info.

Very first thing is to play only premium hands before the flop, described in detail in the book.

Next, with many of the premium hands, don't just stay in, raise.

Third, almost never call 2 bets cold.

Much, much more covered in the book.

After that, post some hands for review.

[Ajax410]

[ QUOTE ]
Very first thing is to play only premium hands before the flop, described in detail in the book.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this as a practice, since premium hands are going to win the most money, but I think avoiding suited connectors in 7-8 handed flops is a big mistake. You will almost ALWAYS be getting the odds to draw, and this is where you can make a nice stash.

[ QUOTE ]
Next, with many of the premium hands, don't just stay in, raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely agree, make your opponents pay to outdraw you. This is key if you want to develop a winning strategy.

[ QUOTE ]
After that, post some hands for review.

[/ QUOTE ]

Most definitly do this - it's the best way to learn. There is nothing like 6 people telling you you're a moron for you to get your ass in gear!

[georgesimpson]

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

I had an itching suspicion that circumstance rather than general rules would be the case, so it looks like I'm gonna use the pot odds I've read about, play some tight starting hands, and see how it goes and post some hands.

Hopefully, with good judgement I'll only draw to those trips that wins on average-- same with other hands.

Hopefully a majority of my losses will be sitting in missed hands.

-George