Yet another NL Question

Lets say there is a player making a standard $3 raise with blinds .50/1 everytime he comes in... Flops are usually 3 handed regardless. What hands should you play in this situation if you are in middle and late position?


Question 2. How much should I raise in late positions with pairs such as Queens, Jacks, or Tens assuming everyone has folded to me, or I have only one limper. I want the blinds to pay to play, yet at the same time, I dont want to make a small raise that they'll call with Axs. Any help is appreciated. SOrry if these quesitons are dumb, i am a certified newbie. These games refer to the new paradise NL games.

1. If a player is making it $3 on a lot of hands this is not a good game for a beginner. Play a game where you can see most flops cheaply. Play pairs trying to flop a set if a few others have entered, and small suited connectors (78 and below) are good too. Stay away from AJ, KQ and the like. The problem is that this player will no doubt apply pressure, and unless you are able to make sizeable bluffs, he will lean on you but is unlikely to pay off your good hands.


2. Nothing wrong with just winning the blinds. Tens and Jacks are the 2 most difficult to play hands in NL, queens being the hardest. Make a decent raise to maybe $3 and see what comes on the flop, if they check to you bet the pot pretty much no matter what comes. If you are in doubt it is usually better to bet.

If they lean on me, and I have position, wouldn't it be right to occassionally make a substantial raise that they would not be able to call. Obviously I would do this with a draw of some kind, or at least a pair. I am a winning player in ring and paradise, but i rather not give away my handle there. But I am very experienced at no limit. Suited connectors and pairs are good to play at this point am I correct?

Al - you are thinking like a limit player.


Question #1 - The implied odds are determined by the player with the smallest stack. Are the odds there to get paid if you hit? I call more liberally when I'm on the button and cut-off. I play very tight if the raiser is a strong player and I have a big stack.


Question #2 - pick a number that is going to be your standard open raise and go with it. You should raise this amount any time you open the pot in middle to late position. The one exception would if one of players behind you is short stacked. In this case you might want to bet a little more and hope that the short stack goes all in. Don't worry about players calling with Ax. your goal is not to win the blinds. It is to win a big pot. If you get outflopped then so be it. Next hand.

I don't like the standard number very much in late position. If you choose $3 but there are already 5 limpers such a raise achieves nothing. Base your raises on a standard number if you like, but be sure to increase the size of your bet if there have been several limpers.


And if there is a raise which serveral players have called, raise big if you are going to raise. At least the size of the pot. More often it is the size of the pot which determines your correct play, and correct bet size.

Right, I didn't make myself clear. I was talking about a standard raise when opening the pot, meaning everyone has folded to you. I agree that "finding the right number" with multiple limpers is a much more difficult art.