3-6-12 game

[Merlyn22]

A common game in the Louisiana casinos is a 3-6-12 limit holdem game. 3 on flop, 6 on turn, and 12 on river. What kind of adjustments does one need to make to play in this game as opposed to a standard 3/6 game? I know this a broad question and i'll probably get flamed, but if anyone would like to contribute any valuable feedback, i'd appreciate it.

[lostinthought]

It's not a bad question and don't worry about the flaming.

Basically, since the river is a double size bet, your implied odds go up (granting that people will pay you off on the river). In other words, since you can make more money on the river, you can call turn bets with more drawing hands. The double river bet combined with it being a low limit game makes for a lot a people chasing till the river. (bottom pair, mid pair, gutshots, etc.)

Another notable feature of these games are river value bets. Since the river bet is twice the typical BB, be more inclined to check-call with hands like top pair/top kicker and the like. If you bet and are raised (and decide to call), you have effectively called a 4BB cap in the standard holdem structure.

Despite these strategy changes, these games will be difficult to beat in the long run, as the rake ($5) is tremendous in relation to the stakes. There is some awful play in Louisiana casinos, so it is not impossible to leave with a winning session, but you should consider trying to play the 10/20 as soon as you are comfortable and are bankrolled.


Good look..

which casinos in Louisiana do you play/are going to play in?

[Merlyn22]

I actually live in Texas, but since there are no casinos here, I have to drive to Louisiana if I want to play in a casino. I drove there to play in a small buy-in tournament and saw a lot of people playing 3-6-12. It was Isle of Capri casino in Lake Charles. Since going, I want to go again as soon as possible. It was so much easier playing against live opponents than online. (side note: made final table of tournament)

[Lost Wages]

Just to clarify, you have the option of betting $6 or $12 on the river. This makes it much more interesting. There is a chapter on the big river bet games in Middle Limit Holdem, you might want to check it out.

In General: The value of pairs and suited hands is increased due to higher implied odds. The value of offsuits is decreased due to higher reverse implied odds. The value of position is increased since the extra bet you make or save on the river is larger.

Study how your opponents handle the river with various strength hands and with position vs out of position. Some players will check and call even strong hands out of position for fear of a raise. With position and a good hand, many players just check it down. Some always bets $6, some always $12. Some bet $6 on their strong hands and $12 on their monsters, etc, etc.

Preflop: Play any pair, Axs and any suited connector UTG if the game is passive (it's always loose). At some tables, preflop raises are considered rude while at others there are live straddles and frequent caps. Weird. Avoid the marginal offsuits (e.g. KTo) even in late position.

From late position, try to buy the button with playable hands but consider your opponents as some will always pay 2 bets for any hand they were planning to to play for 1.

Flop: Your marginal draws (e.g. gutshot, bottom pair overcard kicker) increase in value. Backdoor draws add more value than usual, especially with position. Marginal made hands with little chance of improvement are less valuable.

Turn: Draws still have increased value.

Possibly 2nd best calldown hands should often be abandoned out of position especially against an opponent likely to bet $12 on the river when he has you beaten but check behind when he's beaten. With position and a marginal hand, usually raise and take the free showdown if you would hate to call a $12 bet.

With a monster hand and position, consider waiting until the river to raise.

A recent 3/6/12 hand I played differently than if it was 3/6:
A couple of limpers to me, I raise with JJ, limpers call. Flop is J9x, checked to me, I bet, one caller. Turn is a 9, he checks, I bet, he checkraises, I call. River is something, he bets $12 and I raise. Normally of course, I would always reraise the turn.

River: With a strong hand out of position (especially a rivered draw) you should almost never go for the checkraise unless you know your opponent very well. Typical players check behind the river even with good hands, triple so if the river is a scare card.

With a marginal hand out of position you can sometimes employ the trick of betting $6 against an opponent who is likely to bet $12 if you check but will only raise if you are beaten.

Lost Wages

[zuluking]

lostinthought and Lost Wages hit the nail on the head. I'd only add that if you go to the Isle from friday night thru sunday afternoon, get ready for some WILD action. The 3-6-12 on weekends plays like a 2/4 home game. The swings are HUGE but the longterm profits are enormous.

Keep in mind the local rocks too. If they raise, you'd better have the goods or get out. They don't bluff, they just sit there hour after hour and wait for "the big one". On weekends you'll have 1-2 at a table.

The 10/20 gets pretty wild as well, plays like a drunken 4/8 game, so if you have the bankroll, give it a shot. Just be careful of other sharks, usually 2-3 at each table.

Good luck!

[lostinthought]

[ QUOTE ]
I actually live in Texas, but since there are no casinos here, I have to drive to Louisiana if I want to play in a casino.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is actually a casino in Eagle Pass,Tx approx 2-3 hours from San Antonio. It used to be a turdhole, but the have recently redone the whole place, and the new poker room is nice (although the highest game spread there is one 10/20 game)

White chip games can be really fun sometimes. Read mason's essay on building pyramids in his poker essays.

[Derek in NYC]

I just played my first 3/6/12 game this weekend at a club in Houston. One additional factor in addition to Lost Wages' excellent points is that a good amount of your profit can come from value betting the river with $12. I found all of the players uniformly to be pasive and loose, thus your marginal value bet on the river will often be called & overcalled.