Weak Tight or Money Saver?

I am thinking about making a big adjustment in my play and wanted everyones opinion. Before I mention this, I would like to stress that I play online micro-limits and B&M up to $8-$16, but rarely do I go above that.

I am seriously considering folding my top-pair/excellent kicker(or best kicker) to any significant post-flop action. For example, If I have AKoff, and the flop comes A27, I am usually betting the flop and three-betting any raise. My adjustment would come on the turn and the river. Basically, if I bet and get raised I am seriously considering folding. Also, if I raised the flop and only got called, yet an early player suddenly bets before me I will fold.

This seems to go against many things I read and seems typical of a weak-tight play, but after documenting a few hundred hours it seems profitable.

Don't get me wrong, every once in a while a real game will break out at these limits...and I lvoe trying to push someone off a pot, or going for a check-raise-bluff, but it seems to me that the vast majority of games I play in are players who don't even consider what other people have, and have just commited the lee jones book to memory......

Any comments would be appreciated..

Thanks,

[Allan]

I think you are asking for opponents to take advantage of you with this strategy. You open yourself up to being bluff-raised off of your hand if you make a habit of doing this. Even unsophisticated players will notice how easy it is to get you to fold while facing a turn raise. Rather than try out the folding strategy, I would try and work on my hand reading skills as well as level 2 thinking and use that to make a more informed decision in these situations.

Allan

[Mikey]

JK, when I first started out playing seriously, I would pay off many more bets that I should have and I STILL DO, but not as much before as when I first started.

This is generally true at the lower limits when you are raised on the turn it is generally two pair or better.
Think about how many times an opponnent tries to raise you with a draw on the turn, or how many times an opponnnet tries to raise you with top pair on the turn, it usually doesn't happen. I was paying off far too many bets because I would call the raises.

Now I am not telling you to fold to raises on the turn or even on the river all of the time, but most of the time you should take this approach. Think about it.

But first before you decide whether or not you should be folding to turn raises and river raises automatically you should analyze your oppossition.

*I've sat in 5-10 games where the opponnnet would raise his top pair on the turn.
I would also be in games where an opponnent would check call his TOP TWO PAIR because he was afraid of a set or flush being out there. These are the things you have to take into consideration before making these types of laydowns. WATCH your OPPONNENTS.

In a live casino game it may be easier to make these types of laydowns if you feed off of tells and betting patterns but every situation is different and you have to use your best judgement.

Consider your opposition also when they lead into you. For instance I have just learned to lead with Middle Pair when the timing is right. I used to never lead into my opposition with middle pair, but you have to use your judgement when the time is right.

Good Luck.

-Mikey

[davidross]

JK,

At micro limits you are facing something better than top pair when you are raised on the turn. Almost always. But depending on the texture of the board you need to decide if you're drawing dead or not. It's not an automatic fold.

You will find some players who might try to make a play on you, but you'll learn who they are soon enough and you'll have to call them down.

[el gato]

I agree that if you show a lot of aggression pre-flop and on the flop AND you still get check-raised on the turn, you can probably muck with a clear conscience. This is not weak-tight, this is just good poker.

However, players betting into you on the turn is another story. I find that if the player have you beat almost all go for a check-raise on 4th or 5th street. It is rare to find an opponent who will bet the nuts into you. It has been my experience that a player who bets into you on the turn after having checked the flop is "testing" your hand. I usually raise in this spot if I hold top pair as opposed to folding unless I know the player. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif