Re: Home Game Strategy

[EMcWilliams]

I would appreciate some feed back on this after you all stop laughing at it...Thank You in advance....

We play live home games approx. 5 nights a week, ranging from 6-10 players, usually more on the high side. We play No-Limit HE, .25/.50 blinds, but the issue is the stacks. Many of the players for some reason beyond me will not play for more than a 10 dollar initial buy in. Yes, we start out with just 20xBB stacks. I try to always suggest a higher buy in, and just get laughed at. The only plus to this system is that it does keep the fish returning and buying in often. The game we play is more for fun, however, one can make a decent profit for a few hours or work if they win. I wont be quitting my day job though. My issues(besides the stack, but as I said, it is a social game too)

1. All the players are loose, mostly passive players. In any given game there are three serious players, one TAG (myself, or so I like to believe), and two LAGs. On any given night over 3/4 of the pot will be in our possion. Tight is the best strategy in this game, right. Let them continously call with their AJo to my AKs, their 99 to my kings, so on. Avoid marginal hands in EP, and in raised pots and such.

2. Most of the players have taken notice to my TAG style, and have yet to change most of their play against me. They will still call mostly with marginal hands, but recently it has happened less frequently. This is a good sign that my big hands that are best suited for heads up are heads up, right? However, as a corellary to this, any raise of less then 4xbb doesnt get this done, so randomization is almost outta the question. I know that is 3xbb, but to them its a dollar more, which is encouraging the limpers to stay. I dont want that with my high PP's and such, right?

3. Whenever i do get just one caller, judging by the flop players can usually tell as to whether i hit it or not. If a flop come 9 high, my AKs isnt good enough anymore cause they will call with marginal hands and low pockets. Is there/ how do i counter this.

Im sorry about the rambling and such, but i wanted to ask this stuff. I visit here often, and since im sure that i omitted some important stuff, ill answer any questions quickly.

[lawpoker]

to encourage players to buy higher, you should buy higher. buy in properly, for $50. see if anyone follows. otherwise, cap the buy in at $15 and reset your blinds to .5/.15

can you get a read on any of the players? if so, i'd say loosen up a bit, and find out if you can't win more money.

if players are actually noticing your playing style, and it would shock me, shift gears. or better yet, play some hands blind, but don't be obvious about it. show down some shite hands that don't cost you much to play. that should loosen up your image.

big pairs always do better heads up.

if they're thinking of the PF raise as "only a dollar more", or whatever, they're not thinking properly in the first place. if you have KK, and raise it 35xBB, and joe lunchpail calls you with a 65s, he's not getting the proper price to call, but if he doesn't realize it, i don't think it matters what you raise.

are you saying that players know whether you hit the flop by wether you bet out or not after a PF raise? if that's the case, then just keep firing on the flop, regardless. if you get played back at, figure out what he has. the only other way to counter this is loosen up your starting hand requirements, as i mentioned above. play some SC and raise some small pairs, etc.

[EMcWilliams]

This is not the most typcial home game. While there are fish, there also are intellgent observant players. What typically happens is most players now run for the hill when I am in a hand, however, the only play to which I feel may be better or equal of me calls if he knows it will be heads up (lets face it, the players wear tells here). And when teh flop comes, he can tell as to whether he is winning or not. He is right most of the time, and its bad because there are cases ive had him exactly where I want him and yet he still pulls out ahead. He is good at reading into me, and I wont deny it. How can I take advatange of that? Can I? Not even that I dont bet teh flop, but the texture of it gives them an indication as to if i hit it or not. His theory on it is "If I know you are playing QQ, and I call with my 97o, and the flop comes 9-9-x or 7-9-x, ill get all the money in front of you. He will play the full spectrum of hands against me. Again, how to beat this idea besides loosening up, because I will try that, but im sure there may be other methods. We play with the same group mostly, I have reads on them all.

Thank You