Andy B. on 11 hands

Andy, thanks for your response to my listing of 11 starters. I agreed with your aggression on all the better hands. Where I differ is on the lesser hands. I'm dealing with a loose passive 1-3 with no ante game, and I find that there are a combinaton of factors that make raising a little bit profitable at many tables.

Factor One: You can get a free card on fourth many times, meaning you get to draw 2 for the price of one.
Factor Two: You will fold when you don't improve, they won't
fold when you do.
Factor Three: You often have the best hand because people will routinely play gutshot low draws, two high cards, even any ace for "only" $1 more.
Factor Four: Most important: you may only break even on these plays, but they make you a lot on your big hands, because people feel like they never know if you have it or are bluffing -- and they "have to keep you honest".

I have been punishing the 1-3 casino games and the 2-4 online Paradise game with this type of aggressive play. I'm sure it will be less effective and I'll have to mellow out when I move up to $5-10, where players will play back, read you better, understand what you're doing, be less likely to call your monsters and generally play better.

(10-7) 3 suited
Limp if my hand is reasonably live. Call for one full bet, but usually not two, unless my hand is completely live and I know it's only going to be the two bets. Better not to get involved even then.

ANDY: I fold this if two or more of my suit are dead, raise $1 or call a raise if one or none are dead.

(6-6) 8 2-suited

Limp in for the bring-in. Maybe call a full bet if the raiser has a dead door card and my hand is extremely live.

ANDY: I raise $1 or $2 and consider a reraise if it's bet to me to KO others. With an overcard kicker, I definitely reraise.

(8-6) 6 2-suited
Limp in for the bring-in.

ANDY -- I raise $1

(7-J) J rainbow
Raise if it will thin the field substantially. Limp if not.
AGREE, but still raise $1 even if I think no one will fold

(6-7) 8 2-suited
Limp. Probably call a full bet but not like it.

ANDY: Raise $1, call a bet

(6-7) 9 2- suited
Limp only if 8s are completely live and other straight cards are pretty live too.

ANDY, Raise $1 if cards are live, fold otherwise

[Andy B]

I thought I was supposed to be commenting on a $5/10 game with a $.50 ante and a $2 bring-in. Your responses above suggest that you're talking about a $1-3 game with no ante. Which is it? I've never played $1-3, and it's unlikely that I will. My experience at $5/10 consists of one mildly disastrous trip to Foxwoods, but I have had a lot of success in $4/8 and $6/12 games with similar structures.

Andy, aside from skill level of the players I don't think there's actually a lot of difference. The 2-4 on paradise
with .25 ante, $1 bring in is very similar to the 5-10
structure you describe. And 1-3 with no ante and $1 bring in effectively plays similar because many players come to see a fourth card anyway. The games that seem different are those with an over ante -- in my experience notably a $1-5 game with .50 ante and $1 bring in. Here bad loose players are much more correct when they limp or call bets early. In fact, you probably should be doing a lot more of this yourself.