luvrhino
06-28-2005, 09:31 PM
First off, i'm a relatively inexperienced, but fairly well-read, player who's playing in this year's WSoP thanks to EmpirePoker remarkably giving me wonderful customer service (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=inet&Number=2679749&Fo rum=All_Forums&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Main=2 679749&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=17203&datera nge=1&newerval=1&newertype=m&olderval=&oldertype=& bodyprev=#Post2679749). I haven't been able to look at a computer screen for longer than 40 minutes consecutively since November (see above link), which means i can't play non-Turbo tourneys and am extremely out of practice. Even when i did play, it was almost entirely in Limit Sit & Go's on Empire, which doesn't exactly translate well to the WSoP NL play. Thus, i'm seeking whatever advice i can get.
Unless i'm at a table where blind stealing can be done with less, when playing NL tourneys i almost always use the standard 3xBB for my open raises when stacks are deep. Obviously, this makes it difficult to read the strength of my hand.
In Harrington on Hold'em, Mr. Harrington suggests varying the size of your open raises from 2x-5x the BB. This makes sense in that it allows you to put bigger raises in on hands that need them (e.g. TT or 99), while occasionally go smaller when you wouldn't mind some action (e.g. AA or KK). Of course, so as not to give away too much information, you'd need to randomly vary the sizes of open raises for all hands.
For a professional who's playing the same opponents multiple times a year, i can see how that tactic would be ideal. However, as a complete newbie on the first day of the WSoP, no one will have notes on me aside from being an internet qualifier...that and being a raging dork, but that's besides the point. The point is that i'll see 300-500(?) hands that day, likely playing, say, AA and KK just 1-3 times each, and even then from different positions. In terms of advertising value, my opponents won't notice that i sometimes open raise 2xBB or 5xBB with these hands, instead of 3xBB, especially since i either won't be opening the betting or because i'll end up winning/losing without showing at the end.
IOW, i'm wondering if i'd be better off still doing 3xBB for all open raises so that i'm not giving information about the comparative strength of my raising hands, rather than trying to be deceptive by playing a hand various ways in the same position. Furthermore, by always doing 3xBB, i'll deflect scrutiny of my boring betting patterns, which should be a good thing.
What say you?
p.s. Hopefully, no 2+2ers end up at my table. If you do, please forget everything i've posted. Remember, my name is Jennifer Tilly.
Thanks.
Unless i'm at a table where blind stealing can be done with less, when playing NL tourneys i almost always use the standard 3xBB for my open raises when stacks are deep. Obviously, this makes it difficult to read the strength of my hand.
In Harrington on Hold'em, Mr. Harrington suggests varying the size of your open raises from 2x-5x the BB. This makes sense in that it allows you to put bigger raises in on hands that need them (e.g. TT or 99), while occasionally go smaller when you wouldn't mind some action (e.g. AA or KK). Of course, so as not to give away too much information, you'd need to randomly vary the sizes of open raises for all hands.
For a professional who's playing the same opponents multiple times a year, i can see how that tactic would be ideal. However, as a complete newbie on the first day of the WSoP, no one will have notes on me aside from being an internet qualifier...that and being a raging dork, but that's besides the point. The point is that i'll see 300-500(?) hands that day, likely playing, say, AA and KK just 1-3 times each, and even then from different positions. In terms of advertising value, my opponents won't notice that i sometimes open raise 2xBB or 5xBB with these hands, instead of 3xBB, especially since i either won't be opening the betting or because i'll end up winning/losing without showing at the end.
IOW, i'm wondering if i'd be better off still doing 3xBB for all open raises so that i'm not giving information about the comparative strength of my raising hands, rather than trying to be deceptive by playing a hand various ways in the same position. Furthermore, by always doing 3xBB, i'll deflect scrutiny of my boring betting patterns, which should be a good thing.
What say you?
p.s. Hopefully, no 2+2ers end up at my table. If you do, please forget everything i've posted. Remember, my name is Jennifer Tilly.
Thanks.