Alternate 10-20 blind/limit structure--What Effects?

[timmygsw]

I am a new poster on this forum but have lurked for serveral weeks. I have been impressed with the level of expertise and advice on this site.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could help me with the following:

I play in a weekly "10-20" hold'em game with these quirks/differences:

1) The blinds are $10/$10 and live
2)The blinds are posted by the dealer and the person to the immediate left of the dealer. The dealer acts last on all successive betting rounds.
3)The bets are $10 pre-flop, but in increments of $20 on the flop, turn, and river. Three raise max unless heads up.
4)The game is almost always played 11 handed.

How would you adjust your play and what overall effects do you think this would have. I'll post some of my thoughts later.

Thanks!

[Dynasty]

The $20 bet on the flop looks most important to me. That double size bet is going to punish suited connectors who prefer to draw cheaply until they make their hand. Medium and small pairs love the double size bet on the flop when they flop sets as do big offsuit cards when they make a pair.

Since most people call with total trash in their small blind, the $10 small blind (rather than $5) probably won't have a big deal. I suspect this is even more true in a home game.

[MD_]

I think the differences run deeper than you indicate. Notice that it is now almost impossible to steal the blinds because the button is one of them. Not only does he only will he be getting 4-1 if it's raised, he'll have position too. On the other hand, the button can easily steal the other blind if it's folded to him. It's now very costly to be chopping the blinds on the button. Maybe this generates action with ignorant players, but I would be playing extra tight all the time because I know there's always going to be somebody behind me with a random hand. Where before I could raise first in with QJo from late, I would now fold this hand first in (unless button is weak). Combined with the double flop bet, I think this is a game of betting big cards. I think playing anything like 78s is now impossible.

-MD

[Dynasty]

While I was writing my initial post, I forgot that one of the blinds was on the button.

Obviously, the Button is going to be correct to defend with more hands since he'll have position. However, I would still steal-raise with QJo.

[timmygsw]

Thanks for the replies. You're right on the blind stealing. It is nearly impossible. However, much of this is because of the number of limpers coming in pre-flop. For example, last week only two hands all night (out of 200 or so) was folded around to the cut-off.

I really like Dynasty's point of small pairs going way up in value. Because drawing hands are so expensive, you can really take a nice pot from people when you flop a set playing something like 3 <img src="/forums/images/icons/spade.gif" alt="" /> 3 <img src="/forums/images/icons/heart.gif" alt="" />. Not only are you getting paid by the drawing hands you're getting paid by the better players who are raising with top pair to punish the drawing hands. Also, there are usually at least 4 other callers. The oppotunities for check raising the turn for value are great as well.

Further, this has seemed to confuse some of the "better" players when they see me play a small pair in early position as they would ususally not go this far with small pairs or even play them at all.

This being a fairly lively home game, I've begun to play any pair from any position in an unraised pot. Limping with it early to encourage more action and raising with it in late position to set up a steal on the flop if it is checked to me. Of course, I'll only call two bets cold with a really big pair like J <img src="/forums/images/icons/heart.gif" alt="" /> J <img src="/forums/images/icons/spade.gif" alt="" /> or Q <img src="/forums/images/icons/spade.gif" alt="" /> Q <img src="/forums/images/icons/club.gif" alt="" /> (and this depending only on who raised) and then usually only if I make it three bets.

After a few more replies I'll discuss my overall starting hand strategy for this game and hopefully get some of your opinions and criticism. I think I could use a lot of help in some areas.

Thanks again for your responses!