Problems with my VPIP.

[kongo_totte]

Ok, I don't know how you guys manage to get your VPIP:s up to 18-20 without playing shitty dominated hands in bad positions. My VPIP is 14, and for my last 15k hands it's 13.
I play full ring on Party NL50 and NL100. My winrate is still decent (but it seems to be decreasing with my VPIP) but should I still be worried for my girlish VPIP?

Here are my staring hands in general:
Raise from any position: AA-JJ, AK
Raise in MP-LP: AQ, AJ (LP only) TT (LP ONLY), sometimes 9 9.
(fold A J in EP and limp A Q)

Small-medium PP:s I limp from any position and follow the 5-10 rule for calling raises.

SC:s I limp in LP (if not first in) and in MP with alot of limpers before me. I follow the 5/10 rule if I have position.

I limp suited gappers and 2-gappers and sometimes 3-gappers in LP if there are 2+ limpers before me. I call raises with gappers and sometimes 2-gappers if it's multiway and stacks warrant it.

I limp A Xs LP with limpers before me and call raises if it's multiway and stacks warrant it.

Some of the hands I limp in LP (if limpers before me) I will raise first or second in occationally to mix things up.

Am I missing something?

[Marlow]

a few things:

1) what's the 5/10 rule?

2) do you ever raise from button or CO with a decent non-premium hand after 1 or 2 limpers just to try and collect the weak money?

3) What about AT, QJ, KJ, KT, KQ, JT suited or not? How do you play these?

Marlow
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[Maulik]

Am I missing something?

Yes, you're not playing poker you're playing hands. Learn how to play poker; read a book and start over. You've got to push edges, steal blinds rather than use this mechanical system you've defined.

Against different opponents you must play hands differently, etc.

[xorbie]

You're missing big suited cards.

[kongo_totte]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I missing something?

Yes, you're not playing poker you're playing hands. Learn how to play poker; read a book and start over. You've got to push edges, steal blinds rather than use this mechanical system you've defined.

Against different opponents you must play hands differently, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Here are my staring hands in general


[/ QUOTE ]

These are not written in stone. I steal blinds, adjust to opponents etc. I can't post every single move I make in one post, now can I?

[kongo_totte]

[ QUOTE ]
You're missing big suited cards.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right, I usualli limp them in LP except K Qs where I'll raise it up first or second in. I probably raise K Qo first or second in in LP aswell. A To I'll often open raise in LP. KTo, KJo I hardly play at all unless I'm stealing. Should I?

[subzero]

Specifically...
Occasionally steal blinds from the button or CO with anything. Sometimes raise any pair from the CO or button if there are few limpers (gives you a chance to steal if you miss your set). Play a hand out of position every now and then (to change it up). Play any hand from the SB and BB if you can limp and there are a lot of callers.

Generally speaking, I play preflop like you do and my VP$IP is about 21.

[subzero]

[ QUOTE ]
1) what's the 5/10 rule?


[/ QUOTE ]
http://www.winningonlinepoker.com/
"A good rule of thumb

Bob Ciaffone and Stewart Reuben present a good rule of thumb about no-limit hold 'em: with a hand such as a suited connector or small pair in good position, you should call preflop if it costs you less than five percent of your stack, and fold if it costs you more than ten percent. ('The rule of five and ten') In between, you have a close decision that depends on other factors, such as how well the opponents play, and just how good your position is."

[kongo_totte]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1) what's the 5/10 rule?


[/ QUOTE ]
http://www.winningonlinepoker.com/
"A good rule of thumb

Bob Ciaffone and Stewart Reuben present a good rule of thumb about no-limit hold 'em: with a hand such as a suited connector or small pair in good position, you should call preflop if it costs you less than five percent of your stack, and fold if it costs you more than ten percent. ('The rule of five and ten') In between, you have a close decision that depends on other factors, such as how well the opponents play, and just how good your position is."

[/ QUOTE ]

Also, atleast I find position much more important when regarding SC:s than PP:s

[subzero]

I sometimes play trash from the button if there are a few weak limpers that I think I can outplay later. I usually try this against players with above-average VP$IPs, low PFA, and low WSD%.

[BZ_Zorro]

If you can beat the game for anything near 10PTBB/100, your VPIP is fine. I've done very well with 14/4.6 (and a high flop aggression). Lower it drops off, higher than 17 it drops off. Over 20 I start losing money. Honestly I think the whole VPIP thing is a lot of [censored] swinging.

BTW, SCs are seriously overrated at these limits imo. I'd much rather play suited broadway (down to QTs) than SCs. If you need to open up your game include these and occassionally unsuited broadway. Be more willing to play them OOP or to a small raise. I think it helps your image when people see that you don't just play the big broadway cards.

This is not standard advice though, it is JMO.

[jonnyUCB]

your VPIP should depend on table conditions. Even raising QKo from LP (pretty standard) can be trouble if someone from the blinds can run u off top pair.

What it comes down to is this: its obvious that when you play more hands, your hand values decrease generally (you don't flop much). You will have to bluff more if you want to play more hands. If you're not sitting at a passive-weak table, it will be hard to bluff, therefore tighten up at a looser tables. I've sat down at six max tables and raised any two in position against some players.. but because they were loose callstations, I end up losing a huge pot to 35o calling a continuation bet and turn bet.

Increasing looseness also means increasing looseness post flop to gain the advantage via position and strength. Is your bluffing strategy based on a lot of raising, or seeing cards and how they react to them? It should be the latter. Scare cards are your friends. You should be drawing with bottom pair with an obvious flush draw out and bluff when it gets there (or if an ace falls), etc.

Also, its amazing how often players freeze up on the turn after firing a flop bet. I like playing two suited cards more than small pp's against a player I can outplay because I will usually have more outs, and I can call a flop bet hoping to outdraw or scare him on the turn. You should be calling flop bets which appear to be -EV based on your cards alone. This is what an earlier response was attempting to convey with the comment "play your players, not your cards"

[swolfe]

throw in some raises with mid pairs and suited connectors from LP as steals and even when there are (bad) limpers. it helps shania, which is all VPIP/PFR is...

[kongo_totte]

I seem to have been misunderstood. I occasionally step aside the general starting hand line I described above and will of course raise PP:s and SC:s or any two once in a while if the right situation appears.

I now have a winrate of 8PTBB/100. With this in mind, should I still try to get my VPIP up? Will it help my winrate?