trying to become more unpreditctable...any tips?

[die_rich88]

hi, I play mostly NL200, sometimes NL100. I buy in with a realtive deep stack, and play a loose, passive/semi-agressive style. I like calling with suited connectors alot, and rareley raise anything medium strength big cards like KQ,KJ,AJ, etc.

Lately I find I am becoming too predictable, I almost never get any action when I get my big pocket pairs.

Just wondering wut advice u can give me to become less predictable.

[TheRegulat0r]

If your raises are getting too much respect the simple solution is to raise more hands. This is much better than slow-playing your big hands.

[guaranteedBluff]

Becuase you are passive, any agression from you is taken as meaning you have a monster.

Gotta be more agressive - both preflop and postflop, otherwise no one will ever pay off your good hands.

Don't know if this helps. But try playing 2 hands at once. Move down a level or two and try this. What I mean by this, is...before you get dealt your cards say "I'm going to play as if I have AQ". Then when you get your cards, you may have 56s. Play "both" hands.

In other words, raise PF with your "AQ", and see if you can meander through this pot, representing AQ.

So if the flop comes 2JQ, and you are heads up, heck, you've got TPTK son! And if the flop comes 47A, then you play your 56s. It's as if you are playing Omaha, while all the others are playing Holdem.

(The obvious disadvantage to playing like this is that if you represent AQ, there are still 8 aces+queens out there, as opposed to 6, if you REALLY have AQ.)

But it's a fun exercise to play at lower levels. (I've never tried this exercise b/c I already play at the lowest level). /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[jacknine]

...and make sure you raise about the same with those medium strength hands as you would do with your premium hands.

[die_rich88]

interesting, well the thing is with rasining alot more hands like your KQ,AJ etc, I find that alot of times I miss and feel obligated to make a continuation bet, espically when I am in position. However, whenever I do this, alot of deep stack (espically the looser ones) call with alot of weak holdings as they see my continuation as exactly what it is, a continuation bet. Den if I miss the turn, I have to slowdown and they take the pot away from me.

Can anyone give me advice on how to play these situations,

- Thanks!!

[PokerFink]

Check behind on the flop more. Be willing to give up your preflop raises occasionally without making a continuation bet. If people see you do this, they will give your continuation bets far more respect when you actually do bet with nothing.

Also, remember to check behind top pair every once in a while to mix it up.

[excession]

If you start running into 'sponges' - the sort of player that sits in position and calls down continuation bets - and maybe fires back when you slow down - the answer is to stop making them if you miss the flop (the point of making such a bet if you miss is to rep a made hand and elicit a fold - a sponge doesn't fold so you have no fold equity with a continuation bet.) Check and see how passive he is. If he checks behind then that's fine - just bet out if you hit turn or river. If he fires back most of the time (aggro-sponge) then you may need to either overbet the pot to get him to fold or try a few check raises. You could wait until you do hit, check-raise him and if he calls all the way down that's fine, if he folds you can show your made hand. The next time you can check raise with air and you will soon have him playing passive unless he has hit..

The simpler alternative is just to treat him like the calling station he is. If you have hit just bet at him all the way. If you miss shut up shop. But personaly I like to mess with their heads with some check raises thrown in too..