How would you play in THIS game?

[CMP]

I played in a home game yesterday. Here's the structure.

$1 and $2 blinds

$1 bets and raises until the river, which is $2.

So, $2 to call pre-flop, first pre-flop raise is to $3, then $4, etc.

Generally very passive with many callers every hand.

I had success limping with anything remotely playable and continuing with any draw that had a shot. Small pairs, small suited connectors (I almost went to "any 2-suited").

I think this game is great for drawing hands, not only because I saw premium pair after premium pair go down in flames yesterday, but because of the odds you're getting on your flop and turn calls. You're gambling a little pre-flop, but if you flop a draw, you almost certainly have the odds to continue.

Example: 5 callers = $10 in the pot pre-flop. If you're on the button, you're getting between 11:1 and 14:1 on a flop bet call and on up on a turn bet call.

It helped that the players are fairly clueless (not noticing straights and flushes coming in, calling top pair no kicker to the end, etc.).

In 3.5 hours of play, only one hand DIDN'T have a showdown, and pocket AA went 0-5.

Thoughts about playing in this game? Am I right to play very loose pre-flop and then fold or draw after the flop?

CMP

[Nottom]

So basically its a 1/2 game with $1-2 blinds and the BB doesn't happen until the river?

My thoughts would be exactly the opposite, that you would need to play tighter than normal since your implied odds are worse when you hit your hands.

If anything I would think that big hands would be more valuable here, since you can get so much money in pre-flop when you do have the best hand. Cold-calling a 3 bet raise pre-flop seems like a huge mistake for anything but a top teir hand. Sure Aces might be getting cracked but thats just a result of a loose game, they are still the favorite to win and the pay off when they hold up should be huge here.

[Bob T.]

I don't like this structure, but since it isn't your home game, I suppose you have to live with it.

It makes playing tight preflop and loose afterward the right play. I think you could play suited connectors, and any pocket pair. Except that the blinds are big compared to the eventual bets, Defend your big blind with just about anything. After the flop, drawing hands will be at a premium, because they can't be charged a big bet until the river, and then the best hand on the river can charge the maximum.