Adaptation questions?

[orange]

Ok. I play home poker games, not on the internet, and all my experience/ideas come from these games. I cannot speak for the quality of play for online play, as I have played a very minimal ammount. I can honestly tell you that the quality of play at my games is very very bad.

My games are filled with the biggest maniacs, LAGs, and psychos you can ever imagine. Their pockets are deep as well, and the level of play is very low.

My question to other posters is, at what point in your game do you start changing up your game? As of now, I play at a weekly $.25/.50 homegame with a $20 buy-in. I play a rock/TAG game, and my opponents fail to notice, or adapt in anyway.

This strategy works, as there are no players that even pay the slightest attention to me or my game. TPTK is an easy hand to push, even with 100BBs (as opposed to the 40BBs at start).

Do you change your play as you would if you were playing, say, a good TAG, 100 percent of the time? This is not to say that I never change my game up- there are maybe two TAGs that I frequently try to outplay/out-think. But for the most part, especially when I am at an all LAG/maniac table, I play straightfoward, ABC/TAG/rock/whatever you want to call it.

How often do you change your game up, and is it a frequent experience? Maybe I am a bit naiive, because I don't play online, where opponents don't pay attention and metagame considerations aren't as big of an issue. Maybe this post was useless, and just blabble.

I don't know. It seems on 2+2 that the standard is to play smart LAGs, which, IMO, is most profitable. I just ask when you change your game up, and what situations/players cause you to do so.

just some thoughts,

orange

[aces_dad]

This is a theoretical question, right? If you're playing rock/TAG and getting paid off against LAG's / maniacs, you're not really wanting to change are you?

From what you described I don't see why you don't want to play so called straightforward poker. If you're against other TAG's who can lay down hands semi-bluffing or just plain bluffing may work but against the line up you described value betting seems the best course of action to me.

If you're against a table full of other good players, that is when you should introduce more game theory type plays. If the LAGs / maniacs you're currently against never adjust I don't think you're leaving much on the table playing as you describe.

[Lucky]

If you want to get better/have more fun, mix it up. If you want money, play tight and show down good cards.

[orange]

Thanks for the responses. I was just wondering how often you switch up your game, and under what conditions. Are you still willing to change up your game even though the situation does not call for it? (ie. noone is paying any attention whatsoever, etc).

For instance, at this game described, many would raise or even 87s in the CO. TO me, this accomplishes little- I have very little FE, and will likely be raised 50% of the time. I am somewhat short (40BBs) and it will cost my (most times) 100% of my chips in order to get my draw.

As stated before, metagame means little in this game- my opponents are very clueless.

And yes, this is a theory type question aces.

To answer your question, I don't really change my game up unless I feel people are changing their game to me. When I sit down...I get a feel of how I should be playing to beat the opponents at that time. If they recognize I'm playing a certain way, and I feel that they are adapting to beat me, I readapt to rebeat them. If that makes sense.

If no one notices what you do, and you're making money, stick to what you're doing.