TT in loose games

[citanul]

Going through some PokerTracker results earlier, I noticed some things. Among them, through 6400 hands, I've seen TT 32 times, winning with it 18.75% of the time, but I've lost just over .5 BB/hand on average.

Of the 32 hands, 7 were in the blinds, and I raised just over 28% of the time preflop.

Alright, so my question(s):

In a VERY loose game, where people are playing basically any Ace, King, or Queen, should you raise preflop with TT? (My feeling is yes.) I also think that raising after a limper or 3 is probably the right thing to do.

Anyway, I've specifically been having problems playing TT. I just can't quite get a read on whether to treat it as a premium pocket pair or a small pair that I should be hoping for a set to flop, with the outside chance that I flop an overpair.

I'm making good money playing AA, KK, QQ (DUH), as well as JJ, 99, 88, 77, and 55, but have lost a couple of Set-over-set battles with some of the other small pairs, and once or twice have played them without the proper number of callers. So I feel I've got a pretty good handle on playing all the other pairs (especially the easy ones) in the loose online games, but TT is still puzzling me.

A bit more statistics says that from non-blinds, I'm losing just under .3 BB/hand with TT, raising 36% of the time.

So, I'm thinking that what I _should_ be doing with TT is:
NOTE: This is not what I _have_ been doing, which I believe to be a problem.

1) Raising first in from anywhere
2) Making it two bets if second in, from anywhere
3) Limping along if two or more limpers, and playing it like a small pair unless flop makes it an overpair
4) Calling one raise if there are other callers
5) Folding to a strong player's raise
6) Re-raising to isolate a weak player if no other players have come in between me and the raiser
7) Folding if it's 3 bets or more to me
8) How would you suggest playing from the blinds?

Thanks,

Citanul

[ElSapo]

TT plays different in tight and loose games. In loose games, with many coming in, I'm more inclined to limp. In tight games go ahead and raise it. Though I suspect raising with TT in either spot is not a mistake.

1) Raising first in from anywhere

I like this.


2) Making it two bets if second in, from anywhere

I'm more inclined to do this from LP or LMP. Right after an EP limper, I may look to create a multi-way pot, wanting to hit a set.

3) Limping along if two or more limpers, and playing it like a small pair unless flop makes it an overpair

Yep.


4) Calling one raise if there are other callers

Yep. Though I think you may not need the other callers, depending on who is raising and where he is.

5) Folding to a strong player's raise

As always, situation dependent. I'd like to hear others' opinions.

6) Re-raising to isolate a weak player if no other players have come in between me and the raiser

You can isolate a weak player with lots of pairs, not just TT, obviously.

7) Folding if it's 3 bets or more to me

Agreed.

8) How would you suggest playing from the blinds?

Most likely call a raise or check the option and play for a set if there are many callers. Against one limper or something similar, I'm inclined to raise. Against a steal, I'd three-bet.

[Ed Miller]

You are losing money with TT, not because you play it poorly, but because you are running bad with it. I am not saying that you play it optimally or even well. I am saying that basically no matter how poorly you play it (short of intentionally sabatoging yourself), you should make money with the hand.

[tiltboy]

I agree with Majorkong, it is probably an anomoly. I have about 3k hands in Pokertracker and I've been dealt AKs 6 times and lost them all. Raised or reraised each time preflop. Two of the six were run down by 3 outers on the river. It happens, but no way am I going to adjust the way I think this hand should be played based on some short-term negative results.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
5) Folding to a strong player's raise


[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really like this one. Strong players raise with a lot of stuff, I'd be much more concerned about that calling station that has been playing for the past 2 hours without a raise that just popped it preflop.

[Bob T.]

You are making money with JJ, 99, 88, 77 and not TT. It is probably a little anomaly.

It is good to look at how you are playing TT, but you are using a tiny sample and given that you are making money with all of those other hands, you are probably playing TT, in a way that makes money, but you have just been unlucky so far.

In 6400 hands, you should have seen TT about 29 times, and flopped a set about 3.4 times. If you missed a couple of those sets and flopped a set only once, or you flopped a set 4 times, but lost three of them, you probably would be way behind with this hand. This isn't really a big enough sample that you want to draw any hard conclusions from.