My regular game changed structures... adjustments??

[Dentist]

The 1-5 no ante stud game at my casino just changed (presumably to make more money for the hizzouse)

Anyway, I was pretty comfortable with a solid 1-5 strategy.

Now the game is 2-5 with a $0.50 ante and a $2 bring-in...

The pot is much bigger on 4th street now...

How should this change my game? Now I'm actually paying to sit and play $.50 a hand, whereas before if I didn't get the bring in it was free hand after hand...

My initial thought was that I should loosen up, but then I realized that the $2 bring in was also a relatively large change and it would cost me to loosen up....

Any thoughts?

[crockpot]

if several players are in and you have a big pair, make sure to bet the maximum asap. you want people out since so much money is in from the ante and bring-in.

as for your starting hands, i think the bring in is so big that you shouldn't really play that loose even though the ante is fairly high. remember that your implied odds aren't that great since you can only bet $5 if you make your hand.

[MRBAA]

How you play in this game depends even more than usual on who your opponents are. If they will fold to big bets early, absolutely play looser and more aggressive. If they are loose aggressive themselves (a common style in this structure, as this type of player is closer to correct here than in others and hence can lose less) then tighten up and nail them with your big hands. Just tight and solid all the time is less effective than in a no ante or low ante game -- you do need to pick your spots to do some stealing when the situation and opposition are right.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Bravo to your casino for getting rid of that DREADFUL game, 1-5 with no ante! The house will get more rake, the pots will be bigger, the dealers might actually get something other than quarters for tips, the players will have more fun, and the days of those dreadfully tight 1-5 games full of crabby, elderly rocks who wouldn't call a raise from an ace without rolled up kings are over.

With such a high ante, you need to play a LOT looser, this should be terribly obvious. The average cost per hand for 1-5 with no ante is 12.5c, which means you can just sit and wait for great hands. It's also why 1-5 no ante SUCKS EGGS. In your new structure, it's an average of $6 per round, or about 75c per hand. Boy, the rocks are going to get KILLED if they don't REALLY loosen up, and you might too if you don't also. The strategy changes are immense on 3rd, and even beyond, because the starting pot will be so much bigger. Stealing antes will be a tactic that will actually be NEEDED in this game.

What your casino did was move stud poker from the dark ages to the modern era.

al