Loose agressive holdem

I play in a 10-20 holdem game that is extremely loose and aggresive. The average hand has six players calling the flop for a raise. All calling after the flop and 3-4 calling on the river. Most hands take two pair or better to win and many are won by straights or flushes since many players play any suited cards. My question is what starting hands should I be playing?

Sounds loose passive to me. You mentioned the word "call" three times and "raise" once.


natedogg

i would go with the starting hands you might find in HFAP.

I would take my bankroll and invest it in learning pot-limit or no-limit poker. If you don't like those games then Ray zee's answer fits well.

Hello,Ron,

Play any suited connector down to 67 suited. Play any pocket pairs.Dump AQ,AK,KQ off-suit.

I would also classify your game as "loose-aggressive" pre-flop--even if the betting isn't capped. It appears to evolve into a "loose-passive" game post-flop.


Sitting Bull

Larry, you're Hold'em advice is consistantly terrible. How can you possibly advise somebody to dump AKo but play even baby pairs?


Ron, I think you can play basically by the HEPFAP hand rankings although you may want to be extra tight in early position if you can expect a raise behind you.

Hello,Dynasty,

Do you recommend playing only big suited connectors and big pairs,10's up, in a loose-aggressive game?


Sitting Bull

No.


I think you can play premium hands (Groups 1-3) in early position and should raise with them in most cases.


In middle position, you can start playing more hands such as 77, 87s, and QJo as long as the pot hasn't been raised yet.


In late position, you can play far more hands including small pairs in an unraised pot.


In either middle or late position, you need to be more selective about what you call raises with. However, if enough players have already cold-called a raise, you should be getting the proper odds to player some less-than premium hands such as middle pairs and suited connectors.

Hello,Dynasty,

Wouldn't flopping a small set when playing a small pair produce sufficient implied odds to compensate those times that you do miss ?

However,there is the danger of someone flopping a higher set. I assume this is the reason NOT to play small pairs--but OK to play medium pairs in a loose-aggressive game(a table full of pre-flop maniacs). Your opinion,please?


Sitting Bull

You don't play small pairs up front because of the danger that somebody on your left will raise and drive everybody out. You can often end up in a situation where your playing 2 or 3 handed out of position with a weak hand.

this type of game requires you to play hands that tend to do well in multi-way pots. As generalized advice, I would tend to play any pair, suited connectors, and Axs in this type of game. Unsuited high cards like KJo are not as valuable, because they will be giving up implied odds to drawing type hands in multi-way pots.

Maybe you can play an 89s or 9Ts occasionally, but I definately wouldn't play as loosely as you recommend in your first response, Sitting Bull.