Strategy Change

Ok, let's say you are playing in a very loose game, low-limit where everyone virtually calls before the flop. They are also not afraid of raises so they will call you. Would hands like AQ, AK, AJ go down in value because they sort of become drawing hands?? For instance, let's say you do decide to play AQ, and raise, and everyone calls you know, the flop comes Qh 6c 7c, would you even continue with this hand if on the turn comes either a 6,7,c,8,9,10,K because of the combined chances of someone having you already beat, with either a club draw, or open ended straight or even Just holding a K. I would feel that if you can't knock anyone out with AQ, it's not that good of a hand, because of all the combined chances of you being beat.

I would always raise with AKo and AQo and would always play AJo unless it was raised ahead of me.


I would feel that if you can't knock anyone out with AQ, it's not that good of a hand, because of all the combined chances of you being beat.


How often do you need to win with AQo to make it playable in a 10-handed game? I'd say anything over 10% is fantastic and AQo will definitely win more than that. More importantly, if you play well post-flop, you will extract lots of bets when you are ahead and limit your losses when you are behind.


For instance, let's say you do decide to play AQ, and raise, and everyone calls you know, the flop comes Qh 6c 7c, would you even continue with this hand if on the turn comes either a 6,7,c,8,9,10,K because of the combined chances of someone having you already beat


I'm still amazed by how many low-limit players think that you can't win with top pair/top kicker. I've logged plenty of hours in 4-8 games and won lots of pots with AK, AQ, and AJ when I flopped top pair/top kicker and bet it the whole way.


Why are you all so afraid of being outdrawn?

I've been running very very bad lately.

I would probably say that the main reason for that (Why people are afraid of being outdrawn) is in lower limit games people tend to stay in (and often bet) with total crap.


I've seen people play a 73s in a low limit game and with a flop like that (2 in their suit) they will raise and re-raise with reckless abandon.


Sure, these types of players are going to get murdered in the long run - but I've been on the wrong side of that more times than I care to mention myself and while it's not good poker playing to dump a hand like that (top pair solid kicker), sometimes you just have to back off and let the newbies that limp in with crap and score big on the flop take it down.


To answer your question though about what one should continue with depending on what comes up on the turn - I would say that if anything suited or paired comes up on the board I'm probably out.


When you have that many callers with 3 to a flush on the board or a K against your pair of Q's A kicker, it's time to get out.


That's my .02 cents...

Dynasty is right. (maybe I should make a macro that says that, I seem to be typing that alot lately).


The only hands that you have a reasonable expectation from preflop either against a field or against one or two opponents are those hands that you can expect to make either top pair/kicker, or might be an overpair after the flop. There are other hands that can be played, and probably profitably, but these hands need to be your bread and butter. If you can't figure out how to play these well, how are you ever going to be able to handle JT suited.


The key is, when you have a reasonable expectation of being ahead, getting as much moeny into the pot as you can, and when you are likely behind, minimizing your exposure. I find that it is frequently easier to get money into the pot on the flop, because most players especially loose players will frequently take one off for a small bet, but might not contribute a big bet.


It is true that sometimes, making the pot bigger will make it correct for them to play on through the turn, and sometimes they will beat you there. But more frequently they will quietly muck the turn or the river, and you won't find out about the improable draw that they were chasing. And sometimes, the best situation, they are drawing dead, and they get there, and you can really punish them for their indescretion.


good luck,

play well,


Bob T.