Preflop hand selection for a tight-passive 2/4 game?

[John Biggs]

I think we can all agree that if you flop top pair with a decent kicker, your action depends primarily on the texture of the board and the number of opponents. (Of course there are other factors, such as whether anyone raised before the flop and whether there's a lot of action on the flop before it gets to you.)

Clearly with more than three loose opponents and a highly coordinated board, you are best off checking your big pair if you have little chance of improving, and either calling or folding to a bet, depending on how you read your chances. On the other hand, with either a ragged board or only a couple of opponents, you'll obviously want to try for a bet or a check-raise, depending on your position, etc.

As for my original post--I have changed my thinking slightly and now think that waiting for only top quality hands is a mistake. It's better to open-raise fairly often, even with an occasional substandard hand, if by doing so you can narrow the field to three or fewer weak opponents. The reason for this is that most players at the 2/4 level are highly readable and you gain a big edge if you can isolate them. If you follow this tactic you must be ready to throw your hand away in many situations. But it's far preferable to sitting there waiting for the nuts. Of course if the table is playing very loose preflop, or if there are a couple of tough players behind you, or if several limpers have already come in, you must play it differently.