How do I beat this PL hold em game?

[StanleyJoe]

Any thoughts on strategy for this type of PL hold em game?
- 9-10 handed
- blinds $2 and $5
- minimum buy in is $100

My main problem is players usually buy in for between $100-$200 and have no problem pushing it in on a draw.
Example:
I hold KK and raise $25 (maximum) before the flop, 3 callers. Board comes 5h 7d Jh. Check to me, I bet the pot. 2 players call (putting them both all-in) one player had $50 the other $45 left. Turn Ah and river 9s. Player 1 turns over 6h8h, player 2 shows AdJc.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Paul2432]

You played this hand fine, you just got unlucky. If this situation (pre-flop) repeats itself many times, you will in the long run come out way ahead.

Paul

[Still the Spank E]

Paul is right, what else can you do but get it all in there with KK? You played it right, they (assuming they could re-buy) played it right--that's poker.

[felson]

[ QUOTE ]
You played it right, they (assuming they could re-buy) played it right

[/ QUOTE ]

The other players played very poorly preflop.

[Still the Spank E]

Felson,
Oops! You're absolutely right--I read the original post poorly. Nevertheless, the thesis (that KK "played it right") and synthesis ("that's poker!") still both hold, even if the middle part of my syllogism ("they played it right") was boneheaded. No?

[vector]

My thought is keep doing what you are doing and you will get the money.

Both the opponents preflop calls were terrible. Once the 68h guy picked up that draw he was actually a favourite, but even then he has screwed himself by not having an appropriate bankroll size -- he should have taken a lot of money from you once he got to that point, but being short stacked meant he couldn't capitalise when his draw came in.

[ QUOTE ]
My main problem is players usually buy in for between $100-$200 and have no problem pushing it in on a draw.

[/ QUOTE ]

But this isn't a problem, this is great. They play their draws without the money to cash in when they hit, and they call without pot odds (I'm guessing, but 68h actually did have odds here post flop). Think of it this way, when they fail to make their draw you will get no more money from them anyway; when they hit their draw they get no more money from you because they are out of money to bet with. This is great for you! But it has implications for your draws -- if the player/s you are against are short stacked don't go for draws, because you don't have the implied odds you need when it hits (unless you are getting all the odds you need from the pot right then of course).

Keep playing and raising big cards (as in this example), limp with any pair looking to hit cheap sets. Avoid the medium/low suited connectors, unless the money is deep.

Good luck!

[tewall]

Nice post.

Good points, which of course apply equally for NL games.

[felson]

lol, yeah, this time you're right.

[muck_nutz]

Just a nit, but the maximum open-raise in a 2-5 PL game where the $2 blind is assume rounded up is $15 (to $20). Other then that if the players really like pushing draws then think about check-raising, etc. to reduce their immediate and implied odds.

[sweetzer]

Sounds like you have a profitable game here. If a suited connector wants to call a raise that is 6x the BB, by all means let him. In a limit game the caller would only have to call 2x the blind. If they want to go all-in on a draw, well, you only have to see this once to adjust. The fluctuation likely will be higher than in a tighter game, but playing solidly should be very profitable.