Suited in small blind
 

SSHE says to complete the small blind with any two suited cards, even in tight games. This always seemed wrong to me, but I've been doing it, and after checking a few thousand hands I'm losing nearly every single hand of the junk suited cards in the small blind. I can't believe this will average out over a few thousand more hands and make these plays even marginally profitable. What am I missing?

Re: Suited in small blind
 

It says to do this in tight games? I'm pretty sure the preflop guidelines only say to do this in loose games. But I haven't read those charts in awhile (and I only memorized the loose chart, since when I was playing by the charts I was on Sportingbet.)

For one thing it is important to move beyond the guidelines and begin figuring out why you should play certain hands in certain places. In a loose passive game, especially one where the later streets are multi way, I'll play any two suited. In slightly less loose games I play the Negreanu Suited Connectors and Js-Ks (with the other suited cards you'd play sooner being obvious inclusions.)

Re: Suited in small blind
 

you should also factor in the proportion of the small blind size to the big blind...

you should be more willling to play suited crap at 2/4 then at 3/6 because at 2/4 the sm is half a big blind and at 3/6 it is only 1/3...

with a smaller small blind you should tighten up and for the most part muck hands like T4s and 92s (which you should probably play at 2/4)...

Re: Suited in small blind
 

3/6 is only a 1/3 ?

where did you go to school ?

16 years ago when I began my online professional poker player career, my school had taught me that three sixths were the same as two forths, which there the same as a half...

Have I been playing the odds wrong all these years ?

Re: Suited in small blind
 

[ QUOTE ]
3/6 is only a 1/3 ?

where did you go to school ?

16 years ago when I began my online professional poker player career, my school had taught me that three sixths were the same as two forths, which there the same as a half...

Have I been playing the odds wrong all these years ?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is either an incredibly brilliant, incredibly humourous reply or you are extremely terrible poker.

Re: Suited in small blind
 

i will give you the benefit of the doubt on this one...however, i will take it slowly for you...

first, a 2/4 game...
small blind = 1
big blind = 2
small blind : big blind
1 : 2

now, a 3/6 game
small blind = 1
big blind = 3
small blind : big blind
1 : 3

henceandthusforthsly
play tighter from the small blind in a 3/6 game...

i shall now return to my art college work... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Suited in small blind
 

[ QUOTE ]
3/6 is only a 1/3 ?

where did you go to school ?



[/ QUOTE ]

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW

Made me LOL at work - curses!

Re: Suited in small blind
 

He's right, Ed Miller says any two suited from SB in tight games. I think this only applies to games with 1/2 or 2/3 blind structures, though.. seems awfully loose to pay more than half an SB with 72s out of position.

Personally, I'm up 0.06BB/hand* with suited cards that aren't connectors, aces, or 2xbroadways out of the SB, with a VPIP of 47%.

*Note: this is after the SB is subtracted, it's still in the red, but 6bb/100 better than just folding every time.

Re: Suited in small blind
 

I think the blind structure is the culprit. My loss rate (for all suited in the SB) is 50% higher in .25/.50 (.10/.25) than .50/1 (.25/.50). Admittedly this is over a very small sample size, and some of the loss is no doubt due to bad post-flop play, but I do think I will back off the junk suited in .25/.50 and pay very close attention in .50/1.

Re: Suited in small blind
 

In the blinds your focus statistically has to be "losing less" as I don't know anyone who is out of the red in the SB. In full ring I'll play any two suited in a limped pot in games with a 1/2 big blind structure but I'm more selective in 3/6 and 5/10 where the SB is less than half the big blind unless it's a 5 or 6 handed limped pot (rare online). However speculating in a multiway pot is better than simply giving up half a small bet.

Also, if you play Shorthanded, you may want to search for the post (I forget the title and poster so I can't do it myself) where the players discuss ALWAYS completeing from the small blind with any two cards in 10/20 6 max (no lie, even 72o) They make a great argument about the fact that in a shorthanded game it's always better to take a shot from the Small blind than to give up half a small bet by default. Of course I'm pretty sure they're all extremely solid postflop players.


Good luck,
Matt