Am I Rocky?
 

I was thumbing through some poker books that I haven't read in a long time today and started thinking about my 10-handed limit holdem game. I play everything from 3-6 to 40-80, although my standard game is 10-20. I think I may be too tight. Here are my reasons for thinking this:

1) I routinely throw away hands like ATo from almost any position unless I'm making a play at the blinds or can isolate a very weak player.

2) I can't recall the last time I played a hand like T9o.

3) I usually fold AQ to a raise if I can't 3-bet it.

4) I rarely play big offsuit cards like KJo, QJo, unless I have good control over a limper or am playing against the blinds.

I am a profitable player, but I wonder how much I am leaving behind on the table? What hands should I try to add into my game first? The strange thing is I play a lot of 2-5 handed and I'm usually the most aggressive player at the table playing 75% of my hands.

Thanks in advance,

Acesover8s

Re: Am I Rocky?
 

Preflop play is important, but playing throught the streets even more so. It sounds like your preflop play has become more Abdulian, which is ok, just different than S&M. I would also play the hands you mentioned the same way. Just checking my records for example, I have had AQ 50 times and have only cold called with it once. If you have a good win rate over a rasonable period of time, dont sweat it. Post flop is more important.

gl

dd

Re: Am I Rocky?
 

I didn't know if you were talking about Rocky Balboa, or Rocky Dennis. But OH, you're just asking if you're a rock.

It really depends on your games. Sometimes (well, online, where they keep track of that for me) I'm seeing 12% of the flops for a while (for like 500 hands sometimes), depending on the texture of the game. Then I'm a cannon in a weak short handed game.

The ability to adjust is important, and you seem to be doing just that. Now, if you're a total rock in a very passive (even a full) game, then you're leaving money behind. But you probably aren't.

~D

Re: Am I Rocky?
 

Post flop play is important. But if you don't play a hand, then you can only win $0 from post flop plays! It's simple. "Playing too tight" is wrong too. One must play enough hands to show a profit against the loss of posting blinds.

Kenny

Re: Am I Rocky?
 

The style he describes is way more S&M than Abdulian. And yes you are playing too tight. No doubt.

Re: Am I Rocky?
 

It sounds like you don't loosen up enough in late position to me. I play junk like T9o 64s ATo KJo all the time if I can limp in late behind a couple weak players (try to have a tight and/or predictable player or two on your left when you're not the button), raise with hands like ATs/KQ/TT (and the occassional JTs/66) in the same spot, reraise loose uncalled raisers with AQ/77 or better (assuming isolation plays have a reasonable chance of success), coldcall loose raisers who have already been called in a few spots with stuff like T9s/66 (probably reraising with AQs or better), make steal raises pretty liberally (basically anything playable) against tight blinds, make steal/value raises with almost any two faces/ace/pair against loose blinds, and I can't yet complain about my results from doing any of these things. Your standards seem perfect for playing in early to middle position in a full ring game, though.