Re: Cold Calling
Heres when I think cold calling preflop is correct.
1. I've got a small pair and i'm getting good odds on my set. I think a 3bet here would narrow the field and actually make my odds worse.
2. I'm in a pot where a 3bet won't narrow the field and i'm very likeley to show down the hand. Say your up against a player who raises 20% of the time and shows down 60% of the time. If i can't isolate us and my hand needs improvement, a 3bet here is pointless. Or say your up against a player who has to have a large pair to raise the pot and he's not dropping it, and you have jts and the the pot is going to be seven way. No need to put more money in the pot.
Almost all of my preflop and flop raises are designed to protect my hand, next is value and information.
As the game gets tighter your aggression has to increase because of the chance of your opponent folding. But in lots of games you know that you are going to have to show a hand down. Simply look at your opponents went to showdown statistic to determine how to play against him and try to recognize when your raise will actually give you a better chance of winning. Don't be a robot.
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