Re: DERB
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I think some people in HUSH emulate the DERB strategy (from what I can tell from these posts, having never played against him) - albeit, probably not on purpose.
Playing 6 max I see people who are probably 2+2'ers 3 bet TAG players with hands like AJo, or I even saw a guy cap with KQs after the action went - loose/average open raises UTG, solid TAG 3-bets in CO, possible 2+2'er caps with KQs.
These guys are playing with 32/24 type of stats. Three betting tons from the SB/BB against steal raises (same guy as noted above 3-bet J9o from the SB against my open raise on the button).
I know 6 max is a lot different than 10 handed but these 32/24 stats are also very intersting IMO. I can't see how I could get my numbers that high player 6 max.
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I don't think 3-betting with AJo is necessarily a bad play in a 6 max game, even if the original raiser is UTG. And I will from time to time 3-bet a steal raise from the blinds with J9o or even something like 76s. In both instances, I am more inclined to make this play against a TAG who is willing to release a weak hand that misses the flop. These type of plays are probably slightly -EV taken alone, but put a lot of pressure on your opponents. The goal is to put TAG opponents to tougher decisions. If I only 3-bet with TT-AA and AQ+ (maybe add in 99, AJs, etc. if you like), then an observant TAG will notice this and start folding ATs when it misses the flop. If I am mixing up my play to occassionally 3-bet with weaker hands, then I am inducing mistakes from my TAG opponent and making his postflop decisions more difficult.
Even the cap with KQs doesn't look so bad, especially if our hero has the button. I think folding is often better, but against a TAG who isolates weak players (so that his hand range may include hands like KJ and QJs that KQs dominates as well as more weaker aces), it may be worth seeing a flop. And if you're going to see a flop, capping on the button gives you more flexibility on the flop. You have a better chance of taking a free card if you want one or you may induce a TAG to release a hand like AQ postflop.
From the descriptions of DERB, he takes these ideas to extremes not advocated by most aggressive 2+2ers. But it's not surprising that DERB gets a ton of action on his strong hands, the more aggressive 2+2ers get a lot of action on their strong hands, but the solid ABC TAGs tend to get little action on their strong hands from other good players.
Some say there is no right approach, but I generally disagree. Usually table conditions suggest whether you should play ABC poker or mix things up a bit to throw your opponents off guard. The most relevant variable is how observant your opponents are and how they adjust to what they observe of you.
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