[tiltaholic]

[ QUOTE ]
I can also see, though, that more players drawing more frequently will hit more big hands. That is what makes the question valid to me, and makes me wonder what (if anything) I'm missing.

Your answer, as I understand it, is that I'm not missing anything except long term data (and seemingly cards), and that's what I was hoping to hear. Thank you.


[/ QUOTE ]

I barely scratched the surface of a complete answer, so I will elaborate.

All poker games require adjustments to your playing style in order to profit optimally from the game conditions. Loose passive games are the most profitable poker games, provided that they are recognized as such and exploited.

You are correct that plyaing opponents with absurdly high VPIP is +EV for you. You are also correct that since there are more people drawing "to beat you" that many times your hands (which were strong preflop) will not be the best hand by the river. However, this situation is balanced by the fact that having a bunch of loose passives bloating the pot for you will create disproportionally LARGE pots that you will win when in fact your hands do hold up.

Additionally, you benefit from the fact that even when your opponents do make a better hand than you, they will not charge you the maximum, saving you more bets.

Thinking about the reasons why certain holdem hands have value and in what situations they have more or less value is a good step towards a more thorough understanding of the game and how it should be played in various conditions.

For example, how do we play KK vs. 99 and why? How do we play KJo or ATo and why or why not?