how out of line can you get pre-flop if you're good postflop

a friend of mine who plays 6-12 (i play 2-4) is convinced that you can play WAY more hands than is advised by HPFAP if you play well post flop.

he plays suited connectors in almost any position and sometimes i see him raise with them when either there is 1 or no one in or when EVERYONE is in. pairs, almost the same strategy.

it seems that he is throwing caution to the wind while i sit there waiting for AK or at least something like 98s in LP. he is a winning player, though erratically, he will destroy a few games, then have a night where he busts out quickly and goes home.

he tells me over and over that if you play well post flop, your pre-flop play can be drastically altered to the looser side.

what do you guys think?

[davidross]

I'm sure if you are much better than your opponents that is true. Some world champion claimed he could beat most people without looking at his cards, as long as they didn't know he wasn't looking.

But how often do you play where you are much better than everyone else at the table?

I believe your friend is bang on. As your post-flop skill increases there are more hands you can play - contingent on the type of game you are in of course.

[BB King's]

* Some world champion claimed he could beat most people without looking at his cards, as long as they didn't know he wasn't looking. *

I believe it was Doyle Brunson who claimed that - about 25 years ago - in a no-limit game - but only when he was on the button !?

[DJA]

In limit holdem... I really doubt you could outplay your opponent without cards... at no limit... then definitely.

Just My Thoughts,

[Jimbo]

I believe S&M advise that you are able to play a few more hands in different positions as you improve and this is the edge experts have over good players. As far as "way" more hands that is a formula for trouble. No matter how well you play post flop you are losing most of those extra bets you put in preflop. After all one aspect of playing well postflop means you are able to muck marginal hands earlier than your opponents rather than getting stuck for extra bets.

Please read my post below entitled "5/10 hand vs a Poker Professional." It outlines a play I made recently under similiar circumstances. Too much of this type of play however will result in a label of the table maniac with poor results sure to follow.

Jimbo

[Clarkmeister]

I think its safe to assume I play looser than most posters here, and probabaly more aggressively also. That said, hands like 78s need absolutely perfect conditions to be playable UTG with regularity. By that I mean that realistically its not playable.