Marooned on Weak-Tight Island

[Festus22]

Here's the story:

I achieved a milestone this weekend by passing the $2K profit mark since I began playing more seriously in July. 95% of my play is at Party $0.5/1. My problem (at least I think it's one) is that I must have some kind of phobia toward PF raising. I'll raise AA, KK, QQ, AKs and AKo pretty much every time but I almost always limp all other playable hands. Of course if it's folded to me in MP with AQs I'll open raise but if I'm UTG with that hand, I'll almost always limp. Same for JJ, AJs, KQs, etc. It's funny in that when I click the "call" button, I know I "should" be raising but for some reason, I don't anyway.

Now when it comes to post flop play, I'm usually a fold/bet/raise (probably in that order) player. I rarely call unless it's something like a non-nut draw or a call/fold-the-turn-unimproved situation. I'm probably the anti-calling station and I think that helps me a lot. But what has been pointed out as another weakness is my showdown winning percentage which is currently around 75%. Some have said that's way too high and I'm folding too many potential winning hands. I would probably agree with that also.

So I don't raise enough PF and fold too many hands post flop. Here's my dilema. Even with these "faults", I've developed a winning strategy for Party $0.5/1 by playing this way and obviously don't want to do anything to screw it up. At this pace, I may make maybe $5K/yr playing $0.5/1 which is a nice little supplemental income. Yet I continue to feel I'm playing "incorrectly" based on posts and responses to posts.

Should I make a conscious effort to fundamentally change? Anyone have any advice?

[pufferfish]

As far as the pre-flop raises go, perhaps you could slowly include additional hands. Take JJ for example and raise it every fourth time. Use whatever criteria are somewhat comfortable for you.

If you are playing multiple tables perhaps your “showdown winning percentage” is high because you don’t have a good enough read on your opponents. If you treat most of your opponents the same then I can see how you might be too conservative. I’m not sure how to solve that since I only play one table at a time.

GL,
pf

[lil']

Take JJ for example and raise it every fourth time.
Raise it every time! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

[Festus22]

As you know quite well, Party $0.5/1 games are extremely loose. I base some of my PF play on the recommendations in HEPFAP specifically regarding JJ and AQo and by extention, other similar hands. I don't think I'm that far off base by calling LP with JJ after 4 limpers. Folded to me or maybe one limper - yes, I'd raise but that's a rare event. I think a lot of poster advice goes against what's recommended in the Loose Game section of HEPFAP and I think that's where my confusion lies.

[lil']

Hey, do you wanna get off the island or not? I'm giving you a rowboat and you're chucking the oars in the ocean! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Festus22]

But I kind of like my island. As long as Ginger and MaryAnn aren't going anywhere. Now if I could just get rid of those pesky Howells.

[josie_wales]

I dont know if this is right, but if I am in a situation and the thought even enters my mind of ...."Should I raise?" I IMMEDIATLEY raise.

This does not mean maniacal, but if there is a situation where it is borderline, I just raise.

JW

[TheRake]

[ QUOTE ]
Take JJ for example and raise it every fourth time.
Raise it every time! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Classic

[psychprof]

For me, the issue is bigger than just whether or not to raise JJ.

[ QUOTE ]
Even with these "faults", I've developed a winning strategy for Party $0.5/1 by playing this way and obviously don't want to do anything to screw it up. At this pace, I may make maybe $5K/yr playing $0.5/1 which is a nice little supplemental income. Yet I continue to feel I'm playing "incorrectly" based on posts and responses to posts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hope your post will generate more discussion regarding aggressive strategies at micro-limits and the topic of playing "profitable" and/or "proper" poker. I am in the same situation as you and I'd been thinking about posting a message like yours for a while now. I started in August and have also passed the 2K mark playing .5/1 and 1/2. I play tighter than almost all of my opponents (though I still have some leaks), but importantly, I would consider my play to be somewhere between passive and weak, and I'm probably closer to weak than I am to passive. Even so, I'm making over 5bb/hr at these stakes. Clearly I'm making a profit, but at what price?

Specifically, I'm playing against the worst opponents I can find. I'm not utilizing very many poker "strategies", and I'm certainly not playing aggressively (unless the flop hits me hard). Basically, I'm not learning how to play "great" poker. When I do try more aggressive strategies, my variance increases, but my bb/hr doesn't seem to change.

Another part of the dilemma is that I've been told that when you move up to, say, 5/10 stakes, making 1bb/hr is considered good. Well, that's $10 an hour which is what I make now playing $1/2. Furthermore, I've been watching 2/4 and 3/6 games and get the impression that my current semi-tight-passive-weak strategy will allow me to succeed there as well as I do at 1/2 stakes.

I'm not suggesting that weak play is good; I'm just agreeing with you that it can be profitable at these micro-limits, and that I also struggle with the "contradiction" of my success despite my "improper" play.

Psychprof

[Festus22]

"I'm not suggesting that weak play is good; I'm just agreeing with you that it can be profitable at these micro-limits, and that I also struggle with the "contradiction" of my success despite my "improper" play."

I think this sums it up. Just what is "good"? A relative term to be sure. I'd say 5 BB/Hr is extremely good. I'm at 2.6 per table and I always play 2 tables - no more, no less. Maybe this style is best for this game. Until micro-limit was separated, I don't think that many small stakes posters played $0.5/1 consistently. And I do see a difference between it and the higher limits. There is absolutely no question that I'd get killed at higher limits (above $3/6) playing my current style. But it's funny how well it seems to do at the lowest limits as you point out.

I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it despite what the mechanic says.

P.S. If you're at my table, let me know so I can vary my raising standards. Otherwise, when I raise PF, you'll know what I have. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]