Strategy for home game with bizarro structure...

[JerseyTom]

Hey all,

What's your strategy (hand selection, pre-flop raising, betting, etc.) for a low-low-low-limit home game with the following betting structure/rules:

- each hand is dealer's choice (which means mostly hold 'em, some O8, and occasionally 7-stud)

- dealer antes .05 for everyone at the table each hand

- there is *no* mandatory preflop call (or bring-in in the stud game). It can literally get checked all the way around preflop (though this rarely happens). Usually after 3 checks, someone disgustedly throws in .05 or .10 "just because"...

- betting on each round is a spread limit from .05-.15

- bet and max 3 raises per betting street (so max per round is .60)

- raises need not match the amount of the previous bet/raise, but must be at least .05 (e.g. i bet .10, you can raise to .15, he can raise to .30, i can re-raise to .35)



Clearly, this structure makes for very large pots relative to bet size. A typical hand where 7/9 players call .10 pre-flop has a pot of 1.15 (remember the antes) before the flop is even dealt.

On the whole, the players are average-to-poor (cold-calling preflop 3-bets with K3o, calling multiple flop bets with a naked A2 and one low card on the flop in O8, calling multiple flop bets in hold 'em with a single A overcard, etc.). There are maybe 1-2 other players you think play decently.

Your image at the game is very tight. There are many hands where you are the only player to fold pre-flop. Your preflop raises get some respect, if they only succeed in narrowing the field from 8 to around 5. You occasionally donk things up in the rare shorthanded pot where there are players who might actually fold.

There is much beer involved as well.

Maybe this belongs in "Poker Theory"?


Cheers,

Tom