Adjusting to an extremely LAG game

[jpg7n16]

Seriously... UTG raises, MP reraises w/ T 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

NL game... I don't know how to change my style to suit this game yet. I tried the whole tighten down and hold to your PF standards, but that kind of play was getting me screwed over. If it's supposed to work, then what the crap do you do when it doesn't?

To get the picture, I tried holding my PF standards the whole way. Yeah that lost me 200 BB in 1 1/2 hrs or less. Can't do anything when you bet the pot on the flop w/ top pair and turn to have people draw out on you with their small (not nut - more like T5s) flushes. Then go all-in w/ Big Slick and get called by some middle suited connectors. They get their flush. Go figure.

I would fold my J8o just to wind up seeing PF raises battle it out between pocket 3's, Q5o, and A8o.

What kinds of adjustments do you make in this type of game? If you can't beat 'em join 'em???

[bholdr]

It's a question of implied odds, since it's a NL game.

remember the 5 and 10 rule, that is, call a preflop raise with those marginal hands if the preflop raise is less than 5 or 10% of what you stand to win.

flop big hands and push- if the game is as LAG as you say it is, you 'll get called... as for getting drawn out on, that's gonna happen. your goal is to put your chips in as many +EV situations as possible.

one of my favroite NL plays against super LAGs is to isolate the weak raisers- say you've got an uber LAG on your right- he's raising with garbage- you have a very profitable situation if you can reraise and get it heads up with weaker than normal aces, any pocket pair, etc... you will be playing much better hands on avarage, and will dominate his hand enough to make isolating very profitable.

Basicly:
if the raises are small and there's a lot of postflop action, i'd loosen up a bit and play any suited 3 gapper, small pairs, etc, trying to flop a big hand. when the PFRs are small and the action gets heavy on the flop or turn, it's profitable to loosen up. when the PFRs are large relitive to the flop and turn action, I'd wait for very big hands before entering a pot, that is, play tighter- i'm thinking AQ or better.


however, i don't play all that much NL anymore, so i'm sure some other posters can elaborate. loose games are extremly profitable but carry the cost of high variance in NL.

[jpg7n16]

The PF raises are fairly large compared to the other streets.

If I waited for AQ or better, the blinds would kill me themselves, and they would picture me as the guy that doesnt raise unless he REALLY has a hand. That would deny me the action I'd need to make the profit on the larger hands. Then if I missed the flop when I did catch one, I'd get burned by betting since they'd call anyways. They all know that the other guys play as loose as they do, so they call one another's bets. But if there is someone else that plays super-tight (like you suggested), they try and stay out of the hand with him when he bets what I consider normal... I wasn't the only tight PF there, 2 others were tight one was super tight. We'd all get VERY limited action playing only AQ and above. The other 2 tight players weren't doing well at the table either. We all were quickly shortstacked.

What can you do about that?

[bholdr]

well, it looks like you've gotta get in there and gamb00l it up.

a lot of my adviced was based on the assumption of a normal blind structure and a full ring game... 100 bb stacks, nine players- the where the blinds will not eat you up.

and by 'AQ or better', i of course mean, AQo, AJs, ATs, QKs, AKo, AKs, AQs, maybe KJs, 88 or better for the pairs. this should be plenty of hands to keep the blinds from killing you- if the others in the game are willing to accept that you're really tight and are willing to fold to bets that you make, why, start buying pots till they readjust, then nail 'em with a big pair once they do.

in a game this loose with a high blind structure, you've just gotta gamble a bit. keep reloading, keeping your stack at the max buy in at all times, so when you do finally hit one, you can get paid off.