HU against the blinds - strategy discussion

[ShipItToPapa]

stop stealing so many blinds. Just discard hands like QT and KT and even KJ or QJ unless you are in a tight tight game. I realize you are leaving money on the table. However, not going up against loose blinds with those hands saves you from tough tough decisions and possibly getting outplayed. If you can't have a winning hourly rate in your game without stealing a lot of blinds, it might not be a good game.

I hope this didn't come across as demeaning. Its simply the way I play. I don't feel like I am good enough to make the correct play always with overcards on coordinated middling boards vs the blind defenders. So I just try not to get involved in those spots.

[TwoNiner]

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I realize you are leaving money on the table. However, not going up against loose blinds with those hands saves you from tough tough decisions and possibly getting outplayed.

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I used to have this same attitude and simply would hardly ever steal, but it really is an important part of the game as you start to play more. Playing short handed gets you a little more comfortable as well..

As for the turn play, I will do my best to watch how people have reacted out of the big blind with check raising and overall willingness to fold on the flop. As someone said above, I'll shut it down if called on the flop against real tight players and just hope to catch.

One thing I have picked up from short handed play is that against loose blind callers, you are almost better off raising with Q10 type hands rather than A8.. since some of these guys will fold to aces on the flop almost exclusively.

[ike]

if you're playing against loose blinds then the majority of the time that you raise kj first in from the button or co you'll have the better hand by a significant margin, often have your opponent dominated, and you have position on him. if this is a situation you're trying to avoid i'd like to know what a good situation is. you're absolutely right that throwing these hands away is leaving money on the table, unacceptably huge amounts of it. if you're having trouble postflop in these hands try slowing down a little. usually bet the flop if checked to, but if called consider checking the turn through unimproved a large percentage of the time. since it will be hard to put your opponent on a hand and it is likely that you held the better hand preflop, getting to showdown is valuable. so don't expose yourself to the turn checkraise when you feel that it is likely to come and you will have to fold to it.

[ShipItToPapa]

i totally agree a hand like KJ or QT on the BUTTON should be raised. But should it be raised in the cutoff or the cutoff+1? cutoff+2?

I also like your point about raising QT instead of A8. I try to avoid almost all ace rags from any position for any amount of bets.

[ShipItToPapa]

also, if you know you are going to get called....is it never correct to just limp with those hands vs loose blinds?

Probably not, but just checking.

[GimmeDaWatch]

So some of you guys are just basically saying try and run over any unknown guy and see if he lets you? I think this is a grey area if you havent seen this guy play before, and I would very likely take the extra card hoping to hit on the river. Getting check-raised here is ugly (as is getting called), and if you don't know if the guy is a frequent turn folder I dont see why watching him play for a bit before trying this is such a bad idea. Also, if he had a bad enough hand to fold, you may win with check/check on the river anyhow. Weak/tight, I know, but I prefer trying to run over the right people.

[risen]

Remember how we play here? Aggressive. I'm not giving anyone benefit of the doubt. Remember, a good chunk of the time you raise those blinds you win them preflop. A gooder chunk you win when you bet the flop. It is hard to hit the board in hold em, that's why getting it head up with big cards is a great situation. Keeping the presure on chasers and bottom pair and even unimproved small Aces when they are out of position is highly profitable. Flip the script and realize how hard it is to keep putting in chips for the average player with crap against aggression. Also remember how unobservant many of our opponents are. Hell some of them don't even realize we're stealing until the 5th time we do it. Raising anything on the button when folded to you or with 1 limper is like going to the ATM. And when you exceed your daily withdrawal limit and the players to your left start wising up and playing back at you, wait until you get some cards and hammer them twice as hard. It's a win win situation.

[SA125]

Question is based on a player unkown to you.

"How often do you bet/check?" -

Bet if -
I think I have the best hand or
Think I can win it here or
Just want to establish pressure play

Check if -
I'm not sure or
Want to see if he'll make a run at the river if he thinks it's up for grabs.

"What if you have an Ace?" -

Same answer as above.

"How does your turn action influence your river action?" -

If the turn was ch/c, I don't think it's wrong to either take your foot off the pedal and ch it down if you missed or bet to keep the pressure on. It's good to mix it up.

If the turn was ch/ch, bet if I think a bet will win it.

[Philuva]

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also, if you know you are going to get called....is it never correct to just limp with those hands vs loose blinds?

Probably not, but just checking.

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If you know you are going to get called by what is most likely an inferior hand while you have position on them, how could limping ever be correct?

[rigoletto]

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stop stealing so many blinds. Just discard hands like QT and KT and even KJ or QJ unless you are in a tight tight game. I realize you are leaving money on the table. However, not going up against loose blinds with those hands saves you from tough tough decisions and possibly getting outplayed. If you can't have a winning hourly rate in your game without stealing a lot of blinds, it might not be a good game.

I hope this didn't come across as demeaning. Its simply the way I play. I don't feel like I am good enough to make the correct play always with overcards on coordinated middling boards vs the blind defenders. So I just try not to get involved in those spots.

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The hands you mention are monsters in LP and you don't openraise to steal but because you have a good hand!