See 30 % flop ... help. .. What else do I cut ?

[Sam T.]

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Hi. My flop % is still too high. I'm seeing 30 % of flops and I just feel like I'm leaking chips.

I'm playing :

Axs any position - This will depend on the texture of the table. If there are limpers ahead of me, or I'm pretty sure I won't face a raise, call this. Just don't get suckered into playing any hand worse than two pair.
TJs any position - See above.
QJs any position - Yet again. True of most SCs.
KJo any - Ugh. What flop do you want with this hand? You'll lose your stack to a lot of other hands that will limp, including AJ and KQ. I may raise with this from LP on a steal, but I'll do that with any two cards. A sure money-loser.
KQo any - This is a tad better than KJ, but just a tad. The problem is that you pretty much have to dump it if you are raised (which is not true of pockets), and it will end up as the second-best hand way to often.
ATo and up any - ATo is garbage.
Any pocket pairs in any position - Agreed.
I complete SB with 67s and up - Oh, heck yes. And earlier as well. SCs and PPs are good because they are relatively easy to play post-flop. For the pockets, no set, no bet. And with the SCs, it's not like you're wondering if your kicker is any good.
I play 67s and up in LP , too, sometimes

Question is on Axs , should I be playing this in EP and MP ?


I've cut from my game recently. QTo, JTo, KTo, QJo,

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[sting]

cold calling small raises with PPs is correct because of the implied odds you have when you hit a set. Well disguised hand against an opponent with a strong hand willing to bet it. It only works against a deep stack opponent. The implied odds are small against short stacks - you can only win what they have in front of them.

[DotNot]

Skip playing AQo and lower in early and mid positions.
Play trash hands (like AJo) in late position (i.e. button or button minus 1) if there r a few callers before u, otherwise drop m.

In early and mid positions i purely stick to pocket pairs (AKo among them), sooted conns and Axs. In mid and late position i add Kxs hands and somtimes 1 gapped sooted hands. In very late position (depending on number of callers and type of callers) i can play or fold trash hands (is AQo or worse).
I always raise or cold call when i'm entering a pot.

grtz,

dot

[Hellmouth]

I have been looking at a similar problem in my Limit Holdem game and think that the solution I came to might be valuable here as well.

Rather than look at what hands you play and trying to eliminate them to get the right VPIP, try the opposite. Start with only Premium Hands, (ones you would normally raise with) and only play them. AA-TT AK-AQs AKo and from and late position, Pocket pairs and Big Suited Broadway (Any two cards 10+ suited). You will lower the amount of hands you play considerably. I accomplished this (it was hard sometimes) begin to add back hands that you might play before (ie suited connectors) until you have struck a ballance.

Also, definately get poker tracker. Before I had it I thought I was tight player. However those numbers dont lie. It works with all major poker sites and you can try it for free.

Greg

[jtr]

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I complete SB with 67s and up


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You've already had some good advice on why not to play semi-big offsuit cards like KJo.

But on a different note: I wonder whether your small blind completion might be just right. For a long time I used to complete in the small blind with absolutely anything suited (in 10-player NL).

Lately I am not sure about this, especially with the blinds becoming "cheaper" at Party: does the horrible positional disadvantage outweigh the half-price discount you get on seeing a flop. Actually I suspect I should be tighter on small-blind completion than I am on the button: late position is where you want to be playing those kooky hands, and up front still has all the perils of acting first postflop despite the 50c saving you make when completing in Party 100NL.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[tbach24]

Tighter in EP and looser in LP. If they're letting you see all of these flops cheap, then it's not bad.

[Sam T.]

I think the question if completing with marginal hands depends in large part on the action in the hand. If it's folded to me and I have 76s, or some other drawing hand, I think the best choices are to raise on a steal or fold - and there is nothing wrong with either one.

But if you've got three people limping into the pot ahead of you, you're getting 7:1 on your completion, and I'd be hard pressed to think of a hand that isn't worth completing in these circumstances. Yes, you will have to play a draw OOP, but the times you flop a strong draw or some garbage (but profitable) two-pair will make up for the two-bits you lose when you whiff the flop.

My two cents,

Sam