Playing Looser in low limits...WARNING POTENTIONALLY HAZARDOUS CONTENT

[DcifrThs]

a poster asked me to elaborate on playing looser etc.

a few disclaimers:

1) this is mostly covered in M&M&S (hmmm, Miller and Malmuth=M&M, thats sweet) book(s)

2) i am starting this thread for new posters like the one who asked me to elaborate on it.

3) i am starting a thread unaware if one already existed so dont put a Linky in a response.

4) the looser play advocated in this post is POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS to somebody NOT ABLE TO PLAY POSTFLOP well. so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont go calling 87s UTG when there are a bunch of nuttty agros behind you b/c i said 87s is a monster low limit hand (which it is after 5 or more limpers)

thanks.

Onto the topic:

In low limit games, in general, people don't play their hands hard. they dont look to extract the max or punish limpers etc. sure you get the 80/40/2 guy occasionally (read: absolute maniac), but for the most part, low limit fish play too loosely, and go way to far with all of their holdings.

this frustrates a tight agressive student of poker b/c he/she (hereafter he) gets drawn out on a lot when there are 8 bad players going to the end. so our friendly neighborhood TAG gets AA cracked by J2o on a K53 board when J2o runner runners a J and a 2 for 2 pair. then our FNTAG gets annoyed and either goes on tilt (raises when he should call or fold or calls when he should fold etc..) or he plays suboptimally against the perpetrator. this behavior, needless to say, is bad for our FNTAG's bankroll.

its also frustrating b/c the J2o guy NEVER BET HIS HAND on the river so it was checked to hero who bet and was called by a winning hand. a table of these bad players is hard to play against playing a TAG style (opening tight from EP raiseing big cards (AQo vs. 8 players isn't a lock) knowing the pot wont be contested shorthanded etc. because your probaility of winning the pot isn't very large. but when you do win its a nice sized pot. further, 1 pair will not win often. be it AQ on A53 board, or AA on a K82 board w/ 8 opponents and a two toned board. those are the types of hands our FNTAG seems to love.

but what about our dear low limit profitable hand friend 75s?? she feels neglected. as she should. our FNTAG is not paying her the attention she deserves. after 1 or two EP or MP limpers, AND THE EXPECTATION OF NO MORE THAN 1 RAISE with EVEN 1 RAISE NOT BEING CERTAINT, she is extremely profitable. the reason is simply a result of the above characteristics of the opponents in low limit.

when you have75s you have a good hand IN THAT SPOT because you will:

1) are assured of a multiway pot

2) gain money and can correctly draw given odds

3) will be able to manipulate opponents into giving you free cards

4) be able to get away easily from this hand

5) will collect BIG BETS when you hit and lose SMALL BETS when you miss (usually by raising for a free card or peeling off to hit a gutter getting likely over 10:1)

and this is just one hand.

now lets move on to pairs, if a pot is going to be 8 handed 22 should be played regardless of the # of bets going in preflop. 22 is a monster on a Jh6h2x board, it will earn TONS AND TONS of bets and lose only those put in when it does. thus pairs should be played a lot CHEAPLY.

using the above as a justification to play 22 calling an EP raiser and an MP caller cold is bad poker b/c you are not sure the setting will be correct. you may have to now take 22 4 handed for 4 bets. UGH. that suckies the big schlongy.

instead, you SHOULD play it in ANY position if the game is very loose (at least 5-6 players every flop for RARELY more than 2 bets). you should play it in later positions after 3 or more limpers. AND, you should RAISE 22 after EVERYBODY limps in a 8-10 handed game for value ON THE BUTTON. please to note that my caps words are often actions and conditions. the capsed action is WRONG when the capped condition is not met.

SO thats it.

all you TAGs getting frustrated and feeling like our FNTAG...relax, this game is fun and you get to play many more hands at lower limits. it only gets harder when you have to have my stats in 30/60 and up [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] (for the record my current 30/60 stats are 18/12/2.81. god is that boring [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img])

Again, please dont use this post as an excuse to play loosely and badly. i am assuming the user can PLAY postlfop and play well relative to the competition.

other advice: GET POKERTRACKER (obviously this is for the newbies)

if i think of anything else i'll add it w/ ADDITION in the subject heading. otherwise, happy pokering and in the words of a great older poster (nevalandry )

"may the flop be with you."

Barron