Optimal PF Strategy?

[kurosh]

In limit, there's usually an agreed upon correct play PF or a very minor error in what you do. Only play AA/KK/QQ/AK when it's 3-bet to you PF, etc. But in NL, PF becomes pretty hazy. Nearly all the people here and in the books recommend to only play good hands unless it's a multiway pot. IE, big pocket pairs, big suited cards. Play any pocket pair if you think you'll get paid off for your set. Play suited connectors in late position and in multiway pots.

My problem with this is it ends up being way too tight. When I play like this, most people will fold as soon as I raise or unless they hit the flop hard. My hands become too easy to read. So what do you do? Throw in a couple random raises with suited connectors and smaller pairs too?

[tbach24]

Raise LP with SC's. Limp EP with AA-KK. Just mix it up, throw them off. You don't want them do know what you have all of the time.

Edit- From late also throw in any connectors, suited one-gappers, and suited two-gappers and Axs and Kxs, and keep doing this until they lose respect from you and then you can go back to playing tight. I often find that pre-flop is only minimally important against better players and that when you play the flop-river, and especially the turn well, you'll end up winning a lot of money.

[Loci]

generally, I agree, but the suited two-gappers is a little too shaky advice for my taste... just my opinion.

[cero_z]

Hi kurosh,

The requirements you describe are good for a game with lots of pre-flop raising. As long as the stacks are fairly deep (several with 100XBB), why don't you try loosening up in the unraised pots? If you're in LP, or not, and you use your reading skills to determine that a raise behind you is unlikely this hand, play anything. It costs you like 1% of your stack or less, and if someone raises, you just throw it away. Then, you don't get involved further unless you hit the hand hard (two pair hard, or pair + 8 out draw hard). Do this, and you will create a strong impression in your opponents' minds when you showdown 95o, and say, "I play 9-5 so I don't have to work 9 to 5." Loosen way up in UNRAISED pots. It may sound risky, but it's actually a very cheap way to cloud your image, as long as you stay disciplined post-flop (and play well in the first place).