Party Poker Pre-Flop Raising Standards

[mikeyvegas]

I was thinking about this the other day and just wanted to get some feedback from posters here. Do you think that the average Party Poker low-limit player takes into consideration their position when they raise pre-flop?

[bdk3clash]

"What is 'position'?"

[mikeyvegas]

The real reason why I ask this is because I have seen so many posts place value on where PF raises come from and I really see no reason for this. I'm of the opinion that a nomral pp opponent pf raise from UTG should be given the same consideration as one from the CO. Is this wrong?

[bdk3clash]

I consider LP-ish openraises to be more likely to be steals and thus a larger range of hands than EP open-raises, so your point is well-taken.

I don't think the typical Party micro/SS player is raising specific hands in LP but not EP or whatever. If he raises with Axs where x>8, he's more likely to just always do it rather than do it selectively.

"Selectively aggressive" is the way to win, and it doesn't come naturally or easily to most players. It's learned, and most don't take the time to do so.

[StellarWind]

[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking about this the other day and just wanted to get some feedback from posters here. Do you think that the average Party Poker low-limit player takes into consideration their position when they raise pre-flop?

[/ QUOTE ]
Definitely. That is not to say that they all view position in the same way or the way you and I do.

There are at least three prominent theories for raising small/medium pocket pairs:

1. First in - these players raise small pocket pairs from any seat provided that no one has limped in yet. I guess they hope to steal or play heads up.

2. Isolation - these players seek to isolate a single limper or even open-raiser by raising behind him.

3. Real estate - these players raise clouds of limpers from LP.

As you can see, positional ideas are part of each theory.

Real estate raises in general are practiced by many players with all sorts of drawing hands. Another group likes to raise volume hands from the blinds because (I guess) they won't force people out.

Many players practice steal raises from LP.

And yes, many players have a fixed list of premium hands that they always raise regardless of position. Although some of these players believed the books that told them never to raise their BB option without AA/KK.

Overall, I'd say most of them are thinking about position when they raise. It's just that they are often not thinking what we are thinking.

[Cerril]

That seems about right. LP stealraises seem to be the most common. I'd say the 'folded to LP, who pauses five seconds and raises' is probably one of the most common things I see (when there aren't limpers). In fact, the idea of 'don't open-limp from MP or later' is actually understood at a rudimentary level by many SS players. When I notice someone open limping, especially on the button or CO, I take note so that when they do raise I can give them credit for a genuine raising hand (in their opinion).

What players do with small pairs, suited connectors, and other speculative hands... that varies from player to player and I would say that it's usually not safe to assume they're paying attention to position (i.e. if UTG+1 open-raises into rags, he might have hit a set, might have overcards, might have an overpair, or might have a subset of other hands you'd blanch at the thought of open-raising from EP).