Wierd Scenario

[pianist]

I'd treat it as any "wild game". All pairs, suited connectors down to 65, suited gappers down to 97 or so, AKo, AQo, KTs, Q9s. Everything else go bye-bye. It's strictly value, Dude. Strictly value. Don't go getting all tactical in a game like this or calling with crap thinking you can "outplay" them after the flop. Play hands with solid preflop equity that can stand the heat postflop. The pots are going to be so big that even short-handed, you don't have to get involved with marginal values.

Minimum five-betting requirements are the Big Four: AA, KK, QQ, AKs. Otherwise, call to keep the fish in and give them a chance to reraise on their own, which might give you some useful information. Raising here with weaker hands mostly adds variance without increasing profit, unless there are many players in the pot, and raises have no tactical value whatsoever in this sort of game.

Q: Does the five-bet cap apply when the straddle is on?

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[Clarkmeister]

"connectors down to 65, suited gappers down to 97 or so"

Um, no.

[pianist]

Um, yes.

The weaker suited connectors and gappers are playable in this situation (four random hands, you're in late position, your opponents are playing like idiots). You're taking a preflop equity hit (typically you're 15% in a 5-way pot no matter what your opponents have) but the potential for major postflop profit makes up for it. But don't believe me: run some sims.

If you don't want the variance, that's fine, because playing these kinds of hands in a wild game will have your stack bouncing all over the place.

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[Kaz The Original]

One of the reasons suited connectors fare poorly is that their implied odds is killed by the fact you're putting in 5 bets preflop. Much the same way you can complete with more hands in the small blind than you can defend with in the big blind.

[andyfox]

"you're putting in 5 bets preflop."

And usually 5 more on the flop.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

playing 6 high for 5 bets doesn't seem the right way to go at all in this spot.

[andyfox]

"suited connectors down to 65, suited gappers down to 97"

I want nothing but high cards in this type of game.

[Rob Blackburn]

I can't believe I actually have something to say in this forum, but I have played with this inane concept called "the rock" a few times a week since my move to Houston 2 years ago.

As it was explained to me when I got here, its a "free" big bet(the house provides rocks here, lucky us), but you have to use it UTG. Huh? what? Free bet, um ok.

I have to agree with Andy on this one, I just play 5/10 & 10/20 not as high as alot of you guys, but the only way I have found to consitently beat games with it in play here is stick to high cards.

Trying to play my normal game with a little more open play only seemed to get me into spots where I was having to make too many borderline decisions(Which deteriorates through the night as I drink Crown and Cokes trying to help me beat that 10% rake that is standard here). For me personally it was just a recipie for disaster trying to mix it up with less than high hands.

I am also a "rock" hider, I like to bury it in my stack, which only goes a few orbits before the people running the game realize the rock is missing/count the drop an insert another one, they gotta get that max. rake.

[andyfox]

I didn't have to hide the rock since I didn't win a hand for the first two hours, by which time the rock had disappeared.

[The Dude]

I was definately on the loose side of all 2+2'ers I was talking to about this situation, but playing 65s in this spot would have been suicide.