Live Game Situation - How do I adjust?

[Nate_Dogg]

Playing 2-5 NL (uncapped buy-in) at the Horseshoe in Tunica. Most players in this game are deep stacked. I have $1200 and about half the table has me covered. Here is the problem - A loud-mouthed, but somewhat talented semi-LAG is sitting to my immediate right - which most would say is a good place to have him except that he is "Live-straddling" about every other hand when he (and me by definition) are in late position. So basically every time I'm in late position I'm effectively under-the-gun. After asking for a seat change how do you adjust your starting hand selection and PF raising standards. This was the "main game" table and I would classify the talent level as above average, but still beatable for a live game. I would also say it is more aggressive than average.

I thought you could only straddle from UTG?

I'd be limping in early with all my big hands....



Tex

[Nate_Dogg]

Nope, they have what is called a "Mississippi" straddle which you can do from any position. This is maybe the dumbest rule I've heard of. However, this shouldn't be much of a surprise in a state that annually rates between 47th and 50th in education.

[edtost]

um, i would restraddle every hand he did that, assuming i'm better than him.

[Nate_Dogg]

A. No restraddle
b. I'm not putting in 4bb w/o seeing my cards

[creedofhubris]

Once he wins a pot, say, "it's my turn now", and straddle the next hand yourself.

[cero_z]

Hi guys,

[ QUOTE ]
Once he wins a pot, say, "it's my turn now", and straddle the next hand yourself.


[/ QUOTE ]

Others recommended this as well, and it's very wrong. Mississippi Straddling puts the guy on your right in the best position pre-flop; this guy doesn't need any more help.

You need to tighten up pre-flop, obviously. But, you don't need to play as tightly as you would in EP when you won't be in EP for the final 3 betting rounds; just play tighter with hands like 76s that you normally would like to limp from MP/LP. If you get a hand like 55 or 76s in LP that you'd like to play, bring it in for a small raise, rather than calling the straddle. This is more likely than usual to "buy the button," since your raise is larger, and way better than limping only to see someone put in a raise after some limpers, forcing you out. If you're already on the button, then limping is fine.

But, if you just cut out all of those "implied odds hands," and focus on raising with strong holdings, you can't go wrong, either (though it's not as fun to play just those hands). After all, there's more money in the pot before you look at your cards; that can only help you if you adjust properly.

Finally, I don't agree with OP when he calls this a dumb rule. It's just a rule that, like any other, provides an opportunity for the smart players to exploit the less smart ones. It doesn't upset the balance of fairness in the game; it allows someone to give -EV action where his opponents are not required to. How can you complain about that?

Oh yeah; and most importantly, sit to this guy's right soon and in future sessions. Nothing is sweeter.

[psuasskicker]

So, um, when you're gonna have position the rest of the hand, you have a shot at isolating a LAG before anyone else gets to play their cards...

Why's this a problem?

- C -

[Nate_Dogg]

It's a problem because I can't isolate him that easily with 8 players left to act. They are not idiots...they're not going to continually fold decent starting hands when I raise a straddle.

In the long run I don't think this rule is unfair, but in the short term (that night) I think it was unfair to me because of the positional disadvantage - that I was then unprepared for. I just don't see the reasoning for the rule, while it may not be unfair - it certainly doesn't add any value. If I wanted to play 5/10 instead of 2/5 I would have put my name on that list.