Buying the Button From MP

[IGMorton]

You are in MP on a loose 6-max table: vpip 60%, 3-4 people seeing the average flop and 1/3 of the pots not raised preflop. Because people are cold-calling frequently, you can guess you chance of 'buying the button' is about 36%. (both the button and cut-off playing 40% of raised hands gives probability of both folding = .6 x .6 = .36).

Do you raise knowing you'll only get that button 1/3 of the time and have to play weak pairs / offsuit cards out of position with 2-3 opponents more often?

[wackjob]

I very, very rarely ever limp anything unless its in the SB(which could be a mistake). Every now and then I'll limp something like 78s or 45s. My answer to all of the above was either raise or fold.

Of course, this is table dependant, but I find on most tables that I select that my super pre-flop aggressiveness makes the fish even fishier. I typically find myself 3-bet by KJ off just because some fish saw me showdown a pre-flop raised 78 suited. As long as the fish adjust their play to me, I will keep up this type of play.

[IGMorton]

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As long as the fish adjust their play to me, I will keep up this type of play.


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I have read a couple authors say that short handed you should try to encourage an opponent to play at a predictable extreme. ie: give a LAG reasons to start betting over-confidently like a maniac. are you always trying to push loose fish into maniac tendencies, or do you sometimes want them to fold?

[WarBus]

Your poll is difficult to choose only 1 answer. Often depends on my current image and how often I have been raising and what hands I have shown down.

You are in MP on a loose 6-max table:

You hold 44-22. Call w/ limper. Fold 1st in.

You hold 55-77. Call 55,66 w/ limper. Raise 77.

You hold A7s, A6s. Call from MP but will raise from CO w/ limper. Sometimes raise 1st in, usually fold.

You hold K8s, K7s. Fold.

You hold JTs, T9s. Raise JTs w/ limper or 1st in. T9s fold.

You hold QJo, QTo. Fold.

You hold A9o, A8o. Fold. Sometimes raise A9o 1st in, usually fold.

You hold KTo, K9o. Fold.

[wackjob]

I like to push loose players to play like maniacs when I'm at a table with only 1 or 2 LAG's and lots of loose passives. I find loose passives run into a maniac and start folding a lot more on the flop with showdown type hands because they realize it might cost them a cap on every street to showdown 2nd pair or even top pair weak kicker.

Of course I want people to fold all the time, but I can do a lot more damage when I get a lot more raise type action from LAG's instead of their typical aggressiveness. I find when I showdown a preflop raised 78 suited to a LAG they will start 3-betting and capping me with hands as weak as 22 or 33 and K9 off. At which point they typically don't realize that I just tightented up and am now raping them with mostly premium starting hands, while they are 3-betting 2nd pair no kicker.

As always, everything depends on your opponents and the reads you make on them, or the stats you have on them.