mixing it up with ackward holdings

[jetsonsdogcanfly]

I've seen some people commment about "mixing things up" with hands like KJo, etc. I've always figured, if you're gonna mix things up preflop, why not make it suited? I'm mostly talking about ring games, not including steal situations. To me mixing things up, beyond just vaying how you play your holdings, means playing a range of hands from a range of positions. I don't see how playing offsuit trouble hands can really help when it comes to mixing things up, especially on party poker.

It's not like people are gonna be thinking "oh shoot, maybe he has a mediocre kicker after all" or "he didn't raise the three flush, but maybe he has trashy offsuit broadway cards and got lucky with a fourflush."

thoughts?

[TStoneMBD]

mixing your play up is an overrated thing when youre playing against players that you probably wont see again for quite some time. if you are playing with people who you see every day, as that is my situation, then mixing things up becomes more relevant. yes, mixing your play up with suited cards is far better than with unsuited cards. i never take mixing things up to extremes like raising UTG with 89s or the like, unless i am playing with high class players, which i never have as this is unlikely to occur unless you are at a 200-400 game. when mixing your play up, try not to sacrifice significant EV for advertising, as it isnt worth it. raising 89s UTG is a significant -EV maneuver. if anything, i like mixing up my postflop play as my preflop aggression is already deceptive. i consider myself to be a creative player, and when you mix that with solid abc strategies it is very difficult for weak players to adopt strategies on how to counterbalance your techniques. selftaught players simply dont have the utilities to think on this level, excluding the rare prodigies of poker.