How do you beat the 25NL PP game?

[nate_king1]

I am trying to beat this game, but I don't know what to play? LAG, TAG? What do the players play? A hand came up,

34K83
I hold pocket 88s and he holds pocket kings.
Last round I bet $.75, he raises $3, I reraise $5. He flat calls!!! No re-raise? WTF Please help me?

[stu-unger]

man im not sure what u r complaining about. i'd love for a villain to have a hand to stack me with and not even try to. when i used to play there i used to play TAG ABC and never really ran into problems. u probably could open up your range there these guys to play optimally, but i played 3 or 4 tables and didn't have to concentration. VALUE BET_VALUE BET_VALUE BET!!

Tight is right.

[kingofswing]

4 tabling, i can do $10/hr at NL25 plaing TAG ABC, although I play even a little tight preflop. Nothing fancy, just stick to basics.

Oh and don't complain about not getting stacked when someone flops a set of kings and you turn an under set. Luck like that almost never happens.

[pokernicus]

Can you elaborate on your pre-flop starting hand requirements? (also, what does your VPIP work out to be in this case?)

[kingofswing]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you elaborate on your pre-flop starting hand requirements? (also, what does your VPIP work out to be in this case?)

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure, but before I do I should put a disclaimer on this. First of all, I've only played about 9K hands at NL25, so there is variance. But my stats are around 16/3.5/2.5. So I guess technically I am a TP/A, but I am working on loosening up by raising hands in later positions to get that PFR up to around 5.

Anyway, as for starting hands, I never call with AA/KK, I always raise. Usually standard raise up to 4xBB with something extra for each limper. Reraise a raise to about three times the raise they put in.

With QQ I'm raising if I am first to raise, otherwise I am calling to see a flop.

JJ/TT I always call except in late position where I raise if there are only one or two limpers.

22-99 I am calling, or calling a small raise (no more than maybe 7-8% of my stack), to see a flop and play for set value. In an unraised pot against few opponents I will bet if checked to holding 88/99 as an overpair. I might even do this on a J or T high flop with no one bets.

AK suited or not is a raise in any position and a reraise in later position especially if someone has called the raise.

AQ is a raise/call in early position, raising in MP or LP. Play suited a little more aggressively than unsuited.

AJ is a call in EP and MP, raise in LP, however this hand is table dependent. I might fold it offsuit at an aggressive table. Same with KQ.

Other hands like KJ/QJ/QT/etc. I prefer to play suited and generally only call with in an unraised pot in LP. I might be too tight here, but I don't even always play them in this situation. I really don't love the unsuited variety. I will raise with these hands, but only if it is folded to me in LP.

Suited connectors and one-gappers, I will play only if there are a bunch of limpers (at least two, hopefully three) and it is unraised. I don't like playing these hands in raised pots. I don't think you lose much by folding them to a raise. I know a lot of people like to turn a big draw or something, but most people won't lay down AA so you can't bluff them at these stakes and if you flop a complete hand, which is rare, you might bet out to see a fold from AK. I don't know, they play better I think in unraised pots when I know most NL25 donks don't follow the golden rule -- don't go broke in an unraised pot.

Everything else, J9o, K4s, etc. is usually a fold. I like to call an unraised pot with Axs. I will raise with decent cards in LP against tight blinds usually where I have some prospects of making a hand Kxs, Q9s, 87o, etc. But I certainly don't do it all the time.

Moral of the story is that I play it tight mostly because at NL25 people pay off good hands. When I move up I will have to adjust and I know this, but for here, it's usually best to avoid making big bluffs and trying to steal. Just show down good cards. Of course, you can easily pick out who are the good players and make a play on them.

Good luck, hope this helps.

[fimbulwinter]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you beat PP25NL?

[/ QUOTE ]

By playing better than the players at PP25NL.

fim

[grouchie]

by outflopping your opponent.

A good player would not have let that K come up and would have won with his set.

[JFB37]

let the patternmapping jokes begin.

Seriously, that hand is nothing to bitch about.

[dtbog]

[ QUOTE ]
I am trying to beat this game, but I don't know what to play? LAG, TAG? What do the players play? A hand came up,

34K83
I hold pocket 88s and he holds pocket kings.
Last round I bet $.75, he raises $3, I reraise $5. He flat calls!!! No re-raise? WTF Please help me?

[/ QUOTE ]

You didn't even disguise the set-over-set post.

At least it wasn't a 'bad beat'.

The fact that he didn't value-push his second nuts is probably an example of why you can beat PP NL 25.