Posted Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:22 pm GMT by Ciso_B
"Loose" Style
- I think this is a great style and very effective for tournaments if you can play post flop poker pretty well and are quite good at reading your opponents. Also pretty useful if you know the mathematics well.
It’s probably wise to implement this style when the tables are leaning towards tight, theoretically you should have an edge on your opponents, if the table is loose, I would change back to a more solid game because its more difficult to read loose opponents and you could end up bleeding a lot of chips.
- When I use the word loose , I am saying playing more then the average player would play hands. Playing more flops more then usual but not necessarily being a bluffing machine. I advocate playing more hands with hands that can improve but generally its best to play in position. However , I don’t mind calling a raise from the bb with a hand that can improve, even if I miss I almost say its always worthwhile taking one shot on the flop since, you have the ADVANTAGE of betting first , this is even more effective if the pre flop raise has came from late position. How else do you expect to win the pot? Check folding in no limit hold em is something I think people will do too much, even if you think about it mathematically , you know your opponent only improves something in the region of 1/3 so its surely worth taking one stab on the flop. ANY resistance and you can shut down completely , unless you’re thinking 2 steps ahead and read your opponent for a busted draw then you take another shot, but just one bet on flop in my opinion is worth it in the long run. I haven’t read that much online regarding post flop stealing apart from continuation betting , but this is something I really propose more players do. Or say its been checked round on the flop and a nothing card comes off on the turn, no matter what you got, I think its worth a bet, often it doesn’t even need to be ½ the size of the pot for it to get through.
- Ok, So we covered a bit of post flop stealing and when to play loose. Now, let me propose a slightly different idea that isn’t using so much in tournaments – limping- This is something I am beginning to become more fond of as I play tournaments, if my stack is sizeable 20 x bb or more, I really don’t mind just limping a lot of hands, you don’t have to be table captain always and doing so can give you a looser image then you want and if you already playing loose you don’t want people thinking your just a big bluffer. So limping stronger hands is fine, providing you can release what appears to be a strong hand but in reality- your crushed. Example from a tournament I did few nights ago- I limped Q-Q ep, 2 others did.Flop came J-4-6 (2d), I lead out , he min raised. (I felt I could very well be beat right now by 44 or 66 but I decided to peel one off and see if he shuts down with JT/J9suited etc), Turn was 7d, check check, river 4, I decided to value bet $200 into something like $750, He went another $600 I think and I “knew” now that he had 6-6 and I could fold. He was kind enough to show 6s aswell, I read him for that since a flush is likely to bet turn or just call river, trips would often check turn fearful of a flush and also trying to fill up. Its true, I lost chips by limping Qs in ep, but I also managed to get away. Another hand where limping AJ won me chips is when someone thought there A7 suited was strong when flop came A-2-6 and I won a huge pot, he was in bb and said he thought Id raise in late position with any thing stronger then A7 , so if you play these hands well enough I think it’s a great way to accumulate chips.
- To play this limping/ or loose style of poker in tournaments you have to maneovre post flop pretty well, a way of improving post flop is to play a lot of heads up sngs, the more flops you see the better suited to different situations you will be.
Remember I said this brand isn’t always profitable , its dependant on the table and how the action is going . But I think it’s a style that should be used more by players simply cos playing solid only will not get you too far in tournaments, I gamble more then I used to or so some would think, but if I can see a cheap flop with a hand that has potential (Kx suited, suited connectors, small pairs etc) then I will definitely try. You could wait all night for Aces get them , even if you get action- you are probably an average stack or less.
Like I said though its not a style I always use, recently in the Ftops I played a more solid/conservative game because I was aware of the other players adapting a looser style so I changed my game slightly.
I hope this post has at least given some food for thought, it’s an option you should undertake from time to time, see how it works. GL.
Ciso
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Posted Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:06 am GMT by MrDarling
Excellent post as always Ciso.
Warning to newbies, if you limp with AK and don't hit, you should probably fold to any resistance. I see many low stakes level limp with Ak then get into a raising war in an UI war bust out to the blinds 83o who hits 3rd pair.
I very rarely limp with AJ-AK from position, nut usually fold UI, as my post flop game sucks. Though last night I discovered the aggressor in me, and did manage to steal any pot people were not interested in. So I did limp in position with crap, especially if 2-3 SS limped in.
Posted Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:56 pm GMT by jimmer
Nice post Ciso.
I'm a really tight player, but i'm trying to learn to play loose. It was sugggested last week by Dave B, that Daniel Negreanu very rarely raises preflop.
Now, when i play a hand i generally raise preflop to narrow the field. I'm fairly happy with my post flop play and therefore tend to be facing one, and at times two other players. I can usually outplay them.
The problem i have is limping in and seeing a flop with (maybe) four others on a continual basis. Then, inless you know you have a great hand, you're always open to a big loss.
This therefore brings me to think my postflop play is acually weak.
My question to ciso (and anyone else) is this; Does playing loose involve playing more players as you need to limp more and (as the pot odds need to be bigger, because the hands you're playing are, in general are weaker)?
Posted Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:54 pm GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
Excellent post, Ciso. I couldn't agree more, although when blinds get up there (not to mention the yummy ante money), I actually like minimum raising a little more than limping because at least you have a little fold equity. And if the BB likes to call, fine. Why wouldn't we want to play a slightly larger pot in position against him?
Posted Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:23 pm GMT by jeffonline
Good post Ciso, this is the way I like to play, but you must run the numbers, try not to play drawing hands like suited split connectors, suited connectors, KXs, A2-9s, small pairs 22-77 with less than 3 other players, position is a big consideration, I like limp pre flop and fold to any real show of strength, I may sometime want to gamble from a late position if the raise is less than 5% of my stack and the raiser has chips left to pay me off, if I hit. I fold a lot of hands that I have limped with, I try not to get into chasing draws unless the numbers are there. When others seem week, or I have position and or a good read of things I will raise post-flop with a drawing hand, I fold to any real resistance. It works for me.
Posted Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:09 pm GMT by Ciso_B
| Quote: | Why wouldn't we want to play a slightly larger pot in position against him?
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Yeah agree with this completely. 2 1/2 x bb riase is a good bet pre flop, enticing action from weak hands oop like you covered.
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