In a typically 8/16 game are you opening UTG... KJo, ATo, JT, KTs

What is worst pocket pair you are opening UTG?

Do you sometimes throw in weaker hands as a change up when you have a tight image?

I'd fold all but KTs. For pocket pairs I typically play 88+ or 77+ if I think I'll be coldcalled often and rarely 3 bet.

I don't think image can really help you when you're utg because it's so likely that someone's going to pick up a hand to play.

There are lots of books that have preflop starting hand charts. In general, you should stick with a conservative one until you are so sure you know what you're doing that you are comfortable loosening up in your particular game, and then you won't need to ask about it here.

I think OP kind of has some clue about what he's doing. These are somewhat borderline hands. At a typical 8/16, I would probably open KJo,ATo, either open or limp KTs and fold JTo. Tougher games I fold all of them except KTs.

Pretty much this.

Take liberties if people are passive and predictable. Tighten up if people are willing and able to punish you for playing too many hands.

I think you should fold any hand you have questions about. Add them when you feel like you're pwning with a tighter range and need moar action.

Assuming these are borderline hands, i.e., you're opening KQo, AJo, QJs, and KJs already, I'd add them in the following order:

KTs, JTs, ATo, KJo

Is this a pokerstove reason, a playability reason, or a "less likely to be dominated when cc'd/3-bet" reason?

I open a lot wider.

I open a lot wider even in tougher games. But come on. Your opponents are terrible at 8/16. I'm opening all the hands you mention (except maybe KJ offsuit UTG 9-handed or UTG or UTG+1 10 handed) and some you don't. Lowest pocket pair I am opening is 77.

This makes good sense.

The reason I posted this is because I'm seeing a lot more good regs opening with these hands. the poker landscape constantly evolves. For a long time AJo and kQo were considered the minimum opens. Just seeing if ATo and KJo are the new AJ and KQ.

Thanks for the responses.

No objective reason, it's a little of each plus the warm fuzzies. It's pretty easy to know where you're at with JTs (unless you cap pre and donk check the flop ), but KTs has better equity and people rarely 3-bet KJ or QT (compared to AK or AT). ATo requires a certain confidence to play A-high boards correctly. KJo suffers all around and it's one of the first hands I learned to toss when I moved up from 3/6 to 6/12 so it always has that "fishy hand" reputation in my mind.

No. Just never do this. You're playing in a game with clueless, unobservant people. You take advantage of that by relentlessly getting value from them. If 76s UTG is profitable, play it every time. If it isn't, never play it. Everyone goes on "I haven't played a hand in a while" tilt. We rationalize the next bad decision by thinking our tight image will allow us to get away with stuff. Then you find A9o UTG, decide you haven't played a hand in three downs, know that they'll respect your image, and then you raise and get 6 callers.

Try to build your poker game about refining profitable spots. Don't mix things up or just mindlessly randomize, justifying it by saying you're doing balance. You see some HU bot rumored to be good making a play you don't understand, and decide to make that exact same play UTG+2 in a 10h live game. You aren't applying GTO concepts. You're doing random stuff for reasons you invented (thus they aren't true) based on a concept you didn't understand.

Think about ranges.

• Pretty darned tight (~6%) - 99+, ATs+, KQs, AQo+
• Still snug (8.6%) - 88+, ATs+, KJs+, AJo+, KQo
• Getting a little wider in EP (about 10%) - 77+, A9s+, KJs+, QJs, AJo+, KQo
• Maybe some good players are here at times (13%) - 66+, A8s+, KTs+, QTs+, JTs, ATo+, KJo+

Each of these steps from nit to more LAG should have a reason. Why do you add hands in order like this? You're looking for thinner value. People are over-respecting your raises, maybe you open wider. However, that's evidence based and not just deciding you have a snug image. As a winning player in a loose game, you're one of the tightest players in the room. Every time you raise, does everyone fold? If no, you can't make image plays. You can check by seeing that old nit who raises exactly AA and KK get his one raising hand every three hours and still get 5+ way action. You have nowhere near his image. Sure, pull out the old 2+2 book thing about "occasionally open 87s in EP to vary your game". What does that buy you in your 8/16 game? Will anyone notice? Will they change their game in ways good for you?

As someone who has been known to show up every now and then with 87 suited after an early position raise....

DougL's of course right that you should only make +EV plays, and table image doesn't play that much of a role.

On the other hand, in a typical 8/16 game, I think raising the stronger suited connectors basically gets them into multi-way pots where they do just fine in terms of EV, but with the added advantage that we will have the initiative, plus any minor table image benefits that will be produced when someone says aloud "wow, you raised that?".

So, you play it every time because you think it is profitable due to game conditions? That's good. If you only play it because you haven't gotten to play anything for an hour, that's less good. Maybe less good because you should have played it every time instead of just then, still not great.

Ni han sir.

I really don't care about boredom. I've sat and folded for hours.

I think in most games, opening stronger suited connectors is profitable.

Then agree you should absolutely play them every time the game conditions are correct.

Words of wisdom!

In a good 8/16 game I'd have an open limp range UTG

True story, I open-limped KJo in a 6/12 game with Jesse in it and flopped AQxdd, and as the turn is being dealt, Jesse calls out, "Ten no diamond!" and I realize how horrible I am at poker.

Amazing.

And KJo wouldn't be in it.