I was at a table a few days ago where... I'm guessing it was like most live LHE (I just don't ever really play it), people were just staying in till the end with things like ace high or bottom pair for 1 bet all the way. Like, you have to assume once there's a bet and 2 calls your ace high is no good... but I guess they're just out at the casino havin fun.

So anyways, it got me thinking about this huge goldmine that I'd like to call Live-Poker (not sure if NL is still as soft anymore).

What kind of hand selection should I have, or should it be more position selection?

On the button I think I'm always calling hands like Qh5h understanding that someone's ace or king high flush might smoke a big pot from me... but due to position and having SO MANY players in the hand... I just feel like I have so much power.

Am I wrong? Is that still a -eV play?

I just don't really know what to do or what my hand selection should look like.

Unbeatable, imo. What are the chances of beating 5 random hands? Like 1 in 20 or something.

I'm assuming you're joking, or just being Doctor Wrong. Which ever it is... it really does have me pondered...

Like, can you play ATC on the button and in the cutoff? Is the only acceptable spot to raise UTG or when you open a pot? Is c-betting pointless? Can you play suited connectors for 3 bets preflop? Would you cap betting on the button with middle suited connectors?

This is a serious post and flaming in this forum isn't allowed as far as I know.

Play your nutty hands, mid-big pps, mid-big SCs and Axs. Also be aware that Big cards go down in value as everyone will be going to showdown and with that many players in the pot there will be no way to protect your hand. Position goes down in value as there will always be callers so you need to be playing almost all "premium" from every position.

As for your other questions,

Raising pre, that depends on the field. If I am always going to get called then I obviously always want to raise for value. If people will be folding then raise to limit the field with my big cards, ect.

C-bet for value. NEVER BLUFF. EVER! (there are spots where betting/raising a draw makes sense on the flop)

SCs for three bets? Well AKs, yes. You'll have to do the math with the rest of them. The IOs are fairly simple and consistent in these games.

Capping the button with mid SCs? Probably not...Just bet when you have the greatest pot equity, call when you have odds+IOs to draw to the winning hand check/fold everything else. It is really that simple.

Beware the lowest stakes live as the rake may make them nearly unbeatable. Also, even though the NLHE games are tougher they are still much more profitable then the limit tables.

If it was literally every showdown has 5 players no matter what you would play a super ton of hands.

If it's a real game where players are super loose and showdown bound I'd loosen up a bit from the SSH guidelines (unless the game is very aggressive postflop). Playing Qxs on the button would definately be correct.

Yeah, I started out incorrectly thinking I should only play very few hands... like aces and kings type of deal... high pocket pairs or high suited connectors.

I then realized that most of the money to be made is gathered from post flop betting. So... you really gotta take a lot of flops.

FMP.

Aggressiveness postflop is good as we want our opponents to put in a ton of money when we make a big hand. Aggrssiveness preflop is bad becasue we really don't want to have to pay three or four bets to see a flop when we have a marginal hand.

Aha, it all makes sense now. Sweet, I'm glad to have ironed this out.

Play SSH........and you'll be fine i presume

Some of this is wrong imo... u can bluff, but you just have to be way more selective...and when it does, ur getting like 5-1 on ur money sometimes, so it's worth it to try and bluff in the VERY RARE spots u can. Also, while it's hard to protect ur hand, u can protect a vulnerable hand in a large pot by c/r if ur in ep, for example... read Small Stakes HE by Sklansky if you want a good book on this very subject. The rake is killer try not to go below 4-8 if u can 6-12 better.

That kind of game is very beatable, as long as the blinds are not too high. But you'll have huge fluctuations so you may not win for a month even if you're a +EV player.

The kinds of hands you want to be in with are good multiway hands. Suited connectors and pocket pairs are great. Suited aces and other suited hands (e.g. 86s, Q9s) are good as well, especially if there is no raise and you have position. Hands you want to avoid are those that can be dominated. For example, KJo is a fold in early position or against any preflop raise. Even KQo may be folded in EP in certain games, and always when there's a raise before you. Learn to hate off-suit aces (below AJo). They will cost you money even if you try to avoid them (on the button or in blinds). A9 is BAD.

I think this means overall that you play more hands than in a tight game, but more importantly you play different hands. And you play very positional. From perhaps 5-8% in EP to maybe 40% on the button.

Why this different hand selection? Pocket pairs and suited connectors often make big hands that can beat several opponents in a showdown. And if you don't hit your hand or a draw they're easy to fold and you minimize the loss. I.e. if you hit your hand you win big pots, if you don't you lose a small amount. Hands like KT and A9 are bad because they often hit top pair and still lose, and in that case you may lose a lot (4-5 big bets).

Postflop you play the value of your hand (unless there are 1 or 2 opponents). No need to semibluff if you can't get everyone to fold anyway. But you may sometimes (or often) raise with draws because there are 4+ opponents in the hand. Watch out with middle/low pairs. You often don't have the 5 outs you think you have, and folding them will save you a lot of trouble. Also be careful with the low end of straight draws. Don't try to be tricky. It's ok to just bet every street with TPTK or better; no need for tricky check-raises.

And yes, read SSHE by Sklansky.

Read Small Stakes Hold Em....

Follow with discipline the advice for LOOSE games

Profit

Repeat

End of story....

Limit games in my hometown were like this two years ago, you will experience some volatility, but basically when you win the pots will be big enough so that it will make up for the times some chump stays in w/ 33 and spikes a set on the river to crush your flopped two pair. If you treat it like a gambling game ($$ mgmt wise), and leave after winning a few big pots, you can consistently profit from these types of games.

I agree with the rest of your post, but this is bad advice. If you're at a table you beat you should stay as long as you have an edge. Especially in LHE, where you can't lose all your money in a single unlucky hand.

IMO the decision to stay or leave should depend on the present (your opponents and position, your mental/physical state), and not on the past (wins or losses). The only exception is when you have a very small bankroll; in that case you may decide to take money off the table when you double up. But this is more relevant in NLHE than LHE.

Too late to edit, just noticed the mistake.

Naturally it should be 'as long as the rake is not too high'.

very nice, thanks