I'm wondering how to stick to the opening hands chart in SSHE without looking like I only play when I have a big pair. I often have trouble getting action when I play. Once I complained about it at the table. The dealer told me "you're too honest - you don't defend your blinds." And I thought "what's the point of throwing money in when you don't have a hand to back it up?"

Another time I complained and another guy jokingly said "Your tell is that you play."

Anybody else have this problem?

Any suggestions?

- Thanks

The chart has many many more hands than just big pairs. Also, at the stakes you play, people typically call even if you are a nit.

If they always fold raise more hands and win blinds.? eZ game

No, I don't.

three limpers, you're on the button with J9s, what do you do?

one limper, you're on the button with 44, what do you do?

one limper, you're on the button with KJo, what do you do?

wild player open raises in middle position, one very loose and bad player calls, you're on the button with 77, what do you do?

five limpers, you're on the button with 87s, what do you do?

Yes, Bob, the chart says to call all of those. But I'm only in late position on 20% of the hands.

In another 20% of the hands, I'm in the blinds. Out of the first eight to act it's not unusual that somebody raises. And it seems that I seldom have a hand that chart says to call with.

As I said, It didn't make math sense to me when the dealer told me I was too honest. And if that's what she thought, didn't more experienced players than me think that too?

Are you ever concerned that it's been too long since the table saw you defend your blind position and that you ought to call just for image? Or, by the same token, make a weak bluff (perhaps on a small pot) thinking that if you are discovered it would be worth it to avoid developing the image of a nit?

Funny, I'd raise all of those hands.

I don't make plays that I think are unprofitable just for image sake. I make plays that I think are the most profitable ways to play hands. If I think calling and raising are both unprofitable, I fold.

Well, if the chart in SSHE isn't aggressive enough, can you point me to a better one? Or just send me your chart? And if anybody thinks they have a better starting hands chart than the ones in SSHE I would be obliged to receive it from you.

Thanks.

My chart is hidden in my brain. It's the result of lots and lots of work with equilab, which I highly recommend.

First of all, a chart is just a guide what to do in a default situation. You should be able to deviate from the chart based on the players you are playing against. In general, a chart is one good thing to keep in mind (but not the only thing) when deciding which hands to play. But we can use it to generate a discussion.

You are asking about 2 different situations - when to defend your blinds and when to open when you are not in the blinds. OK - we'll look at both.

You are asking a very general question - which hands should I play? Instead of asking that general question, you could post what your starting chart is, and perhaps more importantly - exactly when you use those recommendations.

Perhaps it would help if you explained what you do in 2 specific situations (and for now you can skip which hands you would 3 bet with - let's just look at the bottom of your range since it seems like you might be playing too tight to get any action):
1) there is one limper in middle position, and you are on the button. What is the worst pocket pair you would raise? What is the worst suited A you would raise? What is the worst non-suited Ace? Suited King? Non-suited King? ...
2) there is one limper in middle position, an average player raises on the button. The SB folds. You are the BB and the action is on you. Which hands do you call?

This.

Raise with hands like AQo, AJo, and KQo, completely miss the flop, and end up folding. Do this enough times, and people will stop respecting your raises.

Anyone who plays not-******ed at small stakes has this problem. Your other thread aside, you're often seeing people playing 60-70% of their hands, so even someone playing 30-40% will be noticably folding a lot more than everyone.

Play well, and be friendly even if they appear annoyed. I typically just give a smile and a quick, "heh, heh." Sometimes I wink at people.

More importantly, though, usually it's a more general issue of perceived motivation. If you're playing for hours on end with a clear drive to win, you give off a vibe of being "better than" everyone else. Like they're there because they want to blow off steam after work or because they're lonely or because losing $100 a night at poker is better than losing $500 a night at blackjack, and who the **** are you to be playing seriously and taking their money. If they feel that you're "one of them," you'll be accepted even if you play totally differently.

At small stakes, I tended to play up the fact that I played when my wife would let me. I was just another degen happy to be let off the leash for a few hours, just like everyone else at the table. At bigger stakes, I played up the fact I had a nice job and gave the impression I didn't care about money, just another ennui-filled degen, just like everyone else at the table.

Lol, nooope.

If you ever wonder if you're a nit because you're not defending your blind enough then you probably are. Sounds to me big you're probably pretty bad in the bb

What's % of hands are you defending against a young Asian opening the button?

If you aren't raising 77 or KJ after one MP limper your play is WAY OFF from best and you need to review your pre flop play. You can find a pretty good 20+ page guide in the "preflop play" thread: it's free, decades ahead of any basic chart in a beginner book, and it includes some analysis/discussion.

In small stakes games with a lot of limpers, you are doing it wrong if at least a few of the players don't see you as the crazy guy who raises a lot pre and/or wins with crappy hands.

In a 2/4 game the best player at the table is probably pretty bad in the BB. And the SB. And OTB. And in the CO. And the HJ. And from MP2. And from MP1. UTG+2 they usually nail. But they go back to sucking at UTG+1. And UTG.

Turns out bad comes in degrees though

This thread does not jibe with your other thread?

Not really because in my other thread it was one of the rare cases where I got action.

That's not what he's talking about

What bravos is talking about is that when you open 65s on the button and people are folding to your bets or raises what you have is the opposite of a problem.

Unless that 65s raise on the button was your "crazy play of the week" (or have multiple personality disorder ) and you don't even open hands like K8o or A6o as standard.

SSHE is likely passive compared to how most here would play.
Someone who has read SSHE can comment better, but most of us are going to be pretty sticky for a single raise in the BB with hands that make sense. The average player in your game is playing any two, so we'd still likely be tighter than they are. However, we're playing a lot of hands. Many have played online shorthanded games, which quickly gives you experience playing from the blinds. Playing 3-4 handed, you're always in the blinds or stealing them.
No. Definitely not. Nobody playing in a 2/4 game cares about your image. If you are playing super-nitty, maybe you're passing on profitable spots and actually only playing big pairs?

Yes, this.

Exactly. 65s is at the bottom of the DeucesCracked chart in equilab -- that's an aggressive online table (not hugely LAG, but still), no idea how you're playing so tight out of SSHE that these people think you're a nit and opening this hand.

There are probably spots that you could profitably add some speculative hands to your game in multiway limped pots. These would improve your image. Jon_locke has convinced me to stop suggesting this -- run hot for a little bit, move up to 4/8 and then 8/16 or 10/20. Don't develop bad habits. Most beginners play too loose, so don't do that and then have to learn to reign it in. If you're already playing bored hands for "image", stop now.

Well, this was a combination of the SSHE starting charts and some of the little I picked up from Lee Jones' book where his starting chart says, basically, "if you have a chance to steal, go for it." This is the first time I was in that situation for a long time. So, I did it.

I'd take the free week or whatever it is at deucecracked. Download and watch all the BigBadBabar videos. Don't recall the starting out full-ring series, peanut collector? Tons of other good LHE vids in the archives, but BBB's full ring micros series is a good starting place.

Cool. I have always appreciated BBB's input here. Didn't know he had stuff at DC. Might even make me splurge to join.

This is just about the best advice I've read on this forum in years of browsing. Disregarding your strategy (you probably are playing too tight pre flop and could use help learning what spots are good to loosen up) your image at a table of loose recreational players can be incredibly important. Great post.

I won a pot with a big starting hand, like an overpair to the board, and one of the regs who had folded BB to the raise says, in an annoyed voice, "I win that hand if I play, but this guy never calls my raise when he's in the blind, so I don't call his either."