Quote:
Originally Posted by Vandelay
Raise your edge(cash game course) recommends completing stuff like A2o, K8o, Q4s,95s 100% of the time.
Personally I agree with this, and I have seen database analysis(by Alan Jackson) that proves it to be +EV to complete fairly light.
I'm not sure I'd completely buy into the advice from a site where the experts are mainly tournament players and someone grinding 1/3. As GG points out, poker is more than making sure your equity pf is greater than your pot odds against random hands.
FWIW, the decision to raise, call or fold is dependent on whether your EV is is better than -50 BB/100 (what happens when you fold) with that hand in the SB. So a hand that is -25 BB/100 is worth playing because you lose less.
A couple of issues arise though. First, it is nearly impossible for a live player to know what there stats are in this situation. Human memory is such that we remember those few hands where we won big with 95s (say with a 678ss board against Axs) and forgot all those times we folded on the flop, or worse, called down with TP to fold on the river. Second, Split brought up years ago that these are the situations that require you to play near perfection to get a small win but you lose a lot if you make a mistake. Most of us in LLSNL make lots of mistakes.
I understand why people like to complete. They want to play more hands and it is a "cheap" way to do it. Against 1 limper and the BB, I'd mainly raise or fold. Your IO hands won't likely get paid off and I'd rather raise to have the initiative OOP to take the pot down on the flop.