What type of opening ranges do you guys use/recommend for live 1/2 dollars?

I feel like i am playing way to nitty and need to open up a little. I find it a little hard raising certain hands in certain spots cos i know i'm gonna be playing the hand multiway OOP.

Any help and advice here would be appreciated.

You can pretty much stick to playing big pairs, AK and set mining and beat live $1/$2 B&M games.

Examples of these multiway OOP hands would be helpful if you want advice.

Better to ask this question here:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...low-stakes-nl/

B&M is really for procedures/rules/casino experiences.

It totally depends on how your opponents are playing, and any advice that does not take this into consideration is wrong.

Usually at 1-2 itight is right, but sometimes you get a table of old nits and you have to float them in order to maximize. Some tables have a couple guys who will regularly put in huge preflop raises so you have to adjust to that. Some tables are really loose-passive so you need to play a lot of speculative hands for cheap.

etc etc etc

If you're afraid to open hands like AJo in MP for a raise which will be called by 4 guys, then raise larger or limpreraise it. Or just play it for cheap and gto for pot control with a c/c line if you flop a big pair with a good kicker.

Poker is nothing more than figuring out how your opponents play and then working out a way to exploit it. It's not playing off a chart.

holy crap, how did i miss the creation of that forum?

Proceed at your own peril...

Your riggh jason it is mostly player dependent. Its just i am doing what i feel is right pre but i feel and am labeled a rock.

Add to that that i'm losing and i think im doing somethin wrong. I can see the players around me in most cases are terribly bad. I have ran into some big unlucky losing hands.

Should i be worried being down 150bb's after 47 hours play? Or is this easily possible for a winning player?

I've played a few times now live and I'd say its a bit like playing in a lunatic asylum. People will call raises with suited anything, connected anything, any two high cards, any pocket pair and they'll limp/call with the monsters AA KK QQ AK. Every time I've raised I've gone to the flop with 3/4/5 'prospectors' and then I'm lost as to how good my cards are. You'll often find that each person who has called an initial raise is going nowhere when they see the flop because some pattern has manifested itself in thier minds as a certain win if they keep chasing and they will commit themselves to doing so at any cost. You basically have to beat 3 or 4 people after the flop which is bloody hard with just one pair and almost impossible with AK, AQ.

On the upside - when you do make a strong hand like a (safe) set, nut flush, full house, or a nut straight you can value bet the hell out of it and you are almost guaranteed to get paid off bigtime by overpairs, middle pairs, two pair, bottom straights, underflushes, and even Ace high.

$300 in 47 hours?! **** man i've been down $300 in 1 minute 48 seconds i wouldnt sweat it though unless it is a big chunk of your roll, and it should be easy to make that back if you observe YOUR game baffle the players and do what mohamed alli did. let us know what happens

Thanks man that made me feel a little better.

I'll keep at it an hopefully get some good wins under my belt.

Dude thats nothing. Ask the guy who lost 4k at 1/2NL

did this guy suck though? haha

I dropped $600 last Sunday in 2 hours... super standard man. And ya opening ranges is so table/player dependent for sure.

Totally agree... last night I was on the most ridiculous table - 5-7 people every single flop. I was basically playing ATC from SB for $1, hoping for a monster, getting paid if i hit it.

One hand I went in literally blind from SB for $1... kept playing blind until there was action. Looked at my cards, called to the river and my 62o two pair beat the other guys 23o two pair lol

For the live game... Loose/Tight/Passive is my strategy!!!

Please provide reads on all players, stack sizes, and relevant history. Then I might be able to answer your question.

I find that the best strategy for me is to pot control pre-flop when I have marginal/semi-strong hands and bet big with the big pairs (10s+) and AK. I think that having good post-flop play is important in $1/$2 games whether the games are crazy or nitty.

Isolate in position with a wide range of hands when you are first in or there is a single limper in order to disguise your range. Raise your big hands for value. Limp into the pot when you have implied odds and there are limpers behind.

Post-flop play is indeed essential.

Seriously dude? I've seen you post this like 5 times in random threads. Did you read the original post? H'es looking for GENERAL GUIDANCE on pre-flop starting hands. GENERAL GUIDANCE for your average 1/2 game.

It just annoys me when people get all high and mighty with their specific situations when people are looking for random general thoughts.

Well, it just annoys me that we have so many threads that are simply asking "Hey guys, how do I win at poker!"

For unopened pots I would recommend a tight range in EP, like 88+, AK, AQs. Opening in MP to 66+, AJ+,KQ, and a few SCs and suited broadways to mix it up. And in LP any pair, ATo+, Axs, and a wide spread of SCs and suited gappers like 65s+ and T8s+. From the blinds, tight again, similar to EP.

Is OP any better off for my answer? Does he know what assumptions I am making about the table to recommend such a range? About the game structure? Does he know what assumptions I'm making about postflop play that will make this range viable? Have I provided anything that isn't available in dozens of books and, more simply, hundreds of posts on 2+2 if OP had bothered to use the search function? About what and how to play in pots that are already opened? And on and on.

So while "it depends" may be a frustrating answer for OP (and for you it seems), IMO its also the only answer that is truly accurate and useful.

Here's a random general thought for OP: instead of adjusting your opening range, try adjusting your opening betsizing.

you are going to want to flat AA for deception

KurtSF is a killer. I love it!

Surely you can play more hands vs bad opponents? you're pretty much wanting to hit better than top pair in a multiway and get paid for it (AQ+, suited aces, suited broadways and any pair any position) are the money hands imo esp multiway pots)

And I love your avatar!

FWIW, I wasn't kidding about adjusting you opening betsizing. If you have 99 in EP and you just know you're going to the flop 5 ways, try making it $6. Its better than going $15 and having middle pair and an SPR of 2 OOP multiway because you will have a larger SPR and can check/fold unimproved. Its better than limping because there will be a significant pot the times you hit a set and it will be much MUCH easier to get stacks in against TP/2P/FD type hands. This is usually viable because people don't 3bet enough in typical live 1/2 games. Have a plan....

Nice point, I like.

hey guys, how do I win at poker?