I am a live 1/2 NL grinder. I can play profitably in just about every game type, but generally on the weekends at least one table in the room is going bananas and I don't know how to adjust.

Some general info about these games. Stacks are deep, averaging around $700, with several players in the 1-2k range. Pot avgs run from 200-300 (one advantage of digital poker). Standard opening is around $25, and is often called by 4 or more players. Close to 100% of 3 bets are called, often having been cool called by others. Players will call several times the pot with draws.

My overall strategy in these games is of course tight aggressive, but I admit that sometimes its hard not call $25 with suited gappers when getting 7:1, knowing that I can make a thousand if I hit. I'm sure thats a leak. Also I fold the best hand a lot. I can't bring myself to overcall 2 all-ins with AA on J89 flop.

Ideas?

i play in game like this once a week..
1. tighten up ur range. dont call with SC, only with SPP- ur not going to see the turn anyway, and u want it to be an easy raise/fold on the flop.
2. raise more- u want only 1-2 callers. hard to play AA against 5 aggresive players.
3. slowplay monsters- let them fire at u all the way.

Is that you Ben?

When I get in this game all of the thinking players will see me as tight, conservative and good enough to slow them down in a lot of spots. I work off this image to play a lot of pots in position with speculative hands. My position versus the donks is key. You can't fold the suited gappers, the pairs, the connectors for one bet preflop. This is where the money is in deep stacked games.

I play queens for set value in this environment. Play every hand to give your opponents the opportunity to make the huge mistake. This is the classic poker situation where you trade small mistakes for their big ones. Don't try to outplay people here, bluffing isn't necessary to crush this game. But always find a spot to show a bluff to the donks.

OP has the right idea. Don't tighten up too much, especially if you have a lot of implied odds. If you are uncomfortable, then don't buy in too deep. Play suited gappers for sure. Play fewer weak top pair hands like K9o even in LP, though I assume it will get to LP without a call/raise to begin with so it's a non issue.

Doesn't sound like a 1/2 game...plays more like 5/5. I think if you go in with that mindset it might be easier to play.

You have to be willing to play suited connectors and hands like Ax suited in position in that game or you will be giving up a lot of EV.

Folding SCs, gappers and suited aces as a standard is absolutely horrible. Burning money. This becomes a braindead cooler game where you just hope you have the better hand preflop. Sure it works since they usually do have a worse hand, but it takes the skill edge out of the game and even a monkey to do it. Your edge also becomes way suboptimal.