The most +EV style of play. Is playing aggressive. Its been proved online, live and tournament play. Nobody can argue against that. Its not ego, its called playing like a real poker player.

What's your argument against that?

Its a raise for value, you have a pair and straight draw and a spade blocker.

My friday night- got a call from my backer at the local 2/5, they need me for the game. On the way there, get a call, they don't need me. Go to a party, they call me 2 hrs later saying they could use me. I missed the call. Call back an hr later when I see it, they don't need me anymore. It's cool though, party was fun

aren't you afraid of all the equity his air has? and how there is 4 good cards for you?

No, it's not. His calling range beats us.

No, that is the most profitable style of play in general. In many situations, it's not. It, like everything else in poker, is situationally dependent. At LP deep stacked LLNL games, it is often sub-optimal for certain hands, positions, etc.

I know you play in Cali, so you have these stupid SS games and don't see this dynamic often, but in many places you can get three streets of fat value from TPNK on wet boards. Really.

Garrick please tell what types of situations are not best to be aggressive. I can see specific hands or some weird spots..... But, overwhelmingly, the better play is to be aggressive.

Villain wouldn't play a set like that. His range is weighted towards flush draws. Why else would 11t would be calling with a pair of 5s.

Raise ott is the right play.

that's exactly how he plays a set.

Then that turns my play into a merge

I like it

Big IO hands limped to us in position PF with deep stacks and POW villains, (i.e. we can get them to get AI in a limped pot), imo. That may sound rare, but in the games I play in, it's very common.

eg. I have A4 OTB and there are 5 limpers to me in a 1/2 game with most players around 100BBs. I find it much more profitable to overlimp than to raise to $15, maybe get no callers, maybe get 5 (always seems to be one or the other).

Note that I think it is almost always wrong to be passive post-flop, except when there's a maniac who loves to value-cut himself. PF, I will play that lottery ticket every-time it is offered to me at a huge discount.

I think we play in similar games. I limp way more in my usual 1/3 game than I do my 2/5 game, and in both cases I limp more than when I visit Tunica (not even close). My 1/3 game is sometimes filled with players who limp/call 99/TT/JJ and AJ+, but who can never/ever let go of a piece of the flop. 2 pair+ and flushes get paid by 1 pair hands routinely.

If I iso raise, I often end up in 4-5 way pot against hands that could have me dominated. It leaves me at times in some really weird spots.

My counter so far has been to limp some hands I would often raise IP in other games, and try to find the rare times when only the fit/fold types have limped in so I can raise/cbet, as I can usually range what flops hit them better than some of the looser maniacs.
I have to try and max value all big hands, and thin value bet some rivers to get those TP/WK 2ndP/NK hands to pay me off.

Probably the biggest strength I have is a winning image - there are certain fish I can relentlessly attack because they give me too much credit, and then use the aggro image to get the loose fish who don't know me as well to try and look me up.

One reason I took my recent break was I needed to step back and evaluate how certain regs are trying to adjust to me, mainly because they are sometimes getting between me and the juiciest fish. It is a tough balancing act for me right now, and maybe a sign I need to slide into some different games for a time.

Who cares if you go to the flop 4-5 ways. I raise aces 3x utg and idc how many callers I get.

notsureifserious.jpg

Dead serious, I'm tired of playing like a nit or a bum who is limping more than I raise. I'm playing lag now, using balance preflop and betting pot ip when facing limpers.

I 3x UTG now all day.

lol weird. why do you think? variance?

you limped more than you raised??? who exactly was the one playing lottery...

I said Nit/limping. My regular game plan is stag. I only limp in 2 positions Button/sb. But even than its still a 20/10 depending on how the cards come. If I'm getting good cards my stats will be like 15/10. It all depends on what cards I'm getting.

But now I'm like a 30/25. I have a custom range I drew up on pokerstove. Really really loose aggressive. Had to tone down my raise sizes so I don't go broke fast. The verdict is still out though. I need to master my postflop skills. It will come with time.

maybe im confused but i thought limping sb was bad?

I learned it from Annette obrestard(mispelling). I didn't say I'm limping everytime. I'm just stating those are the only 2 position where I would even think about limping.

Players are just so bad in limp pots. I can lead any pair/draw/bd flush draw/pair+draw and c/r all value hands 2pair+.

so you rarely limp?

limping like J8o from sb is -ev i would think. hand sucks and position sucks yet we are putting more money in?

Yup, players are bad overall as well. But say I'm in sb and 5 limpers to me and I hold J8o I'm calling all day. Its a lot of variables that come into place.

But in general limping is bad. But I make exceptions on the button or sb. But that's it no other positions.