Hi folks, I think all of you have been to such a 1/2 table:
late weekend night, 9 players who like to limp/call in any positions (including one or two of them who will squeeze 50% of time and all other players go call,call,call....). With regular straddles & squeezes, the pot will be always over >$50 preflop.
I'm always confused when I sit at such a table, of course I can use common strategy which is only play premium hand like AQ+, TT+ with open raise or 3-bets. However, I always can't refuse to see flop with connectors and broadways when I have very good implied odds and knows I will get paid when I hit my miracle( I saw one time a maniac player won a 1.5k pot with k8o for top two pairs...). But bad thing is, to see a flop on such table will always be expensive, our stack will be down very quickly only to see flops.
Generally, how do we adjust our play on this type of table? Do implied odds important and we can also limp/call like all of them or we should stick with our normal 1/2 TAG strategy?

Top off so your stack doesn't actually go down.

Just nut peddle.

Also, I wouldn't be playing a lot of SCs at this table because since no one seems to fold much, you'll be in a lot of RIO spots and lose big pots flush vs flush or straight vs straight. Stick to premiums. And since guys aren't folding, be aggressive, balance isn't important tonight.

Bring multiple bullets. Also play aggressively.

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It depends on how people play post-flop. If they are truly maniacs, people will bet after the flop with weak holdings. In that case, you need to be willing to adjust your post-flop calling/raising standards. If they like to build the pot pre-flop but slow down after the flop unless they connect with it, you need to play differently. Obviously, your implied odds go down in that case.

If you really are likely to see a squeeze play 50% of the time, you should try to induce a squeeze and just call with your premium hands, then reraise after someone puts in a squeeze raise.

Only play speculative hands that make nuts or near nuts like pocket pairs, suited aces and J10. try to stay away from the rio hands and obviously play premiums the same way you would elsewhere except raise bigger pre if it is going 3 or players to the flop. Also bet aggressivly and thinner then you normally would but almost never bluff.

Raise big pre from HJ CO and BTN with RIO speculative hands like 65s to avoid running into a higher flush when you hit cause you narrow the field. Over limp/call nutted speculative hands like Axs/JTs/66-99. Also limp 22-55 but don't get too attached to bottom set cause when deep it can be a nightmare. Like the other guys said bring multiple bullets, auto-top up shamelessly and time your aggression carefully.

Don't iso raise 65ss in LP in these games because maniacs are still seeing flops with trash like Q8ss, J7ss, etc.

And bottom set is not a nightmare at a maniac game, its a wet dream facing all major aggression under 250bb except against the nittiest of nits

Before you go any further, you need to answer a question. What are the odds of hitting 2 pair+ or better hand on the flop with SC? Draws don't count because you're going to have to pay a second time to see the turn.

When you come back with that answer, you'll be able to see if you really are getting good implied odds. FWIW, you want to think about average pot size, not the one monster pot you saw.

Stack sizes matter a lot at these tables. When I run into these tables at 1/2 it's often people calling raises to $15 preflop with stacks less then $100. At that sort of table your effectively short stacking all the time. Play a tight range and look for hands you can shove preflop or on flop. If the table is deeper then you can add in some set mining and occasionally suited connectors, the deeper the table the more you can play.

Don't play the game of fishing for monster flops with marginal hands. Occasionally you will build a monster stack that way but in the long run your bleeding more on the flops you check/fold then you win.

What he said.