Heyeveryone I've been playing 1-2 at the casino now for a couple weeks. Everything has been going good I've been playing super tight, staying real aggressive and have seen some good profits. One problem I noticed last week though was that not all but a good amount of the players at the table caught on to how tight I was playing. It got to the point where I would sit for a long time waiting my cards and didn't get action when I got them. So my question is in this situation what would you recommend. Staying tight and playing my game, loosening up and openening my range, or maybe switching tables. Any help is appreciated.

Some very helpful replies in this thread that I recently posted asking essentially the same question. See ragequit99's responses in particular. http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...-more-1539241/

His advice to copy the fish and play a wide range of hands is pretty bad advice. I hope you didn't decide to follow it. It didn't really make sense. If the Villain's are playing a wide range that's exactly the scenario where it makes sense to play tight. Just because people are pushing big pots around doesn't mean anyone is actually making money. Most likely each person is taking their turn hitting a long-shot.

To be lucky in your game:
1. You need a strong hand
2. You need to flop well
3. You need someone else to flop a second-best hand

Quite often 1 & 2 happen, without 3 happening. That is 100% luck, just like getting AA in a particular hand is 100% luck. And just like getting AA in a particular hand when someone else gets KK is 100% luck.

As far as the OP goes, you haven't told us anything about what range of hands you open in any position. If you're super-tight from the button as well as UTG, then that's just bad poker. In general being polarized is far better poker than being very tight.

Just keep playing TAG, people aren't noticing as much as you think, especially the fishy players. Maybe run an extra bluff or two vs the nits but no reason to get crazy

I play AA-22 as long as the money's right with the small pocket pairs. Ak,Aq,Aj,Kqs. I'll also play suited connectors and 2 high cards in position. The more I think about it I feel like my range is wide enough I was just on a bad run of cards.

I'm still playing far tighter than the fish but I've opened up my game a little and actually toned down my aggression pre-flop. Basically I'm playing more of a post-flop game. I'm still open raising but I'm also limping in from late position with SCs, suited one gappers and off suit Broadway cards.

If I raise big pre-flop and only get one caller, it's unlikely that I'm going to win a big pot unless I cooler them. So I'm not raising to isolate as often unless the player is terrible and I can stack them. My raises now are more about lowering SPR and building pots with my premium hands.

I'm far from playing LAG, but I'm not being a Nit either.

Yeah this is what I've come to the conclusion I should start doing. Opening my range more in position if the money's right and trying to limp as well. In 1-2 you can limp a good bit of the time.

If you have successfully built a tight image and are getting folds, don't loosen up, bluff more.

That means more, not always. You still have to pick spots where you can credibly represent TPTK. And don't spew just because you have a tight image, your opponent might actually have a hand. And against a player with a tight image, that's exactly what they're going to look to do, beat an overpair then stack you. You profit when they miss their wild longshots and fold to your bet.

dont know how is in your casino, but in mine the pool differs at weekend to complete random guys. during week 50% are the same and the other 50% are random. if you are unlucky and have to play really everday the same guys(i dont believe - you can change sometimes also table) you have to adjust a little bit your game. use your image for some bluff spots(not spewing!) and try to cbet a lot(take good spots). If I cbet an Axx or Kxx flop most of the people instamuck who played me a lot. they are too scared to be in my top range and just give up their pair. if you balance your game you shouldnt have much problem with your image expect you are a nit.
so basically try to change table if you think you wont get action with your hands. and when you play the people who know how you play try to adjust(you dont need to change much!!!) and use your image.

Would you bluff with marginal hands or just try to bluff in position and hope you hit or can represent?

In switching up your play, loosening up isn't the only adjustment you can make. Varying your level of aggression is something you can also do. Limping more under the right conditions is certainly a valid adjustment.

Issue is that you're afraid to lose.

Losing is not a bad thing.

When to bluff more is complex. Research, read, and learn, or experiment. You have to be very good at hand reading, reading opponent behavior and playstyle, and to some extent, physical tells.

Also, many bets you might think are bluffs are not. Ace high actually has some value against a calling range depending on the opponent.

Bottom line: If they keep folding, keep bluffing. If they start calling, stop bluffing.

Play tight. Play TAG. I have people call me tight all the time (I play a 20 VPIP) yet I still get action alot from these players. Do not force the action. Don't limp in alot just cause you're card dead.

You can and SHOULD bluff but only in the right circumstances. For ex, theres a loose raise and a few loose calls...you can 3bet big with ace rag or king rag or even ATC sometimes and abuse your fold equity with your nit image. Or you can rep an ace or king what you raise pre and cbet flop with air and turn comes king or ace...etc. Basically you want to bluff in spots where your perceived range is strong and their range is weak.

For the most part though, you just wait for the right spots. I wouldn't raise ATo or worse UTG even with a nit image (cause ATo sucks utg). But......you can raise big with AT+, KT+, QT+, JT+, SCs, J9o, Q9o or so in CO or BTN when there's a few limps (assuming stacks are 100bb deep or more). I would only do this if I can barrel villains off post flop. So do this only against villains who fold too much pre, or fold flop too often, or call flop too often only to fold to turn barrels even on blanks. I'd say 80% of the time I'm value betting and 20% of time I'm bluffing. Obv this goes wayyy up at NIT tables and wayyyy down at LOOSE STATION tables.

Buy Ed Miller's new book "Poker's 1%"

Here's an example out of the introduction:

2/5 1k effective. You o/r $15 on the button with A4
SB raises to $55, BB folds & you call. $115 in pot with $945 behind.

Flop 853

SB bets $70, you min-raise to $140 & SB calls. $395 in pot & $805 behind.

Turn is T SB checks, you bet $270 & SB calls. $935 in pot & $535 behind.

River: Q

Plan A was to win the blinds preflop.
Plan B was to win the pot on this favorable flop.
Plan C was to win the pot on the turn with a fairly massive bet.
Plan D was to suckout.

"If you're like most no-limit players, you rarely, if ever, play hands like the above. If you don't play hands like the above, then you're doing it all wrong." Ed Miller.

IMO the clear answer here is to stick with your basic style for the most part (assuming it's a TAG style) and just keep trying to improve. Don't get lazy and stop improving simply because you realized that you're a winner. As you get better, you will find more spots to be loose and aggressive and if you improve enough, you won't just be a tight nitty player.

You will still win if you are playing a really tight, aggressive style but IMO when the other players pick up on how tight you are, you will get less action. But the answer to that is definitely not to start making bad, losing plays. That just costs you money and you'll still be playing tight and will often still be labeled as a nit.

Hmm, while I agree that book is worth reading, and there is some great discussion at the beginning about why it's bad to play like everyone else, I'm still not sure that's the best book for the OP at the moment. I think his latest book The Course would be better.

I'm not sure I like this advice to limp so PF. In a lot of loose games I'm raising a lot from LP. If several people limp in then I'll just raise more. But I'm also talking about games with people playing tighter after the flop.

Remember that a lot of these opponents have similar gameplans in loose games. They try to limp in a lot, hope to hit a monster, and then bet big to get paid off. If that's also your main plan going into these games, then you need to be able to explain why you will win anyway. It certainly won't be because you're limping in a lot and seeing cheap flops, because that's what your opponents are doing.

I was joking. On a serious note, I recommend David Sklansky's "The Theory of Poker". I don't give a hoot how old the book is. The book is cheap & the info is golden.

Today I am going to play & my plan for the 1st 2 hrs., is to play nothing but AA & KK in early position. I'll be watching my opponents, trying to put them on hands etc. I'll play QQ in the Steal Seat & any PP in the CO or better for a limp/small raise but fold if no set flops. I do this once every 6-8 weeks or so. I hold off on the exercise if I've been on a heater lately.

Along with it being a great exercise, it gives me a 'knowledge advantage' over my Villains [who are still at the table] when I start playing.

Not really, although I hope to stick to the plan today. I read about doing this in a poker book years ago, but never made it a habit. Did it a few times, but not for 2hrs str8. I wonder how much better I'd be if I had been doing it every 6-8 weeks [~175 hrs of play] over the last decade.

One small thing that can help you see more flops safely at minimal risk is to be seat-aware. Find a couple of nits if possible, and move so they are on your immediate left. Then your CO & OTB limps w/small pp and sc will be less likely to get raised. You will also often be able to "buy the button" when you open raise in mid-late position.
Ask for seat change button as soon as you enter the game, so you will in a position to get where you want to be. Always having a seat change button is a good thing.

Thanks everyone for the help. Do you think it would be better to try and limp late position with sc or try a small raise and be in a more dominant position post flop. What do you think is the better play

I don't like open limping. Raise if you think they can fold, if they can't fold and plays a lot in blinds than would I only raise with speculative hands of they got the right stack size. But all depends on the table, it's poker... But I more like raising then limping. But I am not very experienced

Fold suited connectors pre at 1-2. They are only good deep vs. good or very terrible players, neither of which is common at 1-2. They require a ton of experience and skill to play correctly (+EV) postflop. Fold equity is tiny at 1-2 which negates a lot of SC's value. You're also going to occasionally end up is terrible RIO situations. Stick to big cards and pairs and play made hands. Leave drawing to the suckers.

I would strongly disagree with the bolded. Easily more than half of the player pool at live $1/$2 is terrible.

Terrible is a relative term. It depends on your room as well. My room's 1/2 has a lot of regular grinders that aren't terrible. Bad, yes, but not terrible. Terrible players are the ones who are happy to stack off 100BB+ with top pair against your 2 pair.