by BigPhish » Fri Aug 19, 2005 8:17 am
I've recently addressed my AA efforts on Party's NL$25. Mostly because I've lost too much on them in the recent past. I've come up with a two-pronged attack that seems to work so far. The key is being ready to lay it down.
Prong 1 - All-In!
If I have no reads on the table because I'm new to it or more than 2 people are new to it, I just push in pre-flop. I figure I'm either taking the blinds or getting 1 or at most 2 callers, which still makes me the favorite. But if I don't have enough information on my opponents, it's all I can do.
I did this twice last night. I took the blinds and limped bets the first time and took a stack from QQ behind me the second.
Prong 2 - Good Reads, Smart Play
If I have reads on my foes, I usually raise a reasonable amount - 4 or 8 BB. The amount depends on a lot of factors including how many are in the pot already, whether or not the pot has been raised, how many to act behind me, and of those left to act after my raise, what their VP$IP and post-flop aggression are. Here, I want 1 or 2 callers, no more. If I get re-raised pre-flop, I'm pushing in.
Post-flop play depends on what the board brings and my reads on my opponents. It's really something that takes a while to learn. But generally if someone who's tight/passive bets out on just about any board (barring me flopping a set or better), I'm apt to fold. If someone who's very aggressive post-flop bets out, I'm likely to push in unless there's 3 to a flush on the board and neither of my rockets matches the suit.
If it checks around to me, I'm betting the pot and reacting to what happens from there. The key is to remember to be wary of playing for your whole stack with nothing but an overpair.
I did this once last night. I wound up heads-up against a LAG, I had position on him. With $5 in the pot on the flop, he bet $3 into me. I called. The turn brought a rag. He bets $5 at an $11 pot. He had around $15 in his stack after the bet and I had him covered and pushed in. He thought a while and finally folded.
-BigPhish
From my bankroll to yours, all across the Internet.