Moving beyond ABC poker

I tend to play ABC poker and would like a few plays I could add to try and throw people off sometimes , I play maybe 10 % of my hands which is obviously predictable, I play in a typical low limit no fold em hold em game where 5-7 people see the flop.

2 pair has been by nemesis, which I seem to lose over and over. While I see others have no problem winning w/ it, 1 pair, or even a high card.

Omaha hi lo is almost easier for me, because that is a nut game and I would never play just 2pair .

Quote: DonPedro

I tend to play ABC poker and would like a few plays I could add to try and throw people off sometimes , I play maybe 10 % of my hands which is obviously predictable, I play in a typical low limit no fold em hold em game where 5-7 people see the flop.

2 pair has been by nemesis, which I seem to lose over and over. While I see others have no problem winning w/ it, 1 pair, or even a high card.

Omaha hi lo is almost easier for me, because that is a nut game and I would never play just 2pair .

There aren't any moves in a game such as you describe except showing them the best hand. Don't get fancy play syndrome in a loose game. My only question is: is it a passive game or an aggressive game. I hate tight aggressive games. I'm not real fond of tight passive games. But a loose game, where 5 to 7 players are seeing the flop. I don't care if it's passive or aggressive, is there a seat open?

Your job in a loose game is to show them the best hand. That's pretty much all the strategy there is. Bet 'em when you got 'em, get the hell out of the way when you don't. In these loose games hands like AK off, AQ off, AJ off, go way down in value. You get trapped flopping top pair and you are in against every type of draw there is. You're the dog to win the hand against so many calling stations. You got the person who flopped top pair just like you trying to hit his kicker. You got the person that flopped second pair with five outs drawing at you. You got the person who flopped third pair drawing at you. . You got the person who flopped an open ended straight draw drawing at you. You got the person who flopped at gut shot straight draw coming for you. You got the person with the flush draw calling. And you even have the person who needs runner, runner to a flush or straight coming for you. You are the dog to win the hand.

Don't get married to those offsuit connectors. SUITED!!!! Repeat, SUITED!!! is what's happening. You want to play cards that have the potential to build big hands. You want to flop sets, or make straights and flushes. Top pair on the flop is cannon fodder.

The only move to make in a low limit loose game is to show them the best hand.

Well said, great points !!

" The only move to make in a low limit loose game is to show them the best hand. "

Don't forget to congratulate the fish when they catch that miracle card. Things like " That's why I raised, trying to chase you out " Or
" Damn, I thought that's why you called the turn. Nice Hand "

Never, ever , ever tell a player how lucky he got. Or call him dumb as he rakes in that pot.

Only a chump discourages bad play, but most ROCKS have not figured that out !

Quote: Buzzard

" The only move to make in a low limit loose game is to show them the best hand. "

Don't forget to congratulate the fish when they catch that miracle card. Things like " That's why I raised, trying to chase you out " Or
" Damn, I thought that's why you called the turn. Nice Hand "

Never, ever , ever tell a player how lucky he got. Or call him dumb as he rakes in that pot.

Only a chump discourages bad play, but most ROCKS have not figured that out !

Very good points, they only try harder, and why would you want to do that when you are trying to take their money. Mike Caro has a book that explains it pretty well.

I am a big Mike Caro fan. From way back when he was selling his ideas on cassette tapes, not VHS or DVD, but cassettes. LOL

That is awesome. My only experience with cassettes are those things you put in the cassette player so you can play your iPhone through the car radio. LOL. Do you play a lot of poker? Is that where you picked up the don't make fun of fish? I own Caro's Book of Poker Tells and Most Profitable Hold'em advice.

My granddaughter BELLE STARR ( just like the outlaw, guess who named her. LOL ) puts one of them damn cassettes in my car radio and plays Japanese Rock n Roll. My poker days limited here in Grand Junction, but used to play in all the illegit rooms in Denver in the 80's. That was the 1980's OK not the 1880's.

Quote: beerseason

Very good points, they only try harder, and why would you want to do that when you are trying to take their money. Mike Caro has a book that explains it pretty well.

I also like The Psychology of Poker by David Sklansky.

There is a big difference between spread limit and split limit. In a spread limit game like 2-10 the best players always get the money. A split limit game equals out the odds between good players and bad players. To much so that I hate split limit.

Quote: Buzzard

" The only move to make in a low limit loose game is to show them the best hand. "

Don't forget to congratulate the fish when they catch that miracle card. Things like " That's why I raised, trying to chase you out " Or
" Damn, I thought that's why you called the turn. Nice Hand "

Never, ever , ever tell a player how lucky he got. Or call him dumb as he rakes in that pot.

Only a chump discourages bad play, but most ROCKS have not figured that out !

Generally it's not a good idea to call players donkeys and such. but "Never, ever , ever tell a player _________" Is not always the best way to approach a situation, all players react different to things, occasionally admonishing players can work in your favor.

Mike Caro is a genius and teaches fascinating techniques, he's the only guy I really want to watch in a live cash game. I'm not sure if even he could employ 20% of his techniques that he talks about.

Quote: Mission146

I also like The Psychology of Poker by David Sklansky.

by Alan Schoonmaker

I woudn't worry too much about "throwing people off" until, maybe, the upper-mid-limits (40/80 Live Limit Hold'em). Tight-aggro ABC should get the money through at least 20/40 live.

That said, If the people you play with are seeing every flop with 5-7 every hand, you can open up a fair amount, but if they are playing only slightly crazy and it's only every few hands that have 5-7 to the flop, then you may have to tighten up quite a bit. This was suggested by Mike Hall (Pen name: Abdul Jalib) ran some simulations early on and wrote about them. You can probably still find them somewhere with a little googling. iirc, in (slight) contrast to sklansky, he believed big cards held their value pretty good in really loose games, and would raise hands as weak as KJo, in position, after many very loose limpers. You might look like you're "throwing people off" when you're really just playing for value. Otoh, he was not a fan of raising suited connectors that did not have an immediate value edge.

Small Stakes Hold'em: Winning Big With Expert Play by Ed Miller was a pretty good book about playing in loose games.

Quote: socks

Quote: Mission146

I also like The Psychology of Poker by David Sklansky.

by Alan Schoonmaker

Right. David Sklansky was the strategy consultant for that book, my mistake.