Which strategy table to use?

Texas hold'em.

Suppose I'm playing an 8 player game. I get my hole cards.
Betting goes around the table. Four people fold with no bet, and it's my turn.
There are four people left playing, including me.

Should I refer to the 8 player table, or the 4 player table?

PeterMorris


You stay with the 8 man table.

For me if i am at a 10 table, i break it into 3 sections,,,,, 1-3, 4-6 7-10
and i play accordingly. I play AA, AK, AQ kk,QQ, 1-3
I play these plus AJ, KQ JJ, A10 3-6
I play all these plus A9 A8, KJ, K10 QJ Q10 J10 1010, 9.9 4-10

i will play small pairs and suited connectors and J9 suited, in the 4-10 position
if i am priced in or i have enough chips to be more aggressive later in a tournament.
As you move to fewer players on the final table you may well play any of the hands above
depending on your table position.

ON an 8 man table you may want to break it into 3 groups, 1-3, 4-6, 7&8.

If i am in a cash game i apply the same bets except int he case where the table
has one or more very loose high betters. If the high betters will act behind me
i play a tighter game, so a very high bet wont force me out of a moderate hand.

dicesetter

4 have folded, only players left behind you are player to your immediate left, small blind , big blind.

My only question , with no other info, is how much should I raise ?

How are you going to determine how much to raise if we dont know what cards your holding


dicesetter

Buzz's point is that he would raise blind here.

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

Buzz's point is that he would raise blind here.

Well, as a know-nothing, I would raise either 2xBB or 3xBB to push the other two off. Nobody gets to coast in on their cards. Do they know you haven't looked, though? Could be a pure intimidation move.

I mis-used the term "blind", I think. I just meant that his post implied that he'd raise on any two.

Maybe he would raise blind too, I dunno. I will say this, though. If you are going to raise, it shouldn't be an amount that's determined by the strength of your hand! Either make your standard opening raise or fold.

WEll

I think that would be a silly move, your not in position, your
not priced in, and you have no hand.

As Vince Lombardy used to say, i hate passing, there are only three
things that can happy and two of them are bad.

Same with a blind raise from mid position.
1.... you have nothing, one of the three reraise and your out
2......1 of the 3 have a good hand and your out
3.....you bluff them out and win

There is also a 4th option, some one reraises you and you dont
want to give the appearance that you fold to any raise so you
have to call, losing even more.

There has to be a very good reason to play nothing....

dicesetter

Quote: dicesitter

WEll

I think that would be a silly move, your not in position, your
not priced in, and you have no hand...

Yes and no. I agree that I want to have something to play, but my range has opened up a lot with only three players left to act, and two of them I have position on. The player to the left is on the button in this situation. If he/she has a history of folding to pre-flop raises when in position, fire away.

Midwest


I may agree a little, but that is not what the guy said, there is no history of
the people behind folding easily.

If you watch TV and the final tables, this kind of play is typical, but is it smart
and are you going to raise every time the first 4 fold?

If he raises everytime this happens and i am in the small blind or big blind with
anything, i will remember that.

We have a guy here that likes that play, so as the table is cut down he is raising.
Last 4 tournaments with him,,,,, out 1st, 5th out 2nd and two days ago he was the 2nd out
in a 100 person tournament.

I stick exactly with playing the hands i have indicated until the final table, then i can
play anyway i want because they have put me on a very tight player.

Same last four tournaments as the guy above i had a 1st, 2nd, 9th and 8th
cashing a check in all 4.

Certainly a person can play anyway they want, but it seems to me if your going to
play loose, wait a tad so the players that see you playing loose or tight are the
ones you may see later on in the tournament. While you are watching others, the
good ones are watching you.

Now if i am in a cash game and i have some money and the table is pretty calm
with no super agressive players behind me, then i think i find some merrit in a
raise from 4.

dicesetter

Quote: dicesitter

WEll

I think that would be a silly move, your not in position, your
not priced in, and you have no hand.

As Vince Lombardy used to say, i hate passing, there are only three
things that can happy and two of them are bad.

Same with a blind raise from mid position.
1.... you have nothing, one of the three reraise and your out
2......1 of the 3 have a good hand and your out
3.....you bluff them out and win

There is also a 4th option, some one reraises you and you dont
want to give the appearance that you fold to any raise so you
have to call, losing even more.

There has to be a very good reason to play nothing....

dicesetter

I can't agree with this. If you only raise when you have a good hand, everyone will know when you have a good hand. You need to raise with trash sometimes.

Quote: Buzzard

4 have folded, only players left behind you are player to your immediate left, small blind , big blind.

In that spot I would definitely have larceny in my heart. 3X the big blind.

Exactly right.....

There are two ways for people to judge your play, one is the way you play,
the other is to play a certain way 80-90% of the time so at the end of an event
you can steal some hands.

Cash games are 100% different than tournament games. I play tournament
games

In many of these the only way to survive to make money is to be able to steal
blinds as they increase. A person that gives the perception of being tight or
very tight has a much better chance of stealing a blind toward the end of
the event.

Here is an example of creating an image. Last week i played in a 100 man event,
$15,000 purse...... i had a ( not in the whole, entire hand) pair of queens, pair of
jacks, and 3 -3's all 6 hours of play, thats it, no other decent hands or better hands and
finished 10th,

why?...... because of the image of being very tight...

I play trash like everyone else, but i dont play trash just because i am 4th and
everyone else passed.

I am sure not saying my way is the only way, i play alot, and it works very very good
for me, but also i am an old fart, so the conservative player image fits and i have to
admit beating the young aggressive player with the sun glasses is fun.

Quote: dicesitter

Exactly right.....

There are two ways for people to judge your play, one is the way you play,
the other is to play a certain way 80-90% of the time so at the end of an event
you can steal some hands.

Cash games are 100% different than tournament games. I play tournament
games

In many of these the only way to survive to make money is to be able to steal
blinds as they increase. A person that gives the perception of being tight or
very tight has a much better chance of stealing a blind toward the end of
the event.

Here is an example of creating an image. Last week i played in a 100 man event,
$15,000 purse...... i had a ( not in the whole, entire hand) pair of queens, pair of
jacks, and 3 -3's all 6 hours of play, thats it, no other decent hands or better hands and
finished 10th,

why?...... because of the image of being very tight...

I play trash like everyone else, but i dont play trash just because i am 4th and
everyone else passed.

I am sure not saying my way is the only way, i play alot, and it works very very good
for me, but also i am an old fart, so the conservative player image fits and i have to
admit beating the young aggressive player with the sun glasses is fun.

You are talking about tournaments, which are completely different.

Ed Miller on his web sight has a series of articles on starting hands....it free so it well worth the read....

http://www.notedpokerauthority.com/free-stuff

one of the best discussions on opening hand requirements I ever read.

To answer the original question... strategy tables are based on the initial players dealt in.

Once you begin to recognize tendencies and situations these tables can (and should) be adjusted.

If 8 were dealt in the hand, then use the table for 8 players. If only four were dealt cards.. then use four.