Preflop discipline
I understand the general idea that we should play tighter from early position, value position highly, and avoid getting involved with too many marginal hands.
At the same time, when watching high-stakes poker TV shows, it often looks like strong professional players are playing much wider ranges and getting involved with hands that would normally be considered marginal or even bad.
How should I think about this difference?
At what point does playing a marginal hand become reasonable rather than just loose or spewy? Is it mostly about position, stack depth, opponent type, table dynamics, or post-flop edge?
For a live $1/$2 player, how much should we actually adjust from standard tight preflop ranges when the table is passive, loose, or full of recreational players?
4 Replies
Basically not at all. 1) These players are playing a very limited group of people, so they need to be more unpredictable. When playin 1/2 randos, almost no one notices your disciplined range or adjusts in the unlikely event that they do notice. 2) These shows are often edited to show the edge cases because it makes better TV.
Basically not at all. 1) These players are playing a very limited group of people, so they need to be more unpredictable. When playin 1/2 randos, almost no one notices your disciplined range or adjusts in the unlikely event that they do notice. 2) These shows are often edited to show the edge cases because it makes better TV.
I get your point about the fact they need to be more unpredictable, but I was watching an unedited live stream of a high-stakes game from only a couple of years ago, not a highlight reel, and I saw some opens and 3-bets that looked very loose, which made me wonder how much of that is specific to those lineups and dynamics.
Wonderingthose pros still play that way against unknown/random players, and also if it would make sense for me playing in that way, as sometimes I think people get the idea I can be nitty.
Don't try to emulate what you see on streams.
If you ever watch a vlog where the vlogger is commenting on their own hands played on a live stream, you will very likely hear them say that they feel pressure to play looser than normal, if they want to be invited back to play on stream again.
Many streams will post VPIP stats as part of the entertainment. Even if they don't post those for viewers, they can track stats and correlate to views and view time.
Additionally, people behave differently when they know they're being watched. I guarantee those same players are less wild when the recording stops.
Any stream on which people are playing somewhat close to correctly is likely to be very boring. The tighter players on streams get scorched in the comments and become villains on social media.
People hate Señor Tilt for playing tight while accusing opponents of being nitty. Ditto for Nicky P. After watching the first HCL million dollar game episodes with Huss, I wanted to murder him for his incessant table talk while VPIP'ing less than anyone else, and calling Wesley a pu**y, when Wes gives insane action.
If you want to play like Keating, you should have Keating's ability to range his opponents correctly and his stoic tolerance for variance.
If you think people see you as nitty, you're probably playing too face up in most spots. I'd bet you're mostly playing passive with a wide range, and only getting aggro with strong hands.
Rather than imagine yourself trying to LAG it up, which probably isn't realistic, because you probably wouldn't be comfortable, consider cutting out most, if not all limping and cold-calling pre, and instead just play your entire range as raise or fold from most positions.
Stop limp-calling with all your speculative hands. The times you get a little OOL making a light open will get you paid when you're strong.
