How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

At my local casino there's this weird rule in the no limit game where it's $5 to see the flop, but 1 and 2 blinds. how might one adjust to this format? the minimum raise is to $10 so basically i never "raise" when i'm first into the pot. i always "call" 5. but if someone has called 5 infront of me, i treat it as a third blind and raise to 15 or 18 or whatever. only it's not really a third blind, cuz that person willfully put in $5 after looking at his cards.

so anyway, should one play tighter than normal in a game like this, since the blinds are such a small percentage of the future betting rounds?

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

I'm confused, is this some sort of straddle?

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

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so anyway, should one play tighter than normal in a game like this, since the blinds are such a small percentage of the future betting rounds?

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Yes, unless the people are really bad and really deep.

What is the max buyin, what do people usually have in front of them, etc.?

(Also, it's possible that opening for $10 is more +EV than the $5 most of the time, anyway. Sounds like you should be doing it, esp in late position.)

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

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so anyway, should one play tighter than normal in a game like this, since the blinds are such a small percentage of the future betting rounds?

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Yes, unless the people are really bad and really deep.

What is the max buyin, what do people usually have in front of them, etc.?

(Also, it's possible that opening for $10 is more +EV than the $5 most of the time, anyway. Sounds like you should be doing it, esp in late position.)

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i'm not really sure but i think the max is 300. people usually have around 100 infront of them.

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

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I'm confused, is this some sort of straddle?

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no, it's $5 to see the flop, but the blinds are 1/2. so if there are no raises and you're in the big blind, it will cost you $3 more to see the flop.

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

That is a very strange rule. You should still open raise with good hands though. to protect them.

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

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That is a very strange rule. You should still open raise with good hands though. to protect them.

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Yeah, but $5 is a raise (and it's 2.5xBB which is standard for tournament players.) The question is whether to make the 2.5x or 5x (obv we'd normally be somewhere in-between), and I think the answer mostly depends on position.

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

It's a way to get pots bigger and to get 1/2 players to switch over to 2/5... a few rooms around here used to do it, but if it got back unlimped to the blinds you could still chop.

I'd personally play it like a 2/5 game, just understand that most of the players are more risk-averse than the typical 2/5 player.

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

I'd be inclined to go $10 when opening. I'd say play fewer hands, and the ones you do play you'll generally have to play more aggro, esp if effective stacks tend to be around $100 instead of $300.

And of course, make chopping standard practice.

Re: How to adjust to 1/2 NLHE with a $5 to come in rule
 

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I'd be inclined to go $10 when opening. I'd say play fewer hands, and the ones you do play you'll generally have to play more aggro, esp if effective stacks tend to be around $100 instead of $300.

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Yeah, I guess I don't see why this would have a huge impact on strategy vs. your typical B&M 1-2 NL with the same average stacks and max buy-in.

The only thing that making it $5 to go does is eliminate open-limping. But open-limping is so rarely a good idea in SSNL that you, the good player in a bad game, are not sacrificing much.

You'll lose some overall EV from those times when, in raising from LP, you pick off 1-2 limpers in addition to the blinds and thus win $5 or $7 instead of $3. Because of this, you do in fact need to play tighter than a standard 1-2 NL would dictate ... but probably not by much (maybe a percent or two).

OK, I lied, there is one big strategy change ... from the SB or BB, unless you're chopping, always treat the pot as having been raised in front and tighten up accordingly. Otherwise you'll find yourself losing a lot of chips with 2nd-best hands that you just had to play because "it's only $3".

Mook