FR $1/$2 with $100 max buy-in strategy adjustments

[Pov]

I'm looking for general advice on adjustments and what to consider here rather than advice on specific hands. Thanks in advance for any and all attempts to help.

I've been playing in a game with a $100 max buy-in, but the blinds are $1 and $2 so the stacks are much less deep than I'm accustomed to. I've been doing pretty well, but I'm frequently in a somewhat odd situation on the flop and I'm not certain what the best way to deal with it is.

The general situation is a $30 pot on the flop facing a $10 bet with 1-3 players still active where I think my hand is relatively likely to be the best at the moment and is of medium vulnerability. Calling gives very attractive odds to the remaining players and raising means putting in half my stack. There are several ways this can come up with different contexts, but the awkwardness is mostly the same. Do I:

1) get involved in fewer multi-way hands
1a) by folding more hands
1b) by putting in larger raises preflop

2) just call the flop and let others see the turn cheaply

3) put in a much smaller flop raise like making it $30

4) go ahead and put in a full raise on the flop

5) just keep taking it case by case

6) some other options I haven't considered

Thanks again. I'm interested to see what perspectives are offered.

[UpstateNYAAonly]

is this a live game?? i play in a game similar to this also live, my strategy has been playin very tight, with exception of being in position, and limping in alot, people will generally call big raises with weak holdings and outflop u, its better to limp with many hands, and only raise 10-AA and AJs-AKs....at least thats how i play till i get deep

[Pov]

[ QUOTE ]
is this a live game?? i play in a game similar to this also live, my strategy has been playin very tight, with exception of being in position, and limping in alot, people will generally call big raises with weak holdings and outflop u, its better to limp with many hands, and only raise 10-AA and AJs-AKs....at least thats how i play till i get deep

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, it's a live game. These multiway pots come about in a number of ways. Maybe there is a limper or two and I raise to $10 with AQs in LP and get a couple of calls. Or maybe there are a couple of limpers and I limp and then there is a raise behind me or from a blind or an EP player puts in a tiny raise to $5 and I'm getting big odds to call with a pair or connector of some kind and several players come along.

The unifying theme is that my hand hits in some fairly strong way, but someone bets and it's my action - I don't want to face 4 players, but I don't want to raise half my stack either.

I'm starting to lean towards some kind of puny min-raise or a little larger. This would hopefully cut the field down and get me heads up in position fairly cheaply without committing so much of my stack that I lose all my options on the turn and river. It just feels really wrong to me to make such a small raise.

[MikeyPatriot]

You should be raising to ~$15 in LP to discourage multiway pots.

[Marshall28]

the size of the ante in a particular game determines how you play. the larger the ante in comparison to later bets, the more hands you shoul dplay. since theres more money in the pot, youre obviously getting better odds.

1. when the ante is large, you should loosen up your starting hand requirements.

2. when the ante is large you should loosen up on later rounds too, because the initial weaker requirements carry over into later rounds. however, in multi-way pots, hands like mediocre pairs decrease in value, while drawing hands increase in value.

3. when the ante is large, you raise with a good hand rather than try to slowplay it because a large ante makes it likely your opponents are getting their proper odds when you do not raise and let the in cheaply.


this is all straight from sklanksy's "theory of poker"

[Pov]

[ QUOTE ]
the size of the ante in a particular game determines how you play. the larger the ante in comparison to later bets, the more hands you shoul dplay. since theres more money in the pot, youre obviously getting better odds.

1. when the ante is large, you should loosen up your starting hand requirements.

2. when the ante is large you should loosen up on later rounds too, because the initial weaker requirements carry over into later rounds. however, in multi-way pots, hands like mediocre pairs decrease in value, while drawing hands increase in value.

3. when the ante is large, you raise with a good hand rather than try to slowplay it because a large ante makes it likely your opponents are getting their proper odds when you do not raise and let the in cheaply.


this is all straight from sklanksy's "theory of poker"

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty familiar with TOP and I don't think it was speaking to this sort of game. In this case the large ante and limited buy-in means my implied odds are reduced so it makes less sense to play drawing hands without several callers and good position. (though it does seem to point to raising more often in position)

And while I agree with #3 that slowplaying will rarely be correct, in the situation I'm uncomfortable with, a significant raise kind of ties me to the pot with a hand I'd rather not do that with. TPTK or TPGK aren't really hands where I would like to see half my stack go in on the flop.

So it's beginning to look like raising more aggressively preflop with hands I wouldn't otherwise may be more correct because my opponents will be getting worse implied odds from me and it's more likely to get heads-up where I don't have to worry so much about trying to control the pot size on the flop.

What does the weekday crowd think?