How to be aggressive but still survive ????

[JoeyJoJo Shabadu]

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4Card, you should turn this into an article.

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Ya I like it all too...except the stealing from EP.

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I dunno, a steal from EP with a semi-decent hand that has some strength to fall back on isn't bad. I did a lot of stealing early the other night with hands like A3s, KTs, 66, and it helped me accumulate a lot of chips. Only do it against blinds that will fold more, and at a table where people aren't re-stealing.

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ok.. I'll try it. that's all i can say. Semms to be consensis or are half of you sh!tting me!

[stevematador]

This should be a sticky, great article!!

[Davdob]

The EP steal is actually pretty powerful play in a tournament setting if it isnt overused.

Obviously its rank insanity in a cash game.

[4CardStraight]

My comment on EP raise, really is something that I think some of the better players do on occasion. I will be a little more specific.

No, this is not something we do a "lot".

The play goes something like this... We have 12-22BB or so in our stack. We are playing a pretty tight game. From the first 3 positions full handed our 'normal' open raise range here might be something like 99+,AQo. (Yes I honestly do play this tight at times. Often folding 88 or AJo utg full table with this stack size. I can't open push it, and the hands wont stack up to any raise or even a call behind me) I obviously will loosen up in later positions, and on the button raise for value maybe as broad as 18-22%, depending on table conditions, etc.

OK so I'm playing tight, my table is playing pretty tight, most hands go Fold to a raiser, he raises, they all fold, he scoops. Repeat. Except I am not getting any cards. Rather than taking any trashy Ace or low pocket and open pushing it with a stack that sucks to push here, I will sometimes take a random 2 cards and just raise 2.5 or 3bb from UTG-UTG+2. It steals with a high degree of success since everyone behind knows I am playing rock a** tight, and I just raised from EP. If I get played back at, its pretty easy to throw my gay waiter (queen+trey), or 87o in the muck. Even better than that, if I get played back, a far greater majority of the time, I actually do have a hand in my open raise range from this spot, 99+,AQo+ and I am felting against their resteal and usually a huge favorite, or possibly a decent coinflip, but rarely crushed.

Its a play I make sometimes when we have those 30-50 hand stretches without a playable hand. Rather than open push from late position expecting to get called wide, or raise-stealing from CO or button expecting to get 3bet wide, we just make a standard value raise from early position except that our cards are a**. I think its a lot better than say, raising A3s from early position, then wondering what to do when played back at. Instead, I take some total turd. Worst case I have to muck to a reshove that I *Know* is ahead of my hand, second worst case I get flat called and have a chance to hit a junky flop hard with cards they couldnt possibly expect I have.

4Card

[JoeyJoJo Shabadu]

Thanks much for the addiotnal explanation/help. Sometimes this may work for me but often it won't because I play lag/semi-lag sometimes/often.

And sometimes I'm probably alreayd raising these trash hands [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[stevematador]

4cardstr8, I think I'm going to give your UTG raise with a turd hand a try in those horrible card dead stretches that always seem to occur at the worst possible times.

Those times when I'm not only card dead, but can't even make a late position move with marginal hands because someone has already pumped it up in front of me, and 3 betting is just to risky.

The times when I go from one of the chip leaders to middle of the pack as I muck rag after rag waiting for something to play.

I believe it will work a great percentage of the time when done by a TAG such as myself. Can't wait to unleash my latest move that I've just added to my arsenal, LOL!!

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]Keep the great ideas coming!!

[Bakes]

I raise light from EP a t. Its pretty necessary to do this occassionally especially at the higher buyins, when the players in the blinds are very conscious of steals coming from LP and move in a lot.

[udbrky]

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I think its a lot better than say, raising A3s from early position, then wondering what to do when played back at.

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Yeah, when I do it, I know what players I'm insta-mucking against, and which ones I'm calling a raise, a push, etc.

I've been working on opening up my game and being more aggressive this month. And the times I've done it, I've had greater success. I've been watching a few PXF vids and it's been helping me pick up on situations.

[BingBangBoom]

Thank you very much for your response to this everyone especially 4card...i really appreciate it!

[shaundeeb]

suckout

just read the title know it's what my response will be.