Tips for Beginner, Games with Flop rate approx 40%

[RobNottsUk]

Capelletti, Ciafone and SS2 talk about Loose FLO8 (where 5+ players on average see flop), and TAG games (with about 3 players seeing flop).

But I'm finding games with roughly 38%-45% seeing the flop. It obviously means there's less dead money, and drawing to 1/2 the pot is more break even (if that), than profitable.

Yet at same time, the 2-way hands, which make a weak high and are the TAG FLO8 game preferences, have the problem that a loose player, tends to showdown a decent high, that was marginal on flop. It's very hard to fold them out.

So you're half way between just playing Showdown Nuts poker, and half way between a TAG game where you can make moves.

Is it best to simply avoid these games, or can you exploit the loose players dislike of folding in the long run?

[wiseheart]

38% at a 9 person is usually tight enough that you can play LAG and do fairly well. Although, those tables are usually nowhere as profitable as the ones with a bunch of fishies, unless you really know your opponents. In which case, the tighter table might be good can you make a good amount of bluffs and semi-bluff bets that they will fold to.

[chaos]

There is more to it than how many players see the flop. How are they playing after the flop? If four players see the flop how many make it to the showdown?

You have to play differently in a game where four players see the flop and anyone who sees the flop is on a through ticket to the showdown, than in a game where four players see the flop but a bet may win the pot on the flop or the turn if the board did not hit anyone hard.

- chaos

[RobNottsUk]

Good point chaos. The thing is these games tend to be mixed. You may have some pots where, there's only 1 calling station to fold out, with "for profit" players involved. But many pots will have 2 or more, loose players calling on light values and 1 or 2 players with solid hands, making bluffing tricky (and therefore scooping when you have 1 way locked up).

Nice when you do catch nut Lo with a good draw for Hi, but on most hands things seem very marginal, with 1/2 pot only often vulnerable to counterfeiting or outdraws.

Not sure if a FLO8 beginner, would have necessary feel and hand reading skills to make a success of a LAG approach.