HU LO8 - inducing mistakes

[donger]

I was sweating a Matusow HU LO8 match a while back and noticed him openlimping in a 1/2 SB structure. He's supposed world class at O8, so it got me to thinking and experimenting with this strategy in my HU matches.

In LHE, openlimping on the button is rarely a good strategy. In LO8, it seems to have the advantage of keeping the pot small and inducing bigger mistakes from loose players as well as setting up some 3bets in position if you mix up your play well. It also allows you to see cheap flops with trashy hands in position.

What do you guys think? Is this part of a good balanced strategy?

[davebreal]

don't know about LO8, but I'll tell you I often try to this in HU PLO8, and if i were playing HU LO8, I'd probably do the same. that's not to say I'm not raising plenty first-in, either. i reserve the open-limp for pure garbage or really premium hands.

i guess a lot of it really depends how aggro the opponent is and how often they will defend or 3-bet. against maniacs, it's usually not worth trying to sneak in for a free flop.

[PLO8FaceKilla]

HU PLO8....

i prefer to just limp on the button unless the guy is a pansy.

A lot of people assume that a raise on the button is A2xx, A3xx.. or AAxx

So for a while i was screwing around and only raising with AAxx, or big connectors and just limp/calling with everything else.

You scoop pots you wouldn't normally scoop when your A2xx hits and they can't put you on it b/c "nobody limps with A2"

[Phat Mack]

>>>It also allows you to see cheap flops with trashy hands in position.

Are you limping with your trashy hands. I'll limp a lot in HUO8, but try to do it randomly. I limp more agains an aggressive bettor, an limp less against a pasivo.

[1MoreFish4U]

I have tried several different approaches in the past 2 years over almost 25,000 hands of HU LO8.

I have found that for me, it's important to vary my play a lot against players that I have faced before, and against unknowns I try to take my cue from the first few hands as to whether aggression will work. As long as I can push them out of hands I'll do it, but as soon as I notice that they will call me down with mediocre hands, I adjust my play accordingly.

Against very aggressive players I will try to limp primarily when I have a hand I'd play for 3 bets.

[RobNottsUk]

[ QUOTE ]
In LHE, openlimping on the button is rarely a good strategy. In LO8, it seems to have the advantage of keeping the pot small and inducing bigger mistakes from loose players as well as setting up some 3bets in position if you mix up your play well. It also allows you to see cheap flops with trashy hands in position.


[/ QUOTE ]

The FLHE reasons for limping on the button are :

1) The SB & BB over-protect their blinds
2) Your hand is weak, and could easily flop a 2nd best hand, but is too good to fold v 2 blinds
3) Pot size control, allowing them to call at worse odds on the flop, but letting you fold for less expense. If you raised then your play would be same as theirs, as you'ld have to call a bet on many flops.
4) Stealing pots when both players check. In a raised pot, their checks mean much less. So not raising increases your positional advantage

The type of hands, are something like A6o, which may be best, but is not very playable.

A hand like QJo, plays better on other hand, so it might be more profitable to raise, and gain free-cards and loose calls from even single overcards due to Blind stubborness.

Really it is about passing up a marginal pre-flop advantage, in return for being able to push a greater post-flop advantage.


Now how does that tie with FLO8?

HU most often Blind defenders won't be that far behind most of your hands. But you may gain information when the BB or SB raise with a very marginal hand, and then post-flop they may make more mistakes due to mis-reading your hand.

Possibly the "honest Check" factor is most important?