When are games too good?

[Mook]

** Grunching here, so would be surprised if some of these arguments haven't already been made. **

[ QUOTE ]
I read an essay Mr. Malmuth wrote a while back about games that are too LP. When almost everyone sees the flop and 3 or more on average showdown you end up playing against too many hands drawing against you. Even if you are good right now the 4 or 5 other who are going to call down have a good chance to beat you as a group.

I play at a table like this the other night. I would try to isolate or reduce the playing field, but would still get many callers. It was crazy. Big pairs didn't have much value. Sets would get beat by runner runner flushes or straights. I usually welcome this type of play, but it is like there are 6 people on one team and you are the only one on the other.

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This is almost exactly true. However ... and this is a critical concept ... it also means you're getting 6:1 on your money when you win.

Therefore, against 6 people who will play no-fold-'em after the flop, you need to play starters that will win ~16-17% or more of the time, and you need to raise with most of them to push your equity edge. The single biggest leak I see in games of this nature is from people who get gun-shy after the third or fourth time their overpair or top set gets run down by 96o, and as a result stop pushing the enormous preflop equity edge they often have coming in against a bunch of people holding what are essentially two random cards.

Playing passive in a game like this is like playing the prevent defense in football ... you're so concerned with not giving up the "big play" that you'll get nickel-and-dimed to death and often wind up losing anyway! Stay aggressive! When you're in a pot, you'll have a much better chance of winning than your average opponent will, so better to take your (theoretical) share of as much money as he or she is willing to give you.

By the same token, you need to push your equity after the flop on hands that have a greater-than-average chance to be best at the end, regardless of whether they're best now! Yes, you should play A2s from UTG in this type of game, and yes, when you flop a flush draw with it, if you know that 4-5 other people are coming along for the ride you need to cap your ace-high on the flop if given the opportunity ... even if the person in there raising with you turns over pocket aces! In games like this, it doesn't matter what hand is best before the flop or on the flop ... it only matters what hand is most likely to be best when all five cards have been dealt.

There is no such thing as a game that's "too" loose-passive, and you can take that to the bank.

Mook