Strategy Q: Adjusting with the Levels

[Nichomacheo]

This was alluded to in another post, but it deserves a thread of its own because of its importance and varying opinion.

In general, would you rather...

- Play tight regardless of the level

- Play loose regardless of the level

- Play tighter during Level I and loosen up as the blinds increase

- Play loose during Level I and tighten up as the blinds increase

If you say "It depends" please state your conditions.

Shoot.

[Trouthunter]

I use the first several hands to feel out my opponent and see how he reacts to various moves on my part. In football, a coach will often script the first several plays of the game. I'm not that bad, but after the first ten hands, I will have limped, check called OOP, raised pf, reraised and check raised, etc... That is, of course, dependent on the hands to some extent, but what I really want to do is test my opponent's aggressiveness, see how he deals with a check raise or two, get a feel for his range.

Then, I try to adjust my play to give me an edge over his play. It's not a matter of playing tight or loose for me - it's more a matter of what style of play is going to work best against my opponent. The only changes I make as the levels get higher are changes based on how I perceive my opponent is adjusting his game to deal with me, or how he is adjusting according to relative chip stack sizes, tilt, etc...

I play pretty low levels, though, and most people there are incapable of adjusting their play. Once you have them pegged, it's just a matter of taking them out.

Well, at least in theory that's what I do. In practice, it doesn't always go according to plan. If I had to choose one of the above, I would probably choose the fourth.

[MEJG2]

I like to play loose at the start (maybe or maybe not for the full level) and see how my opponent reacts. This is very different then my 9 person SnG strategy!

- Does he let me limp
- Does he fold to my Button raises
- Does he reraise me
- What does he do when I check the flop
- What does he do when I bet the flop
- What is he betting / raising with (calling down while it's cheap)

I am trying to get a feel for what he is doing and then I adjust my play and image as I learn more.

- If he is the type of player that will fold to a few of my early raises, I will raise more often and showdown less.

- If he is calling me down with 3rd pr or A high. I'll let him win a few small pots to set him up for a big payoff down the road.

- If he reraises me often, i fold more hands and look to trap.

My strategy is all about investing a few chips early so I have a better read as the blinds go up.

At the $20 level, I don't see many of the players changing gears. They seem to come in with a plan and stick with it. Which is why I try to figure them out early and change accordingly.

[Kidling]

In terms of adjusting aggression in relation to blind levels I am always aware of maintaining and maximizing my positional advantage. When the blinds are small and the stacks are close to even you can be much more aggressive in the sb. This is due to the fact that you will still be able to use your position on all streets. Once your bb/stack size ratio is decreased in later rounds or when one stack is depleted I find much more advantage in keeping the pot small on the button as opposed to trying to maximize holdings. When you play to aggressively in the sb with a small bb/stack size ratio you are losing alot of your positional advantage. This is of course until the bb/stack ratio is so small you are forced to play your cards value. This may be more of pot manipulation but I think it also applies here. I hope this makes sense being this is my first post.

[jay_shark]

The biggest strategy adjustment you will have to make is when the blinds get big .

I will stay aggressive from the beginning to set the tone for the match . After a few hands you should already decide what action you will take . Occasionally you will have to change up your game plan as players do change gears from time to time .

Ohh and one other thing. In the early stages , if an opponent makes a river bet and you know with certainty that a call is slightly negative EV , it is sometimes correct to pay for the information . I would make these calls if I was really confused about how the hand was played . Paying for information can help you make better decisions in the middle and final stages of the match .

[JeffreyN]

chips are weapons , try my best not to play any <font color="blue"> </font> <font color="black"> </font> thing but premium hands until the blinds get bigger then will open it up. Will have sized up the competition by then. Also position play is extremly important and I try hard to always take the lead betting and not call anything big with out a made hand.

[omgwtfnoway]

where's the option for: play loose always and somehow maintain a tight image? i like that one [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Raiseren1]

Play loose at the beginning, and tighter as the blinds increase, but much more aggressive preflop as well.

[Nichomacheo]

The way I see it is that playing tight at the beginning and loose at the end is a smarter way to go. That way when the blinds are worth stealing, all of your bets will get more respect. If you play loose early, you wont get much respect later and will lose some big pots unless you are a very skilled loose player.

[BobAllinSki]

Generaly I just let the cards decide and then adjust my play to my opponents opinion of me, I dont really try to transition my game gradually as a lot of opponents seem wise to this, instead I try to mix it up throughout the game but once the BB approaches 7-8% of the effective stack I tend to go into aggro mode regarless.