LC: Stars $16s: Brutally tight or business as usual?

[sandycove]

Post-legislation, the $16s appear to have become total rock gardens.

I’ve been training there, because I can afford it, and since Guthrie pointed out their value, at an ROI that has ranged between plus 39.2 and minus point 1. (And not enough SNGs to be statistically significant.) Recently, I’m finding that fully half the field is still around well into the seventh, and even eighth levels. But then the mucked hands I’m seeing are about as loose as they always were. And the end-game push-fests are about the same, just delayed.

So I’m limping more at the lower levels in the hopes of hitting a flop but, at the end of the day, my early and mid-game stats are about as weak-tight as they always were and I am following the herd passively rather than trying to take a few well-aimed loose-aggressive bites.

Should I be 4-betting earlier with marginally strong hands to steal some blinds and catch some limpers? (Three-bets don’t seem to scare the hopeful away.)

Or should I keep my patience meter on and keep my ammo dry for the inevitable push phase? (SNGPT says I'm developing satisfactorily there and I'm focusing on an improved sensitivity for ranges.)

Or something else?

How about the $27s? Any fundamental difference in character there? Or fewer multi-tablers?

[costanza_g]

5 days does not a sample size make.

[Davey]

My friend played some 16s the other night and I played some 27s last night. We both played on Party so this was the first time in a while I got see how juicy those games are at Stars. Insta calls with JQ, 22, any Ace etc. I dont know if that is tight by Stars standards but I was quite happy to see those calls. You will always run into some tight multi tablers and occasionally a table will just be tighter than normal but overall I dont think anything has changed.

[DuderinoAB]

I also just started playing the 27s. Soooooo juicy. I can't imagine the 16s are more difficult.

[.xxxx.]

at the 27s you'll find a similar amount of regulars, but several fundamental differences

in place of minraises from UTG-MP2, you'll have solid raises like 3xBB

push/fold ranges are much improved, but you will still have several "all you do is go all in, learn how to play poker" spite calling jokers

your opponents will have much looser ranges to try plays like the squeeze play or chip sandwich play from HOH, I've even seen several instances of a player inducing the squeeze play by limping behind a limper or minraiser with AA/KK so there are some new tricks

for the most part, its still the same game so plug your leaks at the 16s and move yourself up

[Eric Draven]

I noticed at the 27s that there were far more players sticking around longer... However I seem to be doing just as if not better than I've been doing since pre-Party end... My theory is all the bad Party players are coming to Poker Stars, in addition to some good ones that are having trouble adjusting. However it'll take at least a month before I can really see if my theory holds weight...

[cha59]

The 27s are tougher than the 16s. There are quite a few good regulars in the 16s that play 15 or more tables, but there are a higher number of better players in the 27s.

The idea that the 16s are a rock garden cracks me up.

Here's one of the many loose, donkish hands Ive seen in the last couple of hours. Check out what villain has in this hand:

PokerStars Tournament, Big Blind is t50 (8 handed) Converter on pregopoker.com

Hero (t1470)
UTG+1 (t2205)
MP1 (t2145)
MP2 (t1545)
CO (t1365)
Button (t3070)
SB (t540)
BB (t1160)

Preflop: Hero is in UTG with J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
<font color="red">Hero raises to t150</font>, <font color="gray">UTG+1 folds</font>, MP1 calls t150, <font color="gray">MP2 folds</font>, CO calls t150, <font color="gray">Button folds</font>, <font color="gray">SB folds</font>, <font color="gray">BB folds</font>

Flop: (t525) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 players)
<font color="red">Hero bets t350</font>, MP1 calls t350, <font color="red">CO raises to t1215 (All-in)</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to t1320 (All-in)</font>, <font color="gray">MP1 folds</font>

Turn: (t3760) 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)


River: (t3760) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)


Results in gray below:
<font color="#f7f7f7">Hero has Jd, Jh (three of a kind, Jacks)</font>
<font color="#f7f7f7">CO has Js, Kd (a pair of Jacks)</font>

I could probably find at least 8 - 10 other stupid loose villain hands like this out of the last set I played.