Dealing w/ LAPs at Lower Limits

[Win.by.TKo]

Greetings. I seek advise regarding STTs & MTTs at lower levels, specifically at EF$1-5 at Stars. Most are LAPs that play ATC. As a result, I have difficulty getting a good read on their play, outside of slowplaying monsters AF.

I tend to stay out of multi-limpers unless I have 99+, ATs+ & AQ+. I avoid limping into family pots, as I have trouble reading AF. I believe I am overthinking in these tournaments, having trouble identifying multiple level thinkers.

Should I assume they are only playing ABC poker? Should I stick to ABC poker at low levels, or is there another tactic I can use to gather more info without investing too much of my stack?

I would love to move up, but my bankroll is only $100. I must cash in order to maintain that level. I am looking for assistance to help me stay in the game...thanks.

[reno expat]

I'm not sure what you mean by LAP as someone can't be both aggressive and passive at the same time, but assuming you mean loose, passive players, continue to come in raising over the limpers with strong hands, but early on, when you have 75 or so big blinds in your stack, limp in position behind a lot of limpers and try to stack someone when you flop a monster. don't invest too many chips in marginal situations and wait for the blinds to climb a bit then start in with some solid push/fold poker. the money will follow.

i wouldn't worry about multiple level thinkers in lower buy-in sngs, a lot of the players are monkeys who's thought process goes something like this "OMG A2s!!!!! 2 all-ins in front...POT ODDS!!! IMPLIED ODDS!?!?!! CALL!!!!!" if you can hang around with most of your chips when blinds get to ~50/100 or 75/150 and open-push solid ranges you'll be fine.

[Win.by.TKo]

Thanks Reno for the advice on LPPs.

I used LAP the way it was used in Pyschology of Poker; for Loose-Aggressive Player. They seem to play ATC, causing me to play ABC as I cannot read their play. Playing ABC is not allowing me to utilize tactical play. I feel I'm not advancing. Is there something I should specifically look for in LAP's betting style that gives any indicator?

[reno expat]

Round here the loose aggressive players are LAGs. My advice would be don't risk a lot of chips mixing it up with them early. While you have a good shot at beating them, they play a high variance game which can take you out SNGS prematurely without giving you sufficient upside should you win. These are tournaments and chips do not have a linear value. Your last chip is worth more than the one before it and so on down. If you risk your whole stack in a 60/40 situation early, losing makes your EV 0 while winning won't nearly double it. This is different from MTTs where you have to accumulate so many chips before the money that the play is a bit closer to cash games and you should push small edges.

Still, if you can get in cheap, with position, and flop a monster, they'll stack off for you. Try for that but remember you'll want to have enough chips when the blinds go up to have sufficient folding equity. Once the blinds get a bit bigger, remember the gap concept. It takes a bigger hand to call a raise than to make one. So open-jam a lot and get a lot tighter when someone has come into the pot in front of you.

[Win.by.TKo]

Thanks again Reno. Should I primarily limp-fold with hands like suited connectors and low PP LP/blinds with proper play variance and avoid the same tactic EP/MP?

[reno expat]

Don't limp up front if there is a high chance of the pot being raised behind you. This is, frankly, a bad situation to put yourself in, but if there are a fistful of limpers and you are in the c/o or even if there is a raise to 3x the bb and like 3 callers you can be in a good spot peeling a flop with an implied odds type hand. The name of the game is get chips if you can, but make sure you are in a good position to open it up and run people over in the push/fold stage.