Style of play question?

[KaatzMeow]

After finishing my second session review with another great reviewer I have a question of play that goes with the statement that SSHE is a great jumping off point for beginners but that there is a whole lot more (which of course is true).

Two things have come up about my play that have my reviewers questioning.

1. When playing PP I like to come in with a raise whether it is to open or after a limper or 2. Often I have only 2 villains. If I whiff the flop, I can continuation bet and win some of the pots since I represented a prem hand. Other times I can lay down the hand for an easy post flop play. If I hit my set, then it is well disguised and I just keep betting and they keep calling, which brings me to my second point,

2. I have been betting all my hand the same whether made or not. That way my opponents cannot read me with ease.

Seeing the contrast between the reviews I do and those that review me shows me that I am missing a lot. What am I missing here?

[Atrophy]

1. When playing pocket pairs, you have to take into account both your position and table dynamics. SSHE does a wonderful job explaining these factors in the Preflop section. With your logic, why not randomly raise junk hands, representing a premium hand? This does not work, due to the highly mathematical nature of limit hold 'em. Such a strategy is especially vulnerable at the low stakes tables, where many opponents don't care about "reads" or "implied odds" or anything else, for that matter.

2. See above.

Cheers.

[marchron]

Your reasons for playing a certain way might make sense, but they don't necessarily make money.

If you play in a game with opponents who are all weak-tight, you'll get paid off playing in this fashion. Unfortunately, most micros games are full of players who are pretty much the opposite, who'll call down with all sorts of weak made hands like second pair. So you can't bluff them much, if ever, and that's what you're describing. Your 33 or A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] will get called down on a K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 10[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] board, and you will very seldom win.

[Befolder]

Along w/ Marchon I will say, the bad players don't care what you're representing, you will get called down if they have a piece too often.

So just play your hand value accordingly against them on each street. That is very general advice, so stray when correct.

[NIX]

[ QUOTE ]
1. When playing PP I like to come in with a raise whether it is to open or after a limper or 2. Often I have only 2 villains. If I whiff the flop, I can continuation bet and win some of the pots since I represented a prem hand. Other times I can lay down the hand for an easy post flop play. If I hit my set, then it is well disguised and I just keep betting and they keep calling, which brings me to my second point,

[/ QUOTE ]
What you may be missing is that you be getting a touch robotic. Preflop, you see you have a pocket pair, no raises in front of you means an auto-raise. It may be a good idea a lot of the time, but you have to deviate at times because situations are different. If there are two limpers as you say and loose blinds, it's probably better to just limp in with 66 here rather than raise. It's unlikely you're going to win the pot UI, so raising when you are only really playing for set value isn't always best if you're gonna get a fourway pot or so. On the other end of the spectrum, if it's folded to you in UTG+2 and you have 33, it may be best just to fold rather than raise at certain tables, especially if there is a high likelihood of you getting 3-bet preflop by some aggressive players causing you to just fold UI on the flop.

[ QUOTE ]
2. I have been betting all my hand the same whether made or not. That way my opponents cannot read me with ease.

[/ QUOTE ]
With this, it's good to be unreadable. However, you still have to adjust to situations. If you are putting a lot of bets into pots with UI overs because that's how you'd play AA, you're going to end up bleeding money in the long run as people call you down with random pairs.