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FAQ's

Playing in Loose Games

1. Against bad players is it detrimental to mull over your decisions?
Yes, it probably is.

2. Why?
When you sit there and think, you encourage bad players to play better against you.

3. What is it that you don’t want to portray?
That you are capable of throwing away good online poker hands for one more bet and that you look at every single decision critically.

4. When do you extract the most money from your opponents?
When you put them in a position to make big mistakes.

5. What should you do in a loose passive game where many people play on third street and then play
A. Play more hands, especially if you can get in for just the bring-in.
B. Often try to keep the early betting down to the size of the bring-in or just one full bet on third street.

6. With a hand that is pretty good but not great, what happens if you don’t raise (and cost yourself a little bit of money at that point)?
You gain it back plus some because had you made the pot bigger there would be less opportunities for your opponents to make significant mistakes later on.

7. What if you’re playing against extremely terrible occonents?
It’s hard not to raise with pretty good hands even though you’re costing yourself money on the later streets.

8. When there are many people in the pot, which hand go up in value?
The three-flushes, certain high three-card-straights, and even the ones that have gaps in them.

9. Example?
A hand like J♥ 9♥ 8♣ becomes fairly good because of the two-flush in addition to the straight cards if all of your cards are live.

10. If you have a hand that is good, but cannot improve, what is the mathematical paradox that you run into?
The more players drawing against you, the worse it is for you.

11. What does this mean as far as your strategy is concerned?
If your hand is simply good, but not great, it is important to try to thin the field down to one or two opponents.

12. Since early raises in loose games just cause you extra trouble with mediocre hands, what should your strategy be?
Put in as little money as possible early on with some of these questionable hands since you are often going to be folding on fourth or fifth street.

13. What is a second reason for this strategy?
Keeping the pot small early may allow you to thin the field out on the next round.

14. What about hands like 5♥ A♦ A♥ or J♣ T♠ J♠ ? You should raise or reraise even in multiway pots as long as your hand is live.

15. Why?
There is just too good a chance that you’re going to make a hand that will be able to survive the onslaught of many players.

16. What is the trap that you don’t want to get into?
Calling with hands that won’t make enough profitable situations.

17. Example?
You throw away a hand like 9♥ 5♣ 5♠ , particularly if your hand is not live.

18. What hands can you play if you are in a loose, passive game where they usually call, but only occasionally raise?
Any pair with a two-flush. A hand like K♥ Q♥ 9♠ under the gun, and anything better.

19. Is it good if your big pair also contains a two-flush?
It is a giant advantage.

20. Example?
You hold J♠ 8♠ J♥ . If several players in front of you have just called, you should raise (unless your hand is dead) if you are in a game where the players are fairly weak.

21. For a raise with a hand like Q♥ 7♣ Q♦ to be correct, what must you be able to accomplish?
You must be able to limit the pot to only a small number of poker players.

22. What if your raise can’t do this?
Then you prefer to get in cheaply and make a decision on a later street as to how the hand should be played.

23. If a tough player to your right bets and there is a bad player to your left, and the situation is close between raising and calling, what should you do?
You should not raise.