Preflop betting a lottery?

People seem to invest a lot of energy into deciding how to bet on their hole cards pre-flop.

But you only have a tiny amount of information before the flop.

Most of the value information for any hand comes at the flop.

Garbage hole cards can become 2-pair or trips instant winners.

Straights/flushes or good straight/flush drawing hands can materialise from garbage just by getting to see the flop.

I just play play-money casual tables (not tournaments) for fun but all the fun for me is in running through the combinations for range, drawing odds, pot odds etc. once the flop is seen, so I find it annoying when other players start throwing money around pre-flop as I have to fold a lot if I am to play rationally based on odds.

Also an inflated pre-flop pot means aggressive play is likely after the flop for the remainder of the hand which makes value-betting more difficult.

I will bet 3BB preflop on a mid to high pair but otherwise I just want to see the flop for minimum cost 1BB and then make my (value-based) decisions from there.

I understand that incorporating a measure of bluffing and aggression into your play is the best strategy but it does not come naturally to me.

Hey, I also face the same difficulties as u that's why I try to play positionally, that means if u limp from UTG it'll be percieved like debility and weakness by other players sitting after u who'll defienetly raise in order to squeez u out of the pot. Play out of position and don't enter the game with marginal hands

i hate that... you can call some to ensure the prize, but not all in...

Preflop is less of a "lottery" if you raise, you raise to build the pot when you have a hand and you raise to keep other people out of the hand.

The play-money game is not played the same as when real money is on the line. Some of the per flop aggression will go away when real money is at stake. Work on your semi bluffing, bluffing and aggression as it is much easier with play money. Also keep in mind that in a play money game bluffs are often going to get called.

Pre-flop betting only seems to have a positive effect if I have a big pair (and then it has to be a really big/all-in bet to get paid off), or if deep stacked late in a tourney. Otherwise my AKs pre-flop bet always gets called by two, three, four, or more suited anythings, one or two gappers, or any Ax. Most flops then usually put me behind any lucky two pair, OESDs, and flush draws. I've come to understand why a lot of players only limp in with some really great starting hands.

alot of players raise preflop with trash cards simply to scare people out of the hand. It's so annoying when people raise with nothing and then win. It takes a lot of skill and guts.

if you really want to develop some pokerskills and avoid the pre-flop lottery try the play-money tournaments or sit&go tables. When you manage to get further in the tournament the play gets more serious. Otherwise try to play real money small stakes or even free rolls which are played much more seriously.

interesting post

I think we are all exposed to these hands, I in partiular I do not like to call to an All in pre-flop, although in my opinion everything depends on a range of hands and the position in which these. We will always be exposed to bad bet..