Pre-flop adjustments when a calling station has position on you?

[braun_kan]

If you have a calling station (40VPIP, 20 Fold to Flop C-bet) seated to your left how do you adjust your RFI range and bet sizing from UTG, MP and the CO?

In this situation I usually raise bigger and with a wider range since I know they will call with worse. But then I frequently find myself on the flop out of position, with a bloated pot, and very few prospects for running a successful bluff against a station when my hand misses. This is fine if the rec player is passive and won't try to steal the pot, but if they are aggressive post-flop then it is a pretty hard position. Obviously when I hit the flop its great because I can get big value but I'm unsure if this offsets the difficult spots it puts me in.

Another issue with having my UTG and MP pre-flop raises frequently called is that it encourages more callers who may also have position on me, and it also encourages squeezes.

So basically I am confused if I should be tightening or widening my opening range in this spot, and if I should try to make the pot big or small.

Thoughts?

 

[Hermus]

Your pre-flop adjustment already is correct. You can profitably open wider against loose opponents. Bigger raise sizes against these players can be a good idea. However, be careful when there are still more people to act. I usually only increase my open sizing when all players left to act fit the loose-passive profile.

If you find you're sitting at a particularly loose table the best adjustment is to increase the frequency you play marginal hands that can hit big in multiway pots. Think suited aces and kings, pocket pairs and suited connectors. At the same time decrease the frequency you play offsuit non-premium broadway hands such as KQo QJo ATo as they are more likely to be dominated in multi-way pots.

Post-flop adjustments are also relatively straightforward. Calling stations open themselves up to be exploited by calling down with weak pairs and chasing draws. Bet more often and with a larger sizing for value and bluff less. Aggressive recreational players are tricky, but if you have reason to believe that they over-bluff specific spots you can obviously call them with increasingly marginal holdings.

 

[Batarang96]

Tighten up. Raise higher, with your strong hands, to get value, and call with your speculative hands.

 

[blueskies]

It's not too bad if the he is passive. You just need to not bluff and only value bet him and check the rest down.

The prob is the ones who are always playing most hands and they are always floating and always betting when you check. When you are making hands, no prob. But during cold spells when they are outflopping your JJ with K2 for example, or if you keep missing the flop with your AK/AQ type hands, there's not much you can do without fold equity. Can't call off half your stack with ace high K kicker can you?

My only way out in this situation is to leave the table.