Using the close calls to deceive

[Bill_Hollorian]

Your tight... you see 15.9% of the flops. Your aggressive, you bet those hands hard. But, in certain games you have a hard time getting folks to play back. You work hard to cultivate that tight image, because you know tight aggressive wins. But, you now pick up the blinds with your powerul hands.

Can we appear to loosen up, but remain tight? Sure we can.
OK Q8 is the average hand dealt. Find moments when you are in position, and you get open limpers or 2. Limp with it. Run a hand that is Q8 or marginally better. If everyone checks the flop, bet it. If someone bet the flop call. Many times you won't get to show down... That's ok. You are only marginally worse than a range of hands folks will limp with. If you get to showdown, win or lose you will immediately changed your image. People will think you have are a loose cannon, and start giving you action. Really all you did was identiy a 50/50 situation and played it as opposed to folding it. In 50/50 there is no positive or negative expectation to the bet. Use these times to evaluate your table image, and if altering is required this is the opportunity to change it...for free.

DO NOT DO THIS IN TOURNAMENTS. 50/50 situations can put you out of the game.

 

[Grumbledook]

Of course the other option is to use your tight image to start stealing more blinds.

Along the same lines you can also limp preflop. Call post flop bets quickly and then if its checked to you, a bet may well take the pot down. Specially as a lot of the time a preflop better will just fire out a continuation bet at the flop. If he missed and you have a tight image, this play can work out nicely. Of course you may have also hit a hand as well, which makes things even better, specially if they call you down.

 

[tenbob]

DO NOT DO THIS IN TOURNAMENTS. 50/50 situations can put you out of the game.

As usual Bill great advise. Im primarly a tourney player, usualy small live games (single table). But a tight image is sometimes useless if you know the players. Ive used your advise above a few weeks ago, with the result of a bust out.

Was it worth it ? Probably, my poker school had me down as a tight ass player for weeks prior to this, but one play with i think it was middle pair or something, changed that. I bust out of the game but I got loads of action since with my monsters.

 

[Mr Fugly]

Thanks for the advise Bill, i will try and incorperate that into my game and see how it goes on saturday.

Thanks

Fug`s.