It's not that simple...here is why
colleagues,
What I would like something more concrete.
Example. In the early stages of the tournament in early position with FOLD 22-66 or 22-77. In the early stages of the tournament from the middle position? And so on ...
You have to play pairs and you should be aggressive. Yet, with any pair you will almost always have one or more over cards hit the board. So, you really need to watch and see what going on.
There are no mechanics to pairs, such as “Earlier on you can only play XX and YY, but later you can add ZZ...
It still depends on position and opportunity.
Now, I know many might disagree, but look at it this way:
“
Early on, you shouldn't get too aggressive with small pairs”;
Ok, if I am in the big blind, and I notice the guy 2 to my right (the button) has just raised the 3rd or 4th button he has had in a row, I just might take ANY pair and 3 bet it with a lot of juice no matter what stage the game is in. I mean, come on, a premium hand every time you get the button? No way! Now, let’s say the flop brings an ace. Well, if he is "smart" enough to raise every button, then he is probably "smart" enough to NOT become a calling station with a weak ace after a big 3 bet from a BB that does not always do that. So I'm going to C-bet the flop big (1/2 to 2/3 pot)
even if my pair is smaller than every card on the board. Then, if he calls, I'm most likely going to bet the turn big (1/2 to 2/3 pot -BE CONSISTENT), just like I have AA or AK. And if the river brings a scare card (completes a possible flush, for example) I might shove all in. And you would be amazed at what some people fold and show you sometimes!
Now, this clearly violates those “rules” I wrote, but they are just common sense guides. In this specific situation what I'm really doing is semi-
bluffing. And since I try to pay attention at the table, I might feel like I can get away with this, I might not. Did he snap call my fast flop bet? I might slow down and check the turn instead. IF it took him a minute, and it usually does not take him this long to act, he might be thinking hard about his hand. Bingo, now I bet the turn big. Yes, sometimes I have been totally wrong and been felted by someone, but not enough to think that this isn't a good play. If he bets big after my turn check, even if he is bluffing, I might just let it go. The gigs up, as they say.
Now, if I made that big preflop 3 bet and flop a set, now I'm certainly not going to slow play it anyway...I AM PLAYING IT THE SAME WAY AS THE SEMI
bluff, only now I'm
not semi bluffing, so what if he did have a big hand that time? Flop comes with only small cards and I have a set, he might go for a few checks with his over cards, thinking that’s what I have. If it’s AK7 and makes me a set of 7's, well, if he has AK you are going to be able to get him all in by the river. Now my turn and river bet can be made with more confidence since I actually have a hand.
Now, if someone limps in and calls a 3x raise, what might they have? A small pair, right? If the flop brings them a set, they might check, or they might lead out. People criticize the limp in-call a raise-then fold to a flop bet-move, but it’s actually a good way to shift gears and be unpredictable. IF you folded those 7’s to a dangerous board, the next time when you actually hit your set, the same person might try to bluff you thinking you are a weak player. If you re-raise him and he folds, you might be able to do that later WITHOUT any pair or hand at all! He might think you only call or raise with a good hand. Too bad for him, you are simply shifting gears. Now you are outplaying your opponent.
So, I don't care what the conventional wisdom says about what you should do at XX stage of the game, you still have to pay attention, look for a good spot and take advantage of it. Practice, loose, and learn. That's why God gives us free rolls. TO LEARN!
