Ask Alec: How Do I ADJUST to Loose Aggressive Cash Games?

In today's Ask Alec episode I provide some cash game poker strategy and cash game poker tips for loose aggressive cash games and how to adjust to this type of cash games. Check out today's episode and feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment below.

--------

----------

LINKS TO CRUSH POKER!

------------

FOLLOW ALEC ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

--------------

On this channel Alec regularly analyzes some of the biggest hands of poker played on high stakes cash games like Poker Night in America, Hustler Live Stream, Live at the Bike, Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker or tournaments like the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour featuring legendary poker players like Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Ivey, Gus Hanson, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Garrett Adelstein and others.

#Poker #ConsciousPoker #PokerCoaching2022
----------

----------

[allhailkingryan]

This is becoming my favorite youtube channel.

[jcgriffin]

I think a series of these low stakes live games strategy is in order

[MIP-ig]

I used to have a tough time adjusting to loose 1/2 games when playing with players that are just there to gamble, and every flop is for at least 3-4 people. Slowly I understood that the only strategy you can apply with this type of game is tighten your range as much as you can. As said, given that you will get to showdown often and you cannot bluff your way to profit, you need hands that are likely to be good at showdown. This video just confirmed the same thing that I found out playing for months, maybe years. I never get sick of saying it: Tight is right! Thanks for the good videos, Alec! Keep up the good work!

[ClaudioVidalDias]

Man this is exactly what I've needed. My games are so loose and aggressive that I need to really narrow down my range!

[crazydonkey]

I play in some very loose aggressive $1/$2 cash games. My strategy for this games is to always play in position and raise big with my strong hands even if i raise 5x-7x i usually am still getting action and sometimes even from 2 or 3 players. I limp all my weak hands and try to realize my equity for as cheap as possible when drawing to the nuts because the implied odds are huge in these games. I do not open raise my suited connectors, even when in position for the same reason Alec mentions. However i found that it is ok to 3-bet these hands from in position as players will fold much more often to a c-bet in a 3-bet pot (especially if you 3-bet big).

[investorjeong]

Thanks for this rlly useful bit of info i was looking for

[McGavel]

Thanks for the tips! Especially cool point about "Charge the most vs people trying to catch a draw if they aren't going to fold because if someone does catch their draw on you at least you charged them the max." That puts into perspective in a new way for me the lack of negative emotion I should have if someone sucks out on me when I laid them terrible odds to try and that over time I'll be exploiting them a lot if they continue to call that way.

On the reverse side, I've also found that players in lower stakes tend to be inelastic meaning they don't think about bet size as much as whether or not someone bet when determining the strength of their opponent's hand. Therefore I find that mixing it up and sometimes probe / block betting 1/4 or 1/3 pot on my good draws or 2nd pair type hands helps me buy a lot of free cards for cheap. Additionally if villain only calls my lower probe / block bet then I've found that the lower my bet is, the more likely I'll be able to put in a 1/2 to 3/4 pot bet on brick turns and take the pot right there.

[Xtraderr]

I can relate to this video, I play in a NYC underground poker club in a 1/2 where a standard open is $15 and 5 players call preflop.

[saundersbruce]

Excellent advice! We play a 25 / 50 (Thai baht) game in BKK (equivalent to $1 / 2) that plays as you've described. I'd add that 3 and 4 bets pre flop are key to trying to ensure fewer players post flop. Another trend we're seeing is occasional over betting the pot. I know it's not usually correct but some of the crazies in our game still call incorrectly.

[adrianoalves]

Excellent tips Alec. I was winning in my homegame's cash but now there's a loose crazy player that calls with anything and always hit his cards so I was having trouble with him. I'll apply your tips now.

[RackwitzG]

In those multi-way pots you can place bets on what the last player to act will do if it is checked to him. Use that tendency to check raise with best hands. But, I see drawing players even call my pot size check-raises very often. And, variance sorrily lets them beat my sets often enough. Only thing that comforts me then is knowing they must be losing players.

[MelFinehout]

In the Live Low Stakes world skill is shown not in bluffs but in getting max value. Bigger value from a wider range. Ditch the bluffs (all but the very best) and add in WAY more thin value. Some rules:

1) When you are getting value from top pair hands bet massive. eg you raised with 99 and the flop comes A9X over bet. seriously. stack an ace time.

2) Use bet sizing and pot geometry to get them pot-stuck by the river. They do not forecast the future size of the pot. Bet relatively bigger earlier, so later they will call off. (above is an example of this)

3) Value bet very wide (relative to the number of people in the pot) on wet boards. eg you raised KJo and the board runs out J54hh fire three huge barrels. If they will pay of pot sized bets on flop and turn with a draw, and no implied odds, run it up! Then bet small enough on the river to be called by a pair they backed into.

4) When raised by a passive player just fold or jam. They do not raise-fold. They have what they consider the nuts. if you have the actual nuts, raise before the board ruins your action.

5) Watch betting patterns and live tells. They almost always have some and they are often reliable. Don't watch the face. Everyone who can say Rounders knows to have a poker face. watch the body and legs. They don't mix up their play. If a guy jams a draw OTF and checks a set on a wet board-there ya go.

There are probably about 10 more. Value, Value, VALUE. Big and thin.

[tonyfitton]

Great Vlog Alex. Great Information to be had... Thanks.

[bobgeorgiou]

IMO There are 3 strategies in these small stakes games. Overall these games are very card dependent so reading the tables are easy and a great place to learn. The first thing you have to learn is which type of game are you at. There are 2 tests. The first is when you hammer the pot, do people fold/can you isolate? The second is how tough or easy can you fold out competition. The first type of table is the toughest to beat let's call this one Omaholdem... the nuts is always out there. These tables are impossible to isolate as the players are not afraid to gamble and they be very sticky with draws and nutted pairs. Aggression here adds variance and if you're catching cards you'll do well, if not it'll get expensive. On these tables I prefer to play a pot control game and get aggressive with the nuts. Play position and stronger ranges into big pots and wider into small ones. Use caution into flushed with small suited connectors. Exploitable? Yes but the skill level of the game, most will not know how to capitalize. The other tough game is where everyone limps but no one calls big bets. Here aggression is 100% the correct. Rob the place blind, pressure later streets, if you get pushback, you're likely beat. Both of these are garbage games. The best game is where you have players who are trying to play the game correctly. You can isolate (but you will still get multiway action) and will get some back play. Tactical aggression and some deception is needed to win (not much). Follow Alec's advice on this game.

[jamespitchforth]

[n lower or sats i like to play tight for a few orbits sum up my oppo, then open up alot more playing a wider range and position bluffs on the right players, but not calling much i prefer to be the aggressor, when the blinds get bigger i tighten up abit more keeping the bluffs in position open, loosening up when the bubble gets near and returning to tight player after, every game you have to adjust it to suit the oppo but thats what works for me

[marknoble]

Great info, but it seems like in these games you have to play 4/5 suited or even off if you are going to get paid. The top premium hands can be really difficult to get isolation. When when you raise big, often times multiple people call with junk looking to bust you.

[plasticplanetdiscgolf]

Feel like if you can trap with a set/nuts 1st you can build a stack and then loosen up and get more creative but yeah I noticed my bluffs don't get through at 1/2. 4 spades on the board yep they call w top pair no spade.

[mcleananderson]

Good breakdown Alec, a lot of calling stations at the 2-5 level, kind of shocking because some these games can be pretty large considering the average Americans income. Trying to isolate can be a challenge, even with a 5X open. When you smash a flop, bet it!

[DrugsRdaBad]

How do I adjust to a super tight table as I am a tight aggressive player myself? Do I play more hands and call raises light and try to donk for implied odds?

[BAlvn-yrej]

Good ideas and rationalization, for sure.

I'd like to ask you, though, if 4 people on average are seeing flops and you are playing deep enough (let's say 200bb average stack) doesn't playing speculative hands (e.g. suited zero to two gappers, suited aces and kings, 22-99, TJo, etc.) still make sense from a mathematical perspective? Understanding that semi-bluffs won't work often, it seems like still you are getting good pots odds preflop and potentially very good implied odds from these crazy LAG players who might pay you off with just a pair of aces or something. Obvious for shorter stack situations this wouldn't hold up.

What's your opinion of that?