Pub poker LAGs

Brayruit

I seem to remember that there was a thread along similar lines a few months ago, but I cannot track it down...

I far prefer to play tournaments that are deeper stacked with longer blinds. I enjoy them more and the players are better. This is probably -EV I know, but while I am a few quid in lifetime profit from tournaments, I play poker primarily for enjoyment rather than profit so I am happy to play against better players to learn and to enjoy the challenge. My style, which is very ABC TAG, also suits longer more thoughtful games.

The problem is that I can rarely afford the time or the late nights involved in playing deeper stack tournaments, and I end up playing more often in local pub events. These are rebuys or double chance with about 6,500 chips in total and 15-20 minute blinds.

Many of the same faces are there week after week. There are a few donkeys, but most of these guys are smart and know the game well enough.

My approach to the game is similar to the way I would play with deeper stacks. I play tight (but not quite as tight as I would with a deep stack), I am very conscious of position, I am (I think) aggressive at the right time. I am also prepared to make lay downs after the flop (and might be susceptible to bullying, but I think I am getting better at reading these situations).

Meanwhile, all around me is madness . The same players every week will bet very aggressively based on their reads of each other and knowledge of each others' (and my) game. They will happily play for all their chips - twice - in the first 20 minutes on what they expect to be a race. They will go in fairly sure that they are behind for a gamble if they "feel like it".

The results of all this activity are fairly predictable.

I can do quite well, but once the tournament reaches a certain stage, half of the others are gone (LAGging it up in the side game tournaments with 5 or 10 minute levels), and the other half are sitting on huge stacks that they've picked up gambling with one another. My steady approach leaves me with a reasonable stack but the number of larger stacks in the hands of some players (who, remember, are no eejits) makes it difficult to get anywhere before the blinds catch up. A few times I have got lucky with my cards or with the unavoidable races and gone on to cash or win, but 4 times out of 5 I cannot survive long enough to get near the money.

So, what to do?
1. give up pub games?
2. join in - learn from their style
3. keep playing steady ABC poker because I am not capable of changing brains (and a TAG style is supposedly better when sourrounded by loose aqggression )
4. ?

Hoki

Id play a pub game every thursday & its always the exact same as what you have outlined above , i usually make the final table probably in average chip position with the top 1-3? having monster chip leads , my normal game would be pretty Tag like yourself however while playing the pub games - its more about the enjoyment (& money i suppose!) so i like to play a little looser , hands id normally throw away without a blink of an eye id actually play - sometimes i hit , sometimes i dont .

The best way to be consistent in cashing is to just pick your spots to raise/bluff , its hard to try anything fancy like squeeze plays or semi-bluffs because they are all calling stations , however the main thing iv altered in my pub game style of play is not being afraid to call all ins with marginal hands( K10/J+ , Q10/J , A rag to the 5 less if suited! ) if its folded round to me , more often than not the person shipping them in will have a only a mediocre holding themselves so the majority of the time its 50/50 .

Thats my 2 cents on pub games , to be honest there just a bit of craic - few pints with the lads & game of cards , what more do you want

Brayruit

Hoki wrote:

Thats my 2 cents on pub games , to be honest there just a bit of craic - few pints with the lads & game of cards , what more do you want

Yeah yeah absolutely..... but I'd like to win too!!

stevire

Like any tournament a change of strategy is always needed at some stage of the game... With big tournaments, deep stacks and long blinds TAG is very effective in most cases and a lot of plays can be made later in the tourney with this image. However, in pub games with short stacks, and short blinds TAG is not the right strategy when starting the tournament (imo).

Don't get me wrong I'd much prefer the big tourneys, who wouldn't?? But I think in a pub game you should start off LAG, show a few big bluffs... Get to know the donks (you shouldve seen them from day 1!), and stay away from them without a monster... Then when you have a healthy stack switch your strategy to TAG.

By the way this is just my way of playing them. I tend to get paid off with my big hands towards the end of the pub game, when ppl are gettin drunk and also ppl have seen already that your capable of bluffs and are more likely to call you down.