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silverfist
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06-28-2006, 03:53 PM
Post subject: Theory Question
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#1 (permalink)
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Flush
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 341
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I'm wondering why people loosen up in short handed game. It seems to me that a hand that's profitable to open in late position is profitable either way and if it's unprofitable, it's unprofitable either way. The blinds come more quickly, but there are less hands to compete against. Why is it, then, that people loosen up? In a tournament, I could see it, since you're blinded out, but you can't be blinded out in a ring game.
The only reason I can think of is the bunching concept. Since people have folded in full ring, there are more likely to be high cards behind you. However, this cuts both ways. The BB would have to suspect a better hand from the button in ring, since 7 people have already folded.
Any thoughts?
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thenonsequitur
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06-28-2006, 04:49 PM
Post subject: Re: Theory Question
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#2 (permalink)
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Full House
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Location: Location
Posts: 637
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Ed Miller has a good essay entitled "Preflop Play in Shorthanded Games" that goes into the theory and psychology behind this phenomenon.
http://www.notedpokerauthority.com/a...s/article7.htm
I would recommend reading the whole article, because it's good, but the basic idea is that people tend to lack an understand of something you sort of just said:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by silverfist
The blinds come more quickly, but there are less hands to compete against.
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While people recognize that blinds come at them faster shorthanded, they fail to recognize that they also have more equity in the blinds than in full ring. So instead of understanding that they can use that extra equity in the blinds to pay for the increased frequency of blinds they feel like they have to play much looser to pay for the increased frequency of blinds (and this is simply incorrect reasoning).
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LimpinAintEZ
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Flush
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: working myself up to FTR fullhouse status while not giving 1 solid piece of advice
Posts: 591
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you really can't wait around in short handed games - You need to be aggressive...high card strength goes up, middle pairs go up, top pair becomes a monster - even at 25NL you can't just sit and nut camp playing shorthanded...you have to get in and mix it up -
I think the biggest benefit of shorthanded is that it allows a good player a LOT of opportunities to win...If you play well postflop, you can really kill weaker players....
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thenonsequitur
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Full House
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Location: Location
Posts: 637
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by LimpinAintEZ
you really can't wait around in short handed games - You need to be aggressive
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Ed Miller also covers this point very well in the same article. It's a result of the same misconception that the blinds are something that is paid and gone rather than part of a live pot with real equity.
So people that don't adjust well will think of the blinds as just what they have to pay to play, rather than as something they have to aggressively defend and attack to avoid getting crushed.
In full ring the blind equity is so much less that it's not nearly as big mistake to think of the blinds as lost money.
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silverfist
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Flush
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 341
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Yes, but I still don't understand the math behind this aggression. In a ring game, open raising with KJo in MP is a losing proposition. The BB will have approximately the same range of hands, and KJ will make the same amount of money either way. If it's -EV, it's still -EV
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6high
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Straight
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: NZ
Posts: 136
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Quite simply, in a 10 handed game, the quality of hands is going to be better (because you have 10 hands to choose from). In shorthanded, the quality of hand lowers. Therefore, more of your range is competetive with your opponents. When more of your range is competetive, you're going to compete more often (by playing more hands).
As for this:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by silverfist
In a ring game, open raising with KJo in MP is a losing proposition.
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You should be open raising KJo in MP.
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