You sit at a table full of strangers- how do u begin?

I basically play nothing but live home games with friends and the occassional online freeroll / donkfest. Basically the only legit real-money games that I play (home games), I play with people whose styles I know quite well.

In fact, I've realized how important knowing someone's playing style is: I play differently against a tight-as-an-***hole, honest injun player than I do against the aggressive, compulsive-bluffer type, and passive any-two type players.

Okay enough useless background; the question: how should I play if I was to sit down at a casino table with strangers... or join another circle of players who I've never played with? Pretty boring but I'm curious.

tight ABC poker

Yea I agree. I always start out tight and play straight forward so I have a chance to pick up on how other people play without risking my stack to overaggressive and crazed donk tactics.

Ive recently started playing super-tight super-abc for the first orbit or 2 when i sit down.

Ill limp call PPs for sets and ill limp the odd SC in late position. Apart from that im raising JJ+ and AQ+

After 2 orbits or so once im starting to figure out who the LAGs are and who the tight passives are, who the floaters are etc. then ill start raising more and playing more.

Tight is right, or if the stakes are high enough for them to understand this, make some real stupid moves in the first few hands and make them class you as a fish.

Don't try and bluff early on - they never believe you.

In addition to "tight is right" ther are a few other tactics that I tried before with moderate success:

1) Call some small bets, e.g. in a check-around boards, in order to show down extremely weak hands like Ace-high, and show your cards. This way people won't bluff you afterwards.
2) Massively overbet with some big hands. People will call you out of suspicion.

i understand the need to start tight. especially, since you need info on everyone, and that is best done while NOT INVOLVED, as you can watch everyone much better....

but, FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING ( read that somewhere)...

i will throw out another suggestion, psychologically speaking...why not try to play maniacal for a couple of orbits, then play abc from there on? i've noticed when i sit down at a table and "get hot" early on, i get no respect for the rest of the session (as long as i dont go to show down much), and my good hands get paid off BIG!

didnt sklansky write somehwere that if you sit at a small stakes game you should assume your opponents suck and play a range that is not super loose, but certainly not ABC tight?

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Originally Posted by Miffed22001

didnt sklansky write somehwere that if you sit at a small stakes game you should assume your opponents suck and play a range that is not super loose, but certainly not ABC tight?

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he did but hes wrong if hes talking about the stars 100NL 6max game.

If you are playing in a game where 50% of the players are super passive without the nuts and the other half are super aggro with anything then its suicide to start playing low pairs without sets imo. You either get bluffed off or destroyed when the passive has AA. Better to figure out whos who before you put yourself in those marginal spots (which arent anything like as marginal when you are able to put them on a more accurate range)