table of CALLERS!!

Last night I played a $5 tourny with some friends.. For the last 2 months I've won everytime we've played, which isnt really saying much. What is funny is that over the last 2 months I've also increased my time in casinos and online playing.. so my game has significantly changed. Especially PRE-FLOP. I play fairly simply.. raise group 0-1, call-raise 1-2 positioned correctly etc. This style of playing has worked very well for me in the casinos because people actually fold or the limpers get punished.

Last night I relalized that all my friends limp.. but still call raises with junk cards.. They consider any suited poket good.. Raising 10xBB with 6/6 etc.. I tried to change my game accordingly but realized I wasnt seeing nearly enough flops. How was I eliminated last night? I raised Big Slick spades 10xBB preflop, 4 callers! Flop: Ad Kc 3s. I raise to all in. 1 player calls. turn/river: 7d, Qd. He shows: 3d 8d. HE CALLED MY PRE FLOP RAISE WITH 3/8 SUITED!! i dont mind too much about the flush.. that was just a badbeat.. but the pre flop call that's what kills me.

Any advise about how to play a table like this would be greatly appreciated.

Any advise about how to play a table like this would be greatly appreciated.

Tight and aggressive!

No but seriously...you were the favourite and got outdrawn. It happens. That's something one have to take into consideration when going all in...any sucker can call and get lucky.

i have friends who are exactly like this too, i have no consistent strategy to beat them, for example ill get A-J, raise, get a caller with J-5 suited, hell catch two pair. Maybe more aggression preflop?

Yeah, I agree with you guys that focusing on the pre-flop part of the game is the way. Newbies often do not know how to play their hands pre-flop, they just have to see that flop. So punish them pre-flop, maybe adjust a little higher than you would against a normal table.

Anything can happen in the short term, but I think you'll take their money long term no problem. Of course, then you'll lose all your friends, so the occasional suck out is ok, right?

I'll go against the grain here.

If they'll call any amount pre-flop then pushing non-pocket pairs too strong pre-flop is probably a bad idea (as odd as it sounds.) AK is only a 3:2 favorite over a non-dominated hand (72o) and your edge errodes quickly in a multi-pot since Ace high is not likely to be good. Learn to play the flop better and outplay them there. Watch them closely. Do they have a tell after they flop that monster? What do they do when they miss? Play the player! Focus your raises on hands like AA-JJ where you have a bigger edge pre-flop (since they'll call anyway.)

When the blinds are small play trap poker against calling stations. Any pocket pair, hands that can make straits and flushes. Particulary if they underbet, check often and rarely bluff. Draw out on them, then abuse their need to see a hand when you make your draw!

Thanks guys! I played again with my friends tonight. I adjusted to fnord's advise for the first half of the game. It worked very well.. I just punished the players when ever I had monsters or decent draws. After bringing the table down to 4 players, I played my pre-flop game with random raises. Anyhow.. great advise. I won the night.

I guess I'll keep my preflop game online and in the casinos.

Good stuff.