Mixing it up !!! need some input :)

[GahGah604]

So when you raise in your local casino $1/$2 no limit game... do people always assume you have over cards or big pairs ?

wouldnt it be good say to throw in a late position raise with say 9/2 offsuit just to mix it up sometimes ? then when the board flops say 9/5/7 when you hit that people won't expect it ? Lets say the caller had ace/king... would he assume I missed the flop as well and make a silly push ? or something along those lines ?

I am assuming when you raise people assume you have decent cards ? should you raise with junk every once in a while ?

thanks for the help

[Stacks]

Not junk per se, just begin to raise in position with marginal hands. You don't want to be raising hands like 93o UTG or anywhere for that matter. But hands like A5o that you wouldn't raise in early or middle position you can start opening in late position (BU/ maybe CO). Hands like J9s, K9s,QTs,65s, stuff like that. You don't want to play a hand with no potential because even if you have 93 and the flop comes 957 your not in amazing shape. The opponent very well could have whiffed overcards, but he could also have TT-AA, 99, 55, 77, 86s, 9x. So your not sitting comfortable.

So yeah you don't need to just play the nuts, but make sure when you do raise marginal hands it's in position and the hand has some sort of potential.

[GahGah604]

so hands like low poclet pairs or suited connectors or even Ace rag... I could raise in late position etc

[GahGah604]

so hands like low pocket pairs or suited connectors or even Ace rag... I could raise in late position etc

[Stacks]

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...st-t65040.html

Read those guides. Especially the one about preflop. That will help you here. Just remember you don't have to "have a hand" to win a pot. There are alot of other things that are just as important. One of the most important is position. So as the players before you fold the effective table is smaller. So if it's folded to you in the CO (to the right of the BU) you only have 3 players left. So the likelihood of running up against a hand that they are willing to play decreases. So a raise has a good chance of taking down the pot. And if it doesn't then you will generally see a flop HU and you will have position. So you can use your postflop plays such as c-betting, 2 barreling etc to win a hand when you don't absolutely smash the flop.

So hands like small pps, suited connectors, and ace rage (perferrably suited) can easily be opened in late position. Small pps, and suited connectors play rather easy postflop. You either hit it hard or you don't generally. Ace/rag will be a little trickier at times, but it's still worth a raise at times. Also, try to keep an eye on the players to your left. If you have very tight players to your left then it's conceivable you can open almost any two cards when folded around to you on the BU or CO. If they are loose and aggressive and willing to 3b then you need a more solid hand usually.