Luck and the Loose Table

As you develop your skills and strategies by playing and practicing at the tables, you will find very quickly that a lot of money can be made at the tables that are considered “loose”.  In this article, we are going to try and explain how some loose games differ from others.

Before a discussion can begin regarding strategies, you should know that there are different types of loose games that you are likely to encounter.  The first game is called a loose/passive game.  In this situation you will find a lot of players who like to limp into the pot pre-flop.  Most players in these games will not raise before the flop without a solid starting hand.  Because there tends to be so many limpers in loose passive games, often you can enter the pot for very little money, which means that you can play loosely yourself since generally there is little fear that there will be an opponent that will raise behind you.  As a result, you will find yourself playing in a lot of multi-way pots.  These games often provide good opportunities to limp in early position with speculative hands like small pairs and suited Ace’s, where you are hoping to hit a set or make a flush, since your initial investment is minimal.

In a loose/aggressive game, you will find that players will be making a lot more pre-flop raises, often with a much wider hand range.  Since most pots are raised, you are less likely to have a lot of players seeing the flop in these kind of games.  Because there is more pre-flop raising in loose/aggressive games, you should be looking to play more high percentage hands like big pairs, AK, and AQ.  Playing speculative hands can also be profitable in these types of games, but only if you are in position.  Playing speculative hands out of position will often become too expensive to justify.

In either type of game you can expect to see a wide variety of hands at showdown which makes it harder to steal pots in loose games because an opponent is more likely to hit the flop, especially in a multi-way pot.  Don’t ever feel like you need to get caught up in the action or build a pot in a loose game.  It only takes a key hand or two to bring you some nice profits and turn things around.  In loose/aggressive games especially, your opponents will tend to overplay hands such as top pair which means that you will have the opportunity to sit back and trap them with your big hand.

The Powerful Semi-Bluff

While bluffing can sometimes be one of the most thrilling plays in poker, it can also be one of the scariest.  Especially for cash game players who are risking real money when they put their chips into the middle with nothing but air.  Semi-bluffing can provide many of the same rewards that bluffing can, but with the added benefit that you still may be able to make a winning hand even if you get called.  Semi-bluffing means that you are betting with a hand that would currently lose at showdown, but the hand also has the potential to improve.

For example let’s say you are holding the 10H and JH and the flop falls 7H, 8H and A-D. Even though you are technically behind if you bet, your hand still has a chance of winning at showdown if you catch a heart or a 9. Even better, you could win the pot immediately if your opponents aren’t carrying an Ace.

You can semi-bluff your hand either in or out of position, and each option offers different risks and benefits.  The first benefit of semi-bluffing from out of position is that sometimes by leading out, you can take the pot right away by forcing your opponents to fold.  In cases where your opponent does not fold, a semi-bluff can work as a defensive bet. You take control of the game by enticing your opponent to call for a smaller amount that he would have eventually bet on his own.  Also, semi-bluffing from out of position can be very deceptive since your opponents will often give you credit for having a made hand rather than some kind of draw.  If your opponent raises your semi-bluff on the flop, you may want to call and reevaluate your hand on the turn, but occasionally you can continue your semi-bluff and put in a big re-raise.  You can do this either when your draw is very unlikely to hit or when you suspect your opponent does not have a huge hand.  If you think your opponent is very strong, you can check-call hoping to make your hand on the turn.  If you think he’s weak, you can lead out with another semi-bluff on the turn.

Your semi-bluffing options are slightly different when you are in position.  In this case, betting your hand when your opponents check to you can often be enough to just take the pot down right away.  Remember though that by doing so you are re-opening the betting and giving a tricky opponent the chance to check-raise you into folding a hand that could have improved with a free card.  With this in mind, take careful note of who you are up against in the hand.  If you are up against a weak or predictable opponent you can semi-bluff without much fear.  Against a tricky or more aggressive opponent, then you need to think about whether or not your hand can stand up to a check-raise before you bet.