While some may seem obvious, we chat about these in the corral from time to time and I wanted to share a few of what I think are the more salient pieces of advice. I don't know who the player is, but allegedly he is a tight, winning player $50 and $100 NL. The advice is in Q&A format and is supposed to be Rush-specific, but it really isn't.
If anyone cares to see all of the Qs and As, please advise, and I'll post them all. But here are the better ones IMO [My comments added]:
Q. Some players are willing to fold KK preflop for 100BB's in FR Rush games, while others go with it every time even with a lot of aggression in front of them and just chalk it up to a cooler if someone has AA.
A. Yeah these guys aren't solid winners. If you can't fold KK pre-flop at a table full of 12/8's, then you're just following poker adages and not actively thinking about ranges. [Hope i remember this one cuz I've stacked off with KK vs AA too many times to guys who are tighter than 12/8]
Q. How do you play pocket pairs? Is it profitable to play small pocket pairs from early position?
A. I play them exactly like I do in 6-max or regular full ring. I see multi-way flops 100% of the time, I raise them from every position (showing a clear profit with 22-55 from UTG), and try not to play them OOP (usually 3bet/folding, 3bet/5betting, or outright folding). When I miss, I try to fight for pots when my opponent shows weakness, the opponent is kinda LAG, or the board comes good to raise and then barrel any turn and river (564r, etc.). [I assume the difference between raising them in every position and not playing them OoP is not calling raises...thoughts?]
Q. What are you standardly opening from UTG and UTG+1?
A. I think AQ+, all pairs is fine, but I don't blame anyone for opening Ajs or folding 55 and below. It's all a matter of preference. If I'm running bad, getting 3-bet a ton, or playing less than my A-game, I definitely tighten up, but if I'm dominating, I'll open stuff like KQs. I'm a big believer in letting feel and confidence dictate my play, rather than sticking to concrete opening ranges.
Q. In the blinds, what's your range for flatting or 3betting a CO or BTN raise from a reg?
A. I defend tightly here, usually flatting medium pairs, suited broadways, AT+, and monsters, and then 3-betting him based on his fold to 3-bet stat. If he's folding a lot, I'll just flat AA and KK and then set traps post-flop. If he spazzes to 3-bets, I'll just 3-bet him for value a lot and play pretty conservatively otherwise. I like to think I have a pretty strong defending range in general. Some people have a 9-12 3-bet vs. steal from the blinds and I think they're just spewing money.
If anyone cares to see all of the Qs and As, please advise, and I'll post them all. But here are the better ones IMO [My comments added]:
Q. Some players are willing to fold KK preflop for 100BB's in FR Rush games, while others go with it every time even with a lot of aggression in front of them and just chalk it up to a cooler if someone has AA.
A. Yeah these guys aren't solid winners. If you can't fold KK pre-flop at a table full of 12/8's, then you're just following poker adages and not actively thinking about ranges. [Hope i remember this one cuz I've stacked off with KK vs AA too many times to guys who are tighter than 12/8]
Q. How do you play pocket pairs? Is it profitable to play small pocket pairs from early position?
A. I play them exactly like I do in 6-max or regular full ring. I see multi-way flops 100% of the time, I raise them from every position (showing a clear profit with 22-55 from UTG), and try not to play them OOP (usually 3bet/folding, 3bet/5betting, or outright folding). When I miss, I try to fight for pots when my opponent shows weakness, the opponent is kinda LAG, or the board comes good to raise and then barrel any turn and river (564r, etc.). [I assume the difference between raising them in every position and not playing them OoP is not calling raises...thoughts?]
Q. What are you standardly opening from UTG and UTG+1?
A. I think AQ+, all pairs is fine, but I don't blame anyone for opening Ajs or folding 55 and below. It's all a matter of preference. If I'm running bad, getting 3-bet a ton, or playing less than my A-game, I definitely tighten up, but if I'm dominating, I'll open stuff like KQs. I'm a big believer in letting feel and confidence dictate my play, rather than sticking to concrete opening ranges.
Q. In the blinds, what's your range for flatting or 3betting a CO or BTN raise from a reg?
A. I defend tightly here, usually flatting medium pairs, suited broadways, AT+, and monsters, and then 3-betting him based on his fold to 3-bet stat. If he's folding a lot, I'll just flat AA and KK and then set traps post-flop. If he spazzes to 3-bets, I'll just 3-bet him for value a lot and play pretty conservatively otherwise. I like to think I have a pretty strong defending range in general. Some people have a 9-12 3-bet vs. steal from the blinds and I think they're just spewing money.