OK, so leading on from my previous requests for help on the pub tournament I play for, I feel I should add more details and ask for more help!!

I just went out in the regional final playoffs in our pub league. The format is thus:

• Chips: 2000, starting blinds 25/50, going up every 10 minutes, with one break
• Hardly any pre-flop raises, with everyone playing out of turn pre-flop (an advantage, as it lets me effectively be in late position every hand)
• Aggressive play does NOT work. Raising pre-flop results in everyone who has already called calling, some others folding. Impossible to knock people out post-flop without at least 3x the BB at any stage
• Some bluffs / semibluffs work on the river, but only occasionally
• Very few hands per hour. Almost 100% hands going to showdown
• Most bets are 1x BB except on the turn and river, when they will often be up to 10x BB. Lots of all-ins from the short stacks

It's basically a free-for-all of maniacs and fish. Some have no idea of hand value, some are too passive, some are randomly too aggressive. Although I should know what they're all like, they are all too unpredictable to make a good judgement and I often finding myself folding marginal hands when the rest had shit, and calling until the river and folding because their nothing beats my nothing.

Online, I like to play tight, solid, and aggressive. This does not work here, as whenever I play tight I find my stack being depleted because there's only usually 5-7 of us, and any reasonable hands I play I miss on the flop and someone bets, causing me to fold, or I try calling and losing even more when I miss the turn. Admitidly I am quite unlucky, getting JJ+ about once a night. Literally. I got AKo once this session, nothing else worth playing apart from two small pocket pairs and 67s.

I'm starting to think the best option is to wait for a good starting hand and bet 8x BB preflop until people start to call me down. Does anyone have any advice for such an unpredictable table?

I know how you feel, very frustrating when you think your making a good lay down and people flip their cards and you see something off the wall. 10 minute blinds would have you seeing very few hands especially if the people at the table need help with betting and counting their chips every time they act.

I have a monthly free poker tournament at my school that reminds me of your example. the approach that I would always take to the table was to try and pick out the passive players from the aggressive crazy ones. even though they all are going to make very odd moves. you can atleast pick the ones out that you may be able to push off hands, I think in a tournament like that you have to try and jam the pot when you know your good and take chances from time to time cause your implied odds are prolly really good if you make a hand.

As far as I can make out limping in often with below average hands (e.g. J7) and relying on luck is the way to go. The three people who are the big winners have a % seen flop of over 70%.

I think I might try limping in with crap often, and betting hard with a hit, raising 4x BB preflop on a good starting hand, and being less solid. I honestly don't know what else to try.

"relying on luck is the way to go"

In the words of Will Smith: aww heyl no!

Originally Posted by Crundy

[*]Some bluffs / semibluffs work on the river, but only occasionally

How exactly does one semibluff on the river?

Hmm, true. OK, so what I meant was that putting in large bets or raises with moderate hands doesn't work. e.g. if you have medium pair.

Originally Posted by 22Fish

"relying on luck is the way to go"

In the words of Will Smith: aww heyl no!

I think relying on bravery rather than luck is the way forward here. No skill required!!

Heh, I actually won last game
Having position on the resident maniac seemed to be one factor. I let him take chips off a few people with his crazy all-ins and then zapped him whenever I had a good hand.

I did have a bad beat with bullets though. Managed to put two people all-in preflop. One had J9o and the other had T7o (!!). Lucky for him a 10 and a 7 came up