Tight ABC no-limit poker in the current climate will make you wildly successful as you've noted. The great news is that your success implies that you've got ABC down correctly - many people feel they are playing the same way and are losing - their version of tight ABC and mine are different. This type of play as you've correctly surmised, is not the way to maximized profits - but you've got to have it down before you move on to what you're trying now.
I play very loose before the flop, particularly in passive games where I am unlikely to see a raise - and it is correct to do so as long as one has the skill to play very well post-flop (which requires, amongst other things, an ability to put an opponent on a hand accurately). Let's say that I am playing a NL game with $2/$5 blinds and a $300 max buy-in. If I and two other opponents have over $1000 in front of us and I play much better than the other two - what hand could I possibly have that doesn't justify a $5 pre-flop call when I am getting 200:1 implied odds? Again, this style doesn't work for everyone - you've got to play extremely well post-flop. Ultimately though, everything in poker is situation dependent - eventually, to master this game, you have to get away from thinking in terms of "I have T8s in MP and the book says to fold". At the highest levels - this game is art - the rules fall away and it becomes a blend of knowledge and intuition. Reading your post - I got the impression that you're probably ready to move beyond ABC,
As far as how to adjust to someone playing this style... 'know thyself'. How do you get trapped when you're playing like this? Personally, I tend to trap people by playing much more passively against them post-flop then I normally would, allowing them to take the lead and hang themselves but for each opponent there is an optimal way to take them down.
One further note... many a great and talented player has fallen victim to the idea that because they are so darn good - they can play a few more hands profitably...which they can. And so they decide that they can play a few more...which they might. And so they decide that they can play a few more...which they can't. When their profits start dipping, they assume that it is short term fluctuations, which it may or may not be. If they've crossed the line of profitable play then it won't get better - but many delude themselves all the way to the rail. I do think your doing fine - but its something to be aware of.
TUPStatistics: Posted by TheUnknownPlayer — Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:45 am
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