Roy,
I had one question to you. Wouldn't you advisecalling with all pairs even with when facing araise?
I play 25 NL on Party and I will call a raisewith any pair as long as the raise is less than10% of the opposing players stack. My thinking,with a monster hand like AA or KK that he israising; when I do hit my set I am taking his whole stack.
So I hit my set statistically 1 in 8 times andcall any raise with any pair as long as its 10% orless of a players stack. I make most of my moneyon the no limit tables doing this.
My basic strategy is to raise the same with everyhand as to not giveaway my hand.
AA, KK - raise 8 times the big blind (which is $2on a 25NL table) and if someone has raised beforeme I usually put them to the test and reraise 3times the amount they have put in or go all in.
AK, AQ - I raise 8 times the big blind if no onehas raised in front of me. If someone has limpedor no one has entered the pot I will raise 8 timesthe big blind. If the pot has been raised beforeme, I will only call if I have a decent read onthe player.
QQ, JJ - I raise 8 times the big blind if no onehas raised in front of me. If someone has limpedor no one has entered the pot I will raise 8 timesthe big blind. If the pot has been raised beforeme, I will call and play cautiously post flop ifI don't flop trips or my pocket pair is not thehigher than the board.
AJ - This hand has gotten me in trouble. I usuallylimp in or call the big blind. I throw away to anyraise before me and usually fold it if a raisecomes behind me.
1010, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22 - call thebig blind. maybe raise 1010 and 99 in lateposition if no one has entered the pot. I willcall a raise up 10% of the raising players stack.Post flop I know where I stand if I hit my set ornot, or my pocket pair is above what the boardshows.
I usually move tables quickly after I double mystack up, because most players will learn how you play and its hard to get action on raises afterthey learn you play real hands and push with them.
- S.
>>> MY COMMENTS:
Wow. What great insights. You've hit on some KILLER strategies here that canbe instantly implemented to win more money atonline poker.
First of all, I noticed that you said, "My basicstrategy is to raise the same with every hand asto not giveaway my hand.
"This is brilliant. I often employ this techniquemyself, because it keeps your opponents COMPLETELYoff-balance... guessing at what you're holding.
You also brought up a great point about the valueof hitting trips when you wrote, "When I do hit myset I am taking his whole stack.
"This concept can be taken FURTHER...
In online poker, IMPLIED ODDS are a more importantconsideration than in offline poker. The reason isbecause of the dominate LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE style of play...
When you make a significant bet, your chances ofgetting action are much higher than in youraverage home game or casino.
That's why I like to limp-in with suitedconnectors... because if I hit my flush orstraight I'm CONFIDENT that I'm going to win ahuge pot from someone.
The key is to NOT "chase" your outs. Don't stay ina hand and call all way down to the river withyour draws... it's not worth it. Bet the drawupfront, and if you get raised just muck it.
As for your question regarding pairs...
It sounds to me like you're playing RING GAMES and not Sit and Go's. When I play a low-stakes ringgame, my strategy is about the same as yours.
The biggest difference for me is that I hate getting up and moving tables so frequently. I'vefound that when players begin losing money to you,they often WON'T STOP. They'll just keep losingmoney... DETERMINED to beat you.
And of course, that's when you get the WINDFALL of profits from them... since they're on tilt andOUTRAGED that they can't seem to break you.
What I'll do is show an occasional bluff... oreven get busted on a bluff... that way they remainconfused about my style of play.
Remember: No limit Texas Holdem is PSYCHOLOGICA LWARFARE. As soon as you find a "fish" you canconsistently beat, don't leave! Just keep playinguntil THEY decide enough is enough.
OK, back to pairs. When I'm in a ring game, I willcall small raises with pocket pairs, in hopes ofbusting my opponents.
But in Sit and Go's I'm more cautious. And thereason is simple...In RING GAMES, I'll often play the "odds". Yes,there's a 1 in 8 chance that I'll make my trips. And so I'll play my pairs and take down huge potswhen I hit.
But in SIT And GO'S I can't always afford to putmy chips into the middle. Remember, there's only ONE MAIN STRATEGY for Sit and Go's...
SURVIVAL.
If you don't make it to the top three players in a10-man Sit and Go, you're not in the money, whichmeans you've FAILED.
And in your average Sit and Go, you'll probablyonly get a pocket pair once or twice (or maybe afew times if you're lucky) before the field getsdown to three players.
So what I've found is that it's often better forme to LIMP-IN with my pocket pair and hope fortrips. If someone makes a decent raise, I'llusually muck it unless I'm the chip leader.
Thanks for your comments man... and keep up the good work,
Roy
PokerStars 
