Adjusting for the Table

If you're at a full ring (10-player) table where everyone has 100 big blinds, and you have 88 under the gun, what should you do? Well, it depends on what kind of people you're playing with. If there's a lot of limping and very little raising, you're fine limping under the gun with 88.

Your optimal preflop strategy (and post-flop strategy, but that's for another day) depends heavily on the styles of your opponents. A table full of tight-aggressive players will eat you alive if you frequently open limp in early position with prospective hands. However, that's exactly what you should do at a table full of loose-passive players. If players are loose enough to make insane preflop calls, raise huge with your premiums. At a tight table, that's just silly, because you won't get any action.

Here are the basics:

-If you're at a loose/passive table, prospective hands become more playable.

-If you're at an overly aggressive table, tighten up and wait for strong starting hands.

-If you're at an overly tight table, open raise in late position a little more often.

-If you're at a solid table full of good players, get up and find another table.