Playing Against Loose Holdem Players

Here is one person's response to the classic question, "How do I play well against loose players?"

Answer:

When I first started playing poker I read some books available at the time and I tried to apply that knowledge (starting hands) to the games I was in. The games were very similar to the ones you mention above where almost everyone calls preflop. It is frustrating because people are playing so poorly, at least you assume so, and your good cards like AA and KK don't hold up. Only after a lot of time did I realize that certain hands play well in some situations while others don't. AA might be the best money making hand in one game while it is lucky to win at all in another. I can't tell you what the probabilities for each starting hand are to win and I'm not sure it would help you at all if I could supply you with that info. What you need to do to beat those games is to play more cards that do well in what we call volume pots. Volume pots are multi-way pots -- where lots of people are in. You will still play your big cards like AA, KK, AK etc but you'll also throw in a lot of other cards. What you want to play are suited cards that are near to eachother in rank. They don't have to be suited connectors only, like 87s for example. You can also play hands like Q9s, J8s, 86s, etc. Those hands will do well since when you hit with them you'll have a straight, two pair, trips or a flush. One pair rarely wins in those games. I recommend you also brush up some on pot odds. With so many people calling preflop you almost always have the odds to see the turn card (that is if you have a little something to begin with). Normal plays that would be incorrect in other games are correct in these; such as gutshot straight draws, calling for two pair, trying to catch a set on the turn if you hold a pocket pair, etc. So to reiterate, here are some hands that you will want to play (in any position as long as the game is like you mentioned above):

AT offsuit and above
A5s and below
Any pocket pair
Any suited connector
Any suited 2 gap cards (J9s, T8s, 97s, etc)
The larger big 3 gap suited cards (KTs, Q9s, J8s)

You'll play most of the cards to get a good flop (flush or straight draw). Then go from there.

For the second question, I would avoid the unsuited small cards. You can throw them in if you like but I don't think they'll be a big factor in your win; you could just throw them in in late position and in the blinds. I think even in the loosest games they will just break even. You'll already be playing a lot of hands so you need to draw the line somewhere so you won't be in everytime and give back too much.