Home / small stakes strategy (1 Viewer)

[John2121]

(Besides having fun) For those of you who play live home games or small stakes, how important is exploitation in your opinion versus sticking to a fundamentally sound strategy?

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Playing straight GTO at a home game would be like playing standard blackjack while being able to see both of the dealer's cards. Gotta exploit.

 

[Jimulacrum]

The more you know the players, the more exploitation should factor into your play. For small-stakes home games with the same field week after week, that should be basically all the time. There is still some value in balancing your actions a bit, but knowing your players well can be worth a lot more, especially if they have any glaring leaks or consistent tendencies.

 

[Kain8]

Deviations are as necessary as how dynamic the table plays. The more action a game has (especially on the opening deal) the more opportunities you have to exploit.

 

[DogSizedTardigrade]

Unless you're home game is filled with pro's and high stake crushers, exploitation is the best way to go. Although there is a case to be made about putting the breaks on really steamrolling the house. If you straight take money from the other players, knowing that they will fold everything lower then top pair, or reading every tell and picking off every bluff you might ruin the game and might be finding yourself a new place to play.

 

[allforcharity]

I am almost zero exploitive. To mix things up, I just increase my range from time to time.

 

[upNdown]

I’d argue that exploitative play is far more effective in the majority of live poker, not just home games. Save the GTO for online or playing live with pros.

 

[suchj0sh]

I’ve never really understood this discussion in general. We aren’t computers, multi-handed hold’em isn’t solved. No one can “play GTO.” You can do your best, but at the end of the day it’s just playing good poker.

 

[allforcharity]

I’ve never really understood this discussion in general. We aren’t computers, multi-handed hold’em isn’t solved. No one can “play GTO.” You can do your best, but at the end of the day it’s just playing good poker.

Aha! You assume that I'm capable of playing 'good poker'. To me, GTO is a car.

 

[Kain8]

Aha! You assume that I'm capable of playing 'good poker'. To me, GTO is a car.

Haha, GTO go brrrr

 

[OnTiltAlways]

Exploit is such an awful term when play poker with your buddies. There needs to a better term.

 

[Jimulacrum]

Exploit is such an awful term when play poker with your buddies. There needs to a better term.

Employ bespoke strategies.

 

[OnTiltAlways]

That's much better...what does it mean?

 

[Jimulacrum]

Using data-driven solutions to customize your opponent's experience for maximum benefit.

 

[DrStrange]

I think of it as tuition for the school of poker -=- DrStrange

 

[allforcharity]

Exploit is such an awful term when play poker with your buddies. There needs to a better term.

Sometimes the truth is awful.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Exploit is such an awful term when play poker with your buddies. There needs to a better term.

CRUSH. DECIMATE. ABUSE THEIR WEAKNESSES. Shine a SPOTLIGHT on their SHORTCOMINGS

 

[Poker Zombie]

CRUSH. DECIMATE. ABUSE THEIR WEAKNESSES. Shine a SPOTLIGHT on their SHORTCOMINGS

...but don't tell them they are bad.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

...but don't tell them they are bad.

'Ah shit, whatre you gonna do, fold Aces?! Tough beat'

-4 flush paired board-

 

[OnTiltAlways]

That's much much better. Thanks!

 

[Imaduck]

If you're trying to improve your game, focus on studying basic strategy as much as possible. The only way to be a guaranteed winner is to play correctly over a long period of time.

That being said, when playing a home game with the same regulars, you're basically at the peak of opportunities of exploitation, since you'll have more data on their play than most players you're playing with. With sufficient data, you should always be adjusting your play to exploitable players. But the question is "adjust from what?" and "adjust how?" You can only answer those when you have good fundamentals to deviate from.

 

[Dbxela]

Lack of a solve in multiway etc aside, think of your win-rate like this:

Their GTO mistakes - your GTO mistakes
+ your successful exploits
- your unsuccessful exploits
- their successful exploits
+ their unsuccessful exploits

For most players those first two terms are so much bigger than the net of the 2nd two or four, that patching up your major GTO mistakes would lead to crushing the game on its own. Many exploits, especially where villains are too loose, can be quite subtle, most of the $ just accrues to your big hands anyway.

Patching up major GTO mistakes might feel like exploiting too, because of things like adding in more preflop squeezing and donking and river overbetting and fun stuff like that, so I expect most players wouldn't realise when their best 'exploits' are actually getting closer to solver approved lines.

 

[buntly]

You absolutely should be playing exploitatively in home games because you have so much more data about specific player profiles. If there's one guy who bluffs the river a ton, you should be calling his river bets slightly more often when the decision would otherwise be indifferent. Also home games tend to be much more splashier so playing aggressively will be more profitable.

 

[TheHobbyist]

Exploit is at 99 for low stakes casual home game. Fold KK approved

 

[parazyd]

 

[TBER]

I've found it can be tough to clock volatile players so I try to be careful with them until post-flop. You definitely want to exploit the volatility, but not in a nasty weak flop where you have an unpaired opener. Best to let others cede their chips to volatility until you can exploit on a more proactive flop.

Less tilting this way too.

 

[JustinInMN]

Aha! You assume that I'm capable of playing 'good poker'. To me, GTO is a car.

Paging Jan and Dean

 

[Lester86]

Most of the guys are at my game are calling stations.

 

[valleychips]

Exploit is such an awful term when play poker with your buddies. There needs to a better term.

I'd call it "adaptive" poker. In essence, exploitative poker is adapting to what your opponents do wrong, even if that puts you well out of synch with GTO. Also, it's easier to say than "exploitative" (at least for me).

In my home games, for sure adaptive poker is key. Funny enough, I sometimes make what could be the "wrong" play for my games (if it's not for a huge pot) because it's the "right" play in general, and I still want to be able to play with unknown players or at casinos, as I view the local games as kind of a live trainer. That said, the better the players, the less adaptive poker applies, just like folks are saying in this thread (though it still applies in a major way for sure at all the low stakes, from what I've experienced and been told by way more experienced semi-pros).

 

[Lester86]

I'd call it "adaptive" poker. In essence, exploitative poker is adapting to what your opponents do wrong, even if that puts you well out of synch with GTO. Also, it's easier to say than "exploitative" (at least for me).

In my home games, for sure adaptive poker is key. Funny enough, I sometimes make what could be the "wrong" play for my games (if it's not for a huge pot) because it's the "right" play in general, and I still want to be able to play with unknown players or at casinos, as I view the local games as kind of a live trainer. That said, the better the players, the less adaptive poker applies, just like folks are saying in this thread (though it still applies in a major way for sure at all the low stakes, from what I've experienced and been told by way more experienced semi-pros).

I totally agree. It's pointless to try to put someone one a range if they play 50% of the hands that are dealt to them lol