Metagame Question: How to Adjust to a Pro Who Knows My Game?
How should I adjust to this V? He's going to be at a dream home game that begins Saturday night, no tip or rake at all, with mostly mediocre players, as well as one degen and one whale. The game is 1/2, initial 300 buyin, but players can buy in to match the highest stack. Within a few hours, stacks get deep. V will definitely buy in to match the highest stack.
V is my friend and sometimes my coach. He has played professional poker for ten years, mostly in raked 2/5 games but also sometimes 5/10. He's well bankrolled; poker is the only job he has had for a decade. I regularly show him the hands I post here on 2+2. I once showed him my preflop opening, calling, and 3betting ranges for all the positions. He said, “that’s good, pretty tight, I’d probably open AJo UTG” (in the UTG, I always open AQo but rarely AJo). I used to play with V all the time but haven’t in five years because Covid and a new casino killed the unraked home games, and I play 1/2 only. My old strategy was just to avoid hands with him. I left a lot of value on the table. I’m also a much better player now (thank you everyone on 2+2!).
So here’s my thinking
1. Just play ABC and try to win money from the other players.
2. Try to get a seat to V’s left.
3. Widen my 4-bet range against V to include a few bluffs or semi-bluffs: AKo, AQs+, JJ+.
4. Widen my 3-bet range against V to include some 3bets light. For example, 3bet on the button with 77+, AJo+, KJo+, and all suited broadways.
5. Maintain tight opening bets since the other players are loose-passives.
Any suggestions or criticisms?
1. Just play ABC and try to win money from the other players.
Just play good poker.
2. Try to get a seat to V’s left.
Not bad, but you have to weigh that against sitting to the left of fish which can be very profitable.
3. Widen my 4-bet range against V to include a few bluffs or semi-bluffs: AKo, AQs+, JJ+.
Yes. Study preflop ranges.
4. Widen my 3-bet range against V to include some 3bets light. For example, 3bet on the button with 77+, AJo+, KJo+, and all suited broadways.
Study preflop ranges. Shat you 3bet on the button depends on who opened from what position. 77 is a fine 3bet vs cutoff assuming cutoff is positional aware. Not so much vs UTG.
5. Maintain tight opening bets since the other players are loose-passives.
Just study preflop ranges and for the most part stick to those. Suited connectors from early position are very marginal. Don't be like the guys that are opening 64s from UTG. For the most part the GTO ranges are going to be playable.