It can be difficult to understand the thinking of some players.

I played tight/passive/aggressive, but under control for a session at $25NL 9 max ring last night. Won 3 fair sized hands. First, 9T in the SB, lots of limpers, flopped 984, led, one caller, led at the turn not wanting to give a free card if he was drawing, J came on the river and I checked hoping for a small pot. He immediately overbet the pot. I couldn’t see how the J helped unless he was drawing against pot odds with T7 or some unlikely J8/J4 so I called, he had A8 and took my river check as weakness.

Later, UTG raises and a late position player calls and I call in the BB w/TT. Flop is 889 and I lead in case he has overs and will fold, UTG calls, late position folds. I check the turn, then put a small value bet on the river. He had raised UTG preflop w/66(?), and stayed, I guess figuring I had bluffed at the paired flop.

3rd winning hand I raise from mid with KK, get called from the SB and CO. Flop comes QJ9 so I bet hoping someone might fold and no-one will raise. CO folds, SB calls. I check the turn, so on the river the SB leads out a probe-size bet. I guess because I checked the turn he thought his 77 might be still good. I was still afraid of the flop and only called.

Pretty cautious playing, but I’m trying to keep my aggression in control. The tough part is trying to keep the pot size in control when many of these players interpret any check as a sign of weakness. Checking the turn after betting the flop seems to almost guarantee a river bet on this site; the problem is deciding whether it’s a bluff or not.

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If I could not call, first hand I would not have played, having to complete from the SB, but that river overbet would have been interesting. Maybe I would have to lead to avoid getting bet at since I would have to raise/fold. Second hand I guess I would repop preflop, and he would probably folded 66. Third hand I would have had to repop his river bet, and he probably would have folded.

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Tight/Passive/Aggressive?

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I’m beginning to wonder whether the way to play low, low levels is to play tight/passive/aggressive. In other words, tight preflop hand selection, but only raise Sklansky’s top level hands, or late with no limpers, or from the blinds in a blind war. At the moment I seem to be having more success playing this way. I might even move more towards slightly-loose preflop with this, limping behind with any hand that has drawing potential.