MSS Advanced (2) - Preflop I

Introduction

In this article

• How you play mid stack strategy before the flop
  
• Which hands you should open-raise
  
• When it is a good choice to enter the pot passively
  

This article introduces you to the basics of playing the mid stack strategy preflop and to two different open-raising charts.

Open-raising

You always enter the pot by open-raising. The two charts further down tell you which hands you should open-raise with. A limp is usually not an option. However, there are some exceptions where a limp can make sense.

When playing the MSS, calling for set value before the flop when you have a small pocket pair is generally not profitable, because your implied odds aren't sufficient. This is only the case if you know that the players behind you always over-call or if there are players before you who cold called.

Another factor to consider is your opponent's skill. If the opponent is weak and often pays you off if you hit a set, you should limp for set value more often and even call a raise in certain exceptions.

You only limp if there are already some limpers in the pot and if the threat of a coming raise is relatively small. A limp does not make any sense if a regular behind you will always make an isolation raise. Due to the smaller stack size, you wouldn't be able to call profitably.

The guidelines for limping are similar to those that apply to completing in the small blind. If you complete, you will do so with suited Ax, suited connectors and pockets. Again, there should be two to three limpers before you. The best hands for limping after several callers are low pocket pairs, such as 22-66. With 77+, for example, you should usually raise, depending on the stats you have on the limpers.

Limping

NL400, full-ring

Notes:
UTG1: Fish
MP1: Weak regular. Your note on him tells you that he limps AA.

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with
UTG1 calls $4, MP1 calls $4, Hero calls $4,

There are two reasons why this spot is good for limping. As all the players are quite passive and you therefore don't have to fear an isolation raise that much, you might consider calling here. Your hand has high implied odds and your opponents are not likely to fold top pair good kicker, especially against a mid stack. The fish will therefore often pay you off if he hits a hand. According to your notes, the regular in MP1 can even limp AA and you are likely to stack him in most situations if you hit the set.

These two reasons speak in favour of limping a small pocket pair in this specific situation. However, this should always be a strict exception, since you usually pursue a tight aggressive preflop game when playing the MSS. The open-raise should always be your default way to enter the pot.

Calling

In general, you want to cold call open-raises as rarely as possible. Only if your hand has good playability, but is too weak to play 3-bet/call, you might consider a cold call. You can also balance this line with your monster hands. However, you can always just play the MSS very straightforwardly without such tricky plays and usually refrain from making cold calls.

The next example serves to illustrate when a cold call can be a reasonable option.

NL400, full-ring

Notes:
MP1: 11% open-raise, fold-to-3-bet: 57%

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, MP1 bets $12, 1 fold, MP3 calls $12, 1 fold, Hero calls $12

A relatively tight player with a low fold-to-3-bet stat open-raises from MP1 and gets a call.

You can't make a profitable 3-bet here because you would have to fold to a 4-bet and also because Villain doesn't fold many hands to 3-bets. On top of that, your hand has good playability. That's why you could also cold call in this situation and try to play your hand after the flop. For a cold call, it would be ideal if you were in position. If you are OOP, you should fold despite your strong hand, since you probably wouldn't be able to play it profitably.

Raise sizes

The standard raise size at NL 200 should be 2.5 BB. However, you can vary it between 2BB and 4BB. The raise size goes hand in hand with your playing style. If you tend to play very tight, you should make somewhat bigger open-raises, if your game is rather loose, you should make them somewhat smaller.

The same goes for your position at the table and your opponents. If you have very aggressive players behind you, you should only play a tight range with standard raise sizes. If there are very passive players to act after you, who like to call a lot, you can also raise up to 4BB with your tight range in order to extract maximum value. As usual, this depends on your individual playing style and habits.

Standard ORC

Below you find the standard ORC for the MSS. You should use this standard range if the following conditions are met:

• Loose/aggressive opponents behind you.
• You don't feel comfortable with the wide range postflop.

As with all charts, you also have to adjust the ranges to your own personal needs and your playing style. The chart merely gives you hints for your game and serves as a point of reference, which helps you find your very own preflop playing style.

The more experience you gain and the more thoroughly you analyse specific game situations, the more your game will shift away from the chart towards your own individual playing style. A chart never represents the optimum, it solely serves as a guideline - in poker the individual situation is always much more important than generalised rules.

Download standard and extended ORCs

Extended ORC

By extending the open-raising range, you can play more hands with a positive expected value (EV). Especially at passive and very tight tables, your open-raises get a lot of respect. A data base evaluation shows the following results:

• You rarely get a 3-bet.
• You win the pot preflop in 52% of all cases -> all players fold
• Continuation bets are successful in 45% of cases. This means that you are making profit, since they only need to be successful in 33% of cases (½ pot c-bet).
• Equity and playability that you have with your hands.

These factors lead to the fact that if you play with the extended 10% range from early position, your EV is 3.65ptBB higher than the EV you get with the 6% standard range. However, playing the extended range is definitely not a no-brainer. You have to pay much closer attention to the actions and the stats of your opponents, adjust to their game and exploit them in order to be successful.

It is not wrong to choose a tighter range if you don't feel comfortable with the looser range. You can deduce from the above criteria that there are tables at which loose open-raises are -EV. If you think that this is the case at your table, remember: Tight is right. Before extending your open-raising range, thoroughly analyse the players behind you.

Summary

In this article you learned how to play the MSS preflop and which factors you need to consider when doing so. In the next article of the MSS series, you will be introduced to the concepts behind the 3-bet and the 4-bet strategies.

LINKS
PDF: Standard and extended ORCs Related articles: MSS Advanced (1) - The Basics Discussion forum: Discuss this article in the forum