isolating

Isolating is overrated IMO. Sometimes I feel its best to get as many fish in the hand as possible when you have certain hands.

I think many people would disagree with me strongly though.

I think it depends on the type of fish. If it's a typical loose-passive who has a high VPIP but folds to a lot of cbets, I'm isolating any two. If he never folds postflop I'm isolating hands that can make two decent top pairs (A9s, QTo). Whether the second fish is likely to call behind is also important, if he calls behind a lot, then I have to include his tendencies in my decision as well (which will always result in me tightening my range relative to one limper), but many fish who limp behind fold to an iso tons. Generally speaking though I isolate wider than I open in a given position.

On December 13 2009 11:23 Sicks Macks wrote: isolate wider than I open in a given position.

agree.

Stay in your comfort zone though if you're just getting used to wide isos. You're not "playing bad" when you fold that J6s. Prevents spew.

Also different schools of thought with regard to isos, some people do tighten up a little bit (just generally not tighter than normal opening). I know there's actually a chapter on harrington on cash that says "online players tend to iso too much", and actually advocates tighter play. Maybe he was talking live, iuno cuz I don't play live.

TY. Will try to widen gradually.

Also, what about situations where you are OOP and have a chance to isolate? How does that affect your standards?

EX. I just posted a hand in low stakes where button limps, sb folds, and I have QJcc in the big blind. I did not raise

The idea with isolation is to play as many pots as you can vs weaker players profitably. So widen your range as much as you can as long as you think you can make those hands EV+ against these players.

So for example if it's a fish who always wants to see a flop and will c/f when he misses, you can raise him with pretty much anything with a plan to just cbet and take down the pot on flop. If he's a station and will call with any piece of the board then you can play lots of high cards in position (like K7s for example) and try to make top pair so you can relentlessly valuetown them even though you don't have a good pair.

Isolation isn't overrated imo. Some of these people are just so bad post flop that it is extremely profitable.

I agree with Sick Macks above pretty much. One thing to note is the people behind you too. If you are in the CO or MP and you are isoing IP then you don't want people either calling behind (more loose passive people) or regs 3betting light because they know exactly what you are up to.

discussing poker is overrated

Well you arent really isolating if 2 or more people enter the pot. Isolation refers to taking it HU vs just one guy, preferably in position. So raising 5x BB with limpers isnt a good idea. A7s would be a fine iso hand vs the MP limper. We'll assume the fish isnt folding to 100% of your cbets. In this case, you should be looking to make top pair type hands with little regard for your kicker. K5o, J9o, Ax, these are all playable hands. As you mentioned, suited connectors are a no no since you'll just be flopping 2nd pair and shit most often, and you would rather be playing multi-way pots with these anyway, not iso'ing fish HU for value.

Unless they like to continue on flop with total air I raise much wider.

And if they call with total air I still isolate a very wide value range

LOL thanks for the advices.

result:

just played a session. Isolating was like the only profitable thing I did whole session lol. they just folded preflop.

seems tho, like if im getting stacked postflop all the time, that i shouldnt be trying to isolate anyone. lols.