Live - randomizing play

I suppose this is more typically referred to as balancing your range, but do you ever intentionally randomize your play some % of the time? For instance, if you feel you should raise a suited connector from EP 10% of the time, then you will use some event such as the second hand on your watch to occur roughly 10% of the time.

Can this also be used to keep your imaginary HUD in line? A lot of people tend to play looser than they realize in a live setting, even solid online TAG's. Do you feel following a "20% vpip" rule by using some outside event to keep yourself playing only 20% of hands useful?

They actually make an android/iOS HUD app that I've thought about using, just worried it'd be too much work & draw too much attention.

jesus, this man has rockets

stfu donkey

people who play 20 vpip are nits

I don't think balancing your range is exactly the same as having a mixed strategy with a certain holding.

I personally believe both balance and mixed strategies are an awful way to approach soft live games. You should aim to exploit your opponents' weaknesses as well as you can even though this will result in your own game being unbalanced and exploitable.

With regards to "throwing your opponents off", I think it's much harder than you think for people to have such specific reads on you, even online, but especially live where they get to see you play so few hands. In addition, your opponents may be thrown off automatically because..

- They see you play the same hand differently against a different player
- They don't understand the fundamentals of the game, and therefore, think you played the same hand differently in the same situation to "mix up your play" (when in reality, you were adjusting to something like position or stack sizes, which they may not understand)
- They may be playing poker for entertainment and not paying attention to you

Even if by some miracle they get an accurate read on a part of your game, they may adjust incorrectly or the opportunity for them to exploit their read may never come up.

My advice is to play to exploit your opponents and don't worry about balance. Don't use your watch or another randomiser to decide what to do, just do whatever you think will be most profitable.

Generally +1 to what Jelle said.

If you need a randomizer - use your watch. Chronograph is the best but any watch that shows seconds should do.

was gonna write a long post but Jelle beat me to it

don't waste your effort randomizing or trying to balance your range. if i'm raising 87s in a certain spot, i'm not doing it because my watch said so or to "mix it up". i'm doing it because i can play it profitably in that particular hand vs my particular opponents given positions, stack sizes, and image, etc.

What jelle said. If there happens to be a good player at your table ( this will be rare ) and he starts adjusting, just readjust. You only need to start worrying about randomizing your play when you play in a tough game regularly with the same good regs. Live, these don't really exist until you reach 10/20+

For the love of god do not use a phone hud.

rofl
good laugh , thanks.

I like to raise from mp w/ suited c's about 75 percent of the time, so I simply do so when my left nut is hanging lower than my right

jelle just pretty much owned the thread, just beat ur opponents and exploit them for ggs, dont let people exploit you.