My first Strategy post, so flame away, I am sure I deserve it. Looking to get some feedback on whether my strategy is working, or if I am just too early into my experience, that it is all positive variance.

Made my first cash money deposit three weeks ago of $250 (I’ve played in BM casino for much more, and have always seemed to do pretty well). Playing 6 handed .25/.25 NL, managed to run it down to $18 in 10 days using pretty standard TAG strategy. Rather than reload and keep going, changed strategy as follows:

Ring game, 6 person, .25/.25 NL.

Pre-Flop:
Premium hands (AA to 10 10, including AK) raise preflop to 2X BB, or call any other preflop raise. (Higher raise if I am viewed as tight doesn't get called)

Medium hands (two face cards unsuited, lower pairs, suited connectors) limp, but be prepared to fold to a substantial preflop raise (4X BB or higher).

Drawing hands (mostly suited connectors) call preflop raise up to 6X BB, otherwise limp.

Generally, I am amazed at the number of hands played where 2 or more players limp and the blinds are happy to just call.

Post Flop:
I rarely am aggressive unless I’ve got a made hand. I call based upon pot odds, and even if I think I am ahead, if there is an aggressive player I let him take the lead on the betting until the river. I only call a push (or push myself) when I am certain I am ahead.

I know that most strategists say that aggressiveness is rewarded, but I have found that at these micro limit tables, patience and passivity are rewarding me – from the low of $18 I have built back up to $400. I have had my share of bad beats and lucky draws, but I have mostly found over-aggressive players betting into me when I have a better hand, and usually let them fall on their own sword.

I play on a mac, so I have been using java-based software, ruling out the ability to generate data for analysis through Poker Tracker. I’d say I have been averaging playing one or two hours a day.

So, my question is two-fold:

1. Is my rebound likely only positive variance?
2. If I move on-line up to the levels I play in a casino (2/5NL or 5/10NL) will I need to go back to an aggressive strategy? By the way, any casino game I’ve played has been a full table, so I have no experience at higher levels on a short-handed table.

Thanks for reading.

Don't like your strat personally, I think it its positive variance maybe coupled with playing a good style against the set of oppentents you played against lately, ie you have been playing against many over aggressive players and being a weak calling player does fair well against those types.

However you are going to run into people if you moved up that instantly see that your min raises mean streghen and anything else is weakness and they are just going to hammer on you all day when you limp and take cheap flops with you against your min raise trying to out flop you and get all your money for 10-20bucks of risk. your action will go like this alot when you limp get raised call, check fold the flop except when you hit a hand and then there going to slow down and you will be bleed slowly. ALso you will never have any idea where they are in a hand they will almost always know where you are by your actions.

Even at the stakes you are playing now there are some decent players that will pick up on this. Controlled aggression is still the key.