Jump to content
Download the PL Forum App!
New Bookie Offer - Highbet - Bet £10 GET £25 (no wagering on winnings)

teaulc

New Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    14,508

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    9

 Content Type 

Posts posted by teaulc

    Tournament Play: Mid-Range M Value, Part II

    in Poker

    Posted

    In Part I, we outlined a few key tournament techniques that can significantly improve your results in MTTs. In Part II we'll look at another useful tactic - re-stealing against a late position raise. Specifically we'll deal with the re-steal as one of the key strategic adjustments you need to make when you find yourself with an M in the 8-15 range in a tournament. The Re-Steal Many players tend to play too tight when facing an opening raise from late position (for simplicity's sake, let's assume any raise from the hijack, cut-off or button is considered late position). Of course, when a player raises from under the gun, you usually need to show him a little respect. A raise from the cut-off, though, could represent a fairly wide range of hands. So whenever possible, you want to be aggressive and try to go after the money already in the middle. Imagine you have an M of 8 and are on the button with A-8 suited. Against a typical opponent, who raises to 3x the big blind from the cut-off, you have a fairly easy decision. You should move all-in, unless you know for a fact the cut-off is very tight. Even hands that don't have an ace may be perfectly reasonable hands to make a move with. For example K-Q or K-J, or even possibly surprising hands such as J-T or 8-7 suited. And although I prefer not to try a move with the smallest pocket pairs (22-44), all other pairs are strong enough to move in with. Play to Win If you want to dramatically improve your tournament results, you must be playing to win. You may end up eliminating yourself just before the money - or just in the money - far more often than you did before. But the chances you take will lead to considerably more final-table appearances, a much better chance of finishing in the top three positions and a much better chance of earning a big payday. Remember, to make the correct decision about whether or not to try a re-steal, you must, at minimum, consider the following factors:

    • Your opponent's probable range of hands
    • The probability he'll fold to your re-raise
    • How your hand will perform in a showdown if he calls

    In my experience, the more I can be dispassionate about the decision and separate the results from the process, the better my results become. If you can get in the habit of considering all of these factors analytically as opposed to emotionally you'll be on the road to improved results. The Squeeze Play The other common re-steal is the squeeze play. The squeeze play, well known to any tournament poker regular, involves trying to take advantage of a player you suspect is opening (raising) light. It's used when a second player, who also (presumably) knows what the first player is doing, decides only to call rather than raise. This, of course, leaves both players ripe for the squeeze play. The player executing the squeeze play simply makes a large re-raise. This traps the initial raiser (who likely has a relatively weak hand) between you and the caller. This makes it extremely difficult for the original raiser to call. The caller also tends to have a weak hand because he wasn't prepared to re-raise pre-flop. For some reason, the caller often simply notes the original raiser is possibly making a position raise and he wants to try and see a cheap flop. By re-raising (and putting on the squeeze) you deny him that possibility. Consider the following common situation: You're in the big blind with $15,000. The cut-off raises 3x the big blind to $3,000 and the button calls. If you have any reasonable hand, you should consider moving all-in. If both players fold, you'll have added $7,500 to your stack. CroppedImage180320-jeff-banghart-allin-4828.jpg More aggression = better results. Because there's the possibility of stealing the pot, you can move in with far more hands than most players would normally consider. More Aggression = Improved Results Although it's been written many times before, it's worth repeating because it's so important: In tournament play, the real money is in the top three positions. Simply sneaking into the money will do little for your profitability in the long run. If you truly want to improve your results, you must play to win. Try and look for opportunities to use the re-steal more often. If you do, you'll start to notice you have a much healthier stack as the tournament reaches its critical stages. Being more aggressive - especially when your stack creeps down into the 8-15 range - will pay off with more final-table finishes. And, we can hope, more tournament victories. pete wessel

    Tournament Play: Mid-Range M Value, Part I

    in Poker

    Posted

    We all know tournament play calls for significantly different strategies than cash-game play. Which strategies it calls for, though, is the question. In this article we'll detail a few of them them with a focus on tournament situations where you have a mid-range M value of 8-15. (Coined by Dan Harrington, M is the "zone" represented by the size of your chip stack in comparison to the blinds and antes). Avoid Losing Your Fold Equity One of the key points to keep in mind to improve your tournament results is that you must avoid letting your stack dwindle to the point where you have little or no fold equity. M = 15 With an M above 15, you're in decent shape and have time to be somewhat more selective. However, the one phase where you need to be able to adapt your play is when you find yourself below the average stack size and with an M between 8 and 15. M = 8-15 This is the critical medium-stack area. Your tournament fortune depends on your ability to skillfully negotiate these tricky waters and return to the more comfortable zone (with an M of 15+). There are two primary situations to focus on when you need to chip up - namely "button, small blind, big blind" play (B-SB-BB) and re-stealing against a single late-position raiser. Let's take a closer look at the first situation. Waiting for the "Right" Hand ... and Why It's the Wrong Strategy Many players, when they become short-stacked, start looking for one good hand. They decide to wait until they get the "right" hand and then try and double-up. If they are successful, they tighten up again and slowly begin to revert to the same position they were in before. This type of strategy can be summarized by the familiar phrase: Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The limitation of this strategy is that, in order to succeed, you need three things to occur. Specifically, you need to find a suitably strong hand in the time frame required. Then when you do find such a hand, you must get action (get all of your chips in). And finally when you do get all of your chips in, you actually still need to win the showdown. An alternative strategy and, in my opinion, one likely to be more successful in the long run is to identify situations that may be favorable or conducive to accumulating chips and try to focus more on them. Button-Small Blind-Big Blind Play Obviously, one of the most common of these situations is B-SB-BB play. Generally speaking, most players play too cautiously (and too passively as well) when they are in a B-SB-BB situation. An extremely important element to successful poker tournament play is the ability to quickly and accurately assess the play (ability) of the players immediately around you. Meaning specifically the players to your immediate left, who'll be in the blinds when you're on the button, and the players to your immediate right, who will be in the small blind or on the button when you are in the big blind (small blind). If you're unable to pay attention to anyone else at the table, try to at least determine what these players are capable of and how they tend to react to various situations. They are your bread and butter. If you can dominate the action against your neighbors, you have a good chance of making it deep into the money. The Bubble Approacheth: Raise Away When you're involved in a B-SB-BB situation and your M is in that critical 8-15 range, it is important to be as aggressive as you can. This is even more critical as you approach the money. Despite the fact many players know intellectually to remain aggressive (or become even more aggressive) as the bubble approaches, the simple reality is they become preoccupied withthe potential to finish in the money and tend to play significantly more cautiously. You must be able to identify these players and when you do, be absolutely ruthless. If they are willing to regularly give away their blinds (and the chips), it's your constitutional obligation to take them. Against many of these players, simply pushing any two cards is the correct approach. You may wish to fold every once in a while though - just so it doesn't become totally obvious to your opponent(s) what you're doing. After all, you don't want them to change their behavior. The Limp Re-Raise: Another Useful Tool In addition to simply raising far more often (which you should definitely be doing), another powerful technique to attempt against slightly more aggressive opponents is the limp re-raise. If you attempt to limp re-raise and your opponent simply checks behind you, you get to see a flop. On the flop, you can still make a move at the pot (assuming you don't actually hit your hand). Remember, many opponents will be looking for a way to get away from the hand cheaply. If you miss the flop, you still have a good chance to take down the pot and you cannot afford to leave this dead money on the table. Remember, you need to chip up if you want to win this thing. Probe Bet on the Flop To attempt this, make a probe bet on the flop. Or, if you're feeling cheeky, attempt to check-raise the flop. This will cause most players to fold everything but top pair. Finally, you need to know who on your right is capable of trying to open light in an attempt to steal the blinds, but is also able to lay the hand down to a re-raise. Against players like this you should be quite aggressive. If you're able to successfully re-steal against a button or small blind raise, you'll pick up between 30-40% of your stack without seeing a flop - a fantastic result for you. Words of Wisdom Remember, in B-SB-BB confrontations, players will open the pot with a much wider range. Don't be afraid to move your chips into the middle. You have to be willing to commit all of your chips to the pot with hands that under more normal circumstances would be marginal at best. If you think there's a reasonable chance your opponent will fold, or if you believe you're ahead of your opponent's range, be aggressive. pete wessel

    No-Limit Strategy: Position and Drawing Hands Pt. 2

    in Poker

    Posted

    In No-Limit Hold'em, drawing hands can often be very profitable. In part one of this article, we analyzed the play of drawing hands in heads-up situations and concluded an aggressive approach is usually best. In part two, we'll discuss playing drawing hands in multi-way pots. To play correctly, and thus maximize potential profit, it's critical to understand how position influences optimal strategy. As a general rule, against exactly three opponents, it's usually correct to play as you would in a heads-up pot - aggressively. One of the few exceptions to this rule is if you're second to act and the pre-flop raiser has position on you. In this situation, if the first player bets and all you have is a draw, it's generally best to proceed very cautiously - at least until you see how the pre-flop raiser acts. However, if you're in a pot against more than three players, your position - relative to both the pre-flop raiser and the post-flop bettor (if you're neither) - is an important factor to consider before developing a strategy for the hand. Consider one of the more common cases: You're in a standard $2/$4 NL game and are dealt 7♦ 6♦ in the cut-off. A player in middle position limps in, so you limp too. The button then raises to $18. Both the big blind and the middle position limper call and so do you. If the flop comes K♦ T♥ 5♦, how should you play the hand? If the action is checked to you, it's usually best to check as well. Let the pre-flop raiser (the button) decide what to do before committing more chips to the pot. If he bets, you'll see how the other two players react to the bet before you have to make a decision. If either player check-raises, you can muck your hand, saving a bet. If both players call the bet, you might also consider folding. This may seem counterintuitive (as you would seem be getting very good odds to try and hit your flush), but with two callers, it's also much more likely you're up against a bigger flush draw. Of course, if you'd flopped an open-ended straight draw instead of the flush draw, you'd happily call despite drawing to a worse hand (a straight as opposed to a flush), because then you'd be drawing to the nuts. Generally speaking, in multi-way pots, the quality of your draw is much more important than it is in heads-up play. It's significantly more profitable to be drawing to the nut flush or the top end of the straight draw. There's nothing worse than making your draw and discovering you still have the second-best hand. Alternatively, if either of the players acting before you bets the flop, you'll have to decide between raising (ill-advised), calling or folding. If you think the button (the pre-flop raiser) is likely to raise, you'll be better off folding. If instead you think he may call or even fold, then calling is perfectly acceptable. There are several important positional factors to consider before deciding on a particular action (when you've flopped a draw). Successful players, at minimum, will automatically be aware of the following:

    1. Who was the pre-flop raiser, and where is the post-flop action most likely to come from (in relation to you)?
    2. How many people will act after you?
    3. If the pre-flop raiser has position on you, how many people are between you and him and are these players tricky or straightforward?

    Assuming you have, at least, considered the above, what should you do with this information? The basic principle is relatively simple: With a drawing hand (on the flop), you ideally would prefer one of two outcomes - you successfully steal the pot, or you get the right odds (pot and/or implied) to try and make your hand (this is often easier if there's more than one opponent). Both outcomes are okay. What you don't want is to end up heads-up against a strong made hand without the correct odds to draw to your hand. Although this may occasionally happen if you're aggressively raising (or re-raising) your draws, it's generally best to try and avoid this situation. What does this suggest about optimal post-flop strategy? If you're acting immediately before the pre-flop raiser (or the player you believe is intending to bet the flop) and the action is checked to you, you should generally check and re-evaluate when the action gets back to you. By betting, you tend to reduce your implied odds. If the original raiser has a hand and raises your flop bet, it will usually drive out the other players leaving you heads-up (and out of position) with a drawing hand unlikely to be a favorite. If you're first to act and the pre-flop raiser is last to act, you have three options:

    1. Bet. In this case, you're hoping to either pick up the pot or that the players in the middle call and build a pot for you. If you get a couple of callers and then the pre-flop raiser raises, you'll have to decide whether to call (and hope the other players do too, giving you the correct odds to make your hand), or re-raise (representing a set or two pair) and try to steal the pot.
    2. Check and call (if he or others bet). Here you're simply trying to make your hand cheaply and hope to get the correct odds to do so.
    3. Check (with the intention of making a large check-raise to try and take down the pot immediately). A problem with this strategy is if you're up against a real hand. If your opponent moves all-in, you may have to call, depending on the stack sizes and the pot odds. Or if he simply calls, you'll have to act first on the turn and if you miss your draw, you'll be in an awkward spot.

    Alternatively, if you're last to act and the pre-flop raiser is immediately before you, it may be best to call (rather than raise) if he bets. Your intention in this case is to try and bring along some of the other players (who checked to the raiser on the flop), thus improving both your implied and your pot odds. Finally, if you're last to act and the original raiser acts first and bets the flop, you once again have some good options. If other players in the middle call, you can either call, trying to hit your hand cheaply then extract value (this is generally the better approach, because the chances of stealing the pot against multiple players are relatively low) or play more aggressively and raise on the semi-bluff. The main point to remember: To maximize your profit on your drawing hands, be aware of your relative position and adjust your play accordingly. Good luck, and good flops. pete wessel

    No-Limit Strategy: Position and Drawing Hands

    in Poker

    Posted

    In No-Limit Hold'em, playing drawing hands well is critical to your overall profitability. Most of the time, playing aggressively is best. But knowing exactly when to jam the pot and when to call is tricky and usually depends on whether the pot is heads-up or multi-way. Playing drawing hands aggressively does three important things:

    1. Forces your opponent(s) to lay down marginal hands
    2. Creates doubt about the true strength of your hand (and helps disguise strong hands)
    3. Gets you bigger pots when your draw hits

    In this article, we'll discuss how position affects drawing hands in a heads-up pot. General Rule: When you're heads-up, drawing hands should be played aggressively - independently of your position. Because you only have one opponent to beat, taking an aggressive approach will often win you the pot without going to a showdown. In Position When you're in position heads-up, you simply have more options. Typically, if I'm in position and flop any reasonable draw (flush, straight or even a gut-shot straight draw with two overcards), I'm going to play the hand fast. If my opponent bets the flop, I'll raise; if he checks, I'll bet. In this sense, position doesn't have a huge impact on the flop. Whether you're first or last to act, you'll be the aggressor. But things can get tricky if your opponent has a strong hand. If he bets, you raise and he re-raises all-in on the flop, or he checks to you and then makes a large check-raise when you bet, it's decision time. In either situation, you simply have to go with a little bit of math and your gut feeling. Depending on how deep the stacks are, if you do the math, you'll probably find calling (or moving all in against the check-raise) is never as bad a play as it might intuitively seem. Sometimes it's better to make a (slightly) negative EV play (for example, moving all-in) if it results in your opponents making fewer moves (bluffs) at you in the future. As an added bonus, once they've seen you're capable of moving all-in on the come, you'll also tend to get more action on your big made hands. Playing the Turn In heads-up action, the play of drawing hands on the flop is not influenced tremendously by position - you're simply going to play your hand aggressively. It's really on the turn where position most comes into play. Let's assume you've missed your draw and one player, who's called your bet (or raise) on the flop, checks to you on the turn. If you're in position, you have a couple of options: One, you can keep representing strength and fire a second barrel. This puts your opponent, who's out of position, in a tough spot as he'll have to fear another bet on the river. Two, you can simply check behind and see the river card for free (an option you don't have if you're out of position). Checking behind may seem weak at first, but if your opponent has ever seen you bet the flop, check the turn and then bet the river with a strong hand such as top pair, top kicker or a big over pair, then a bet-check-bet pattern can be effective. Using this betting pattern will make your drawing hands and your strong made hands look exactly the same, and that can only benefit you. Another profitable situation that can pop up is if your opponent flops a strong hand but waits until the turn to make his move. If you're playing aggressively (which, after you've read this article, you will be) and fire a second barrel on the turn (after missing your draw) and your opponent raises, his raise will very often be too small. Case in point: Imagine on the turn you've bet $80 into a $100 pot. An opponent with a strong hand (but not a lock) will often only raise to $200. So you're now getting 3.2-1 pot odds. If both of you have money behind, you'll have an easy call based on the implied odds. This kind of betting error is amazingly common, and it's an especially profitable opportunity if you're in position. Your opponent has to act first on the river and will usually end up paying you off if you hit your hand. He simply won't be able to convince himself you were on the draw. Playing Drawing Hands Out of Position Simply put: Playing drawing hands out of position gives you fewer options and can get you into awkward spots if you miss (both on the turn and on the river). So generally it tends to be less profitable. But, despite this, it's still critical to play aggressively. The primary reason it's less profitable is if you miss your draw on the turn, you don't have the option of checking behind and taking a free card. If you check and your opponent senses weakness and bets the turn, you'll usually have to give up the hand and miss the extra shot at the pot on the river. To make matters worse, if you bet, a large raise may shut you out and again cost you an opportunity to make your hand (and presumably win the pot) on the river. When you're out of position and flop a draw, you should still bet. You also can try and win the pot right then with a large check-raise, but although this will often win the pot, if it doesn't and you miss on the turn, you'll again be in an awkward spot. Anytime your opponent calls a bet on the flop and you miss on the turn, you'll have a decision to make. Lots of players weakly check their drawing hands and then fold (to a bet). But if you find yourself playing this way, you're costing yourself a lot of money. To plug this leak, you have to do two things: increase the percentage of times you fire a second barrel, and be more selective pre-flop (play fewer drawing hands) when you're out of position. Remember, if you want to maximize profit on drawing hands, position and aggression are the key elements of success. In heads-up play, any reasonable draw should be played aggressively. The number of outs you have may vary depending on the draw, but the way you should play the hand doesn't change that much. pete wessel

    Poker Player Grandprix 7

    in Poker

    Posted

    Re: Poker Player Grandprix 7 it is obvious the magazine isnt serious about any of these series with the usual hordes of foreigners in it to get the added cash,if they were they would make all these games at least a $5.50 buy in instead of mostly freerolls. but then we have been saying that for years :eyes

    PL PokerStars Variant League 6.14

    in Poker

    Posted

    Re: PL Variant Club League - 5 of 17 - Mon 4th July - STUD Hi/Lo

    I'm pretty sure I'd like to join up to this league if possible. Too late for any chances at leaderboard obviously but I would like to join just for the oppurtunity to play some other types of poker aside from nlhe. Maybe I could get in before the 5cd-drw game? Please help me out with a link to get signed up (or any other info. I might need). tks
    you are more than welcome to join in, see the 1st post on how to sign up to the club :ok next game: Club ID: 100469 Tourney ID: 411520796 Date: 2011/07/11 20:30 WET Game Type: Razz Betting Structure: Limit Buy-in: USD 3.30 Tourney Structure: Regular Payout Structure: Top 20% http://forum.punterslounge.com/f62/razz-112204/ league as it stands after 5 games: wurzel 32 (5) teaulc 27(5) ooblio 27(5) avongirl 25(5) aka2 23(5) floflo 23(5) danshot 16(3) littlekinny 11 (2) brokerald 8 (1) dodger 5 (1) gem 3 (1) sirwigalot 3(1) deanh 2 (1) bagheira 1(1) goldenjag 1(1)

    PuntersLounge Titan Poker Exclusive Added Value Series - Next Game 26th July

    in Poker

    Posted

    Re: PuntersLounge Titan Poker Exclusive Added Value Series - STARTS TUESDAY 5TH

    :nana:nana:nana good game folks, i could get used to playing in these :) right how do i go about get my extra 77.50 dollars:hope 50% of the buy ins
    well done Bawnmore :clap:clap:clap and to the other cashers as well, hopefully when Morlspin sees this he will get it sorted for you all,it definately said added but the buy ins were not so they may do that bit manually :hope and i am looking forward to receiving my 10% ;)
×
×
  • Create New...