Posts Tagged ‘squeeze play’

The second installment of my trip report from the main event of the 2010 World Series of Poker, covering Days 3 and 4, has just been published in the September issue of 2+2 Magazine. Here’s an excerpt:

I came into Day 4 with a monster stack relative to the field. I had over 500,000 chips, when the average was about 180,000, ranking me 27th among the more than 1,200 players who remained. Day 4 was a particularly good day for this, as it was also the day that would separate the players who would win nothing from those who would take home at least $19,000. With 747 players to be paid, no one wanted to be eliminated in 748th place (or 762nd, for that matter), which meant that most people were playing more conservatively than usual.

I had the biggest stack at my table, and the only person who even came close was a guy two seats to my right whom I’d never heard of. He was sitting on about 400,000 chips. It looked like all the stars were aligned for me to steamroll the table and steal steal steal, but it didn’t go quite as flawlessly as I’d imagined it.

Please let me know what you think!

My One Minute Recommendation- The Poker Blueprint gets an 8.5/10 for content but a 5/10 for presentation. It contains plenty of great material for players who need help beating smaller stakes online short-handed games, but I fear the often terse, jargon-laden explanations will be too confusing or overwhelming for many players who would otherwise benefit greatly from reading it.

Had Tri Nguyen and Aaron Davis published their e-book The Poker Blueprint several years ago, I would have recommended it in the strongest possible terms. It’s reminiscent of the Cardrunners videos of that era: an opportunity to peer into the mind of a great player but with no real effort at teaching rather than simply reciting information. The information is valuable, no doubt, but processing and making use of it will require a lot of work on the part of the reader. In this day and age, the same material is available in more user-friendly books and videos, so while the content of The Poker Blueprint is easily good enough to warrant the $47 price tag, I can’t offer a whole-hearted endorsement.  Read the complete post...

What a run. In the last two days I’ve 20x’ed my chips without ever seeing TT, QQ, KK, or AA. I did have AK quite a few times today, though, and I connected with a few flops when it counted.

I stole more than my share of pots for a few hands, then made a questionable 4-bet shove with AKo. UTG+1 had raised to 2500, and I called with AKo next to his act. Then Brian Jensen re-raised to 8500, the raiser folded, and I shoved like 55K. He snap-called with KK, and then though I turned a flush draw, I couldn’t get there on the river. I probably should have just 3-bet the original raiser, and that would have had the added advantage of being able to get away if Brian cold 4-bet. Anyway, that didn’t help.

Not long after, I flatted a raise from a kind of active older Japanese guy with 99 on my BB. Flop was perfect: A92 with a flush draw. I check, he bets 4000, I raise to 14000, he calls. Turn A. I bet 30K, he puts me all in for like 75K total, I call and hold vs. his AQ.  Read the complete post...

Today was everything that Wednesday was not, namely fun and profitable. I had a very enjoyable table and showed a handsome profit to boot.

Early on I doubled up with Q’s vs. 9′s on a 4h 4s 3h 2h board. We both had a heart, so he was in real bad shape there.

Then after getting a kind of aggro image I opened to 1100 with Ad 9s UTG+1 at 200/400/25. Two loose guys on my left call and decent tourney player on button makes it 4400. I 4-bet him to 12K, and he called quite quickly. I was ready to be done with the hand, but I flopped Qd 6d 5d, so I had to go with it. I get 16K, and he quickly called again. The turn was 4s, and at this point even if I knew he had a pair I was basically committed to the pot, so I shoved my last 25K. He tanked for a long time and made what I think was a good call with JJ no diamond. Unfortunately for him I drilled the Jd on the river to double up again.  Read the complete post...

This is one of the most complex (some might say FPS-y) plays I’ve ever made. Just to give you the situation, the Button, with whom I’m 200 BB’s deep, is an extremely good player. In my opinion he’s one of the best regulars at 2000NL and 5000NL, and I have no idea why he’s playing 1000NL. The UTG player is not nearly so deep and also is a pretty big fish.

On this flop, I want to put money in the pot with UTG, but not with Button. I’m probably ahead of Button’s flop calling range, but he’s going to outplay me on the turn and river even with hands like 86 and 87 that I’m beating.

If I just bet the flop, I put the squeeze on UTG, making it harder for him to continue. That’s just the opposite of what I want. Ideally if I check, he’ll bet, and then it will be Button who has the hardest time continuing. If he folds, then I can stick the rest in against UTG. Basically I’m hoping UTG will bet for me and improve my relative position by forcing Button to act before me.

If UTG doesn’t oblige by betting, oh well. At least I’ll play a smaller pot against a wider range from Button by check-calling or seeing a free turn.  Read the complete post...

Different opponents, but similar mistakes:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $6.00 BB (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($2300.05)
UTG ($1358.40)
MP ($1222.80)
CO ($616)
Hero (Button) ($2405.20)
SB ($3304.20)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 10, 9
1 fold, MP bets $12, 1 fold, Hero calls $12, SB calls $9, BB raises to $72, MP calls $60, Hero calls $60, 1 fold

Flop: ($235.20) J, 8, 4 (3 players)
BB bets $144, 1 fold, Hero calls $144

Turn: ($523.20) Q (2 players)
BB bets $332, Hero raises to $890, BB calls $558

River: ($2303.20) 2 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1298 (All-In), BB calls $1192.85 (All-In)

Total pot: $4688.90 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had 10, 9 (straight, Queen high).
BB had K, K (one pair, Kings).
Outcome: Hero won $4685.90

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $6.00 BB (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($1581.60)
Hero (Button) ($1492)
SB ($1638.40)
BB ($585)
UTG ($1694.15)
MP ($1012.50)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K, K
1 fold, MP bets $14, CO raises to $48, Hero raises to $150, 3 folds, CO calls $102

Flop: ($330.20) 9, 5, 2 (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $222, CO raises to $444, Hero calls $222

Turn: ($1218.20) 9 (2 players)
CO bets $210, Hero raises to $896.80 (All-In), CO calls $686.80  Read the complete post...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($3733)
Hero (BB) ($2918)
UTG ($2394)
MP ($2100)
CO ($2000)
Button ($5294)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J, 8
1 fold, MP bets $60, CO calls $60, 2 folds, Hero raises to $240, MP raises to $480, 1 fold, Hero calls $240

Flop: ($1030) 3, 2, 3 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $220, Hero raises to $2438 (All-In), MP calls $1400 (All-In)

Turn: ($4270) 10 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($4270) 5 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $4270 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had J, 8 (flush, Jack high).
MP had A, K (one pair, threes).
Outcome: Hero won $4267

Yep, I’m ahead post-flop:

Board: 3s 2c 3c
Dead:

equity     win     tie           pots won     pots tied
Hand 0:     53.283%      52.83%     00.45%                523             4.50   { Jc8c }
Hand 1:     46.717%      46.26%     00.45%                458             4.50   { AdKh }

To be honest, I think Villain’s getting a little carried away with trying to induce action from me pre-flop. He’s a little on the nitty side, so I don’t think he’s folding to a 5-bet often at all. At that point, all he’s doing is telling me he has a monster while pricing me in to see the flop. I’ve written before about the importance of charging for information. Can’t fault his call on the flop, though. I think bet-calling is far and away his best option on this flop.

It’s not really fair to call the Villain in this hand a nit, but he’s one of the tightest winning 5/10 regulars anyway. That’s part of the reason I bet the turn against him, rather than just check-calling the turn as I might against a more aggressive player.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($2982)
BB ($970)
UTG ($969.50)
MP ($200)
CO ($275)
Button ($3271.65)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, 9
1 fold, MP bets $20, 1 fold, Button calls $20, Hero raises to $90, 2 folds, Button calls $70

Flop: ($210) 3, 9, A (2 players)
Hero bets $177, Button calls $177

Turn: ($564) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $388, Button raises to $880, Hero calls $492

River: ($2324) K (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $2124.65 (All-In), Hero folds

Total pot: $2324 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button shows 4, 4 (one pair, fours).
Outcome: Button won $2321

I told him in chat that 4′s were the best hand, but really even Kdx beats 44 by the river, so I doubt he believed me.

It’s pretty unlikely that I’ll have a flush by the river, but against a nit I don’t really consider calling with less. That’s the problem with exploitive play: it is itself exploitable.