No Limit: Playing an Underpair

Calling a pre-flop raise with a medium pair against a single opponent is clearly a decent play and tends not to be too difficult to handle when the flop comes because the combination of the board and the opposition’s action (or lack of it) gives us quite a bit of useful information.

Facing a bet from the raiser on a flop containing an ace or king isn’t good news, but at least we can give up the chase with a clear conscience (we could be up against a random pre-flop raise and subsequent continuation bet but – particularly at the lower levels – it wouldn’t exactly be a shock to be up against top pair).

But what happens, for example, when we have called with 99, there’s a queen-high flop such as Q 7 2 and our opponent opens with a bet? This is indeed something of a poker conundrum. Of course there are numerous factors to take into account that will be specific to the situation, but this is one of the many scenarios that we can contemplate in advance to make life so much easier.

It is possible we are dominated by aces, kings, AQ, KQ and even QJ, which is why previous history can be important. But if we are dominated by a pair of jacks or tens, a hefty enough raise should be enough for us to steal the pot. We will also take the spoils if our opponent has thrown in a c-bet with AK (again, more than a fair share of similarly aggressive plays will help us come to this conclusion).

Either way, with a flop that doesn’t quite tell us as much as we would like in terms of where we stand, a call here might very well not be the most practical of our options.

Good luck,

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

Multi-Table Tournament Tips: Early Level Mishaps

Inexperienced tournament players who try too hard to be solid and patient and concentrate on premium hands can be at their most vulnerable during the early stages when, ironically, they have the most chips in front of them. And to add to their confusion, one of the most dangerous hands to be dealt when everyone is sitting so deep is AA. Read more

No Limit: The Probe Bet

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. On the (virtual) poker baize, it would be ideal to be able to see everything but, of course, this isn’t possible and information is limited. While much of the game is based on experienced guesswork (indeed second-guessing opponents is a useful skill) we should anyway be trying to garner as much information as we can, and we should be prepared to pay for it, too.

A (dual-purpose) way of doing this is with a so-called probe bet – typically up to a third of the pot or, feasibly in some circumstances, half the pot  (betting too little isn’t going to trouble anyone and therefore won’t induce a ‘serious’ response). An added bonus in getting used to making probe bets (within reason, obviously, like lots of things in poker) is that these can also become indistinguishable from stealing the pot and, ideally, in some circumstances such a bet can simultaneously play each role.

Some players find it difficult to make a ‘sacrifice’ and hope instead to find out useful info for free. Apart from this being too optimistic an approach, by holding back we deny ourselves the possibility of assuming the initiative, and generally we risk creating a table image that is too passive and susceptible to being exploited.

Furthermore, taking into account the fact that the pots we win as a result of probe bets should heavily outweigh the investment, and it should become easier to incorporate this tactic into our overall strategy.

Remember that betting only the minimum, for example, isn’t enough to do the job and can lead to confusion (and invite bets that put us on the back foot). A half-pot bet, on the other hand, tends to achieve more because we’re going to put the opposition under enough pressure to either commit them into making a meaningful declaration of intent, or to give up the fight (perhaps with a stronger hand than ours). Importantly, the former response might provide sufficient information to save us money, as even this way of doing things is cheaper than cumulative smaller bets that lead to our losing the showdown.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

Celebrate the Cheltenham Poker Festival with 32Red…

Whip your game into shape (get it?)

Those of you who follow sports will already know that, as well as sponsoring the entertaining Swansea in the English Premier League, 32Red is also involved in horse racing. With this in mind the Cheltenham Poker Festival at 32Red promises to be a bumper few days, with something on offer for all our poker fans. Note that this includes your being able to use your existing account details to find great value wagers on the races themselves through www.32redbet.com.

Back to the poker, there will be €5,000 of specials up for grabs from 12-15 March thanks to no less than 10 events – all taking place in the evening so race enthusiasts can get their fix of both passions without any distractions. The first tournament (Cheltenham Freeroll) takes place at 8pm (all times GMT) on the 12^th, is free to enter and comes with a €1,000 guaranteed prize fund! An hour later sees the start time of Event 2, a €300 guaranteed No Limit tournament with a buy-in of only €3 + €0.30…

To make sure that all tastes are catered for, 32Red’s festival will consist of a varied selection of events, with low buy-in PL Omaha H/L, NL 7-card Stud, NL Razz and PL Omaha guaranteed prize fund tournaments during the week, as well as a €250 guaranteed Depositor Freeroll (just a single deposit in March required!), a €250 guaranteed Raked Hands Freeroll (only 25 raked hands in March required) and the Gold Cup Freeroll at 8pm, 15 March – for which you need only 50 raked hands in March to enter for a swipe at the €500 guaranteed prize fund.

Topping off the festive four days is the Cheltenham Main Event (9pm, 15 March). This has a buy-in of €20 + €0.20 and a whopping €2,000 guaranteed on offer!

As well as these events there’s a £/$/€ 100 Cheltenham Bonus – any player who simply logs into 32Red Poker during the festival dates of 12-15 March will have 100 free chips instantly credited to their bonus account!

Click here for more details, and good luck at the tables…

Punishing Tight(er) Players (Part 1: General Bullying)

Overcoming those players weaker than ourselves should rarely be too complicated a strategy – usually (by definition) they will be responsible for their own downfall simply by putting their chips in the middle without proper justification. In this case our cards matter.

However, it is the more knowledgeable players who show some caution when it comes to committing their chips who we want to concentrate on because, if we put enough thought and effort in, we should be able not only to bully them but even to seriously punish them.

Bullying, importantly, forms the foundation of setting this type of player up for later (Part Two).

First we need to find our target by determining which player – preferably to our right – is suitably predictable. Ideally we’re looking for someone who focuses too much on both their cards and what they perceive others’ hands to be, as well as how they evaluate their prospects based on these restrictive parameters. They have a predictable range and, subsequently, aren’t difficult to second guess both pre-flop and once the cards arrive. Crucially, they don’t like to take risks and are not afraid to back down in the face of aggression. They invest however many chips they feel their hand (and the situation) justifies.

Armed with this information, we then single them out and plug away. When they limp, we raise all hands that can put up some kind of fight, which include any pocket pairs, suited connectors, any ace, picture cards and even 1-gaps. Being tight and too cautious, our victim tends to either fold (they believe us) or call pre-flop. In the event of a call, given that they will have missed most of the time, then on most flops they are going to check-fold. Note the significance of position.

Taking this strategy a step further – when our target opens with a raise we are going to re-raise but, critically, with an even more liberal range than above (it’s even possible to do this with any two cards). Remember that these players aren’t afraid to play per se, rather they consider themselves capable of being prudent. They’re not only raising pre-flop with massive pairs but are willing to have a go with other hands, too as long as they don’t have to risk too much. Consequently, knowing that most of the time they are going to miss the flop, they’re going to assume – especially because they are aware of their tight image – that we are re-raising them with the goods. Most of their pre-flop raising range (such as AT) can’t justify being out of position in the face of a re-raise, so we can expect enough folds to make this tactic a profitable one.

Furthermore, we are setting in place the foundations for a bigger payout… (see Part Two).

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32red Poker Ambassador

No Limit: Big pocket pairs are not so simple

Our recent series on small pocket pairs came about because such hands are simultaneously potential big winners and awkward to cope with. Or at least we perceive them to be problematic compared with big pocket pairs.

Indeed we tend to dismiss being dealt aces or kings as too simple a situation to bother with away from the tables. But handling premium pairs can be very tricky indeed…

However attractive a hand it might initially seem, after an unfriendly flop we’re still going to be left with ‘just’ a pair… it could well still be the best hand, but of course we absolutely can’t be sure. Apart from being dominated by sets and behind against well disguised hands such as two pair and so on, we’re also vulnerable to drawing hands. Meanwhile, countless flops leave us in no-man’s land when inevitably faced with aggression, and the more opponents we’re up against, the more hazardous the predicament.

One way to try to rule out some of poker’s cruel banana skins is to get busy raising preflop, regardless of whether or not we have position. The aim is to whittle down the field to a single opponent, who we hope to dominate. With this in mind we should be prepared to reraise to achieve this goal. Note that this isn’t necessary if someone raises early and we expect to be heads-up with them.

Remember that we are not obliged to raise/reraise every time, especially when aggressive players are seated to our left or when playing at a particularly aggressive table. In such cases limping in when first to act can be the perfect scenario, and it isn’t unusual for there to be so much betting by the time the action comes back around to us that someone will be sufficiently committed to invest to the maximum.

Perhaps the most important factor to keep in mind is to be willing to face facts and back away from a hand by acknowledging that we’re no longer favourites to pick up the pot. The old adage that big pairs either win small or lose big might seem simplistic but is quite appropriate. Signs of genuine strength should be taken into account, particularly when our chances haven’t been improved by the flop. Our internal alarm bells should be ringing even louder when still under pressure on later streets with an unimproved hand. When out of position, if we get the feeling we’re still ahead then it’s fine to bet (as opposed to showing weakness with a check and being pushed off the hand). But with each street that both sees our hand fail to improve and our opponents still happy to fight it out, caution is the key word.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

Playing small pocket pairs against different styles (Part 5)

Part 5: Versus Tight Aggressive Opponents

We’ve saved the best players – and thus the worst environment – until last. As has already been mentioned, not only can it be difficult to win big pots against aggressive players, but even giving our small pairs a value ticket into a pot tends to be awkward.

Whereas there are readily exploitable weaknesses when facing the Loose Aggressive style, Tight Aggressive players are the ultimate party poopers. Of course we’d be better off taking our small pair strategy to an ‘easier’ table populated by more amenable opposition, but it’s inevitable we’ll come across these tough players from time to time.

We can learn a lot from battling it out with strong players, so let’s give them some thought in this context for when opportunities arise to tackle them armed with our small pairs.

Hopefully what follows will also help in terms of appreciating the bigger picture.

Not surprisingly, considering both the lack of implied odds and the expected aggression from the opposition, pocket pairs at the low end of the spectrum are going to fare less well the earlier our position. What we can do depends on how we tend to approach the game. The simplest ‘solution’ would be to fold these hands nearly all the time, but we could also incorporate them into a broader, more flexible and deceptive strategy in order to undermine our Tight Aggressive opponents’ game plan. For example instead of automatically folding the likes of 22 or 55 we could combine limping with additional occasional limping with kings and aces. This serves to make our post flop action difficult to read, while also enabling us to trap when faced with the inevitable steals.

Our fold equity against Tight Passive players (***link***) allows us to fire away with a continuation bet at random flops to pick up countless pots but, unfortunately, we absolutely don’t have the same luxury against Tight Aggressives. Quite the opposite, in fact. Not only will these players refuse to go away when in position, but with all kinds of flops that don’t connect to our small pair, we’re very often going to find ourselves under too much pressure come the turn when they bet. And they will bet; even if they don’t, we can expect to have to make a very difficult decision when they bet the river. Given that poker is a mass of circumstances and situations which range from easy and desirable to difficult, hazardous nightmares we should avoid potential problems whenever we can, and raising out of position with small pairs against Tight Aggressive players comes under the ‘avoid’ category.

Nevertheless, when factoring in our need to have an element of balance and deception in our game, we should be happy to occasionally throw in an early position raise with our baby pairs. Widening our pre-flop raising range in this way boosts the earning power of our monster hands when raised in the same circumstances. Note that suited connectors would also play a role in any such range. Furthermore, stack sizes are significant (again, it is assume in these articles that stacks are big enough to allow for flexibility in terms of plays and all-ins).

Essentially, what our considerations suggest when contemplating using small pocket pairs against Tight Aggressive players is that we’re not going to have anywhere near as much joy as we will against all other player types. Of course good outcomes will arise from time to time but, importantly, we need to appreciate that these hands and related situations should form part of a flexible overall strategy that maximises our prospects of profitability while simultaneously enabling us to defend and stand our ground.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

Playing small pocket pairs against different styles (Part 4)

Part 4: Versus Loose Aggressive Opponents

While the common denominator for the final two articles of the series is ‘aggressive’ in terms of this factor significantly influencing the way we play, it’s useful (and practical) nonetheless to look at Loose Aggressive and Tight Aggressive (Part 5) styles separately. Numerous features will inevitably overlap but it’s helpful to keep in mind which characteristics are more specifically appropriate to this or that style.

Aggressive players never let up, and use position well. They are happy to call on the flop (with a flexibly wide range of hands) in order to bluff the turn in position. They liberally raise and reraise to wrest the initiative from opponents.

Our prospects with small pocket pairs are mixed, depending on (relative) position and just how loose aggressive the game is (stack sizes, as usual, are important).

Limping in early position

Ideally, when limping with modest pocket pairs the aim is to see the flop as cheaply and often as possible. Alas, given the nature of Loose Aggressive players, when we’re in early position we’re not going to be given such a convenient entry into a pot. Indeed we can expect an early position limp to be jumped on by LAGs seeking to exploit their positional superiority, and with a frequency that is going to substantially eat into our implied odds. Factor in that when the raiser looks like being the only other player in the pot we’re not getting the desired value, and we can see how easily LAGs can throw a spanner in the works.

Of course we will succeed in getting in more ‘believable’ continuation bets because a good number of their raising hands will leave them unable to continue against post-flop aggression, but when we’re dealt these pocket pairs the ultimate aim is to be able to make the most of the times we hit, and the way LAGs play compounds the problem. This is because our opponents’ less than premium hands tend not to justify big investment when we do finally hit.

There seems to be more bad than good news with this particular scenario against such aggressive players – we’re going to find ourselves being bullied more, we will pick up more pots with c-bets and (crucially) will have fewer opportunities to win enormous pots.

Raising in early position

The same aggressive positional strategy of our opponents is also going to spoil our party when we make a poorly timed pre-flop raise from early position. After it’s folded round to the LAG on the button who then throws in a re-raise, and the blinds fold, we really should be letting go of our small pair.

Fortunately, there are situations we can look forward to, particularly when the game is especially wild and wacky. There are going to be more multi-way pots than in a ‘normal’ game, which of course can be very good for us. Consequently, we can limp in anticipation of there being a bunch of players and a raised pot because it’s fine to be involved multi-way after a subsequent (re)raise. The value is there for those times we hit thanks to the pots being very juicy and the already loose players in turn being more than willing to compete for the booty.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

Playing small pocket pairs against different styles (Part 3)

Part 3: Versus Loose Passive Opponents

‘Loose’ and ‘Passive’ should be music to our ears. Our opponents will be willing to pay good money for hands that don’t justify the investment (Loose) and we don’t even have to worry about being put under pressure (Passive).

Furthermore, when we are lucky enough for the flop to connect with our pair we should be able to engineer a situation that brings about calls to our bets, to the extent that we can even emerge from the pot with the maximum payout. Remember, Loose-Passive players call all the way through each street having paired an ace, for example, while they also tend to be happy to pay over the odds for flush draws (on the turn, too). Consequently there’s no need to be conservative, rather we should exploit the big weakness that identifies such players. Unlike pots involving Tight-Passive opponents (see Part 2), where our implied odds are vastly reduced, against Loose-Passives we can look forward to very juicy implied odds.

With this in mind, the implications of holdings such as small pocket pairs holds a great deal more significance when Loose-Passive opponents enter the equation. Note that stack size is also a key factor – it is assumed in all four articles in this series that we have a stack of sufficient size with which to play properly, and this is particularly important here, where it makes sense to give ourselves the opportunity to make as much as possible from the excellent implied odds.

Given that we need to try to see as many flops as possible with our small pocket pairs, and that we need also to maximise our chances when we do manage to hit a set, the next question revolves around whether we should be seeking to just limp pre-flop (and subsequently call a raise if enough players will be involved) or instead fatten up the pot a little from the off with a sensibly sized raise (i.e. one that can be called). Incidentally, we shouldn’t forget that when we don’t hit a set and our check on the flop meets with aggression, then it’s time to give up the hand – against this particular style it’s just not worth trying bullying tactics.

Whether to limp or raise is obviously situational, and position plays a role. The later we are the more action (or otherwise) we have seen, while being in early position obviously means more guesswork. The safer option would be to limp when early, for example, because we don’t know what’s coming. This isn’t set in stone, of course, and if there’s a history of a few players habitually calling modest pre-flop raise then it’s fine to step up a gear now and then. But we should steer clear of such plays when people have been 3-betting.

An advantage of raising with a multi-way pot is that the bigger the pot, the bigger our ‘standard’ bets become, making it easier to get more money in against players we dominate without having to conspicuously bet too much. Having said that, even after limping it’s possible against Loose-Passive types to juice up the pot and make the job easier by setting the tone with an over-bet on the flop.

The more players involved, the better our EV, and the more justified we are in raising pre-flop. It also makes sense to be in a raised pot when big stacks are in play so that we can get the best chance of winning big.

Generally, limping is the more prudent option but, importantly, the aim is to still be in the hunt on the flop in multi-way pots.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

Playing small pocket pairs against different styles (Part 2)

Part 2: Versus Tight Passive Opponents

In the context of our getting busy with small pocket pairs, we’re probably not going to have a fun, exciting time against Tight Passive players due to the rather unadventurous, timid nature of their approach. But that isn’t to say we shouldn’t bother being aggressive when we are dealt holdings like 55 and they will be our likely opponents in the hand. Moreover, this actually fits in nicely with our general strategy against so-called weak-tight players because they tend anyway to be easier to exploit and, consequently, we should be looking to take advantage of their overly cautious strategy whenever opportunities present themselves.

Essentially, these players put so much emphasis on being tight that when they do commit it’s indicative of a monster hand. Note that they will also be playing small pairs, but only by limping or calling a manageable raise. When the flop brings them nothing concrete they have a habit of just giving up in the face of aggression, which is why raising pre-flop with small pocket pairs against Tight Passive opposition is a profitable play. Apart from helping in isolating them, raising is also preferable to limping because by assuming the initiative we are defining the respective roles in anticipation of making our continuation bet on the flop a more credible move. Unless they have hit we will pick up the pot regardless of whether we improved. Remember, too, that position is not a very significant factor here – these players base their decisions on hand strength. Nor will they try bluffing or bullying tactics. When they do seem happy to commit we should take their action seriously, even when we have hit a set and they have voluntarily put themselves all-in.

Our strategy with small pocket pairs against Tight Passive players is to take the initiative with a view to pushing them off the pot after they have failed to connect with the flop, being prepared to occasionally continue with the aggression on subsequent streets. Ideally, we want to raise enough just to tempt them in, and then step up a gear once the flop arrives with a bet big enough to help them stick to their game plan.

Our own holding is usually going to be less relevant than against other styles where we should have greater implied odds. It’s nice to have a pair (and the potential to hit big) but the theme here is exploiting our considerable fold equity which, over time, can make up for what we are having to give up in implied odds, thanks in no small part to the fact that by raising with our modest pairs the initiative helps us pick up the pots in which we’re behind.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador,

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