The Crafty Re-Steal, Part 1

Every sport and game tends to have its little tricks that can give someone an edge over opponents who have yet to incorporate such moves into their repertoire. Poker, being a game of seemingly countless variables and, crucially, unknowns, is incredibly rich in that there are many, many tricks and strategies and tweaks of existing strategies and so on that afford the player who spends time away from the tables studying a significant advantage over the opposition.

One such is the re-steal. Quite self-explanatory, this strategy is interesting because it works by exploiting someone else’s aggression. Often this aggression comes in the form of – as far as the modern game is concerned – the late position pre-flop raise. This might well be a raise induced by that player’s excellent hand but, typically, it’s a standard attempt to either steal the blinds or, failing that convenient outcome, thinning down the field – perhaps scaring off superior (but not particularly strong) hands in the process as players out of position opt for the safer choice by keeping their powder dry.

Now, poker is difficult enough to get to grips with as it is, so it would be nice to steal some free chips every now and then. And not only is the re-steal extra satisfying because we pick up the original would-be thief’s bet as an addition to our ill-gotten gains, but we have done so by having someone else lay the foundations for our move.

Obviously there is a time and place to execute the re-steal and it isn’t a move we should try to execute at the drop of a hat without first taking into account certain factors. Also, different formats reward the re-steal more than others. Multi-table tournaments and the Sit & Go formats present us with excellent re-steal opportunities due to the increasing blinds and, consequently, the greater likelihood that a late position pre-flop raise is indeed a steal.

Even under normal conditions it is generally accepted that even with a wide range it is reasonable to throw in a pre-flop raise – preferably on the button – when nobody has shown an interest in taking a lead. The fact that we know this is all we need to convince the aggressor that by raising them we really don’t care what they have and are confident we are ahead. Of course we are bluffing, but it is this show of strength – against someone who has already indicated they could be strong – upon which the foundations of the re-steal is based. Moreover, by carrying out the re-steal in the blinds we accentuate our apparent strength because we’re showing that we’re prepared to get busy in the worst position for the rest of the hand.

Yet another attractive feature of the re-steal is that it can be successful against good players who routinely steal in late position. Unless they have a genuine hand they will keep their losses to a minimum and stand down, especially if our table image supports our move – i.e. we haven’t been betting and (re-)raising every orbit.

The psychology of the re-steal is simple and effective – we’re essentially offering our opponents the chance to prove they can make ‘sensible’ decisions by making the occasional laydown.

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

No Limit Tips for New Players

Poker being such a fascinating game, new players at 32Red Poker are in for a great ride as they set off on their quest. Assuming that, as far as NL cash games are concerned, players won’t be jumping in at the deep end (far too dangerous) but will instead start sensibly at limits up to 10c/20c, perhaps, then here are some tips that should prove useful.

Keep calm… this isn’t TV poker!

It’s only natural that inexperienced players might initially lack confidence – or even, through excitement, have too much confidence! – and be hindered by a head full of irrational thoughts. To add to the tension the limited thinking time can, despite being enough once we get used to it, feel rather intimidating. Not surprisingly, then, to prevent decision making being too awkward it helps to approach the game in a relaxed state, a healthy, realistic level of confidence and a reasonable idea of solid, practical poker. 

Buy in for the maximum

There are various schools of thought regarding how much we should buy in for but, at these limits, it’s common sense to sit down with the maximum (assuming sensible bankroll management is in place). Quite simply there will be too many players going all-in when circumstances don’t justify it, so we need to be able to exploit these situations by having as much as possible in front of us.

Of course if half the table keeps joining in mad all-in fests with trash we shouldn’t be getting involved, instead making sure our gunpowder is dry until such time we feel we’re ahead. Note that we shouldn’t be afraid to lose these races – hence the importance of playing within our bankroll limitations. And if we believe we have an edge (simply adhering to these tips should be enough to manage that) then it makes more sense to buy in again rather than re-start the process of getting the feel of a new table.

Don’t try to be too clever

Having confidence in our strategy is one thing, but as soon as we feel unbeatable there’s a danger we stray from the game-plan with flashy plays, unjustifiable moves and ‘clever’ bluffs (bluffing is best kept to a minimum), a change of tactics that tends to lead to disaster somewhere down the line.

A worthy follow-up to this is:

Bet strong hands, fold poor hands

This might seem obvious, but seeing it in black and white helps us remember to keep our feet firmly rooted to the ground (and keeps our head out of the clouds…).

Make the opposition pay through the nose to chase

The vast majority of inexperienced, lower limit players simply love to chase flush and straight draws and they tend not to worry too much about getting the appropriate odds when faced with a bet. Consequently: Overbet with strong made hands when the board shows possible draws! Apart from making sure we don’t give our opponents value draws, this ostensibly unorthodox play is guaranteed to be profitable over time. Of course there will be times when someone hits but, in the long-term, inviting people to pay too much for draws is a key part of the game. Furthermore, it is surprising how many players will compound an incorrect call on the flop by calling another big bet – for even worse odds – on the turn (and if we’re lucky, our stronger hand might also illicit a call with a tempting sized bet on the river should the chaser catch a medium pair, for example).

Good luck at the tables!

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

Self-assessment: seeing past our style

Not long ago on 32Red Poker we concentrated on playing styles by categorising the major conventional approaches, namely Tight Aggressive, Loose Aggressive, Tight Passive and Loose Passive. Of course it’s impossible to avoid being too simplistic but, essentially, the point was to help recognise our own characteristics as well as to better determine the kind of players we find ourselves up against and, in turn, consider how we might subsequently deal with the more obviously defined player types.

While this serves as a constructive starting point and a guide as to how we might be perceived by others (and how we can take this a few steps further to influence this perception), there are aspects of the learning/improvement process that benefit from removing our personal player type tag altogether.

One such key subject is the occasional requirement of rigorous self-assessment. When it comes to addressing our bad habits and poor plays, plus ironing out those mistakes we are aware of but have done little about, it’s imperative that during this corrective process we remember not to label ourselves (or, at least, to avoid doing so too rigidly).

If we are proud to be Tight Aggressive, for instance, then rather than actually do something about running into – and folding against – check-raises too often after overdoing continuation bets, we might instead stubbornly stick with this tactic because c-betting is part and parcel of our style and, indeed, defines us a TAG. Similarly, a ‘modern’ Loose Aggressive player tends to tread a fine line between success and failure, and those who put down losing too many big pots to bad fortune or lucky calls and so on when the facts suggest they’re being too loose, and reading the game and their opponents poorly, are allowing their desired image to take priority.

The best way to avoid style literally getting in the way of substance is to keep in mind that, to achieve constructive change, we need to deconstruct the whole, and this means dispensing with inflexible presumptions that might better be described as vanity.

Good luck at the tables!

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

Patience – Poker is a waiting game

Indeed poker is a lot of things but, alongside (notably) position, patience is a key contributor to the ultimate poker p-word: Profit. The recent introduction to 32Red of Blaze Poker – which does away with the ‘non-playing’ time spent on waiting for a hand to complete by transferring us (as soon as we fold) to a brand new table with brand new players, straight into the action of a hand – will obviously be an attractive development for most players.

Nevertheless, even with this new format, impatience can still rear its ugly head if we fail to be consistently disciplined, and we need to be conscious of what is essentially a natural desire to see our lot improve and, subsequently, the equally natural urge to ‘end’ the frustration by settling for mediocre opportunities. There’s no point having a range that we’re very happy with when everything is going our way if we have a tendency to recklessly dispense with it when the tide inevitably turns against us.

Seemingly endless periods of both bad holdings and bad beats are always going to crop up from time to time – moreover a terrible period might appear to come to an end as our ‘luck’ changes, only to be followed by an even worse run of cards. Nor is it so unusual, when the poker gods are amusing themselves at our expense by serving up just about every combination of hole cards except pairs, suited connectors or even a scrap of hope in the form of a suited ace, to find that when we are dealt a hand that is just about playable the pot is raised and reraised before we get a chance to join in, thus forcing us to fold yet again.

Eventually, too many of us let frustration morph into temptation, as holdings that we rarely give a second glance before folding, such as J8s or an ace with a poor kicker (the kind of hands we usually hope our opponents will go with), start to look increasingly promising. And once we allow these floodgates to open the tide of trap and dominated hands and the difficult situations (and often poor decisions) they lead to will wash away any gains we might have made.

But of course if we take away the negative emotions and frustration that build with each successive trash hand and look at a run of bad cards logically, it’s clear that by folding we aren’t going to be bleeding chips unnecessarily or (worse) losing big pots – patiently waiting out these dry periods (however long they might last) is the ultimate in profitable play.

While not exactly embracing a string of bad cards we should still maintain a positive outlook and extract the positive aspects of such situations by using this time we’re not involved in a hand to see what the other players are doing. Rather than curse our poor luck while becoming annoyed at the good fortune of others we should be exploiting these opportunities to accumulate very useful reads. What we’re ‘losing’ in taking a back seat, away from the action, we’re gaining in potentially valuable information!

Strong players prefer to hold back a little when first joining a game. Consequently they don’t at all mind starting a session on a new table with a bad run of cards because they’re interested in finding out as much as possible about the opposition while giving out as little as possible about themselves.

Patience. It’s not enough to read these words (or even write them!) and nod along in approval of what is really no more than common sense. We need to apply a level of realism during play, and appreciate that while we’re having to keep folding we’re also able to garner information by more closely observing other players’ habits, as well as keeping our powder dry by not being drawn into battles we stand to lose.

Good luck at the tables!

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

Poker, like life, needs balance… Part 2

By ‘balancing’ our play we mean that, rather than doing exactly the same thing each time we are faced with a given situation, instead we act differently every now and then.

An obvious example is what we do with aces. Rather than automatically opening with the standard raise we could be a bit more tricky and limp (with a view to reraising). The intended result is to sow the seeds of doubt in the opposition’s minds so that our actions become increasingly more difficult to read and, in turn, more awkward to react to.

While we might occasionally hold back – at least initially – with pocket aces, we could step up a gear with smaller pairs so that instead of entering a pot as cheaply as possible we (re)raise. As well as making us less predictable, this kind of aggressive play brings with it the additional advantage of putting our opponents under pressure.

Of course we must remember to avoid letting our ‘extra’ plays become the new norm, as this would make us even more ripe for exploitation than we were in the first place. If we start to overdo pre-flop 3-betting with small pairs, then chances are that it won’t take too long for us to find ourselves being punished, with opponents even being able to bully us off the pot simply by bluffing.

The point behind our being flexible is to reduce our predictability and thus make it harder for opponents to adjust to our (too limited) strategy. Going overboard merely helps highlight which elements of our approach others should be adjusting to, whereas failing to do anything that mixes up our play doesn’t sufficiently trouble anyone and, consequently, gives the opposition more freedom to hone their own strategies.

Thus we need to find an effective balance that allows us to slow down with bigger hands and speed up with 33, for example, while at the same time continuing to be aggressive most of the time with monster holdings.

The key is to continually strive to unsettle and confuse opponents throughout a session, while simultaneously making sure that these occasional alternative tactics do indeed remain occasional so that the foundations of our overall strategy remain in place. This comes with experience and it is easier to balance out our play than we might imagine. Crucially, if we don’t make adjustments to our game, then others will.

Good luck at the tables!

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

Poker: Finding your path

To not exactly quote Forrest Gump, poker is like an onion – it really can make your eyes water. And both have many layers that we can continuously peel away at before finding what we’re looking for.

I’m not sure what that is as far as the onion is concerned but, in the interests of pure journalism, I learned that not only did the ancient Egyptians worship the onion (the spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternity), but athletes in ancient Greece ate lots of them in order to ‘lighten the balance of the blood’, and gladiators in Rome were rubbed down with onion juice to firm up the muscles. Onions have even been used to address hair loss.

So, as it turns out, in a rather warped version of six degrees of separation, poker and onions are actually connected, especially if you’re a player searching for eternal truth, balanced blood, firm muscles and you miss the days when you had a full head of hair…

There are so many facets to poker that in order to maximise our resources – one of which is a limited amount of time – and reach a certain standard we must at some point make a conscious effort to pin our colours to a specific variant of the game. Of course, given that poker should be fun to play there might be a tendency for those players whose introduction came through watching Texas Hold’em in classic films to search deep into the jungle of Stud variants, for example.

But for anyone who is serious about boosting their bank balance by simply playing better than most of their opponents, then, at some point (sooner rather than later) it is necessary to select our preferred weapon, knuckle down and hone the learning process, whether this be the romantic Stud, Omaha or the more popular No Limit Hold’em.

Tune in next time for some practical advice about how our developmental path tends to pan out. In the meantime, poker is like a potato…

Good luck at the tables!

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

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Wise Guys Results (21st – 27th Nov)

Win at the 32Red Poker cash tables and you may qualify for even more cash rewards with our Wise Guys weekly leaderboards. Yes, we reward our biggest winners at 32Red Poker and we reward them well, with over $1,000 in prizes every week!

Congratulations to last week’s prize winners…

32Red’s Wise Guys

32Red Poker rewards loyalty, and winners – so if you’re a winning player, don’t be shy and try out our Wise Guysweekly competition. Have fun at the tables and good luck this week!

Why We Lose at Poker (2)

Here are more reasons why we lose at poker. As I always say, these are all rather obvious yet we seem to break our own rules and guidelines rather easily. Let’s try to make a new start by being as sensible as possible at the tables…

Position

Position, position, position. Position. This is certainly one of the aspects of the game we know about but with which we take terrible liberties.

Good position, clearly, means late position. As one of the last players to act after the flop we see how the opposition plays first and can use this vital information accordingly when it’s our turn; ideally we want to be the dealer/button so that we are last of all to act.

It follows that the better position we have the better reads we get and, in turn, the more flexibility in terms of starting hands. Being armed with the information afforded us by having position allows us to play more hands, with more aggression, than when in early position.

DO NOT carelessly play based only on the cards, with no consideration for position. Position is everything.

Too Loose, You Lose

Yet another poker sin we all knowingly commit. Premium starting hands are thus called for a reason – they are the ones we should limit ourselves to playing, rather than finding something magical in hands like K4 suited or T7. Getting into the habit of automatically limping in with poor hands and then having to let go when the poor pre-flop hand is still awful post-flop (or – worse – stubbornly refusing to give up) will cost a lot of money in the long-run.

Limiting yourself to playing a range along the lines of, for example, pocket pairs (how small should depend on the situation), AK, AQ, AJ/T suited, KQ in late position and suited connectors, while folding everything else pre-flop, should keep you sufficiently entertained as well as considerably reduce unnecessary cumulative losses.

Odds

Poker might be gambling, but at least we are able to make decisions armed with true numbers in the form of odds. This knowledge, and using it optimally, is imperative to success in poker. If you haven’t yet acquainted yourself with both card odds and pot odds (weighing up the odds of making a hand with the potential reward) you are not doing yourself justice and are undoubtedly wasting money! Fortunately, 32Red Poker is at hand – visit Pot Odds + Card Odds = Winners to improve your game.

Bluffing

While bluffing seems so exciting on television, this poker art has the nasty habit of backfiring. Note also that with the arrival of Anonymous tables we will see quite a bit more bluffing, so be careful not to get carried away. One good reason to think twice before bluffing at the lower levels is that your opponents probably won’t appreciate odds enough to know when they are ‘beaten’ and will therefore not back down. Folding isn’t fun, so they prefer to stay in with a chance of winning even with mediocre hands. Bluffing in good position is obviously better than in early position because there is much more information with which to make decisions.

Remember not to bluff too much as this will be exploited by observant players.

Money Management

Simply play within the limits of your bankroll if you want to avoid disaster. Never sit down with more than 5% of your bankroll, for instance (or be even more prudent if you prefer). Start at low levels or tournament buy-ins while building up experience, otherwise by the time you’re really beginning to appreciate more about various aspects of the game you won’t be able to put your knowledge into practice!

Patience and prudence.
Good luck!

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

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Related Articles

• Why we lose at poker (Part 1)
• Why we lose at poker (Part 2)

Making a stand against bluffers

We are all prone, unfortunately, to providing others with ways of taking our money. Obviously we should be working hard to constantly evaluate our play and determine to keep leaks and mistakes to a minimum.

But some players are rude enough to steal our money through bluffing us out of a pot. Is this not our fault because we are being prudent in folding, or another weakness in our play in that we don’t do enough to combat steals?

The good news is that we are able to trap these players, and another weapon in our armoury is putting up enough of a fight to prevent them from messing with our game so that they pick on someone else or even move on for pastures new. It’s a nice feeling to catch out a bluffer and some players actively seek them out but, in the main, they are a nuisance, and we can concentrate our efforts in exploiting other kinds of players so fighting our corner is a good strategy.

It’s not too difficult to identify bluffers, who probably prefer to call themselves ‘loose aggressive’ players. They are the ones who can’t resist peppering the pot with bets they hope are big enough to scare everyone off. This can work out well for us sometimes, but can be more than an inconvenience, for example when we have a marginal holding or when their throwing money around interferes with how we were planning to approach a hand.

The problem most players have when wondering how to address bluffers is that taking a stand requires a certain leap of faith. But the longer we dither and fail to act the longer our own strategies are disrupted – indeed if we can’t properly respond we’re better off leaving and finding a table where we can operate, but this, of course, isn’t the right attitude.

One advantage of having a table image tight enough to attract bluffers is that when we do elect to hit back at them they are more likely to believe us. At some point we should allow them to bluff and, preferably with a hand that has some kind of positive relation to the board (numerous outs, for example), raise big enough to turn the tables and force them out of the pot. Note that there’s no point doing this for the prize of a small pot.

Once might be enough, but generally a bluffer will soon get the message and, fingers duly burnt, leave us alone. The point of their game is to steal pots, and when we have established that we are not to be messed with they won’t take the risk any more. This also enables us to better read them when, after backing off, they do get involved.

The desired result is that by demonstrating the steel to fight our corner we get to play the type of game we want while disrupting someone else in the process. Getting our own way and frustrating others is a key part of the game.

Good luck at the tables!

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

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