Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Preflop VPIP/PFR Guidelines (Beginner / Intermediate Level)
If you'd like inquire about poker coaching, including using any poker software tools then please email me at stephenfburt@Gmail.com - see http://24caliber.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/coaching-introduction.html for more details.
---
I put these objectives together for one of my team who has been struggling lately and wanted to keep a copy for my records; so I posted it on here..it is aimed at players looking to solidify their starting hand selections based on position (beginner/intermediate level) in the deep stack stages of a tournament (early). I'm in the process of re-writing it now to make it easier to read (I'm up to EP).
The numbers are just guidelines to aim towards, be sure to always improve and evolve your starting hand selection as your understanding of the game develops.
Key:
VPIP = Voluntary Put Money in Pot
PFR = Pre Flop Raise
Small Blind (SB) and Big Blind (BB) Objectives: Change VPIP to 15% and PFR to 9%
1) Call or complete multi-way pots from the small blind with "go big or big home" hands like:
Also consider your implied odds based on you and your opponents stack sizes. If you have a hand like 22 and are looking to hit another 2 on the flop for a set...this will happen around 1 in 8 times.
Seeing as it happens so rarely, when you do hit that 2 you want there to be a lot of chips available to win, you can achieve this either by having a lot of opponents in the hand or by them having a lot of chips.
If everyone else at the table folds, then I'd recommend raising with these hand ranges as against just the big blind's range of hands they have a lot more value
2) Bet or 3 Bet premium hands (like AQ, TT+) to protect your hand, value bet and to isolate opponents:
The purpose of isolating is to reduce the amount of opponents in a hand and effectively increase the strength of your hand.
For example if you play with TT against 3 other opponents, chances are you will not have the best hand on a flop like Q78 - there is a good chance at least one of the opponents will have a queen, a set or a 2 pair holding.
However if you are playing only against one opponent, then it is more likely your TT will still be the best hand on the flop and this will increase your chances of winning the pot.
The more opponents in the hand, the more I believe you should raise to protect your hand - a general rule of thumb is to bet 3x the big blind, with an addition big blind per player...so if there is a 4 players that are in the hand (lets say the BB is 100) and you have a hand like AK, then bet 8x the big blind (800), it seems like a lot at first - but it's required to achieve your objective and bet more if you have to! Winning pots is a lot more profitable than losing pots.
3) Fold (or check) the remaining 85% of hands:
The reason for playing only a strong range from the blinds is because although you have good pot odds preflop to call a player's raise; you are going to play the hand out of position on every street.
This is a very big disadvantage as you have to make decisions with limited information.
The deeper the stack sizes are relative to the blinds, the more this disadvantage is exaggerated (this theory can also be reversed, whereby the shorter the stack sizes are relative to the blinds, the less disadvantage there is for playing out of position has as there is less post-flop play)
You can use a poker Software tool like Flopzilla or Pokerstove to play around with what different %'s of hand ranges look like, here is a link to a tutorial I made on using Flopzilla if you are interested:
http://sticktotheplan2010.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/using-flopzilla-tutorial-hand-analysis.html
Early Position (EP) Objective: Change VPIP to 12% and PFR to 12%
1)
In EP you are usually first into the pot.
The purpose of the objective stat is so that you are more likely to bet when entering the pot rather than call and fold out the remaining hands.
Entering a pot by raising places you as the aggressor in the pot; this means can represent a stronger range of hands and are more likely to have control of the action in the rest of the hand.
For example, if you raise KQ from Early Position and one player calls
Consider folding small pairs (88 and below) and marginal hands like AJ a high % of the time and as you will often face 3 bets (as there are a lot of players behind to act) and have to fold. In very deepstack play, set mining with small pairs from EP is reasonable....but ensure you are playing just to set mine and avoid getting attached to hands where you miss (e.g. 55 on 328 flop, if you were aiming to set mine, and have now missed the flop, then fold against another bet, even if your opponent has AJ, they have still have good equity against you for spiking an A or J and you could already be crushed against a bigger pair)
Middle Positive to Button
Objective: Change VPIP to 17% and PFR to 14%
The later your position, the higher your expected profit, and the button is the most profitably position at the table. From the button you should be playing the largest sample size of hands.
It is the most profitable position because you will always have position post flop (note that this is the opposite to the small blind and big blind, where you will always play out of position post flop, hence the tighter VPIP/PFR).
As you get closer to the button your VPIP and PFR can increase, and you can open / play a wider range of hands.
Use Pokerstove again to identify what a 17% range looks like (55+, A5s +)
These numbers also mean that when facing an UTG raises with 88 in mid position you should seriously consider folding, because there is a big chance you have the worst hand here (so you are set mining) and it is not a good spot to set mine as there is a big chance someone will squeeze behind with so players left to act or you might find tricky spots with e.g. a pair of 88 on a 724 board and find yourself stacking off against TT.
-----
Playing Under 20 Big Blinds
Objective: Under 20 Big blinds, Raise or fold (only call AA or KK)
Under 20 big blinds you rarely want to be calling because your stack size is just not big enough to allow you to give up on pots post flop.
If you have a hand like 77 on the cut off and it is folded to you with 15 big blinds, then open shoving is very likely a profitably option.
Or if you have 77 on the big blind and it is folded to the button who raises, then 3-bet shoving is most likely a profitable option (subject to your opponent's opening range).
However if you have a hand like 77 in early position with 15 big blinds, then shoving is a lot less likely a profitable option.
The key is position and understanding when you are most likely to have the strongest hand.
When facing situations under 20 big blinds, I want you to consider the following 3 factors:
1: Your stack size relative to the blinds and average stack of the tournament
2: Your hole card strength
3: Your position and the actions before you (your opponents range based on his image and position)
There are more items that can be added to this list but we can consider these in future sessions.
Three-Bet Pots:
Objective: Only play AA AK KK QQ in 3 bet pots when deepstack
When a player bets or you bet, and another player raises (i.e. 3-Bets), avoid playing hands that are not in the top 5% of your range: AA AK KK QQ (Note: this is for Deepstack!)
The reason for this is because most players 3 bet ranges are very tight and without information on the player (i.e. you have seen them 3 bet before with a light hand, and actually seen the hand at showdown! or have a large sample size of stats on the player showing a high 3-bet percentage) then it is just guess work whether they are 3 betting you light or not.
So I want you to assume that without any other information their 3-bet range is top 5%...which again if you plug into Pokerstove is 99, AQ+. (Note that if you put TT or AQ as your hand against that top 5% range, it does not fair very well at all, no shame in folding TT or JJ preflop against a three bet, especially if you have raised from an early position and are less likely to get 3 bet light)
This is only for deepstack play, later in the tournaments when the stack sizes are smaller relative to the blinds, you obviously might have to call a lot of 3 bet all in's light, subject to pot odds and their shoving ranges (I think you are capable of making good analyse in these spots)
----
So here is a summary of the objectives, the general idea is to play less hands out of position (i.e. from the blinds), raise hands that you want to play and avoid open limping.
Small blind
Objective: Change VPIP from SB to 15% and PFR to 9%Big blind
Objective: Change VPIP from BB to 13% and PFR to 9%
Early Position
Objective: Change VPIP from EP to 12% and PFR to 11%
Middle Positive to Button
Objective: Change VPIP from EP to 17% and PFR to 14%
Playing Under 20 Big Blinds
Objective: Under 20 Big blinds, Raise or fold (only call AA or KK)
Three-Bet Pots:
Objective: Only play AA AK KK QQ in 3 bet pots when deepstack
I've added one more objective:
Objective: Mark up 10 hand examples from this report (e.g. folding TT to a 3 bet in early position when deepstack, or 3 bet shoving 77 with 15 big blinds vs a button raise)
Try to avoid tricky poker and value bet when you feel there is a good chance you have the best hand (you will be amazed at how many people call your value bets, without the need for tricky play!)
---
I put these objectives together for one of my team who has been struggling lately and wanted to keep a copy for my records; so I posted it on here..it is aimed at players looking to solidify their starting hand selections based on position (beginner/intermediate level) in the deep stack stages of a tournament (early). I'm in the process of re-writing it now to make it easier to read (I'm up to EP).
The numbers are just guidelines to aim towards, be sure to always improve and evolve your starting hand selection as your understanding of the game develops.
Key:
VPIP = Voluntary Put Money in Pot
PFR = Pre Flop Raise
Small Blind (SB) and Big Blind (BB) Objectives: Change VPIP to 15% and PFR to 9%
1) Call or complete multi-way pots from the small blind with "go big or big home" hands like:
- Small pairs,
- Suited connectors (e.g. 89xx)
- Suited aces (e.g. A4xx).
Also consider your implied odds based on you and your opponents stack sizes. If you have a hand like 22 and are looking to hit another 2 on the flop for a set...this will happen around 1 in 8 times.
Seeing as it happens so rarely, when you do hit that 2 you want there to be a lot of chips available to win, you can achieve this either by having a lot of opponents in the hand or by them having a lot of chips.
If everyone else at the table folds, then I'd recommend raising with these hand ranges as against just the big blind's range of hands they have a lot more value
2) Bet or 3 Bet premium hands (like AQ, TT+) to protect your hand, value bet and to isolate opponents:
The purpose of isolating is to reduce the amount of opponents in a hand and effectively increase the strength of your hand.
For example if you play with TT against 3 other opponents, chances are you will not have the best hand on a flop like Q78 - there is a good chance at least one of the opponents will have a queen, a set or a 2 pair holding.
However if you are playing only against one opponent, then it is more likely your TT will still be the best hand on the flop and this will increase your chances of winning the pot.
The more opponents in the hand, the more I believe you should raise to protect your hand - a general rule of thumb is to bet 3x the big blind, with an addition big blind per player...so if there is a 4 players that are in the hand (lets say the BB is 100) and you have a hand like AK, then bet 8x the big blind (800), it seems like a lot at first - but it's required to achieve your objective and bet more if you have to! Winning pots is a lot more profitable than losing pots.
3) Fold (or check) the remaining 85% of hands:
The reason for playing only a strong range from the blinds is because although you have good pot odds preflop to call a player's raise; you are going to play the hand out of position on every street.
This is a very big disadvantage as you have to make decisions with limited information.
The deeper the stack sizes are relative to the blinds, the more this disadvantage is exaggerated (this theory can also be reversed, whereby the shorter the stack sizes are relative to the blinds, the less disadvantage there is for playing out of position has as there is less post-flop play)
You can use a poker Software tool like Flopzilla or Pokerstove to play around with what different %'s of hand ranges look like, here is a link to a tutorial I made on using Flopzilla if you are interested:
http://sticktotheplan2010.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/using-flopzilla-tutorial-hand-analysis.html
Early Position (EP) Objective: Change VPIP to 12% and PFR to 12%
1)
In EP you are usually first into the pot.
The purpose of the objective stat is so that you are more likely to bet when entering the pot rather than call and fold out the remaining hands.
Entering a pot by raising places you as the aggressor in the pot; this means can represent a stronger range of hands and are more likely to have control of the action in the rest of the hand.
For example, if you raise KQ from Early Position and one player calls
Consider folding small pairs (88 and below) and marginal hands like AJ a high % of the time and as you will often face 3 bets (as there are a lot of players behind to act) and have to fold. In very deepstack play, set mining with small pairs from EP is reasonable....but ensure you are playing just to set mine and avoid getting attached to hands where you miss (e.g. 55 on 328 flop, if you were aiming to set mine, and have now missed the flop, then fold against another bet, even if your opponent has AJ, they have still have good equity against you for spiking an A or J and you could already be crushed against a bigger pair)
Middle Positive to Button
Objective: Change VPIP to 17% and PFR to 14%
The later your position, the higher your expected profit, and the button is the most profitably position at the table. From the button you should be playing the largest sample size of hands.
It is the most profitable position because you will always have position post flop (note that this is the opposite to the small blind and big blind, where you will always play out of position post flop, hence the tighter VPIP/PFR).
As you get closer to the button your VPIP and PFR can increase, and you can open / play a wider range of hands.
Use Pokerstove again to identify what a 17% range looks like (55+, A5s +)
These numbers also mean that when facing an UTG raises with 88 in mid position you should seriously consider folding, because there is a big chance you have the worst hand here (so you are set mining) and it is not a good spot to set mine as there is a big chance someone will squeeze behind with so players left to act or you might find tricky spots with e.g. a pair of 88 on a 724 board and find yourself stacking off against TT.
-----
Playing Under 20 Big Blinds
Objective: Under 20 Big blinds, Raise or fold (only call AA or KK)
Under 20 big blinds you rarely want to be calling because your stack size is just not big enough to allow you to give up on pots post flop.
If you have a hand like 77 on the cut off and it is folded to you with 15 big blinds, then open shoving is very likely a profitably option.
Or if you have 77 on the big blind and it is folded to the button who raises, then 3-bet shoving is most likely a profitable option (subject to your opponent's opening range).
However if you have a hand like 77 in early position with 15 big blinds, then shoving is a lot less likely a profitable option.
The key is position and understanding when you are most likely to have the strongest hand.
When facing situations under 20 big blinds, I want you to consider the following 3 factors:
1: Your stack size relative to the blinds and average stack of the tournament
2: Your hole card strength
3: Your position and the actions before you (your opponents range based on his image and position)
There are more items that can be added to this list but we can consider these in future sessions.
Three-Bet Pots:
Objective: Only play AA AK KK QQ in 3 bet pots when deepstack
When a player bets or you bet, and another player raises (i.e. 3-Bets), avoid playing hands that are not in the top 5% of your range: AA AK KK QQ (Note: this is for Deepstack!)
The reason for this is because most players 3 bet ranges are very tight and without information on the player (i.e. you have seen them 3 bet before with a light hand, and actually seen the hand at showdown! or have a large sample size of stats on the player showing a high 3-bet percentage) then it is just guess work whether they are 3 betting you light or not.
So I want you to assume that without any other information their 3-bet range is top 5%...which again if you plug into Pokerstove is 99, AQ+. (Note that if you put TT or AQ as your hand against that top 5% range, it does not fair very well at all, no shame in folding TT or JJ preflop against a three bet, especially if you have raised from an early position and are less likely to get 3 bet light)
This is only for deepstack play, later in the tournaments when the stack sizes are smaller relative to the blinds, you obviously might have to call a lot of 3 bet all in's light, subject to pot odds and their shoving ranges (I think you are capable of making good analyse in these spots)
----
So here is a summary of the objectives, the general idea is to play less hands out of position (i.e. from the blinds), raise hands that you want to play and avoid open limping.
Small blind
Objective: Change VPIP from SB to 15% and PFR to 9%Big blind
Objective: Change VPIP from BB to 13% and PFR to 9%
Early Position
Objective: Change VPIP from EP to 12% and PFR to 11%
Middle Positive to Button
Objective: Change VPIP from EP to 17% and PFR to 14%
Playing Under 20 Big Blinds
Objective: Under 20 Big blinds, Raise or fold (only call AA or KK)
Three-Bet Pots:
Objective: Only play AA AK KK QQ in 3 bet pots when deepstack
I've added one more objective:
Objective: Mark up 10 hand examples from this report (e.g. folding TT to a 3 bet in early position when deepstack, or 3 bet shoving 77 with 15 big blinds vs a button raise)
Try to avoid tricky poker and value bet when you feel there is a good chance you have the best hand (you will be amazed at how many people call your value bets, without the need for tricky play!)
MTT's: Playing from blinds, and reading preflop raises
Reading preflop raises at low level MTT's (100$ entry and below) is pretty straight forward, but lots of people make big mistakes preflop at these stakes because they miss the information given to them, you can also use your preflop reads (i.e. identifying opponent ranges) to aid postflop decision making. This is generally for the earlier stages of an MTT when deepstack.
.....However, firstly I want to quickly describe the logistical problems with playing hands out of the blinds and why it is a leak for a lot of players.
You can break down a "hand strength" into 3 sections all worth a third (33%):
33%: Your Position
33%: Your Pot Odds
33%: Your Card Strength
Ok, you can add more factors to this list (e.g. opponents in the pot, implied odds, playing as the aggresor, stack sizes, payout structure, bet sizing, etc.), but to keep it simple and easy to follow, lets just discuss these 3 factors, and lets say they are on average worth 33% for every scenario
An example of where the percentages might be different than 33% is e.g.; The pot odd's have dictated that you have to call a players all in preflop raise regardless of your cards due to the price given/ and if a player is all in Preflop, then position is not applicable as there is no more betting. (pot odds 100%, position 0%, cards 0%)
OK so,
33% Position:
When playing in the blinds you will always play the flop, turn and river out of position unless vs specifically the SB, which is a massive disadvantage as you have to act without any information on your opponent and have less control over the pot size and actions. This means that 33% of your allocated hand strength is already gone!
33%: Your Pot Odds
Against most standard raises you will have the pot odds to call in the big/small blind a high percentage of the time, especially with anti's, regardless of your card strength, unless you have completely polarised your opponents range and your holding is dominated, e.g. AA vs A7.
However, this is assuming that pot odd's are the only factor in poker and that you are playing the hand face up (i.e. you always get to showdown, the best hand always won and there were no more betting rounds on the flop/turn and river)
This means that the pot odds are no different vs a min raise preflop, than a standard raise preflop, because both times you have the pot odds to call. The only difference is against a min raise you have better implied odds (with hands where you are playing purely to hit e.g. set mining with a small pair), because you have put less chips in pot and a bigger stack behind.
So if your thought process is "I will call a min raise against my big blind with any two cards because is it so cheap and I have the pot odds", then you should call a standard raise with any two cards in the big blind aswell, because both times you have the pot odds.
However, it is the other factor's in the hand that are important (in fact a min raise preflop is a good way to induce players to make a mistake in their big blind, because they may call a bigger range than normally would - then find themself in very tricky spots out of position and not as the aggressor on later streets), the cost of this mistake is compounded with every street played because the pot gets bigger the later you are into the hand!
So you may find yourself making one small mistake preflop, then playing the rest of the hand well but on average losing a lot of chips, because of the preflop mistake!
33%: Your Card Strength
Seeing as the position and the pot odds are almost always the same (0% for position and 33% for pot odds respectively), the most important factor to consider when playing out of the blinds is your card strength and implied odds - and your card strength should be considered relative to your opponent's estimated range (see next section)
Here are a couple of guidelines I have put together:
1) Play hands that have good implied odds (suited connectors/pocket pairs) when you have deep stacks/good reads on your opponents. Multiway pots obviously provide additional implied odd potential.
Play these hands passively until you actually complete your draw (bluffing and semi bluffing is a very bad idea out of position in scenarios where your opponents are deep enough to play the hand on every street. If you run a semi-bluff by check shoving all in with say a flush draw on a flop, it is not as bad because you will not have to play the rest of the hand out of position, i.e. at a disadvantage)
2) Play your strong hands for value, e.g. if the button is raising a wide range (lets say PFR 20%) and you have 99 on the big blind - then 3 bet him, flatting is a disaster and leads to all sorts of tricky decisions later on in the hand. A good 3 bet size is 3-5x their bet, taking down the pot preflop is a good result. (if you have 99 and your opponent has KT - then you both own around 50% equity in the pot. If he has folded to your 3 bet raise, then he has given up his 50% equity to you) - The chips you have already put it into the pot is dead...gone! however it can make your 3 bet size look bigger than it actually is and hence give you better odds for success rates.
If you have 99 in the big blind, and a middle position raises and has a small range (lets say 8% PFR), then you should not play your hand for value - either fold or call to set mine (based on what I said above, your read on the opponent, stack sizes, implied odds, etc.) If you call with your 99 as a set mine, then remember you are Set Mining and try to avoid stacking off on a 882 flop vs KK - this is not a set up! It is a mistake, you already made a read that he was strong preflop (what has changed, nothing except now he has 4 bet shoved over your check-raise or barrelled every street...surely that just confirms your read?!?)
Remember: what makes you a better play than a fish is the spots you choose, the hands you choose to play and the way you choose to play them....if you are playing any 2 cards out of position, (i.e. from the blinds) against a raiser because you feel your opponent is raising a lot and a weak player, then is he the fish or you?!?
---
OK so now we have some guidelines for playing from the blinds, but how can we decide whether our hand is stronger or weaker than our opponents range?
To determine this, we need to analyse and process the information that is available when an opponent raises preflop? Consider these 3 factors before deciding what to do with your hand:
1) Position
What position has your opponent raised from? Generally, the later the position, the bigger the range the raiser has, as there is less players for the raise to get through.
2) Bet Size and Stack Size
How much has the opponent bet? is it 4x the big blind, 2x big blind or somewhere imbetween? What range of hands does this bet signify....most of the time bet sizes represent the strength of the hand (e.g. 4x bb stronger hand, 2x bb weaker hand). What impact does this bet have on his stack size? Is he committed to the pot? What stage are you in the tournament, does this player have to make moves or is he sitting comfortably?
3) Opponent
How often does he raise? Is he tricky player or a novice, does he understand position? Is this the first hand he has played or raised, how many pots has he played?
Whatever information you have on your opponent is useful in narrowing your opponents range...the smaller the range you have your opponent on, the easier he is to play.
Hold Em Manager is obviously a great tool to keep a record and gain instant access to stats on the player, however stats are more useful in Cash games than in MTT's - as you will rarely have a large sample size of stats on any player in an MTT and your stack size may also dictate the optimal play.
So if a player raises from under the gun (position) to 4x the big blind (bet size) and has been playing very tight (opponent) and you have AQ suited in a later position...is it really a cooler when you three bet shove and he insta-calls with AK KK AA? What range have you put him on here?
If you feel that you have the worst hand, and you cannot make a better hand fold (i.e. bluff) - then why not just fold??? regardless of hand strength...either that or you can be another person in the cycle of "coolers" whereby you all swap chips around hoping that you are on the right end of more "coolers" than everyone else. Worth thinking about, and sometimes the pot odds/stack sizes might dictate the play anyway.
To make this simpler I assuming there has been no action prior to this raise (e.g. a limper) - however you can apply the same 3 points (as a thought pattern process) for any situation where there has been a preflop raise:
What position has he raised from?
How much has he raised?
What kind of player is he?
Ask yourself these 3 questions whenever you face a preflop raise, make it a habit. Prior to making a decision with what to do with your own hand as you will be able to narrow your opponents range once you have answered these 3 questions. If any of the factors are unknown (e.g. no information on the player) you can weigh the other two factors heavier.
After having a good idea of his range, you can now to think about your own hand and how to play it "optimally" (subjective obviously)....i.e. your own position, table image, stack size, card strength, pot odds, implied pot odds, etc. and analyse the situation accordingly)
Further to this you can apply a similiar method for identifying a player(s) range when they call your raise preflop:
When someone calls your raise preflop, ask yourself these questions:
What position has he called my raise from?
What kind of player is he?
What impact does the call have on his stack?
Considering the stack sizes (relative to the blinds) is important to understand if your opponent is getting good implied odds (and hence potentially add's a range of fishy hand like small pairs or suited connectors to his range) or if the raise is a bigger proportion of his stack, he is less like to call with these "fishy" hands as there is not enough implied odds to justify a call...subject to the opponent
Identifying opponents ranges preflop makes postflop play a lot easier, remember what analyse you made preflop and apply it to aid your postflop decisions.
To keep this quite simple and coherent I have not discussed a lot of factors that can influence preflop decision making (for example you might want to consider your own image at the table, or selecting which opponents you want to play hands against, or how to properly decypher your implied odds against opponent ranges, what stage in the tournament you are in, how many players are paid - the more experienced player you are the more information you can analyse and process and apply), however this just provides some guidelines and fundamentally important factors that should be considered in MTT preflop play.
.....However, firstly I want to quickly describe the logistical problems with playing hands out of the blinds and why it is a leak for a lot of players.
You can break down a "hand strength" into 3 sections all worth a third (33%):
33%: Your Position
33%: Your Pot Odds
33%: Your Card Strength
Ok, you can add more factors to this list (e.g. opponents in the pot, implied odds, playing as the aggresor, stack sizes, payout structure, bet sizing, etc.), but to keep it simple and easy to follow, lets just discuss these 3 factors, and lets say they are on average worth 33% for every scenario
An example of where the percentages might be different than 33% is e.g.; The pot odd's have dictated that you have to call a players all in preflop raise regardless of your cards due to the price given/ and if a player is all in Preflop, then position is not applicable as there is no more betting. (pot odds 100%, position 0%, cards 0%)
OK so,
33% Position:
When playing in the blinds you will always play the flop, turn and river out of position unless vs specifically the SB, which is a massive disadvantage as you have to act without any information on your opponent and have less control over the pot size and actions. This means that 33% of your allocated hand strength is already gone!
33%: Your Pot Odds
Against most standard raises you will have the pot odds to call in the big/small blind a high percentage of the time, especially with anti's, regardless of your card strength, unless you have completely polarised your opponents range and your holding is dominated, e.g. AA vs A7.
However, this is assuming that pot odd's are the only factor in poker and that you are playing the hand face up (i.e. you always get to showdown, the best hand always won and there were no more betting rounds on the flop/turn and river)
This means that the pot odds are no different vs a min raise preflop, than a standard raise preflop, because both times you have the pot odds to call. The only difference is against a min raise you have better implied odds (with hands where you are playing purely to hit e.g. set mining with a small pair), because you have put less chips in pot and a bigger stack behind.
So if your thought process is "I will call a min raise against my big blind with any two cards because is it so cheap and I have the pot odds", then you should call a standard raise with any two cards in the big blind aswell, because both times you have the pot odds.
However, it is the other factor's in the hand that are important (in fact a min raise preflop is a good way to induce players to make a mistake in their big blind, because they may call a bigger range than normally would - then find themself in very tricky spots out of position and not as the aggressor on later streets), the cost of this mistake is compounded with every street played because the pot gets bigger the later you are into the hand!
So you may find yourself making one small mistake preflop, then playing the rest of the hand well but on average losing a lot of chips, because of the preflop mistake!
33%: Your Card Strength
Seeing as the position and the pot odds are almost always the same (0% for position and 33% for pot odds respectively), the most important factor to consider when playing out of the blinds is your card strength and implied odds - and your card strength should be considered relative to your opponent's estimated range (see next section)
Here are a couple of guidelines I have put together:
1) Play hands that have good implied odds (suited connectors/pocket pairs) when you have deep stacks/good reads on your opponents. Multiway pots obviously provide additional implied odd potential.
Play these hands passively until you actually complete your draw (bluffing and semi bluffing is a very bad idea out of position in scenarios where your opponents are deep enough to play the hand on every street. If you run a semi-bluff by check shoving all in with say a flush draw on a flop, it is not as bad because you will not have to play the rest of the hand out of position, i.e. at a disadvantage)
2) Play your strong hands for value, e.g. if the button is raising a wide range (lets say PFR 20%) and you have 99 on the big blind - then 3 bet him, flatting is a disaster and leads to all sorts of tricky decisions later on in the hand. A good 3 bet size is 3-5x their bet, taking down the pot preflop is a good result. (if you have 99 and your opponent has KT - then you both own around 50% equity in the pot. If he has folded to your 3 bet raise, then he has given up his 50% equity to you) - The chips you have already put it into the pot is dead...gone! however it can make your 3 bet size look bigger than it actually is and hence give you better odds for success rates.
If you have 99 in the big blind, and a middle position raises and has a small range (lets say 8% PFR), then you should not play your hand for value - either fold or call to set mine (based on what I said above, your read on the opponent, stack sizes, implied odds, etc.) If you call with your 99 as a set mine, then remember you are Set Mining and try to avoid stacking off on a 882 flop vs KK - this is not a set up! It is a mistake, you already made a read that he was strong preflop (what has changed, nothing except now he has 4 bet shoved over your check-raise or barrelled every street...surely that just confirms your read?!?)
Remember: what makes you a better play than a fish is the spots you choose, the hands you choose to play and the way you choose to play them....if you are playing any 2 cards out of position, (i.e. from the blinds) against a raiser because you feel your opponent is raising a lot and a weak player, then is he the fish or you?!?
---
OK so now we have some guidelines for playing from the blinds, but how can we decide whether our hand is stronger or weaker than our opponents range?
To determine this, we need to analyse and process the information that is available when an opponent raises preflop? Consider these 3 factors before deciding what to do with your hand:
1) Position
What position has your opponent raised from? Generally, the later the position, the bigger the range the raiser has, as there is less players for the raise to get through.
2) Bet Size and Stack Size
How much has the opponent bet? is it 4x the big blind, 2x big blind or somewhere imbetween? What range of hands does this bet signify....most of the time bet sizes represent the strength of the hand (e.g. 4x bb stronger hand, 2x bb weaker hand). What impact does this bet have on his stack size? Is he committed to the pot? What stage are you in the tournament, does this player have to make moves or is he sitting comfortably?
3) Opponent
How often does he raise? Is he tricky player or a novice, does he understand position? Is this the first hand he has played or raised, how many pots has he played?
Whatever information you have on your opponent is useful in narrowing your opponents range...the smaller the range you have your opponent on, the easier he is to play.
Hold Em Manager is obviously a great tool to keep a record and gain instant access to stats on the player, however stats are more useful in Cash games than in MTT's - as you will rarely have a large sample size of stats on any player in an MTT and your stack size may also dictate the optimal play.
So if a player raises from under the gun (position) to 4x the big blind (bet size) and has been playing very tight (opponent) and you have AQ suited in a later position...is it really a cooler when you three bet shove and he insta-calls with AK KK AA? What range have you put him on here?
If you feel that you have the worst hand, and you cannot make a better hand fold (i.e. bluff) - then why not just fold??? regardless of hand strength...either that or you can be another person in the cycle of "coolers" whereby you all swap chips around hoping that you are on the right end of more "coolers" than everyone else. Worth thinking about, and sometimes the pot odds/stack sizes might dictate the play anyway.
To make this simpler I assuming there has been no action prior to this raise (e.g. a limper) - however you can apply the same 3 points (as a thought pattern process) for any situation where there has been a preflop raise:
What position has he raised from?
How much has he raised?
What kind of player is he?
Ask yourself these 3 questions whenever you face a preflop raise, make it a habit. Prior to making a decision with what to do with your own hand as you will be able to narrow your opponents range once you have answered these 3 questions. If any of the factors are unknown (e.g. no information on the player) you can weigh the other two factors heavier.
After having a good idea of his range, you can now to think about your own hand and how to play it "optimally" (subjective obviously)....i.e. your own position, table image, stack size, card strength, pot odds, implied pot odds, etc. and analyse the situation accordingly)
Further to this you can apply a similiar method for identifying a player(s) range when they call your raise preflop:
When someone calls your raise preflop, ask yourself these questions:
What position has he called my raise from?
What kind of player is he?
What impact does the call have on his stack?
Considering the stack sizes (relative to the blinds) is important to understand if your opponent is getting good implied odds (and hence potentially add's a range of fishy hand like small pairs or suited connectors to his range) or if the raise is a bigger proportion of his stack, he is less like to call with these "fishy" hands as there is not enough implied odds to justify a call...subject to the opponent
Identifying opponents ranges preflop makes postflop play a lot easier, remember what analyse you made preflop and apply it to aid your postflop decisions.
To keep this quite simple and coherent I have not discussed a lot of factors that can influence preflop decision making (for example you might want to consider your own image at the table, or selecting which opponents you want to play hands against, or how to properly decypher your implied odds against opponent ranges, what stage in the tournament you are in, how many players are paid - the more experienced player you are the more information you can analyse and process and apply), however this just provides some guidelines and fundamentally important factors that should be considered in MTT preflop play.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)