Thursday, July 28, 2005
How to recognize bluffers: The Question
Recognizing bluffers and calling them can be extremely profitable in sit and go's. People get very desperate, especially towards the end of the game when the blinds are becoming huge. Now, some bluffers are pretty easy to spot and others are less. Personally, I think the best way to bluff involves making it impossible for people to call you, even if they know you are most likely bluffing (I'll get into that more some other time). Basically, recognizing bluffers usually comes down to one question: would this person bet no matter if they caught something or not?
Generally, a person decides to bluff before they even see what the next card is. For whatever reason: they're on tilt, they're desperate and they need this pot, they think you're weak, etc. I'm sure you've done it before, also, as your betting preflop or on the flop, whatever, you say to yourself "even if i don't catch what i'm hoping to catch, i'm gonna bet". And, what you need to be able to do is identify when people are going to do this and use it to your advantage.
As an example, I'll use one of my favorite moves at these sit and go's. Lets say you are big stack with about 4000 chips, its late in the game and the blinds are 100-200. You're in the big blind. Two places ahead of you a guy with 1000 chips raises to 500. You look at your cards and they're terrible, something like 7 10 offsuit for instance. Thinking about this situation, in a typical hand it may not be worth it to call that extra 300 chips. In this circumstance, however, it can be very profitable. The reason is that you know that person has to bet after the flop. And if they bet, they have to go all in. So, you know that they are going to bluff (unless of course they do in fact catch something). So, what you do is call that extra 300 and see what the flop is. If there is either a 7 or a 10, giving you a pair, I would check and call the other guy. If he is in fact bluffing (which he will be doing a large percentage of the time) you just won a 2200 chip pot for 300 chips. Good deal. If there is no 7 or 10 on the flop, you can just fold without any regrets.
Just put yourself in the other person's choose and see what you would do in that circumstance. In some situations you'll be able to use this knowledge to make some good calls and raises.
Generally, a person decides to bluff before they even see what the next card is. For whatever reason: they're on tilt, they're desperate and they need this pot, they think you're weak, etc. I'm sure you've done it before, also, as your betting preflop or on the flop, whatever, you say to yourself "even if i don't catch what i'm hoping to catch, i'm gonna bet". And, what you need to be able to do is identify when people are going to do this and use it to your advantage.
As an example, I'll use one of my favorite moves at these sit and go's. Lets say you are big stack with about 4000 chips, its late in the game and the blinds are 100-200. You're in the big blind. Two places ahead of you a guy with 1000 chips raises to 500. You look at your cards and they're terrible, something like 7 10 offsuit for instance. Thinking about this situation, in a typical hand it may not be worth it to call that extra 300 chips. In this circumstance, however, it can be very profitable. The reason is that you know that person has to bet after the flop. And if they bet, they have to go all in. So, you know that they are going to bluff (unless of course they do in fact catch something). So, what you do is call that extra 300 and see what the flop is. If there is either a 7 or a 10, giving you a pair, I would check and call the other guy. If he is in fact bluffing (which he will be doing a large percentage of the time) you just won a 2200 chip pot for 300 chips. Good deal. If there is no 7 or 10 on the flop, you can just fold without any regrets.
Just put yourself in the other person's choose and see what you would do in that circumstance. In some situations you'll be able to use this knowledge to make some good calls and raises.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Doyle Brunson's wrong??
Speaking of Doyle Brunson, he said in his book that he'd rather have AK than AA. He said this because he claims that you can win much larger pots with AK and can get your money out faster and lose only small pots if you don't catch. He also said that with AA you will either only win a small pot or lose a huge one. This may have been true back in his time when most people played tightly. Ironically, however, because of his book, getting something like AA will double you up a good percentage of the time, and it'll be rare that you get all your money in the pot having the worst hand.
If you read back to my last post, you'll see that the Doyle Brunson involves betting after the flop no matter what if you raised before the flop. And, what it also talked about is how people are looking for this and check-raising all the time. So, here's my point. People are going to check-raise if they catch something such as top pair, but that's not going to be good enough against AA, and you can just raise back all in and probably be called.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Lets say you have AA, raise a decent size preflop, but a guy with KQ calls you. The flop comes up Q 5 8 all different suits. The guy expects you to bet no matter what even if you have nothing, and therefore he thinks he's got you beat. He's probably going to check, let you bet, then check raise you to get the most money out of you. All you do is bet like you're supposed to, when he raises you, you raise him all in. At this point, he's probably stuck, and he'll call you. No bad beats and you doubled up. It happens all the time at these sit and go's.
So, I'm gonna have to disagree with Doyle on this one. Although you may lose to some huge pots with AA, you're gonna win a lot of huge ones at these sit and go's, believe me.
If you read back to my last post, you'll see that the Doyle Brunson involves betting after the flop no matter what if you raised before the flop. And, what it also talked about is how people are looking for this and check-raising all the time. So, here's my point. People are going to check-raise if they catch something such as top pair, but that's not going to be good enough against AA, and you can just raise back all in and probably be called.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Lets say you have AA, raise a decent size preflop, but a guy with KQ calls you. The flop comes up Q 5 8 all different suits. The guy expects you to bet no matter what even if you have nothing, and therefore he thinks he's got you beat. He's probably going to check, let you bet, then check raise you to get the most money out of you. All you do is bet like you're supposed to, when he raises you, you raise him all in. At this point, he's probably stuck, and he'll call you. No bad beats and you doubled up. It happens all the time at these sit and go's.
So, I'm gonna have to disagree with Doyle on this one. Although you may lose to some huge pots with AA, you're gonna win a lot of huge ones at these sit and go's, believe me.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Doyle Brunson
A few years ago, I read the book Super System by Doyle Brunson. I thought it was a fantastic book, personally. It was the first book to really talk about some of the best ways to bluff, and the best ways to mix up your plays, etc. But, probably, the thing that most sticks out about that book is one move, a move that at one time nobody did, but a move that now almost everyone does. The move I am talking about is this: If you are the one raising preflop, you bet on the flop no matter what (unless the flop is extremely detrimental to your hand, like where you raise with QQ and the flop comes AKK). I call this move the Doyle Brunson. Personally, I think its a great move, and one that must be done. The only problem with it is that everybody knows about it, and its got to the point where people are check-raise bluffing people and things like that. This is one thing you have to watch out for. This is one of the most important things I will teach because it is one of the only things that will separate you from the average poker players at these websites.
Basically, what it comes down to is that you need to watch the hands where people are raising preflop. The topic of this page will be what to look out for and what to do later when you see people doing it. I'll try to give some of the typical types of strategies I've seen from other players, and tips that you can use against them.
Typical Strategies of pulling the Doyle Brunson (After raising preflop and is called, on the flop the person...)
1. bets just about everytime, but checks when they have something really good such as trips, a straight, a flush, two pair, or even top pair top kicker.
These people are usually pretty easy to spot. You've probably seen these people a lot. You've probably been at a sit and go where there's this guy betting just about everytime. He's gotten pretty lucky and has ended up building up a pretty good stack. All of a sudden you get something like 99, and you decide to call his preflop raise from the big blind. The flop comes up A 3 7, and you check. You expect him to bet, planning on probably folding your 99, when to your surprise he checks as well. Huh? That doesn't make sense. Well, yes it does, and it happens pretty often. He's just got something really good and he knows he's got you beat, so he's trying to look weak. He's probaly got AK, A7, or even AA.
This is where your instinct has got to kick in, and you've got to realize whats going on. If your tired, feeling depressed, in a hurry, on tilt, etc. your first thought is going to be that he has nothing and you should bet. This is almost always the wrong way to go. There must be a reason why this of all times he decides not to bet. And, I'll tell you what. Its not because every other single time he caught something, and this was the first time he didn't catch something. Its much more likely that this is the first time he did catch something, something really good.
More and more I've found that these people are not checking as much with the great hands, but betting the minimum, hoping for the other person to raise so they can go all in. If a guy who hardly ever bets the minimum suddenly does, he probably has something really good. The best thing to do is to call if you have a pretty good draw (cause you can probably take all his money, remember, though, that a low pocket pair is not a good draw to catching trips), or just fold right away if you don't really have anything.
2. bets way too much (the pot size) everytime
This person is easy. You just wait until you get something really good on the flop. Then, raise them back postflop, and they'll be so pot committed they'll probably call and you'll win a humongous pot. Once again, this takes patience.
3. bets about half the pot or so when they have something decent, but bets way too much (pot size) when bluffing
Watch for these people. They can be difficult to spot, but use your intellect. I've won a lot of chips off of these type of people. They think they can only bluff people if they bet the pot, but if you can spot these people, you'll be more likely to raise back at them if they bet more.
If you see people take down pots with decent hands, pay attention to how much they bet on the flop. You may not be able to tell their bluffing when they bet the pot, but you can tell when you doubt they have anything. For instance, if they bet the pot when there's all low cards (be careful of people with overpairs that aren't that high though, as they might have been just trying to protect their hand).
Once you spot this person, you can figure out what to do. If they bet the pot, they're probably bluffing. This is one of those times you've got to have some balls. You got a pair of threes, you should raise back. You got a decent draw and tons of chips, raise back big, there's a good chance they'll fold and you'll take down a huge pot.
4. bet only when they get something
These people did not read Super System nor are they paying attention to other players. Playing these people is pretty straightforward. If they don't bet, bluff them out (make sure its a decent size bet, though, and that the person isn't in category 1). If they do bet, fold. Pretty simple.
5. bet everytime no matter what
These people are a little more difficult. Basically, you have to make a judgement call. If you think you have a better hand, raise back. You may run into something better once in a while, but you have to take that chance.
Its also good to pay attention to what these people do when a person raises back at them. A lot of people have too much pride and will refuse to fold no matter what. So, basically, wait till you have something, top pair or something, before you make your move. Also, there are people who fold a lot of the times they are raised back at. Against these people you can raise back at them with draws also, and more mediocre hands that have chances to improve. The reason you need the chance to improve is that in case they do call you, they're probably beating you. So, a low pocket pair may not suffice, wheareas a single pair may, since you can catch both trips or a two pair.
**Be careful of people who double the big blind preflop, especially if its someone who hardly ever does this, there's a good chance they have AA or KK. People do this because its kinda like saying, "I'm raising, so I'm gonna pull a Doyle Brunson on the flop, but I don't want there to be any chance you'll fold before we get there". If you're in the big blind and someone does this, I would still call, but be weary as to what you catch, you may really be trying to catch a two pair or three of a kind. If you do catch something really good, you may be able to win a huge pot. If you catch something like a low pair, however, I personally would try betting it. If I got raised, I'd fold. If I got called, I'd probably check on the turn unless I improved.
Basically, what it comes down to is that you need to watch the hands where people are raising preflop. The topic of this page will be what to look out for and what to do later when you see people doing it. I'll try to give some of the typical types of strategies I've seen from other players, and tips that you can use against them.
Typical Strategies of pulling the Doyle Brunson (After raising preflop and is called, on the flop the person...)
1. bets just about everytime, but checks when they have something really good such as trips, a straight, a flush, two pair, or even top pair top kicker.
These people are usually pretty easy to spot. You've probably seen these people a lot. You've probably been at a sit and go where there's this guy betting just about everytime. He's gotten pretty lucky and has ended up building up a pretty good stack. All of a sudden you get something like 99, and you decide to call his preflop raise from the big blind. The flop comes up A 3 7, and you check. You expect him to bet, planning on probably folding your 99, when to your surprise he checks as well. Huh? That doesn't make sense. Well, yes it does, and it happens pretty often. He's just got something really good and he knows he's got you beat, so he's trying to look weak. He's probaly got AK, A7, or even AA.
This is where your instinct has got to kick in, and you've got to realize whats going on. If your tired, feeling depressed, in a hurry, on tilt, etc. your first thought is going to be that he has nothing and you should bet. This is almost always the wrong way to go. There must be a reason why this of all times he decides not to bet. And, I'll tell you what. Its not because every other single time he caught something, and this was the first time he didn't catch something. Its much more likely that this is the first time he did catch something, something really good.
More and more I've found that these people are not checking as much with the great hands, but betting the minimum, hoping for the other person to raise so they can go all in. If a guy who hardly ever bets the minimum suddenly does, he probably has something really good. The best thing to do is to call if you have a pretty good draw (cause you can probably take all his money, remember, though, that a low pocket pair is not a good draw to catching trips), or just fold right away if you don't really have anything.
2. bets way too much (the pot size) everytime
This person is easy. You just wait until you get something really good on the flop. Then, raise them back postflop, and they'll be so pot committed they'll probably call and you'll win a humongous pot. Once again, this takes patience.
3. bets about half the pot or so when they have something decent, but bets way too much (pot size) when bluffing
Watch for these people. They can be difficult to spot, but use your intellect. I've won a lot of chips off of these type of people. They think they can only bluff people if they bet the pot, but if you can spot these people, you'll be more likely to raise back at them if they bet more.
If you see people take down pots with decent hands, pay attention to how much they bet on the flop. You may not be able to tell their bluffing when they bet the pot, but you can tell when you doubt they have anything. For instance, if they bet the pot when there's all low cards (be careful of people with overpairs that aren't that high though, as they might have been just trying to protect their hand).
Once you spot this person, you can figure out what to do. If they bet the pot, they're probably bluffing. This is one of those times you've got to have some balls. You got a pair of threes, you should raise back. You got a decent draw and tons of chips, raise back big, there's a good chance they'll fold and you'll take down a huge pot.
4. bet only when they get something
These people did not read Super System nor are they paying attention to other players. Playing these people is pretty straightforward. If they don't bet, bluff them out (make sure its a decent size bet, though, and that the person isn't in category 1). If they do bet, fold. Pretty simple.
5. bet everytime no matter what
These people are a little more difficult. Basically, you have to make a judgement call. If you think you have a better hand, raise back. You may run into something better once in a while, but you have to take that chance.
Its also good to pay attention to what these people do when a person raises back at them. A lot of people have too much pride and will refuse to fold no matter what. So, basically, wait till you have something, top pair or something, before you make your move. Also, there are people who fold a lot of the times they are raised back at. Against these people you can raise back at them with draws also, and more mediocre hands that have chances to improve. The reason you need the chance to improve is that in case they do call you, they're probably beating you. So, a low pocket pair may not suffice, wheareas a single pair may, since you can catch both trips or a two pair.
**Be careful of people who double the big blind preflop, especially if its someone who hardly ever does this, there's a good chance they have AA or KK. People do this because its kinda like saying, "I'm raising, so I'm gonna pull a Doyle Brunson on the flop, but I don't want there to be any chance you'll fold before we get there". If you're in the big blind and someone does this, I would still call, but be weary as to what you catch, you may really be trying to catch a two pair or three of a kind. If you do catch something really good, you may be able to win a huge pot. If you catch something like a low pair, however, I personally would try betting it. If I got raised, I'd fold. If I got called, I'd probably check on the turn unless I improved.
Playing small pocket pairs
The main strategy in Sit and Go's in order to win at a consistent rate is to be able to correctly move from tight to loose. First of all, there should be no time (with a few exceptions) that you should finish anywhere below 6th place. Generally, there's gonna be a few idiots at your table who bet way too much and way too often. Or, there's the people who love to call way too much trying to get draws. Generally, these people will lose right away (or, ironically, be a really huge stack right away if they catch their cards).
When I lose at the beginning of the game its usually because I'm bored and I try to make too many moves. One thing you (and I, both) must realize is that these people love to call. In fact, as I was writing this I started making stupid moves and my stack was less than a thousand at the beginning of the game (pretty stupid). But then I got aces, and lost an all in to pocket nines. Which leads me to my next topic: Playing low pocket pairs.
I think the best way for me to explain this topic is to perhaps list a few rules that I always go by when I have low pocket pairs.
1. If its early in the game, do not call a preflop all in with a low pocket pair.
Think about it. What is the guy who went all in (considering he has at least a small brain) going to have. Well, he's either going to have two high cards (AK, AQ), or he's going to have a pocket pair of some kind, probably a big one. Therefore, if you call with a low pocket pair you are either going to be a slight favorite against two high cards, or a huge underdog against two low cards. So, even if you think the guy has two high cards, you have to be just about 100% sure for calling him to be profitable. And, basically, you're never going to be 100% sure about anything. In the long run, you are going to lose a lot of chips calling an all in with low pocket pairs.
2. Times when it is safe to go all in preflop when you have low pocket pairs
Its safe to go all in if you think there is a good chance other people will fold and you'll win enough chips to make it worth it. For instance, if the blinds are big and you're small stack, and you're somewhat in mid to late position. Once again, however, if you're small stack and the blinds are big I would still not call an all in. You need to have that chance of everyone folding to make it worth it. Many people like to do this when someone else has already raised big, though. Because there is basically no chance that the other person will fold, I would never do this as it would more be in the category of calling an all in.
Its also safe to go all in when the table is shorthanded. Generally, in these situations people will be playing more loosely and will raise the pot without having great cards. If you raise over the top all in with your low pocket pair you may force them to lay down their mediocre hands, giving you a rather large pot without having to show cards. Or, if they do call, you'll probably still have the advantage. There may be times when you're dominated, but when the table is short-handed you need to take more chances.
3. Generally, play low pocket pairs just by calling and hoping for trips.
Personally, with low pocket pairs I try to get in as cheap as possible to catch trips. Yes, it can disguise your trips better if you raise a little bit preflop and catch them, and you can try that if you want (I'm not totally against it). The great thing about trips is nobody will guess that you have them. I always bet them or raise with them as soon as I get them. I do this not only so that the draws don't get a chance to get a free card, but I also do it so that if a draw comes out, somebody with high pair or low two pair would get scared away, even though they would have called quite a lot before the turn or river.
4. Pairs that are on the border of being low and high (such as 1010, JJ) can be played either as small pairs or as large pairs depending on the situation.
I think it depends on how many chips you have and how short-handed the table is. If you're short stack, I would still be reluctant to call an all in with them, but I probably wouldn't think twice about going all in with them. Unlike with small pocket pairs, however, if I thought someone was pushing me around as a small stack, for instance in the big blind, I would call an all in.
Also, if the table is short-handed, you definitely want to be raising with these hands. People may fold, and if someone calls and the flop is all smaller than your pocket pair, I wouldn't be reluctant to go all in. Even if you bet and were raised way over top, I would call every time. People are desperate, and love the move of raising the preflop raiser after the flop. A lot of times they'll have nothing. And the other times they probably just have a low pair. If the flop comes with a lot of high cards, you should still bet again after the flop, but if you get raised, you should fold. The other person is probaly scared that you have big cards too, and they wouldn't raise you unless they had something pretty good. If there's just one big card, you'll have to make a judgement call based on how the person's been playing. It could be somebody that's desperate, or he may actually have it.
Generally, however, if it was a full table I would still be hoping for trips with these cards. I would raise if I was in late position, though, trying to steal the blinds, but having a good fall back if I get called. I may do this with lower pocket pairs also if I thought they'd fold.
When I lose at the beginning of the game its usually because I'm bored and I try to make too many moves. One thing you (and I, both) must realize is that these people love to call. In fact, as I was writing this I started making stupid moves and my stack was less than a thousand at the beginning of the game (pretty stupid). But then I got aces, and lost an all in to pocket nines. Which leads me to my next topic: Playing low pocket pairs.
I think the best way for me to explain this topic is to perhaps list a few rules that I always go by when I have low pocket pairs.
1. If its early in the game, do not call a preflop all in with a low pocket pair.
Think about it. What is the guy who went all in (considering he has at least a small brain) going to have. Well, he's either going to have two high cards (AK, AQ), or he's going to have a pocket pair of some kind, probably a big one. Therefore, if you call with a low pocket pair you are either going to be a slight favorite against two high cards, or a huge underdog against two low cards. So, even if you think the guy has two high cards, you have to be just about 100% sure for calling him to be profitable. And, basically, you're never going to be 100% sure about anything. In the long run, you are going to lose a lot of chips calling an all in with low pocket pairs.
2. Times when it is safe to go all in preflop when you have low pocket pairs
Its safe to go all in if you think there is a good chance other people will fold and you'll win enough chips to make it worth it. For instance, if the blinds are big and you're small stack, and you're somewhat in mid to late position. Once again, however, if you're small stack and the blinds are big I would still not call an all in. You need to have that chance of everyone folding to make it worth it. Many people like to do this when someone else has already raised big, though. Because there is basically no chance that the other person will fold, I would never do this as it would more be in the category of calling an all in.
Its also safe to go all in when the table is shorthanded. Generally, in these situations people will be playing more loosely and will raise the pot without having great cards. If you raise over the top all in with your low pocket pair you may force them to lay down their mediocre hands, giving you a rather large pot without having to show cards. Or, if they do call, you'll probably still have the advantage. There may be times when you're dominated, but when the table is short-handed you need to take more chances.
3. Generally, play low pocket pairs just by calling and hoping for trips.
Personally, with low pocket pairs I try to get in as cheap as possible to catch trips. Yes, it can disguise your trips better if you raise a little bit preflop and catch them, and you can try that if you want (I'm not totally against it). The great thing about trips is nobody will guess that you have them. I always bet them or raise with them as soon as I get them. I do this not only so that the draws don't get a chance to get a free card, but I also do it so that if a draw comes out, somebody with high pair or low two pair would get scared away, even though they would have called quite a lot before the turn or river.
4. Pairs that are on the border of being low and high (such as 1010, JJ) can be played either as small pairs or as large pairs depending on the situation.
I think it depends on how many chips you have and how short-handed the table is. If you're short stack, I would still be reluctant to call an all in with them, but I probably wouldn't think twice about going all in with them. Unlike with small pocket pairs, however, if I thought someone was pushing me around as a small stack, for instance in the big blind, I would call an all in.
Also, if the table is short-handed, you definitely want to be raising with these hands. People may fold, and if someone calls and the flop is all smaller than your pocket pair, I wouldn't be reluctant to go all in. Even if you bet and were raised way over top, I would call every time. People are desperate, and love the move of raising the preflop raiser after the flop. A lot of times they'll have nothing. And the other times they probably just have a low pair. If the flop comes with a lot of high cards, you should still bet again after the flop, but if you get raised, you should fold. The other person is probaly scared that you have big cards too, and they wouldn't raise you unless they had something pretty good. If there's just one big card, you'll have to make a judgement call based on how the person's been playing. It could be somebody that's desperate, or he may actually have it.
Generally, however, if it was a full table I would still be hoping for trips with these cards. I would raise if I was in late position, though, trying to steal the blinds, but having a good fall back if I get called. I may do this with lower pocket pairs also if I thought they'd fold.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Disclaimer
Most people who play in these sit and go's are not the best poker players in the world, and most of them aren't even that good. Therefore, this website is produced with the idea that you are playing the typical sit and go players. Many of the things I say will be very straightforward because thats how you need to play. Yes, bluffing can be very profitable if done at certain times (especially when the table becomes short handed), but you'll win the most chips in the hands where you are not bluffing. If there is any one thing I can tell you to be a winning player at poker, its to play the odds. Don't raise with 7 2 offsuit because no matter what the guy who called you has, you are losing. You may think you are a better player than the other guy, and you may be a better player than the other guy, but nobody likes to be pushed around, and nobody likes to fold after the flop if they've already got a lot of chips in the pot. You may think you're building up table image, but this isn't Las Vegas, and you can't afford to just give away chips. Most people aren't even really paying attention anyway. Or, it just may make you look suspicious so that they do pay attention to you. And nobody wants that.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Betting the Pot
Just a little FYI (for your information), if you're reading this site, you may have realized that this site is not for beginners. Nor is it for anybody to really use in all facets of poker playing. It mainly just works for ten person sit and go's or six person sit and go's, and maybe even multiple table tournaments. It definitely does not work for cash games. Cash games are a totally different animal, and I'll tell you why. In cash games, any dollar is worth the same amount as any other dollar. Whether you have a hundred dollars in your stack or five, it doesn't matter. In chip games like sit and go's however, your chips go down in value as you have more of them. You just can't afford to be tossing around chips when you don't have many (I'll have a talk about how to play short stack, its pretty easy actually, because you really can't bluff). When you're big stack, however, you can bluff people all the time, and there's nothing anybody can do about it (if they're smart). Furthermore, in chip games, the blinds go up. Therefore, pots get bigger as time goes on. So, even if you're slowly building your stack, any big hand at any time, will kill you. Whereas, in cash games, if you slowly build up your stack, you may still be way up even after losing a big pot. Anyways, without further ado, I bring you today's topic.
Betting the Pot:
Betting the pot is probably my biggest pet peeve, and probably the biggest error (in my opinion) that the good poker players still have. I hate seeing decent players lose because they're betting way too much. There are very few times where it makes any sense at all to bet the pot. Don't get me wrong, if these were cash games, it makes much more sense to make those huge bets. But in chip games, you are putting way too many chips in the middle. See the thing is, you are making everybody fold except those people who really have the good hands. So, if you have top pair, betting the pot is extremely stupid, if you get raised, what are you gonna do? You're already so pot committed. So, what should you do? I usually bet a little more than half the pot. That's usually good enough to say: I've got a good hand. But if you get raised, you can always lay it down without losing too many chips. In my book, not losing too much money when you don't have the best hand is one of the keys to winning these sit and go's.
Let me give you an example of why betting the pot is a bad idea. Lets say you have pocket kings with 1500 chips and the blinds are 50-100. You correctly raise to about 300 preflop, and are called by one person. Now, the flop comes up A 7 4 all different suits, with the pot being 750 and you having 1200 chips. Many people would bet the pot here, but lets think about this for a second. If you were to bet the pot, if the other guy had an ace, any ace, he would probably go over top of you, pushing you all in. At this point, you could either fold, leaving you a meager450 in chips, or you could call, most likely exiting you from the tournament. So its obvious what the disadvantage to betting the pot is here, are there any advantages? Some people would say that it might make the other person fold if he had an ace with a low kicker. That's not true. If he called your raise, there has to be some card that he's looking for. He's not going to call looking only for a two pair or better. He's saying, "if I get that ace, I'm betting it". Now, he may not have an ace, and just in case this is true, it is definitely correct to bet. A guy without an ace would be scared that you had an ace, though, and would fold for just about any sized bet. Therefore, in this case it would make much more sense to bet small (not so small that it would get someone to attempt a bluff-raise, however).
So, do I ever advocate betting the pot? Well, not really. I almost always bet half the pot (remember that its always best to be consistent no matter how you bet), or in some circumstances I'll go all in. The only time I would ever bet the pot is if I had a really good hand and I wanted somebody to call me, but I didn't think they would call me if I went all in. For instance, if you were playing somebody who consistently bet the pot, when you bet the pot against them they may think that you are playing the same way as them, and may be tempted to call with mediocre hands. Or, if the table image is centered around betting the pot, you may be able to follow the flow and get called. Once again, however, you must believe that you have a hand that is almost definitely the best hand to do this. So good that you want to be called.
There are other arguments as to other times when it is favorable to bet the pot such as a really good draw where you'd rather everybody folded, but even if someone has something really good and they call you still have a good shot to win. Personally, I still think its probably better to go all in than bet the pot in these cases. I say that simply because you're pretty much forcing yourself to go all in anyway, and you're giving the other guy a chance to fold if he puts you on the draw and it comes out.
I remember reading somewhere that a pot-sized bet is the best bluff, and perhaps this is why people continually do bet the pot. It may be the best size to bluff, and you may in the long run win more chips doing it than you've lost. The fact remains, however, that in these chip tournaments, the one time it doesn't work (because the blinds are getting bigger) will kill your stack. I'm sure the author of that book was talking about money games, where the blinds remain the same, and it may not kill your stack.
Playing against people who bet the pot often is really easy. All you do is wait until you get something that is really good, and then raise them back. Because they're so pot committed, they'll almost always call, and you'll win a huge pot. The great thing about playing people who bet the pot is you can fold a bunch of times to their pot-sized bet, and you'll still end up ahead from the one time that you raise them.
This really is much more of a problem at ultimate bet than at party poker cause they have that button you can press that automatically bets the pot. It really is amazing how that little button can change the game that much. And, that probably has somewhat to do why its easier to win sit and go's at ultimate bet than party poker. Go figure.
Betting the Pot:
Betting the pot is probably my biggest pet peeve, and probably the biggest error (in my opinion) that the good poker players still have. I hate seeing decent players lose because they're betting way too much. There are very few times where it makes any sense at all to bet the pot. Don't get me wrong, if these were cash games, it makes much more sense to make those huge bets. But in chip games, you are putting way too many chips in the middle. See the thing is, you are making everybody fold except those people who really have the good hands. So, if you have top pair, betting the pot is extremely stupid, if you get raised, what are you gonna do? You're already so pot committed. So, what should you do? I usually bet a little more than half the pot. That's usually good enough to say: I've got a good hand. But if you get raised, you can always lay it down without losing too many chips. In my book, not losing too much money when you don't have the best hand is one of the keys to winning these sit and go's.
Let me give you an example of why betting the pot is a bad idea. Lets say you have pocket kings with 1500 chips and the blinds are 50-100. You correctly raise to about 300 preflop, and are called by one person. Now, the flop comes up A 7 4 all different suits, with the pot being 750 and you having 1200 chips. Many people would bet the pot here, but lets think about this for a second. If you were to bet the pot, if the other guy had an ace, any ace, he would probably go over top of you, pushing you all in. At this point, you could either fold, leaving you a meager450 in chips, or you could call, most likely exiting you from the tournament. So its obvious what the disadvantage to betting the pot is here, are there any advantages? Some people would say that it might make the other person fold if he had an ace with a low kicker. That's not true. If he called your raise, there has to be some card that he's looking for. He's not going to call looking only for a two pair or better. He's saying, "if I get that ace, I'm betting it". Now, he may not have an ace, and just in case this is true, it is definitely correct to bet. A guy without an ace would be scared that you had an ace, though, and would fold for just about any sized bet. Therefore, in this case it would make much more sense to bet small (not so small that it would get someone to attempt a bluff-raise, however).
So, do I ever advocate betting the pot? Well, not really. I almost always bet half the pot (remember that its always best to be consistent no matter how you bet), or in some circumstances I'll go all in. The only time I would ever bet the pot is if I had a really good hand and I wanted somebody to call me, but I didn't think they would call me if I went all in. For instance, if you were playing somebody who consistently bet the pot, when you bet the pot against them they may think that you are playing the same way as them, and may be tempted to call with mediocre hands. Or, if the table image is centered around betting the pot, you may be able to follow the flow and get called. Once again, however, you must believe that you have a hand that is almost definitely the best hand to do this. So good that you want to be called.
There are other arguments as to other times when it is favorable to bet the pot such as a really good draw where you'd rather everybody folded, but even if someone has something really good and they call you still have a good shot to win. Personally, I still think its probably better to go all in than bet the pot in these cases. I say that simply because you're pretty much forcing yourself to go all in anyway, and you're giving the other guy a chance to fold if he puts you on the draw and it comes out.
I remember reading somewhere that a pot-sized bet is the best bluff, and perhaps this is why people continually do bet the pot. It may be the best size to bluff, and you may in the long run win more chips doing it than you've lost. The fact remains, however, that in these chip tournaments, the one time it doesn't work (because the blinds are getting bigger) will kill your stack. I'm sure the author of that book was talking about money games, where the blinds remain the same, and it may not kill your stack.
Playing against people who bet the pot often is really easy. All you do is wait until you get something that is really good, and then raise them back. Because they're so pot committed, they'll almost always call, and you'll win a huge pot. The great thing about playing people who bet the pot is you can fold a bunch of times to their pot-sized bet, and you'll still end up ahead from the one time that you raise them.
This really is much more of a problem at ultimate bet than at party poker cause they have that button you can press that automatically bets the pot. It really is amazing how that little button can change the game that much. And, that probably has somewhat to do why its easier to win sit and go's at ultimate bet than party poker. Go figure.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Playing from the small blind (part 1)
If you’re small blind and there are three or more callers, but no raisers, I would call everytime. I would even call with something as bad as 2 7 offsuit. It doesn’t matter. I would call because you have pot odds no matter what. No matter what two cards you have you have odds to catch a two pair, a three of a kind, or a full house (or perhaps even four of a kind), and the odds of catching one of those are definitely good enough to call, especially when the flop comes with two 2s and nobody believes that anybody would play a 2 (for some reason people believe this even if the big blind got in for free).
Also, if you do catch something good playing low cards from the small blind, particularly a two pair or a three of a kind it’s always best to bet it big right away. This is because it is usually a very susceptible hand to being broken. For example, if the flop comes 2 7 K, with you holding a 2 7, it is definitely a mistake to slow play by checking or just calling a bet. Somebody may have something like K Q, and the next card may be a Q or another K, giving your hand a very low probability of winning, when you’re probably be willing to call or bet quite a lot. Instead, you want to make that person with the K Q either fold that hand, or better yet think you’re making a big bet with a smaller kicker and raise you. In this case, its probably better to bet into people rather than check raise even if you think they will bet because people with a hand like K Q will raise you much of the time if you bet into them, but will be scared if you check raise them.
In the case that you only catch something like small or middle pair, it is probably best to check fold. If you think people will fold because either the pot is comes with all small cards, then it may be best to bet (as I will talk about later, it is probably best to bet no matter if you have anything or not if the flop comes all small cards). Otherwise, I would check. If someone bets just the minimum or barely above the minimum, it may be best to call just in case you catch trips or a two pair, or if they are bluffing (which you may be able to tell if they check on the turn, or bet low again). Otherwise, folding is the best option as it is not smart to pay too many chips for a ‘mediocre at best’ hand.
