C-betting is an effective strategy because it capitalizes on two crucial factors:

1. The preflop aggressor usually has the strongest range of any player in the hand.
2. It’s hard to connect with the flop. (The chance of flopping a pair with any non-paired hand in Texas Hold’em is only 32.43%.)

But c-betting has become a victim of its own success. Many players c-bet excessively on certain flop textures, which can be exploited with aggressive check-raises and floats.

So, how can you prevent yourself from c-betting too often while also capitalizing on your advantage as the preflop raiser?

One answer: delayed c-bets.

Here is what you’re about to learn (click to jump to that section):

• What is a Delayed C-Bet?
• When and Why You Should Delay Your C-Bets
• Delayed C-Betting Example Hands

What is a Delayed C-Bet?

Delayed c-bets are when the preflop aggressor bets after the action checked through on the previous street(s).

For example, you raise on the button and the big blind calls. The big blind checks on the flop and you check back. On the turn, if the big blind checks again and you bet, you’re delay c-betting.

It’s an underused and often misunderstood strategy, and doing so with both made hands, draws, and bluffs will allow you to win more pots and avoid some tough spots.

The Benefits of Delayed C-Bets

Working delayed c-bets into your game will have a number of benefits, including:

• Strengthening Your Checking Range

Checking back with some decent hands keeps your checking range strong and adequately protected. In other words, by checking with some good hands, you prevent your opponents from exploiting you with an aggressive probing strategy.

• Prevents You From C-Betting Too Wide

As mentioned above, many players c-bet at almost every opportunity just because they have the betting initiative, which is exploitable on certain board textures. Delay c-betting with a portion of your range will prevent your flop c-betting range from becoming saturated with too many bluffs and/or marginal hands.

• Can Make Bluffing More Effective

When your opponent calls a c-bet on the flop, their range narrows, meaning you will be up against an overall stronger range on the turn. On the other hand, when you pass up on a flop c-bet and the action checks through, ranges are wider and therefore weaker on the turn.

Being up against a weaker range makes delayed c-betting with your bluffs more effective. This is especially true when you are in position because your opponent has checked twice.

When your opponent has shown weakness twice, you can be more confident with your bluffs. You will likely find that players fold to your delayed c-bets far more often than your c-bets.

Here are three common situations in which you should consider a delayed c-bet rather than a c-bet.

1. When Your Hand Cannot Comfortably Bet Three Streets for Value

When you have a made hand that is not strong enough to bet all three streets for value, consider delaying your c-bet. You should mainly do this when your hand is unlikely to be outdrawn by the hands your opponent will fold on the flop.

For example:

$0.50/$1 Cash Game. 100BB Effective Stacks

Hero is dealt As 2s on the button
Hero raises to $3. Villain calls from the big blind.

Flop ($6.50) Ad 8c 3h
Villain checks.

In this flop spot, Hero’s hand is:

• Not strong enough to bet three streets for value.
• Way ahead of the range of hands that Villain will fold to a flop c-bet.

Additionally, checking back with hands like this makes Hero’s check back range stronger, allowing her to better defend against turn bets. For these reasons, Hero can check the flop with the intention of extracting value (or bluff-catching versus bets) on later streets.

When you have a made hand that is vulnerable to being outdrawn on a dry flop — like 8h 7h on 7-3-2 — you should lean towards c-betting on the flop to deny equity. Such bets will force your opponent to fold unpaired hands that could catch up on the turn, which is win when you’re holding such a vulnerable hand.

2. When Your Super Strong Hand Blocks Your Opponent’s Strong Hands

When you flop a super strong hand on a dry board, consider using a delayed c-bet. For example:

100NL Cash Game. 100BB Effective Stacks

Hero is dealt Ks Kh in the cutoff
Hero raises to $3. Villain calls from the big blind.

Flop ($6.50) Kd 8s 2c
Villain checks.

Hero’s top set blocks most of Villain’s strong hands on this very dry board, so checking makes sense. When Hero checks, Villain will have a chance to bet on the turn as a bluff or because he hit something.

Also, Villain is unlikely to check-raise — a dream scenario for Hero’s top set — on this dry board. If the board was more coordinated (like Ks Qs 9d), betting with top set would be a more attractive option.

3. When You Have a Mediocre Hand on a Wet Board

If you c-bet with too many marginal hands on wet flops, your opponent can exploit you with an aggressive check-raising strategy. You simply won’t have a strong enough range to defend effectively.

I’m talking about a hand like Ts 7s on a 7d 6d 5c flop. Take a look at this screenshot from the Lucid Poker Trainer:

Ten-Seven suited almost always checks back on this wet 7-6-5 flop. Though it is interesting to note that the solver chooses to bet a bit more often when it has a backdoor flush draw to go with the top pair.

You can prevent being exploited by c-betting only when you hold strong hands or hands that you don’t mind folding versus a check-raise. With a mediocre made hand, delay your c-bet until the turn or river.

Now let’s dive into member-submitted hand histories with strategic commentary courtesy of Ryan Fee.

These aren’t simple heads-up pots. All 3 of these examples have some unique stuff going on that you might come across in your games.

Example #1: Delayed C-Betting in a 3-Bet Pot

This hand was submitted by an anonymous Lab member.

Online Cash 4-Handed. 100BB Effective Stacks.

Hero is dealt Kh Qh in the big blind
Button raises to 2.5bb. Hero 3-bets to 12.5bb. Button calls.

Flop (25bb): Jd 7d 6s
Hero checks. Button checks.

Turn (25bb): Th
Hero bets 23bb. Button calls.

River (71.5bb): 4h
Hero goes all-in for 64.5bb. Button folds.

It definitely makes sense to use Kh Qh as a delayed c-bet on this board, at least some of the time. It does do a good job blocking some of the button’s strong hands (KJ/QJ), but there are many other hands in our range that are more effective c-bet bluffs.

Specifically, there are many hands that have less showdown value and more playability on future streets than Kh Qh. These include flush draws, straight draws, some backdoor draws, and even our KQ combos that have a backdoor flush draw.

Going for a mixed frequency c-bet on the flop with Kh Qh would be a decent play here, which I’m quite sure a solver would confirm. That said, it’s fine to simplify your strategy and check every time.

Editor’s note: The screenshot below from Lucid GTO confirms that Kh Qh is a mixed frequency check by solvers on the flop.

On the Th turn, some hands that should have checked on the flop will now be slam-dunk turn value bets (like JJ, TT, JT, QJ and the occasional slow-played overpairs). We also need to delay c-bet with bluffs in order to balance our range; using Kh Qh makes sense because it has two overcards and turned a draw to the nuts.

Example #2: Delay C-Betting with a Marginal Value Hand in a Multiway Pot

This hand was submitted by Lab member Igor G.

25NL Cash Game. $25 Effective Stacks.

Hero is dealt As Ts in the hijack
Hero raises to $0.75. Cutoff calls. Big blind calls.

Flop ($2.35): Ad 8c 5d
Big blind checks. Hero bets $1.17. Cutoff calls. Big blind calls.

Turn ($5.86): 3s
Big blind checks. Hero bets $2.93. Cutoff calls. Big blind folds.

River ($5.86): 4c
Hero checks. Cutoff checks.

We should not c-bet with this hand on the flop — at least not every time. We have stronger top pairs (AJ+) to value bet here, along with our two-pair and set combos (88, 55, A8s, A5s).

If we c-bet with weaker top pairs as well, we make ourselves vulnerable to flop raises in a multiway pot like this. Betting with AT on the flop could lead to some tricky situations if either opponent raises.

Additionally, keeping As Ts in our checking range ensures that we have some relatively strong top pairs when we check. When the action checks through on the flop and the turn is a blank, AT is an easy value bet and a great hand to have in our delayed c-betting range.

With that said, you could make a case for betting on the flop and checking on the turn with this hand. But betting both the flop and turn here is simply too thin.

Example #3: Exploiting Weak Live Players with Delay C-Bets

Upswing member Sam H. posted this hand to the Facebook group.

$2/$5 Live 9-Handed. $400 Effective Stacks.

Hero is dealt 9d 9s in middle position
UTG straddles to $10. Hero raises to $25. UTG calls.

Flop ($57): Ad 5s 5c
UTG checks. Hero checks.

Turn ($57): Th
UTG checks. Hero checks.

River ($57): Jh
UTG checks. Hero checks.

Since this is a live hand, I’m going to recommend a highly exploitative delayed c-betting strategy that has printed money for me at live tables.

A common tendency of live players is to bet any pair on the turn after the flop has checked through. I think they do it for “protection”, or because they fear facing a turn bet themselves. Either way, this tendency is a massive leak that can be exploited with an aggressive delayed c-betting strategy.

On this board, such opponents would lead on the turn with all of the Ax, Tx and 5x combos in their range. If this is the case, we can delayed c-bet on the turn with an astronomically high success rate. We can also check back more hands that we would normally c-bet on the flop in order to reach this very profitable turn spot more often.

These types of players are most common in live games, but this adjustment will work well against anyone that probe bets too liberally.

Final Thoughts

If you read every word of this article, congrats because you covered a lot of ground in a short time.

To recap the main points:

• Delayed c-betting is when you bet on the turn after passing up a c-bet opportunity on the flop.
• The benefits of delayed c-betting include:
  • Strengthening your checking range.
  • Keeping your c-bet frequency under control.
  • Making your bluffs more effective.
• Situations in which you should delay your c-bet include:
  • When your not-so-vulnerable made hand cannot comfortably bet three streets for value.
  • When your super strong hand blocks your opponent’s strong hands.
  • When you have a mediocre hand on a wet board.

To quiz yourself on this topic, check out [QUIZ] Do You Actually Know When to Delay C-Bet?

Thanks for reading!

This article has been updated (original publish date October 2017).

The post How to Win More Pots with Delayed C-Bets appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Whether it is the excessive limping or constant table talk, live poker presents unique variables which may be unfamiliar to online regulars.

That said, live games are usually a lot easier to beat than online ones. Thus, the nuances of live poker are certainly worth learning.

Here are eight awesome live poker tips that will help you crush the games on your next trip to the casino (including two exclusive video tips from Doug Polk and Ryan Fee).

This article has been updated (originally published 5/5/2017).

1. Punish Limpers As Much As Possible

If you are new to live poker, you’ll probably be astounded by how often players open-limp and limp behind. Most of the time, limping is an inadvisable and weak strategy that hurts one’s ability to win the pot whilst giving opponents behind an opportunity to exploit them.

Many live players can’t help it. They have come to the casino to play some poker, and they don’t want to spend their whole session folding. They want to see tons of flops with tons of hands.

So, how exactly do you punish a player who open-limps? There are two acceptable approaches:

1. In theory, you should tighten your raising range vs a limper because there is now an extra player in the pot.

The more players there are in a pot, the less equity your hand will have (see: multi-way pots article). Additionally, a player who limps is indicating that they have a hand worth playing. For these reasons, it makes theoretical sense to tighten your raise range to account for that extra player.

Playing tighter is usually better when the limper is a good player or a completely unknown player. Against most limpers, however, it’s best to take the second approach.

2. In practice, it’s usually better to play looser against a limper.

Most players who open-limp are not good players, so it’s unlikely they are capable of putting you in tough spots. As a result, you can actually raise a bit wider of a range in order to target the limper and take advantage of the extra money in the pot.

Facing Multiple Limpers

The best way to respond to multiple limps in front of you is to tighten your raising range and increase your raise size.

Most live players love to call, and there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to isolate the weak player at the table only to have every single limper come along as well. By using a larger sizing (we recommend 4-5BB plus 1BB per additional limper), we prevent the players at the table from getting what they want–a cheap flop.

If you want to learn a bit more about playing versus limpers, read Crush Open Limps Like a High Stakes Pro.

2. Turn Up Your Aggression on the Button

The power of position is especially advantageous against weaker competition.

Versus recreational opponents who love calling and using unconventional bet sizes, being on the button allows you to make your decision with the maximum possible amount of information.

In preflop spots, you can profitably call raises from the button with a wide range of hands that can be easily and effectively played postflop. Also, because aggressive 3-betting does not typically occur in live games, you can flat a relatively wide range from the button without having to worry about a squeeze 3-bet from the blinds.

In postflop spots, you will often get a great price to realize your equity and can stab at the pot when your opponents are acting passively.

Playing too passively on the button is a very common mistake poker players make. For more on how to avoid it, check out 12 Preflop Mistakes You Must Avoid (#5 and #7 are about button play).

3. Keep an Eye Out for Softer Tables

Live games offer very little when it comes to hand volume. Therefore, it’s important to make the most of your time spent at the casino. Playing in the toughest game to bolster your skills is good at times, but not every session.

Be savvy about table selection and your hourly will shoot up. Here are a few signs that a game may be particularly profitable to play:

• Alcohol on side tables.
• Multi-person groups playing to have a good time.
• Lively/loud players.
• Lots of multiway pots.

If possible, try to play when the games are at their softest. This is usually late at night or on the weekend when players are more likely to be drunk, tired and out to gamble. It’s okay to put in day sessions too, but the games will be less profitable on average.

4. Control Your Mouth

Have you ever seen a player verbally blast a fish for making a bad call and sucking out? You probably have, and if not, just search “Phil Hellmuth” on YouTube. Or read this hand analysis.

Going on tirades at the table is disrespectful to those around you. Not only does it create a negative environment at the table, but it discourages weak players from making fishy plays.

Think about it: you don’t want the bad players at the table to know that they are making bad decisions. If anything, you want the opposite. That way, they will feel blissfully happy with their decision-making and continue to make poor strategic choices which will ultimately benefit your bankroll.

Be courteous when you get sucked out on by a fish. Say “nice hand” (in a non-sarcastic way) and move onto the next one. Or just keep your mouth shut like Upswing’s Matt Colletta recommends in his article 5 Reasons to Shut Your Big Mouth at the Poker Table.

5. Play Faster

Tanking in poker is almost fashionable these days.

Artificial tanking can be reasonable in order to balance your response-time and avoid giving off timing tells, but it is completely unnecessary in the vast majority of spots.

Not only do fake tanks frustrate the other players at the table, they also cut into your hourly win-rate by reducing the number of hands played per hour. If you’re a good player, you want to see as many hands per hour as possible to maximize your hourly.

In case that wasn’t enough to convince you, check out Jimmy Fricke’s 6 Reasons Why You Need to Play Faster.

6. Be Wary of Anglers

Referred to as “angle-shooting“, there are some poker players who willfully act against or look to exploit rules in order to elicit information from their opponent(s).

If you are an online player making the transition to live poker, you likely won’t have encountered angle-shooters before. They are rare, but unfortunately they do exist. You need to be aware and able to protect yourself so you don’t become a victim.

Jimmy Fricke wrote up another great piece listing common angles cheaters use at the poker table. Here are five of the most common ones:

• Betting line foolery to elicit a reaction.
• Deliberate misinforming of stack size.
• Phantom checking.
• Making a raise look and seem accidental.
• Lying about hand strength at showdown.

Remember, the dealer can’t catch everything. Make sure you keep an eye out for these angles at all times.

7. Keep an Eye Out for Exploitative Adjustments

I’ll let Doug take this one (transcription below the video):

My tip for live poker is to make sure you keep an eye on what your opponents are doing.

Let’s say you’re playing a game and you see someone check-raise very thin for value, like KT on a K-9-4 type of flop. What I might think to myself after seeing that is:

“If they’re going to check-raise that thin for value, when they do decide to check-call they are going to have a particularly weak range.”

When you’re playing against an opponent like this, you’re going to want to make a few adjustments:

• Barrel the turn and river more often
• Go for thinner value bets on later streets
• Bluff them more often on later streets

Whenever you get the chance to see your opponents’ hands in live games, think about how you would have played the hand and if they made any notable mistakes. Then adjust your strategy to beat them for more money.

-Doug Polk

To learn more specific exploitative adjustments like the one Doug mentioned, read these articles:

• How to Destroy Your Opponent After Seeing One Showdown
• How to Exploit 3 Different Types of Poker Players

Tip 8. Watch Out for This Live Tell

Ryan’s turn.

There is one tell in all of poker that I might use, and it’s this: When a monotone flop (3 of one suit) is dealt and your opponent takes a look back at their cards, they are likely checking to see if they have a card of that suit.

For instance: You raise on the button and the big blind calls. The flop comes 8 6 3 and the big blind re-looks at his cards before checking. The big blind is more than likely trying to see if his hand has a heart in it.

Another spot this tell may happen is on two-tone flops. Imagine you defend your big blind against a UTG raise, the flop comes T 9 4, and UTG re-checks their cards. It’s possible they have a hand like AK offsuit, and they’re checking to see which card is a spade or if they have a spade at all.

As with all tells, you should be very selective when trying to apply this tell in game. It’s usually not the best idea to make hero folds or hero calls based on a live tell. However, using them in close spots to sway your decision one way or the other is fine.

-Ryan Fee

We are generally wary of making plays based on live tells here at Upswing, but we still had acclaimed tells expert Zach Elwood write-up a few articles for our audience. Check out his article on physical tells here and verbal tells here.

Live Poker Tips Wrap-Up

Keep these tips in mind and your live poker win-rate will thank you:

1. Punish limpers as much as possible — there will be a lot of them.
2. Turn up your aggression on the button, especially against weak players in the blinds.
3. Keep an eye out for softer tables and be ready to change tables at any time.
4. Control your mouth so everyone else at the table stays happy.
5. Play faster so you get in more hands per hour.
6. Be wary of cheaters and watch out for yourself.
7. Keep an eye out for weaknesses to exploit.
8. Watch out for the hole card check live tell on monotone flops (but use it selectively).

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out my best article on the site: Crush Live Poker with these 8 Battle-Tested Tactics. It’s all about identifying and attacking weaknesses in your live competition’s game, which is a crucial skill for live players.

Until next time!

The post 8 Live Poker Tips That Will Put More Cash in Your Pocket appeared first on Upswing Poker.

A “calling station” is a player who calls often regardless of their hand strength. These fold-averse players are most commonly found in live and low stakes online games.

Calling stations are relatively easy to beat, but they can be frustrating to play against if you catch a cold run of cards. In this article, you’ll learn 3 adjustments you can make to crush calling stations and boost your win-rate.

Featured image: CardsChat News (edited from original)

The Source of These Adjustments

These insanely profitable adjustments were tested by Ryan Fee in the Upswing Lab training course. He played 10,000 hands at $0.25/$0.50, taking a break every 2,000 hands to analyze the sample and come up with winning adjustments.

Here is his graph before he realized the player pool was full of calling stations:

Ryan Fee lost ~2 buy-ins in his first 1,665 hands at $0.25/$0.50

And here’s his graph after adjusting:

Fee won ~6 buy-ins in the 2,824 hands he played at $0.25/$0.50 after adjusting

Implement the following adjustments to improve your win-rate against calling stations.

1. Drastically Reduce Your Bluffing Frequency

You should do very little bluffing versus calling stations. This is perhaps an obvious adjustment to make, but it’s too important not to emphasize.

Put simply, if you notice that an opponent is making absurdly wide calls, then bluffing them will probably be in vain. Many players learn this lesson the hard way, though it can be easily avoided.

Fee played a hand at the $0.25/$0.50 tables that illustrates this point:

Americas Cardroom, $0.25/$0.50 6-Handed. $10.87 Effective Stacks.

Hero is dealt K 9 in the big blind
Middle Position (MP) raises to $1. Hero calls.

Flop ($2.25): 8 T 7
Hero checks. MP checks.

Turn ($2.25): 5
Hero bets $2. MP calls.

River ($6.25): 2
Hero bets $7.87. MP calls and shows K 7.

Theoretically, this is a great overbet bluff spot for Fee. The board is heavily favors Fee’s range, he holds a blocker to the nut straight (J9), and he doesn’t block the missed spade flush draw.

But these reasons are irrelevant if his opponent still won’t fold third-pair. The silver lining is that he learned his opponent is a calling station, and so he could ease up on bluffing versus this player as a counter-strategy.

The broader lesson to be learned here is to pay close attention to how your opponents play, and in particular take note of what hands they showdown. Gathering information is key for making certain adjustments against your opponents. If you want to learn some showdown-based adjustments, read this article.

Of course, calling stations do fold sometimes, so mixing in the occasional bluff in especially prime spots is fine. This has the added benefit of maintaining your image as a potential bluffer, which makes it more likely you get paid off when you’re value betting. If you never bluff, then you are the one who become easy to exploit.

Note: When it comes to studying poker, it can be tough to know where to begin. You can study the game with step by step instructions and examples for a huge number of topics when you join the Upswing Lab training course. Learn more now!

2. Go for Razor-Thin Value as Often as Possible

You should be willing to bet for value in spots that would be too marginal against most players. This is one of the most effective adjustments to make versus calling stations. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that thin-value spot arise quite often—take advantage!

Here’s a good example from Fee’s 10,000 hand sample:

Americas Cardroom $0.25 / $0.50 6-Handed. $22.77 Effective Stacks.

Hero is in the cutoff with J J
Villain (in MP) raises to $1. Hero raises to $3. Villain calls.

Flop ($6.75): 2 5 6
Villain checks. Hero bets $2.14. Villain calls.

Turn ($11.03): 6
Villain checks. Hero checks.

River ($11.03): 5
Villain bets $3.49. Hero raises to $17.63. Villain calls and mucks A Q.

This hand demonstrates why you should think twice before making an “easy call” or “easy check” versus a calling station.

On the river, a conservative player might just call Villain’s bet fearing that a raise will only get called by better hands. However, Fee suspected there was more value to be had considering Villain’s range:

• Villain will rarely have a full house with a 6 or a 5 since he called a 3-bet preflop.
• With hands as strong as QQ–AA, Villain would likely have been shoved all-in preflop or on the flop.
• Villain’s range is mostly hands with some showdown value, like Ace-high or 77-TT.

Combine these range considerations with a player pool that’s practically allergic to folding, and you’ve got a recipe for a razor-thin value raise that will be called by worse often.

3. Size Up On Your Bets

Calling stations tend to have inelastic calling ranges. This means that they will call or fold to a bet regardless of the bet size they are up against.

You can exploit this tendency by using larger sizes when you’re value betting so you win the maximum. You can also use smaller sizes when you’re bluffing. Savvy players would pick up on sizing tells like this over time, but weaker players will rarely give it a second thought.

This final hand demonstrates how important it is to go for max value when it’s there for the taking:

Americas Cardroom $0.25 / $0.50 5-Handed. $50 Effective Stacks.

Hero is in the big blind with A A
Villain (SB) raises to $1.50. Hero raises to $4.50. Villain calls.

Flop ($9): 8 T J
Villain checks. Hero checks.

Turn ($9): 6
Villain checks. Hero bets $7. SB calls.

River ($23): 4
Villain checks. Hero bets $38.50. Villain calls and mucks Q T.

Once Villain checks on the turn and then just calls Fee’s delayed c-bet, two pair+ hands can be heavily discounted from his range. Given how connected the board is, you can expect Villain to play those hands as leads or check-raises on the turn.

A A is almost certainly the best hand on the river, so Fee sizes up to exploit Villain’s tendency to over-call. The fact that the opponent calls an almost 2x pot overbet on the river with second-pair, despite blocking Fee’s most likely bluffs (AQ, KQ), is emblematic of just how punishable calling stations are.

Since you are going to be value-heavy versus calling stations, using larger bet sizes in polarized situations will be very effective. When you overbet, you are signaling to your opponent that you have either a very strong hand or complete air. As a result, players may still call down with marginal bluff-catchers despite their terrible pot odds.

To Recap, Make These 3 Adjustments to Crush Calling Stations:

1. Tone down your bluffing frequency
2. Go for thin value as often as possible
3. Use larger bet sizes with strong hands.

That’s all for today! If you want to keep reading up on poker strategy, check out “How to Beat the Guy Who Is Always Betting — Countering an Aggressive Poker Strategy“.

The post 3 Stupid-Simple Tricks That Crush Calling Stations [2nd Edition] appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Most successful online players could switch to live poker and win at a solid rate from the get-go. The same can not be said for successful live players who hop online.

Yet the players who have the highest hourly win-rates in live games—those who truly crush live poker—are overwhelmingly live poker specialists.

There are a bunch of reasons this is the case, but one stands out: The extremely poor strategies used by many live players provide ample opportunities for exploitation.

In other words, crushing live poker requires identifying and attacking leaks commonly exhibited by live players. Like in online games, an in-depth understanding of game theory is an asset, but balanced plays often take a back seat to exploitative tactics.

Note: The tactics in this article will also be very effective in soft, large field tournaments (live and online) and low stakes online cash games.

8 Exploitative Tactics That Crush Live Poker Competition

Below, we’ve outlined 8 exploitative tactics that will help you capitalize on the many leaks in your live poker opponent’s game.

#1. Play Way Tighter Versus 4-Bets

Live players tend to have poorly balanced preflop 3-bet and 4-bet ranges, weighted heavily towards value hands. This linear view of raising—where a player only open-raises with good hands, 3-bets with great hands, and 4-bets with premium hands—is common and very easy to counter.

Hands that would be mandatory calls vs a 4-bet online can often times be folded in a live setting. JJ and TT can be exploitatively folded against a tight player, for example, as can strong suited broadways like AQs. These hands perform terribly against a range of AA, KK and AKs (a typical 4-betting range for a very tight live player).

A range of JJ, TT, and AQs has just 27.37% equity versus a tight 4-betting range (each hand is between 26% and 28% equity on its own)

You should generally avoid folding hands as strong as QQ and AK to a 4-bet, especially given the relatively good pot odds that the average 4-bet size provides. However, as much as it pains me to type this, there are times when QQ and AK should hit the muck against a 4-bet.

Against a 4-betting range that consists only of AA and KK, which is far from rare in live poker, continuing with QQ and AK is a big mistake. Take a look at the equity breakdown:

AKs and QQ have 23.1% and 18.3% equity versus a super tight 4-bet range, respectfully.

I know it can hurt to fold hands like this before the flop, but remember that you are exploiting your opponent by making these folds. Your opponent is supposed to win your stack when they have AA and you have QQ. If you are able to correctly get away, their win-rate takes a notable hit while yours gets a boost.

Don’t go overboard and fold every strong hand to every 4-bet. Always pay attention to the players and action at the table, and adjust your strategy according to the tendencies of your opponents. Imagine folding QQ to a player who you later find out has a wide 4-betting range. That would be a disaster, and you’d feel like a nitiot (a combination of nit and idiot that I just made up).

2. Expand your 3-betting range

There is another, less direct way to exploit the tight 4-betting tendencies of live players: 3-bet more often.

If your opponent will only 4-bet KK+ and AKs, you can 3-bet with little risk of being forced out of the pot before the flop. This dynamic allows your 3-betting range to realize more equity, making it much more profitable.

The positive impact of this tactic is compounded by the way that many live players perceive 3-betting ranges. Preflop play is typically passive in casinos; many players are not accustomed to playing against wide 3-bet ranges and over-fold as a result.

The most effective way to expand your 3-betting range is by adding hands that would typically be at the top of your calling range in a given spot. For instance, your 3-betting range from the button vs a 3bb cutoff raise might go from this:

Button 3-bet vs Cutoff Raise chart for LIVE POKER from the Upswing Lab training course

…to this:

Adjusted button 3-bet range versus a cutoff player who never 4-bets.

Strong-but-not-premium hands with which you don’t want to face a 4-bet (such as 99, QJs, and 87s) can be 3-bet without much fear. You will almost certainly reach at least the flop unless you opponent happens to have KK or AA.

This aggressive 3-betting strategy may also cause your opponent to tighten his raising range in future hands, which provides you with more opportunities to raise.

Like #1, it’s crucial you take relevant factors, like player tendencies and stack depth, into consideration before applying this advice. In lower-stakes live games, for example, recreational players will often buy in for the minimum; 3-betting a wide range of hands when there are lots of short-stacks that can shove behind you is not going to work out well.

Note: The adjusted 3-betting range in this section was built quickly for the sake of demonstration—it is nowhere near perfect. You could probably get away with 3-betting even more hands, like AJs-ATs, the suited broadways, and KQo/AJo. For thorough advice on which hands to 3-bet, check out this article.

3. Use a Small C-Bet Size on the Flop

Another way you can exploit the tendencies of live players is by using a smaller c-bet size, especially in multiway pots.

This tactic has the benefit of exploiting a couple of common leaks simultaneously:

1. Check-raising occurs relatively infrequently in live poker games.

Because play usually errs on the passive side, your c-bets are less likely to being raised (much like the rationale behind 3-betting more to exploit low 4-betting frequencies in #2). This causes us to simultaneously realize more equity and deny our opponents’ hands equity.

2. You can barrel more effectively on later streets, against which live players will often over-fold.

A small flop c-bet keeps the stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) at a size that allows you to barrel three streets for a size that will generate good fold equity.

Some live poker players use a large flop c-bet sizing and find themselves in problematic betting situations on the turn and river. For example:

$1/$2 9-handed. $200 Effective Stacks

Hero is dealt J T in middle position.
Hero raises to $10. Cutoff calls. Button calls. sb folds. BB calls.

Flop (Pot: $41) 9 7 2
BB checks. Hero bets $35. co folds. Button calls. bb folds.

Turn (Pot: $111) 4
Hero…?

After starting the hand with $200 and c-betting ~80% of pot on the flop, Hero has $155 left in his stack—that’s an SPR of 1.4. This stack depth is a bit awkward.

Hero could bet small on the turn and set up a river shove, but that won’t generate many turn folds. He could also overbet shove on the turn, but then he’d likely miss out on value when he has a strong hand. Neither line is great for Hero’s range as a whole.

Now, let’s imagine Hero used a smaller c-bet sizing of $15 (37% pot) on the flop. Even if the small size entices an additional caller, Hero will go to the turn playing for a pot of $71 and an SPR of 2.5:1. At this stack-depth, Hero has more manueverability with his range and it allows him to spread his fold-equity more evenly across the turn and river.

The increased effectiveness of triple barrelling after a small flop c-bet is compounded by the way that ranges interact when a small sizing is used. When a small sizing is used, continue ranges are wider and therefore weaker (and more likely to fold) on later streets. Conversely, if a large bet is made and called, the ranges of both players are stronger heading to later streets.

In other words, using a small size on the flop allows us to maximize fold equity on each street because we’re triple barreling into a relatively weak range with a high SPR.

4. Play Aggressively from the Blinds vs Loose Late Position Raises

Some live players raise with far too loose of a range from the later positions. You can exploit them by 3-betting, c-betting and barreling aggressively from the blinds.

Middling pocket-pairs, which play better with a lower SPR, can be 3-bet versus opens from later positions, along with the more obvious candidates: suited connectors and suited broadways.

Be prepared to c-bet on the flop when your 3-bet gets called, particularly on boards that are good for your perceived range. Many live players take a ‘fit or fold’ approach on the flop, continuing only when they hit something, especially in big pots/potential big pots.

Ace-high boards are particular profitable c-bet spots given the perception of your range, especially as weaker players will have inelastic call/fold ranges on such boards. (By inelastic, I mean that players will fold to a bet regardless of the size if they don’t have an ace or a draw.)

This pairs well with the small flop c-bet strategy discussed in #3; weak live players won’t call against small bets at a high enough frequency, allowing you to generate a surprising amount of fold-equity in these 3-bet pots.

5. Check-Raise on the Flop More Frequently

Less experienced players are not concerned about the strength of their flop checking range, or how vulnerable their wide range of hands is to a raise. These frequent c-bettors are a staple of live poker games. If they’ve connected with the board, however marginally, they will bet (even if it doesn’t really make sense to do so).

An aggressive check-raising strategy, with the intention of barrelling often on later streets, puts these players in an impossibly tough spot with most of their range. Maybe they shouldn’t have bet.

If you aren’t sure which hands to check-raise on which boards, read How to Check-Raise Like a High Stakes Juggernaut.

6. Exploit Weak Checking Ranges on the Flop

Many inexperienced players fail to protect their flop checking range by including some strong hands in it. You can effectively exploit such players by betting aggressively when they do elect to check the flop.

This tactic doesn’t only work versus players who miss a c-bet. It works versus players who check after the preflop raiser misses a c-bet too. For example:

$1/$2 Live. $200 Effective Stacks.

Hero is dealt 2 2 on the button
Middle Position (MP) raises to $10. Hijack (HJ) calls. Hero calls.

Flop ($33) Q 5 4
MP checks. HJ checks. Hero…

In a single-raised pot like this, inexperienced live players in MP or HJ will often bet all of their Qx hands at 100% frequency. Some people just can’t help but bet top pair.

By contrast, a stronger player that is concerned with range protection might check some weak Qx hands on the flop.

We can exploit the inexperienced player by betting and barreling at a high frequency in this spot, including with a hand like 2 2.

7. Be Very Cautious of Strong Bet-Then-Check Ranges

After raising preflop and betting the flop, many live players will check—on the turn or river—hands that merit betting three streets for value. In other words, they proceed with unnessary caution when holding a strong hand.

For example:

Live $2/$5. $600 Effective Stacks.

Hero is dealt K T on the button
Hero raises to $15. SB 3-bets to $65. Hero calls.

Flop ($135): Q 9 4
SB bets $80. Hero calls.

Turn ($295): 7
SB checks. Hero…

You wouldn’t expect the SB to check a strong value hand like AQ here, but many live players would.

This is important to be aware of, as you shouldn’t be looking to exploit these turn/river checking ranges in the same way that you would a flop checking range. Otherwise, you may find yourself getting snap-called by a surprisingly strong hand.

8. Over-Fold to Aggression on the River

Live poker players tend to under-bluff by a lot on the river, which can be countered by over-folding. This is even truer of raises on the river—the EV of calling versus any river aggression is terrible in the majority of live games, even when the pot odds are good.

Of course, this is not to say that you should just be folding your entire range on the river to a bet of any size. Make informed decisions based upon the tendencies you’ve observed for yourself and adjust your strategy to counter them.

Using These Adjustments to Crush Live Poker

The trickiest part of using these tactics is learning to identify the leaks that go along with them. Once you’ve honed your leak-finder, you can implement these exploitative adjustments, or maybe even come up with your own, to absolutely crush your live poker opponents.

If you want to see some hand examples in which tactics like these are used, read How to Destroy Your Opponent After Seeing One Showdown.

I’ll leave you with a quick video from Doug on this topic, in which he shared one of his favorite live poker exploits.

Doug and our coaches are ready to boost your live poker earnings. Get 27 hours of live poker coaching videos and 80 preflop charts when you join the Upswing Lab training course.

On the fence? The Lab comes with a 30-day money back guarantee because we’re confident it will be valuable for you. Join now!

The post Crush Live Poker Games With These 8 Battle-Tested Tactics appeared first on Upswing Poker.

• Ace-to-Five Lowball 
• Deuce-to-Seven Lowball

Some games reward the whole pot to the lowest hand, while others reward half of the pot to the lowest hand and the other half to the highest hand (according to traditional poker hand rankings).

Now, let’s go over how both types of lowball hand rankings work. (If you want step-by-step gameplay instructions for these games, you should check out this guide.)

Lowball Poker Hands Rankings

Ace-to-Five Lowball (also known as California Lowball)

These rules are used for ranking the low hands in Hi/Lo games, such as Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo, and Razz, which is a ‘low only’ stud game.

Note that in the Ace-to-Five lowball rankings, suits and straights are irrelevant. Hands are judged solely on the low ranking of the hand. When ranking a low hand, you always start with the highest card and move downward.

1. Five Low
Also known as a ‘wheel’, this is the best hand in the Ace-to-Five Low rankings.

2. Six Low
Any unpaired hand with 6 as the highest card.

If two players have a Six Low, the next highest card is used as a tie-breaker. This means, for example, that 6-5-4-3-2 would lose to 6-4-3-2-A.

3. Seven Low
Any unpaired hand with 7 as highest card. 

Like Six Lows, when opposing players have Seven Lows, the player with the lowest card after the 7 wins the pot.

4. Eight Low
This is any unpaired hand with 8 as the highest card.

Again, when multiple players have an Eight low, the player with the lowest card after the 8 is the winner.

Note that when multiple players’ 2nd highest cards are the same, the third and even fourth cards can be used to identify a winner. If both players have the same hand, they split the pot.

In the Hi/Lo variants, an Eight Low is the highest hand that qualifies to win the low half of the pot. If no player has at least an Eight Low, the player with the best high hand wins the whole pot.

There is no need to qualify for the low in low only games (like Razz). Hands such as Queen Low, an Ace Low, or even a pair can win the pot if they are the lowest hand at showdown.

Deuce-to-Seven Lowball (also known as Kansas City Lowball)

Poker hands ranking in Deuce-to-Seven Lowball are essentially ranked in the opposite direction of traditional poker hands. Unlike Ace-to-Five, straights and flushes exist in Deuce-to-Seven; they are very bad hands that you should try to avoid making. Aces are always high cards in Deuce-to-Seven Lowball (meaning, among other things, that A5432 is not a straight). 

1.  Seven Low
Five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, and with a 7 as the highest card.

The best possible hand in Deuce-to-Seven lowball (displayed above) is known as the ‘wheel’, or ‘number one’.

2.  Eight Low
Five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, and with an 8 as the highest card.

3.  Nine Low
Five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, and with a 9 as the highest card.

4.  Ten Low

Five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, and with a 10 as the highest card.

These are the four best low hand-types in Deuce-to-Seven Lowball, but note the winner is simply the player with the lowest hand. This can be a King Low, a pair of Twos, or worse!

If multiple players have the same low, the player with the lowest second card wins the pot. For example, 7-5-4-3-2 beats 7-6-5-4-2. If there is still a tie, the third-, fourth- and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break it. When two players have paired hands, the lowest pair wins the pot.

The post Lowball Poker Rules & Hand Rankings Explained (Ace-to-Five & Deuce-to-Seven) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

It takes a certain kind of wisdom to gain and maintain success at the poker table. Since poker isn’t a solved game, there’s always room to improve.

The most successful players understand and respect this fact, but to become a truly elite player you must always be open to learning through reflection, self-criticism, and advice from others.

Parker “Tonka” Talbot is one of those players. After shipping the Big $109 on PokerStars, Tonka reviewed every hand that he played on his road to victory (probably after popping a well-deserved bottle of vino).

In a nine-part video series made exclusively for Upswing Lab members, Tonka used his win as a means to learn and improve his game, and now viewers can do the same.

Today we’ll discuss three big takeaways from Tonka’s analysis. Implement them in your own game and perhaps you’ll be the one catching a five-figure score—let’s get to it!

1. Don’t be afraid to make an unconventional play, so long as it can be justified. 

(Lesson from ‘Shipping the Big $109 – Part 4, available in the Upswing Lab.)

Just because something isn’t ‘normal’ doesn’t mean that it’s wrong. Breaking convention is exactly what brought about the strategic evolution we’ve seen in poker over the last decade or so. And in more recent years poker bots like Libratus and solvers such as PioSOLVER and PokerSnowie have further shaken up poker strategy with moves that conventionally-minded players initially regarded as crazy.

However crazy they may seem, these strategies have been proven to be effective. That’s why it’s important to avoid feeling dictated by convention when strategizing at the poker table. Be wary of thinking, “I shouldn’t lead here—I’ve got to check to the aggressor,” or “Nobody would ever bet 4x the pot in this spot,” etc.

No matter how unconventional a play might seem, if you can justify it with good reasons why it’s the most +EV line to take, then there’s no reason not to do it.

For example, below is an interesting spot from Tonka’s tournament review, where a back and forth between him and Ryan Fee led to support of a somewhat unconventional play:

PokerStars Big $109. Blinds 2,500 / 5,000 / 625. 8-Handed.

Hero (93,872) is dealt 8 6 UTG+1.
UTG folds. Hero raises to 10,750. Three folds. BTN calls. SB folds. BB calls.

Flop (39,750): 4 7 8
BB checks. Hero…?

Analysis

There’s not much to say about pre-flop, except that Tonka admitted in hindsight that his open with 86s from EP with <20bb is far too loose. But at least it results in this intriguing post-flop situation!

On the flop, Fee and Tonka agree that the most effective play is to shove for a 2x pot-sized bet. It might seem a bit crazy, but hear them out. They have some pretty compelling reasons.

First, when analyzing any spot, we should evaluate the EV of each of our options:

Let’s kick it off with checking, which does not seem like the most effective play. Our hand is vulnerable to being outdrawn, and at this stack-to-pot ratio the pot is equivalent to almost 50% of our stack – definitely some chips we want to collect.

This brings us on to betting, and we’ve got a couple of options for bet sizing. The first is to bet somewhere between 35 and 50% of the pot, with intentions of shoving on the turn. There is merit to this line: it allows us to get called by worse (which the BB caller can have), while folding out unpaired overcards and protecting our equity.

However, shoving all in actually makes the most sense. With our exact hand, our main goal is to deny as much equity as possible and give ourselves the best chance of scooping the pot. By shoving, we accomplish those aims.

Interestingly, shoving leads to having a depolarized overbetting range that consists of this hand along with a few high-equity bluffs, such as T 9 and A K, for balance. With our nutted combos – 56, 88, 77, 44 and 78 – we can use a smaller bet size, since equity denial isn’t near as important.

Of course, when we called we’ll usually be behind (against an overpair or stronger 8x combo) or flipping (versus a flush draw). But we will stack heaps of chips when we get folds. And the optimal way to get folds in this spot is by shoving for 2x pot!

2. Construct ranges with good equity distribution

(from Shipping the Big $109 – Part 5, available in the Upswing Lab.)

Ideally, we should aim to construct post-flop ranges that are diverse, allocating appropriate strong hands and bluffs in each of our betting, checking, calling and raising ranges. This allows us to make nutted hands across a variety of board textures and runouts.

Tonka and Ryan touch on this idea during a blind-versus-blind, limped pot scenario:

PokerStars Big $109. Blinds 5,000 / 10,000 / 1,250. 5-Handed.

Hero (442,725) is dealt 6 4 in the SB.
3 folds. Hero calls. BB checks.

Flop (26,250): 5 3 6
Hero…?

Analysis

When we flop a vulnerable top pair with an open-ended straight-draw in a blind vs. blind pot, there is an inclination to bet. This is reasonable. However, there are a couple of reasons why it’s preferable to put this specific hand in our checking range.

First, our hand is not strong enough to be bet for value over multiple streets. If we’re looking to get value with a 6, it’s better to do so with a stronger kicker. Since we will have both A6 and K6 in our SB limping range, betting with hands that dominate our opponent’s top pair combos makes much more sense.

Second, we need not worry about equity denial like we would with other combos (77-99), because we have several out to improve to the nuts. So, we can place middling pocket pairs in our betting range (along with some sets) and check with our pair + straight-draw combos. With well-balanced ranges in mind, we can bet with some unpaired, straight-draw combos as our bluffs. This way we can make straights on certain turns whether we have bet or checked.

3. How to maximize EV with small pocket pairs

(from Shipping the Big $109 – Part 7, available in the Upswing Lab.)

When it comes to playing small pocket pairs, conventional wisdom says we should try to see a flop cheaply, hope to flop a set, and then go from there.

This approach is often too passive, however, and can lead us to missing value that is there to be taken. This is especially true in the final stages of a tournament, when we can leverage ICM pressure to our advantage. Sometimes taking more aggressive lines with these hands pre-flop will maximize the amount of chips we can win.

Let’s look at a hand from Tonka’s final table of the Big $109 where this applies:

PokerStars Big $109. Blinds 9,000 / 18,000 / 2,250. 5-Handed.

Hero (1,003,152) is dealt 3 3 UTG.
Hero raises to 42,660. CO (561,832) raises to 108,000. 3 folds. Hero…?

Analysis

There are a couple of extra details to note here: Tonka is the chip leader, and the CO 3-bettor is tagged as an aggressive player who is in fourth chip position out of five. With this information, there’s a reasonable case to be made for using our 33 as a 4-bet bluff, by jamming versus the CO player sitting on a ~30bb stack.

This isn’t a play we should make 100% of the time when facing this action with our hand. However, at some frequency (10–25% of the time, say) is definitely acceptable.

Tournament specific dynamics support this idea. Since we are the chip leader, we are going to be opening a much wider range than our opponents. ICM pressure does not impact us the same way as these shorter stacks, because we are not at immediate risk of busting. By contrast, the CO player is in fourth, and exiting before the shortest stack at the table while missing out on a pay jump is not desirable. That said, given our wide opening range, a savvy and aggressive regular can 3-bet aggressively to punish us without risking their tournament life.

Given this dynamic, 4-bet jamming as a bluff with a hand like 33 becomes much more effective. Calling the 3-bet ourselves with a hand like this is out of the question – we will not realize our equity well post-flop, and we are not deep enough to mine for sets. Folding is okay, but we’ll be opening ourselves up to being exploited if we fold too often against opponents who 3-bet us aggressively.

By 4-betting, we can deny a ton of equity by folding out many of our opponent’s unpaired, 3-bet bluffs. Against AK/AQ we are a slight favorite, and by jamming we ensure that we realize all of our equity. We’re only crushed by overpairs. If we happen to run into TT-AA, then that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

Want More from Tonka?

If you find hand reviews helpful, there are literally hundreds of hours of analysis in the Upswing Lab.

Whether you’re interested in tournaments, cash games, 6-max, full-ring, micros, high-stakes, online or live action, there’s a ton of content being added regularly by specialists in each game type.

That’s all for today! If you’ve got any questions, comments or requests for articles, pop ‘em in the comment section below. And good luck in your next tourney!

Read more from Upswing Poker:

• The #1 Biggest Mistake Players Make at Final Tables
• 4 Insights from 11 Years, 70,567 MTTs, and 6,304,190 Hands of Poker
• 3 Best Poker Tips from a Cash Game Session with Doug Polk

The post 3 Can’t-Miss Lessons from a $12,895 Tournament Score appeared first on Upswing Poker.

In this article, we’ll look closely at the biggest mistake made at final tables: overly tight/passive play. Along the way, we’ll have real-world examples to discuss from live tournaments, along with key insights from Doug Polk.

Let’s get into it!

What about ICM?

ICM stands for Independent Chip Model. If you’re unfamiliar with this tournament-specific concept, see our Intro to ICM.

You might already be ready to mount the objection, “but what about ICM?!” in defense of tight play. But I’m not suggesting that you should never play conservatively at a final table. There are in fact times when you should tighten up in a tournament’s endgame. To take a couple examples:

• As a middle-of-the-pack stack when there are numerous shorter stacks at risk of busting. This is of course a frustrating spot to navigate, since larger stacks can easily push you around, making your life hell, as you try not to bust before other short stacks.
• When you are facing a marginally profitable spot in terms of equity, but not with regard to ICM. If pay jumps are significant and you’re likely to catch one, it’s better to avoid close, high-variance spots entirely. (Check out ICMIZER to see for yourself how drastically calling ranges can change as a result of ICM pressure.)

With this disclaimer on the table, let the nit-bashing begin!

Since ‘tight’ is a broad term (players can be tight in a number of different ways, and to a greater or lesser extent), we’ll go over exactly how tight play manifests itself at a final table. By identifying costly mistakes made by tight players, you’ll know to avoid making them when it’s your turn on the big stage.

Now, let’s talk about an aspect of final table play in which ICM is not a factor: heads-up.

Heads-Up Favors the Bold, Not the Cowardly

Reaching the final two in a tournament is an infrequent event, even for online MTT grinders. Because of this, many players who get there often fail to adjust to the uniquely aggressive style of play that heads-up poker requires.

Of course Doug will be the first to tell you that ranges in this format should be much wider than those in a 9-handed game. This means opening more hands, 3-betting at a higher frequency, defending the BB aggressively, and being willing to call down with marginal hands.

Calling down with marginal hands is particularly important, since relative hand strength decreases significantly when playing heads-up. Check out some of Doug’s own heads-up stats below (forgive the blurriness, it’s the best shot I could get):

Doug VPIP’d 72.37% of hands from the big blind and 90.67% of hands from the small blind in this 322k hand sample.

Although these stats are from Doug’s cash-game database, they serve as a good guideline for heads-up tournament play provided stacks are relatively deep (50bb+). Though preflop play in tournaments will often times be looser because of the presence of antes.

Doug opens almost 91% of hands from the SB (which is also the BTN), while defending the BB with around 72% of hands. Figures like these emphasize just how dynamic heads-up poker is. You’ve got to be willing to battle to take down the trophy.

Example: 2016 WSOP Main Event – Qui Nguyen versus Gordon Vayo

The 2016 Main Event culminated in a heads-up showdown for over $3.3 million between American pro Gordon Vayo and amateur Qui Nguyen. Despite the difference in experience, it was the recreational player who put on a heads-up masterclass, bullying his way to victory over Vayo’s passive play, which arguably cost him the bracelet.

Below is an example of Vayo getting punished for overly-tight play (taken from this episode of Doug’s Poker Hands):

WSOP Main Event Final Table. Blinds 1.2M/2.4M/400K. 

Nguyen (BTN) – 218.9M chips
Vayo (BB) – 117.7M chips

Nguyen raises to 6.7M with J 5. Vayo calls with Q 9.

Flop (14.2M): 9 4 2
Vayo checks. Nguyen bets 9.7M. Vayo calls.

Turn (33.6M): T
Vayo checks. Nguyen bets 27.7M. Vayo calls.

River (89M): 5
Vayo checks. Nguyen goes all-in. Vayo folds.

Doug’s Insight

“All match, Nguyen was punking Vayo – constantly. A lot of people gave Gordon too much shit in smaller hands where he made reasonable folds even though he was being bluffed.

This [fold] is not reasonable! When your opponent starts pushing you around, going all red-line on you, you absolutely cannot decide in the big spots to nit it up and let them have it.”

To put Doug’s quote in simple terms: 50 big blinds deep + flopped top pair + uber-aggressive opponent = call.

Fear of Busting

The following point is particularly relevant in light of the hand example above. It is understandable why tournament players want to minimize their chances of going bust. Unlike cash games, you can’t just top up your stack when you lose it; when you bust, the dream is dead. However, many players make the mistake of playing too passively.

Whether folding to a river barrel (as Vayo did above), or just calling rather than raising with a draw and missing an opportunity to push fold equity, overly-passive play is showcased all the time at final tables.

As Doug explains, “Your tournament life isn’t as precious as people make it out to be. That’s not to say it doesn’t have value – of course, your last chip in the tournament is worth so much more than every other chip. But here’s something to think about: if you live in fear of busting, if you’re going to play in a way where you’re not willing to stack off, you let people run over you and pass up on an opportunity to win chips.”

Example: 2017 WSOP One Drop – Doug Polk versus Martin Jacobson

Doug proved that he practices what he preaches back in the 2017 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop final table.

In an enthralling hand against former WSOP ME champ Martin Jacobson, Doug showed no fear of busting. His attitude earned a surprising fold from the Swede, a monstrous pot, and it set him up nicely for the $3.6 million top prize and WSOP bracelet.

Let’s take a closer look at the hand and Doug’s own comments about how it played out:

One Drop Final Table. Blinds 120K/240K/40K. 

Jacobson (LJ) – 6.7M chips
Polk (BB) – 5.4M chips

Jacobson raises to 525K with K J. Only Polk calls with A T.

Flop (1.5M): K 4 2
Polk checks. Jacobson bets 450K. Polk calls.

Turn (2.4M): 3
Polk checks. Jacobson bets 1M. Polk raises to 4.6M and is all-in. Jacobson folds.

Doug’s Insight

“The fact that Martin folds a hand as strong as his in this spot is proof that it pays to push your fold equity in these big-money spots. The 3 turn is a pivotal card in ensuring that the bluff gets through, as it is favorable for the range of the BB caller.

We can have all straight combos (56s/56o, A5s/A5o), a ton of two-pair combos (K4s, K3s, K2s, 32s, 43s, 42s) and all of the sets bar kings. Combinatorically, the BB actually has more strong value hands on this turn (two-pair or better) than the LJ. This advantage allows us to construct a legitimate check-raising range that contains more than enough value hands for our bluffs to be credible. Using a strong combo draw as we do here is a great choice, since our hand retains its equity well when called.”

Final (Table) Thoughts

Next time you’re at a final table, don’t shrivel up and play with a laddering mentality. The big bucks are always at the top, and you’re not going to get there by playing passively. Just ask Nguyen how he won his bracelet.

Getting to the final table isn’t enough! Set yourself up for the win with our final table bubble strategy guide.

As always, if you’ve got any comments or suggestions for future articles drop them in the comments below. And good luck at the tables!

Read more from Upswing Poker:

• How to Squeeze Max Value Out of Juicy Live Tournaments
• 5 Poker Tournament Myths Too Many Players Believe
• How to Open-Raise in MTTs so the Big Blind Doesn’t Crush Your Soul

The post Final Table Poker Strategy: The #1 Biggest Mistake to Avoid appeared first on Upswing Poker.

This oversimplified approach is probably how most of you play your low pocket pairs. It’s a fairly valid approach, but it’s incomplete. Unless you want to leak money with your low pocket pairs, you’d be wise to employ a more in-depth strategy.

In this article, we’ll follow a complete roadmap of how to play these hands preflop:

• Playing a low pocket pair without deep stacks.
• Open-raising with a low pocket pair: do’s and do-not’s
• Facing an open-raise with a low pair
• Should you 3-bet low pocket pairs?
• Facing a 3-bet with a low pocket pair

It’s common to feel lost after missing your set on the flop, however, so we’ll conclude the article with some postflop guideline.

Let’s get going!

Playing a low pair without deep stacks

Since the value of low pocket pairs largely comes from making sets, we need to make sure that we are deep enough to realize this value when given the chance. With 30–50bbs, for example, our low pairs are significantly less valuable because there simply isn’t enough money behind to win. In other words, we won’t win enough when we hit a set to make up for the times we miss.

With an extremely short stack of <20bbs, low pocket pairs become playable again, but at this depth functioning best as shoves. This is because we’ll fold out hands that have significant equity on us (any two over cards will have close to 50%), while also ensuring that we realize all of our own equity (which will, again, usually be close to 50%).

Open-raising with a low pocket pair: do’s and do-not’s

Whether we can open-raise low pocket pairs depends on our position.

At a 9-handed table, they should be folded from UTG and UTG+1. We won’t be able to profitably defend our hand versus 3-bets from these early positions, and with so many players behind us it is fairly likely we’ll face some aggression. Playing low pairs out of position versus a caller is no cake walk either.

From UTG+2, we can open 55, but fold everything lower. At a full-ring table we’ll fall short of realizing the equity needed to justify opening our weakest pocket pairs.

By contrast, at a 6-max table we can usually open-raise all of our pocket pairs from all positions. The exception is on tables with many loose players, where the threat of aggression behind makes the lowest pairs a fold from UTG. Inexperienced players should consider folding the lowest pairs from UTG regardless of the players at the table in order to avoid challenging postflop situations.

Facing an open-raise with a low pocket pair

As with opening ranges, the profitability of calling with pocket pairs depends on our own position, but also that of the original raiser.

There are only two positions from which we can always call an open-raise with our low pocket pairs: the big blind and the button. We can defend our big blind with all of these hands for a couple of reasons:

• We close the preflop action, so we aren’t at risk of being 3-bet squeezed out of the pot.
• We get a good price on a call.

Calling from the button with these hands is profitable because of our positional advantage and the reduced chance of a player squeezing behind.

More marginal are times when we’re in the CO or HJ facing a raise from our immediate right. While we can call with 55 and 44 at some frequency, calling with pairs worse than this can be problematic. If there are aggressive players sat to our left, we are likely to face squeezes that make flatting with hands like 22 and 33 (and sometimes even 44 and 55) a losing play.

For all earlier positions, we simply can’t call raises with any of our low pocket pairs. Given how strong opening ranges are from UTG and UTG+1, we will severely under-realize our equity. Plus, it’s more likely we will get squeezed out of the pot by one of the many players behind.

Just imagine calling from LJ with 44 facing a UTG raise. Suppose we then go to the flop heads-up, the flop comes 872r, and UTG c-bets. Even on this relatively low and unthreatening board, we are in a tough spot and will too often be pushed off our equity (whether we are ahead of behind). We should do our best to avoid such unfavorable situations. 

We should also avoid flatting from the small blind when facing an open-raise. This is again because of our positional disadvantage—too often we’ll miss the flop, face a c-bet and be forced to dump our hand. However, we should consider cold-calling from the small blind when the player in the big blind is unlikely to squeeze, especially if the raise size is small.

Editor’s note: You can play low pocket pairs more often in low-mid stakes live games. Preflop squeezing is uncommon in these games, so it’s unlikely we will be blown off our hand preflop. Additionally, postflop spewing is common in live games, which increases our implied odds.

Can I 3-bet low pocket pairs?

The short answer here is ‘no’ for a couple reasons.

First, when 3-betting light, it’s best to choose hands based on their blocking potential. We want to bluff with hands that reduce the likelihood our opponent has some number of strong hands. A5s is a classic example, since it reduces the likelihood that our opponent holds an ace.

The second reason to avoid 3-betting low pockets pairs is because of their uneven post-flop equity distribution. In jargon-free terms: a hand like 22, though potentially a very strong hand, in fact makes a very strong hand on very few boards (i.e., only ones that contain a 2).

Compare this with connected hands such as 76s or ATs, which can make high-equity hands on a variety of board textures (strong two-pair combos, straights, flushes, etc.). Profitable postflop barrel spots with suited and connected hands are common because of their drawing potential, but such spots are uncommon with low pocket pairs because they usually only have 2 outs to improve.

Only from the small blind should we consider 3-betting small pairs. And even then it should only be against opens from later positions, and never when facing a raise from an early position. Our positional disadvantage is so severe from the small blind that we can attempt to negate it by 3-betting to take the pot down without seeing a flop. But if we get called we should approach the flop based upon our overall range, not just our hand specifically (more on this in the postflop section).

Facing a 3-bet as the preflop raiser

Unless we’ve opened from the CO or later, we shouldn’t consider defending with low pairs versus a normal sized 3-bet. The only exception is if effective stacks are extremely deep, and we’re facing aggression from a fishy player. Our implied odds are through the roof in this spot.

We can defend most liberally in blind-versus-blind situations, and in later positions facing an SB 3-bet. Since raising ranges are much wider in these spots, our defending ranges should be widened in response. We can call with all of our pocket pairs from the SB when facing a BB 3-bet—and the same applies from the button when facing a 3-bet from either of the blinds.

When making these calls, it’s helpful to be willing to call down on boards that don’t connect with our opponent’s 3-betting range. On disconnected, low/middling boards, we have to put our capes on and make a call sometimes to avoid being exploited by solid and aggressive players. 

Postflop play: what if I don’t flop a set?

Without flopping a set, it’s usually best to take the passive line and check-fold in multi-way pots. But in heads-up scenarios, sometimes we’ll often need to put up more of a fight to maximize our expected value.

Utilizing range advantage

Our postflop action must be dictated by what our overall range is and not just the particular hand we are holding. This is important to remember with low pocket pairs. They rarely make a strong hand, but we need to be able to represent one in circumstances that allow it.

For example:

100NL Online. $100 effective stacks.

Hero is dealt 3 3 UTG
Hero raises to $2.50. Only BB calls.

Flop ($5.50): A K 2

We have a massive range advantage on this board: we have all sets and strong two-pair combos in our range, whereas it’s unlikely that the BB player has them (we would expect AA, KK and AK to 3-bet preflop). We can c-bet often as a result. Even though 33 has little equity to improve, we can c-bet (using a small size) and barrel certain cards given the strength of our overall range. This bet also has the benefit of denying equity from hands with two overs that will certainly fold (such as 87s).

Weak pocket pairs will often times have very little showdown value while being one of the worst hands in our range, so it is perfectly reasonable to turn them into bluffs sometimes.

Harnessing the power of blockers & equity denial

We can also play our low pocket pairs aggressively when we block the nuts and can feasibly represent the nuts.

Consider the following example.

$2/$5 Live. $500 effective stacks.

Hero is dealt 4 4 in the BB
3 folds. LJ raises to $15. Only Hero calls.

Flop ($32): 7 6 3
Hero checks. LJ bets $20. Hero raises to $72.

Since we have a bunch of value hands we can check-raise on this board (54s, 77, 66, 33, 76s), we can select plenty of hands to bluff with for balance. Using 44 in this scenario is a worthy candidate—we block the nuts, our hand benefits greatly from equity denial, and we have outs to a make a straight.

Taking these lines with your weakest pairs when appropriate is an integral part of maximizing your EV.

That’s all for today!

Feel free to leave questions, comments and suggestions for future articles in the comments below.

If you want to further step-up your knowledge of low pocket pairs, check out this article on playing low pairs in tournaments.

Good luck at the tables!

Read more from Upswing Poker:

• Cash Game Strategy Quiz — How Much Do You Actually Know?
• How to Destroy Your Opponent After Seeing One Showdown
• Stop Fearing Triple Barrels with this Professional Approach

The post How to Play Low Pocket Pairs in Cash Games appeared first on Upswing Poker.

But if you want to crush live games or low stakes games online–where loose and passive preflop play is common–you’ll need a sound approach for multi-way pots. Today we’ll discuss 4 tips to help you develop that approach, and make more money as a result.

As a little bonus, tips 2 and 4 include a hand history analysis from Doug Polk and Ryan Fee’s ‘Multi-Way Pots’ module in the Upswing Lab.

Let’s get to it!

1. Play tighter when facing bets

When facing a bet in a multi-way pot, you should continue with fewer hands than you would in a heads-up pot. This is because the burden of defense is shared by multiple players, rather than just you. In other words, with other players in the pot the bettor is discouraged from over-bluffing. So, you can play tighter.

The table below shows the average theoretical defending frequency that each player needs to attain in order to deny the bettor a profitable bluff with any two cards (assuming a pot-sized bet).

(Note that these frequencies are simply for demonstration because, in practice, the burden of defense is not shared equally between each player. The exact optimal defend frequencies in multi-way pots are a matter of debate, and are still undiscovered due to vast variables.

Also, note that these frequencies depend on the bet size. For more on the math behind them, check out Ryan Fee’s article on minimum defense frequencies.)

These frequencies make clear how drastically the number of hands you should continue with decreases when facing a bet in a multi-way pot. 

You should play especially tight when facing a bet with players left to act behind. Not only is the bettor representing a strong range by firing into multiple players, but the likelihood that you’ll run into a premium hand behind increases with more players in the pot.

Keep this point in mind when defending from the big blind, since you will play the most multi-way pots from this position while also being at the greatest range disadvantage postflop. You should of course defend somewhat wide because of the great price you’re getting, but make sure you dump hands that will struggle in multi-way pots (e.g., K2o, 94o).

2. Narrow your value betting range

Multi-way pots are rarely the right time to bet for thin value. Your hand’s equity decreases as the number of players in a pot increases. Your value-betting frequency should be sensitive to this fact.

To see why, let’s look at an example:

$0.50/$1.00 6-Max Online.

Hero is dealt K J in middle position (MP)
utg folds. Hero raises to 2.8bb. co folds. Button calls. SB calls. bb folds.

Flop (9.4bb): K 4 T
SB checks. Hero checks. Button checks.

Turn (9.4bb): 2
SB bets 4.4bb. Hero calls. Button folds.

River (18.2bb): 4
SB bets 8.6bb. Hero calls. SB shows K Q and wins the hand.

Doug’s thoughts: At first glance, this might seem like a conservative check. However, it makes a lot more sense in light of the ranges at play, here.

We can estimate the button’s range by taking a look at the Button vs MP raise range from the Upswing Lab:

Relevant colors: Green = Call. Orange = Raise or call. (Blue = Raise, call, or fold. Red = Raise. Blue = Fold.)

And we’ll use the Upswing Lab‘s SB vs MP raise range to estimate the SB’s range (note that this is an especially rough estimation because the SB not cold-calling, but over-calling in the hand above):

Relevant colors: Green = Call. Orange = Raise or call. (Red = Raise. Blue = Fold.)

Notice that only the Button’s 2 combos of K9s are worse Kx combos from which we are extracting value, since all KT combos make two-pair on this flop. Notice also that both of our opponents can have KQ in their range, as well as bottom and middle set at some frequency. Consequently, we are targeting too narrow of a range if we start looking for value with KJ.

On the other hand, KJ is not too vulnerable to being outdrawn if it is ahead—an ace is the only card that we really don’t want to see. With a more vulnerable top pair on a different board—with, say, A8 on 8 6 2—betting would be more reasonable because your hand benefits from denying equity. But here, with KJ, a value bet doesn’t make as much sense.

3. Use smaller c-bet sizes

There are a number of good reasons why adopting a smaller c-bet size will improve your results in multi-way pots, most of them having to do with bluffing efficiency.

If you somehow knew that you could bet smaller when bluffing and achieve the same result, you’d be a fool not to do it. Since bets in multi-way pots usually represent a strong range, this perception can be capitalized on with our bluffs, and you might be surprised how often a small c-bet as a bluff will get folds.

As we’ve already discussed, players are not incentivized to call a bet with marginal hands in multi-way pots. Not only are they facing a strong range, but they can be punished by players who are left to act behind, and so a smaller c-bet size will not compromise fold equity.

Another perk of using a smaller c-bet size is that it allows you to spread fold equity more evenly over multiple streets—a crucial goal when bluffing. Too often, players will use a standard or large bet size on the flop and turn, only to be left with a tiny, inconsequential amount left to bet on the river. Obviously, a small river bluff will struggle to force folds.

To avoid being stunted by the river, always be aware of your stack-to-pot ratio, plan ahead, and try to use the right bet size on each street.

For more on small bet sizes more generally, check out this guest post from Matt Janda.

4. Be extra selective when choosing hands to bluff with

Finally, since we will have fewer value bets in multi-way pot situations, we must also reduce our number of bluffs in order to remain balanced.

Here’s an example that showcases this point:

PokerStars $0.05/$0.10 6-Max

Hero is dealt A Q on the BTN.
UTG raises to 3bb. MP folds. CO folds. Hero calls. SB calls. BB calls.

Flop (12bb): K J 2
SB checks. BB checks. UTG checks. Hero checks.

Turn (12bb): J
SB checks. BB bets 9bb. UTG folds. Hero folds. SB folds.

Ryan’s thoughts: When the preflop aggressor and blinds check to our Hero, it will be tempting to bluff. After all, AQ blocks the strongest Kx and Jx combos, which are likely to call, and we’re drawing to the nuts on any non-heart ten. However, we have many better hands to bluff with, specifically those with less showdown value. We can also have numerous flush draws (6 5, 7 6, 8 7, 9 8, etc.), which become more appropriate to bluff with given their weak value at showdown.

It’s worth noting that if we had a heart in our hand, particularly the A, this combination would be fine to bluff with. This is because we could barrel on any turn that brings a heart. But without a heart we run the risk of bluffing too much if we start betting with all of our AQ combos.

That’s all for today, folks!

Feel free to drop comments, questions, or suggestions for future articles in the comments below. Good luck, and have fun at the tables!

Read more from Upswing Poker: 

• Does Your Poker Journey Feel Stuck? So Did Doug Polk’s
• Obliterate Calling Stations with These 3 Stupid-Simple Tricks
• Preflop Strategy Quiz — Only a Feared grinder Will Get 9/10

The post 4 Ways to Improve Your Results in Multi-Way Pots appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Today we’ll be debunking 4 big myths about game theory optimal poker strategy, or “GTO,” as it’s now commonly called.

With insights from Ryan Fee and acclaimed poker writer Matthew Janda (from their new GTO module in the Upswing Lab), we’re determined to clear up these misconceptions once and for all.

A GTO strategy is a strategy that cannot be beaten in the long run, regardless of how our opponents play.

Myth #1 – The best players in the world currently use a GTO strategy

The GTO strategy for No Limit Hold’em exists, but is not yet known by any human, or even computer. The game is just too complicated, and hasn’t been solved. Less complex poker games, such as heads-up Limit Hold’em, have been solved (or at least essential solved).

GTO has become a buzzword synonymous with anything from “best possible strategy” to “good,” depending on the user. You might hear someone describe their steak dinner as GTO, or even their dog.

When you hear people talk about a GTO poker strategy, they probably mean to say a game theory-based strategy. Even veteran pros regularly get this wrong.

That said, we do understand some GTO concepts for some of the simpler parts of the game, and we recommend using them to construct your baseline strategy (more on this later).

Myth #2 – A GTO strategy would always take the most profitable line

Wrong. A GTO strategy is the strategy that maximally exploits an omniscient opponent. In other words, it’s the strategy that wins the most even if your opponent knows it perfectly. 

A GTO strategy does not take into account the type of strategy an opponent is employing and thus is not always the most profitable strategy. For instance, a GTO strategy bluffs on the river against a calling station just as often as it bluffs against a nit.

Again, since poker is not a solved game, no player employs a perfectly optimal and balanced strategy. All players will be exploitable in some way, and some will be more exploitable than others. The most profitable line to take against opponents will involve maximally exploiting their imbalances through a specific counter-strategy.

However, exploitable plays have their own drawbacks. The two most significant are:

1. Sometimes your exploitative play will be wrong.

By definition, exploitable plays are a deviation from a theoretically optimal strategy. This is why it’s important to make exploitable plays based on reliable information–not assumptions. If you make exploitative plays based on assumptions, you will sometimes make massively -EV plays as a result of shaky information.

2. Whenever you make an exploitative play, you leave yourself vulnerable to being exploited.

Consider an example. We are playing online against a regular, and have a huge database of hands which shows that they over-fold from the SB versus 3-bets. Against this player, we are incentivized to 3-bet from the BB aggressively as we know the SB will fold often.

However, by making this adjustment we ourselves become unbalanced and open to being exploited. With any luck, the opponent we are attempting to exploit won’t notice that we are 3-betting a wide range, which could be punished by light 4-bets.

Myth #3 – You must be a master of math to use a GTO-influenced strategy

There is obviously math involved in playing optimal poker, but you don’t need to be a math expert to get your head around it.

Almost all of the calculations you need to know involve simple operations—there’s no need for algebra or linear equations and there’s no scary notation. The most commonly used formulas are available online. For example, you can read about two of the most important pieces to a game theory-based strategy here: calculating pot odds and minimum defense frequencies.

Working out things like pot odds and calling frequencies become easier with experience. Soon enough, it’ll be second nature and you’ll hardly need to think about them!

For example, the formula for calculating the optimal ratio of value bets/bluffs that you need based on your bet size is simple and can quickly be memorized. Let’s say we are heads-up and bet $100 into a $200 pot on the river, giving our opponent 3 to 1 odds on a call. In this instance, our betting range should consist of 75% value hands and 25% bluffs to make their bluff-catchers indifferent to calling or folding (the best they could do is break-even).

This ratio changes depending on our bet size. Here’s a table with a few of the most common bet sizes to help you remember them:

As the table shows, the smaller we bet, the more value hands we need to have, and the larger we bet, the more we should bluff.

Myth #4 – There’s no point to learning GTO since an exploitable strategy has a higher profit ceiling

While we’ve already established that an effective exploitative style will yield more expected value (EV) than a GTO strategy, this doesn’t mean you should disregard GTO altogether.

Playing in a well-balanced and optimal way is best when you know little or no information about your opponents. It often takes thousands of hands before you can confidently spot potential exploits in others, so it’s wise to employ a baseline strategy that protects you from getting exploited while you can gather this information. When you do pick up on potential exploits, then by all means devise a counter-strategy and feel free to deviate from your starting strategy.

Additionally, a sound understanding of GTO concepts will help you identify potential exploits in your opponents’ games. If you are well-versed in what an optimal strategy should look like, then you will be able to clearly spot when a player is deviating from it, and know how to punish them accordingly.

Time to GT-Go

GTO strategy is a complex topic that deserves more attention than we’ve given it here today, but hopefully we’ve cleared up some of the more common confusions.

Drop any comments, queries, or suggestions for future articles in the section below, and good luck on the felt!

Read more from Upswing Poker:

• 3 Can’t-Miss Insights from a Cash Game Millionaire
• Bluffing in Poker Explained (by Doug Polk)
• Cash Game Strategy Quiz — How Much Do You Actually Know?

The post 4 GTO Myths That Way Too Many Poker Players Believe appeared first on Upswing Poker.