Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button ($1753)
SB ($1534)
Hero (BB) ($2003.25)
UTG ($1058.75)
MP ($1060)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 6
, K
2 folds, Button bets $25, SB calls $20, Hero raises to $123, Button calls $98, 1 fold
Flop: ($271) J
, 7, 5
(2 players)
Hero bets $187, Button raises to $400, Hero calls $213
Turn: ($1071) 2
(2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks
River: ($1071) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $1480.25 (All-In), 1 fold
Total pot: $1071 | Rake: $3
Results:
Hero didn’t show 6, K (nothing).
Outcome: Hero won $1068
I don’t expect Villain ever to be on a draw here, as he’s opening himself up to getting blown off of it. He’s probably bluffing most often, sometimes raising for thin value/protection/cheap showdown, and rarely with a monster. That kind of argues for just shoving the flop, but I’d rather do that with hands that will have at least some equity when called: bottom pair, a straight draw, etc. Since he’s often bluffing, I’m also going to flat call hands like AJ or KK, since they are mostly bluffcatchers at this point.
Notice the he’s a little shorter than I am, so my shove is actually only about 120% pot on river. I like this because turns hands like AJ and QQ into bluff catchers for him. If I’d made a regular bet, he’d have an easy call with those, since I could even be value betting worse. I don’t think he expects me to shove with something like JT, though, so it’s a tougher call with AJ.
Hello,
I’m playing NL50/NL100 myself, and if it were small stakes I’d definitely call with QQ and AJ in villain’s shoes. I think you’re just not representing that much – maybe a set, but mostly AJ/KJ or A7/A5. If you had something like JJ, what would your line be after villain had called your 3-bet preflop?
Thanks for the comment, One. Couple things:
1. We’re talking about a pretty narrow value range, so the difference between AJ and QQ is not insignificant. Basically, AJ is probably the worst hand I’d play this way for value, and that makes QQ noticeably stronger than AJ in Villain’s shoes.
2. My point isn’t that calling with AJ is bad, just that it isn’t trivial. I’m not playing KJ like this, so AJ is only a bluff-catcher. With AA, Villain beats a good chunk of my value range and has an easy call. With AJ, whether to call depends on how often I am bluffing.
The thing is that the only way I can be bluffing is if I either called the flop with a small pair and am now turning it into a bluff or if I called with nothing (as here) and am now bluffing with it. I’m almost certainly shoving any draw on the flop, so unless Villain assumes I’m floating out of position, it’s hard for him to put me on a hand that needs to bluff on the river.
3. This is how I’d usually play hands like AJ, AA, and sets. I might actually be more inclined to shove QQ and KK on the flop, since they are more vulnerable to free cards than is AJ.
Hello again,
and thanks for the thorough explanation, it all makes perfect sense now. I’m only beginning to learn how to apply these concepts (like turning small/medium pairs into bluffs, overbetting the river and so on). Your blog posts – and videos at PokerSavvy Plus – are helping a lot, keep up the good work!
Cheers,
Jaakko