The last hand that I posted involved me shoving pocket Tens on a KQxx board against a guy who had reraised me pre-flop and then bet the flop and turn. Part of my reasoning was that when the K turned, he was actually less likely to have because he bet again, whereas most people will actually check a hand like AK on that turn. That means that when a good but not great opponent does bet the turn, his range is usually polarized as either very strong (probably KQ or better) or very weak (he’s bluffing).
A semi-bluff with something like JT would also be possible, and in fact the presence of that kind of hand in his range is what prevents me from floating the flop and shoving the turn with pure air. So already we can see how balancing out his turn betting range makes him more difficult to play against.
However, a hand like TT does not fear the semi-bluff. So what can I do to prevent observant opponents from taking advantage of me in similar situations where my range may be too polarized? Here’s an example:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $6 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Hero ($1084.30)
BB ($658.70)
UTG ($203.80)
MP ($600.45)
CO ($976.30)
Button ($627.60)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Kh, Ah.
2 folds, CO raises to $21, 1 fold, Hero raises to $74, 1 fold, CO calls $53.
Flop: ($154) Td, 3h, 6h (2 players)
Hero bets $110, CO calls $110.
Turn: ($374) Ks (2 players)
Hero bets $240, CO raises to $792.3 (All-In), Hero calls $552.30.
River: ($1958.60) 9c (2 players, 1 all-in).
Final Pot: $1958.60
I ended up losing to a set of 3’s, and in fact when my opponent shoved on the turn I figured him for a set. That’s why it’s generally a shame to bet AK there; although you’re often ahead, you pretty much always get action only when you’re beat, unless you are against a smart and stubborn opponent like me who will not believe that would bet AK. But that gets into a whole set of mind games that is beyond my scope here.
The point is that you do need to bet the AK sometimes to prevent excessive polarization of your range, and I think it makes the most sense to do it when your hand still has some value against the hands that beat you. Here I had a redraw to the nut flush, so I was willing to bet-call with AK. If I had bet without a heart draw, I’d be in a very tough spot on the turn, getting good odds with top pair top kicker but with a sinking feeling in my gut that I was drawing dead.
good post