Poker Discussion
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Full Tilt · Bodog · PokerStars · Ultimate Bet · Players Only
This is one part of my game that I'm trying to work on and one major
leak that I know of. I'm talking about trapping type hands where you
are sure, or close to sure, that you have the best hand, no draws, etc.
but especially on the river, maybe you even have the nuts or close to
it. How do you go about extracting maximum value from your
opponent? I find myself so often making piddly marginal bets (1/3
pot, etc.) that I'm sure will get called rather than risk getting a
fold. This is where many of the top players have a big edge, I think,
and build huge stacks by being aggressive and coercing the opponent
into getting their whole stack in by the river. I know this is almost
entirely player and situation dependent based on observation, history,
etc. I guess I'm just hoping someone has some tips, tricks, gimmcks,
rules of thumb, anything that might help to know how and when they can
get someone to overcommitt and pay them off big. I suspect that playing
cash games more would help in this area as building big pots is a more
crucial skill there (i think) and one that I am lacking in experience.
Thanks,
phatty
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As a profitable cash game player (and marginal at best tourny player) I will attempt an answer.
The first trick I like is the overbet. Understanding the pt has me as hyper aggressive, I found myself facing overbets in many different situations. I called many of these overbets with marginal holdings thinking this was usually a bluff. Finally I turned this into my favor by using the same techniques. You will be surprised at how often overbetting actually works.
The great thing about the overbet, is that the downside is rather small. If you play the hand with the same aggression you normally play and get called on the turn, then you overbet the river.
You will then be getting one of 2 scenarios:
A: Player calls and you extract lots of chips from him while showing a strong hand in a spot where many might put you on a bluff. This will lead to +EV later.
B: Player folds. You only lose the marginal chips that a value bet MIGHT have gotten you on the river. Also, many people will be suspicious of your overbets in the future, thus making them more likely to get called down.
Either way, I play very aggressively and this style usually works for me. I bet the nuts hard, because I bet most hands I'm in hard. I think it is almost easier to spot a strong hand from a superaggressive person who suddenly slows down. Just my 2 cents.
GL
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Overbets can be very good, but for the most part playing cash games, my standard bet is about 2/3 pot, and I bet this whether I'm bluffing or betting for value. Also, betting the flop with a good but not great hand, like AJ on a flop of A82, then checking the turn and firing again on the river will often get calls or bluffs from the opponent.
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Stinger, I think you missed his point. AJ on A82 is nowhere near the nuts. Phatty is trying to take stacks when he has the nuts. I think so many people use the value betting strategy that when you do overbet and get called, it more than makes up for the missed value bets the other times.
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By
DP388
on
12-06-2005 5:13 PM
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Of course, over aggressive players are the easiest to trap, but here is one that I've found to work pretty well. In most cases, a good trap is based on my actions on a previous play. Nothing is planned out per-se, just based on feel.
"Fake" continuation bet on flop, check turn.
This works great if I've raised pre-flop previously and put out a continuation bet only to either give it up on the turn or fold to a raise on the flop. If I am in a similar situation later and hit the flop hard (i.e. a set) or have a hand like AA, I'll put out a similar sized continuation bet. If I induce a raise there, great. If they just call and I'm pretty sure they have TP or a PP and are waiting to see what I do on the turn, I'll check the turn. Aggressive players will often times bet hard or push in, thinking that I'm weak.
Some of the subtlties of hesitation sell this. Maybe the first time when I gave the hand up, I acted quickly and they picked up on "strong = weak". If I think this player isn't saavy, but is experienced enough to have observed my previous play, I'll use the same quick timing on my flop bet and my check.
If I think the player is saavy, he might not know exactly what i'm doing, but he might smell a rat. So, this time I might hesitate a little longer as if to say, "I know he saw me fold before, but damn, I really want this pot. I have to bet here, but I'm a little worried." If he calls, the hesitation before checking the turn might say, "Crap. He called, now what, damn I gotta give this one up too."
The other twist on this with a table sheriff/calling station would be to push all-in after the hesitation as if to make it look like an overaggressive bluff. Of course, if I sense someone is desparate and overaggressive, I might just check the flop if I think they'll bet or push in.
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