Today I'm going to comment during the game, two tables of NL1k and two tables of NL500. I will try to explain my actions, but you already know the general concept of my game well from other videos. I will deviate from it as I get to know my opponents and accumulate reads. At the tables, I see one player whom I know well – Boris. I remember him from 2013 – how long ago that was! In recent years, he rarely appears, but before that, he was a very interesting opponent with a unique approach to the game. We had great battles. His PokerStars nickname is "Heads-Up God". A very smart player.
There was a min-raise preflop, the small blind called, and I called in the BB with . The flop has been checked. On the turn, my hand is definitely strong enough to continue and just short of a raise. Although, perhaps, I like the raise more. It has its advantages, and in general, it is worth playing a little more creatively against amateurs.
Raise up to $42. UTG folds. SB calls.
River ($114):
SB checks.
So, do we want to knock out a chop? Probably yes – he would have 3-bet with stronger hands. So you need to take the pot with a big overbet, which, in theory, will work in all cases. If he throws or , it will be our big victory. If somehow it shows or , it will become a nightmare.
He bets $274. The opponent folds. Uri shows the eight.
There was $114 in the pot. Knocking out a chop adds to our expectation about half of the time.
With my hand, you can both bet and check here: a monotone flop forces a mixed strategy. The button doesn't have much of an advantage, and top two pair isn't a mandatory continuation bet. This category of hands wants to see a safe turn.
Checks next.
Turn ($23):
Opponent bets $19. Uri calls.
River ($62):
Villain bets $52.
The fourth heart did not come, that's not bad. I don't think my hand folds against this size. Why do I think so? After all, his line does not look like a bluff. First, two high cards are a premium bluff catcher: I don't block any bluffs since my opponent must be bluffing with unpaired hands. This alone is enough to make the call profitable in theory. You also need to ask yourself, can Villain use this line for value with weaker hands? I think so.
However, I'm reluctant to call because I don't like to bluff catch big sizings. The lower the limits, the less I like it, unless, of course, there are no reads.
Uri calls. Opponent wins with .
Sorry, but the call, it seems to me, was mandatory. With a more marginal bluff catcher, I can fold tight.
I raised 3x preflop and BB called. The texture of the flop suits him better, so I check. Against a small bet, K9o doesn't have any clear preferences, he can choose any action.
Check-raise to $47. Opponent gives up.
Against calls in position, you should often check your entire range, but the texture is an exception, you can c-bet on it. True, if you have not analyzed this board in detail, it is better to play from a check. I think it will be easier.
Uri bets $9. Villain calls.
Turn ($46):
Both check.
River ($46):
I'll just bet it. Sometimes he'll have something really strong and I'll get a raise, sometimes he'll call with a hand he wouldn't bet with.
Bet $34. Villain calls with
I wonder why he decided that it was profitable to call my raise from an early position with Q6s. Maybe he misread hand? Or just really wanted to be in my YouTube video? Want to humiliate me? It happens in showdowns against regs, but I rarely play these limits. Although sometimes people behave disrespectfully just by default.
Another call in position. I played with this guy a little longer, and it turns out that he calls with a very wide range when the BB is an amateur.
I'll check-call – our hand is very suitable for this. A check-raise could be considered, but this action seems dubious to me.
Uri checks. Opponent bets $16. Should call.
Turn ($61):
Once again I have a good check-call and no reason to do anything else.
Uri checks. Villain bets $49. Coll.
River ($160):
Uri checks. Opponent bets $240.
Of course, I won't call.
Fold it.
Raise from the button – call. I'll try to get to showdown with A-high.
Checks next.
Turn ($47):
Opponent bets $15.
I'll call once, against such a sizing A-high is forced to call.
River ($78):
Opponent checks.
Do I want to bluff? Perhaps with A-high this is not necessary.
Checks next, opponent wins with
It's amazing how passively he played his hand.
On this board, I can c-bet with my entire range.
In general, situations arise in my videos when I make a polarized bet, and people in the comments write: no, this is a range bet with a small size, you made a mistake. You see, quite often we can use different strategies without sacrificing much of the value. There are rare situations when only one thing is suitable. For any texture on which the solver advises a 100% bet, you can come up with a strategy with a large bet or check that will bring almost the same EV.
Villain calls.
Turn ($49):
I will continue to fire with A2o. People often take A-high hands as a bit of a formality, saying that they should go to showdown with them. But look at the board! When it has a king, a queen, and a jack, A-high is worth much less than on a random texture, and winning at showdown is rare.
Bet $37. Villain calls.
River ($124):
I think after betting the turn I have one of the best hands to continue on the river. As far as sizing goes, I can't bet too big as Villain has quite a lot of . Therefore, I want to depict a more subtle approach.
Uri bets $67. Villain quickly calls with
A perfectly standard call for him, of course.
Placed a marginal 3-bet, got a 4-bet. Against this size, KJs should probably be in the mix. Something I haven't repeated preflop for a long time. Well, there is probably a call.
Calls.
Opponent bets $120.
In these cases, I always ask myself what his raising range looks like and how much equity he has. Here the equity with is not much, so I like calling more than raising.
Calls.
Turn ($705, effective stack $575):
Opponent checks.
Imagine that he has a set, for example, a set of queens. These hands have decent equity against me. So it won't be a disaster for me if they fold to a small bet. Even will win the pot 10% of the time if I check next. Even full air in 10% of cases will chop the pot with me in case of a check! If I check, I'm just giving my opponent $60.
He bets $222. The opponent folds.
On such a dynamic board, it is important to see the turn, so a check is the best suggestion. On the turn, the true value of our hand should become clear.
Checks.
Turn ($52):
Opponent bets $26.
A good turn for me and a small bet. I think our hand is worth more, so I'm going to try and build the pot a bit.
Raise up to $88. Villain calls.
River ($228):
Opponent checks.
Very good river. Of course, I will continue to bet. True, I rarely see a call, but sometimes it happens.
He bets $201. Villain makes an instant call.
Ha ha! How incredible. Perhaps it would be being nice to say that he is ready to call with not the most obvious bluff catchers.
You can c-bet or check. This time I'll take a check.
Turn ($23):
Opponent checks. Uri bets $28. Should call.
River ($80):
Opponent checks.
On the turn, he did not raise against our overbet but only called. We probably still have the best combination. All draws missed. You have to keep betting.
Bet $65. Opponent gives up.
To call a check-raise, instead of a three-of-a-kind, we need an overcard to a four – yes, that matters. And my hand will have to be folded.
Too loose for a 3-bet, but the guy is short-stacked, he's probably an amateur, and against amateurs, I like to widen my ranges. As a general rule, when you have a big post-flop advantage over your opponent, all your hands get a little stronger, so VPIP can be increased.
The opponent folds.
I checked the flop next, and on the turn, my hand seems, ironically, very suitable for calling. We beat bluffs, we have the nut gutshot and the nut blocker for spade river bluffs. Plus, if we catch a four, he'll have a hard time believing it.
Calls.
River ($92):
Opponent checks.
To bluff the river or not? Definitely not. Missed draws are enough for me to bluff.
Checks and loses
The c-bet size is so small that I feel like I should pay even with this hand.
Calls.
Turn ($38):
Uri checks. Opponent bets $22.
Call, fold, or raise? His bet is quite modest, I don't seem to be able to fold a flush draw to a queen. And if so, a bluff raise looks more attractive, because the hand itself is rather weak…
Check-raise to $88. The opponent immediately surrenders.
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