Before we arrive at today's subject, I'm very excited to announce the birth of the MCU Poker Forum. If you're on-line, this is where you can read discussions, or disagree with or add your comments about this column or anything poker-related. Go to "forum and chat."Some of the most important strategies are not obvious. Today I want to share a few of myfavorites.
The following is taken from the 34th in my series of Tuesday Session classroom lectures at Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy and later appeared in Card Player magazine. The lecture was held on June 1, 1999. The title of the lecture was ….Bonus Strategies for Extra Profit at Poker
Bonus strategy No. 1:
When to "thin the field" by reraising and hoping to share what's already in the pot with a reduced number of opponents is a complicated issue. I teach that this strategy often is wrong.But sometimes it's right, and you need to keep this in mind: Often reraise with medium-strong hands when weak foes already have called and strong foes remain to act. This increases your profit by forcing the weak foes to call one more bet, often solidifies your last position, and chases away stronger opponents who otherwise might call the raise with hands that might beat yours.As I've said many times, thinning the field is a righteous ambition, but actually attempting to thin the field often costs money. This is because you too often chase away the opponents with
the weak hands you would like to play against, and limit yourself to facing the stronger hands who refuse to be thinned.
But one really good opportunity to thin the field happens when you hold a marginally strong hand and can reraise a potentially weak hand. By reraising, you often can make it too expensive for more sophisticated opponents to enter the pot behind you with semistrong hands that might beat yours. You always should look for this opportunity. I reraise quite liberally on the first betting round when weak opponents have routinely raised the bring-in bet or blind and more challenging players are waiting to act after me.
Bonus strategy No. 2:
Seldom reraise with medium-strong hands when strong foes already have called and weak foes remain to act. This reraise pushes your luck against possibly superior hands while chasing away the weaker foes whom you'd often like to see call the pot. This strategy works for exactly the opposite reason as No. 1.
Bonus strategy No. 3:
There are five basic reasons why you might choose to reraise: (1) to drive foes out when you're vulnerable; (2) to win more money with great hands; (3) to bluff; (4) to send a message; and (5) to leverage position. If you're reraising for any other reason, you probably have either "entertainment" or "ego" on your mind.I believe very strongly that even sophisticated players sometimes lapse into the bad habit of raising "by feel." It can be a very profitable self-discipline to ask yourself why you're reraising and make certain that the reason matches one of those sanctioned above.
Bonus strategy No. 4:
Usually don't reraise when you have a very strong hand and you will force opponents to call a
double raise or to fold. Analysis suggests that you'll make more long-range profit by just
calling and "inviting" opponents to also call.
Bonus strategy No. 5:
This illustrates one of the governing truths about chasing down hands in hold'em. It's often correct to call a bet against a lone opponent and keep calling until you see the river with just an overcard and an inside straight draw. However, you shouldn't do this if two suited cards flop - unless you hold an ace of that suit. Having the ace has benefits, such as: (1) If both final cards are of that suit ("runner-runner"), your flush will win, even if your opponent has two of that suit, and (2) it's less likely that an opponent even has a flush draw, because you have the ace and that's the most motivating card for playing suited hands.Let's say that your hand is AC 4D and the flop is 7-6-3.
While it depends on your opponent, you usually should call a bet. The main reasons you should call are: (1) Your ace might win against a bluff; (2) the ace and inside straight draw generally are better than just two overcards, which many are more likely to play (because there are four matches for the inside straight and only three for a second overcard); (3) you can get lucky and win with a pair of aces; and (4) a bluffing opportunity might arise for you. Put these factors and more together and it becomes clear that you can't just routinely fold against a lone opponent with an ace and an inside straight draw. If you do and your opponent knows it, he'll run all over you. This applies to similar "chasing" hands, too.
Bonus strategy No. 6:
In seven-card stud, don't be afraid to bet three of a kind or two big pair on the river into what might be a straight or flush draw. Often, the opposing hand is something else, or the flush or straight will be missed and the opponent will call regardless with secondary strength. If you check, you're going to call the bet anyway, so you gain nothing, and lose a lot of profit opportunities. True, you might get raised if you bet, but the risk usually is well worth the price. If you couple your bet with my magic words, "You're not going to believe this!" - well, you'll almost never be raised.
That latter quote is taken directly from my collection of statements designed to be worth
thousands of dollars a month! That one forces your opponent into "either ... or" thinking - that
you either made something huge or you're bluffing. The fact that you're just betting two pair for value seldom occurs to your opponent, and you often can bet this hand with impunity, not having to fear a raise.
Bonus strategy No. 7:
In high-low split games on fourth and fifth streets (or on the flop and sometimes on the turn in Omaha high-low), you should tend to fold in a three-way pot with a one-way hand when an opponent probably going the same way bets. This often is true even if you think your prospects are slightly better than those of the opponent who wagered! Bonus strategy No. 8:On all but the final betting round, when you hold semi-big hands, you should tend to raise when you (1) already have last position secured or (2) can gain last position by chasing players.
Poker Mistakes(2)
Mistake: Letting the weakest players feel left out.
When new recreational players come to your game, make them one of the group. From their perspective, they feel uneasy - and are less likely to gamble - if you talk only to other regular players.
Mistake: Discussing strategy with opponents.
Mistake: Discussing strategy with opponents.
This might make other opponents realize that there is strategy. Nothing makes weak foes less willing to gamble poorly than making them think you might be critical of their decisions.I never talk real strategy in a poker game. I babble, I mislead, I amuse, I laugh at jokes. I never, ever want opponents to think that they're being scrutinized. I want them to have my "permission" to play poorly.
Mistake: Check-raising a timid player on your left.
This is like crawling into a cave and waking up a hibernating bear. Why do it? The person on your left has a positional advantage, and as long as he remains timid, he isn't using that positional advantage to its full potential. Check-raising is often seen as an act of war. Why start it?The truth about check-raising is that it is compensation for the disadvantage of having to act first. It should be used, but it should be used sparingly.
Mistake: (Hold 'em) Just calling the blind in a late position when everyone before
you has passed.
Despite what I've taught you about the pitfalls of playing very small pairs in hold 'em,this is the time you really can play them profitably, and the most profitable way is to raise. Then players often will check to you on the next round, and you can take control. The additional chance that you'll chase potential winners out, plus the chance that you might win right now, make raising the right play most of the time.Additionally, you should know that a small pair is often significantly more profitable against one opponent than against two opponents. If you flop three-of-a-kind, you probably want the extra opponent. But if you don't, you can sometimes win heads-up with that unimproved pair, whereas you would have been much more likely to lose
with that pair against two or more opponents.
If you play a small pair from early position (which, by the way, is not always a good idea), you should be hoping either for a lot of callers or just one (or, of course, none at all). You should not be hoping for two callers. That's why the correct play - if you do decide to play a small pair - is usually to just call from an early position and invite players into your pot. But in a late position, you want to either win the blind money right now or end up against just one opponent, not two. So, a raise is often the better choice.
When new recreational players come to your game, make them one of the group. From their perspective, they feel uneasy - and are less likely to gamble - if you talk only to other regular players.
Mistake: Discussing strategy with opponents.
Mistake: Discussing strategy with opponents.
This might make other opponents realize that there is strategy. Nothing makes weak foes less willing to gamble poorly than making them think you might be critical of their decisions.I never talk real strategy in a poker game. I babble, I mislead, I amuse, I laugh at jokes. I never, ever want opponents to think that they're being scrutinized. I want them to have my "permission" to play poorly.
Mistake: Check-raising a timid player on your left.
This is like crawling into a cave and waking up a hibernating bear. Why do it? The person on your left has a positional advantage, and as long as he remains timid, he isn't using that positional advantage to its full potential. Check-raising is often seen as an act of war. Why start it?The truth about check-raising is that it is compensation for the disadvantage of having to act first. It should be used, but it should be used sparingly.
Mistake: (Hold 'em) Just calling the blind in a late position when everyone before
you has passed.
Despite what I've taught you about the pitfalls of playing very small pairs in hold 'em,this is the time you really can play them profitably, and the most profitable way is to raise. Then players often will check to you on the next round, and you can take control. The additional chance that you'll chase potential winners out, plus the chance that you might win right now, make raising the right play most of the time.Additionally, you should know that a small pair is often significantly more profitable against one opponent than against two opponents. If you flop three-of-a-kind, you probably want the extra opponent. But if you don't, you can sometimes win heads-up with that unimproved pair, whereas you would have been much more likely to lose
with that pair against two or more opponents.
If you play a small pair from early position (which, by the way, is not always a good idea), you should be hoping either for a lot of callers or just one (or, of course, none at all). You should not be hoping for two callers. That's why the correct play - if you do decide to play a small pair - is usually to just call from an early position and invite players into your pot. But in a late position, you want to either win the blind money right now or end up against just one opponent, not two. So, a raise is often the better choice.
Poker Mistakes(1)
Mistake: Not raising enough on early rounds in last position.
If ever there was an opportunity to establish your image at the same time that you gaina real tactical advantage, it's when one, two, and sometimes even three remaining opponents have checked to you on an early betting round.The advantages of betting are that you're likely to make your opponents "behave" and
check to you on the next street (often when the limits double), and you can take control by (1) continuing to bet (for image, for value, or because your hand improved) or (2) checking and taking a free card. The more timid your opponents are, the more often you should bet.
Simulations show that the times you knock potential winners out plus the times you win outright by betting is pure profit. The play is profitable even without this, and it is image enhancing.This doesn't mean you should always bet if everyone checks to you on the flop in hold'em or checks to you after the fourth card in seven-card stud. Sometimes you have a very weak hand and you should accept the free opportunity to improve, knowing that you would have simply folded had anyone bet. Sometimes you will just check along with the crown for deceptive reasons.
Sometimes you will check because you've been betting too often and your strategy has become transparent. And sometimes you check because the opponents who have already acted are deceptive and tend to check-raise with great frequency. Those are not the ones you should bet into.Against them, usually take the free card graciously. But, in general, try to maximize your positional advantage on early rounds quite often.The more you can do this without stepping over the line and becoming a victim of your own aggression, the more money you'll make.
Simulations show that the times you knock potential winners out plus the times you win outright by betting is pure profit. The play is profitable even without this, and it is image enhancing.This doesn't mean you should always bet if everyone checks to you on the flop in hold'em or checks to you after the fourth card in seven-card stud. Sometimes you have a very weak hand and you should accept the free opportunity to improve, knowing that you would have simply folded had anyone bet. Sometimes you will just check along with the crown for deceptive reasons.
Sometimes you will check because you've been betting too often and your strategy has become transparent. And sometimes you check because the opponents who have already acted are deceptive and tend to check-raise with great frequency. Those are not the ones you should bet into.Against them, usually take the free card graciously. But, in general, try to maximize your positional advantage on early rounds quite often.The more you can do this without stepping over the line and becoming a victim of your own aggression, the more money you'll make.
Poker Limits
Classroom Lectures: Folding Strong Hands for Pure Profit
1. Calling a raise on the river.
One of the most costly mistakes made by experienced players is that they call too frequently on the final betting round against a bet and a raise. If you could tally all calls made by all players in this situation, you would quickly see that an overcall against the final-round raise loses money.Why? It's because players don't seem to realize how much extra strength they need to make this call. They get caught up in the moment and are awed by the size of the pot.But, actually, the pot size is much smaller, relative to the size of the call, than it would be if there had been no raise. That's because the call costs double, and the pot is only one bet larger than it would have been without the raise. This means, for a very big pot, your pot odds are only about half as good, but your hand needs to be much stronger than usual to win.
The second player is probably figuring the bettor for a big hand, and yet he is still raising. This tells you that your run-of-the-mill strong hand isn't enough in most such situations. You need extra strength to call.Also, remember that most players who are squeezed between you and the first bettor are reluctant to raise without super-strong hands. They'd rather play it safe, and maybe win a call behind. (Beware that some tricky players will try to freeze you out of the pot by raising if they think the bettor might be bluffing, but this is rare.)The point is this: I have do doubt that most readers understand what I just said and that it isn't news to them. Still, the fact remains that most sophisticated players (and almost all weak players) call far too often on the river against a raise. If I could take a statistical sample of all such calls ever made in poker games, I'm betting that the result would be a significant loss.
2. Getting over-carded.
In hold 'em, you should almost routinely fold any large pair if the flop contains two different higher ranks.This is another great mistake made by many players who otherwise pride themselves on correct decisions. When you're dealt J J in the pocket and the board is A Q 4 , you should not hesitate to make a laydown against a bet. It's simply not a big laydown. Of course, there are certain players and certain situations in which you might make exceptions and call or even raise. But your basic strategy - the one you should choose in the absence of factors indicating a contrary decision - when you have a high pair and two higher cards of two different ranks flop should be to fold.This is much different from having a less significant pair when two (or even three)higher unpaired ranks flop. In that case, it's not the fact that those ranks are higher than your pair, but how much higher that should dictate your decision. Especially if there has been raising before the flop, high cards are more dangerous and more likely to pair your opponents than medium cards. Therefore, if you hold 6 6 and the flop is 9 7 2 , you should not fold quite so routinely.
3. Beware of garbage.
In seven-card stud (and other games, too) you should willingly lay down strong hands when you are unexpectedly raised by a player with a "garbage" board. These players tend not to bluff, because they aren't showing any strength to make it believable.
4. When bluffing is less likely.
Tend to fold big hands that look like they might be big hands to your opponents.Opponents are less likely to bluff you if you have strength exposed.However, folding with too much strength exposed is dangerous. It blatantly shouts to opponents that you are willing to lay down big hands and tempts them to bluff
unexpectedly at your expense in the future. (See point #6, too.)
5. Image matters.
The looser and more unpredictable your image is, the more successfully you can fold strong hands. Think about it. You, yourself, are less likely to bluff or bet borderline hands into loose or tricky opponents. Your opponents think the same way. So, when they bet, they typically have stronger than average hands against your loose and treacherous image.
6. Consider calling.
You should consider calling, even if the call is not quite profitable, if your opponents know you have a strong hand. That's because, one of the worst things you can do is make your opponents think you make "considered" laydowns. That's just inviting unexpected bluffs - and long-range disaster.In fact, I try never to let my opponents know that I ever make carefully considered decisions, period. I want my image to be one of impulsiveness, perhaps that of a loose cannon, firing everywhere, at everything, not aiming, not caring. When I stop to ponder, count pots, think long, I'm destroying that image. And that image (and it's only an image and not reality, remember) is precisely what fools opponents into providing me with extra profit.
7. Don't show.
You should never show a good laydown. Don't show, even if you're proud of it.Showing good laydowns also invites unexpected bluffs later.
8. Best times to fold.
There are two types of players that are especially profitable to make laydowns against when you hold medium hands with which you might otherwise call. They are (1) nonbluffers who bet and (2) non-bettors who raise.You should fold against the non-bluffers because typical calls that are barely profitable earn a big share of that profit by catching bluffs. When there are no potential bluffs to catch, you need a much stronger hand to justify a call. And players who are reluctant to bet are typically reluctant to raise with marginally strong hands, also. So if you have a marginal raise-calling hand against them, you should fold. You need something much stronger. - MC
1. Calling a raise on the river.
One of the most costly mistakes made by experienced players is that they call too frequently on the final betting round against a bet and a raise. If you could tally all calls made by all players in this situation, you would quickly see that an overcall against the final-round raise loses money.Why? It's because players don't seem to realize how much extra strength they need to make this call. They get caught up in the moment and are awed by the size of the pot.But, actually, the pot size is much smaller, relative to the size of the call, than it would be if there had been no raise. That's because the call costs double, and the pot is only one bet larger than it would have been without the raise. This means, for a very big pot, your pot odds are only about half as good, but your hand needs to be much stronger than usual to win.
The second player is probably figuring the bettor for a big hand, and yet he is still raising. This tells you that your run-of-the-mill strong hand isn't enough in most such situations. You need extra strength to call.Also, remember that most players who are squeezed between you and the first bettor are reluctant to raise without super-strong hands. They'd rather play it safe, and maybe win a call behind. (Beware that some tricky players will try to freeze you out of the pot by raising if they think the bettor might be bluffing, but this is rare.)The point is this: I have do doubt that most readers understand what I just said and that it isn't news to them. Still, the fact remains that most sophisticated players (and almost all weak players) call far too often on the river against a raise. If I could take a statistical sample of all such calls ever made in poker games, I'm betting that the result would be a significant loss.
2. Getting over-carded.
In hold 'em, you should almost routinely fold any large pair if the flop contains two different higher ranks.This is another great mistake made by many players who otherwise pride themselves on correct decisions. When you're dealt J J in the pocket and the board is A Q 4 , you should not hesitate to make a laydown against a bet. It's simply not a big laydown. Of course, there are certain players and certain situations in which you might make exceptions and call or even raise. But your basic strategy - the one you should choose in the absence of factors indicating a contrary decision - when you have a high pair and two higher cards of two different ranks flop should be to fold.This is much different from having a less significant pair when two (or even three)higher unpaired ranks flop. In that case, it's not the fact that those ranks are higher than your pair, but how much higher that should dictate your decision. Especially if there has been raising before the flop, high cards are more dangerous and more likely to pair your opponents than medium cards. Therefore, if you hold 6 6 and the flop is 9 7 2 , you should not fold quite so routinely.
3. Beware of garbage.
In seven-card stud (and other games, too) you should willingly lay down strong hands when you are unexpectedly raised by a player with a "garbage" board. These players tend not to bluff, because they aren't showing any strength to make it believable.
4. When bluffing is less likely.
Tend to fold big hands that look like they might be big hands to your opponents.Opponents are less likely to bluff you if you have strength exposed.However, folding with too much strength exposed is dangerous. It blatantly shouts to opponents that you are willing to lay down big hands and tempts them to bluff
unexpectedly at your expense in the future. (See point #6, too.)
5. Image matters.
The looser and more unpredictable your image is, the more successfully you can fold strong hands. Think about it. You, yourself, are less likely to bluff or bet borderline hands into loose or tricky opponents. Your opponents think the same way. So, when they bet, they typically have stronger than average hands against your loose and treacherous image.
6. Consider calling.
You should consider calling, even if the call is not quite profitable, if your opponents know you have a strong hand. That's because, one of the worst things you can do is make your opponents think you make "considered" laydowns. That's just inviting unexpected bluffs - and long-range disaster.In fact, I try never to let my opponents know that I ever make carefully considered decisions, period. I want my image to be one of impulsiveness, perhaps that of a loose cannon, firing everywhere, at everything, not aiming, not caring. When I stop to ponder, count pots, think long, I'm destroying that image. And that image (and it's only an image and not reality, remember) is precisely what fools opponents into providing me with extra profit.
7. Don't show.
You should never show a good laydown. Don't show, even if you're proud of it.Showing good laydowns also invites unexpected bluffs later.
8. Best times to fold.
There are two types of players that are especially profitable to make laydowns against when you hold medium hands with which you might otherwise call. They are (1) nonbluffers who bet and (2) non-bettors who raise.You should fold against the non-bluffers because typical calls that are barely profitable earn a big share of that profit by catching bluffs. When there are no potential bluffs to catch, you need a much stronger hand to justify a call. And players who are reluctant to bet are typically reluctant to raise with marginally strong hands, also. So if you have a marginal raise-calling hand against them, you should fold. You need something much stronger. - MC