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Clonie,
I have a hard time against aggressive players. I can
be at a table where two or three others just bet at
every hand (it seems). Even if I am a later position
and I end up with A-K, if these guys are already in
the pot, I’m not sure what to do. I notice that
although they lose money playing so much, they usually
end up leading in chips. What can I do against these
people?
- Thank you, Vik
Vik,
Many players seem to have trouble playing against aggressive
players. Players who play a lot of hands and are able
to get lucky can quickly build up a large chip stack.
If they don’t change gears and slow down, however,
they will just as quickly bleed those chips back when
the luck evens out. When I hold a hand like A-K against
these types of players, I will usually attempt to isolate
them. A-K figures to be the best hand against those
players who have very low starting-hand standards. The
best thing you can do in the situation you have described
is to make a very large re-raise and attempt to isolate
them. If you hit a good flop to your AK, then use their
aggression against them and let them bluff into you.
Once you knock down their chip stacks they will be less
likely to continue playing so aggressively.
Clonie,
I’m struggling with the concept of pot odds. I’ve
read about them, but they are still over my head. Can
you help with this example? The pot was 6,4000; I held
Jd 8h; the board was 9c 10s 4c 10d Jc. My opponent bet
6,400. I called. My opponent held a flush. Were the
odds right? Should I have called?
- Thanks, J McCaffrey
Dear J,
This is not the typical situation where pot odds would
come into play. When you are trying to figure out your
pot odds, you are usually drawing to a hand and you
need to figure out if there is enough money in the pot
for your draw to be profitable, compared with the amount
of times you will hit that draw.
In the situation you are describing, your decision
is whether or not to call with a pretty weak hand when
your opponent makes a pot size bet into you. In this
case, there is 12,800 in the pot and it costs you 6,400
to make the call. This means that you are getting exactly
2-1 on your money. In other words, you will win two
times as much as you have to invest if you win the pot.
When your opponent makes a bet like this on the board
you have described, you must decide if he is bluffing
or not. All you hold is a jack with a weak kicker and,
in this case, that is either likely to be the best hand
by far, or the worst hand by far. It is unlikely your
opponent is making that bet with a hand like Q-J.
If your opponent is the type of player who will make
a big bet on the river on a pure bluff, and you are
confident he will do that half of the time, (1 out of
2 times, since you are getting 2-1 on your money) then
you can make the call. Only the most aggressive players
will bluff that often, though, so most of the time you
should figure you are way behind here and fold this
hand.
Clonie,
I was playing in a No Limit Hold’em tourney on
FTP and came across this situation. What are your thoughts?
I was 33rd of 35 (with 27 getting paid). I sat under
the gun with 3,500 in chips. The blinds were 300/600
with a 75 ante. I got dealt Ad Jd and raised to 1,200.
There were a few folders, then a raise to 3,500 (by
a stack of 9000), followed by a few more folders and
an all in by the button to 5,500. Should I a) call,
or b) fold. What should I have done from the start of
the hand?
Thank you, Kevin
Kevin,
There are a couple of major problems with your play
on this hand. You have 3,500 in chips and, with 35 players
left, there should have been 8 or 9 players at your
table. With a small blind of 300, a big blind of 600
– and we’ll call it 8 antes of 75 each –
there was 1,500 in the pot to start the hand. With 3500
in chips you have about 2.33 times the size of the pot.
This is known as your “M”. Anytime you have
an “M” of 4 or less your only move when
you are first to act should be all in. By only doubling
the big blind, you are still committing yourself to
the pot but you are also giving other players a chance
to play a pot with you cheaply. When the player raises
you to 3,500 and the button moves all in, there is 9,700
in the pot that you can win, and it only costs you 2,300
to call. Getting more than 4 to 1 on your money you
are forced to call here.
The other problem is in your choice to play the A-J
from under the gun at a full or nearly full table. With
a short stack and many players left to act behind you,
you are much better off waiting for a better position
to play your last few chips. If you were in the cutoff
position or on the button, and everybody had folded
to you, then, by all means, move all in with the suited
A-J, otherwise, fold it and wait for a better spot to
try to double up.
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