Gidders - Online Poker Training

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to gidders [3c Ad]

gidders: raises 200 to 300
Fouman: calls 300
my.c.a.t.s.: calls 250

MrMohawk: folds

*** FLOP *** [Kd 4s 6s]

my.c.a.t.s.: checks

gidders: checks

Fouman: bets 300

my.c.a.t.s.: folds

gidders: raises 800 to 1100
Fouman: calls 800

*** TURN *** [Kd 4s 6s] [4c]

gidders: bets 2000
Fouman: folds

gidders collected 3200 from pot

Let’s go over this hand, decision by decision

Decision 1 – Raise to 300 UTG with A3o as the big stack 4 handed – with 5460 left.

Comments – This is pretty standard poker as the big stack. I am very aware that A3o isn’t a very good hand normally, and I don’t think that any ace is ‘the nuts’. However, as the big stack – you must apply constant pressure to the smaller stacks, especially in this situation.

The big blind only had 925 chips remaining after he posted his BB. The player acting right after me is the other big stack and the SB has a “just hang on baby” stack. An ace anything is a favourite vs. any random BB hand – so I will take that ‘chance’ here that he has me beat in the BB. You can’t wait around forever for premium hands, and you’re going to have to put pressure on with less than spectacular starting hands.

In most cases, the button and the small blind fold because they want me (Mr. Big Stack) to take out the little stack. I have a good enough hand to show down should he push me all in, as it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me to raise here with A3o UTG 4 handed.

Options – You can vary up this raise sometimes anywhere between 250-400. I wouldn’t mind raising to 400 just to show my short stack friend that I am more serious about this hand that usual. I am making a bigger than standard raise, and I don’t necessarily want a call – but of course, I don’t mind one either at this stage.

Decision 2 – Check after the SB checks to the other big stack on the Kd 4s 6s board with a pot of 1000. I have 5460 left and he has 4695.

Comments – I check here for two reasons. The first being that the SB could easily have a king, and if the button bets – I can easily fold if the SB calls or raises and just lose 300 chips on the hand.

The second being is – even though I am pretty confident my ace high isn’t good right now, I feel like this is a perfect time for a check raise against the button. I wanted to see how hard he bet the flop, and decide whether it ‘felt’ worth it. In this case, it did.

Options – I can clearly check/fold on this hand and do no damage to my stack. However, I really advise my students to become a maniac when it’s 4 handed so that you can build up an insurmountable lead to coast into the money, and inevitably pick up more first place finishes.

Decision 3 – Check Raise 800 more to the button.

Comments – This was definitely a risky play. However, I really don’t think he can call any bets without a king – maybe the nut flush draw. Since he doesn’t have to have a nut flush draw or a king to bet in his spot, I felt a healthy check raise was necessary to take down this pot. I couldn’t price him in and only check raise the minimum because not only will he feel more committed to the hand (which I don’t want when I’m bluffing) but it would leave me in a tough spot, leading out on the turn trying to figure out how much to bet to knock him out of the hand.

I totally figured he would fold at this point, as it looks like a standard position raise by him. Things got a little tricky when he decided to call, but I wasn’t done with the hand yet.

Options – If he calls me down with bottom or mid pair – all the power to him. He has a nice read on me, and decided to stick with it even four handed when he knew it could have been for all of his chips. I would rather make this play every time and have it work the majority of the time (which gives me the amount of chips I need to bully people around) than have it fail the few times it does.

I don’t mind bluffing off my chips in a spot where I think I can get my opponent to fold. Poker is a game of risks, and bluffing is a risk. You absolutely must be willing to die in order to win.

Decision 4 – Lead out 2000 on the turn where the board reads Kd 4s 6s 4c with 4360 chips to start the hand and the button having 3595. The pot has 3200.

Comments – This was the riskiest part of the whole hand obviously, but was probably the only bet that would let me win the hand. If I check here – there are too many ways I can lose the hand to even mention. Things would just get messy if I checked. I had to follow up here with my bluff.

Options – I bet 2000 chips here into 3200 for a couple of reasons.

An all in bet here really looks fishy. If I had a huge hand (KK) – why would I want to knock him out of the hand? I want to make a bet that looks like I want him to call, but big enough so that he doesn’t feel like he’s getting priced in.

Let’s say I bet 2000 here and he calls. I am check/folding the river – unless an ace hits. That’s all there is to it. If he calls me, I am folding. I am not going to fire a third bullet when he has been showing me that he is willing to get involved in a huge pot on the bubble. To me, he must have a king, a full house, or a flush draw (never know). If he misses his flush draw, it’s going to take an awful lot of courage on his part for him to put all his chips in on the river with nothing – especially after the action went down as it did.

If he decides to come over the top on the turn, I fold and leave myself with 2360 – still very comfortably ahead of the other two stacks. Yes, it does feel bad when you have a really big stack and bluff a lot of your chips off and you are left with a way smaller stack, but in this situation, I felt I could get him to lay down – even if he had the king.

This was the hand in the SNG where I either took a strangle hold and got first (which I did) – or folded and played it very textbook from there on. I’m glad I make this choice, and I would still show you this hand history – even if he went all in on the turn. I want to show you that major aggressive bubble play is a huge key to the amount of first places you are likely to win.

Lesson – Just because you don’t hold a hand – doesn’t mean you can’t get your opponent to fold his. Aggressive bubble play in SNG’s is rewarded far more often than it isn’t.