Gidders - Online Poker Training - Playing With The Nuts

*** FLOP *** [Kh Ks Js]

my.c.a.t.s.: bets 50

gidders: raises 150 to 200

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

gidders collected 575 from pot
gidders: shows [Jh Kc] (a full house, Kings full of Jacks)

Let’s go over this hand, decision by decision.

Decision 1 – Raise an UTG limper 4x to 200 with 5195 back.

Comments – At this stage of the game, 5 handed with the chip lead and 3 other opponents all nursing somewhat short stacks – I want to continually apply pressure on them. Pressure basically means always being the aggressor preflop – having the lead on the hand.

I want these opponents to feel like I am capable of moving all my chips in on them at any point. I want them to feel like they are being continually pressed for all of their chips all of the time. Even at this blind level (25-50) – I want them to feel like they are desperate. It makes it much easier on me as the big stack, knowing that if they are going to play a pot with me, they are most likely thinking in their minds its going to be for all their chips. What this means is, that they will be psychologically thinking that I will go all in with them – so they will most often be waiting for a great hand. It is here where I am able to steal a bunch of small pots from them, until the blinds go up and they become so short that calling their all in becomes a no brainer.

Options – You could play passively here and fold to an UTG limp treating it as strong. However, with this raise – it’s very easy for my UTG opponent to think I am stronger than I am, and his reraise will almost always be all in (if he is indeed UTG limping with a huge hand). At that point, it would be an easy fold with KJo.

Depending on the situation, you could raise to 150-300 – or just fold and wait for opponents to knock each other out (which I really don’t ever recommend).

Decision 2 – Raise to 200 after he leads out 50 into the 475 pot with the nuts.

Comments - This raise with the stone cold nuts is for a few reasons. First, is that I would have made this raise if I hit nothing on the flop. His bet looks very weak. I would raise this bet almost all of the time, regardless of what my cards are (with the stack sizes being as they are.)

If I just flat call here, the pot is not getting very big (which I want it to with the nuts, obviously) and it looks very fishy. Really, a raise here looks like I really don’t have anything while a flat call could mean I have a draw, or a huge hand (trips). I like to raise here because I always want my opponents to think that when I am betting – I have it. It becomes very easy to read someone who only bets when they are bluffing, and just checks and calls when they are huge.

Options – I might consider raising to 150 to kind of “price him in” – although I really don’t want my bet to look like anything out of the ordinary. My reraise should be automatic with any two cards in this situation, and especially here since his raise does not fatten the pot.

If I just flat call, and he min bets the turn again (common play) – what then? I pretty much have to let the cat out of the bag and raise because the pot needs to grow, and I need him to feel afraid at all times. Don’t fall into the trap of only betting when you are bluffing. It becomes very predictable, and is easy to play against you ( “If he bets he doesn’t have anything, but if he checks he’s huge…I can check raise this guy all day”)

Lesson – Almost always make continuation bets and raises to keep your opponents off guard as to whether or not you flopped huge or nothing at all.