Irieguy
11-04-2004, 03:06 AM
Just some thoughts to potentially start a discussion:
Postflop play is a neglected skill in SNG poker. Mostly because you can beat the games without having any postflop skill at all. But improving your postflop play can really make an impact on the chip stack you take into level 4 and higher. (from then on, any postflop andvantage you may have is negligible)
One concept that seems to be missing (to me, anyways) from a lot of posts about playing out of position is what my poker buds and I call "betting impetus." Betting impetus is what you gain when you bet to show strength and still have enough chips left to play after the flop. Here's an example:
UTG limps and it's passed around to the SB, who calls, and the BB who checks. Flop comes:
K-K-2
SB checks and the BB overbets the pot all-in. You are UTG with 9-9... what to you do? A call here is going to be clearly +EV. You might not be happy about putting all of your chips in, but with the action it seems pretty clear that you have the best hand.
Contrast that to what happens if the BB had raised to 4xBB preflop. UTG now is getting less than 2:1 on a call unless the SB also calls. This is a bad call that most players will make. SB folds. Flop comes:
K-K-2
BB overbets the pot all-in. Now how do you feel about your pocket 9's? This is not going to be a +EV call. In fact, you're in a world of hurt wondering how you got into such a spot.
The point of this post is not to discuss that hypothetical hand, but to illustrate how betting impetus can drastically change how an opponent feels about your interest in a pot. Postflop play is significantly influenced by how the pot is played preflop. The set-up matters.
A funny, but frequent example of a complete lack of understanding of this concept might go something like this:
UTG limps, button limps, SB limps, BB limps. Flop comes:
K-K-2
SB bets the min., BB calls, UTG calls, button min-raises... SB folds.... then BB goes all-in. You've all seen this; button insta-calls with his king and the BB shows A-2. The mistake here is that bad players often decide from completely out of the blue that it's time to make a play at a pot. They completely disregard the fact that they've shown no strength at all up to that point, but expect their opponents to somehow lay down their hands just because they went all-in.
It seems to me that the biggest concern most people have after the flop is a trap. "how can I trap this guy," or "I wonder if I'm getting trapped." Remember that in order for a trap to occur, somebody has to have a big hand and somebody else has to put chips into the pot. This doesn't happen all that often... most pots can be played for when the blinds are small.
Anyways, I'm interested to hear what you all have to say about how your potential postflop options influence your preflop decisions.
Irieguy
Postflop play is a neglected skill in SNG poker. Mostly because you can beat the games without having any postflop skill at all. But improving your postflop play can really make an impact on the chip stack you take into level 4 and higher. (from then on, any postflop andvantage you may have is negligible)
One concept that seems to be missing (to me, anyways) from a lot of posts about playing out of position is what my poker buds and I call "betting impetus." Betting impetus is what you gain when you bet to show strength and still have enough chips left to play after the flop. Here's an example:
UTG limps and it's passed around to the SB, who calls, and the BB who checks. Flop comes:
K-K-2
SB checks and the BB overbets the pot all-in. You are UTG with 9-9... what to you do? A call here is going to be clearly +EV. You might not be happy about putting all of your chips in, but with the action it seems pretty clear that you have the best hand.
Contrast that to what happens if the BB had raised to 4xBB preflop. UTG now is getting less than 2:1 on a call unless the SB also calls. This is a bad call that most players will make. SB folds. Flop comes:
K-K-2
BB overbets the pot all-in. Now how do you feel about your pocket 9's? This is not going to be a +EV call. In fact, you're in a world of hurt wondering how you got into such a spot.
The point of this post is not to discuss that hypothetical hand, but to illustrate how betting impetus can drastically change how an opponent feels about your interest in a pot. Postflop play is significantly influenced by how the pot is played preflop. The set-up matters.
A funny, but frequent example of a complete lack of understanding of this concept might go something like this:
UTG limps, button limps, SB limps, BB limps. Flop comes:
K-K-2
SB bets the min., BB calls, UTG calls, button min-raises... SB folds.... then BB goes all-in. You've all seen this; button insta-calls with his king and the BB shows A-2. The mistake here is that bad players often decide from completely out of the blue that it's time to make a play at a pot. They completely disregard the fact that they've shown no strength at all up to that point, but expect their opponents to somehow lay down their hands just because they went all-in.
It seems to me that the biggest concern most people have after the flop is a trap. "how can I trap this guy," or "I wonder if I'm getting trapped." Remember that in order for a trap to occur, somebody has to have a big hand and somebody else has to put chips into the pot. This doesn't happen all that often... most pots can be played for when the blinds are small.
Anyways, I'm interested to hear what you all have to say about how your potential postflop options influence your preflop decisions.
Irieguy