Small Stakes Blind Wars

Fnord · #1 08-01-2004, 04:39 AM

I'm kinda lost on what to do in these kind of situations...

Hand 1

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) converter

Preflop: Fnord is SB with 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
5 folds, CO raises, 1 fold, Fnord calls, BB calls
 3-bet pre-flop? BB is a little lose, but I figure he folds here ~25-33% 

Flop: (6 SB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
Fnord checks, BB checks, CO checks.
failed check/raise

Turn: (3 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
Fnord bets, BB raises, CO folds, Fnord folds.

Final Pot: 6 BB

Hand 2

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (8 handed) converter

Preflop: Fnord is Button with T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
5 folds, Fnord raises, 1 fold, BB calls,

Flop: (4.50 SB) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB bets, Fnord raises, BB calls.

Turn: (4.25 BB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB bets, Fnord folds.

Final Pot: 5.25 BB

Hand 3

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) converter

Preflop: Fnord is BB with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
7 folds, SB completes, Fnord raises, SB calls.

Flop: (4 SB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB bets, Fnord calls.
Should I raise here? I don't think there is a credible enough threat

Turn: (3 BB) 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB bets, Fnord calls.

River: (5 BB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB bets, Fnord folds.

Final Pot: 6 BB

MarkL444 · #2 08-01-2004, 07:26 AM

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Should I raise here? I don't think there is a credible enough threat

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Can you call??

Fnord · #3 08-01-2004, 07:28 AM

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Should I raise here? I don't think there is a credible enough threat

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Can you call??

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Do I have any reason to think that my hand isn't any good or my outs aren't clean?

Randy Burgess · #4 08-01-2004, 10:21 AM

Hand 1: Preflop: If you're not going to reraise in the SB here, you might as well throw your hand away. Flop: Don't try for a checkraise when the board is this ragged. Turn: Why are you betting now that an overcard in the playing zone has hit? You could have safely check-folded here given the relatively small pot.

Hand 2: Preflop: JT off should be thrown away here rather than raised. You don't have enough hand unless the blinds are incredibly tight. Flop: Why are you raising with no hand and no draw? That player is betting into you despite the Ace.

Hand 3: Flop: Raise or fold. Head-up in a tiny pot is not a drawing contest.

Fnord · #5 08-01-2004, 10:28 AM

Thanks, for the feedback. Knew I was playing these lame.

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Hand 2: Preflop: JT off should be thrown away here rather than raised.

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Here is the only place I disagree. JTo has got to be as good or better than 2 blind hands and worth playing from position.

Randy Burgess · #6 08-01-2004, 10:45 AM

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Here is the only place I disagree. JTo has got to be as good or better than 2 blind hands and worth playing from position.

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Do some more reading about relative hand values - JTo goes way, way down short-handed. I'd rather have Kxo open-raising on the button than JTo, as it will win more often without improving. And Kxo is usually too weak to steal with except against very tight blinds, so what does that say about JTo?

If you haven't already, why not put in some time at the short-handed tables? A few hundred hours will give you a much better feel for how hands like this play out.

Nate tha' Great · #7 08-01-2004, 03:46 PM

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Hand 2: Preflop: JT off should be thrown away here rather than raised.

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I'm raising with 87o here. And winning money with it.

Fnord · #8 08-01-2004, 07:54 PM

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I'm raising with 87o here. And winning money with it.

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I was wondering when/if the resident Alpha LAg would chime in [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

How do you play the hand after the flop against typical oposition? However, given the higher rake at this limit, I don't see how I can go much lower than JTo.

Nate tha' Great · #9 08-01-2004, 08:48 PM

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How do you play the hand after the flop against typical oposition?

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For the most part, very straightforwardly. I'll bet the flop when checked to just about 100% of the time. If check-raised, I'll fold if I don't have a piece of the board or some kind of draw. I'll usually bet the turn if the flop goes check-call, since my hand doesn't really have any showdown value, but I'll sometimes give up if I know my opponent well.

Basically, there are three ways that I can win by raising a hand like 87o on the Button:

1) Steal the blinds and win immediately.
2) Steal on the flop by representing big cards if they hit (*), or if it comes rags and my opponent doesn't feel like going to battle;
3) Make a hand and win at showdown.

I'm not saying that I do this 100% of the time. I need to monitor my opponents' temperature level, and if I've been stealing too much, or they're likely to play back at me, or they're the type of player who is hell-bent on going to showdown with king-high, then I'm going to tighten up quite a bit.

I think people who advocate against aggressive steal-raising on the Button fail to understand two things:

i) The radical degree to which hand values change when it's folded to you on the Button. 87o, an unplayable hand under most circumstances, wins 45% of the time against a random holding.
ii) The supreme importance of position.

(*) This is an important point. I'm going to win almost always if an Ace flops and my opponent doesn't catch a pretty big piece of the board, and usually if a King flops and the same circumstances apply. In many senses I'm more comfortable stealing with 87o than K2o, even though the K2 hand has more showdown value.

Fnord · #10 08-02-2004, 12:13 AM

Great stuff, thanks for the reply. A couple follow-up questions.

Do you believe at all in bunching? Basically, the theory that if 7 or so players folded the remaining 3 (or 2 if you don't count yourself) are likely to have better than average hands? Is this more likley to happen at a full small stakes table where some players will play any Ace/King or suited cards?

If the small blind calls your steal, is it a good sign to slow down? How do you respond to being bet into? I guess on that Ace high board it was a pretty easy flop fold?