#1 advanced concept I wished I hadn't learned

[AceofSpades]

The resteal push... It seems like I'm always pushing AQ, 99, etc, into MP/LP "steal raise." And being dominated and losing big....

anybody have specific conditions under which you resteal?

[Pat Southern]

Pushing with AQ and 99 isn't restealing.

It has a lot more to do with the player. Big pairs get dealt to the button as often as they get dealt under the gun. If a tight player raises from the button for the first time in ages, I'm mucking my 87s. If the top stack does it for the fifth time, I'm pushing. I'm pretty much always pushing 99 or AQ there, if the stack sizes are right, though- that's not a re-steal, it's a value bet.

[A_PLUS]

[ QUOTE ]
It has a lot more to do with the player. Big pairs get dealt to the button as often as they get dealt under the gun

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true of course, but often misunderstood to the point of being wrong. The way we should look at a raise for a resteal is: (lets neglect the value of our hand for the time being)

What range of hands is he raising there, of that range how many will he fold if I reraise?

UG: a player's range may look something like
88+, AJs+ (48 combos for pairs + 4 AJs + 32 AQ or AK = 84 total hands)

He will call with: JJ+, AQs+ (24 + 20 = 44)

So, a resteal would have a 48% chance of working vs an UG raise. (again, the hand ranges are just an example)

Button: a player's range may look something like
55+, AT+, KJ+, QJ+ (172 total combos)

If we assume the same call range: JJ+, AQs+ (44)

Our resteal will have a 75% chance of working.

You cant analyze a situation by thinking things like, "how often will he be dealt AA UG vs AA on the button". We have more information than that, we need to incorporate it. We know that, once we see a player raise UG, 52% of his hands will be strong enough to call. Vs. a button raise, which he will only have a calling hand 25% of the time.

So, although the number of times he will be dealt a 'calling hand' is technically the same. For all intensive purposes, he is 2x as likely to have a calling hand UG.


So, to use this thought process to your advantage at the table. You need to estimate how often people are on pure blind steals (not included in my above numbers for simplicity) and what % of their real hands they will call a resteal with. It might help to work through some examples where you assume villan will always make the correct call.

For example.
Give him a hand range (based on his image)
Give yourself a reraising hand range (based on your image)
Look at the pot odds you are offering him.
Given these pot odds, what % of his initial range should he call with, and what should he fold? If he calls, what is your equity vs his narrower range (where your real hand comes into play, and why 89s may be better than AT)

You may find that sometimes your resteals rely on unrealistic assumptions to be profitable.

From the looks of it though, you may want to go back and learn about what a resteal actually is, and maybe something on reverse implied odds.

[N 82 50 24]

I've talked about this one before with people... I think QJ might be the best restealing hand as you're in okay shape against AK (AQ/KQ/AJ are less likely to call, but they obviously do in certain situations or in the hands of certain players -- don't resteal if you don't think you have a good chance of getting away with it) or TT or lower... The problem with hands like 67s/78s are all the pairs that completely dominate your "live" cards, although you are very unlikely to have an overlapping card. Clearly you don't want a call though, that's the point.

[A_PLUS]

true. It really just depends on the call range.

I see all too often players try a resteal on me, figuring I am over-aggressive, only to offer me 2-1 on a call. Then they show down A3, vs my A6 and proceed to railbird me for being a donk (which is true) for the next hour.

[mlagoo]

yeesh


restealing isnt about what cards you have, its about the situation. i'm not going to resteal with T9s because it's a great restealing hand -- i'm going to resteal with any two cards because the loose-aggressive CO with a vulnerable chipstack just raised in LP for the sixth time in four orbits, and there is a good chance i'll take the pot down preflop. restealing is NOT about showdown value.

[A_PLUS]

[ QUOTE ]
yeesh


restealing isnt about what cards you have, its about the situation. i'm not going to resteal with T9s because it's a great restealing hand -- i'm going to resteal with any two cards because the loose-aggressive CO with a vulnerable chipstack just raised in LP for the sixth time in four orbits, and there is a good chance i'll take the pot down preflop. restealing is NOT about showdown value.

[/ QUOTE ]

True....

But having 35% equity vs 25% in a big pot does matter. Situation rules, in determining wether or not to resteal, but in marginal situations, the cards you hold can be the difference

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
yeesh


restealing isnt about what cards you have, its about the situation. i'm not going to resteal with T9s because it's a great restealing hand -- i'm going to resteal with any two cards because the loose-aggressive CO with a vulnerable chipstack just raised in LP for the sixth time in four orbits, and there is a good chance i'll take the pot down preflop. restealing is NOT about showdown value.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a difference vetween a resteal and a semibluff reraise. Tight CO raises, you might reraise with T8s, QJo, 22, or some similar hand, even though you are probably behind based on pot odds and folding equity.

If you have a strong read that a player is stealing and will fold to a reraise, you can reraise with any two. If your read is not as strong, you need a better hand.

[ QUOTE ]

You cant analyze a situation by thinking things like, "how often will he be dealt AA UG vs AA on the button". We have more information than that, we need to incorporate it. We know that, once we see a player raise UG, 52% of his hands will be strong enough to call. Vs. a button raise, which he will only have a calling hand 25% of the time.

So, although the number of times he will be dealt a 'calling hand' is technically the same. For all intensive purposes, he is 2x as likely to have a calling hand UG.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure. My point was that especially in the early stages of low buy-in tournies, many players' opening ranges are not so dramatically different UTG versus on the button. I was cautioning OP that he shouldn't simply say, "That raise is coming from the button, I'm pushing any 2, he'll fold 75% of the time". You need to observe the player and get a sense of what HIS opening range from the button is, not what it would optimally be or what yours is.