D'Agostino's short-handed advice

[Wynton]

For those of you who don't get emailed columns from Full Tilt, here are John D'Agostino's words of wisdom about playing short-handed:

In a three- or four-handed Limit Hold ‘em cash game, I will raise about two of every three times I have the button. The quality of my hand is essentially irrelevant. The position raise puts me in control of the hand and, even if I'm holding total trash, the pressure puts the blinds in a spot where they need to catch a piece of the flop.

For example, say I raise on the button and the big blind calls with a modest but playable hand, maybe Qc-Td. Now, if the flop comes with any Ace or King, the blind is going to have a very difficult time continuing with the hand if he checks and I bet the flop. In fact, the blind is going to have a very difficult time continuing on any board that doesn't contain a Queen or Ten.

If I follow up my raise and bet the flop with, say, 7-high, and get called or check-raised, it's very easy to lay down the hand. I know this is going to happen at times, but I pick up the pot often enough to make the constant button aggression profitable.


Small Blind Play

When playing against opponents who raise frequently in position, I'm sure to respond with aggression in the small blind. If I'm holding a hand that's likely best at a three-handed table - something as modest as A-9 might qualify - and I'm facing a button raise, I take control of the hand and three-bet. That puts additional pressure on the big blind. If I only call the button raise, the big blind will be getting great odds (5:1) to call the additional bet. And I'd far prefer to play the hand heads-up.

After three-betting from the small blind, I follow up with a bet on the flop almost 100 percent of the time. Since I represented a big hand pre-flop, I want to put my opponent to a decision immediately. Once I see how my opponent reacts, I can decide how I should proceed with the hand. I'll have to give it up sometimes, but the pressure will force a lot of folds.

Big Blind Play

The big blind is the only place where I'm content to call bets pre-flop. In fact, a call is my usual reaction to a button raise. If I start with a moderate hand, I can see the flop and decide how to proceed. If I start with a strong hand, like pocket Aces or Kings, I'll still call and look to check-raise the flop. I don't like to three-bet from the big blind because it tends to announce my hand. My opponents know that I'm starting with a very big hand.

Overall Goal

As you can probably tell by now, I believe that aggression is key to success in short-handed Limit Hold ‘em. I think the constant bets and raises create two dynamics that can be exploited for profit. First, by being the aggressor, I have the opportunity to pick up a number of pots where both my opponent and I miss the flop.

Second, the aggression has the tendency to lead opponents to make some very bad decisions. After some time, opponents may call bets on every street with nothing more than Ace- or King-high. When they start doing that, I can tighten up and only bet hands that are likely to be winners at showdown.

At times my style may look maniacal. But in short-handed limit play, it works.

[Grisgra]

If that style is manaical for 3-handed and 4-handed, then I'm certifiably insane. Which may be the case. "Something as modest as A9 might qualify" for 3-betting in the SB after a button raise in a 3-handed game?!

[Wynton]

And note that he does not like to 3-bet when he's in the big blind either.

[Grisgra]

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And note that he does not like to 3-bet when he's in the big blind either.

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Yes, that was a little bizarre as well. Not that my super-shorthanded skills are demonstratably fantastic at laggy tables, but his advice definitely seems a little tightish to me (other than the button raising). Unless he's not telling us everything [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
And note that he does not like to 3-bet when he's in the big blind either.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, that was a little bizarre as well. Not that my super-shorthanded skills are demonstratably fantastic at laggy tables, but his advice definitely seems a little tightish to me (other than the button raising). Unless he's not telling us everything [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

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I think he means that he doesn't 3-bet, when the button is the 1st one in the hand, but in general his advice should just be followed on a tight table, to probably get some more money.
If the table, like so many, is LAG there seems to be no use in not 3-betting.

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And note that he does not like to 3-bet when he's in the big blind either.

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I think the problem with not three-betting from the BB in a 3 or 4-person game is that you encourage the players with position on you to routinely raise preflop, including with trash hands. A semi-regular habit of playing back at the raiser preflop, will encourage the button to fold more marginal hands, which then puts you in a HU fight against the SB (on whom you have position). Smooth calling from the BB is too passive/reactive, if the button is aggressive.

[kiddo]

YEp, he says:

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I don't like to three-bet from the big blind because it tends to announce my hand. My opponents know that I'm starting with a very big hand.




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Solution is to 3bet more, not stop 3betting.

U can raise him from button or SB with any cheese and he doesnt play back at u, makes no sense.

[ALL1N]

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YEp, he says:

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I don't like to three-bet from the big blind because it tends to announce my hand. My opponents know that I'm starting with a very big hand.




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Solution is to 3bet more, not stop 3betting.

U can raise him from button or SB with any cheese and he doesnt play back at u, makes no sense.

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I disagree with this. Sure, you have to play back, but who says you have to play back preflop?? You've got 3 more streets to "play back." Just calling with strong hands preflop is wise in a lot of situations.

[Danenania]

I wonder which is better if you must choose one against a button steal: always 3-betting from BB when you play or always calling and checkraising flop when you play. Certainly depends on the button but it seems like the latter might offer a lot more leverage in many situations.

[kiddo]

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I disagree with this. Sure, you have to play back, but who says you have to play back preflop?? You've got 3 more streets to "play back." Just calling with strong hands preflop is wise in a lot of situations

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What u are saying is that "in a lot of situations" its wise to slowplay preflop when we are headsup because we will win back more postflop then we loose preflop. When we are out of position this statement is almost always wrong. When we got position it is normally wrong.

I never read a pokerbook that says its bad to 3bet from big blind because "it tends to announce my hand" or a pokerbook that says its wise to only call with a better hand preflop "in a lot of situations". Which books are u guys thinking about when u say its often good to only call with a good hand preflop in a blindbattlesituation?

If I see a player that pretty often only calls with great hands preflop it means one of two things:

1) He is weak and wants to see flop before attacking because "so much can happen when we see the flop".

2) He is "tricky", he gets a kick out of making a fool of the others instead of getting the money in when he got the edge and leave with the $.