Using the "Dope with a rope" strategy in the BB (Blind defence)

[SteveGriff]

Afternoon,

I've been thinking about changing the way I've been playing post-flop when I've hit part of the board. Ok, lets take three common examples:

1) You in the BB vs an aggressive player at the CO.

You have 75s in the BB. CO raises, you decide to call. Flop T 7 3. You check, CO bets. In the past I've used the check-raise the flop strategy and then lead the turn. But I've been wondering whether against an opponent who will bet for you that you should take the check/call check/call then bet the river approach (aka Dope on a rope strategy?)

2) Same hand against a passive / calling station. CO raises. He probably has a premium hand like AK, AQ etc and I suspect he probably has missed the T 7 3 rainbow flop. Do I do the betting for my opponent now here? As he is passive should I be testing this opponent and betting the flop? He raises I'm pretty much done with the hand if I don't improve on the turn.

3) Aggressive player raises and I call with 75s in the BB. Flop K T 7

This flop is much more dangerous now. Do I try and test my opponent here, or do I just check/fold since there's so many dangers here (top pairs, straight draws etc?)

I know this is quite the sketchy post, but I'd like some feedback on how to play the three hands in regard of my opponent and flop texture... I've been a "test the opponent" kind of player. Now I feel that I should be "sometimes test the opponent, sometimes let him bluff opponent" kind of player.


Steve Griff

P.s - I don't want any discussions on whether you should call a raise in the BB with 75s against a passive or aggressive opponent. I just picked that hand out of my a... erm head.

[EvanJC]

in situation one if villian is a legitimate lagtard then i think you could make the case for calling the flop and checkraising either the turn or river - but only if he's the type to keep pushing with air.

check-raise the loose passive on the flop - they'll probably end up folding the turn but you can't get money out of someone who will only put it in when they have a big piece. you're right about folding when played back at.

as far as the tag, i think i'd take a flop check raise/fold to a 3-bet line. as to what to do after you checkraise the flop and then get raised when you bet the turn, i guess that'd be an easy fold.

my two cents - probably doesn't make sense, i just rolled out of bed

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
1) You in the BB vs an aggressive player at the CO.

You have 75s in the BB. CO raises, you decide to call. Flop T 7 3. You check, CO bets. In the past I've used the check-raise the flop strategy and then lead the turn. But I've been wondering whether against an opponent who will bet for you that you should take the check/call check/call then bet the river approach (aka Dope on a rope strategy?)

[/ QUOTE ]
Too often the villian will check behind on the turn. A flop c/r gets the most in without risking a free river card.

[ QUOTE ]
2) Same hand against a passive / calling station. CO raises. He probably has a premium hand like AK, AQ etc and I suspect he probably has missed the T 7 3 rainbow flop. Do I do the betting for my opponent now here? As he is passive should I be testing this opponent and betting the flop? He raises I'm pretty much done with the hand if I don't improve on the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]
Even passive players make continuation bets, but they are more likely than others to check after your flop call. Again, get the most in while ahead. As for folding the turn UI, its probably not bad against a passive opponent in general, but I think a lot of times you'll just get a call, fold, or call, call, fold line from a passive who has missed, where you could make more by c/r on the flop.

I'm much more inclined to c/c or just give up against opponents on the KT7 board than the T73 board.

[DMBFan23]

warning: "useless metagame stuff" coming - this means CO has to notice what you're doing.

I think you need to checkraise a lot of flops to make villain more honest in his stealing. if he sees you check call the flop and turn a lot, he's going to semibluff you and bet A high against you a lot, since he'll likely get a free showdown and he has little fear of a checkraise. In addition he'll get away easier when you do have the goods.

basically you need to put the fear of God in him so he is less inclined to dick around with you and play his hands more straight up, and that's gonna start with a lot of three betting preflop, a lot of checkraising on the flop, and a lot of getting to showdown. this is mixed in with a bunch of folding of course, we're not donating here. that way, when you don't have it, you can fold easier, cause you know he is less likely to be putting a move on you.

I think occasionally you can c-call and c-raise the turn, because there are hands where you want to peel one hoping for a freebie/cheap showdown, and he might want to know you have that move in your arsenal. but Nate once wrote that he doesn't think it's that useful a move, and it seems most ppl here like playing hands fast so maybe save that one for when you've been check folding the turn a lot. I used to try to use turn checkraises to set up free turn cards, but now I've been fastplaying my hands as a default and using a bad run of cards to set up the turn checkraise instead. seems to work better because when you are winning, our CR's whiff too much. but when you are getting pounded people just love to autobet and move you off and you get to drop the hammer. Then of course once they've seen me do that it's back to fastplaying for a while. but I digress.

[belloc]

[ QUOTE ]
...and that's gonna start with a lot of three betting preflop, a lot of checkraising on the flop, and a lot of getting to showdown. this is mixed in with a bunch of folding of course, we're not donating here.

[/ QUOTE ]

This last part can't be said enough. There's lots of talk about aggression and trickery and the metagame here (which is all good stuff), but it usually assumes the reader will be straightforward enough to be folding the blatant misses, which happen a lot.

Many many readers miss this caveat, and start threebetting every flop and checkraising every turn, then assume that pots belong to them because, dammit, they read 2+2 and they deserve the money. And then they wonder why their variance is so high and their winrate is suffering.