Posts Tagged ‘folding’

Teamwork Cheating

Hi,

Just recently, I played in a $50 NL tournament held at my friend’s house by which second placer would win back his buy-in and first would take the rest. The tournament was actually composed of 8 players, 4 I personally knew before. I’m not boasting here or what but I believe I was the best player back then but was just eliminated first when my pocket Kings ran into Aces preflop. At some point, game was down to 3 players, a friend and two others I don’t know personally. Much later, it was already a heads up play. One of the two had approximately a 2:1 chip lead. The said guy had not spoken any word since the game started but suddenly exclaimed he wanted to split the pot. I then thought there was something unusual, I suspected for a teamwork cheating. Others also suspected for the same thing. After a while, one of the two suddenly said that he doesn’t like to play heads up and it was his right then to split the pot. He then told the third player that he would be getting his money back.

To me, it really appeared as a teamwork cheating. In fact, they don’t even bet into one another. Well, an argument appeared but not a hostile one.

Any thoughts? What would you consider a teamwork cheating?

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Johnny Bekham
Johnny,

This was not cheating. When players get down to two or three players in tournaments, it is not uncommon for a deal to be struck to split the pot. Heads-up poker a lot of times can be more luck than skill, especially with high blinds and cutting a deal helps to offset some of that luck.

I would consider two players colluding if the were sitting there and clearly slow playing each other. Such as someone making a large raise and then folding to a small bet from the other player. Another example would be someone making a big raise, someone going all in for a little more, and the other person folding. Things that look really out of place are usually signs of cheating.

How Important Are Pot Odds?

Yesterday I was in a friendly tourney. Something came up. Right after I mucked my straight flush draw on the river based on pot odds and saw the card I needed, I started to think if pots odds are really that important in a tourney ever since. Your thoughts on this?

In ring games I know pot odds are significant in case you want to play with probabilities and make them play in your advantage.

By the way, if I may just share this, I lost AAA once to a guy who called my all-in with lesser chips and with a straight draw on the river. He needed a 9 and then that was it, he got A 9 on the river. Was he just lucky then?

Thank you very much!

Regards,
Turner
Turner,

Pot odds are very important in tournaments. A lot of times it makes the difference in calling an all-in for your tournament life and folding.

In regards to the A-9 hand, he was just lucky. On the flop, he had 16% to win and on the turn he only had 8% to win.

Right Time to Call

Hi there!

I don’t know when is the right time to call. I believe you have an idea on this. Well, for me it appears that only 3 buttons on my computer work, raise, bet and fold. Most of the time, I raise
as I trust my bluff and semi-bluff potential, I bet to test out the water and then raise to obtain useful information or give my opponent a tough time.

As of now, I’m into trouble when I can’t hit the flop. Usually, I end up folding a lot and it seems to me that the only way out is to call more.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Cezar
Cezar,

This depends on your read of the opponent and the texture of the flop. You should be leading out more on the flop when you raise preflop. When you don’t you are telegraphing that you missed the flop and players can take advantage.

On Various Stack Sizes

Hello,

I have some questions to ask. They are actually related to some stuff I’ve come to discover without any intentions.

In some discussion sections, I’ve come to hear about No Limit Texas Holdem being something related to Deep Stack No Limit or extreme short stack No Limit. In the first one, you can actually play a wide variety of starting hands as the implied odds are excellent. The post flop play is also much complex as bluffing is much more helpful and useful. In the second one, position is very vital as a hand like ATo may be an allin hand right after several limpers in the event you are on the button, however in the event you are under the gun, an easy fold. In connection with this, say in a game, suited connectors seem like of no worth as you will never hit your hand enough while pocket pairs are valuable due to their value. Post flop play on the other hand is more on all-ins and folding.

Now, what hands become more or less playable in no limit games with medium stack? Say in a 1/2 game with effective stacks of $100, I’ll call $10 raises heads up with medium and low pocket pairs to try have a set. In case there no callers would appear, I might call a not so high raise but if in case I’m up against a good player I might fold a PP to a raise to avoid a beat. Then say suited connectors’ value is seriously dependent on the aggressiveness of the game and your position as well, earlier, you will most likely fold but later I’ll limp in when there’s a cheap multi-way flop.

On the other hand, high card hands like AK are where my stress level goes up. More or less in deep stack events on a K98 flop, I’ll fold my AK when things get worst. However in short stack events, it would be a different story. In medium stack events, I’ll be right on the fence.

Oftentimes, when I raise $10 preflop, I’ll get one caller and then flop would appear K98. I’ll then bet about $20 and they’ll push their 90$ stack in. In the end, I’ll get irritated. At times, I’ll be tempted to lay down all as I seem to fold more pretty good hands compared to my opponents at the table.

Now, here are my questions:

1. Is there anything I need to adjust when it comes to my pre-flop raising, limping and raise-calling requirements? And because such games tend to be aggressive post flop particularly online, do you think hands as suited connectors go down in terms of value due to lack of odds to draw? Do I need to call generously in late position or else it should be a no-set-no-bet level of tightness? What do you think?

2. In such games, how should I play marginal hands? I believe in deep stack no limit you don’t want to bet your stack but in short stack you will do everything to have your chips in the middle. How about in medium stack?

3. Say somebody is putting pressure on your head as he has something that could beat you or else just know you are playing tight, how would you play? What will be your defense?

4. When you are in position, what are the moves you should use?

   
   

5. Do you think there is a reason for you to semi-bluff with your primary draw in games where everyone overvalues their hands? Or else just stick to calling in the event you have implied odds or the like?

Thanks for your time.

Regards,
Nickerson
Nickerson,

1. As far as your preflop play, I would stick with trying to see flops cheap with a wide array of reasonable hands. Obviously you want to raise with strong hands, but otherwise, try to see a cheap flop and hope to hit it hard. As far as calling a raise, I would tend to stick with stronger hands to call raises, unless there is a lot of action. Then you can widen the range some, but not get too crazy.

   Hands such as suited connectors do go down in value when the betting is very aggressive post flop. If you play suited connectors, make sure that they are on the higher side to give you better odds of hitting top pair or two pair. In late position after the flop, what you call depends on what you are holding and the number of players and the opponent you are playing. Sometimes playing super tight is right. Sometimes it’s right to call. Poker is situational. It depends on what is going on at the time.

2. With marginal hands, I would try and see cheap flops for the ones that I do play. This is a form of small ball poker. Get in cheap and then punish your opponents when you do hit well.

3. One of two things can be done here. Switch to playing small ball and punish him when your hands hit the flop well or play tight and punish him when your big hands hit. Don’t go crazy and randomly raise or play hands that have no value. This will just bleed your stack.

4. In position, I would bet out on the flop when checked to me a little more often. Semi-bluffing is obviously one tool you should use as well. Raising when you have no hand is something I would reserve for players that I deem that are just trying to steal the pot.

5. When players overvalue their hands, I would stick with calling in the event you miss your draw. When you semi-bluff, you still must hit in order to win. If players overvalue their hands, a bluff will not force them off their hands.