Some Unorthodox Plays

There are a few situations in hold'em where a highly unusual and perhaps unnatural play is required to get optimum results. Although these situations do not come up very often, it is worth discussing some of them. Many of them are driven by a specific type of opponent you are facing, usually a very aggressive one. Others are driven by a unique set of circumstances, such as posting a late-position blind with everyone folding to you. Still others occur because of the type of game you are playing in. Since these hands were taken from live games, all of the plays leading up to the problem in question are not necessarily correct.

Hand No. 1 ($40-$80 game): You are in the big blind with the A K. A new player enters the game and posts a blind from middle position. An established player returns to the game and makes up both blinds from the cutoff seat. A solid player, who plays very aggressively post-flop, especially in heads-up situations, opens with a raise under the gun. Everyone folds to you. You just call, since you are out of position and there are no other players to eliminate. There is $280 in the pot and two players. The flop is 8 6 4, leaving you with overcards. Since betting will not win the pot outright for you, especially against this player, you check. Your opponent bets, as expected. There is now $320 in the pot and it costs you $40 to play six outs to top pair, top kicker. Your pot odds are 8-to-1 and your six-outer is a 7-to-1 shot. You call. There is $360 in the pot. The turn is the 5, no help. What should you do?

Answer: Check with the intention of check-raising. Your aggressive opponent is almost certain to follow up his flop bet with a bet on the turn in this heads-up situation with almost five big bets in the pot. This type of flop does not rate to have helped an under-the-gun preflop raiser, but could easily have helped a big blind. Betting out is an inferior play, because it does not show as much strength and is much more likely to get called, simply out of suspicion if for no other reason. With an opponent who is less aggressive and frequently dogs it on the turn unless he has something, leading out would have merit. But against an aggressive opponent, a check-raise is far more effective in getting him off his hand, especially if he has just overcards. The confrontation of A-K vs. A-K is common in hold'em, and some of these confrontations are not split pots. If he decides to call despite the scary board, you still have your overcard outs to fall back on if he has an overpair no higher than queens.

Hand No. 2 ($30-$60 game): You are in the big blind with the J 8. A new player, who is a very garrulous and flamboyant character, is sitting in the small blind. When he first sat down, he announced to the table that he never chops. It is folded around to this player in the small blind. He flagrantly tosses four $10 chips into the pot, where they proceed to roll all over the table, and says, "Raise." You call. The flop arrives with the Q 9 6, giving you a gutshot with some backdoor possibilities. Your opponent bets. You know he would bet regardless. You decide to call and await developments. The turn is the 2. Your opponent bets. What should you do?

Answer: Raise. This guy is pure puffery and will frequently fold when raised on the expensive street unless he has top pair or a legitimate draw (like 8-7, in this case). A raise now is much more effective in getting him out than it would have been on the cheap street. I have discovered that in these situations, I can win virtually every time by simply popping him on fourth street. In the remote case where he happens to call, you do have a small number of outs to fall back on. But, you are really playing your opponent, not your cards. This ploy is something you plan on using before the hand even starts when you identify this type of opponent and this specific situation.

Hand No. 3 ($30-$60 game): You are in the cutoff seat with the 8 8. An early-position player limps in, and he is a stranger. It is folded to you. What should you do?

Answer: Raise. For many players this is routine, especially in bigger, more aggressive games. But I have found that in a typical middle-limit game, most players unthinkingly limp along. They figure that their medium pocket pair is not good enough to raise with, given that another player has entered the pot, especially from early position. They know that raising will not win the pot outright, given that a player is already committed, so their plan is to simply take a flop cheaply and see what happens. But in the absence of a preflop raise, the early limper probably does not have a higher pocket pair, so your hand figures to be the best. However, you are very vulnerable to overcards, and should want to eliminate the remaining players and at least keep the blinds from getting a free flop. Raising will frequently do this. It allows you to isolate the limper. This may result in your betting him out of the hand on some later round, whether or not you improve. Keep in mind that if the limper has just two big cards, he is a 2-to-1 dog to catch a flop he likes.

Hand No. 4 ($20-$40 game): You are a new player to the game and post a $20 blind just behind the button. You have the 5 4. It is folded to you. What should you do?

Answer: Raise. There is $50 in the pot and it costs you only another $20 to raise. You may win the pot outright. If not, you may force the button out and get position over the blinds if they choose to play. These three factors alone make raising the right play. In this case, you have some semblance of a hand with your small suited connector. There are many drawing flops you can catch that will allow you to play the hand aggressively post-flop. This can result in betting your opponent(s) out of the hand without ever having to make anything. Finally, there is always an outside chance that you may actually make something and end up with the best hand anyway.

Hand No. 5 ($30-$60 game): You are in middle position with the A 10 and open with a raise. You get called by the cutoff and the big blind. There is $200 in the pot and three players. The flop comes 9 8 4, leaving you with overcards and a backdoor nut-flush draw. The big blind checks. You bet, the cutoff raises, and the big blind cold-calls. There is $350 in the pot and it costs you another $30 with no possibility of any further raising on this betting round. You are getting almost 12-to-1 pot odds and your six-outer is a 7-to-1 shot. Even discounting the A and the 10 as clean outs because of the two-flush means that you have four clean outs, which is an 11-to-1 shot. You call. The turn is the 2 and everyone checks. The river is the K. The big blind checks. What should you do?

Answer: Bet. The "natural thing" is to simply check and hope to get a cheap showdown with your decent ace. It appears that the cutoff was raising on some kind of come hand, like a flush draw, a straight draw, or a pair with a draw, and took a free card on the turn when a blank arrived. The nonspade king is a good scare card for you since it allows you to represent A-K. A-K is a common preflop raising hand. In fact, it is the hand that most opponents routinely put a preflop raiser on. Your play up to his point is very consistent with someone who has A-K. If you check and the cutoff bets, you will most likely call anyway if the big blind folds. By betting, you give yourself a chance to get someone with a pair to fold. With almost $400 in the pot, a $60 bet has to fold a pair only a small percentage of the time to show a profit overall.

Hand No. 6 ($40-$80 game): This is an aggressive $40-$80 game at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. You are on the button with the 10 9 and open with a steal-raise. Both blinds call. There is $240 in the pot and three players. The flop is K 9 8, giving you middle pair, weak kicker. It is checked to you. You bet, having caught a piece of the board and hoping your two opponents will fold. The small blind calls, and the big blind raises. What should you do?

Answer: Reraise. It may seem to you that you are overplaying your hand quite a bit by three-betting with just middle pair and a weak kicker. But this is a shorthanded, steal-type situation, and you must play aggressively. This is a great drawing flop with both a two-flush and two connecting cards. Your opponents will frequently bet and raise on the cheap street with worse hands than yours. Reraising is right for the following reasons: (1) You may get the small blind to fold, making it easier for you to end up with the winning hand; (2) You may cause a better hand to fold if the big blind is holding something like middle pair with a better kicker than yours, and if not on this round, on the next; (3) You have some backdoor possibilities in addition to your five-outer when you are chasing; (4) You may get free cards to the river if both opponents stay with you; and (5) You may actually have the best hand.

Editor's note: Jim Brier has co-authored a new book with Bob Ciaffone entitled Middle Limit Holdem Poker. It is available through Card Player.