This is the second column in my series on cash-game strategy, covering all of the topics I believe are important while playing medium-stakes cash games. While concentrating mainly on sixhanded games, most of the content will be applicable to any game of no-limit hold'em. In the first column, I covered preflop play, and the best strategy for that street. In this column, I will go further into some of the important concepts already discussed and will look at their implications on the flop, turn, and river in regard to basic strategy.
Six-Max Basic Strategy (Efficient Play)
As discussed in last month's column, the key to successful sixhanded cash-game play (when played with 100 big blinds) is to always play in as profitable and efficient a manner as possible. The aim is to play in a way that enables you to pick up as many small and medium-sized pots as possible, always giving yourself the best chance to win a pot. What that means in practice is that you should usually be the one doing the betting and raising rather than the calling.
A big mistake that many players make is concentrating too much on big pots when evaluating their play. To a certain extent, big hands often play themselves (especially when players have reached a certain level of basic competence), which means that in the long term, no one makes a profit from them. For example, it's folded to you in the small blind and you have kings. If the big blind has queens, you probably are going to double up. If he has aces, you can say goodbye to your stack! However, very few players take the time to play small pots well, as mentally they don't care about them very much, and over even the course of a single session, aggressive play in small pots can provide a large yield.
There are too many profitable situations in small or medium pots to cover here, but I'll list some examples and they should lead you to thinking about these situations in the right way.
In small (two to four players) limped pots, get in the habit of thinking what ranges your opponents are limping in with and seeing if you can win it with a single bet. Ace- or king-high flops against one or two limpers are good pots to attempt to steal. If they don't have the ace or king, they usually will just fold. If you bet two-thirds of the pot and win the hand 50 percent of the time, you will make a healthy profit. If you're called, you usually should give up, barring a specific read. A bluff is always better if you have some piece of the flop that can improve, so if you hit bottom or middle pair, you should be even more likely to bet at these flops, because even if you are called, you will sometimes improve and win a medium-sized pot from someone with top pair.
That leads me to the second example. There will be many times that you have a piece of the flop, but aren't sure if you have the best hand or not. In fact, if it's bottom pair, you can be fairly sure that you don't. Despite this, it is often better to bet and try to take the pot down there. So, let's say that you limped in from the button with 6-5 suited and the flop is A-K-6. If it's checked to you, you should bet. This bet serves four main functions. Firstly, as a bluff, you are hoping that many better hands will fold. A normal player with K-Q or 8-8 will fold here, fearing that you have an ace. Secondly, it's a bet to protect your very vulnerable hand. Almost any holdings that your opponents can have will have plenty of outs against your weak pair, so there isn't any sense in giving them a free card. Thirdly, even when called, because you will almost always have some equity in the pot against anything less than a set, you can improve and win a big pot with a very disguised holding. Lastly, it makes you much less likely to be bluffed. If you bet here, it stops someone else from firing a bet that is not callable on the turn. What these functions all have in common is that they make it much more likely for you to win the hand.
Next, let's take look at drawing hands. Whenever it's checked to you and you have any sort of draw, from a gutshot to a flush draw, you should ask yourself this: Is a bet likely to win this pot now? Even if you guess that the chance is 50 percent, you should still bet the hand. The small amount of equity you give up on that street is recovered on subsequent streets by the times you make your hand. If you have a good draw and intend to call a bet, you should in fact always bet, unless you are quite sure that your opponent has a good hand and is certain to call or raise. Here's an example hand, highlighting why this is so important:
Let's say three players limp and you limp with 9-8 suited. The button limps behind you. The flop comes K-7-6 rainbow and it's checked to you. This is a perfect spot to bet, because you have a good disguised draw, and a simple hand that you can represent (the king). However, you check. Now, the button bets half the pot. The other players fold and it's back to you. Folding isn't really an option here, with big stacks and your open-ender. You could raise, but that would put you out of position with an inflated pot, no hand, and a weird line that looks like a bluff. In some cases against some opponents, it would be the right play, but usually calling would be better. So, you call. The turn is a queen and you both check. The river is an ace and you bet. The button quickly calls and wins with A-2.
Here, you have committed a cardinal sin. If you had bet the flop, you would have taken down the hand, netting you whatever was in the pot. (The player with A-2 has no business being in the pot, with no pair and no draw.) Instead, you took a passive line at the wrong time that not only cost you the pot, but cost you your called bet and your bluff. Obviously, the bluff isn't mandatory, or could work, but the point is, by checking, you are making it possible that you will end up calling a bet from a hand that you know is better than yours (you have 9 high at the moment), but may be a hand that could never call a bet.
If you bet the hand yourself, it also conceals your holding to a certain extent, making it more likely that you will get paid off, and giving you control of the betting, which has several advantages.
In all of the cases I have mentioned, be very careful that your bet size doesn't indicate your hand strength. Never minimum-bet with a draw; bet it the same way as if you had top pair. (This should be between half and four-fifths of the pot). If you bet differently with draws and weak hands than your good hands, you give up most of the advantages of betting, and also make it easier for your opponents to play their hands against you.
Here's a final note of warning: All of these plays are profitable if you are prepared to give up pots if you encounter a lot of resistance. They work so well because players ignore small pots and fold their hands too easily. Once you are called once, you have an opponent who is thinking about the hand. Of course, if the situation warrants it, you can continue your bluff or semibluff from time to time, but be careful that you don't become too aggressive and become a player people look to induce bluffs from. Overaggression is almost as bad as underaggression. Patience and timing are the secrets.
Key points:
1. Both preflop and post-flop, you always want to be the one betting and raising, not calling.
2. Almost never check a drawing hand with which you intend to call a bet.
3. Consider betting at small pots with any piece of the flop, and in some cases, with nothing.
4. Don't become overaggressivee. Give up often when you encounter heavy resistance.
