Card Player Pro

Game $2-$4 no-limit hold’em
Opponent An unknown regular
Stacks His: $463.50; Mine: $430
My Cards 8 8
My Position Button

This hand was from a $2-$4, five-handed cash game online. My opponent had $463.50 and covered my $430 stack. I raised from the button to $10 with the 8 8, and my opponent reraised to $32 from the small blind. I called, and we took a flop.

Calling preflop is debatable against some players with a medium pair like eights, but against an aggressive opponent, it’s going to be profitable. With weaker pairs than eights, you’re often better off four-betting preflop or folding, but eights are strong enough to play post-flop with position against a player who is reraising with a wide range out of the blinds.

The flop came 6 4 4.

Pocket eights are generally going to be good on this flop, but we need more information before continuing.

My opponent checked, and I bet $32 into a pot of $68.

When my opponent checks, I need to put him on a range to determine the best course of action. Some players three-bet preflop with small pocket pairs, and then will often check-call on this flop. He also may check a hand like A-K or A-Q, looking to either check-call or check-raise. Sometimes he’ll even check a big pocket pair, and likely follow up with a check-raise. Given this range, I bet for value. I can extract value from worse pairs in his range, I can protect my hand against overcards, and if I get raised, I can re-evaluate the action.

My opponent check-raised to $80. I called.

I expect my opponent’s check-raising range to be largely comprised of big pairs (Q-Q+) and unpaired Broadway hands (A-J to A-K). With that range in mind, I’m going to call, and look to gain more information about his range on the turn.

The turn brought the 3, and my opponent checked.

My opponent’s check is revealing about the strength of his hand. Had he check-raised with a big pair, he’d almost certainly continue betting on the turn. Rarely do players go for a double check-raise (check-raising both the flop and turn), so I presume to have the best hand when he checks. I now have the option of betting or checking.

I decided to bet $54 into a pot of $228.

I bet one-fourth of the pot. In many ways, this is an inducement bet. By offering my opponent good pot odds, I expect him to call with many ace-high hands. Most players can’t resist calling for “pot odds,” even if a call is going to be incorrect. Betting so small also has the added benefit of discouraging him from making a check-raise bluff. If I were to bet $125, he might decide the pot is big enough that he’s going to shove with A-K or A-Q. However, when facing a bet of just $54, he’s likely to just call with those hands and see if he can spike top pair. This bet enables me to gain information about his hand: If he check-raises, I’m probably beat, but if he just calls, I’m likely ahead.

My opponent called the $54, and we saw the river — the 7.

My opponent checked, and I checked behind. I figure to have the best hand here a high percentage of the time, but eights are not strong enough to bet.

My opponent turned over the A Q for ace high, and I took down the pot.

Instead of rushing to jam my stack in on the flop, or making a pot-committing bet on the turn, I defined his hand on the flop and turn, and maximized value against a second-best hand.