Fancy Plays

Fancy Play Syndrome. That’s what Mike Caro calls it. To Mike, FPS is a psychological disorder that afflicts otherwise good players, turns them into wild wagering, unthinking monsters full of narcissism. They try to get “too clever by half,” often making non-standard plays when the conventional move is the right one.

I’ve sorta got a slice of that disease. I love making fancy plays, but only when they add to my edge, which some non-standard plays do. But in order to be able to make fancy plays successfully, you need the capacity to conclude when the play has an edge and when it doesn’t. That involves being a good reader of your opponents and understanding poker conceptually.

A highly aggressive player raised an upfront limper from middle position in a $40-$80 limit hold’em game at Bellagio. I was directly behind him holding the K J and flat called. The game texture was such that if I called I would likely pick up calls behind me. And since I was holding a volume hand, one which could make either a straight or a flush, I wanted those callers to give me action if I made a big mitt. The button and both blinds called behind me, and we took the flop 6-handed for $80 each.

The flop came down the Q 8 4 giving me the second nut-flush draw and a backdoor-straight draw. The field checked to Mr. Aggressive-Pre-Flop Raiser who fired. I thought about my best play. I often raise in this spot and bet it all the way, forcing the bettor to either hold a hand strong enough to pay me off when I hit or fold some of the times I miss. Of course, for that play to work, I have to fold all the additional players too. In this hand, I had four players to act behind me, a lot of opponents who might have hands strong enough to call my raise, thereby reducing my chances of getting away with a bluff. Additionally, I didn’t want to inhibit them from adding to my price to draw. I called, looking to see what transpired behind me and looking to improve the price the pot was laying me to hit my flush.

To my amazement, only one player called behind me. That changed the dynamics of the pot and made it much more bluffable. Since the player behind me flat called, he was unlikely to have a made hand strong enough to have called a raise. If he had a draw, it was probably a flush draw that he would fold the river if he missed.

The turn came the 6, the overcaller checked and Mr. Aggressive-Pre-Flop Raiser fired again. Thinking there were hands in his range he would fold to a raise, I popped it, hoping to win right there. This pot had a lot of money in it, and I thought the risk of losing extra bets when I hit was more than made up for by the chance to win immediately without the best hand.

The flop caller folded, but disappointingly, Mr. Aggressive-Pre-Flop Raiser called. The river came the K, giving me top pair. Mr. Aggressive-Pre-Flop Raiser checked and I bet my hand. He called, saw my winner, and tossed the A Q faceup while giving me a disgusted, not too friendly look.

When raise-bluffing with a draw you can gain value in a variety of ways. If the bluff works, you win the pot. When you make your hand, at times you make more. Often the best value is how it affects your opponents. The hand affected Mr. Aggressive-Pre-Flop Raiser emotionally. He paid off much weaker for the rest of the session and played more hands than he would have otherwise. Utilizing mathematically correct plays to add deception to your game and emotionally affect your opponents creates additional value to the play beyond its immediate expected value. And that additional value should be quantified into your play value analysis.

Mike’s right that many players try to be too clever and overuse creative plays to the point of detriment. I’ve found myself guilty of that a time or two. But analyzing your opponents’ tendencies, then designing and creating positive expectation plays based on that analysis should have a place in your game. Keeping it simple in today’s tougher games can only take you so far. Observant good players will accurately read you, reducing any edge you may have.

Additionally, the ability to read and outplay your opponent(s) should be a large factor when deciding if you should play a marginal hand. The ability to make plays that win either extra bets or, more importantly, the whole pot, can dramatically increase your expectation. As a general rule, the greater your ability to read and outplay your opponents the looser you should play. The greater the ability of your opponents to outplay you, the tighter you should play.

So yeah Mike, I’ve got the disease, but I have it under control. At least I think I do! ♠

Roy Cooke played poker professionally for 16 years prior to becoming a successful Las Vegas Real Estate Broker/Salesman in 1989. Should you wish to any information about real estate matters, including purchase, sale or mortgage, his office number is 702-396-6575. Roy’s e-mail is [email protected]. His website is www.roycooke.com. You can also find him on Facebook!