Poker Strategy for the Rest of Us: Brian Hastings

In an effort to provide valuable tools and tips that are relevant to even the smallest games, Card Player is pleased to present Poker Strategy For The Rest Of Us, which will focus on everyday situations that occur against the poker world’s most casual players.

Pro – Brian Hastings

Concept – Playing Against Regulars

At the young age of 24, there isn’t much that Brian Hastings hasn’t done in the poker world. He has won millions playing high-stakes cash games online, famously winning several millions in just one session against Viktor Blom on Full Tilt Poker. He also has a bracelet after winning the $10,000 heads-up event at the 2012 World Series of Poker and his lifetime career tournament earnings are just shy of $1 million.

Hastings was a graduate of Cornell University, where he honed his poker skills by putting in lots of hands online. He’s also been one of the main instructors at CardRunners since its inception several years ago where he made no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha videos while blogging about his experiences.

Card Player caught up with Hastings to discuss a hand played by one of our readers.

The Hand

Our Hero ($1,375) is in a $2-$5 no-limit hold’em cash game and is on the button with K J when a drunk, active player ($750) min-raises to $10 from the hijack after a couple limpers. The player in the cutoff calls, our hero calls on the button, the small blind ($2,250) and both limpers call.

The flop comes J 7 4 and the small blind, who is a solid regular who plays $5-$10 no limit as well, leads for $50. It folds around to our hero on the button who decides to make the call. The turn is the K and the small blind leads again for $105. Our hero makes the call and sees the 4 fall on the river. The small blind bets $185 and our hero calls. The small blind shows 7 4 and scoops the pot.

The Interview

Steve Schult: When the maniac opens for a min-raise and we are on the button, are you three-betting to isolate or are you fearful of the maniac four-betting light?

Brian Hastings: I would tend to think that his range for min-raising from late position is just really weak. I would be pretty happy just three-betting and trying to get the pot heads-up or three-ways. I’d also like to get more money in the pot because we are ahead of his range, in position, and are presumably playing better. Everything just looks like a three-bet to me.

SS: Our hero just flats and now on the flop, when the small blind leads out for $50, given the reads, what kind of a range do you put him on?

BH: I would tend to just think that people tend to have something good here. I think sets are still in play and rather likely. There are a few top pair hands that he might lead that we beat, but I would be really surprised if there was a solid regular who was betting into five other people with like 5-6 or 9-10 or something.

SS: So when it folds around to us on the button, what’s our play here?

BH: I would tend to just give him credit and fold here. I think he’s just betting a really strong range and unless we have some reason to believe that he is getting out of line, I think we are just going to be getting ourselves into trouble by continuing.

SS: Our hero decides to call and he makes top two pair on the turn. With sets being such a big part of our villain’s range, does this card really change anything? What’s our play when we face the turn bet?

BH: I definitely wouldn’t raise. I think sets are too big a part of his range and if he does happen to have some sort of a bluff, he is just going to fold and we are going to be losing value from that too. So I think a raise is really over representing our hand in this spot. There is some chance that he has a worse two pair since it was only a min-raise and he flatted from the blinds. So he could have been playing some jack-four suited or some seven-four suited hand and what not, but I think raising is too loose and I would just call there in position.

SS: On the river, when the bottom card pairs, is that a bad card for us? What’s going through your head when you are facing a third barrel?

BH: I think it’s just an easy call at this point. There is some chance he’s barreling a missed draw and our hand is relatively face-up at this point as just a jack, so I think we are ahead of what the villain thinks we have. I don’t love the spot, but I think we are getting too good of a price to fold after we’ve put all this money in the pot. We are getting like 3-to-1 to call and I think it’s just a call. If we were going to fold, we should just fold the flop. I think after this board run out, I don’t think we can fold to this bet sizing. If he like over-jammed the river or something, then we can make a better read and think about that. But I think that sometimes he’s value-betting ace-jack even and I don’t think I could find a fold.