Learning No-Limit From Scratch ­- Delaying your Continuation Bet

I’d been playing $2-$5 no-limit hold’em for several hours at the Wynn. Myself and one other young-aggressive player were pretty much controlling the table. Both of us were continuously making preflop raises and continuation bets and taking down most to those pots as our opponents were playing a “fit or fold” strategy, one highly susceptible to aggression. When you’re faced with those strategy-type opponents, you should be able to effectively read their hands and win lots of pots via aggression.

Mr. Young-Aggressive opened the pot in the hijack for $20. Knowing he had a wide opening rage from that position, I three-bet him to $65 with A 10 in the cutoff. I thought I would get some folds and A-10 suited would play well with position against his three-bet calling range. The rest of the field folded, and he called. I had about $1,100 in front of me Mr. Young-Aggressive had me covered. The flop fell J 6 2, a very dry board that I totally whiffed. Mr. Young-Aggressive knuckled.

I knew Mr. Young-Aggressive fully expected me to bet. He was an aware opponent who read situations well, knew I’d been playing very aggressively, and I’d fired in every other similar situation. Plus, with a board this limited in draws and high cards, it wouldn’t hit Mr. Young-Aggressive’s three-bet calling range strongly. He knew I would know that, further indicating to him that I would bet.

Due to both of our late positions and the previously aggressive nature of our play, I perceived Mr. Young-Aggressive as reading me as making a light three-bet with a wide range. He’d been highly aggressive post-flop as well, check-raising continuation bets often, and I suspected he would check-raise me with both made hands and air. If he check-raised, I couldn’t call. I didn’t want to bet and get bluffed off the hand, or risk the loss of chips trying to outmuscle him by three-betting a check-raise. But if I checked, I would be giving him a free card and/or the opportunity to bet/bluff the turn and let him realize the equity of his folding range. I didn’t really like either of my options.

I needed a new plan! I thought about what Mr. Young-Aggressive would think should I check. Since he expected me to bet all my air, if I checked, I believed he would read me as slowplaying a big hand, likely either A-A or J-J. If he put me on a big hand, it would slow down his aggression, and it would reduce my likelihood of getting bluffed. I knuckled behind him and he seemed both surprised and contemplative. If he bet the turn, I would likely raise and if he checked to me, I intended to bet.

The turn came the 6, a good card, as it didn’t hit much of his range. He was unlikely to have a six or clubs. Once again, he checked to me, and I bet $55, a smallish bet in a $135 pot by comparison to previous wagers I had made. I wanted to appear like I was looking for value. He pondered for quite a while and mucked.

It’s not the world’s most interesting poker story filled with big bets, huge hands, and wild bluffs, but most poker hands aren’t. But how you do in your customary hands will figure into your overall win rate much more than the occasional highly fascinating ones. Many players incorrectly focus too much on their big pots and ignore the continuous equity won or lost in the small- and medium-sized pots. The equity gained in those pots can add up significantly over time and needs to be a basis of major emphasis in your strategy.

The hand speaks to getting inside your opponents’ heads, thinking about their thought processes, and adjusting your play lines to exploit their thoughts. Once yours and your opponents’ games rise above basic strategies, this is the largest part of the strategic game. Relating to how your opponents think, what drives their actions, how that affects their decisions, and what strategic line you can take to exploit their thinking is where much of the value comes from.

All this takes effort. By observing plays your opponents make and analyzing how they reach their decisions, you can learn how they think. When similar situations occur, you should have a good line on their thinking. Even when dissimilar situations occur, you can read their base thoughts into the current situation.

Keeping your mind on the game, following the action, thinking about your opponents’ thought processes that they used to make their decisions, and observing how events have emotionally affected them all improve your decisions much more advantageous.

When you and your opponents are beyond the basics, it’s a game of people. Get to know them, how they think and react. Think about strategic lines you can take to exploit that knowledge.

And if you do it effectively, you’ll crush them at the tables. ♠

Roy Cooke played poker professionally for 16 years prior to becoming a successful Las Vegas Real Estate Broker/Salesman. Should you wish any information about Real Estate matters-including purchase, sale or mortgage his office number is 702-376-1515 or Roy’s e-mail is [email protected]. His website is www.RoyCooke.com. Roy’s blogs and poker tips are at www.RoyCookePokerlv.com. You can also find him on Facebook or Twitter @RealRoyCooke