Poker Strategy For The Rest Of Us: Aaron SteurySteury Gives Some Insight Into Blind vs. Blind Strategy |
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In an effort to provide valuable tools and tips that are relevant to even the smallest games, Card Player is pleased to bring you Poker Strategy For The Rest Of Us, which will focus on everyday situations that occur against the poker world’s most casual players.
Pro – Aaron Steury
Concept – Blind vs Blind Play
Aaron Steury is a tournament professional who made a name for himself on the live tournament scene by taking down a bracelet in at the 2011 World Series of Poker in a $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event for $289,283. Along with two other cashes that summer, Steury followed that up with a second-place finish at the WSOP Circuit main event at the Horseshoe Hammond for $243,818.
His career tournament earnings are more than $750,000 and before Black Friday, he had amassed several hundred thousand in earnings playing online tournaments. He can be found on twitter at @NDGrinder.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana native sat down with Card Player to break down a hand played by one of our readers.
The Hand
Our hero is playing a small-stakes multi-table tournament on Bovada. He is in the small blind with 4,630 in chips and is dealt K
10
. With the blinds at 50-100, action folds to him in the small blind and he raises to 333. The big blind has him covered with 5,670 and calls.
The flop is 5 3
3
and both players check. The turn is the 6 and our hero checks again. Our hero checks and the big blind bets 400. Our hero check-calls and the river is the Q. Our hero leads out for 666 and the big blind folds. Our hero scoops the pot.
The Interview
Steve Schult: This seems like a standard preflop open with K-10. What would be your range here to open blind vs. blind at this stage of the tournament?
Aaron Steury: The open with K-10 is standard although I think the opening size is a little bit. I’d open to 275-300, which is more than standard 2.25-2.5 times the blind because you’re out of position and its obviously not fun to play pots out of position.
My opening range would depend on my evaluation of the big blind’s skill. I’d be opening wider against a lesser skilled player and tighter against a more skilled player.
SS: So if you were in the small blind against a real solid regular, would you be limping more or just giving him walks?
AS: With K-10 specifically, I’d be opening probably 95 percent of the time and maybe limping 5 percent of the time just out of sheer randomness and to balance my limping range.
SS: What would you be doing with the rest of your range? Would there be more hands that you would limp or would you be apt to just forfeit the small blind and move on to the next hand?
AS: Early on in a tournament against a solid regular out of position, I generally play pretty straight forward – walking him with all my bad hands and opening all my pocket pairs, broadway hands, king-x suited hands, ace-x suited hands, while mixing in a few limps. With hands like suited connectors, I’d mix in opens and limps.
SS: Moving to the flop, it’s pretty dry. Is this a board you would continuation bet or do you like our hero’s check?
AS: Against all opponents, I’m continuation betting this flop. Like you said, it’s extremely dry and you’re going to get a fold so often it just doesn’t make sense to check. I’m betting 40-50 percent of the pot every time given the board texture.
SS: What kind of board textures would you not be betting?
AS: Heads-up, I’m probably betting most board textures. A flop like A-Q-10 I might elect to go into check-call and evaluate mode though. Or some random 2-3-4 flops I might elect to check-fold because I have very little equity.
SS: So most of the board you would check would be where you have some showdown value?
AS: Yeah, not always though. It depends a lot on your reads on the villain. But checking the 3-3-5 rainbow flop is inconceivable to me whether you have a plan or not.
SS: The big blind checks back and the turn is the 6. We’ve established that betting the flop is ideal, but what sort of plan do you have now?
AS: After checking back that flop and with that turn card, I don’t see a delayed continuation bet getting much credit because that card is somewhat coordinated with that flop.
I’d think you’d be betting all gutshot and open-ended straight draws on the flop, so by betting this card, you’re representing a pretty small range – basically a slowplayed hand or a random 6. The big blind with any skill could make your life hell out of position when you’re not representing much of a range.
SS: So do you like our hero’s check-call on the turn?
AS: No. As played, I’m just folding the turn. There is no reason to compound a mistake. The flop should have been bet and once you didn’t do that I’m just done with the hand unless I improve. You could try a delayed c-bet if the turn was like an ace, queen, or a jack, but the six I’m just check-folding.
SS: Can you comment a little on his river play? Do you like turning his hand into a bluff here? Or should he just try and pick off the few hands he has beat?
AS: I don’t really like his river play at all. I stated above that once you don’t c-bet the flop there is no reason to compound the mistake. I’m just done with the hand.
As played I still don’t like it. With a complete rainbow board, you’re representing exactly A-Q I think. Maybe K-Q or a slow-played hand, but the slow-playing line doesn’t make any sense.
So if the big blind has any skill, I think you can narrow your opponent’s range down to exactly A-Q, maybe K-Q, random slow-plays, or a bluff. So if the villain has a hand with showdown value, he can just snap-call and if he has a bluff himself, he has to decide whether to win the pot by raising.
So basically if I’m the big blind, he’s getting snapped off by all hands that beat him and I’m folding all the hands he already beats and he loses value where he could just check-call and potentially win more chips from those hands. I’m not a huge fan of hero-calling early in tournaments though. There are plenty of better spots to pick up chips.
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