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Minimum Effective Dose

Poker and the Minimum Effective Dose | Podcast #87

By Sky Matsuhashi on September 27, 2019

The minimum effective dose is the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome.  In this podcast series, I’m giving you the minimum effective dose strategies among 10 different themes you MUST learn to turn yourself into the profitable poker player you want to be.

Updated! Originally posted August 16, 2016.

The 10 MED’s of Poker 

1. Pre-flop Ranges

Utilizing ranges will set yourself up for poker success by choosing better starting poker hands for every situation.  I’ll give you the ranges and sizings I use preflop.  I’ll also discuss all the necessary concepts to help you make great open-raising, isolation raising, 2bet calling and 3betting decisions.  I will show you through additional companion videos how to use Flopzilla to help you work with ranges and learn the equities of hand vs hand, hand vs range and range vs range.

The Best Texas Holdem Starting Poker Hands and Ranges

2. Stealing Blinds

Stealing is a valuable play in all forms of poker.  I’ll teach you the math behind steal bets.  Mostly it’s break-even math, like my 4bb bluff bet has to work X% of the time.  And I’ll show you why it’s important to be stealing quite often in all forms of poker.

Blind Stealing Episode #96

Steal Popup #97

Steal Positional Analysis, Ranges and Bet Sizing #99

Blind Stealing Consequences and Switching Tables #102

3. 3bets

3betting is an important skill that we need to understand in today’s aggressive games.  We’ll develop 3bet ranges and 3bet defending ranges.

The Essentials Episode #104

Value 3bets #105

Bluff 3bets #107

3bet Defense #108

4. Blind Play

Blinds are defended very widely nowadays.  You need to understand how and when to defend, and how to exploit those who defend too much or not enough.  We’ll discuss blind vs blind confrontations as well.

Pre-flop Blind Defense Episode #110

Post-flop Blind Defense #113

Blind Vs Blind #120

5. Exploiting Opponents

I’ll discuss each basic player type, their tendencies and how to exploit them.  We’ll also get into the common ranges these players play and how our ranges fair vs theirs.  I’ll also cover the most important HUD stats that help you gauge your opponent’s play.

Gathering Information On Opponents Episode #123

Table Select for High Profit Potential – Avoid the Sharks! #282

Consider Before You Click and 11 Essential HUD Stats #125

6. Continuation Bets

Cbet Principles will be the first episode which will cover the basics behind this important (and ubiquitous) play.  We’ll talk board textures and opponent ranges.  Double-barrels for value and as bluffs will be covered, as well as how to react to specific cbet defensive plays (like the check-raise, cbet raise or float).

Cbet Principles Episode #133

Cbetting Board Texture #134

Double Barrel Cbets #135

Reacting to Cbet Defense Plays #137

7. Post-flop Math

We’ll cover everything math related from Expected Value (EV), Pot Equity, outs and the odds of hitting draws and implied odds.  We’ll discuss what hands are good to chase and which aren’t.  There will be a big dive into the math of determining if your call or semi-bluff is a profitable one.

Hot and Cold Equity, Outs & Odds, Percentage Form and Combo Counting Episode #138

Implied Odds #140

Expected Value, Pot Equity and REDI #143

8. Post-Flop Plays

Because we’re targeting players, defending blinds and getting called by weak players, we need to know how to play both OOP and IP post-flop as the pre-flop caller.

The Check-raise Episode #145

The Donk Bet #146

Float Bets and Probe Bets #147

9. Hand Reading

This is a crucial skill that we need to develop in order to make the best decisions possible.  We train this through daily off-the-felt work to develop great thought-process habits that we can use on-the-felt.

How to do Poker Hand Reading

The Benefits of Flopzilla When Hand Reading #151

Avoiding the Fixed Mindset #152

10. Poker Mindset

Having a growth mindset in poker is key.  Part of this will be understanding/accepting variance, something I haven’t discussed yet at all.  We’ll get more into Kaizen and working to constantly improve your game. I’ll discuss my favorite mindset question of all time: “What am I doing wrong?”

Pre-session Poker Mindset #163

In-game Poker Mindset Techniques #165

Study Session Mindset Techniques #166

Sleep, Eat, Move, Improve… Your Mind #168

SMARTER Goals and Developing Good Habits #169

Keep Stress at Bay and Have a “Bring it on!” Attitude #171

Jump Start the 1st Minimum Effective Dose: Opening Theory and Ranges

Some of you have never used ranges before, so with that I found a great resource to get you started.  Doug Hull at redchippoker.com created some awesome pre-flop range infographics.  These puppies give you recommendations, both tight and loose, for opening, calling and 3betting pre-flop.  The ranges themselves come from Ed Miller’s book, ‘The Course,’ but Doug put them together in a lovely, easy to follow infographic.

Let’s take a look at one of the ranges he gives you.  The loose BTN opening range is 33.3% or 442 combos of hands.  That sounds pretty solid to me.  Lots of steal hands mixed in with all the value hands.

BTN pre-flop range

Within this range 116 combos are 3betting hands.  Out of this 116 hands, there are 40 combos that could be considered bluffs or semi-bluffs.  They’re hands like 75s, 97s, A2s-A5s and some suited broadways.

BTN 3bet hands

The great thing about having so many semi-bluffing hands in your 3bet range is that it ups the aggression when you have ultimate position on the BTN.  This also has the added benefit of making it harder for opponents to read you.  Additionally, having all of your bluffs be suited and connected or gappers makes them more like semi-bluffs because they can spike big hands and can be used to push weaker ranges off their hands post-flop with lots of drawing equity.

So I highly recommend downloading and using Doug Hull’s infographic over there on redchippoker.com by going through www.smartpokerstudy.com/doughullranges.

Podcast Challenge

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode:  Remember that list of 10 MED’s I asked you to write at the beginning of the podcast during the mission?  Well, let me know how and why your list differed from mine.  I’d love to get your input into my list of Poker’s MED’s and how you would rather it be organized.  Who knows, your input might open my eyes to something new I haven’t thought of.  Kaizen in action, always working to improve and open to suggestions!  Ganbatte!

Up Next…

In podcast #88 I’ll answer 3 listener questions.  Next week we’ll kick-off this new series, The MED’s of Poker, by hitting MED #1: Opening Theory and Ranges.

Until next time, study smart, play much and make your next session the best one yet.

Avoid the Fixed Mindset | MED #9 Class 3 | Poker Podcast #152

By Sky Matsuhashi on August 19, 2017

In this episode, I discuss avoiding a fixed mindset and having a growth mindset within poker and when practicing hand reading.

If you missed it…

In episode 151, I discussed why you MUST utilize Flopzilla in every hand reading practice session.

A Growth Mindset vs a Fixed Mindset (3:05)

A necessary evil within hand reading is making assumptions pre-flop.  Some assumptions we all make:

  • Opponent’s ranges
  • Guessing how our opponents will approach their position, hands, the situation
  • Narrowing ranges based on how we think they’ll react and act in some sort of logical manner

Learn from “assumption” mistakes by having a growth mindset.

‘Mindset’ by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. (4:15)

I learned a ton about having a growth mindset from a book called ‘Mindset’ by Carol S. Dweck.

  • Fixed Mindset definition from the book: believing that your qualities are carved in stone
  • Growth Mindset definition from the book: believing that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts
  • A Growth Mindset can turn failure into a + learning experience
  • Fixed mindset people quit when the going gets tough
  • People with fixed mindsets are more likely to react negatively or even violently to bad beats and bad outcomes
  • Fixed mindsets see failure as a sign that they’re dumb. Have a growth mindset and see setbacks as opportunities to learn.
  • The fact that you’re working on your game means you’re doing the right thing. Putting in the work is important and will get you through those downswings.

Fixed Mindset Words: can’t, won’t, don’t, never (9:40)

Can’t: I CAN’T figure out pot odds math on the fly.

  • Flip it to: I just need to practice pot odds over and over off the felt and make cheat sheets to help me learn the most common pot odds calculations

Won’t: I WON’T be able to figure out this opponent.

  • Flip it to: Everyone has a weakness, I’ll keep digging until I find his.

Don’t: I DON’T have the time to study.

  • Flip it to: How can I make or take the time to study?

Never: I’m NEVER going to get this!

  • Flip it to: I can do this, just gotta work to figure it out.

Learn from your mistakes (11:25)

  • Take notes in your poker journal
  • Keep a “Mistake Log” to track the mistakes and how many times you make them
  • Update your saved ranges in Flopzilla as you learn more about your opponents

The great thing about poker and hand reading is that as soon as one hand ends, you get another opportunity to practice these skills with the very next hand you’re dealt or when doing reviews off the felt.

Hand reading is a skill that can be developed, and having a growth mindset and accepting mistakes as part of the learning process is a requisite to developing this skill.

Fixed Mindset Within the Rest of Poker (15:25)

The fact that you’re listening means you probably have a growth mindset.  I say probably because maybe you tune out when I talk about math or player types because you can’t seem to learn that stuff.  Take heart, all you need is practice!  Spend the time, take notes, drill yourself and it’ll come to you eventually.

Transitions between games (cash>MTT, MTT>SNG)

  • Choose one format to focus on and study/play mostly that
  • Figure out the most important, fundamental things you need to learn and start there

New stats and how to use them

  • AF, AFq, Won after calling river bets, etc.
  • Learn the formulas, filter for hands that relate to the stat and review the resulting hands
  • Add the stats to your HUD to force you to use them more often

New plays like check-raises, 3betting, bluff 4betting and donk leading

  • Study each for one week
  • Test them out in each session you play as you study them
  • Filter for facing the play and review those hands

Visiting new brick and mortar card rooms or even new online rooms – new environment, new players with different strategies

  • Take notes on differences you see
  • Look for good tables and players to target
  • Make friends out of the cardroom staff and your fellow players

Hand Reading Email from Ken (19:40)

So, after 6 weeks of working on hand reading, I must say “OH DAMN”.  I have done well over the years but my improvement in this area has been incredible. The results have been even better, but running hot as well doesn’t hurt. Due to time limitations of 20-30 minutes per day but sometimes more, I still have a few weeks more that I want to dedicate to hand reading and to work more with Flopzilla.  But, the time spent has been more than worth it.

I will be trying to increase this time as well working on my game. I have found it totally amazing that I am reading the hand ranges others are playing now with about 85-90% accuracy in the ranges I have given them.  But, every so often I miss by a mile but I am learning from those instances as well. 

Even more, I am adding things from your book as well.  I have started game tape about a week ago and yesterday, no kidding, I bought 20 1-subject notebooks to journal different subjects. I’ve been writing down my thoughts on my play over the years for each game I played but this will be a lot different. I may never write a book but the idea of going back over my journals for each area will help me refresh my game. 

In September, I am going to start Jonathan Little’s new book and do everything your book advised me to do.  I do look forward to seeing this technique used to the max and properly documented in my 1st Journal.

Awesome!  

It’s pretty obvious Ken has a growth mindset around hand reading and poker in general.  My hope for all of you is that you put in the time like Ken has to improve your hand reading skills.

Takes a ton of work, but Ken has obviously improved his game and that’s exciting!  I hope I get to face Ken and destroy his superior hand reading capabilities, just as he’ll try to destroy me.  I’ll see you at the tables, Ken.

Challenge (12:20)

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode:  Overcome any areas where you have a fixed mindset.  You need to catch yourself using those “bad words” I discussed earlier: can’t, won’t, don’t and never.  When you say one of these words, take note of it, and flip the script on those negative thoughts.  Turn them into positive, can-do, growth oriented thoughts and ideas that propel your studies and your game into new echelons of greatness.

Now it’s your turn to take action and do something positive for your poker game.

Support the Show

Jonathan Whiters purchased my Smart HUD for PokerTracker 4 this past week.  I’m sure he’s using this to gain valuable reads on his opponents.  Get the Smart HUD here.

And, Omar Gutierrez purchased the ‘Getting the Most From PokerTracker 4 Webinar’ , and by clicking the link here, he got $5 off + a free webinar of his choice.

The Benefits of Flopzilla When Hand Reading | MED #9 Class 2 | Poker Podcast #151

By Sky Matsuhashi on August 10, 2017

benefits of flopzilla

Today, I discuss why you MUST utilize Flopzilla in every hand reading practice session.

In episode 150, I answered three of your questions about studying poker as a team, the strength of small pocket pairs and adjusting your pre-flop ranges.

What is Flopzilla? (2:25)

Flopzilla is a range analysis software that’s designed to quickly figure out how well a range of hands or a specific hand hits the board.  When I discuss equities on this podcast, I’m getting my numbers from Flopzilla.

A Flopzilla license is still only $35, and it’s worth every penny.  You can’t find a better use of $35 when it comes to improving your poker game.  Just visit www.flopzilla.com to purchase.

The 4 Benefits of Flopzilla for Hand Reading Practice (4:00)

1. Better Range Visualization (4:35)

By utilizing the matrix for range construction over and over, I’m able to visualize what different sized ranges look like and what hands fall within those ranges.  A 5% range looks like an arrow pointing up and to the left:

5% range

A 30% range looks like a square covering the top left-hand corner with a line extending down to the bottom right-hand corner:

30% range

I may not know exactly the hands that fit these %’s, but as long as I can visualize the range, I can guess with relative accuracy which hands fall within and outside of it.

Saving Ranges

Flopzilla also allows you to save ranges that you’ve created.  I have categories like 2bet Ranges, Call 2bet Ranges, 3bet Ranges, Call 3bet Ranges and so on.  And, within each category I have multiple ranges saved:

saved ranges in Flopzilla

When you load a saved range into the matrix, it’s easy to tweak it hand by hand to assign your opponent the exact range you think they’re on.

2. Better Understanding of Range & Board Interaction (6:55)

I love how Flopzilla lets me see exactly how a hand or a range of hands interacts with various boards.   You can easily answer questions like, “How often does the 30% range I just discussed hit the board on an Ace high and dry flop of A92r?”  By “hit the board” I mean flopping TP+, an oesd or a pair + a draw.  The answer is only 26%:

30% hits 26%

 

Now that you know this, bluffing on the A92r is a great idea when your opponent is foldy and is raising pre-flop with a 30% range.

Why does it hit the board this way?

It’s beneficial to consider why a range hits so frequently or infrequently.  In this case, the reason this range hits so infrequently is because most of the hands in the range do not contain an Ace.  Sure, there’s A5s+ and A8o, but there are tons of underpairs, whiffed broadways and sc’s and suited gappers that just didn’t flop much of anything.

Understanding how ranges interact with different boards helps me to avoid costly bluffs.  I’m also able to gain extra value with my nut hands when I know my opponent hit something worth paying for.

Narrowing Ranges

The Statistics is also where you narrow your opponent’s range using the hand filters.  This is a great aspect of Flopzilla because once you remove hands on one street, you can’t magically bring them back on future streets.

With the example of the 30% range on the A92r board, we think our opponent is calling our donk bet with only mid-pairs or better.  So, we can remove all small pairs as well as non-pair hands and draws.  Narrowing the range like this logically gives us less that we have to consider, and makes it easier to devise +EV plays against the smaller range.  After we filter out these hands, we can see the 30% range is continuing only 48%.  This means our opponent is folding 52% of the time.  This is valuable to understand as we could us this information when deciding whether or not to bet on a given board and how much to bet.

30% hits midpair+ 48% of the time

 

So, if we bet full pot, this is a profitable bet because a pot-sized bluff needs to work 50% of the time to break-even.  The opponent is folding 52% of the time, so we’re profiting from this bet.  But, we may be able to size it a little lower, saving us money in case this is one of the 48% of the time that he decides to continue with mid-pair+.

3. Ability to See How Future Cards Affect Equities (12:15)

With the 30% range on the A92r flop, maybe we called their raise from the BB with Kc2c.  Pre-flop, our K2 has 42% equity vs this 30% range.  When the A92r (one club) flop comes, our equity in the hand increases a tiny bit to 44%.

K2s has 44% equity

If we think about why our equity went up a little bit, it’s because we hit BP and a bdfd.  Not a great hand, but still something possibly worth continuing to the turn with.

Plan the Hand

It’s always a great idea to plan the hand before you make your decision on the flop.  So, our we check the flop and our opponent bets.  Before we decide to come along with a call or a raise, what cards are we looking for on the turn?  Flopzilla allows us to plug in any turn card we like and it shows us how that card changes the equities.

2s = this gives us trips and now a 95% lock on the hand. This card could’ve made our opponent a full house or better, but that’s very unlikely to be the case.

2s on the turn

Ks = we’ve got 2p which skyrockets our equity to 83% equity. The King hitting doesn’t take us up as high as the 2s does because it gives our opponent’s broadway heavy range plenty of pairs and draws that can still beat us by the river.

Ks on the turn

4c = gives us a fd doesn’t really hit our opp’s big card heavy range. Our equity jumps up to 52% with this card.

4c on the turn

Jh = this is a complete whiff for us, not adding any equity, and at the same time it hits our opponent’s broadway heavy range. This card takes our equity down to 27%.

Jh on the turn

Thinking about how future cards will affect equities before you click that button or throw out them chips is a great habit to develop.  If you know which turn and river cards help your range and hurt your opponent’s, you’ll be making more +EV decisions as hands play out.

4. Improved Combo Counting Skills (14:55)

I really like how Flopzilla can display information in combo form as well.  We can take that 30% range, and see that it’s made up of 398 combos of hands.  Once we remove our Kc2c and the A92r board, it drops down to 317 combos.  By viewing this we can see the effects of card removal on the range.  This range “hits” the flop 26% of the time, that’s only 82 combos.  Sometimes these hard numbers, as opposed to %’s, are easier for some people to understand.

 

82 combos hit TP or better

These 82 combos is made of 7 different sets, 9 2p hands and 66 TP hands.  This information can be pretty useful especially when we’re thinking about bluffing someone who can fold TP to the right amount of aggression like triple barrels or large over bets.  He only has 18 hands out of 84 that he definitely won’t fold here.

You can also see how the opponent only has 9 combos of AK and 12 combos of AQ that may not fold to a ton of aggression, but maybe the remaining 45 Ax combos can fold.

The ability to count combos like this helps as you’re playing and making decisions in both the online and LIVE realms.  So, when using Flopzilla, be sure to use both %-form and combo-form as you study hands.

Challenge (16:35)

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode:  Work on your combo counting as you review hands with Flopzilla.  When you get to a pivotal moment, like considering a bluff on the turn, count the total combos in your opponent’s range, and count the combos of hands they will likely fold.  Using combos, do the math for yourself to figure out how often they’re folding their hand based on the range you’ve put them on.  Also, figure out the bet sizing you need to make it a break-even bluff.  If they’re folding 40 combos out of 100, then they’re folding 40% of the time.  What bet sizing would break-even here at 40%?  Now, based on your opponent, do you think you need to increase the sizing to get the fold, or could you make it even lower to save you money in case the bluff doesn’t work?

Now it’s your turn to take action and do something positive for your poker game.

Support the Show

Eddie Sherif and Thomas Sjöberg both purchased PokerTracker 4 through my affiliate link.  They’re supporting me and simultaneously supporting their poker skill growth.  Thanks, guys!  Get a free trial or purchase PT4 for yourself by clicking here.

Also, we’ve got some webinar supporters in da hizzy:

  • Hing Wa Lam purchased the ‘How to Study Poker Webinar’ (and received $5 off and a free webinar to boot)
  • Liam McDonald and Greg Vogelsperger purchased the ‘Getting the Most From PokerTracker 4 Webinar’ (and also got $5 off and a free webinar)

Up Next…

In episode 152, I’ll continue the Hand Reading MED with class 3 when I discuss having a growth mindset when it comes to improving your hand reading skills.

Until next time, study smart, play much and make your next session the best one yet.

Float Bets & Probe Bets | MED #8 Class 3 | Poker Podcast #147

By Sky Matsuhashi on July 15, 2017

Float Bets

I discuss two specific plays to make against a reluctant cbettor; Probe and Float bets.  These are great ways to get the pre-flop raiser to fold when conditions are right.

In episode 146, I discussed the Donk Bet: why you should rarely do it and also how to defend against it because your weaker opponents use it all the time.

Making Successful Float Bets and Probe Bets (1:40)

Floats and Probes are commonly used for bluffing.  These bets are a little different than the Donk Bet or the Check-raise in that they specifically relate to facing off against a pre-flop raiser who had the option of cbetting but chose not to.  They could be made for value, but we’re focusing on the bluffing aspects of these plays.

One thing to note is that they are often made by players who don’t really know what to do, and they’re just betting for information.  Don’t ever put yourself in that situation.  Betting for information isn’t a +EV decision.

4 Parts to Good Bluffing Strategy (2:40)

1. Naming Better Hands That Can Fold

Before you make any bluff, you should be able to name hands that beat you but can also be folded to your bet.

2. Targeting Foldy Players

The best bluff targets are those who often fold on the street you’re attempting to bluff on.  The more often they fold there, the more likely your bluff will work.

3. Considering the Opponent’s Range and Board Interaction

This is critical in making successful bluffs.  The less likely their range hit the board, the more likely you’ll succeed.  If their range smacks the board, your bet is just giving them the value they want out of their strongest hands.

Bluffs are also more successful if your expected range interacts well with the board.  If you just called pre-flop, you’ve got lots of sc’s, small-medium pairs and suited Aces.  On a board like 457ss or 689sss, your opponent has to be pretty scared you hit something worth betting.

For more info and practice with range/board interactions, listen to episode #134 where I talked about range and board interaction and gave you a great way to study it along with a helpful spreadsheet.

4. Being In Position

In real estate and retail the rule of the day is location, location, location.  In poker it’s position, position, position.  Being IP helps your bluffs succeed.

Float Bet (4:35)

Day to day players think of the Float Bet as just calling one street with intent to bluff a future street.  You’ll often hear LIVE players talk about it this way.  But, for online players, the definition is way different.

PokerTracker 4 Definition

A Float Bet is an IP bet when the pre-flop raiser checks instead of making a cbet.

For example, you called an UTG raise on the button. The flop comes down, they check instead of cbetting, and you decide to throw out the bet.

When should we make a Float bet?

The easy answer is, most of the time.  The pre-flop raiser showed weakness by checking to us.  Most of the time these checks are a big display of weakness that we should pounce on.  Don’t Float every time, though.  Consider those 4 aspects to good bluffing:

  1. Naming better hands that can fold
    • Take some time to think of hands within their range that are going to check/fold on this board. Can’t name any, then don’t bluff.
  2. Targeting foldy players
    • If you know they’re flop honest OOP, then it’s a great opportunity to bluff.
  3. Considering the Opponent’s Range and Board Interaction
    • This goes along with naming the better hands they can fold. Put them on a pre-flop raising range and determine how well this interacts with the board before you bluff.
  4. Being IP
    • You’re IP and that bodes well for your bluff success

Stats to Consider

Cbet IP vs OOP: if they show their honesty with a small Cbet % when OOP, then their check is a great indication they’re weak here and likely to fold.

Fold to Float Bet by street:  The higher their Fold to Float bet is on the street you’re on, the more successful your bluff will be.  Look for anything over 50%, and of course the higher the better.  A 2/3 ps bluff needs to work only 40%.

Probe Bet (11:30)

Most people use the terms “probe” and “stab” interchangeably.  It’s basically just trying to see where you’re at in the hand by making a “feeler” bet to gain information or to just take it down. It’s often a weak bluff.

PokerTracker 4 Definition

A Probe Bet is made OOP on the next street after the pre-flop raiser checks behind on the prior street.

For example, you call a raise from the BTN in the BB. The flop comes, you check, and the button checks behind. Because of his display of weakness on the flop, you decide to bet out of position on the turn.

When should we make a Probe bet?

Again, the easy answer is, most of the time.  The pre-flop raiser showed even more weakness this time by checking to us when IP.   Yeah, he could be slow-playing a monster, but giving up an early street of value isn’t normally how most players play their strong hands IP.

We don’t want to make the probe bet every time, though.  We’ve got to be selective because we’re OOP.  Let’s look at the Probe Bet with those 4 aspects to good bluffing in mind:

  1. Naming better hands that can fold
  • Always try to name the better hands than yours that you can get to fold when bluffing. If you can’t name any, consider not making the bluff.
  1. Targeting foldy players
  • If you know they’re flop honest IP, then you’ve got to make the bluff. Most players are less honest IP, so finding honest ones can be tough.  But, when you do, you’ve got to take advantage of them.
  1. Considering the Opponent’s Range and Board Interaction
  • Range and board interaction always plays a critical role in this post-flop decision. Put them on a pre-flop raising range and determine how well this interacts with the board before you make your OOP bluff.
  1. Being IP
  • Now, we’re OOP, which makes our bluff even less likely to succeed. If all the other factors are looking for for a bluff, then go ahead.  But your terrible position coupled with maybe a passive calling station or a range that connects with the board well, makes for a bad bluffing opportunity.

Stats to Consider

Cbet IP for Flop/Turn Honesty: you want to see street honesty on the street before you plan to make the Probe Bet.  If they’re very flop honest with a tiny, sub 30% cbet, then Probe the turn.  If they’re very honest on the turn, then Probe the river.

Fold to Turn or River Probe Bet:  The higher their Fold to Probe bet is, the more likely it’ll succeed.  Once again, look for over 50%, with the higher the better.

Studying Float/Probe Situations (15:40)

There are four PokerTracker 4 filters you can run, and they’re all under “Actions and Opportunities”:

  1. Review your own Float bets by filtering for flop, turn or river Float Bets made
  2. Check out instances where you faced the Float Bet by filtering for an opportunity called “Raise Float Bet Opportunity”
  3. Review your own Probe Bets by filtering for turn or river Probe Bets made
  4. View instances where you faced the Probe Bet by filtering for an opportunity called “Raise Probe Bet Opportunity”

Run through the hands that get returned from this filter and learn from mistakes made and big pots lost.

Challenge (16:50)

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode:  The next three sessions you play, use a tick sheet to record the reason for each bet or raise you make.  Write the words Bluff and Value on the sheet of paper.  If you bet for value, put a tick next to it.  If you make a bluff, put a tick next to “bluff”.  At the end of the session count the number of bluff bets you made vs the value bets.  There’s no optimal ratio, but it’s good to see what type of player you generally are, a bluffer or a value better.

Now it’s your turn to take action and do something positive for your poker game.

Shout-outs:

J.K. purchased a copy of My Smart HUD.  Thanks for the support, and you’ve made a step towards improving your opponent reads.  Get your own copy here: https://www.smartpokerstudy.com/SmartHUD

The Donk Bet | MED #8 Class 2 | Poker Podcast #146

By Sky Matsuhashi on July 8, 2017

donk bet

In this episode, I discuss the donk bet: why you should rarely do it and also how to defend against it because it’s employed by many of your weak opponents.

In episode 145, I discussed the aggressive and fun to use Check-raise play.  This is a great way to neutralize your opponent’s positional advantage, and it’s great for both value and bluff raises.

What is the Donk Bet? (2:10)

It’s an OOP bet, HU or MW, but it’s a bet into the pre-flop raiser.  You’re effectively removing their ability to make a cbet by donking into the pot.  This can take place on any street.

The 6 Elements of the Donk Bet (2:25)

1. The donk bet is often made by weak players

Weak players often see the flop, but they just don’t know what to do with their marginal hands and draws.  They don’t want to check-call b/c that feels weak, and they don’t want to check-raise to bloat the pot.  It’s often an “information gathering bet”.  They’re trying to find out where they are in the hand.  Your reaction to their bet lets them know if they’re behind or not.

2. Donk bets purposely bloat the pot OOP

Any time you click that button or throw out chips, you’re making a decision to play.  With the donk bet, you’re choosing to bet OOP into your opponent(s).  And playing OOP in a growing pot is a dangerous situation to be in.

3. Know your opponent; likely to call, fold or raise

Only donk bet if you think your opponent will respond favorably.  If they tend to get to every turn, then don’t donk bluff the flop, but go for value instead.  If they’re flop honest, then donk as a bluff.  But if you’ve got a value hand, you might want to let them catch something on the turn or maybe bluff the flop.

Notes are key to understanding donk bets.  I make sure to take note of every donk betting situation that goes to SD to help me understand my opponents.

Use stats to help you gauge how they’ll respond:

  • Fold to Bet IP: after a couple hundred hands this can be very useful. The more likely they are to fold, the more successful your donk bluffs will be.
  • Fold to Donk Bet: don’t look at the number of hands in total, look at the number of instances this stat is calculated over.  If their Fold to Donk Bet is 50% over two instances, it’s not reliable.  But, if it’s 50% over 20 instances, then that’s very telling.  If you’re donk bluffing half pot, it only needs to work 33% of the time to break-even.  So, a 50% Fold to Donk bet is great here.
  • Raise Donk Bet: look at the number of instances it’s calculated over.  If they raise donk bets 80% of the time over 20 instances, then you should not be donk bluffing, but instead, you should be going for max value against them.

4. Ranges Matter

Here’s an example:

  • The BTN opens at a wide 45% range (above left). Lots of strong and weak cards in this range.
  • He gets called by the TAG SB, who is only calling a narrow 10% range (above right).
  • So, the flop comes down A83 rainbow.
  • The narrow SB range has 61% equity on this Ace high and dry board (at bottom of pic above).
  • The reason: the smaller range has a greater % of Ax hands contained within, and the wider range, while it has every Ace, has all the pp’s and broadways and random crap that didn’t connect here.

This might be a great time for the SB to donk lead for value here, especially if they have a hand like AQ or AJ or AT.  TPGK beats all the crappy Aces that can call, as well as random pairs of 8’s or underpairs to the Ace.  Donk leading here can be especially profitable if the BTN doesn’t cbet often, but can call lots of flops with marginal hands.

5. Donk sizing matters

The mindonk is one of the most telling bets in poker.  The smaller the donk bet in relation to the pot, the weaker it is.  Of course, be on the lookout for players who can try to trick you with bets like this.  But for the most part, small = weak when dealing with donk bets.

6. MW pot donk leads are more likely strength

The more players involved in the hand, the more likely a donk bet is for value.  This is because bluffs have a harder time succeeding when they’re trying to get too many IP players to fold, and most players realize this.

Donk Bet Downsides (8:50)

There’s a reason why most good players hardly every donk bet.  It’s because when you donk bet, you’re giving up on the chance for more profitable plays.

  1. We lose value from bluff cbettors
    • Most of our opponents cbet way too much. When you’ve got a great hand and your opponent cbet bluffs a ton, your donk lead takes away their bluffing opportunity.  You’ve shown them that you might like your hand, and they can more easily play straight-forwardly.
  2. You lose the profitable check-raise opportunity
    • When you donk lead, you can no longer check-raise. You’ve replaced one strong play with a weak play.  Often, you opponents will cbet/call because of their position.  But when you donk lead, now they’ll just call and you’ve missed out on maybe a 2.5x check-raise call.
  3. You lose value from double-barrel bluffers
    • When you donk lead, you miss the opportunity to get value from double-barrel bluffers.  You can c/c the flop, then check-raise the turn and blow your aggro opponent off their bluff or weak semi-bluff.

When to Donk Lead (10:10)

I don’t recommend donk leading often, but there are some signs that a donk lead may be more profitable than a c/c or a check-raise.

  • You’ve hit a value hand, but the PFR doesn’t cbet a lot and their range likely missed the board. So, a donk lead might get them to call when they otherwise would’ve checked-behind.
  • You flopped lots of equity with draws and bd draws, so there are lots of great turn cards to barrel bluff on. If you combine this with an opponent who folds a lot on the turn, then donk barreling is very profitable.  Their call on the flop builds the pot, and they’re propensity to fold to the turn barrel means that pot is more likely yours.
  • If you think your aggressive opponent is capable of raising then folding on the flop, you can get lots of value out of them when you donk bluff then re-raise their raise with a 3bet bluff.

Defending Against the Donk Bet (15:05)

You’ll be facing donk bets more often than making them.  Your choices when defending against the donk bet are the same for any bet you’re facing:

Fold

You’re going to fold against the donk bet if you don’t see any way of getting them to fold their hand either on this street or in the future. You can also fold if you have such weak hand with no draw that it makes no sense to stay in.  You might also have other players with position on you, and calling with them yet to act can put you in a tough situation, so you may elect to fold instead.

Call

You’re going to be calling either for value, with the right price on a draw, or to potentially make a future bluff. You need to take their donk range and tendencies into account before you call with any of these ideas in mind.

Raise

Raising is great as a bluff or for value, but the success will depend on what your opponent is up to. If you’re bluffing, you want to be reasonably sure they can fold to a raise and that their range didn’t hit this flop well.  If you’re going for value, then you want a call or a reraise with worse hands, so be sure to name the hands in their range that can accommodate this.

What to look for when facing the donk bet

  1. Your opponent
    • Your donk betting opponent is likely weak, and you’re IP, so you should be able to find a way to take advantage of this. Maybe they don’t barrel IP that much, or they fold to bets OOP on the turn/river a lot, or they just fold in general.  Their donk bet is bloating the pot OOP, so this is a great opportunity to flex your IP muscles and put them to the test for this growing pot.
  2. Notes on previous donk bets
    • A popular note I make when I see somebody make a small donk bet then fold is “small donk = weak”.  When I see this note I know to pounce.
  3. Sizing
    • The smaller the sizing, the more likely it’s weak. Consider raising over tiny donk leads.
  4. Stat: Donk Bet %
    • Anything at 10% or below (over a good sample size) is likely for value, with 5% or below being absolutely for value. If it’s over 20%, then either bluff them with a raise now or just call in hopes of extracting more value later with your great hands.

Donk Bet Research (18:00)

In my database, I ran a filter for “Flop Raise Donk Bet Opportunity” + “Hands Went to Showdown”.

donk bet filter

Out of the 33K hands I’ve played this year, only 36 hands were returned (that went to SD):

  • Only 8% of the donk bet hands were strong (2P+)
  • 58% were pairs (TPTK down to 4th pp with the overwhelming majority being TPWK or worse)
  • 19% were some form of draw
  • 14% were weak bluffs (like 2 overcards)
  • The smaller the donk lead, the more likely it was a weak hand or draw
  • The three ps donk bets I faced were all TPWK
  • Bets around 2/3 – ¾ pot were 50/50 strong vs weak hands
  • All 8 of the 1/2pot bets I faced were TPWK or worse
  • SS overshoves were draws or weak pairs

Looking at this data, donk bets aren’t something to be worried about.  They’re most likely marginal hands and draws, so you need to be playing back at them more often.

Challenge (19:35)

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode:  Become a student of the donk bet.  Do what I did and filter in your database for “Flop Raise Donk Bet Opportunity” + “Hands Went to Showdown”.  Go through each of these hands and make a list of what your opponents are donk leading.  At the same time, make a player note on the sizing and strength of hand they’re donk betting with.  Create a hand tag that says “DonkBet” and tag every donk betting instance.  These notes and your research into donk bets within your own database will make you super comfortable when dealing with these odd and seemingly weak bets.

Now it’s your turn to take action and do something positive for your poker game.

Shout-outs:

My Smart HUD for PokerTracker 4 was purchased by Jason Biggs (probably not that Jason Biggs).  He’s now on his way to a more improved online game.

David Singh purchased the How To Study Webinar ($5 off).  It was held a few months ago to rave reviews.  I’m sure David’s gonna become a study beast after watching and learning from this.

The Check-raise | MED #8 Class 1 | Poker Podcast #145

By Sky Matsuhashi on July 4, 2017

the check-raise

In this episode, I discuss the aggressive check-raise play.  This is great for both value and bluff raises, but like everything else in poker, it’s success is dependent upon the situation you’re in.

In episode 144, I discussed my Observation HUD which I use to help train myself to be more observant of my opponent’s actions and showdowns.

What is the Check-raise? (3:00)

The check-raise is an aggressive post-flop action.  It’s a way to nullify the positional advantage your opponents have.  You make it when you’re out of position versus a bet or a cbet. First you check, your opponent bets, then you raise.

This is a very effective way to steal pots on the flop especially against frequent cbettors. And, it can also be used to gain extra value when you flop a killer hand against a player who won’t be folding in this spot. It’s very important to note that, like any type of raise, you should be reasonably sure that it will yield the result you want because it’s very costly.

In a normal 2bet, HU pot, the pot size on the flop might be 7 big blinds. Your opponent’s cbet could be 5 big blinds.  If you make a check-raise to 2 ½x, then you’re making a 12-13 big blinds. Much more costly than just check calling the 5 big blinds.

The 7 Elements of the Check-Raise (4:20)

1. It looks very strong

When I see a check-raise, I often assume it’s two pair or better. Of course, that’s not always the case, but that’s the first thing that goes through my head. That’s why these are so effective is bluffs.

2. You are choosing to bloat the pot

Most ranges only hit something worth bloating the pot 10% of the time or less. Normally, that’s something like 2p, a set, a straight, etc. Test this for yourself. Whip out Flopzilla, enter in any range, and see how often it hits two pair or better. For example, a 25% open raising range hits two pair or better only 6% of the time.

Flopzilla 25% hits only 6%

3. You know your intent; bluff or value

If you’re bluffing you should have a reasonable assumption that your opponent will fold. You should be able to name the better hands in their range that will fold to your check-raise. If you’re going for value, you should have an idea of the worse hands that they can call with.  Being super clear with your intent will help you make more successful check-raises.

4. Ranges Matter

If you called pre-flop and the board comes JsTs9c and you check-raise, your pre-flop calling range can easily hit 2p, sets, a straight or even a good pair + draw combo. But let’s say you were the pre-flop raiser from EP, how many strong hands do you have here worth check-raising?  Maybe you have JJ, TT or 99 for the sets, but do you have many 2p or straight hands?  Nope. As you know ranges are based upon pre-flop actions and you narrow their range as the streets progress. Make sure you take your opponent’s and your own pre-flop actions into account before you check-raise, or before you defend against the check-raise.

5. Images and Stats matter

You must consider the check raiser’s image and their stats (for yourself as well). If the person is known as an aggro bluffer or a check-raise bluffer or just an aggressive donk, then the check-raise won’t to be taken seriously. But if the check-raiser is a nit or a flop honest player, then the check-raise should be taken seriously. Your notes and stats on your opponents will help you understand their check-raise.

6. The sizings involved matter

The sizing you use will depend on your intent as well as how you think your opponent will respond. A minimum check-raise commits the minimum but they don’t work is often for bluffs. Making it a 2½ to 3x check-raise will work more often, but you’re risking more chips.  Like all bet sizing choices, the sizing you use is a balancing act. You want to risk the minimum with your bluffs while maximizing your fold equity.  And at the same time, you want to get the maximum value out of your strong hands without forcing your opponent to fold. It’s a good idea to test out different sizing’s and make note on the sizing’s your opponents use.

7. Good check-raise bluff spots are often bad double barrel bluff spots

So, you check-raised with the intent to bluff. Everything looked right:

  • his range doesn’t interact well with the board
  • he’s foldy by nature
  • his stats told you he’s likely to fold
  • your bet sizing should’ve scared him off
  • maybe even his initial bet sizing screamed weakness.

So, you pulled the trigger and made the bluff check-raise. Good job. But he went against what you thought he would and called. Now, unless you have a read on this kind of play from your opponent, you’ve got to assume he has a piece of the board and he’s not afraid of the pot bloating check-raise. Sure, he could be on a draw or even have top pair weak kicker.  But as already mentioned, check-raises scream strength and he’s showing no fear. Most of the time assume he likes his hand.  If the turn card doesn’t help your range, then give up on the double-barrel bluff unless you know he could be floating you with weakness and is capable folding to a barrel.

Making the Check-raise (9:10)

A note about ranges: If you’re the pre-flop raiser whether 2betting or 3betting you have the stronger range. You have less suited connectors, gappers and Broadway’s and probably more aces and pocket pairs in your range. If you’re the pre-flop caller, you have the weaker range. You have plenty of suited connectors, gappers, Broadway’s, suited aces and small and medium pocket pairs.

Check-raising with 77 on AT5ss

check-raise bluff with 77I opened under the gun with 77 and a TAG player with only 48 hands called from the MP.  Everyone else folded. The flop came down AT5ss.  I hated this flop and I just checked because I didn’t want to cbet bluff versus this tight aggressive unknown player.  And then he made a terrible mistake of min-bluffing into the 8bb pot.  I saw this as a great opportunity to check-raise bluff, so I raised it to 6x and he folded.

What was my intent?

Initially, I was planning on check-folding on this scary non-friendly board. But then as soon as my opponent showed weakness by minbetting, my intent was to check-raise bluff him off his hand. I chose a specific sizing that I felt he could fold to even if he had bottom pair or week flush draw. This was absolutely not a value bet because I would’ve hated a call and would’ve folded to a 3bet.

Range and Board Interaction

His pre-flop range hits this board pretty well. If we plug this into Flopzilla we can say that he is calling 20% of hands pre-flop. On the AT5ss board, the 20% range hits TP+ and FD’s 32% of the time. So, there’s a decent chance he hit, but his IP minbet tells me that he might have had an under pair or suited connector or a suited King or Queen that just didn’t connect here. Check-raising here was a more +EV play then check calling and letting him set his own price for the turn, and better than check-folding.

History & Stats to Focus On

Over 48 hands he was a 13/6 player. Pretty nitty so far, and nitty = foldy. Other than those player type reads I didn’t have many stats to look at. But in this instance these stats could’ve helped:

  • Flop Bet– in this situation, just the general flop bet stat can tell you how honest they are on the flop. If they’re betting anything over 65% they are not that honest and you can assume a good portion of their range is bluffing.
  • Fold to Check-Raise– the higher this number is the more likely they will fold to your check-raise. This is great if you’re bluffing, but not so good if you’re going for value. And conversely, the lower it is the more value you can get out of them, but the less often your check-raise bluff will work. Consider 60% to be the cutoff level for Fold to Check-raise.

Check-raising with 77 on 875r

check-raise for value with 77

77 again. It was an UTG open and a loose passive CO player just called. The flop comes down 857r. I loved my mid-set on this middle card board.  It hits this passive caller’s range pretty hard. So, I decided to take a chance and go for the check-raise. Yes, he could’ve checked behind, causing me to miss a street of value.  But thankfully, he obliged with a half pot bet and then called my check-raise.

The Queen on the turn didn’t help his range but the fact that he called my check-raise meant it’s time for me to go for extra value. I bet $5 into the $6.35 pot. He went and responded with the most beautiful thing ever by raising me all-in for 80 big blinds. I called, and he had a combo draw of a pair plus an open-ender. He bricked and I took down a 175 big blind pot.

What was my intent?

This was a total value check-raise. I would’ve been happy if he had bet three bet shoved on the flop, or even if he just bet called then called down all three streets. I had a great hand and, barring a 9 or a 4 on the turn or river, I was going for max value with it all the way.

Range and Board Interaction

If we think about my range, this was another UTG open. So, I had a rather tight 15% range in this 6max game. On this flop, I have all the sets in my range as well as over cards and of course all the over pairs. My check-raise probably looked like a set or an over pair, and he wasn’t scared of either of those.

When we think about my opponent’s range, he’s super passive at 43/2 and he called me in position.  He has every suited connector, suited gapper, Ax hands, suited King’s, small to medium pocket pairs; all things that could’ve potentially continued on this board. This was a great spot for me to get maximum value out of the 43/2 calling station and I took full advantage of it.

History & Stats to Focus On

With this hand, I was relying on my opponent’s general passivity to gain max value. If he was a tighter player, then I probably would’ve raised half pot or even less to get him to call or to commit on the turn. My flop check-raise sizing might’ve been smaller as well. And, when it comes to specific stats to use here, this is a combo that I really like:

  • Fold to Raise After Cbet (or Bet) In Position vs OOP– In general the Fold to Raise after Bet stat is quite useful. Anything over 70% should be bluffed frequently. Between 50 and 70 is kind of a gray zone, and below 50 should rarely be bluffed, especially with a check-raise because you’re out of position.
    • Additionally, when you look at this stat in position versus out of position, it’s even more telling. If they fold to raises way less frequently IP than OOP, you should not bluff them with the check-raise.
    • For example, you’ll find players who fold IP to the raise only 40% of the time but out of position 80%.  These players understand the benefit of position and will try to use it against you on the next street by betting when you check.

Check-raising with KK on Q54ss

check-raise with KK

A super LAG player opened UTG and I 3bet from the SB with KK.  He called and the flop comes down Qc5d4c.  I checked with intent to raise for value. Over 467 hands, his flop cbet was 83% and turn cbet was 93%. He loved to get aggressive post-flop. So, I checked-raised to almost 3x and he called.

The pot was really big at $23 on the turn and we both had $24 behind. The turn comes an off-suit K giving me a set.  I made the major mistake of checking here. He called my huge check-raise on the flop so I should’ve bet again here to get maximum value. Instead, I checked, he checked behind, and the river comes a third club.  3 clubs and this guy could have come along with the flush draw. I checked, he shoved, I tanked and then called. He turns over the 8c6c for the rivered flush, cracking my set of Kings.

What was my intent?

I was absolutely going for value here. I knew this LAG was capable of continuing with a very wide range. That was a pretty wet flop versus him, so it was a great spot to get max value. I should’ve kept up with the value betting on the turn. He called a big check-raise on the flop with two cards to come, and he still would’ve given me value on the turn with one card to go. But, if he whiffed the river I would’ve gotten no more value out of his draws. Major lesson here: Get value while the gettin’s good.

Range and Board Interaction

With my OOP 3bet pre-flop, my range is super strong. I have mostly overpairs on the flop with my check-raise. I showed weakness on the turn though with my check but because my opponent had nothing but a draw at this time he checked behind got a free river.

My opponent’s range on the other hand is very wide. He’s capable of bet-calling a wide range pre-flop, especially b/c he has position.  He’s going to bet this flop with a huge part of his range, but he is likely only calling my check-raise with a pair or some kind of a good draw. I should’ve realized this and continued to fire the turn, charging all of his draws to see that river. The fact that he checked behind makes it even more likely he was on a draw. So, when the draw completed and he shoved the river, I should’ve folded.

History & Stats to Focus On

Up to this point I had some pretty good history on the player. 467 hands and his stats equaled an obvious donk. One of my notes on him said “capable of overly aggressive plays when check to-check for max value”.  That’s what I did here with the strong overpair on the flop. I got that value but didn’t continue for more. Also, when it comes to specific stats to use here, this is a pretty telling one:

  • Float Flop– within PokerTracker 4 the float is defined as a bet in position after the pre-flop raiser checks. So, if the float flop percentages high (like 50% plus) then there is a high likelihood they will bet once you check. This allows you to check call, check fold or check-raise. The choice is up to you depending on what your intent is with the hand. For this player, his Float Flop percentage was 54%. I like my check with intent to check-raise here for max value.

Defending Against the Check-raise (25:30)

So, you’re in position on the flop you bet and you get check-raised. The first thing to remember is that all 7 of the Check-Raising elements still apply to when you are the one getting check-raised.

The next aspect to defending against the check-raise is to always expect it. If you are surprised by the check-raise, you failed to plan for the hand before you made the bet. Have two plans in place before you bet when checked to on the flop:

  1. Have a plan for the turn in case your opponent check-calls you.
  2. Know how you’ll respond to your opponent’s check-raise. Are you going to fold, call or reraise? They are all valid responses, and your choice depends on your original betting intent and what you think your opponent is up to.

Before you can choose your response to the check-raise, you have to first understand what your original intent was with the cbet or bet.  Did you bet for value or as a bluff?

The Original Bet was for Value

So, you bet for value and got raised. Great! Now you must assess whether or not your opponent has a better hand that they’re check-raising with.

  • If their hand is likely better, then your best option is to just fold unless you have a great backup draw. You were betting for value, so if they’re check-raising with an even better hand, you’re not to get them to fold by coming over the top right now.
  • If their hand is likely worse but willing to give you extra value then go ahead in 3bet here.
  • If you think they’re check-raising on a draw, then you have to assess how likely they could hit on the next street. You could slow play by just calling here, but you run the risk (like I did) of them catching up on the next street. Most likely the best thing is for you is to bet again on the turn for max value from their draws or marginal hands that are willing to call. And if they fold their hand, so be it. You can’t control what they stay in with, you can only control your choices to get the max value out of your opponents.

The Original Bet was a Bluff

Now, let’s say you were bluff betting in the first place and got check-raised.

  • If they’re check-raising for value you’re better off just folding. Unless you see a great opportunity to bluff or hit a strong draw on a future street , this is the time to get out and save your chips.
  • If you believe they’re check-raise bluffing, then you need to assess whether a reraise bluff right now will work, or possibly calling here and then betting the turn when they check to you.

Remember: range and board interaction is super important when dealing with check raises.  If you continue in the hand versus a check-raise without considering your opponent’s range and flop interaction, then you’re progressing in the hand blindly.

Stats to Help Understand the Check-raise:

  • Check-Raise– This is the first stat you should look at. Anything over 10% is suspect over a good-sized sample. And the higher it is the more suspect it is. Below 10% is mostly value-oriented, but it’s especially value-oriented at <5%.
  • Raised Cbet OOP vs IP– The difference between these two numbers is very striking. Just like I discussed before with Fold to Raise After Cbet, if their Raised Cbet OOP is much lower than IP, their check-raise is more likely for value.
  • Fold to Cbet OOP– If their fold to cbet is very high out of position, like 70% or higher, then you should put massive weight behind the check-raise. They fold most of the time, so believe that check-raise.

Become a Student of the Check-raise (29:50)

Let me tell you, you aren’t going to learn everything you need to know about the check-raise from this episode.  In fact, you won’t learn everything about any play from any one podcast or video or course or book or whatever.  What you need to do is learn as much as you can from this podcast, then you need to get some real-world experience using it, and you need to put time into understanding your opponents and how they use it.

The idea I want to impart on you right now is that learning anything sufficiently comes from knowledge + action + analysis.

Learning = Knowledge + Action + Analysis

Learning = Knowledge + Action + Analysis

Today you’ve picked up some additional KNOWLEDGE about the check-raise. But don’t stop here. Go online to find tons of additional resources from articles, podcasts, videos and even chapters in books that discuss further details about the check-raise. You should spend a little more time and gather additional information from other sources.

Next, it’s time for ACTION. In your next three sessions, I want you to practice using the check-raise. Create a hand tag within PokerTracker 4 that simply says “CheckRaise”. And for every time you spot a good check-raising opportunity, make sure you tag that hand whether or not you employ the check-raise. “Test it, tag it and note it” is your mantra when practicing the check-raise. Not only are you testing it for yourself, but pay attention to when your opponents use the check-raise. Take a note of the situation and any showdowns you see.  Your goal here is to become adept at using the check-raise and to become adept at understanding why your opponent s check-raise.

The next step is ANALYSIS. Spend some time off the tables with PokerTracker 4 and Flopzilla and analyze all your tagged hands. Use your hand reading skills and narrow your opponent’s range street by street to see if you’re putting to use what you learned.  Making mistakes is part and parcel of this whole check-raise mastery thing, so don’t be bummed out by negative results. Just keep up the process of practicing, tagging, noting and analyzing these check-raise spots.

Challenge (31:55)

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode:  Become a student of the check-raise.  Take the knowledge you’ve learned today and gather a little bit more on your own.  Then, over the next 3 sessions put the “book knowledge” you’ve gained to use in your play sessions.  Remember the mantra: “Test it, tag it and note it”.  Then analyze all the check-raise spots you’ve experienced, learn from them, then put that newfound knowledge to the test again.

Now it’s your turn to take action and do something positive for your poker game.

Shout-outs:

Got a couple of poker people willing to improve their online game by purchasing my Smart HUD for PokerTracker 4 – Tim Green, Liam McDonald – thanks much, fellas!  Get your copy here: https://www.smartpokerstudy.com/SmartHUD

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