How To Use Your Opponents' Aggression Against Them
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This document provides strategies for capitalizing on opponents' aggression and mistakes in poker games. It advises waiting for opportunities when opponents bet too frequently in predictable situations, such as continuation bets from out of position on dynamic flops that favor the player in position. Examples are given of calling bets on earlier streets and then raising on later streets to induce bluffs or thin value bets from opponents with capped ranges. The goal is to take advantage of opponents who fail to adjust their strategies and betting frequencies to current conditions.
How To Use Your Opponents' Aggression Against Them
- 1. Ed Mi l ler HOW TO USE YOUR OPPONENTS’ AGGRESSION AGAINST THEM GET THE VIDEO AT
- 2. DON’T STAY STUCK IN 2006 Ye ah, p oke r’ s g ot te n tou g her Stop relying on the same tired, oversimplified rules of thumb $1-$3 is “showdown poker” Keep “initiative” Always bet your own hands Tod ay’ s regs, even not -so-good ones, know how to bet in obvious situations.
- 3. IN FACT… Many regs routinely bet too frequently in cer tain predictable situations. A major par t of my game at $2-$5 and $5-$10 is to al low these players to make their bad bets and then to capitalize.
- 4. CONTINUATION BETS FROM OOP Dynamic flop types privilege position. 7d6s2s 4d3s3c Jd9d7s Flops with a low top card, with flush and straight draws, and combinations thereof tend to increase the value of position. OOP players should bet these flops less frequently and with a stronger range.
- 5. CONTINUATION BETS FROM OOP (CONT.) Many $2-$5 and $5-$10 regs d on’ t u nd e r st and t h i s c onc e p t , a nd / o r t h ey a s s ume t h a t t h ey wo n’ t b e p u ni s hed fo r overaggression. T h e t a c t i c i s s imp le. Do n’ t fo l d e a rl y i n t h e h a nd , a nd wa i t fo r cards that change the board complexion.
- 6. EXAMPLE A reg opens for $20 in a $2-$5 game with $1,000 stacks. A player cal ls, and you cal l on the button with 6s5s. The bl inds fold. The flop comes 7s3d2c. The reg bets $40, and the next player cal ls. You cal l . The turn is the Ad. The reg bets $90, and you cal l . The river is the 7c. The reg checks. Bet $300 and take it down more than half the time. Or overbet $500 and get select regs to lay down AK for a huge fold rate.
- 7. EXAMPLE (CONT.) Also options are to raise the flop or the turn. When you raise the flop, you rep a set, which is a little difficult to pull off, but you should do it sometimes. With so much money behind, you can apply enough pressure. When you raise the turn, you rep aces up or a set, which is a little more credible. It’s a good option. The main problem is that the typical preflop raiser is betting this flop with too many overcard hands.
- 8. A SECOND EXAMPLE You open with QcJc from the cutof f for $30 in a $5-$10 game. An reg in the big bl ind who 3-bets a lot makes it $100, and you cal l . The flop comes 9d7d7c. The reg bets $100, and you cal l . The turn is the 6d. He checks, you bet $220, and he folds. A g ain t h e p rob l em i s t h at h e ’ s c -betting al l his overcards or other l ight 3-bets. This board neutralizes the power of his preflop range and favors the player with position.
- 9. CONTINUATION BETS FROM OOP WRAP-UP Dynamic boards di lute the value of hands l ike AA and KK in a preflop ra i s er’ s ra ng e a nd f avo r t h e p l ayer wi t h p o s i t i o n. Many $2-$5 and $5-$10 regs fai l to understand this idea, and they c-bet too frequently from out of position on these boards. Do n’ t fo l d o f te n. At l e a s t s t i c k a ro u nd wi t h a c a l l . Yo u c a n a l so chal lenge these bets with raises.
- 10. INDUCE VALUE BETS WITH CAPPED RANGES This is one of my bread-and-butter plays against low- level ( i .e. , $2-$5 and $5-$10) professional players. These players tend to play a style designed to take advantage of the typical regs in these games. This means they take aggressive risks in spots they rarely get punished for them.
- 11. WHAT’S A CAPPED RANGE? The concept of a capped range is a critical one. A c a p p ed ra ng e i s o ne t h a t c a n’ t ( o r i s ve r y u nl i kely to ) include the nuts or near -nut hands. These ranges are always vulnerable to big bets, especial ly if your range is uncapped ( i .e. , you can plausibly have the nuts) .
- 12. INDUCE THE THIN RIVER VALUE BET Two players l imp, and the pro raises the the hi jack to $30 in a $2-$5 game. You cal l in the big bl ind with AcQc. The l impers fo l d , a nd i t ’ s j u s t yo u a nd t h e p ro . The flop comes 9d4d3c. You check and cal l $50. The turn is the Qd. You check, and the pro checks. The river is the 2h. Check again to induce a thin value bet.
- 13. INDUCE THE THIN RIVER VALUE BET (CONT.) T h e p ro’ s rang e i s e f fec tivel y c ap p ed. T h e nu t s i s a fl u s h , b u t when the pro checks back the turn he ef fectively denies a flush. Your range is uncapped. You could easi ly have a flush, at least up unti l you check the river. By rights, the pro should be very cautious about betting the river. Betting a capped range into an uncapped one is tricky business. In reality, many pros have become accustomed to making thin value bets in this spot because they are rarely punished.
- 14. INDUCE THE THIN RIVER VALUE BET (CONT.) Why not value bet your top pair on the river? Your range is uncapped, so when you bet the river (at least if you make a big bet), you have rendered your opponent’s entire range a bluff-catcher. Pros tend not to bluff-catch much in these games. While AQ is likely good, it’s not even remotely the strongest hand you can have in your range. I f you check, your opponent wi l l l ikely value bet al l lesser queens as wel l as hands l ike TT or even A9.
- 15. BLUFF-RAISE THE THIN VALUE BET Same action, except this time instead of A-Q, you have 9c8c for a flopped top pair and backdoor flush draw. I f you check, you wi l l induce bets from hands that beat yours ( i .e. , TT) , and you wi l l also perhaps induce some bluf fs. Your opponent may tend to check down hands that you beat in a showdown ( i .e. , 77) . I f you check-raise the thin value bet big, you wi l l l ikely maximize the value of this hand.
- 16. BLUFF-RAISE THE THIN VALUE BET (CONT.) Two l imps, pro raises, you cal l in the big bl ind with 9c8c, and the l impers fold. The flop comes 9d4d3c. You check and cal l . The turn is the Qd. I t checks through. River is the 2h. You check. I f i t c h e c ks t h rou gh , t h e re’ s a d e c e nt c h anc e you ’ l l wi n, b e c a use…
- 17. BLUFF-RAISE THE THIN VALUE BET (CONT.) Many p ros c an’ t re s i s t val u e b et t ing t h i n i n t h i s s p ot , eve n though their range is capped. Yo u ’ l l u s u a lly s e e a f a i rl y sma l l b et . S o i n t h i s $ 17 0 p ot , yo u might see a $70 bet. Check- raise to $ 3 0 0 . Yo u ’ re repping a flush. Your opponent is u nl i kely to h ave a fl u s h. My ex p erienc e i s t h at h e ’ l l l i kely fol d . This is much better than check-calling the $70 only to lose to TT.
- 18. DON’T BE STUCK IN 2006 You r op p one nt s are n’ t tot al p u nc h ing b ag s anymore. Don’ t think of them that way. They make bets. Sometimes, however, they are insensitive to factors that make betting unwise. I t ’ s o f te n u nwi s e to b et f rom o u t o f p o s i t i o n o n d y namic fl o p s wi t h d e e p s t ac ks . Wh e n you r op p one nt s d o t h i s , d on’ t make i t easy on them. You can of ten induce thin bets from pros just by checking two streets in a row. They may ignore the fact that their range is capped or too weak compared to yours to justify a bet. Set up situations for them to make this error, then punish them.