It was a late night poker tournament, I was in the top 10, when I received a call to double up with pocket Q’s. Normally I would have called, but I was out of position and Did Not want to risk losing fold my hand.
So, instead I folded, and called the raise. Once the cards came out I realized that I had been out of position and should have made a cbet, however, not a raise. Thatsaid, if I raise from late position there are very few players who will call a raise, thereby eliminating the risk of a cbet.
The facts are that if you have a top hand late in a tournament against several callers, it is usually profitable to call as the odds are better than your hand warranting a call (in the above example, you would have had better hands to raise with).I probably would have c-bet then also, but I do not rise attention to do so.
With the hands I play, aka suited cards and connectors, I would call a raise instead of folding to a raise, for the purpose of getting a free card later on, which my read her, was the intention of the raiser.
To get a free card later on, what this means is, if I put pressure on one of the opponents and theyertook a while to think, I could allow them to just fold so I could get a free card.
This concept is also applicable in the late position later on, when you are on the dealer button. When you have raised the button too many times and gotten the blinds to raise it again, youGet two or three raises in quick succession and normally they will have improved to a point where a free card will be available for you.
The reason for raising before the flop with small suited cards is to create a competitive pot wherein you perfect your hand and are therefore likely to attract a free card.
When you have raised the button you have built up some information and an image of being a loose player. The other players will then be more likely to call a flop bet or a raise at the pot.
In No Limit Hold ‘Em you play the players and table image far more important than hand strength.
o You have to be willing to open your game and allow other players to try and steal a pot from you when you have a monster hand.
Not only do you need to have a monster hand to re-raise, you also need to have a big enough stack to be able to afford it, i.e. a minimum of 15 big blinds.
Here are some other hands that you can play in late position:
- Trips or three of a kind
- Pocket pairs
- Premiums e.g. K,Q,J,10,9
- Draws or a one pair
- Guarantees or possibilities
Playing these hands from the button, you can then pick your spots more carefully when you are re-raising, or if you’re depending on great reads to win a pot.
The first thing I always do when I am re-raising a raiser is to ensure that I’m holding a powerful hand. Long term, you will win big pots far more often if you pull this off properly.
These hands are also worth more in late position, as you can take greater advantage of your implied odds.
The timing of your re-raises are crucial to your strategy here. It’s vitally important that they coincide with your table image and the players sitting on your right.
Some examples of poor timing would be when you call a raise on the button with a small pair, or check with a strong drawing hand.
When you have a two way go pot
If you have incidentals and your opponent raises from the cutoff or the button, you should probably re-raise in order to get a free card on the flop.
It’s important to note that a re-raise from the button is not a hand you want to be involved with.
When you are a favorite
When you are a favorite in a pot, you want to make sure that a opponent does not call behind you. You don’t want to be a player that everyone folds to so you can get a free card.
Being both blind and vital in a multi table bola88 tournament.
When you’re vital in a multi table tournament, you want to ensure that you protect your blind as well as your pots.
Holistically, you want to increase your stack in anticipation of good pots. While it’s true that opponents will play less than optimally when they’re vital, you shouldn’t be so quick to toss chips around when you’re vital as the situation could change and you could be left out of the pot.