Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker, Volume 1 (52 page)

You must accumulate chips to win a tournament, so you should tend to be the guy making big calls instead of big folds. If you play the loose-aggressive style I advocate, most players will bluff you from time to time. This means you should make big calls. Suppose you raise K
-Q
from middle position and the button calls. The flop comes K
-7
-4
. You bet and your opponent calls. The turn is the J
. You check for pot control and your opponent bets. You call and the river is the 2
. You check and your opponent bets.

In this spot, if you are a tight player, you should strongly consider folding because your opponent almost certainly knows you have a hand like top pair. If you are a loose player like me, you have a fairly easy call on the river because your hand is under-represented, your opponent may be value-betting a worse hand and some players will bluff this river. Putting yourself in these situations to gain chips instead of folding away equity is one of the ways by which great players consistently win poker tournaments.

How to Play Against Good Regulars

There is a difference between a good regular and a player that constantly tries to play pots with you. A good regular will realize who plays good poker and will try to stay out of their way. This is how you should play against other good players. Most of your edge in a poker tournament comes from playing in position against weak opponents. One reason why weak players lose is that they constantly play out of position against better players.

You should generally play slightly tighter than normal against a fellow good player, as his range will be a bit tighter than that of most loose amateurs. Tend to re-raise more than you call in position because you want to build big pots in position. You also want to get more money in before the flop in position against players that are going to play well after the flop.

If you play a lot of poker tournaments, some players may let you know that they respect and fear you. Go out of your way to re-raise these players if you think they are good but not great. These players will be scared to play large pots with you, especially if you are in position. If they start to look annoyed, just act as if you have a big hand and are upset that you missed out on a lot of action. Don’t do anything too fancy against good players. Just stay out of their way and carve up the weaker players.

Some regulars try to run over everyone at the table. Against these players, sit back and wait for a hand with which you are willing to get a lot of money in and buckle up. Obviously, if you only play strong hands, you will get no action when you finally enter a pot. Make sure you keep a decently loose range pre-flop, but be prepared to play a big pot if the loose, aggressive, good player decides to put pressure on you.

Exploit Each Player

No player uses a completely unexploitable game plan. If you are observant and can figure out how each player at your table plays, you can make the proper adjustments to win the most money from each of them. In this section I will list the basic player types and how to win the most chips from each.

I’ve discussed how to play against good regulars. In general, you should stay out of their way while being aggressive in position. This will keep you out of trouble while making your hands fairly simple to play.

The most common weak player is fairly tight and refuses to fold top pair or better. Usually he will min-raise on the flop with these hands, kindly turning them face-up. Look to play a lot of pots in position against such a player and apply maximum pressure whenever you can beat the hand he represents. You will notice some of these players adjusting their bet sizes based on the strength of their hand. If they bet small, tend to raise with a wide range, as they will usually fold, but you should usually respect their large bets unless you can beat a strong hand. Tend to bet your strong hands weakly, as they will view smaller bets as weak. Consider bluffing larger than normal, as they will view these bets as strong and fold their medium-strength made hands.

You will occasionally encounter weak, passive players that play few hands and usually check with their entire range. They can be tough to play against because they seldom fold if they have any piece of the flop. While they act weak, their range might actually be strong. Tend to bet smaller than normal against these players, and continuation-bet every flop that most likely missed their range. If they call on the flop and don’t seem like they are going to fold, check down weaker holdings and value-bet relentlessly with made hands. Hands like middle pair with a good kicker go up in value against these players and can occasionally be bet on every street for value. Again, it is important to know your opponent because if you misjudge his style, value-betting middle pair on every street can be a costly mistake.

You may also run into tight, passive opponents that play very straightforwardly after the flop. They will call or raise when they hit and fold when they miss. Tend to bet the flop when these players check, but consider giving up if they call unless the board becomes scary, as they will seldom fold. Continuation-bet every time because they will fold about 2/3 of the time, and when they do call, you can get maximum value when you make a strong hand.

You will occasionally face a super-aggressive player who bets whenever checked to and raises or calls every bet. Continuation-bet fairly often against this type of player. You will lose these bets most of the time, but you must make them to induce him to continue calling and raising because when you make a hand, he will be unlikely to slow down. Once you continuation-bet with a strong hand, be willing to check and call down, letting him bluff every street.

Some players play an odd style unlike any I’ve discussed. Take your time and try to determine optimal lines against them. Whatever you do, don’t blindly play poker. Always be mindful of an opponent’s image and how you have seen him play. Make the proper adjustments against anyone and that person will be in trouble.

Play your standard loose, aggressive game if you run into a player that mixes up his game well. Unless he is going out of his way to exploit you, your default game, as outlined in this book, should be profitable. Tighten up your pre-flop raising range if people play back at you often. Most opponents will assume you are still playing loose and will make decidedly incorrect decisions against you. Throw your opponents a curve ball as soon as they think they have you figured out.