We haven’t given you cookie-cutter preflop rules yet—no exhortations to play this hand but not that hand from the hijack position. And we’re not going to. You don’t play a no-limit hand just because you’re in the right seat or it’s on the chart. You play a hand because you have anything to gain from it. Following this idea successfully will result in you making many plays that are difficult to capture in a single rule or chart. Sometimes you’ll fold 55 to a single raise. At other times, you will be 3-betting with Q4s.
We’ve already discussed numerous common preflop scenarios. We’ve discussed stealing and protecting the blinds. We discussed playing the three-bet, four-bet, five-bet game.
There are some instances we haven’t discussed extensively, but we hope you can figure them out for yourself. If you have a decent hand in early position, open it. If someone raises and you have J5o in the small blind, typically fold.
In this part, we discuss some fascinating preflop circumstances that occur regularly. For example, how should you play 87s when you have the button but someone raises in front of you? What should you do if you open from under the gun with a strong hand and someone 3-bets you? We cannot cover every preflop scenario. Instead, we’ve shown how humans think when making these decisions.
Pocket Sevens Under The Gun
It’s a challenging 6-handed $1-$2 game with $200 stacks. You have pocket sevens under the gun, so raise to $7. Pocket pairs are ideal for balancing limited ranges because they can flop monsters and are simple to play from out of position.
The following two players fold, and the difficult, aggressive 25/23 button reraises to $22. Both blinds fold. What should you do?
Players frequently call here, believing that the button’s range is fairly vast. They believe their hand is too good to fold and should at least call for set value. This is horrible thinking.
If the button’s range is fairly broad and he plays well postflop, the implied odds are not favorable. You won’t flop many sets, and when you do, he’ll frequently have a mediocre hand that won’t pay you back. The rest of the time, if you do not flop a set, he will force you to make a difficult decision. You’ll rapidly find yourself in a large pot, playing for stacks with a marginal hand. Calling for a set value is not profitable in this case.
Do not call unless you intend to occasionally win the pot without a set. The difficulty with attempting to outplay your opponent postflop in this scenario is that you are out of position. Even if you are as strong a player as your opponent, his position and initiative give him a significant advantage. Also, although the button is forceful, he is not stupid. He noticed that you raised under the gun, therefore his 3-bet is more likely to be a valid hand.
Folding is the optimal play. Don’t try to defend yourself every time your opponent responds. You might be overestimating your opponent’s bluffing frequency. You only have a pair of sevens, and he usually has a good range against you. You’re playing a solid range under the gun, so if your opponent’s 3-betting spirals out of control, you’ll be able to easily catch him later.
Pocket Fives On The Button
Stacks cost $200. The first two players fold, and the 24/21 cutoff opens at $7. He is a competent player who can open up a wide range of options. However, he isn’t too tough postflop, so you feel comfortable playing against him. The blinds are both weak and tight players. You are on the button with 5♠ 5♣. What should you do?
Calling and 3-betting are both good possibilities. Because he is starting in late position, your opponent is most likely holding a weak hand, which suggests a reraise. And combining a 3-bet with a tiny pair every now and again helps to balance the range. However, you have position, and the blinds are unlikely to enter the pot or squeeze, so make a call.
Overall, you choose to call because you believe it is the most profitable. When you can outplay your opponents postflop, search for hands where you have position in a modest or medium-sized preflop pot.
You call $7, and the blinds collapse. The flop shows A♠ Q♦7♠. The cutoff bet is $11. You intend to implement the classic float play. You call $11.
The turn is 6♠. Your opponent checks. You wager $30 and he folds.
Deuces In The Big Blind
Stacks remain at $200. Everyone folds to the 20/18 button, who accepts $7. He is a reliable player who opens more loosely in late position than in early position. The small blind folds, resulting in 2♣ 2♠ in the large blind. What should you do?
Your default option should be to fold. You don’t have implied odds while playing for fixed value alone. The button has a somewhat broad opening range, and he will not have a good hand on the majority of flops. If you flop a set, you will rarely be paid off.
Because you can’t profitably play for set value alone, to make these deuces profitable, you’d have to win several times without flopping a set. You may do this by implementing a randomized bluffing technique, such as checkraising him on certain flops, or by attempting to win a showdown by checkcalling him down on specific boards. However, 2♣ 2♠ is not ideal for adopting these techniques. It’s difficult to make a stand with deuces unimproved, and you’ll rarely have more than two outs postflop, leaving you with few semibluff options.
You can sometimes reraise before the flop. This is best used against opponents who tighten up to a 3-bet. When facing an aggressive raiser who does not fold to 3-bets, it is best to fold the deuces.
If you must call heads-up out of the blinds to keep a loose button raiser at bay, do it with a hand that performs better postflop than pocket deuces.
Pocket Tens In The Small Blind
In a $1-$2 game with $200 effective stacks, the cutoff opens for $7 while the button folds. You’re in the small blind with pocket tens. What should you do?
The quick response is, “It depends.” But let me elaborate.
When To 3-Bet
In this case, your default strategy should be three-betting. Your hand performs well against a standard cutoff opening range, and a 3-bet here typically isolates the opening raiser. Often, the raiser will simply fold, and you will take the pot outright. That is a good result. When he doesn’t fold, he frequently plays poorly against your three-bet. That is also a nice result.
Many opponents make the common mistake of calling your 3-bet in fit-or-fold. They’ll call your three-bet with big cards and small pairs. They’ll fold on the flop unless they get top pair or a set. They won’t steal enough, and they won’t put you in difficult postflop situations.
When they four-bet, they always have a strong hand. Against these opponents, you should 3-bet almost every time with pocket tens and employ a conventional aggressive postflop strategy. When dealing with aggressive people, exercise caution. You should typically fold to a preflop 4-bet.
Adjust your strategy when dealing with aggressive opponents that 4-bet liberally or call to try to steal pots postflop. Be more willing to go all-in preflop and check more frequently postflop to encourage bluffs.
When To Flat Call
Under the following conditions, flat calling the first stake can be more advantageous than 3-betting:
- If you know the big blind is aggressive and squeeze-happy, call the original raise and plan to 4-bet (or push all-in) over their 3-bet.
- The opening raiser has a narrow range and plays
- Assume the cutoff is a 12/10, which works effectively against a 3-bet using flat-call trapping and 4-betting with a balanced range. You’re better off calling the original raise and playing cautiously after the flop.
- The large blind is an extraordinarily weak player who frequently calls $5.
If the huge blind is, say, a 52/3, you want to play a lot of hands with him. Flat-calling keeps him in the pot. Postflop, you must react to the fact that you are in a multiway pot with a weak player. Play quite straightforwardly and avoid getting too complicated.
This predicament perplexes many players. They are unsure which elements are most relevant when deciding between calling and three-betting. Furthermore, regardless of whether you call or 3-bet, if the stacks aren’t short, playing pocket tens from out of position creates difficult postflop decisions. Frequently, people will recall the last time they were stacked with the hand, blame the poor outcome on their preflop play, and swear to do the opposite next time.
We recommend that you approach the decision consistently. Pocket tens is a powerful hand, and reraising it for value is usually a safe bet. It’s not safe in the sense that you can avoid difficult postflop decisions, but it is safe in the sense that if you reraise the hand every time, over time, even if you fouled up some of the challenging hands here and there, you’d almost surely make a profit. So, unless you can think of a compelling cause to call, such as the ones described above, reraise for value.
Flat Calling With Position
Stacks cost $200. The first two players fold, leaving the cutoff open for
$7. You are on the button with A♥J♠. The blinds are both weak and tight. Should you fold, call, or re-raise?
If the cutoff is an extremely tight player, folding is a viable option. Your hand has little pot equity against a restricted range. Position facilitates theft, although it is unlikely to be sufficient. Because of your opponent’s extensive range, he will frequently have a solid hand on the flop. If he is aggressive, he is not a good target to try to push about after the flop.
But let’s assume he’s not really tight. He opens around a quarter of his hands in the cutoff. A ♥ J♠ is effective against that range, allowing you to maintain position. So you’re not folding. Should you re-raise or call?
Pros of reraising include the ability to win the pot entirely, discouraging the blinds from entering the pot, and having initiative on the flop if called. Cons include putting more money at risk, creating a large preflop pot with a marginal hand, having less wiggle room postflop due to the smaller SPR, and eliminating many of your opponent’s poor cards.
The advantages of calling include keeping the preflop pot smaller, giving yourself more stack room postflop to take advantage of position, keeping your opponent in the pot with dominated hands, and not having to worry too much about the blinds because they are weak-tight. Cons include the fact that you cannot win the pot altogether, you allow your opponent to keep the initiative, and you do not put pressure on the blinds to fold.
Overall, calling is a smart option for this situation. Due of the patterns of the players in the blinds, the pot is most certainly heads-up. You might as well take advantage of your position and keep the preflop pot tiny. Higher SPRs improve position and postflop play.
Calling works effectively with large card hands. With a marginal big card hand, you may not always want to commit to top pair, especially against a good opponent. However, if you reraise preflop and generate a large pot, it will be difficult to separate from top pair. Furthermore, your chances of getting a better hand postflop rise in a 3-bet pot since your opponent will fold many of his weaker hands in response to your 3-bet.
Calling provides more alternatives. If you hit top pair, you can gather more information before making a committed decision. You can still steal. In fact, if you bluff raise the flop and are rebuffed, you lose little more than if you 3-bet preflop.
If you have a different type of hand, you may not want to call preflop. Suppose you have 6♣ 4♣. You won’t flop a decent hand very often, therefore winning the pot outright becomes more valuable. This urges you to three-bet or fold rather than call. While it’s possible to flop a good hand like 6♣ 4♣, it’s usually less valuable than winning the pot before the flop.
Calling a preflop raise from position can be a viable option. It works especially well when the raiser is not extremely tight, you expect the game to be heads up, you prefer a smaller preflop pot, and you feel confident playing against your opponent postflop.
Calling When Out Of Position
Many of the same concepts apply when you’re not in your proper place. If you have a hand that likes a smaller preflop pot and are confident playing against your opponent postflop, calling may be a better alternative than 3-betting. That may be the case if you have a hand like AJo.
If you 3-bet with AJ, you may find yourself in a difficult situation if you strike top pair. The pot will be large, so you will be forced to make an early decision. If you feel safe committing since your opponent has a very wide range, then 3-betting is acceptable. If you are uneasy with this, consider calling preflop.
It is more harder to keep the pot small while out of position. You must act first on each of the remaining streets, and your checks may prompt your opponent to wager. Calling preflop rather than 3-betting allows you to keep the pot modest. Calling preflop offers you the advantage of playing against an inferior range.
Calling A Preflop 3-Bet With Pocket Aces
A weak player with $80 limps from the front. Everyone other owns $200. The next player to act raises the pot amount to $9. The minimum climbs to $26. Hero is in the small blind, holding A♠ A♥ and flat callers. The large blind folds, limper calls, and original raiser folds. The pot is three-handed and holds $89.
The flop is 9♦4♥3♦. Everyone checks to the preflop reraiser, who bets $56, representing slightly less than two-thirds of the pot. Hero raises all-in for an additional $118. Both players place a call. The limper displays 8♥ 8♦, while the reraiser shows Q♠ Q♦. Two threes appear on the turn and river, and the aces hold strong.
When you have pocket aces, flat calling a preflop 3-bet significantly increases your chances of stacking your opponent. Consider which hands you would 4-bet from the small blind following a raise and a roughly pot-sized 3-bet. That range is probably quite small. For many $1-$2 players, it’s only pocket aces and kings.
Your opponents are aware of this, and any three-bettor will be notified if one of the blinds places a large four-bet. In this situation, even some ordinarily loose players may fold hands such as pocket jacks, ace-king, and, on occasion, pocket queens.
With pocket aces, you want to stack opponents who flop a top pair or an overpair. If you shove preflop, kings will normally call, while queens and jacks may fold. You may also fold players holding ace-king and ace-queen. If you wait until the flop to make your move, your opponents will usually make one additional bet, which is wonderful for you if they miss the flop and may be enough to pot commit them if they hit top pair or an overpair.
For example, if Hero had 4-bet all-in preflop, it’s likely that everyone would have folded, leaving Hero with the $40 pot. By calling and checking the flop, Hero prompted an additional $56 bet from the opponent holding pocket queens, committing him to playing for stacks.
Waiting for the flop might sometimes be detrimental. Most obviously, your opponent may outflop you by hitting a set or better. This will happen approximately 11% of the time. An overcard could potentially appear, deterring your opponent from going all-in. If your opponent has queens, an overcard will flop around one-third of the time; if he has jacks, it will flop about half of the time.
But the rest of the time, you have a fair probability of stacking him. Big pairs are more likely to flop an overpair than a set. So, as long as he’ll go all-in with any hand, you’re a strong favored when the money’s in. And if he has ace-king or ace-queen, waiting for the flop provides him little chance to outflop you while giving you a strong chance to stack him the roughly 22% of the time that he flips a pair.
You should not automatically reject a 4-bet preflop when you hold aces. However, occasionally waiting until the flop before pulling the trigger might considerably improve your earnings.
Lessons for this hand:
- Mix up your preflop strategy with pocket aces. Consider flat calling a 3-bet rather than 4-betting, which would essentially turn your hand face up.
- Calling 3-bets with aces is especially advantageous when the stack levels are such that preflop betting is insufficient to commit your opponents to their hands, but one additional flop bet would enough.
Pocket Aces With Deep Stacks
You’re in the small blind, with a $450 stack. The 25/22 button is available for $7, and he has you covered. The 27/25 big blind has $200. Both opponents are smart, aggressive players who can make challenging moves. You got A♦A♥. What should you do?
A pot-sized reraise to $23 would most likely knock the large blind out of the hand and put it heads-up with the button. The issue is that unless you consistently 3-bet out of the blinds, the button may mistake you for having a strong hand. With an SPR of approximately 9, he might make life difficult for you postflop. He can ask for implied odds, and he has position and plenty of steal equity.
You may make a large overbet reraise, which would eliminate the button’s implied odds and steal equity, eliminating the cost of giving up your hand. The problem is that he folds a significant proportion of the time.
If you don’t 3-bet much from the blinds, this is a good situation for a flat call. Calling promotes the big blind to squeeze, and because no one will put you on aces, you could see a lot of preflop action. For example, if the large blind squeezes, the button may suspect him of doing so and re-squeeze (4 bet). Alternatively, if either player has a hand with JJ, TT, or AQs, they may overvalue it due to your flat call. They’ll believe they have more equity than they do and may stack off someplace they wouldn’t if you 3-bet.
If the large blind does not squeeze, you are still in good shape because your hand is hidden and the pot is small. For example:
You call the $7 and the large blind folds. You’re out of position against the button, yet your range is broad in his eyes, and the SPR is around 28. The flop shows Q♠ J♥ 7♣. You check and he bets.
$11 goes into the $16 pot. You make a call.
The turn is 3♣. With a $38 pot, $432 behind, and only one more street to come, you have a few good options. You can lead big on the turn and fold to a raise. You can checkcall the turn before leading or checkcalling the river. Or you can use the freeze play and check-minraise the turn.
Which option you choose depends on how likely you think the button is to bluff missed draws, bet worse made hands, or call with worse made hands. But all the options can work because it is hard for the button to put you on aces.
Leveraging Stack Sizes To Get Action With Pocket Aces
The hijacker limps in. He began the hand with just $36. The cutoff increases to $12. He has $232 total. Everyone folds to the big blind, who has A♥ A♦ and covers the table. He simply calls.
The hijack player is now going all in for his $36. The overall cutoff now stands at $90. The huge blind comes to life and goes all in, and the cutoff calls.
The hijack depicts pocket fives, while the cutoff shows pocket jacks.
In this hand, the player with pocket aces used the tiny stack to try to push the preflop betting well beyond what he would ordinarily expect. The short stack limps in, and a fairly large raise follows him. When the action shifts back to the short stack, he usually folds or goes all-in.
The big blind takes advantage of this circumstance by simply calling the preflop raise. If the limper pushes, the cutoff will fall between the all-in player and the large blind.
Indeed, because the cutoff raised larger-than-average before the flop, the big blind may hold a better-than-average hand and may reraise aggressively. Little does he realize that the large blind has pocket aces.
Consider what would have happened if the large blind had reraised.
The hijack player limps, and the cutoff increases to $12. The big blind raises the pot size to $39. The hijack either calls or folds (if he is wise, he will fold), while the cutoff calls. In this scenario, each player contributes only $39 to the pot before the flop.
Another approach is to try a small reraise, which will allow the short stack to reopen the betting by going all-in. The hijack limps, and the cutoff goes up to $12. The large blind min-raises to $22. Perhaps the hijacker goes all in, and the cutoff calls. Because the raise from $22 to $36 was more than the one from $12 to $22, the large blind may reraise once more. So the large blind does a pot-sized reraise to
$144. Or the huge blind goes all in. Alternatively, the big blind makes a little smaller reraise, aiming to get the remainder in on the flop.
This last alternative has advantages, but it has two drawbacks as compared to the original flat-call betting line. First, the short stack will be less likely to go all-in while facing a raise and a reraise than when facing a raise and a call. Second, after 3-betting preflop and receiving a 4-bet from the small stack, the big blind demonstrates significant power by 5-betting. This may allow the cutoff to avoid a hand that would otherwise ruin him.
Nonetheless, the minraising option has value, and it may outperform the original line if the short stack opts to fold rather than go all-in.
The major takeaway is that when a short stack enters the pot, you may usually play the hand in multiple ways. Some will let the short stack player reopen the betting by going all-in, while others won’t. With aces or kings, you might want to let the small stack go all in and reopen the betting for you.
Ace-King Out Of Position
Effective stacks cost $200. The button’s open price rises to $7. You’re in the little blind with A♥K ♦. What should you do?
The key to playing ace-king preflop is to develop your postflop strategy for both hitting and missing. As always, let hand ranges and stack-to-pot considerations guide you.
Begin with the button’s range. Assume you’ve already played with this individual and know him to be reliable. You believe he’ll open roughly one-third of his hands here, so you have tremendous equity versus his range. Folding is clearly out.
Calling keeps him in the pot with dominant hands that may fold to a reraise. Also, if he plays reliably postflop, you don’t have to be concerned about being bluffed with the best hand. Preflop, risking less money may outweigh the benefit of taking the initiative.
Reraising is effective if the button is pressed with hands like A♠T♥. If so, you may reraise for value.
Next, examine stack-to-pot implications. If you call, will the stack-to-pot ratio be low enough to let you to commit with top pair on most flops? Consider what you will do if you miss the flop. Will you bet?
Overall, if your opponent is solid and believes you are solid, raising to around $21 is generally the best play. You will frequently win 4.5bb unopposed. If you call solely with the button, you’ll have a $44 pot and a $179 deficit, for an SPR of 4. That is a nice stack-to-pot ratio for committing with top pair, semibluffing, or occasionally placing a continuation bet if you miss totally.
Reraising also helps to balance your range, allowing you to 3-bet with more than simply large pocket pairs. It’s also a good play if your opponent will call with hands like 4♥ 4♦ looking to flop a set, and then fold on a flop like J♥ 8♦6♠.
What if your opponent bets four times when you reraise? You’re making a commitment decision, so think carefully about your opponent’s 4-betting range. You’re getting a 1.25-to-1 overlay to go all-in, so it becomes a mathematical dilemma. If your opponent makes this move with only aces or kings, you have around 18 percent equity, which is insufficient. Even if his range includes aces, kings, queens, jacks, tens, and ace-king, your equity (about 40%) is insufficient. If you wish to go all in, his range must contain unpaired hands other than ace-king. If this isn’t the case, you should fold to a large 4-bet.
In a typical button-versus-blinds scenario, 3- and 4-bet ranges tend to be wide. Expect your opponents to 4-bet with unpaired hands that are inferior than ace-king. As a result, the conventional preflop strategy is to go all in with ace-king.
Consider the player’s tendencies in the large blind. If he’s an aggressive player who likes to squeeze, you could call the button’s opening raise, allowing the large blind to 3-bet before reraising or pushing. If the big blind is a loose calling station, you’re more likely to 3-bet for value.
One last point. Assume the button was open, raising two-thirds of his hands rather than one-third. In this instance, you should 3-bet far more frequently out of the blinds. Reraising is the most straightforward approach to punish loose button raises.
Ace-Queen Under The Gun
Stacks cost $200. You raise to $7 under the gun with A♥Q♥. Everybody folds to the small blind, who raises to $23. He is a tight regular who plays 14% of his hands and raises approximately 7%. You’re not sure how frequently he 3-bets. What should you do?
A player who raises only 7% of his hands is three-betting you, despite the fact that you opened under the gun. His range is incredibly restricted, most likely being AA-QQ.
In this case, you have weak showdown and steal equity. Fold.
Adjusting To A Short Stack
You receive a 6♦5♦ in the small blind. The player on the button is a reliable 22/20 regular, and you both have $200 stacks. He opens light in late position and gradually tightens up to a reraise. Your strategy for this hand is to 3-bet if he opens.
The first two players fold, leaving $7 to go. He is a tight player with a $75 bankroll. He plays roughly 13% of his hands and raises approximately 7% of his hands. The button folds, and the action shifts to you. What should you do?
You should change your strategy and fold.
You’re up against a whole different range and stack size than you imagined. You must modify accordingly.
The button would open a large range before folding a big portion of it to a three-bet. Reraising him in the 65s would be advantageous because you’d frequently win the pot entirely. If you call, you usually have some fold equity on the flop.
In contrast, the cutoff opens up a much narrower range. Your chances of winning the pot with a 3-bet are much lower than they would be against the button. Plus, your opponent’s stack is now smaller than 35bb. You do not have implied odds to call. And
If you reraise and he calls, he will only have around a pot-sized stake left, so he is unlikely to fold at this point.
Your opponent has a short stack, and so do you.
