I love answering YOUR poker questions!

I’m doing 4 Q&A episodes this month… so enjoy!

Questions #560: Short-Handed Cash, Bet Sizing, Tricky Opponents

Listen to Q&A episode #560 as you follow along below:

Q1: “How should I adjust my strategy when I’m playing short-handed online cash games, like 4- or 5-handed tables?” – Ed

• Short-handed 6max games play a little differently in that there’s more aggression with wider ranges.
• Steal more often from the HJ, CO and BTN. They may defend more, but put yourself in Bread & Butter spots to exploit blinds who defend more on short-handed tables.
• Defend the blinds at the same rate with calls, but add some 3bet bluffs with AX blocking hands, especially suited and connected like A5s and ATs.
• Don’t just defend the blinds b/c your hand is worthy of calling. Consider your opponent and have a plan to steal first before you call or 3bet. You’re going to miss the flop a ton, and those who plan their steals ahead of time win more pots.
• #1 Recommendation: Find a full 6max table to switch to.

Follow-Up Q2: “Okay, that makes sense. But how do I know if I’m opening too wide or being too aggressive in short-handed games?” – Ed

• Look at your stats. If you’re normally a 20/16 player with 8% 3bet, but on this table you’re 30/22 and 12% 3bet, you’re overdoing it.
• How do your opponents play against you? If you are constantly facing 3bets or getting called down light, opponents think you’re overdoing it.
• If you play in a lot of short-handed tables, track your stats and win rates and compare them against your win rates on full tables. If you’re doing worse on short-handed, you’re probably playing too loose and aggressive.
• Base your aggression on opponents, stacks, and board texture, not just the idea that you should always attack.

Follow-Up Q3: “Okay, last question. When I tighten up in those spots, how do I avoid becoming too predictable to the regulars?” – Ed

• Play the player. If you make your plays to exploit what you know about them, it’s harder for them to predict it. Most players don’t think about how you’re playing against their image.
• Don’t give sizing tells. Generally, small = weak. If you use small bets in a spot where you’re normally honest, they’ll read weakness and attack.
• Avoid marginal spots, so be willing to fold early versus regs that know what they’re doing.

Q4: “What’s the best way to size my bets online so I’m not giving away information but still building the pot?” – Trevor H.

Sounds like you’ve got a value hand here, so…

• Don’t slowplay. If you value bet and they fold, so be it.
• Smallish bets and raises keep them in. They may read it for strength, but you’ve got to get value while the getting’s good.
• Size your value bet to overcharge their draws, but not too big to scare them off. If you suspect a fd, that’s 9 outs with ~20% chance to hit on the next street. If you bet anything over 33% pot, they’re overpaying.
• Most players see a 1/2 pot bet as “standard” and they’ll call with a wide ranges. Plus, this size charges most draws adequately.
• Experiment with different value bet sizings.

Q5: “How do I adjust when playing against opponents who constantly use min-raises preflop and postflop?” – Jaime

• Call wider with equity because the pot odds are very good.
• But again, call with a plan to steal the next street b/c you might not hit anything good.
• Attack with raises when you suspect weakness due to range/board interaction or you’ve just seen them do this again. Be more willing to attack with nut draws and solid blockers to them holding strong hands and draws.
• If you hold a value hand like TP and face a min-raise, ask yourself, “What’s he doing this with?” (Poker’s Ultimate Question) If he’s doing it with worse like bluffs and draws, re-raise to pressure him off the hand or to get value.

Questions #559: Blind Defense, Online Tells, Stake Adjustments, HUDless Reads, Table Selection

Listen to Q&A episode #559 as you follow along below:

#1: “What’s the best way to defend my blinds without bleeding chips against frequent raisers?” – Luke P.

• Blind defense is tricky because doing it wrong is a huge leak.
• Be willing to fold. It’s not your job to block their steal attempts. It’s your job to make +EV decisions that make you money in the long run.
• Defend with hands that play well post-flop, not just “pretty” hands.
• Have a plan to steal before calling. JTs is worthy of calling, but you’re going to miss most flops. Use their post-flop cbetting tendencies to help devise a steal plan because you’re gonna miss most flops.
• Mix in 3bet bluffs so they have reason to think before stealing. Suited and connected AX big broadways are good candidates.

#2: “How can I tell when someone is bluffing online if I don’t have physical tells to rely on?” – Nick R.

• Yep, no physical tells online, but there are digital ones.
• Use their HUD stats to get a read on their tendencies. If they normally call, but they raised, that’s a strength tell.
• Look at their betting patterns and sizing. This requires you to pay attention even when not involved. If you spot a pattern/sizing tell, take note of it and plan to exploit it.
• Timing can give away a lot, especially instant actions versus longer pauses. A pause before a small 7.5bb 3bet often signifies a bluff.
• Always connect their story across streets: Does it make sense, or is it full of holes? Americas Cardroom has a nifty street-by-street action indicator to help you remember what they’ve done on prior streets.

#3: “What adjustments should I make when I move up in stakes and the player pool is tougher?” – Victor J.

• Take shots at higher stakes when +5 buy-ins for the bankroll rule of 40x (discussed in prior Q&A’s below).
• Play fewer tables to give more brain space to focus on observing and learning how they play.
• Expect more aggression and more exploitative plays. If you suspect they’re exploiting your tendencies, it’s likely they are. Know your tendencies, how they can exploit them, and fight back. 2bet with a plan to 4bet, cbet flops with a plan against a check-raise.
• Each week analyze your stats and win rates (tracker in show notes page) to find your leaks and work to plug them. Easy to spot leaks are easy exploits stronger players will use against you.

#4: “What’s the most effective way to build reads on opponents if I’m not using a HUD?” – Omar D.

• You’re basically a live player. Observation is critical, so you have to be your own HUD.
• Play just 1-2 tables so you can watch and learn from the action when not involved.
• Pay close attention to showdowns b/c they reveal a player’s style and thought process. For example, at showdown you saw they had called flop and turn, and lead out for full pot when they hit their under gutter on the river. This player’s a passive calling station with draws with bet sizing tells.
• Look for frequency patterns, like maybe the past 3 times as the open-raiser, Bob cbet flop but checked turn. He’s likely turn honest. Use this against him.
• Take manual notes on tendencies, even on a piece of paper if you have to. Then, refer to the notes when you face that player in future hands.

#5: “How do I know when it’s time to leave a table and find a softer one?” – Harry M.

• If it’s an unenjoyable table for whatever reason. Life’s too short for boring, unenjoyable poker.
• When the players are frustrating you with timing down, or ticking you off with constant aggression, get out before you get mad and tilt.
• If the table is full of tough regulars and no obvious fish.
• If you can’t spot the fish, you’re it. Find a table with obviously weaker players.

Questions #558: Short-stack Shoves, Multi Versus Single-Table, Exploit Recs, Antes Kick In, Bubble Play, Tourney Bankroll Rules

Listen to Q&A episode #558 as you follow along below:

3x Online Cash Game Questions

1. “How do I adjust when I keep running into short-stackers who shove a lot preflop?” – Marc

• Have a tight calling range even against habitual short-stack shovers. If they can shove with worse and your hand is > of their range, calling is okay.
• Get ready for the variance, the up and down swings, that come with calling all-ins versus wild players.
• Consider their position and their shove frequency.
• Before calling, consider how other players will react. Is someone capable of shoving to pressure you? Call with stronger hands to defend. If other possible callers, have a post-flop plan to steal in case you whiff the flop.
• Avoid speculative hands (like suited connectors) since short stacks don’t give you implied odds.

2. “Is it better to multi-table smaller stakes or focus on just one or two higher-stakes tables?” – Jem

• Generally, I recommend to stick with the stake you’re bankrolled for. I covered this in the last episode, but 40x buy-ins for cash game.
• For taking shots, play fewer of the higher-stakes tables so you can focus, hand-read, and exploit individual players more effectively.
• Normal stakes, play what’s comfortable as long as your reads and decisions can remain at A-game level.

3. “What are some good ways to spot and exploit recreational players when using a HUD?” – Gary

• The larger the gap between VPIP and PFR, the more likely they’re a juicy fish to target. The gap comes from their preflop calls and limps. Look for 40/5, 65/10, 80/1.
• Look for extremes. Anything closer to 0% or 100% are more easily exploitable. VPIP at 10% is super tight and folds a lot, VPIP at 80% loves to see flops so expect them to call preflop.
• Look for big drop offs or increases from street to street. If Fold to Flop Cbet is 70% on the flop and 20% on the turn, he makes his decision on the flop. Bluff every flop, but only barrel with your best hands for value.

3x Online Tournament Questions

4. “How should I change my play when antes kick in compared to the early levels without them?” – Mathieu

• Generally, don’t. It’s still early, so you probably have 30bb+ when the antes kick in.
• Sure, there’s more $ in the pot, but you’re still either in the non-blinds with just a tiny ante invested, or in the blinds with .6 or 1.1bb invested.
• Money in the pot isn’t yours any longer, and you’re playing the player. You’re not playing for the extra BB in antes.
• If they open-raiser has tendencies you can exploit, call. If the blinds are weak and you can exploit them, raise. If you love your hand, raise. If your hand is good and worthy of defending, call.
• Plus, don’t forget that chips lost are worth more than chips won. Risking chips just b/c there’s an extra bb in the pot isn’t good strategy.

5. “What’s the best bubble approach? Tighten up to secure a min-cash or attacking to build a stack?” – Mathieu

• The larger the tournament, the quicker you’ll get through the bubble. 500 players get paid, that’s >50 tables full of players. You won’t have to wait long so folding to get there is fine.
• In smaller tournaments, the bubble can last a long time. That’s when you’ll want to attack those who are fearful of busting and holding on for dear life.
• With a healthy stack, pressure medium and small stacks who are trying to fold into the money.
• If you’re short, survival and laddering can be the priority, but don’t pass on obvious +EV shoves. A successful 3bet shove at 15bb’s can win you 5bb’s, which is a 33% stack increase.

6. “How do I manage my bankroll differently for tournaments compared to cash games?” – Doug

• Tournament variance is way higher, so you’ll need a much larger bankroll (100-200 buy-ins).
• Remember that only 10% of the field gets paid. So, an average player can expect to make it into the money only 1 out of every 10 tournaments. A downswing in tourneys can eat up your bankroll fast if you’re playing above your roll.
• Always play stakes that won’t cripple your roll.

Hand Reading Practice from the Hand Reading Workbook:

Questions #557: Barrel Bluffs, Using HUD, Card Dead, Bankroll Rules, Exploit Limpers and Multi-tabling Profits

Listen to Q&A episode #557:

“How do I know when to double barrel a bluff on the turn instead of just giving up after my flop c-bet?” -Alex R.

“What’s the best way to use a HUD without getting overwhelmed by all the stats?” -Monica T.

“How do I stay disciplined when I keep getting dealt garbage hands for what feels like hours?” -Derek L.

“What’s a smart bankroll management rule for low-stakes online cash games?” -Priya S.

“How do I exploit players who always limp into the pot instead of raising?” -Jordan M.

“Should I play multiple tables at once to increase my win rate, or focus on just one until I improve?” -Sam K.