All plays lose value in case your opponent is properly reading your strategy. Some plays only have value when your opponent is incapable of reading your intent and properly adjusting. For that reason, many valuable plays in smaller no-limit games against weaker opposition have little value when playing higher-stakes games where tougher opposition will read your strategies and make correct adjustments to them. Of course, probably the most better players at lower stakes will correctly adjust also. So, when considering a strategic play, you have to differentiate between opponents who read accurately and properly adjust and those that don’t.

I open-raised in early position to $20 in a $2-$5 no-limit game with 10 10 and was called by a mostly loose-passive opponent at the button, both blinds folded. Mr. Loose-Passive was $760 deep. I had him covered, giving us $760 effective stack sizes. We took the flop heads-up, one I smashed when it came 10 9 3. With an enormous collection of potential draws available, playing straightforwardly and leading out in contrast loose-passive opponent will be the right play. Slow-playing could be a poor choice, as Mr. Loose-Passive would check a lot of his draws that he would call with, in addition to call me with any pair, a few of which he would likely check. Slow-playing on draw-heavy boards where you’re more likely to get called anyway, often just leads to you giving up expected value.

Looking to maximise my value, I fired $35 into the $45 pot, and he called. My bet-sizing leaned toward the high side, but with any such draw-heavy board and a calling-prone opponent, I ASSUMED a larger bet was my top choice. The turn card came the 8, picking up additional draws and straightening the Q-J component to his range. I tossed in $90, he hesitated and called again, putting $295 within the pot. I read him for being weak or drawing.

Hello, the worst card within the deck, the J. Both the diamond flush hit and it put a four-straight at the board. That said, I didn’t need to have the worst hand, but it surely was a tough spot being out of position. Mr. Loose-Passive was $615 deep, and if I checked to him, he would value-bet his made hands that beat mine in addition to make some bluffs. I didn’t need to check-fold, nor did I WOULD LIKE to name a large bet, despite the fact that his range included some bluffs. I BELIEVED about my most suitable option. Was there how to manipulate Mr. Loose-Passive into not placing me in a tricky situation at the river? A TROUBLESOME situation I MIGHT inevitably make some expensive errors in.

I didn’t think Mr. Loose-Passive would raise on a bluff and he might make a small call with two pair. I felt that if I bet a small amount, I’d set the betting price at a cheaper price point than if I checked. I MIGHT get calls from a couple of weaker hands in his range that he would otherwise check and stop him from executing a bluff. The combo in value from each of these scenarios made me deduce a small-sized wager was the optimum play. I bet $105, a smallish wager in a $295 pot, he sighed and called. I flipped over my three tens. He stared at my hand with a puzzled look after which turned up the 6 4 for the flush.

Yeah, I lost the pot. But in retrospect, I’m proud of my play. Had I checked the river, I'D have undoubtedly been faced with a raffle larger than $105. If I check-folded, I MIGHT have mucked some winners to his betting range when he was bluffing. Alternatively, I MIGHT have called some bigger-sized bets if I'D have check-called, though I'D have picked up one of the vital value lost by picking off his bluffs.

Would check-calling have better value than betting small? I BELIEVE it might if I USED TO BE up against a bluff-happy opponent. But Mr. Loose-Passive, while in a position to bluffing, wasn’t one to bluff repeatedly. However the fact he was in a position to bluffing, but not one to lift as a bluff, made preventing that bluff add value to my situation. And had he held a hand like J-9 suited or 9-8 suited, instead of checking when checked to, he possibly would have called my bet and lost. Yes, that’s not much of his range, nevertheless it adds additional cumulative value to my wager.

The hand speaks to choosing a plan of action in line with my opponent’s tendencies. With a higher-quality opponent who might read the intentions of my play accurately, the small river bet play wouldn’t be suitable. A HIGH QUALITY reader and good player wouldn't only raise in that situation along with his good hands, but in addition raise as a bluff together with his weak hands, making my reasons for creating a small-sized bet irrelevant. The important thing to creating plays like this correctly is accurately reading your opponent, his mindset, and the plays he's capable of.

Live poker isn't to be played with a mindset of analyzing your cards in comparison to the board, determining the strength of your hand, and playing it accordingly. It’s not video poker, where the principal situation doesn’t vary. Live poker involves people, with varying strategies on the poker table. You should be in a position to read your opponent’s strategies, adjust by designing plays to milk his strategies and execute those plays.
It’s numerous mental processing, but playing poker well isn’t easy, and whilst you learn how to adjust effectively, you’ll have taken your game to the next level! ♠

Roy Cooke played poker professionally for 16 years previous to becoming a successful Las Vegas Real Estate Broker/Salesman. In the event you wish any details about Real Estate matters-including purchase, sale or mortgage his office number is 702-376-1515 or Roy’s e-mail is RealtyAce@aol.com. His website is www.RoyCooke.com. Roy’s blogs and poker tips are at www.RoyCookePokerlv.com. You may also find him on Facebook or Twitter @RealRoyCooke

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