Loading...Looking at the Hand as a Whole
You don't need a life coach to tell you thinking about the hand as a whole will help your game. A mistake too many small-stakes players make is looking at each decision in a hand as a separate entity.
In reality, each and every play you make affects the entire course of the hand.
The problem with taking each decision as it comes is that you don't take into account the potential cause and effect of each play - you just act, and then are surprised when you're left with a tough decision.
Good players understand that each decision affects the final outcome of the hand.
They know that what they do before the flop and on the flop is going to dictate what happens on the turn and river. And they plan ahead for probable outcomes.
Taking each decision as it comes
An example:
$1/$2 six-max game, effective stacks $200. A fishy player under the gun raises to $6 and you call on the button with T
T
. Everyone else folds and you take a flop heads-up of T
4 3.
Your opponent bets $8 and you raise to $16. He calls. The turn is the 4. He checks, and you check behind to slow play.
The river comes 2. He checks. You bet $35. He calls and shows A J. Your full house beats his flush and you win a $117 pot.
Each play you make is not separate. They are all connected.
Because you took each decision as it came, you lost out on a lot of money. If, instead, you had a plan for the hand, you would have played the entire hand differently.
When you flop big, your goal is to win your opponent's stack. So plan for that and make it a possibility.
If you had a plan
$1/$2 six-max game, effective stacks $200. A fishy player under the gun raises to $6 and you call on the button with T T.
Everyone else folds and you take a flop heads-up of T 4 3. Your opponent bets $8 and you raise to $34. He calls.
The turn is the 4. He checks and you bet $65. He calls
The river comes 2. He checks and you bet your remaining $95. He calls and shows A J.
You still win, but this time because you thought about the entire hand and had a plan to build the pot, you win his entire stack instead of just a small portion.
A few changes in strategy and you win almost four times as much.
One more set of examples:
Taking each decision as it comes
$1/$2 six-max game, effective stacks $500. It's folded to an aggressive regular on the button who raises to $7. You feel you're better than his raising range so you three-bet to $30 with the J J. He calls.
The flop comes T 5 6. You c-bet $40 and he calls. The turn comes 4.You bet $90 and he calls.
The river comes 2. You bet $140 and he shoves for $310.
You're now in a miserable spot and talk yourself into calling. He tables 7 8 and wins the $1,000 pot with a straight.
You didn't think about the hand as whole. You just took each decision as it came and you ended up getting into a tough spot and losing a ton of money.
If you had a plan
$1/$2 six-max game, effective stacks $500. It's folded to an aggressive regular on the button who raises to $7.
Plan your hand and profit.
You realize that one pair plays poorly deep and you will either win a small pot or lose a big one. So you elect to just call and play pot control with the J J.
The flop comes T 5 6. You check. He fires $10 and for the same reasons you called pre-flop you just call again on the flop.
The turn comes 4. You check and he bets $22. You once again just call. The river comes 2. You check. He bets $55.
You know he's capable of value-betting worse, and three-barreling air to try and get you to fold a hand like 8-8, so you call.
He tables 7 8 and still wins with his straight. But this time you lose just $95 rather than $500 (or even $300 if you fold the river in the other example).
You looked at the entire hand as a whole and had a plan.
You didn't needlessly build a giant pot because you know one pair doesn't play well deep - and that your opponent could put you in an extremely difficult spot in a big pot.
You ended up losing, but you lost the absolute minimum because you weren't just mindlessly making a decision every time the action was on you.
Re-cap
Each time the action is on you, look at the hand as a whole and realize the possible ramifications of each potential decision.
Each decision changes the course of rest of the hand, and if you don't realize the ramifications of each possibility, you're going to be left in difficult spots on the later streets.
Know your goal for the hand and plan your play around that goal. It's a little more work, but the potential effects on your win rate will be very real.
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Comment(s) on this article
bennie99 Nov 1, 2009
Brillant article daniel. This was one of the biggest mistakes i had been making in my game, until I read your tagfish article two weeks ago I'd never ever thought much about planning that far ahead. I mean i had a basic idea, but I played to much reactive poker.
Since I've started reading these stragety articles, my game has improved so much already. I put my break even earnings in the previous 3 months down to 'running bad' which was extremely naive.
Thanks again Daniel!
Roger Anderson Nov 2, 2009
Another aspect of this that I find works well is actually showing aggression with middle pair or less on the flop and semibluffing because it really helps to hide when you hit your out on later streets to give you the better hand. I have collected so many stacks recently doing this, especially against top pair. If I don't hit, I just fold and lose a minimal amount.
Rising Star Nov 2, 2009
I don't know.. I do not think it is optimal to play top set against an aggressive opponent in that manner. What if you 3-bet him before the flop and check-raised on the flop?? Pretty sure he lays down his draws or shoves. Calling a shove even on a semi-wet board like this isn't the worst play. Am i wrong?
a little confused Nov 3, 2009
So your not trying to build a big pot with the nuts on the flop with the aggressive opponent? Yeah the way you describe the hands you will play them that way when you know the outcome..... build a big pot when their flush makes your boat lol .. and keep it small when you will be sucked out on. When you flop top set against an aggressive opponent I dont think you are trying to lose the minimum. When your that deep, when are you trying to build the pot, when you have the supernuts? ;)
ScottieD Nov 4, 2009
He never states he's holding TT in the 2nd set of examples... but you have to assume so I suppose... at the point where he says you flat call $10 on the flop for same reasons as pre-flop - that would indicate he's talking about holding an overpair in the 2nd set of examples. If he's talking about holding TT here, this article is so stupid it's not funny. When can you wish to build a pot with TT then? Does it have to be T62rainbow ONLY? - or would the plan be to flat call $10 here in case he hits his gut shot on the turn.
Andy Karr Nov 4, 2009
Could you please clarify which pair is supposed to be being held in the final example? As Scottie says, one presumes it must be some kind of overpair, or the article doesn't really make sense.
hmmm.... Nov 4, 2009
in the third example it seems like you're supposed to be holding TT as well... but the other examples don't make too much sense either. Are you only calling with top set because he might hit his straight?? that wouldn't make much sense because him hitting a flush in the previous example is more probable then someone hitting a straight. and aren't you supposed to make them pay to try to fish for their straights and flushes?? this article is not making much sense...
Daniel Skolovy Nov 4, 2009
Sorry guys I don't know what happened. The second set of examples were supposed to be with pocket Jacks. I know it's a pretty big mistake and really changes the entire article. But I fixed it now and will be more careful when posting in the future.
Sorry Again,
Dan
Confused Nov 6, 2009
Of course i is easy to plan ahead when you know which cards are gonna come and which hand your opponent holds. What if the turn is an A, K or Q in the other hand. When he fires with his semi-bluff on turn what is the best move then? or if the turn in the first example is a heart that does not give you a full house.
Btw you do not think the opponent would bet when he hits the A flush in the first example? The only hand he could be scared of is TT and there are many more hands that you are mor likly to have.
I would be really thankful if you answered my questions.
KVL Nov 12, 2009
In the first example if you're holding the TT and the last card drawn is a 8 of hearts for example.
You can assume he has made a flush, and you're now holding TTT and not a full house.
What is the play in that case? Do you run it, or fold?
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