It’s time for some more complex stuff. The topic today is one I picked up when reading Hold’em Poker for the Advanced Player. It involves a concept for which they use seven card stud low (called Razz) to illustrate. The concept is that it is possible to lose equity in a pot by raising with the best hand when playing against weak opposition! Sound crazy? Don’t be fooled, it makes good sense, so hopefully I can sum it up here…
The example that Sklansky and Malmuth demonstrate with is a Razz hand in which you start with a three card six-high, a strong hand. Now you see one of your weaker opponents raise with the 7♦ showing. You obviously have the best hand at this point, but it is incorrect to re-raise. This is for the sole reason that you know your opponent is weak (think internet poker) and he will act accordingly in the subsequent rounds of betting. If you raise now, it makes it correct for your opponent to call if the K♣ falls on the next street, even if you receive a baby. If you had not raised, he would have called anyway, which is a mistake that benefits only you. Also, if you just call and you get the K♣, you can escape your draw cheaply. Getting away from over-priced draws is a huge money saver for you, whereas you benefit from your weak opponents paying too much to draw when you have the lead.
Obviously, the example hand does not pertain specifically to Texas Hold’em, but there are important parallels. The point of the illustration is that you want to take advantage of your weak opponents’ mistakes, and adjust your play to conform to their loose style. Frequently against weak-loose players, smaller pots favor the one playing solid starting hands—you. The reason for this is that it will reduce the odds they are receiving to draw to gut-shots, backdoor flushes, low pair on the flop, etc. This rings especially true if you are involved in pots against multiple weak-loose opponents. A good example of a pre-flop hand you should just call with if a couple of people have entered the pot for a raise is AQ. This is because if you re-raise (with the best hand pre-flop) and your opponent flops a long-shot draw, you have caused them to have more equity in the pot and chase.
In contrast to this, if you held A♥Q♥, it may be correct to make it three bets for the same reason you call with A♣Q♦. When you make a big hand such as a nut flush, you want as much action as you can get, and you want the pot to be large so that your weak opponents will pay off with long-shot draws (potentially even drawing dead).
So, the idea is to capitalize most from your weak opponents mistakes. This means adjusting your play to accommodate for the fact that they play too many hands and play their hands too far. It also allows you to avoid sticky situations where you may be the one coming from behind, which can prove costly.
Example Hand:
You are currently two to the left of the big blind. After the player who is under the gun folds, you look down to find A♣Q♦. Knowing that many players have been coming before the flop even after an early position raise, you elect to merely call. Sure enough, four more players enter the pot, and both of the blinds call (seven players). The flop comes down Q♠8♣3♥. Now you have three options: a. bet out, b. check-raise the flop, and c. check-raise the turn. I would go with either choice a or c. Here’s why, if you bet out now, your smooth call before the flop is giving your opponent a worse price to draw with A♠8♠. If you check and he bets, you could check-raise the flop, but why give away the strength of your hand now? Plus, he will call your raise anyway, so when the turn produces the 6♠, he is now getting a better price to draw to the flush. If you check and call on the flop, it is fairly safe to assume the same player will bet out on the turn. Now you can check-raise at twice the price, and by keeping the pot small by waiting, the price is much more than twice as bad for your opponent with A♠8♠. The final board is Q♠8♣3♥6♠5♥, and your A♣Q♦ easily tops A♠8♠ to win what turned into a good sized pot.
