So, you’ve reached a level where you can consistently beat online $3/6NL cash games. You’ve studied the game and put in plenty of hours to get there. Congratulations, that isn’t easy. You take a look up at the $25/50 games and you realize that most of those guys have read the same books and put in even more hours of practice than you have. They know what you’re thinking. They know why you bet that river. They know what range of hands you would re-raise pre-flop in that spot. They have a practiced, conditioned, calculated, and standard response to all of that. So how do you beat them?
As you begin moving up in stakes and start to play against knowledgeable opponents, you have to open up your game. One way to beat the solid, standard, multi-tabling online pro is to make him think. He’s used to the same situations. You make a pot size open raise from the button. He calls in the BB. Flop is A-Q-5 rainbow. He checks; you bet $30 into $44. He’s seen that scenario (or one very similar) hundreds of times, and he knows how to handle it.
But what if you bet $10 into a $44 pot? What if you bet $87 into it? He would have to stop and think. He’d be in an unfamiliar spot and probably wouldn’t feel comfortable. Why do we have to bet a particular amount to full pot? In no limit hold’ em you have so many options. Why would you take a move out of your arsenal? The reason you should make nonstandard plays (and almost any play really) is to encourage your opponents to make a mistake. Please be careful. The key to utilizing your options well is to know why you are making the play you are making. DO NOT just go around making strange bets for no reason at all.
Mixing it up
Let’s get into some examples. The simplest reason to make a strange play is for image purposes: to affect what your opponents think of you. My friend Craig once told me about a play he loves to make. Three players limp to him and he has Js 8s in late position. Instead of limping along or putting in a large raise, he min-raises. Why? Just so his opponents think he’s an idiot. It’s a very cheap way to deceive your opposition, and it will pay off later in the night when they make mistakes against you based on how they think you play.
Sometimes you can make a play for image and receive the added bonus of gaining information. You’re playing $50/100NL Hold’em with $10k stacks. You raise to $300 on the button and the BB calls. Flop is 9- 7-2 with two diamonds, and your opponent checks to you. You bet $150 into the $600 pot. Your opponent calls. Now, you’ve done a couple of things. You’ve probably made your opponent think you’re dumb, and you’ve learned something about his hand. There’s almost no way that your opponent can have two pair or better. On a flop that draw heavy, he would never just call with a big hand. He would raise to protect and make money off his hand. Now you can use your information to either bluff him off his weak hand later, or to slow down and get the most value out of your strong hand. You’ve also given yourself the option of seeing a river for very cheap, as he will likely check the turn to you.
Read Part 2...
© Phil Galfond. Originally published in Bluff Magazine (US edition)
Phil Galfond is one of the world's most successful poker players - you can use your PKR Points to subscribe to his hugely popular poker training site, Bluefire poker.