Playing the flop after squeeze

Playing the flop after making a (failed) squeeze play pre-flop is really interesting, especially against better opponents at mid-stakes. In squeezed pots, you need to realise that there will be a lot of bluffing going on, as the pot can often be in excess of 40 big blinds and hence well worth fighting for. You should definitely spend some time messing about with ranges and equity on PokerStove, because you will have to fight hard but smart against tough opponents in these spots.

Playing out of position

The first situation to consider is playing a squeezed flop out of position (OOP). If you are OOP, the villain will have called a squeeze in position, where his range will be at its widest for squeezed pots. That’s not to say he won’t have A-A or K-K occasionally, but in general he will have more 8-8 and K-Q suited type hands than he would if he was OOP, because good opponents understand their positional advantage. Consider the player type – if a TAG has called a squeeze, his range (provided your image is solid) will be something like 8-8+/K-Qs/A-Js and some higher suited connectors like 8-9s. There will be relatively few Broadway holdings. The villain has shown himself willing to call pre-flop, which means he is happy with his hand.

If you are going to continuation-bet after a squeeze, have a plan for the hand. So let’s say you elect to squeeze J-10 suited OOP pre, and flop 9-7-4 with one of your suit. Don’t continuation bet this board unless you are going to shove or check-raise the turn (assuming the stacks are deep enough for this). On this board I think a check-raise all-in is fine, but at the same time in a squeezed pot against a tough TAG opponent it’s okay to concede occasionally (i.e. check/fold). However, continuation-betting just one barrel in squeezed pots is a huge leak. Fire twice or not at all.

Playing in position

In position, your options are obviously a little wider depending on what the action is before you. Typically I don’t mind checking back all top pair, weak kicker type hands in three-bet pots, as opponents tend to spew chips when you check back in squeezed pots, making all sorts of false assumptions about your range. Say you squeeze Ad-5d in position, the flop comes 8d-9d-Ac and the villain checks. You should check it back here, because if you then make your flush the villain will never put you on it. Also, it will be hard to extract value from worse hands in a squeezed pot by betting this board anyway. With the top pair/flush draw combo you’re either way ahead or way behind, so protection becomes less of an issue when there’s a lower pot-to-stack ratio. On the turn, tough/tricky villains will try to represent a lot of strength thinking that you are unlikely to have A-x or a flush draw and bet into you.

The secret is in doing your homework and finding out which opponents are completely horrible in three-bet pots. Your session and opponent reviews should give you a clearer understanding of individual opponents’ nuances and then it’s up to you to exploit them.