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Poker Strategy XVI – When Passive Plays
Published: 2006-04-25
 There's no question that aggressive poker is winning poker. If the world's top players have only
one thing in common, it's that they take control of the hands they play with bets and raises.
Usually, among the world's poker elite, calling is the least attractive option.
For this tip, however, I thought I'd talk about a couple of instances when playing passively -
just checking and calling bets - may be the preferred option.
Top Pair, Favorable Board
Say I'm in the early stages of a tournament and I have an ample stack. I find Ace-Jack in middle
position and raise to three times the big blind. A player in late position, who I know to be solid
but fairly aggressive, calls my raise, and everyone else folds. The flop comes As-4d-8h. I've got
top-pair, with a decent kicker.
First, I want to think about the hands my opponent might hold. It's likely he called my raise with
an Ace or a pocket pair, maybe in the range of 66-99. He may have also called with two high cards
like KQ, KJ or QJ.
In this situation, I'm likely very far ahead or hopelessly behind if my opponent hit a set or has
a bigger Ace. If he's got an Ace with a worse kicker, he's drawing to only three outs. If he's got
a pocket pair like 77, he has only two outs. With just two face cards, he's almost drawing dead.
And on this board (As-4d-8h), I don't need to be especially worried about straight or flush draws.
Because of this, I don't mind giving my opponent a free card.
If I bet my top pair and my opponent holds a pocket pair, he's likely to fold, and I'll have
failed to get any additional value out of my hand. If I check, however, I give this player the
chance to bluff or bet his lesser Ace, and I can then call.
Ideally, I want to get one decent-sized bet in over the course of this hand and by checking, I
prevent my opponent from giving me more action than my hand can handle.
Say the turn is 3c. The situation hasn't changed much. I'm still either way ahead or very far
behind. I can check again, and allow my opponent to bluff.
On most river cards, if we have checked the hand down, I will generally bet. If we've put one bet
in, I'll probably check-call, and if we've put in two, I'll likely check and fold. Playing the
hand in this manner provides three advantages. It allows me to get good value out of a strong
hand, and it also keeps me from losing more than I need to against a hand that has mine beat
without too much risk. Additionally, playing this way gives my opponent the opportunity to bluff,
which is the only way to get any money out of him if he holds a hand like QJ.
Decent Hand, Scary Board
Here's another early tournament situation where my opponents and I have relatively deep stacks.
Say I'm holding pocket 8s in middle position and a player has raised pre-flop from early position.
I call the raise and a player in late position calls as well. The three of us see a flop of Jd-Jc-
4s.
There's a decent chance that my 8s are good, but I want to proceed cautiously, as either of the
other players in the hand could hold a Jack.
Say that all three of us check this flop. I really haven't learned too much, because someone could
be slow playing trip Jacks.
The turn comes 6h. This doesn't look like it would have helped anyone's hand, but the pre-flop
raiser bets from early position. This is a spot where I'd likely just call. There are a couple of
advantages to just calling in this situation. First, it doesn't over-commit me to the pot. If the
player in late position raises, I can muck having lost a minimum number of chips. Secondly, the
call is going to look very scary to my opponents. They might be thinking that I'm the one slow
playing trip Jacks. So, even if the early position player holds a higher pocket pair, he's likely
to check on the river no matter what card hits. At that point, I can show down my 8s and see if
they are in fact the best hand.
The problem with this play relative to the last one is that I am probably giving my opponent six
outs to catch up and beat my hand if he has two over-cards, as opposed to two or three outs in the
previous example.
I don't play passively often, but under the right circumstances, just calling bets can provide
good value while minimizing risk.
For another perspective on passive play, be sure to read the lesson entitled In Defense of the
Call by Gavin Smith.
By C. Ferguson
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Poker Tip: Protecting Your Blinds
Published: 2006-04-26
 By Dale Blasingame
VegasInsider@woai.com
One of the trickiest aspects of poker is deciding when to defend your blind and when to give it up. The question cannot be answered easily.
If you have trouble with any of the terminology, check the bottom of the column. I’ve provided definitions for most of the terms used.
Allow me to go over a few scenarios and explain my thought process when I've already got some money in the pot, facing a raise. It really shows the importance of strategy and the stage of the game.
First Scenario:
Home game, tournament style
Eight players left (nine started)
Blinds at 10/20
I have 1200 chips left
I have A-9 suited in the small blind
The pot's been raised to 80 by the player under the gun
Obviously, we're in the first stages of the game here. Usually, I play pretty tight at the beginning, trying to figure out the table. In this situation, most people would consider it an automatic call. Some would even re-raise. Not me. I would fold this hand. Why risk chips this early in a game with such a questionable hand? What happens if an Ace hits the flop and another player puts in a pot-sized bet? You're stuck... that's what happens. Your kicker probably isn't good and you could actually lose all your chips because you felt the need to protect those ten you already had on the table. Just toss the hand.
Second Scenario:
Home game, tournament style
Five players left (nine started)
Blinds at 50/100
I have 2300 chips left
I have A-9 suited in the big blind
The pot's been raised to 300 by the player in the small blind
Okay, so we're a little later in the game. You're doing okay... about doubled your chip stack since the last scenario. You have the same hand, but this is a much different situation. Here, I would at least call and see the flop... possibly re-raise. Why? As more and more players get knocked out, you have to open up your play. This is still a questionable hand, but you have to remember the players around you are probably raising with hands much more questionable than yours -- especially the player in the small blind. At this point in the game, he could have anything from a small pocket pair, to two big cards... or he could be trying to steal the blinds (they're definitely big enough at this stage to start doing that.) If this player shows any hesitance after the flop, pounce on them and take the pot right there -- no matter what shows up on the flop.
Third Scenario:
Home game, tournament style
Three players left (nine started)
Blinds at 150/300
I have 3900 chips left (chip leader has 6000, small blind has 3600)
I have A-9 suited in the big blind
The pot's been raised to 1200 by the player in the small blind
We're down to three players and an Ace is probably the best hand. So here, I'm moving all in! You have to put pressure on the small blind, considering it's HIM who will be all-in. Again, this late in the game, A-9 is probably the best hand out on the table. Even if he has a hand like 8-8, you're still less than a 3:2 underdog.
I realize that's not a simple, neat answer. There really isn't one. Defending your blind is all about the situation, the feel of the table, and the flow of the game. Like bluffing, it's something you learn with time. I will offer this little nugget, though -- if you're stuck in a raised blind and you absolutely don't know what to do, fold. Live another hand... hopefully a hand where you have more control of the situation.
Editor’s Note: Want to learn to play to win like Dale? News 4 WOAI has put together four tips that the experts say will help you play like a pro. Natalia Zea deals you in Friday at 10pm on News 4 WOAI.
Terminology…
Blind: A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. Usually, blinds are put in by players immediately to the left of the dealer.
Call: To call is to match the current bet. If there has been a bet of $1 and a raise of $1 then it costs $2 to call.
Flop: The flop is the first three community cards dealt.
Steal: To try and win the pot by betting when everyone else has checked, or by making a large raise when everyone else has called.
Tight: A player that only plays with good cards. Also, a table or game where most players play properly; i.e. with good cards.
Tournament Play: Each player sits down with the same number of chips, and eventually only one player has any chips left. Tournaments are usually played with chips that have no value outside of the tournament. So a buy-in of $30 might get you $500 in tournament chips to play with, but you can't cash them out in the middle. The winner of a tournament (the last player to bust out) as well as several of the other top finishers are typically awarded prize money according to some predetermined schedule.
Under the Gun: The player who must act first in the betting round.
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