"Creative situational plays" - what's your favorit

[roy3]

Since success at NL poker depends greatly on ability to “play the players”, ie, make situational plays, I thought it be prudent to ask what your favourite moves/adaptions are when you have solid reads on active opponents in various situations?

Just a few starters:

Preflop

Often limp AA/KK in EP/MP when there are overly aggressive/loose and weak players in LP on big stacks, and go for a huge reraise/ push. There’s a good chance to get a terrible call from AK/JJ or even worse.

Frequently call tight PFRs on big stacks who can’t lay down big pairs with any pair or SC or other holding with any real potential.

On the flop

As PFR, holding value (>=TPTK) on draw-friendly flop (2-flush and/or connectors) against two muppets who just can’t fold a flush draw or OE-draw, overbet massively and give them a chance to really make an appalling call.


Of course there are myriads of useful plays to resort to when up against well known opponents. What are your favourites?

Hoping to see a looong list of creative moves,
roy3

[journey075]

knock their chips off the table to get a good table image.

[Miffed22001]

favourite?
pushing my hand on the turn when i know he has a draw and is too dumb to calculate the odds and fold it.

(oh yeah and writing in the chat box 'jesus dealer gimme something other than rags' and then raising my next hand to 4bbs no matter what i have)

[Rondavu]

I love raising unconnected unsuited rags, and then flopping strong. Last night raised 83o and got an 889AJ community. My loose image caused my opponent to give me all their chips with AJ. I love that play.

You do it to set up a bluffshow, but implied odds are there for the taking if you hit.

[roy3]

perhaps it could be a good idea to separate "favourite moves" from "obvious moves".

Obvious
* Don't try to bluff a calling station.
* Respect the TIGHT MAN UTG when he reraises all-in preflop

Creative
* well, what do you guys suggest?

[The_Bankroll]

my favorite is when i'm early position, usually from the blinds with 4-5 limpers, and it gets checked around till the guy on the button pops out an obviouse steal attempt, then check-raising him and taking down a nice pot. If they are smart enough to position bet, they should be smart enough to know that check-raise = don't fuck with me

another one is when I'm down to the last 3-5 of an SNG, where there has been a lot of blind stealing going on, and a lot of the blinds have been pushing over steal bets, pulling off resteals. then I get a monster hand on the button, and play it just like another blind steal attempt, getting the BB to push all-in at me when I have AA!

[Seabass]

Full ring: Raise big with rags vs the usual campers and (A) see them fold when they miss there set or (B) see them cry when I hit big vs there cold called AA.

SH: Betting weak oop on the river to get that missed draw or weak hand to come over me.

[DaNutsInYoEye]

Advertising plays can apply to both online and live play, although I only really do it live. The first couple orbits I tend to play fairly loose and make an effort to make an "ill-timed" bluff when it doesn't cost me too much and I know I'm likely to get called. I then I make a show out of spreading my hand. The worse my hand is, the better the effect. After that I tighten up and play my normal game and most of the time get paid off all night long. Your average player doesn't realize that you've only been playing premium hands for the last 3 hours. They only remember those first couple orbits and your terrible bluff. On the other hand, these same players will remember if you sit down and immediately start playing like a rock (ie. doing something like folding in an unraised pot while in the SB while playing 1/2 NL because it's almost unheard of in your average live game).

Sometimes the play is just so horrid that such advertising isn't necessary, but usually there are at least a couple decent players that will come to respect you and not give you action. Early advertsing usually prevents this. I only really do it live because I'll be likely playing the same table for 6,7,8... hours against many of the same players. This gives you time to see the benefits. Online though people tend to come and go and tables get broken up much more quickly so it makes it less advantageous to sell an image right when you sit down. I also tend to play multiple tables online which again doesn't make it as important to me.

Although more general and not really situational, you can do other things to suggest that you play or will play differently than you actually do. I typically order a drink soon after I sit down, although that first drink is almost always my last. If you don't play my hands, make sure the ones you do get noticed. If you raise then make sure you announce to the table that "I'm gonna to have to bump up the price to play." When you limp in tell the dealer to "gimme something good this time." If you call a raise, "Ok, I'll see one more card." What you say doesn't have to be this cheesy, but you get the idea.

[Corey]

I often limp KK and AA early hoping for a raise...

Then ill reraise / push...

[BIGandRICH]

I love raising unconnected unsuited rags, and then flopping strong. Last night raised 83o and got an 889AJ community. My loose image caused my opponent to give me all their chips with AJ. I love that play.

You do it to set up a bluffshow, but implied odds are there for the taking if you hit.

i love this one too.. particularly against guys who will have a big go at you about being stupid for playing hands like that.

[kc8986]

(oh yeah and writing in the chat box 'jesus dealer gimme something other than rags' and then raising my next hand to 4bbs no matter what i have)

Funny, I had a ring game recently where I "really" was getting rags for about 6 or so hands in a row. I said something similar, and proceeded to land QQ on the very next hand. I bet big, then all-in when I flopped another Q, and had 2 callers. Took them both.

[SinkRox]

if i have a nice hand / lock or nr lock and i feel the small stack behind me will just push the rest of his chips in, theres a little trick to try and get ppl behind the short stack more involved..

i like to raise just below the short stacks amount... now when they shove their chips in hopefully someone else will call and then it comes back to you to act again and a min raise here really beefs up the pot and can get the middle guy commited.

[dsaxton]

I love raising unconnected unsuited rags, and then flopping strong. Last night raised 83o and got an 889AJ community. My loose image caused my opponent to give me all their chips with AJ. I love that play.

You do it to set up a bluffshow, but implied odds are there for the taking if you hit.

Unsuited bullcrap doesn't really have very good implied odds.

[aislephive]

I love raising unconnected unsuited rags, and then flopping strong. Last night raised 83o and got an 889AJ community. My loose image caused my opponent to give me all their chips with AJ. I love that play.

You do it to set up a bluffshow, but implied odds are there for the taking if you hit.

Unsuited bullcrap doesn't really have very good implied odds.

Exactly, a hand like 38o has absolutely no potential. Remote straight and flush possibilities, and the chances of flopping a set or two pair is terrible. Even if you flop a set, you could be paying off a full house in the process. If you're going to be aggressive and playing a lot of pots, make sure your hands at least have some promise. Small pairs, connectors, and suited cards all have massive potential. If I'm raising with a hand like 830 then I'm in for the purpose of chasing away the better hand, not hoping to catch a miracle flop, in which case the cards don't even matter.

[BIGandRICH]

when i (and i think rondavu will agree) raise a hand like 83 off, its never with the intent to see a showdown. Its to bluff out the hand and show to loosen the image, you want the hand to look as stupid as possible, small pair/connectors can be taken as a legitimate raise, where as 83 will bring you off as just plain crazy. Its just of extra value when you do flop a big hand... we dont go in thinking the implied odds on 83o are +EV. But the play is because it gets us paid off bigger later on, and we generally make money off the move from taking the pot anyway.