[spoonitnow strategy] An Easy Guide to Exploiting Your Opponents

[spoonitnow]

Exploitation is the name of the game in poker. A lot of people know that, but most don't know how to do it consistently or effectively. This week's article uses the concepts we've looked at in the past few weeks to help fix that.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/blogs/a...pponents-17759

After you read this article through a time or two, start looking in your own games for ways that you can exploit your opponents. Post your reads and hands where you played with a certain strategy in mind based on those reads to exploit your opponents.

[mondayscool]

Went through my recent history looking for exploitive flop spots.


Poker Stars, $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 5 Players

CO: $5.28 (105.6 bb)
BTN: $4.64 (92.8 bb)[i] 80/16 | 5/5 fold to cb | 30 hands
Hero (SB): $12.65 (253 bb)
BB: $8.40 (168 bb) 27/15 | 60% call open | 100% fold to cb | 4.8% 3b | 70 hands
MP: $7.14 (142.8 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K J
2 folds, BTN calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.17, BB calls $0.12, BTN calls $0.12

Flop: ($0.51) A 7 3 (3 players)
Hero bets $0.30

So I raised pre here for value vs. the fish. Might be thin OOP but I figure I have a decent amount of fold equity post. Got called by the BB, both players fold a lot to CB's so planning to CB a lot of dry flops with a weak range, probably check down our single pair hands and C/C flop with two pair+


Poker Stars, $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 5 Players

Hero (BTN): $12.50 (250 bb)
SB: $6.89 (137.8 bb)
BB: $3.42 (68.4 bb)
MP: $4.38 (87.6 bb)
CO: $4.93 (98.6 bb) 25/11 | 0% fold to 3b | 14% fold to cb | 75 hands

Preflop: Hero is BTN with Q Q
MP folds, CO raises to $0.15, Hero raises to $0.45, 2 folds, CO calls $0.30

Flop: ($0.97) 9 T Q (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $0.70

So yeah as we can easily tell this guy doesn't fold a lot like, ever. So we're exploiting him by betting a strong range and checking a weak range.


Poker Stars, $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

Hero (CO): $18.13 (362.6 bb)
BTN: $3.96 (79.2 bb) 83/23 | 36% 3b | 100% cb | 41 hands | 75% fold to cb
SB: $5.89 (117.8 bb)
BB: $5.30 (106 bb)
UTG: $5.62 (112.4 bb)
MP: $1.93 (38.6 bb)

Preflop: Hero is CO with J J
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.15, BTN calls $0.15, 2 folds

Flop: ($0.37) Q 8 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.20, Hero calls $0.20

So I decided to XC OTF here because I think betting it is basically turning my hand into a bluff. Not to mention the guy had been pretty active and I expected him to bet a large portion of the time when checked to. He bets like any pair and random bluffs here I think, and I should have more than enough equity to XC. So we're exploiting him by letting him bet our middle strength hands for us?

[spoonitnow]

On the first hand, you're thinking along the right lines. I think this spot is fine, but just remember to be careful with multi-way bluffs where you don't have much equity if called because you need so much more fold equity to be profitable.

On the second hand, your bet size is too low. You can easily be betting at least $0.90 here on such a wet board against this guy without changing his calling range much at all.

On the third hand, your head is in the right place, but the way you describe it is a little wonky. You can probably value bet your hand here and have him call with a range that you beat just because his range is so wide and the flop is so dry. Value betting with a hand that might not be ahead of his calling range isn't accurately described as turning your hand into a bluff if you aren't expecting him to fold better hands ever. Checking is likely the best play here because of how wide his range is and how aggressive he's likely to be. Basically, you get him to put in more money with a weaker range more often when you check than when you bet. He's going to bet a wide, weak range into you, etc.

Overall, these are some good applications of what we've been talking about.

[surviva316]

This isn't really relevant to OP, but Hand 1 is the PERFECT spot to open big, like $.30. You exploit his fit or fold tendencies more by making him pay more to see a flop he'll likely fold on anyway. And then, when you both hit, you'll be able to build a pot much more easily with a TPGK hand that will dominate his call down range but won't play awesome with a high SPR. Also, the BB is SO much more likely to come along for $0.12 more than he is facing $0.25 on top, and you really wann iso against this fit-or-fold type of opponent.

[WeldPhaser]

Good job Monday. Btw. Post some more of hands bro. Lets light the bc up!!!!

[mondayscool]

On the first hand, you're thinking along the right lines. I think this spot is fine, but just remember to be careful with multi-way bluffs where you don't have much equity if called because you need so much more fold equity to be profitable.

On the second hand, your bet size is too low. You can easily be betting at least $0.90 here on such a wet board against this guy without changing his calling range much at all.

On the third hand, your head is in the right place, but the way you describe it is a little wonky. You can probably value bet your hand here and have him call with a range that you beat just because his range is so wide and the flop is so dry. Value betting with a hand that might not be ahead of his calling range isn't accurately described as turning your hand into a bluff if you aren't expecting him to fold better hands ever. Checking is likely the best play here because of how wide his range is and how aggressive he's likely to be. Basically, you get him to put in more money with a weaker range more often when you check than when you bet. He's going to bet a wide, weak range into you, etc.

Overall, these are some good applications of what we've been talking about.

I suppose in hand two that if my flop sizing is too low then my pre sizing could be bigger as well. Like .55-.60 or something like that eh.

For hand three, I always thought that the more dry the flop, the stronger villain's calling range should be? I think with that line of thinking I'm trying to lump all villains into one category when I should be playing tendencies. I think with this particular villain he's not really paying attention to board texture, he likely doesn't know what a dry flop and a wet flop look like, etc. which is why we may be able to value bet here? But all that's beside the point of the actual hand.

[mondayscool]

This isn't really relevant to OP, but Hand 1 is the PERFECT spot to open big, like $.30. You exploit his fit or fold tendencies more by making him pay more to see a flop he'll likely fold on anyway. And then, when you both hit, you'll be able to build a pot much more easily with a TPGK hand that will dominate his call down range but won't play awesome with a high SPR. Also, the BB is SO much more likely to come along for $0.12 more than he is facing $0.25 on top, and you really wann iso against this fit-or-fold type of opponent.

Excellent idea. Didn't even think of that at the time. We increase FE vs. the BB who we don't want to come along while increasing value vs. the BTN.

[surviva316]

If anything, people who recognize board texture and stuff call cbets lighter on dry flops. Q82r is almost an auto-cbet with most of your range, whereas Q82tt makes it so much easier for villain's preflop calling range to continue, so you're less likely to fire a single barrel.