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In this article, I will tell you specific practical techniques that work starting with microlimits and should be in the arsenal of any professional player. For the most part, we will talk about bluff bets and semi-bluff bets on draw, but do not forget that for the draw of draw there are two detailed articles on the site: play straight draw in poker, How to play flush draw in poker with maximum EV. After completing the initial pre-flop betting, the poker hand goes to the next stage of the game - post-flop, where decisions will be made by the players remaining in the hand. Some actions apply only to those players who went to the post-flop without initiative as a caller, for example, donk-bet. Some relate to the actions of the preflop aggressor, for example, c-bet.
In this article, we will discuss a number of strategic post-flop moves for both the collector and the aggressor's preflop:
- donk bet;
- floating;
- check-raise vs c-bet or raise vs c-bet ip;
- prob bet;
Actions of the aggressor's preflop on the postflop, which have already been analyzed in other articles. Check-raise as PFR OOP is separately discussed in the article - how to play post-flop OOP
1. How to apply check-raise and c-bet raise in a position in poker (as a pre-flop-collector)
The player who equalized the open-raise on the preflop is the preflop-coller. The pre-flop-color, as a defending party, also has a diverse arsenal of methods of fighting for the established bank. At the same time, protection can be both passive (check-call or call) and active (check-raise or raise). The most common methods of active defense and pressure on the preflop aggressor are check-raise (without a position) and raise counter-beta (in a position). Both check-raise and raise c-bet can be made pre-flop-color both on the velly (with a strong combination) and as a bluff (with a weak hand, but in suitable situations). And also often done in a semi-bluff on the hands with draw.
Different situations of check-raise and counter-beta raise (as pre-flop-colleer)
The information in the article is of a general nature, but is mainly updated for low limits up to $33 in tournaments.
Check-raise on BB SB and raise counter-beta on CO BU on vellya
- on dynamic structures, the board (wood-burning) is made on any set and dopper, as well as on the best top pairs against the late position of the racer.
- on dry structures, the lower and middle dopper is necessarily razyme, top dopper can sometimes be sloped to slowplay. We play the top set with a call, the rest of the sets can be value on the vellya.
- against relatively passive opponents, who most likely will not deposit additional chips into the bank themselves on later betting streets, it is better to increase the range of velly raises immediately on the flop.
Check-raise on BBSB as a bluff (done exclusively against sizing of c-bet <40% of the bank)
- Raise counterbet c-bet on bluff with equity (gutshot, third pair, best backdoors with over cards and blockers) can be done on a wide range of flop structures, avoiding only the most suitable for the racer.
- Raise counter-beta on full bluff is done only on 4 board structures:
Small flush draw structures (8-) + always continue on the turn with the 2nd barrel   ,    ,    ,   |
High card (A-Q) + 2 small (8-) + continue the turn with at least some equity or blockers to the value  ,  ,   ,   |
Small paired structures (88-) + always continue to turn ,   ,  ,   |
Small 3-flash board (T-) + always continue to turn  , |
Counterbet raise on BB SB BU COв semi-bluff (Made exclusively against counterbet sizing <40% pot) c-bet
- With monster-draw (flush draw + over cards, flush draw + straight draw, flush draw + third pair, flush draw + gutshot), you can play actively, exerting strong pressure on the opponent with raises and bets.
- In this case, we want to realize the fold equity to the maximum and try to knock out the matches, including the top pair of our opponent. In cases of billing, we will always have about 50% equity excluding the worst-case scenarios.
- With the usual flush draw or straight draw, the choice between aggressive and passive drawing is more difficult. If your effective stacks are less than 40bb, there is a risk that the villain against your raise will go to all-in, and then you will have to fold a weak draw.
This will lead to a drop in the implementation of your equity, so in such cases, we most often choose a passive strategy. However, there are exceptions when the board suits us very well, and we have very high fold equity on it.
Hand selection
Beginner players often believe that the profitability of the bluff depends heavily on our hand. In fact, the profitability of the bluff depends much more on the flop structure and sizing of the opponent's bet. The hand, of course, also matters, because of the blocker factor and having at least some equity during a bluff, but since the mathematics of bluff profitability is based on fold equity, and not on equity - the structure of the board is much more important.
Definition: An exploitable situation is a situation in which the field (that is, a significant number of players) is likely to perform similar actions with big probability. Exploits of the field are revealed in the course of research of large databases of hands played by a large number of players. Knowledge of field exploits allows you to build and apply the most profitable bluff strategies in certain typical situations.
Continuation along the tern and river
The continuation of activity on subsequent streets after a check-raise or counter-beta raise will depend on the strength of our hand, the released ranauts and the structure of the board.
- Value, we continue to always put on the turn and the river. Bet varies from 30% to 100%+ and depends on various factors.
- As a bluff situations to put an extended bet on the turn, after a raise on the flop, in general, is a normal solution for almost any situation.
We may be intimidated by runouts such as A, K, and Q on many structures. Also, not the best option for continuing the bluff would be a Paired board of a top pair or an average board board pair. In the remaining runouts, we can continue on the turn with a 70% pot rate. On the river, most often we will give up, but sometimes you can intuitively put the 3rd barrel. Do not overdo it with aggression on the river, it is expensive and is often not done quite consciously, from the greedy desire to take the pot. During such bluff on the turn, you better mentally prepare yourself for a check-pass on the river; learn to part with the pot, give it to the opponent.
- With an aggressive semi-bluff on the flop, we do not stop and continue to put 70% of the pot on the turn. Sometimes only on the turn, and sometimes we can put all 3 barrels as a bluff.
If we reached the river, and we did not close the small draw, with which we definitely lose the showdown with a small high card, in some situations it makes sense to continue bluffing at a rate of 25-30%.
2. What is donk-bet, and when is it worth doing it
Another way to intercept the initiative and put pressure on the preflop aggressor is donk-bet (or “lead”).
Definition: donk bet - the bet that we make first, being without a position, against an opponent who was the aggressor in the previous betting round. Thus, we are ahead of the pre-flop-raiser cbet.
How dock betas are used by amateurs
Donkey bet from an amateur can be interpreted in different ways. It can be either a bet with a complete bluff just to put pressure or a bet with a weak hand in order to get to the next street cheaply, or a bet with nuts. But most often dock betas on the flop are weak hands and bluff. Therefore, dock betas on the flop from amateurs will most often be raising in a bluff and trying to knock it out on the turn with a second large bet (70-120% of the pot). It is also very important to pay attention to the sizing of the dock beta from the amateur. There are many weak and middle hands in the rate of up to 50% of the pot. But if the donk-bet is more than 50% of the pot, then you should be afraid of it, such a bet often enough means good equity, and it will be more correct to just throw out the unmade or weak hand. If an amateur makes dock bets on the turn or river after a passive draw on the flop, this is most often a vellya, especially on the river.
Donkeys in the strategy of professionals
Initially, the strategy of donk-bets was considered a manifestation of unprofessionalism, an amateur game without a clear goal, which was also manifested in the name of the reception itself (donk - donkey). However, the poker theory does not stand still, and currently the dock bet (lead) occupies a worthy place in the arsenal of poker professionals who do not hesitate to apply it in suitable situations.
- For example, a dunk bet with a strong ready hand in a multi-bank can bring a very good profit, since at least one of your opponents almost certainly has a hand ready to pay at least one bet.
At the same time, our school does not recommend actively using this game strategy. The field of low and middle limits does not really believe in donkeys, and the complication of our strategy is useless on these limits. It is better to learn how to use the check-raise strategy well. The only serious reason for a low-limit donk is to reach a good equity combination on a turn or river without a position. For example, reaching the set, dopper, trips, straight or flush without a position on the turn, inclines us to immediately increase the pot with the help of donka-beta, so as not to give a free street to our opponent.
3. Ways to draw pot-control pots
Another common type of post-flop game is pot control. This is a situation where we opened on a preflop, and have a hand with a certain equity, which we evaluate against the range of the opponent in the range of 30-55%. That is, our combination can be either younger or older than the opponent's combination. Thus, in such distributions, our main goal is to reach the opening (showdown) without increasing the size of the pot too much. Various techniques used as part of the post-flop game pot control will serve this purpose.
Check-call
As a pre-flop aggressor, we refuse an extended bet on the flop (without a position) or take a return check (in a position), planning to equalize the next opponent's bet. Thus, we control the size of the pot, keeping it small. This strategy can be chosen with an average pair on dry boards. When we do not need protection from calling the draw of the opponent's hands. Playing a check-call in this way can provoke an opponent to bluff, it is important for medium strength hands, because it is difficult to collect a vellya from an opponent, given that many hands in his call range will be stronger than ours. For this reason, it is important to dilute the opponent's range with a bluff, and this is possible only if you give him the initiative. Turning our middle hands into a bluff as a bluff and starting to barrel them is ineffective, and is a common mistake of weak players.
Protection bet
Another technique is the protection bet, which is used in a situation where we have a ready hand of medium strength, which may be older at the autopsy, but is vulnerable to subsequent woundouts or pressure from an opponent in a bluff as a bluff.
- For example:
With flush draw, it definitely needs protection. A large number of turn and river cards (any overcards, cards covering the flush, and cards covering the straight) can make our hand lose. In addition, by refusing an extended bet, we will be very vulnerable to the opponent's bluff bets. In this situation, if we are in a position, it will be effective to make a big c-bet 50-70% of the pot. This will allow you to extract value from a large number of draw opponents and will not give him much raising us in bluff as a bluff on the flop, as against a big bet it is much harder to do.
If the villain calls, then on the turn we will most often take the return check and thus reach the river for 1 bet. And on the river, our decision will depend on the actions of the opponent and the released runouts. It will be simpler. If we are without a position with an average couple, and we are the aggressor, then we will use small protective bet (30% of the bank) on wood and dangerous structures on the flop, often we will continue on the turn and sometimes even on the river. That is, we can have a line: bet 30% of the pot - bet 30% of the pot - bet 30% of the pot. We will surrender to any aggression.
Freeze-bet
The original technique aimed both at controlling the pot and at fine collecting of value with velly value from weaker hands and draw of the opponent is frieze-bet (from English Freeze).
Definition: Freeze bet is the minimum raise (usually x2) of the opponent's bet made on the turn in the position and with a hand having an average equity in response to the opponent's aggression.
A situation suitable for a freeze bet may arise when we were a pre-flop aggressor in a position, refused an extended bet and took a return check on the flop, and received a turn bet from an opponent. Here we assume that the opponent's range can contain both empty hands and hands with draw, as well as hands of medium strength (but weaker than ours), and we can make a “freezing” raise of the minimum size. Since we were a pre-flop aggressor and refused to continue the bet, such a raise can speak (among other things) of significant strength, so it is difficult for an opponent without a strong combination to continue aggressive actions.
Options for further developments:
- opponent resets (we controlled the pot and won it without opening it);
- opponent raises the bet again - we trust the opponent, believe that our middle pair is not suitable and throw away the cards.
- opponent calls our freeze bet - we find ourselves on the river in position and can easily take a return check.
Thus, making a freeze-bet on the turn, we got an opponent from the draw and a weaker equity hand, it is difficult for him to fold at least something for such a small raise of the turn.
4. How to use floating in poker
Since, according to statistics, an extended bet (c-bet) in most cases is made by a preflop aggressor in a bluff, the defending party in suitable situations has the opportunity to compete for the pot with the help of floating. We can make this decision on boards on which the raise in the as a bluff on the flop, which is described above in this article, cannot be applied for one reason or another.
Definition: floating (floating, float) - call of the opponent's counter-beta on the flop (as well as on the turn) with an unfinished hand. It is done with the intention of exerting pressure on later streets with the help of bluff bets.
Best of all, floating takes place against cautious rivals who rarely use barreling on late streets and rarely bluff. The range of hands of such players is usually sharply polarized (that is, divided into clear groups) and read by their actions: bet = hand with vellya, no bet = empty hand. Also, the structure of the board can be the basis for floating, if (as we believe) it does not fit the range of the preflop aggressor at all, but this basis is not enough for very weak hands that do not have any equity to strengthen. For floating, we use gatshots, backdoor flush draw and straight draw with overcards. Also, we can use simply the best overcards like AQ on low board structures.
Floating on the turn and river
Any situation when the preflop aggressor refuses to continue bet on any of the streets will be good for floating, which can be interpreted as a weakness of its range. Remember: you will rarely meet an opponent at a low and medium limit who will have a balanced check range, which means a sufficient number of strong hands after his check. According to this, any preflop check of the aggressor can be exploited. But do not forget that floating is a bluff. If you have a hand of medium strength, it is better to take a check and go to the showdown.
Trial bet on turn and river as floating without position
Although floating is preferable to be used while in position on the opponent, floating without a position is also possible. A situation for floating without a position arises when the pre-flop aggressor refuses an extended bet on the flop or the 2nd barrel on the turn. Then we, being without a position, after opening the next board card, can put ourselves to seize the initiative in the hand and force the opponent to leave the pot. Basically, this move is used when defending the big blind. This bet is called a prob-bet. Research shows that you can put trial betas on any board except Ahh. Sizing of prob-beta from 25% to 120% is selected intuitively, at a the long run any sizing shows a plus in the analysis of rumors.
5. Conclusion
On the post-flop, both the pre-flop aggressor and the pre-flop collar have a sufficiently wide arsenal of techniques and strategies at their disposal to fight for the pot on all the streets of the post-flop. Each action has its own name, it is important to understand the terminology well so as not to confuse them. This article contains comprehensive up-to-date information on exploit bluff strategies. This is not easy information to learn and implement in your game strategy, so it is strongly recommended to make a synopsis of this article with a clear list of all the actions that you do not yet use. Repeat them before each session and start using them in the game until they become a basic part of your strategy.
