fire_eyes_2k
The Burn Card
Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 3331
Location: Old York
|
 Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:35 am Post subject: Aggression in HU LHE |
 |
|
Aggression in HU LHE
I first read in Super System that aggressive players do well in Limit Hold’em and passive ones do badly. I think that’s particularly true of HU games where betting should be the norm and raising postflop with just about anything (even bottom pair or a weak draw) is the optimal play. If you win 3/4 of the pots, you will almost certainly win the game, particularly if the blinds go up quite quickly, you will have a 2:1 chip lead without having taken many risks. In all situations, take the question:
“Should I bet/raise here?”
And turn it into:
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t bet/raise here?”
Clearly if the villain is capping the turn and the board contains T J Q K and you’re holding 2 3 then you’re folding, but if it’s 2 3 then I’m quite happy to cap the turn and maybe play the river for 2 bets.
You should identify quite early in a match or cash table whether your opponent will ever make a play for a pot because some just never do. In scenarios like this you should raise preflop with any 2 cards. They will miss the flop 2/3 of the time and a simple c-bet will take it down. If you had either just limped or checked then you’re missing value on their tightness.
Don’t be afraid to cap any OESDs or flush draws on the flop, because although free card plays rarely work HU, your opponent will often fold bottom pair or A-high on the turn (a mistake,) whether you hit or not, and if you hit your draw on turn or river (as you are 40% likely to do) then it’s good value. Even if you don’t hit, the chance of your draw hitting + overcards hitting + fold equity is more than enough to make playing draws strongly the best way to play.
Most opponents you should just be able to completely run over, and if your opponent is really passive, try to persuade them that they’re doing the right thing – Show your strong hands and type “Nice laydown” from time to time. (I’m only talking about high pocket pairs and flopped sets/straights/flushes.) Hopefully this will reinforce the belief in their mind that they are playing well and they will continue to lie down and be crushed.
Generally speaking, Flop aggression > Turn aggression > River aggression. However a lot of people check the river when in position and they have been called so far. This is a big mistake as you are missing out on value, and only rarely will you be check-raised. Calling down is usually done by the lower pairs on the board, so if you have top or second pair, go for it. A-high or bottom pair is the only thing you don't want to bet as you will rarely be called by a hand that you beat, so when in position check behind the villain. If I'm out of position and I've led the flop and turn, I like to lead again here for the fold equity if the villain is on a draw. Usually they're not, but a single bet can sometimes take down the pot when you have no right to it, and betting to be called is way better than check/calling.
If you come up against a similarly aggressive opponent, then you will probably be playing a shorter match with a larger average pot size, but this is no reason to turn into the passive player, (this is almost the direct opposite to the NL Strategy) you just need to be smarter with your timing! Raise the scary boards, and try some fancy plays like check-raising the flop followed by a lead on the turn which are -EV against a passive player.
So in summary, strong, aggressive players can run over their opponents and the occasional hand they lose for a larger pot is easily offset by the amount of bets they have picked up through their opponent’s tight play. Passive players need to hit lots of big hands (get lucky) to win.
Not many examples in that one, but if anyone posts something drawish or tricky, I'm happy to comment on it. |
|
FAQ
Search
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
