Notes: The Coaching Tree #8

The Coaching Tree #8
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** Playing the nut flush draw BvB

- ATcc in the BB - SB leads, Hero raises, SB calls

Flop: Kc8c6s - SB leads... Hero?

Is this a raising or a calling spot and why?

((ME: Cheating a little as the coaches have stated that both are fine. But under what circumstances?

Raising the flop can work if Villain can be pushed off of a better hand - a stronger ace or a weak pair. It can also buy us two cards for the price of one if Villain isn't going to continue on the turn, allowing us to get a full shot at our equity. If we raise here, it isn't with the intention of barreling the turn. This is likely the better line against tighter and less aggressive players.

Calling the flop invites a turn continuation from a looser, bluffy type of player whom we may be ahead of now. If we hit, he may even bluff the flush himself, getting us an extra street of value. This line looks better against looser and aggressive players.))

What does raising buy us? Dead money if he has nothing, and it may fold out a slightly better hand.

What does calling buy us? If we raise his bet and he folds, we're likely way ahead with the nut flush draw - so we really aren't getting much value from our bet. That said, Villain is much less likely to fold in the BvB situation. Since our fold equity is that much less, our showdown equity becomes more important. Also, the hands that have little value against us anyway likely C/F to a turn bet.

Our pot+fold equity in this spot is such that a raise cannot be bad - but calling stands a good chance of being better.

** Facing a check-raise with a modest overpair

- TsTc on the button - Hero raises, BB calls

Flop: 9c8c8h - Villain checks, Hero bets, Villain checkraises to 3x

((ME: The c-bet is fairly automatic - lots of cards that we don't want to see come on the turn. Any club and any face card is bad for us. When we get C/R, what can Villain have here? Air is a part of his range, as we could easily have missed. Overpairs are unlikely - but there are a lot of draws in his range. Any two clubs, JT, 76. Also, he could easily have a made hand with any given pair or a hand like 87/T8 or even T9.

Our equity against his range isn't very good here. Two overcards and the flush draw have 15 outs, straight draws have 8-11, and we're in big trouble against any 8. When we're ahead, we aren't far ahead - even his likely bluffing hands have 6 outs. When we're behind, we're very unlikely to catch up. Villain is unlikely to fold anything except his air to aggression here, as eights don't make up a lot of our range. Raising is bad.

Can we call? Probably. There are a lot of cards that can help us on the turn, giving us a flush or straight draw to go with our pair. We also have position, so we can make better decisions. Flat.))

It's difficult for Villain to have a lot here. He's either on a monster or air. How can we expand our own range in his spot? Flat big pairs and C/R flops.

Here, we call planning to fold to a barrel against a thinking player. Folding and raising are both bad choices. His range is a monster or air in the absence of any kind of read.

Quick note - his ability to have monster draws here is restricted because we have the Tc.

** The C/R flop - check turn line from Villain

- JhTh - Hero opens from CO, BB calls

Flop: 8h4h4s - Villain checks, Hero bets, Villain raises, Hero calls

((ME: standard. Villain is vanishingly unlikely to have hit this flop. We have 9-15 outs against an overpair and can semibluff the turn.))

Turn: 2d - Villain checks, Hero...

Villain's line is very weak. He took his stab at the pot and is likely giving up in this spot to hero's supposed overpair. Almost no one goes for a double C/R.

Getting people into folding something good is not how you win at poker. They don't like folding overpairs.

** Polarized in position, not polarized OOP v good players
** Not polarized everywhere v bad players