How to think about blockers

Don't overvalue having a blocker in your hand, only use them when they are relevant, says Dara O'Kearney.

Maybe the most disinformation in poker strategy is around blockers.

There is a lot of talk about blockers in the modern game since the arrival of solvers.

For the most part their significance is overvalued by most players, but undervalued by a few players too.

By far the most important thing when considering blockers is how wide the ranges are.

In 3-and 4-bet pots they can be a very significant factor to consider, but in single raised pots button versus big blind they don’t really matter.

Narrow ranges

The narrower the ranges the more you should be thinking about blockers.

Sometimes the ranges start out wide but narrow postflop and can be very narrow by the river.

For example, if you’re facing a river shove on a board where the flush got there and you think your opponent either has the nut flush or nothing, Ace high with the nut flush blocker will be a better call than a set.

Blockers are for close decisions when ranges are narrow. There are usually more important factors to consider, especially the tendencies of your opponent.

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