Exercises for "Game Plan (1): Introduction"
Just post your answers to the questions in this thread.
The first step in the creation of a game plan is to analyze your standard opponent. This process can also be described as determining the tendencies of the population. It will help you to tailor your game plan towards the opponents that you will play against most frequently.
Post the answers to the following questions in this thread and get feedback from our coaches!
1. Exercises for analyzing your standard opponent
You open from the CO and face a 3-bet from the BU.
• Post your estimate of the range of an average regular on your limits
• Try to review your assumptions against the database of your tracking software. What hands did you actually see in your opponents' ranges?
• Try to find out how often your opponents will fold against a 4-bet by combining multiple opponents for a bigger sample size.
In the second step, you will build the foundation for determining your own ranges. In order to achieve this, you will look for weaknesses in your opponents' play and experiment with different ways of exploiting them.
2. Practice building your own ranges
• What potential weak points in your opponents' play did you identify?
• What is your range for open raising, calling 3-bets and 4-betting?
• What is your bet sizing when placing a continuation bet in a 4-bet pot?
Unfortunately, not everyone will play exactly like your standard opponent. Accordingly you have to know how to adapt your game plan to different play styles.
3. Practice to adapt your game plan
Your opponent Jimmy folds to 4-Bets 62% of the time. He will 3-bet 11% of the time overall.
•What should your 4-bet strategy against Jimmy look like?
Your opponent Trina pushes AK, TT+, and 55-22 as a bluff whenever you 4-bet . Her 3-bet range is 9%.
• How much fold equity do you get on a 4-Bet against Trina?
• What should your 4-betting range look like?
For the exceptionally diligent:
• Search your database for an extremely aggressive LAG. How do you adapt against him?
(Write down your specific range for calling 3-bets, including ideas on how to continue post-flop and a 4-bet range.)
Every game plan has weaknesses that your opponents can exploit. However, if you are aware of the weaknesses in your game plan, you will be able to tell when an opponent tries to exploit you and you can adapt your ranges accordingly.
4. How would you exploit yourself?!
• What is the weakness of your own game plan?
• What boards hit your range hard in a 3-bet pot and on what flops do you miss?
• In what ways could your opponent exploit that?
• How should you adapt if your opponent tries to exploit you like that?
Further discussion
• When should you abandon the concept of game planning and just try to play your specific hand in a vacuum?
• How would you describe GTO in regard to game planning? What is your opinion on balanced ranges? Do they even exist?
Have fun!
