» QUIZ

-EV Pushes

by steinek

This quiz will be all about putting your knowledge from the column about -$EV Pushes
to the test. Do you have the ability to analzye a situation based on the deciding criteria for a -$EV push?

All questions in this quiz will be about the following hand which was taken from the hand evaluation board:

EXAMPLE:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, 200/400 Blinds (6 handed)

Stacks &Stats:
CO (t2335)
Button (t1960)
SB (t1035)
BB (t2885)
Hero (UTG) (t1570)
MP (t3715)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 10, 6

First you should develop a good feeling for the Nash ranges to decide when and in which direction it makes sense to deviate from them. This time they look as follows:

Nash ranges
UTG Push	20,7%	22+, A2s+, A7o+, A5o, K9s+, KJo+, QTs+, JTs
MP Call	8,0%	66+, ATs+, AJo+
CO Call	8,0%	66+, ATs+, AJo+
BU Call	8,9%	66+, ATs+, ATo+
SB Call	23,1%	22+, A2s, A7o+, A5o, K9s+, KJO+, Q9s+, QJo, J)s+, T8s+, 98s
BB Call	20,7%	22+, A2s+, A7o+, A5o, KTs+, KJo+, QTs+, JTs, T9s

Following the Nash ranges a push is no correct decision, but maybe a -$EV push makes sense in this spot.

Now it's your turn to analyze the factors that can lead to to an -$EV push one by and one to make a decision if a -$EV push is a suitable play or not.

In the real world, decisions are always being made based on a combination of all these factors, but you should try your best to look at them separately.

Good luck!

For discussions and feedback, please refer to the forum: Discuss the quiz on the forum

Question 1:

Is there a reason to push in spite of the Nash range?

Yes, because you will lose your fold equity after paying the blinds
No, you have very little fold equity at this point already.
No, why should you? You have won chips since the tournament started.

Question 2:

Does your hand suggest pushing?

Definitely, Sir! You win the WSOP with T2 and you even have a better kicker.
No, your hand is bad and equtiy-wise much closer to 32o than JTs in terms of which calling ranges you have to expect
Well, it's at least a fairly average hand and both cards should be live.

Question 3:

To which extent does your position at the table influence your decision given that your table is not exclusively stacked with seasoned professionals?

You are UTG and this means it's your last chance to push with fold equity. This positions begs for a push.
If you decide to push here, everyone will be well aware of the fact that you are making a -$EV push.
You should play less hands fromt UTG as it's harder to play out of position.

Question 4:

Which statement regarding villain's stacks describes the situation most accurately?

MP is the absolute bigstack and dominates the table. You should not step on his toes.
If the SB wasn't so short, the situation would be perfect as all the others would be quite hurt by your stack.
First take a look at the BB and he has over 1k remaining if he calls. You shouldn't push too loosely into him.

Question 5:

You are playing 6-handed, what does that mean?

The bubble is still far away and this will lead to fairly loose calls.
You have to push into so many players that it's unlikely that you see five folds.
With six players you pay less blinds and you can wait for better spots.

Question 6:

Let's assume that the blinds will increase to 250/500 in about a minute and probably nobody will wait until this is over. Which effects does that have?

This blind increase reduces your stack below the 3,5BB mark. This changes the situation significantly.
You should play as fast as possible to see many hands while the blinds are still low.
This has no particular effect.

Question 7:

Which of the following factors plays no decisive role in analyzing your future play?

You have close to no FE after the blinds and this has a significat impact on your play.
Button's stack is the one closest to your own and this makes him the player you should focus on the most in the future. It's always important to focus on the players with a similar stack to your own.
All players are so short that you don't have to expect many first-in situations or even walks. Make use of first-in spots when you can find them!

	Learn to play poker
	Free poker offers
	VIP offers and rake races
	Poker Rooms