Blockbets - Keeping your opponent at bay
Introduction
In this article
- Blockbets stop opponents on the river
- Blockbets can only be used in specifc situations
- Passive opponents are perfect targets
If we are out of position on the river and have a hand with showdown value, while our opponent however, signals some strength, even if it was just by calling large bets, then we have the chance for a blockbet.
Blockbets are, as the name suggests, bets which constrict the actions of an opponent, and which are supposed to block this opponent from making a possibly large bet. This is what we want to achieve in the situation described above.
On the one hand, due to the opposing actions, we cannot be sure whether we still have the best hand, while, on the other hand, our hand is too good to fold and might be the best hand. Our goal is to get to the showdown as cheap as possible.
If we check, we would give the opponent a clear sign of weakness. The more aggressive the opponent, the more likely it is that he'll confront us with a strong riverbet, frequently even 2/3 of the potsize. We are therefore faced with a tough decision: If we call, we would have to pay more money than we would like to pay, or we might possibly have to fold the better hand.
If you want to avoid making this decision, you have the opportunity to make a so-called blockbet on the river. You bet relatively small in order to avoid the situation in which the opponent makes a large bet.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of blockbets?
- The opponent is oftentimes intimidated and simply calls. Compared to the check/call play, we get to the showdown at a relatively low price.
- If he calls, he'll hold a worse or even inferior hand. In this case the blockbet is some sort of value bet, because you get money from weaker hands, which the opponent would have otherwise checked behind.
- If he raises, he most certainly has a better hand than you and you'll have to fold.
- If he folds, with a busted draw for example, no one will see our hands and no one will be able to read us. If the opponent folds, you can assume that you had the best hand.
- We stay in control/keep the initiative.
- In case the opponent has the better hand, we give him more value, while he would have otherwise checked behind.
- In case the blockbet is too obvious, some players (bluff) raise and we have to fold (easily exploitable).
- Busted draws, with which the opponent would have made a bluffbet after a check, can easily fold.
- You cannot use blockbets frequently, as they then become obvious.
- You possibly give away value to weaker hands, which the opponent might have used to call larger bets also.
When is it reasonable to use a blockbet?
Not every situation is suitable for a blockbet. As mentioned earlier, it is reasonable to use a blockbet when we try to get to the showdown at low cost, and in order to avert a large opposing bet.
This is often the case if we presumably hold the best hand on the turn, but the river reveals a scarecard. It is important to note, however, that this card might look just as dangerous to the opponent. If, for example, the third card of one suit is revealed on the river, the opponent probably will not raise with a set, as he has to be afraid of us holding the flush.
We are holding a KK overpair, for example, but the river reveals an ace. Since the KK usually makes us preflop-agressor, an ace could be in our hand range. If we blockbet on the river, and the opponent only has a "small ace" (e.g. A6), he'll only call instead of making a strong bet. This will bring us to a showdown at a lower cost. If someone raises, however, we can fold with good conscience. The opponent does not even have to hold an ace. He might even have a set or 2 pairs. Especially a raise against an A signifies strength.
In another example, we are holding a set, someone calls us and on the river the third card of one suit is revealed without a full house for us. There is a real chance that the opponent has called with a flushdraw and now has a made hand.
After checking, we provide our opponent with the opportunity to bluff (bluff-induce) or to check behind. In case we bet a large bet, all hands that are worse will fold, while the flush will re-raise.
A blockbet on the other hand might even be called by strong pairs, who would have folded after a big bet and checked behind after a check. In those cases, our bet is a value bet. Likewise a weak flush can also just call in order to make the showdown cheap, while a strong flush would raise. Against weaker hands, the bet is also a valuebet.
It is important to note that the bluff-induce model with the check/call action is more effective against very aggressive players. Those players bluff more frequently on a check than on a blockbet, which could also be a valuebet. Additionally, we should note that we have to fold after a bluff-raise bet, which we like to avoid when playing against very aggressive players.
How it applies: The more aggressive a player, the more you should use check/call and bluff-induce. The more passive a player, the more you should use block- or valuebets.
When is it unreasonable to use blockbets?
It is obvious that it makes no sense to use a blockbet when we assume the opponent to have a strong hand or even a monster. In those cases, the opponent will thank us for our bet and possibly even raise.
Afterall, the goal of a blockbet is to detain mediocre hands, which might be better than ours, from making a large bet. It doesn't make much sense against a monster. If you're relatively certain that your opponent has a very strong hand, but you want a showdown nevertheless, then, depending on the betsize, check/call is the better model.
What betsize should you opt for?
The effectiveness of a blockbet depends on its size among other factors. You have to find an optimal amount, which isn't easy. You should follow these basic principles:
- The larger the bet, the closer we get to the value/loss, which we'll also get by checking/calling.
- The smaller the bet, the more likely it is to be raised by non-monster hands.
- The larger the bet, the smaller the chances of a bluff-raise (don't bet too small - e.g. 1/5 PS bet).
You have to find a medium. We want to bet as little as possible to make the showdown cheap, but we also want to make it large enough to avoid a raise.
Assuming a normal riverbet of ½ to ¾ of the potsize, you already save when you bet less than ½ the potsize and someone calls you. The less, the better, as long as you are just called! Remember that bets which are too little attract raises. The aim is to save as much as possible.
The optimal betsize for a blockbet seems to be ¼ or less than ½ the pot size. As benchmark you can use a measure of about 1/3 of the pot.
Do not always blockbet!
It is important to remember that blockbets are not a universal remedy. There are situations in which they're reasonable, but there're also situations in which they simply mean lost value.
It takes a great deal of practice and knowledge of your opponent to be able to place a blockbet at the right time. This article is supposed to draw your attention to this type of play in order for you to be able to vary your standard game so that others will have difficulty reading you.
Do not, under any circumstances, always use blockbets!
Your opponents will notice if you fold every time your blockbet is raised. Your first option should always be a normal sized bet or a check/call. Only afterwards should you contemplate whether a blockbet is even suitable for the current situation.
Blockbets on the turn
So far, we have only looked at blockbets on the river. However, it is also possible to make a kind of blockbet on the turn. Here, it is not your goal to get to the showdown for a low price, but to see the river card cheaply. Therefore, the requirements for making blockbets on the turn are different from those for blockbets on the river.
On the turn, being on a draw is the ideal situation to consider a blockbet. You are the one to determine the price you're willing to pay for your draw. When it comes to your opponents, you have to consider the same aspects as when making a blockbet on the river. However, on the turn it is more important that the opponent won't raise you. A raise would put you and your draw in an uncomfortable position and you would lose the money you decided to pay to see the next card.
When making a block bet on the turn, you determine the price that you pay to see the river card. It should be clear that a blockbet on the turn only makes sense when you are out of position. When you are in position and have a good draw, you should check behind and see the next card for free.
The best situations for blockbets are those in which you are the aggressor on the flop and can therefore create quite a bit of fold equity with a medium sized second barrel.
0,50/1,00 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 9
, T
Hero raises to $4.00, BU calls, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) 7
, Q , 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $7, BU calls
Turn: ($23.50) A
(2 players)
Hero bets $12
You have a very strong draw on the turn. By firing a second barrel, you can also use the scare card to your advantage. Apart from that, you determine the price for your draw by making a blockbet, through which you build the pot on the one hand and create fold equity on the other. Therefore, your opponent will sometimes fold better made hands.
It is crucial here to make sure your opponent is rather weak passive. If he is not, the threat of a raise is just too likely, which might put you and your draw in a very bad situation.
Blockbets as a means of deception
You can use the blockbet as a weapon of deception on the river. Against aggressive, quite perceptive opponents, you can use a deceptive blockbet with a monster hand on the river to provoke them into raising. The important thing about this line is that you can also represent a medium made hand with your blockbet, giving your opponent the impression that he can actually raise you off your hand.
Apart from the hand range that you represent, you have to pay close attention to the stack sizes. Your opponent should not just be able to make a minraise all in on the river. By making a small raise like this, the opponent won’t be able to create much fold equity and be very unlikely to bluff raise you on the river.
Generally, blockbets should only be used in a few situations. Normally you will extract more value from your hand by making a standard line value bet. However, if all other requirements are met as well, a deceptive blockbet will create more value for you in perfect spots. From a psychological viewpoint, you have reached third-level thinking with the blockbet, which means that you take advantage of your opponents' playing tendencies ideally. However, you have to be aware that you will not make any profit if you think on the third level while your opponent hasn’t even reached level two.
Sample hands
Preflop: Hero is SB with K
, A
8 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, BB calls.
Flop: ($6.00) K , 3 , 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $3, BB raises to $7.00, Hero calls.
Turn: ($20.00) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $13, Hero calls.
River: ($46.00) 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $16
Villain raised on the flop and also bet on the turn. It is hence possible that he is holding a strong hand. The board is very dry, however, and we could still be in the lead. We therefore blockbet on the river with about ¼ potsize. If he raises, he probably has two pair or better. If he calls, we might still be leading, and even if he doesn't, we prevented a strong riverbet. If he folds ... that's good too! In that case no one knows which hands we had, and our game cannot be read easily.
Preflop: Hero is SB with K , A
5 folds, MP3 raises to $3.00, 2 folds, Hero calls, BB calls.
Flop: ($9.00) 4 , Q , A (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP3 bets $6, Hero calls, BB folds.
Turn: ($21.00) Q (2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 bets $13, Hero calls.
River: ($47.00) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $15, MP3 raises to $58.00, Hero folds.
We get raised on the river. This means we have to let go off our hand as our opponent probably has a queen and we are beat. He might even have hit his set of 4s on the flop or a flush on the river - either way, we lose the hand.
Preflop: Hero is CO with J , T
6 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, BU calls, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) T , 2 , 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $6, BU calls.
Turn: ($21.50) T (2 players)
Hero bets $13, BU raises to $29, Hero calls.
River: ($79.50) A (2 players)
Hero bets $23
Even though we get trips on the turn, our opponent might have a flush. And he raises on the turn. It would be stupid to push all in now: If he really has a flush, we are way behind. If it was a bluff-raise, he'll fold and we win the pot - but we get the pot either way if he doesn't have a flush.
The solution: Only call the raise, but use a blockbet on the river. Even if he has the nutflash, he'll contemplate pushing all-in on the paired board. A small flush usually will call and we then saved value. And if he has an overpair (JJ, QQ, KK, AA - yes, there are people who do not re-raise preflop even if they have an AA) he might call this "cheap" bet, and we get value from a weaker hand.
Preflop: Hero is BB with K , 3
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls $1.00, 7 folds, Hero checks.
Flop: ($2.50) 7 , 5 , T (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks.
Turn: ($2.50) K (2 players)
Hero bets $1.00, UTG+1 calls $1.00.
River: ($4.50) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.80, UTG+1 raises to $4.00, Hero folds.
UTG+1 raises our blockbet. A very obvious sign that we're playing against a better hand, either against a flush, two pair, or even just against a better king. Hence, this is a clear fold.
Preflop: Hero is BB with 8 , 7
6 folds, BU calls $1.00, SB folds, Hero checks.
Flop: ($2.50) A , T , 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $2, BU calls.
Turn: ($6.50) 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $6, BU calls.
River: ($18.50) 3 (2 players)
Hero bets $8, BU raises $30, Hero folds.
We hit our gutshot straight flush draw on the flop. Our option is to semi bluff and to try and win the pot directly. In case we get called, we still have a lot of outs. We're building a pot at the same time. This will bring us more value in case we hit a flush at the end.
This is the case just on the turn. A very strong protection-bet is a must in this situation! Our opponent will hardly ever bet against a possible flush, and would rather take a freecard. Hence a check raise is out of the question.
The card on the river is not nice again. In the current situation, single hearts over eight can also beat us. We htherefore block bet in order to find out where we stand. Medium high hearts might just call our blockbet. A few aces, a two pairs, or a set (which he would have played badly) might also call us which turns the blockbet into a valuebet.
We would have won the pot either way, but if the opponent folds, he doesn't know why we played this aggressively. The villain raises relatively high, however. There is nothing on this board he would have raised this high for unless it was a high heart.
In situations like these, you can pretty much eliminate bluffraises on the lower limits.
We therefore follow the rule: If the blockbet is raised, we fold, even if we have to throw away a flush. We cannot call at all times, because we are behind too often for that. The opponent might hold the A which would go well with his play.
Summary
We can blockbet on the River, in order to avoid a bigger bet from the opponent. This make only sense, if we want to be called . If we don't have a showdown-value, then we should either check or make a strong bluffbet, to obtain adequate foldequity.
- If the blockbet is raised, then you should fold!
- Blockbets don't work against Monsters!
- The betsize of a blockbet should be 1/3 of the potsize. (Point 3).
- You should think wisely before making a blockbet!
Blockbets should be done in the following situations:
- There are draws that your opponent could be holding.
- Your hand is marginal.
- Your opponent is not very aggressive (History and table image are of course also very important here).
- You haven't „blockbeted" that often yet.
- You cannot simply play check/fold.
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