How to play when way ahead / way behind
Introduction
In this article
- You are either way ahead or way behind
- Standard play: just call
As a Gold member you'll frequently be in a "way ahead / way behind"-situation as you know all too well. The following examples will show you how to best act, if ...
- ... you are either a big favourite and your opponent has very few or no outs.
- ... or you are very far behind with hardly any or no outs against your opponent.
You are either in a Way Ahead or Way Behind situation and you cannot tell what your situation really is.
Preflop: Hero is CO with A
, A
2 folds, Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, BB calls.
Flop: ($8,50) K
, K , 4
(2 players)
BB bets $6, Hero ?
If the opponent is holding either a pocket pair or unpaired holecards with two outs at the most. You are way ahead.
If he is holding a king, then you only have two outs against him. He could also be holding 44 and you would have 4 outs with every remaining Ace or King. You are way behind.
Preflop: Hero is BB with K , Q
3 folds, BU raises to $4, SB folds, Hero calls.
Flop: ($8,50) A, A , K (2 players)
Hero ?
A first-in-raise
from the button can mean a lot of things; an ace, of course, but also a pocket pair,
two highcards or suited connectors. If an opponent is really holding an ace or
KK, we are way behind. Otherwise, we
are pretty much in the lead.
How to play in a WA/WB - Situation?
The following holds:
- It does not make sense to protect, since
we are either 90% favourite or 90% underdog: - A superior hand will not fold against a
raise. - An inferior hand will fold against a raise.
- Inferior hands will often try to bluff us
out of the game.
All of these arguments argue against a bet or a raise. A calldown, on the other
hand, allows us to catch bluffs from inferior hands, and to simultaneously keep
the pot small in case we are behind.
The standard-WA/WB-line
hence says: (check/)call every street!
This only applies, of course, if we
assume to be ahead. You always have the option to fold.
You are in position
Preflop: Hero is CO with A , A
2 folds, Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, BB calls.
Flop: ($8,50) K , K , 4 (2 players)
BB bets $6, Hero calls.
Turn: ($20.50) 3 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero ?
A bet won't
win anything here either. The player on the big blind either has a worthless hand,
and abandons his bluff on the turn, or he is hoping to checkraise with his
monster. The best play for hero is hence the check behind (pot control!)
In case villain also checks on the river, we can assume that we have the best hand. We
should then valuebet 1/3 - 1/2 of the potsize. Our opponent will probably fold in
most cases, but we might also be called by an ace high or a pocketpair now and
then.
If villain bets on the river, we should call a "normal" bet. Very large bets
are usually a sign that villain wanted to checkraise on the turn and then make
a strong bet on the river to bluff.
You are out of position
Preflop: Hero is BB with K , Q
3 folds, BU raises to $4, SB folds, Hero calls.
Flop: ($8,50) A , A , K (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $6, Hero calls.
Turn: ($20.50) 3 (2 players)
Hero checks, BU checks.
River: ($20.50) 8 (2 players)
Hero ?
A check IP on the turn shows a lot more
weakness than a check OOP. Villain is either holding trash or a made hand
which is weaker than our hand.
We'd be faced with a difficult decision against
a raise on the river, however. The check-behind on the turn could also be a
slowplay, of course. We have to make our decision depending on our opponent.
If villain is very aggressive, meaning he bluffs on the river, we should
check/call. This is the best way to get to a showdown. In case villain is a
more passive player, we
should bet, though we should surely fold in case of a river-raise.
You are in position
Preflop: Hero is CO with A , A
2 folds, Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, BB calls.
Flop: ($8,50) K , K , 4 (2 players)
BB bets $6, Hero calls.
Turn: ($20.50) 3 (2 players)
BB bets $11, Hero calls.
River: ($42.50) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero ?
Villain has to assume that his check will allow every weak hand a free
showdown. He probably isn't holding a monster. We should
hence bet for value on the river. On top of that, we probably have the weaker
hand on a checkraise and will be able to fold.
You are out of position
This shows the importance of your position in Hold'em. Even though we are sure
to win the pot, we do not have any opportunity to get extra value.
Conclusion
Let's summarize the most important guidelines
for playing WA/WB-Situations:
- Do not raise opposing bets!
- You get the most value from called bluffs.
- Do not bet until you believe villain to be weak, and you are surely ahead.
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