MSS Shorthanded - Postflop 1

Introduction

In this article

• MSS shorthanded postflop play (in position)
• Standard lines

It is time to find out more about the shorthanded play. Today we will discuss different situations which occur on this type of tables.

First of all let's list the conditons under which we are going to develop our analysis:

• 1) Played limits – microlimits (NL $2, NL $5, NL $10).  In all the examples the big blind is 5 cents, but suggested decisions will also work on the lower limits as well as against the bad players on the higher limits. At mid- and high stakes the opponents are much more qualified, game tendencies and dynamics are different. Consider this material a learning path towards success on microlimits. It is taken as a given that you have already studied the articles for beginners and are well aware of the basics.
  MSS - Introduction
  MSS - How to Play Before the Flop
  MSS - How to Play After the Flop
• 2) 6-max tables only. It means there are always 6 players at the table, no less, no more.
• 3) The effective stack is 40 big blinds. In reality it happens, of course, quite rarely, unless you are using an auto-rebuy option. Nevertheless the effective stack can be less than 40 ВВ.
• 4) The techniques described here most likely will not be so profitable on the higher limits.
• 5) We will not take the rake into account, but it does influence our decisions.
• 6) We will always play postflop in position.

The hand format will be as following:

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.50, MP calls $0.50.

Turn: ($1.57) (2 players) ($1.25)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.25, MP calls $1.25.

River: ($1.57) (2 players) ($0)
Final Pot: $4.07

Hero shows

MP shows

After each street the effective stack will be shown in the brackets. Sometimes there will be a showdown.

Once again about betsizing

As opposed to low limits (NL $25 - NL $50) an important feature of microlimits (NL $2 – NL $10) is betsizing! For instance, you can completely ignore, how your opponents react to different sizes of your bets. To be more exact, in two hours your opponent won't remember, which sizing you use here or there. Reasons:

• Players are very weak and don't pay attention to this factor;
• There are so many players on microlimits that taking notes loses its sense. The possibility that you won't meet any of these players at the tables ever again is very high.

 

Examples of the play before the flop:

In this example we make an isolation raise to 5 big blinds with pocket aces.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Final Pot: $0.57

Here we make an isolation raise to 6 big blinds with the same hand - pocket aces. You probably think that such raise won't be called often enough, because the opponents will read your hand like an open book. Still, try thinking outside the box and you will discover the miracles of this game!

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.30, 3 folds, MP calls $0.25.

Final Pot: $0.67

We have a pocket pair, there are no maniacs at the table. There also are no aggressive players able to make a light 3-bet or squeeze. A good decision here will be a minraise.

Playing microlimits you shouldn't think about your image. Make sure your game is good from a technical point of view. Most of your opponents play for pleasure, and future regulars are learning the basics. Very few of them will reach the mid-stakes, not even speaking about the higher limits. At the moment they are simply unable to notice the mistakes of other players.

Image based play makes sense only against thinking players anyway. Against players who keep an eye on you and look for your weaknesses with a plan to attack them.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.10, BU calls $0.10, 1 fold, BB calls $0.10, MP calls $0.05.

Final Pot: $0.47

In overwhelming majority of cases we will continue postflop only if we catch a set.

Do you like this play?

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero calls $0.05, BU calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, BB checks.

Final Pot: $0.23

Never, never, never play like this!

Don't limp into the pot with pocket pairs, connectors and other hands, which you don't know how to play. Don't create problems out of nothing!

By the time you learn how to play different hands with a limp, you will already be trying to beat NL $100. As for now you should concentrate on the basics.

Board structures

The structure of the board can be either draw heavy (wet), or dry. On dry boards you sometimes can deviate from the straightforward plays provided that it is profitable and you know what you are doing. It is a very important condition, because otherwise you will lose value and reduce your winrate.

Examples of dry flops:

On wet boards you should play straightforward trying to extract as much value as possible. Don't convince yourself that you have a pretty good idea about your opponent's range. Playing microlimits you should be ready for totally unexpected moves from any of the players. There are lots of reasons for that:

• tilt
• desire to get lucky
• boredom, etc.

Examples of wet flops:

In the next chapters we will analyse hands played in position on all kinds of boards.

Let's go back to dry boards and look into some examples.

An ideal situation for us: our opponent limps, we isolate him with a raise and catch a top-set.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.40, MP calls $0.40.

Turn: ($1.37) (2 players) ($1.35)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.35, MP calls $1.35.

River: ($4.07) (2 players) ($0)

Final Pot: $4.07

However in practice the postflop play won't always go so smoothly for us.

We isolate our opponent preflop in position with pocket aces.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)

On such a flop our opponent will rarely have a strong enough hand to continue. Besides you should understand that you have an absolute nuts and regardless of the turn card you will still be ahead of your opponent. It is a very important point! Always try to think through how future cards can change the situation. If you make a bet here, in most cases your opponent will just fold:

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.40, MP folds.

What can you do about that? You can play your hand slowly and check the flop hoping the turn card will help your opponent. Your check can also induce bluffs as your opponent may think that you have a weak hand.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero checks.

So we checked the flop. However after the second check from your opponent on the turn you have to bet. Otherwise you risk losing value. Remember, gathering value is our main objective on microlimits!

Turn: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.40, MP calls $0.40.

River: ($1.37) (2 players) ($1.35)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.20, MP folds.

Final Pot: $2.57

We once again isolate our opponent preflop in position with pocket aces. Another alternative on this flop is a small bet. Betting small we adjust our sizing to the situation.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.15, MP calls $0.15.

On microlimits 99% of the players won't be able to interprete our actions correctly and use them against us. At least till they turn into an obvious tendency.

Turn: ($0.87) (2 playe65rs) ($1.60)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.65, MP calls $0.65.

River: ($2.17) (2 players) ($0.95)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.95, MP folds.

Final Pot: $3.12

We isolate our opponent preflop in position with pocket aces.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $ 0.15, MP calls $ 0.15.

On the turn our opponent will sometimes catch a draw and call our 2/3 to pot size bet. However in most cases he will simply fold.

Turn: ($0.87) (2 players) ($1.60)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.50, MP folds.

Final Pot: $1.37

How can it be used on the higher limits? Find out in our next example:

We isolate our opponent preflop in position with suited connectors.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $ 0.15, MP calls $ 0.15.

Considering how often our opponent will fold on the turn, second barrel here is fully justified. Besides we now have an OESD which gives us additional outs.

Turn: ($0.87) (2 players) ($1.60)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.50, MP folds.

Final Pot: $1.37

However you shouldn't use this move on microlimits. Its effectiveness depends on your image a lot. When you reach NL50-NL100, it can become a powerful weapon against the opponents you play with every day. But as soon as everybody understands that in these situations you bluff a lot, you should adjust your range and start betting primarily for value.

On draw heavy boards you can vary the size of your bets adjusting it to different situations.

Let's look into some examples:

We isolate our opponent preflop in position with pocket aces.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.45, MP calls $0.45.

Turn: ($1.47) (2 players) ($1.30)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.30, MP calls $1.30.

River: ($4.07) (2 players) ($0)

Final Pot: $4.07

This is a standard or conventional way of playing this hand. As we have already mentioned earlier, on microlimits your opponents don't pay attention to the size of your bets.

You should extract maximum value out of this feature of the field.

We isolate our opponent preflop in position with pocket aces.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

On wet flops you can easily bet pot size against most opponents. On microlimits weak players don't count their odds and outs, don't think about ranges, dynamics and stuff like that. They can call three streets with just a gutshot. From a mathematical point of view such decisions are incorrect or even absurd.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.57, MP calls $0.57.

Turn: ($1.71) (2 players) ($1.18)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.18, MP calls $1.18.

You know that your opponents are ready to make bad calls. Take advantage of it!

River: ($4.07) (2 players) ($0)

Final Pot: $4.07.

Hero shows

MP shows

In some cases the best decision can be an overbet, however you should use this type of bets very accurately. Small overbets are good against weak opponents, who will often call with different draws and pairs on wet boards:

We isolate our opponent preflop in position with pocket aces.

$0.02/$0.05 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($2.00)
MP ($2.00)
Hero ($2.00)
BU ($2.00)
SB ($2.00)
BB ($2.00)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, MP calls $0.20.

Flop: ($0.57) (2 players) ($1.75)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.70, MP calls $0.70.

Turn: ($1.71) (2 players) ($1.05)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.05, MP calls $1.05.

River: ($4.07) (2 players) ($0)

Final Pot: $4.07.

Conclusion

In this article we have discussed the basic principles of shorthanded play and looked into some standard examples.

In all the examples we made our decisions being in position. Try to play in position as many pots as possible. It will allow you to adjust your game to the actions of your opponents giving you a substantial advantage.

In the next articles about postflop you will learn how to play out of position. Good luck at the tables!

LINKS   Related articles: MSS - Introduction MSS - How to Play Before the Flop Discussion forum: Discuss this article in the forum