Quiz of the Week #2

» QUIZ

How good is your...

by firsttsunami

Because the first weekly quiz was so popular, we have created a second
in the same format. You will be presented with game situations and must
decide between the options which is best. Call, fold or raise? You will
find the analysis of the questions at the end.

Important changes:
The point system has changed to make sure that you will no longer get
credit for totally wrong answers. For the correct answer, there are 2
points and 1 point for the middle ground answer.

The opponent is presented with the
reads made at that point in time, so you have all the necessary
information to make decisions.

The opponent is a medium strength TAG with the following stats (20/17(30ats)/2,3/34).

We gathered the following reads at the table:

• He is capable of pure bluffs
• He rarely raises to take a free showdown
• He plays draws aggressivly
• It is tough to get him to fold in position
• His flop play is poorly balanced

» QUIZ

Answers

Decision 1.1.

a) Call - 1 Points
b) 3Bet - 2 Points
c) Fold - 0 Points

In this situation, according to our equity it is correct to 3bet
preflop. We assign an attempt to steal value of 37% in Pokerstove (in
BU it will be somewhat higher than 30%) and we then assess whether we
have the 47% equity required.

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 51.398% 50.94% 00.46% 1715386 15358.00 { 5c5h }
Hand 1: 48.602% 48.15% 00.46% 1621216 15358.00 { 44+, A2s+, K2s+, Q6s+,
J7s+, T7s+, 97s+, 87s, 76s, A2o+, K8o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o }

Here we see we lie with over 51% equity and clearly have enough to make
a profitable 3-bet. Important to our decision is not only our equity,
but our opponent aswell. Against a more solid and conservative players,
the easier our post flop play becomes. Against this opponent we must be
able to make good, whereas for instance against a LAG, we might be able
to go to the showdown with small pairs or worse.

The rule of thumb in this tight Situation:

• Against weaker opponents who go to showdown less we can 3betten
• Against the more aggressive showdow-happy opponents, the more we fold

Decision 1.2.

a) Call - 0 Points
b) 3Bet - 1 Points
c) Fold - 2 Points

With the information that a maniac is sitting in the big blind, we
should let go of these marginal equity situations and just fold. The
reason is simple - small pairs in three handed pots against aggressive
opponents are difficult to play.

The maniac would so often colcall or cap here and on the flop we would
be out of position and likely facing three overcards and have to fold.
The hand has a better playability heads up and has more value.

3 handed, assuming the maniac caps, we would have to pay a total of
3,5SB preflop, so it is not worthwhile to play the hand for set value.

Decision 1.3.

a) Call - 1 Points
b) 3Bet - 2 Points
c) Fold - 0 Points

Our reads about the opponent indicate that the correct play is to 3-bet
this flop. Fold is the worst option and call is suboptimal. While we
have just a low pair and it may appear that a 3bet is overplaying it,
with our read on the opponent that a) his flop raises are badly
balanced and b) makes few free showdown raises, 3-betting is the best
option.

Because his flop raises with made hands are insufficiently balance, we
can assume that his flopraise means weakness and he is most likely on a
draw or small pocket pair. If he had a J or an 8 he would likely wait
until the turn to raise.

Therefore his likely hands on the flop are T9, Q9, 22-77, 79 +
Flushdraws. According to our read, he is also capable of making pure
bluffs, but even these usually have 6 outs against us, so we must
protect.

Bluff induction does not have much value here against a weak TAG, so on
the turn a CB-danger exists and also on the river a bet is unlikely
unless improved. We have noted that he plays his draws aggressively and
we can naturally 3 bet and raise the turn, however, after a pre-flop
3-bet and a flop 3-bet, most opponents will set us on a made hand and
become more passive on the turn rather than raising.

The read that he rarely raises for a free showdown strengthens our
belief that he will not raise on the turn. With the 3-bet we retain the
initiative, risk no freecard, get more value from draws and come out of
the hand more favourably.

Decision 1.4.

a) Call - 1 Points
b) 3bet - 2 Points
c) Fold - 0 Points

You may have thought that you should play QT differently to the other
hand. Wrong! 😉 Here it is also correct to 3bet. With hands without
showdown value we must exploit weakness, and given that we have a
Gutshot + Backdoor-Flushdraw + 2-3 Outs on the Q and T we should 3bet
the flop.

We may be ahead
against some drawing hands but we cannot call down with our Q high, but
there is the chance that we may be able to force out low pocket pairs
by 3-betting the turn, and also ace and king high flush draws on the
river. We should remain aggressive, therefore, and not go into calldown
mode.

Decision 1.5.

a) Call - 2 Points
b) Raise - 1 Points
c) Fold - 0 Points

On the turn we see an overcard. A raise here is out of the question. no
better hands will fold, apart from perhaps something like 66 or 77
however the turn card completed almost no draws, so we call again,
investing 3BB.

Its correct here to call and evaluate the rivercard. With a good
rivercard we will call, with a bad one we fold. We assess here on the
turn whether we have enough equity for a calldown. The pot on the Turn
is 5,5 BB big. If the opponent bets the river, the Pot on the River
will be 9,5 BB large and we must call 2BB to see the sowdown. Our
necessary equity is therefore 2/9,5 = 0,21 = 21%. We use pokerstove to
estimate our equity.

In his range we place some semi-bluffs, hands with an 8 or a J, and some pure bluffs:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 64.227% 60.88% 03.35% 897638 49362.50 { 88-44, AdJd, AsJs,
AhTh, Ah9h, Ad8d, As8s, Ah7h, Ah6h, Ah5h, Ah4h, Ah3h, Ah2h, KhQh, KsJs,
KhTh, Kh9h, Kh7h, Kh6h, Kh5h, Kh4h, Kh3h, Kh2h, QdJd, QsJs, QTs-Q9s,
Qs8s, Qh7h, JsTs, Js7s, T9s, T7s, 9c8c, 9s8s, 97s, A4o-A3o, QcJd, QdJc,
QhJd, QhJs, QsJc, QsJd, QsJh, QTo-Q9o }
Hand 1: 35.773% 32.42% 03.35% 478086 49362.50 { 5c5h }

We see that we have almost 36% Equity and we can therefore clearly Call
the Turn. Even taking out some semi-bluffs and adding some top-pair and
8 hands, we still have enough equity.

Decision 1.6.

a) Donkbet - 2 Points
b) Check/Raise - 0 Points
c) Check/Fold - 1 Points

Here we should donkbet the river. Our pair is busted and we can only
win the pot with a bet. The pot is 7,5 BB large and we must pay 1BB.
The opponent must fold a better hand in 1:8,5 cases. The card did not
complete many draws and almost all draws have the better high card. We
must analyse via pokerstove to see if our equity against unimproved
Draws > 100/8,5 = ~12%. If this is the case and we believe that
hands such as 79 Q and K high will likely fold given opponents 34 WTs,
then the donkbet is profitable.

We will take the range we assumed for the turn and use it to calculate
our equity. Pokerstove gives 10,2 % (of all holdings). We now take away
all better hands we believe he will fold.

{ 88, 55-44, AdJd, AsJs, AhTh, Ah9h, Ad8d, As8s, Ah7h, Ah6h, Ah5h,
Ah4h, Ah3h, Ah2h, KsJs, QdJd, QsJs, Qs8s, JsTs, Js7s, 9c8c, 9s8s,
A4o-A3o, QcJd, QdJc, QhJd, QhJs, QsJc, QsJd, QsJh }

This is the range of hands that the TAG will not fold. Pokerstove tells
us the 10,2 % share of holdings has decreased to 5,2%. His range has
decreased by 50%. Our condition is therefore fulfilled and a donkbet is
profitable.

Decision 2.1.

a) Call - 2 Points
b) 3Bet - 1 Points
c) Fold - 0 Points

We should either fold nor 3-bet in this situation 3betten. Folding is
too weak. We get Pot Odds of 1:7 and on this dry board it is almost
never the K that he is raising. Predominatly we have our 6 Outs + 0,5
Outs for a Backdoor-Straight which are usually good, so we should call
at least once. Under no circumstances, therefore, should we fold here
on the flop. Having realised this, there are numerous pure bluffs in
his range, so by playing heavily against these, we may win straightaway
a hand which we might have had to fold later to a worse hand. A 3-bet
is therefore better than a fold and gets a point. In this spot he could
often be raising on a pure bluff, a gutshot or a pair lower than a
king, and with 34 WTS he may fold small pairs on the turn.

Decision 2.2.

a) Check/Fold - 1 Points
b) Check/Call - 0 Points
c) Bet - 2 Points

We should clearly bet again here on the river. The A is a good
Scarecard, wheras an 8 just became 4th Pair and a 4 became 5th Pair and
given our line, we can only reasonably be holding a made hand. The
following applies:

If we decide to pull off a bluff with air, which we essentially did
when we 3 bet the flop, then we have to pull it through all the way.
Exception to this is if the river brings a K, 8 or 4. Simply because of
the foldequity we have on the river, we must bet. The pot is 7 BB large
and if the opponent folds in 1:8 cases a bluff is profitable. Many TAGs
with too small WTS values call the Turn based on outs, based on the
probability that that river gets played check/check but will then fold
to an additional bet on the river. We ourselves wouldn't feel all too
well (calling) on the river with a hand such as J4s, 55, or 66 either.
When bluffing, it is therefore correct to keep on firing on the river!

Decision 2.3.

a) Check/Raise - 2 Points
b) Check/Call - 1 Points
c) Donkbet - 0 Points

Based on the information about our opponent we decided that he will
rarely checkraise the flop with a K, and if we know that he is capable
of making "tough Folds", dwe can select the most expensive varient of
the semi-bluffs and check/raise the turn. With 34 WTS he will
frequently play a Pair of 8s or smaller on the Turn bet/fold. A Donkbet
is actually the least effective, since this will produce hardly any
foldequity and he will rarely throw away a pair. He will call at least
once on the Turn and then fold on the Riber River folden, but if we
have to invest 2BB, we would rather do it using an effective smibluff
on the turn!

Decision 2.4.

a) Bet/Fold - 2 Points
b) Check/Raise - 0 Points
c) Check/Fold - 1 Points

We must bet again here on the river aswell. The K is not the best card,
however we can probably only win the pot by betting. Unfortunately the
semibluff failed, but our actions on the Turn force us to make another
bet.

The reasons:

a) Given the 1:7 odds he could have called on his two pair outs and will now fold the river unimproved.

b) He made a pure bluff on the flop and the Turn gave him a draw such as J9, 79 or a -Flushdraw.

We lie ahead against his possible draw, but we do not want to be
bluffed off the better hand. If we must invest a bet, we should invest
it ourselves to generate some foldequity against some of his made hands.

» QUIZ

Answers

You answered few questions correctly and it is unlikely that you will
be able to win money at your desired tables. It seems that you lack
elementary reasoning and should urgently read the articles and atend
coachings.

You understand the basic principles and belong to the class of advanced
players. You make some correct decisions, but you should press weak
opponents more, and rather than invest a bet in a bad situation, let it
go when you have the feeling you are beat.

You picked the correct answer on at least 6 of the 10 questions and you
already seem to be a learned and experience player who can, by making
good observations about an opponent, exploit their weaknesses and
excersize and appropriate amount of aggression.