Mersenneary Video 6 - Advanced End Game Play - The Small Blind (Part I)

Benefits of NASH

1. Equilibrium: There is no strategy BB can use to "cheat" away from NASH calling range and exploit you.
2. Provides a guide to <15bb play that makes you competent from the SB.

Problems with NASH

• Assumption #1: Villain is playing perfectly. 
• Reality: There is money HU, not everyone's solid.
• Assumption #2: All-in and Fold are the only two options. 
• Reality: No.
• Assumption #3: Nash is the best you can do. 
• Reality: It's -EV in position from small blind >7-8bbs deep and we can do better than that.
• Did not know that it is -EV to shove NASH >7-8bbs deep. Need to look into this.

R.O.F.L

• Raise (2x)
• Openshove
• Fold
• Limp

Properties of Raising 2x

1. If BB plays fewer than 50% of hands, it's automatically preferable to folding.
• Example: ATC against tight player.
• I need to continually attack players who fold too much to raises. There is no reason to slow down until opponents gives me reason to. When they do, I should immediately adjust my all my ranges, especially my raise/call range.
2. It can induce jams from hands that would fold to an openshove.
• Example: Premiums, K9-KQ, QT-QJ vs T8s type hands.
• I need to raise 2x more between 7-10bbs instead of just openshoving. It is very important for me to induce at this stack size.
3. Plays well post-flop against people who 3-bet shove too little or have post-flop leaks.
• Hands vary depending on size of leak.
• Relative to point 2, raising 2x with more hands allow me to play in position and take advantage of the population's post-flop leaks. This is a huge edge even when stacks are short.

Properties of Openshoving

1. Keeps us from losing our equity post-flop.
• Example: 44 12bb deep. Min-raising generally only induces shoves from hands that are flipping against us or calls from hands that can do better than -1bb expectation from folding pre-flop.
2. Ensures certain BB hands will get all-in.
• Example: Some villains will flat A4 to a min-raise 12bbs deep but call an openshove.

Properties of Folding

1. As usual, folding is the default strategy when EV from all other options is worse.
2. That said, we should acknowledge when min-raising and limping (and sometimes openshoving) are better than folding, even when NASH calls for a fold.
3. NASH only calls for so many folds because it doesn't consider min-raising ranges.
• Some hands NASH folds at 12bb: K2o, Q7, J7, T7, 97.

Properties of Limping

1. Keeps us from raise/folding hands with good equity.
• Example: QJ 20bbs deep.
2. Exploits very common leak of being bad at playing limped pots OOP.
• Example: Limp/stab postflop with ATC against fit or fold BB player.
• I really agree with limp/stabbing against a lot of weak players. The general population plays very poorly versus limps.

I need to actively think about and compare the EV of all available pre-flop actions. STHUSNGs are largely a pre-flop game and failure to consider the EV of all actions relative to each other can mean the difference between a mediocre and a solid player.