Spamz First hh review: genty $11

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/185/heads-up-sng/first-hh-review-genty-11-a-588741/


My Input of Spamz HH Review

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Hand #37 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t25/t50 Blinds - 2 players -View hand 289475 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t1890 M = 25.20 BB: t1110 M = 14.80 Pre Flop: (t75) Hero is BTN/SB with 8  K  Hero raises to t100, BB calls t50 Flop: (t200) 9  Q  7  (2 players) BB checks, Hero checks Turn: (t200) 8  (2 players) BB bets t100, Hero calls t100 River: (t400) 4  (2 players) BB bets t250, Hero folds Final Pot: t400 BB wins t400

Preflop fine obv vs him. However, although I'm sure this is a checkback/give up vs a ton of players, this particular opponent just seems to lead out with a made hand a decent percentage and still defends with some more marginal hands so I think cbetting is in order here. You don't have a lot of equity when getting called but betting 100-120 here seems fine and he will defenitly fold enough of the time to make it ev+. If you don't cbet I think turn is a clear fold, you be drawing very thin/dead here and he doesn't seem like the person to lead with a weak range or with draws here. You only have 3rd pair and most rivers will suck basically and his betting is ranged towards better made hands a ton if you ask me. Either cbet and give up or just give up from flop (unless you turn a K obv).

• The turn fold is what interests me about this hand. This is a spot where I would have a difficult time folding turn to a 1/2 pot bet. I almost always call. Spamz said this opponent is not one to lead turn with a draw with a draw or air which makes this an easy fold but that is not true against most villains. Against most everyone else, I would peel and re-evaluate river. I wonder if that is a leak... I think most solid players who bet turn also plan to barrel river which makes my life hell. Against bad players, this might be a closer call but I'm not sure if they bluff the turn very often and give up on river. A bit torn on this spot and would appreciate any input.

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Hand #44 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t25/t50 Blinds - 2 players -View hand 289482 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BB): t1740 M = 23.20 BTN/SB: t1260 M = 16.80 Pre Flop: (t75) Hero is BB with 2  9  BTN/SB calls t25, Hero checks Flop: (t100) 8  8  J  (2 players) Hero checks, BTN/SB checks Turn: (t100) Q  (2 players) Hero bets t60, BTN/SB calls t60 River: (t220) J  (2 players) Hero checks, BTN/SB bets t150, Hero folds Final Pot: t220 BTN/SB wins t220

Interesting hand here. Preflop looks fine, given you checked so much and that he folded to the one time you raised, I think raising here would be fine too.

Flop you can again, lead out, don't fall into the habbit of autochecking flop. Given you checked each time before, I would lead out here some percentage of the time at least. Turn is a good card fire with some equity, yeah, he's defenitly folding some Kx/Ax hands here so leading looks good.

River I would make a fake blocking bet fwiw. I'd expect him to bet Jx or 8x a bunch on the flop, so he either has Tx/9x/KT/flushdraw/Qx here. Just make a small bet, like 90 or something, and let him fold his chops or better hands (KXcc for example). This move doesn't need to work too much for it to be profitable and he will have a busted draw enough of the time and will rarely bluffraise you.

• I agree with a lead here. One thing about my game that has improved is leading versus habitual limpers. We are not going to win very many pots with 9 high if it gets to SD but we can capitalize on the fact that we can turn a lot of equity which would allow us to double barrel should we decide to.

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Hand #56 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t50/t100 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289494 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BB): t1520 M = 10.13 BTN/SB: t1480 M = 9.87 Pre Flop: (t150) Hero is BB with 8  6  BTN/SB calls t50, Hero checks Flop: (t200) 4  5  4  (2 players) Hero checks, BTN/SB bets t100, Hero folds Final Pot: t200 BTN/SB wins t200

Again, very good board to lead out on with your hand. Mainly because we have 8-high and still some equity when called and defenitly a good amount of fold equity vs a ton of better hands (mainly talking about highcard hands but it's a paired board so he will not have hit anything here most of the time and will unlikely float his J7o).

• Agree again that this is a great spot to lead. Our hand has zero SD equity but given the board texture and villain's wide and likely weak limp range, we have a good chance of taking it down on the flop or with a turn barrel should we turn equity/improve.

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Hand #63 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t50/t100 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289501 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t1720 M = 11.47 BB: t1280 M = 8.53 Pre Flop: (t150) Hero is BTN/SB with 2  J  Hero raises to t200, BB calls t100 Flop: (t400) 9  6  8  (2 players) BB checks, Hero bets t200, BB raises to t1080 all in, Hero folds Final Pot: t800 BB wins t800

Meh I would just give up on this board. You don't need to win every pot and with these stacksizes on a board like this villain is going to check/jam a ton (or check/call), I doubt you have a lot of fold equity on flop here. Main value comes from minraising preflop and taking his blind anyway, don't cbet this with these stacksizes, almost all hands hit here.

• Completely agree with not c-betting. Lesson here is not to auto c-bet. You have to gauge the profitable of your play at very decision point. The pre-flop raise was profitable in itself but the c-bet is most definitely not. The pre-flop raise and c-bet combined committed nearly 1/3 of effective stacks and gave villain the lead back.

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Hand #71 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t50/t100 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289509 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t1870 M = 12.47 BB: t1130 M = 7.53 Pre Flop: (t150) Hero is BTN/SB with 3  2  Hero raises to t200, 1 fold Final Pot: t200 Hero mucks 3  2  Hero wins t200

You have been minraising a lot and your hand is really trash so I would just fold one before villain gets frustrated and stars shoving wide(r) over your minraises.

• This is a good example of adjusting based on gameflow. At some point you have to recognize that villain will get fed up and retaliate. Folding here not only potentially saves you some chips but also earns you some credibility for future raises.

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Hand #73 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t50/t100 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289511 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t2070 M = 13.80 BB: t930 M = 6.20 Pre Flop: (t150) Hero is BTN/SB with 7  6  Hero raises to t200, BB calls t100 Flop: (t400) K  9  9  (2 players) BB checks, Hero bets t200, BB folds Final Pot: t400 Hero mucks 7  6  Hero wins t400

Again, really really shallow to be minraise/folding here imo. Given you minraised almost all hands so far I would defenitly fold either this hand or the 32o hand just to show that you don't autoraise any button at this point and to keep him a little more passive. Flop bet is fine obv, he'll c/f a lot.

• Folding the 32o hand would have given us some credibility and made this a better raise. I think raise/folding against this particular opponent is fine because he does not 3-bet and also has the tendency to play fit-or-fold post-flop. I prefer a smaller c-bet of 125-150. This is a sizing I would use whether I have a hand or not. It helps us save some chips if villain wakes up with a hand and should have the same amount of FE as a 1/2 pot c-bet.

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Hand #81 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t75/t150 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289519 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t2120 M = 9.42 BB: t880 M = 3.91 Pre Flop: (t225) Hero is BTN/SB with 7  A  Hero raises to t300, 1 fold Final Pot: t300 Hero mucks 7  A  Hero wins t300

Given stacksizes I just shove. I'd hate for him to do a stop&go vs a hand like A7 on a decent amount of boards.

• Stop & go from villain's perspective is a very interesting concept. Not sure how to apply it or if its at all applicable. I need to think on this one a bit but would appreciate an example of a good stop to execute it if anyone would be so kind.

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Hand #89 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t75/t150 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289527 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t1315 M = 5.84 BB: t1685 M = 7.49 Pre Flop: (t225) Hero is BTN/SB with 2  Q  Hero raises to t300, 1 fold Final Pot: t300 Hero mucks 2  Q  Hero wins t300

Again, just push/fold here, and this is a push according to nash.

• I am still experimenting between the 8-9bb range with push/fold and raise/fold. Against the major population of villains in my games, I find raise/fold to be more effective and +EV. Most villains have a tendency to 3-bet too little and flat OOP then play fit-or-fold.

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Hand #91 Poker Stars $11.00+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t75/t150 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 289529 The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter Hero (BTN/SB): t1315 M = 5.84 BB: t1685 M = 7.49 Pre Flop: (t225) Hero is BTN/SB with 4  K  Hero raises to t300, BB raises to t1685 all in, 1 fold Final Pot: t600 BB wins t600

This is why minraise/folding is so brutal, just openshove here as well. I know he folds a lot to your minraise but you can't minraise/fold here imo.

Just look at pot odds, you need to call 1000 more into 1600-ish pot which means you need around 38% equity and you have K-high so you're not often going to be in that bad a shape!

• Same as above, raise/fold is fine but jamming might be better if gameflow dictates it. If we have been abusing villain and feel that he is ready to retaliate, then a openshove might be more +EV as a raise might induce a jam that we cannot call.

Mersenneary Video 6 - Advanced End Game Play - The Small Blind (Part 3)

12bb Sample Case (Cont.)

• Openshove
• Example Range (12.2%): 66-22,A7s-A2s,J8s+,T7s+,97s+,87s,A7o-A2o

• In this range:
1. Hands that get value out of worse, play poorly post-flop, and fail at inducing worse hands when min-raising instead.
2. Stealing hands that freeroll off of the fact that hands like A3 and K2s still don't have the equity to call if they are included in the range, while still providing decent equity against better hands that do call.
• Sample openshove balance properties
• This range exploits a few population tendencies: To call too light, or too tight, or both (!), assuming certain hands are in your range when they're not.
• A3 = 44.7%, QJ = 48.7%, K8s = 47.5%, 22 = 46.2%, K2s = 40.5%, JTs = 52.2% (45.8% = breakeven)
• Doing computations similar to the above is very important. It improves intuitive understanding of the game. I need to play around with different ranges and run some calculations as that is a part of my game that is sorely lacking right now. 
• If openshove or fold are our only two options, you can't exploit a NASH calling range. If you can min-raise as well, it's up to your opponent to try to react to your openshoving range optimally. I haven't played many people who have. 
• This is very true. Having more options in your arsenal can only benefit you. When you have a raise, openshove, fold and limp range, it is up to your opponent to figure out those ranges and by the time he has, you can easily adjust and use a new strategy.
• Exploitation as Practical Poker
• NASH assumes villain knows your ranges and is prepared to play perfectly against it. In real poker, it can be very difficult to figure out what they are and how to adjust accordingly, even at the highest levels. One high stakes player wrote this about Iftari:
• "Most good players will advocate playing with balance: Playing made hands and bluffs the same way. Iftari rarely does this. He 3-bets different  sizes pre-flop; he will bet 1/4th pot, 1/2 pot, 1/8th pot, min, overbet all-in. A lot of people would say hes exploitable but look up his win-rate on Sharkscope. There's a method to his madness: He plays exploitable because no one is able to figure out what he's doing"           -heybuds
• Just like what I said about having all the options available to your pre-flop game, the same applies for post-flop. Being able to use various bet-sizes effectively is ultimately my goal but to do so effectively is form of art. It'll take a lot of trial and error to get it right.
• Openshove: Adaptive Exploitation
• What do we do if...
• Villain is calling tighter?
• Cheat! Start openshoving even more junky suited/connected hands.
• I don't really openshove much at 12bbs but I will definitely try it out and see how people adjust. 
• Villain is calling wider?
• Start openshoving KQ/KJ, A8+ for value, tone down your air range. Be a moving target.
• Limping
• Extremely player dependent.
• Figure out how opponent responds to limps and limped pots early on in game.
• Limping is more valuable as part of a balanced strategy at 18-25bbs when you can more comfortably limp/call a 3x BB raise with playable hands.
• Limping: Adaptive Exploitation
• What do we do if...
• Villain is tight/passive?
• Limp/steal a ton.
• Villain is aggressive in limped pots?
• Limp a few premiums when appropriate.
• Although openshoving can become a effective part of my arsenal, I think that min-raising until I run into resistance is more profitable. Most players are my level are too passive. They do not 3-bet enough for me to be concerned and also play poorly post-flop. I am very excited to try using an openshoving range against more aggressive 3-bettors. It is a good way to counter their aggression and confuse them.

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.