Leakfinder: SSNL by MDoranD

Ax hands are good for 3-betting IP vs. TAGs and NITs. The reason is because TAGs and NITs will most likely 4-bet hands like AK and to a lesser extent AQ and fold weaker Ax which effectively makes any Ax the same in strength as far as kickers are concerned. With the initiative and added value of having blockers, Ax hands are great hands to add into your 3-bet range.

When you first sit down at a table, it is better to be aggressive than passive. People will generally give you more credit when they have no information. Once they get some hands, you can adjust.

Avoid raising donkbets without a valid reason, "because donks are weak" is not good enough. You are playing a guessing game and in most cases, it is better just to call or fold. Example: Hero raises K7o OTB and fishy looking BB calls. Flop comes AA4r and fish donks less than half pot. Hero? Folding is perfectly fine without reads. Unless Hero knows that the BB has a high donkbet % or has seen at showdown the type of hands the BB donks, raising here is nothing but guess work and most will not be profitable. Our game should revolve around us using all relevant information available and eliminate guessing. 

Always scan your tables for easily identifiable targets. If you don't see any, its time to shop for a new one.

MDoranD advocates taking lines that take away as much guessing as possible when we are in spots where we don't have reads. Example: A tight 16/11 MP (over small sample) opens to 2.5x and we call in the SB with 88 and the 17/13 BB also comes along. The flop comes K56r and MDoranD likes a donk here. Reason is because we don't know much about the MP's frequency when it comes to c-bet and double barrel. If we intend to put anymore money in the pot, we should take a line that reduces to number of uncertain variables. Our hand needs some protection and is strong enough to get some value. One other factor that makes this a profitable donk is that we don't expect the villain to adjust particularly well.

We should almost always be 3-betting a fish with JJ. Even against fish that have tighter PFR % like 43/14 or 32/10, a 3-bet is very profitable. Their PFR might be tight but they will not adjust their 3-bet calling range. 3-betting allows us to get more money in while we're ahead and win more when the fish makes a mistake post-flop. Another reason we want to 3-bet is to get the pot HU. We do not want to call a fish's PFR and then have the pot go multi-way with JJ.

One problem I have with my game is knowing when to isolate when OOP. This is something I'll have to work on, but there is one spot in the video that shed some light on the topic. 27/11 player limps in MP and it folds to Hero in SB with 66 and a 14/8 BB left to act. This is a good spot to iso-raise. It would be better if MP is a LPF of 43/10 but a 27/11 is good enough. We want to iso here to force the tight BB out of the pot instead of giving him a chance to see the flop with any two cards. Our 66 won't win post-flop in a three way pot very often without initiative. A iso-raise here will force out the BB and put the LPF in an uncomfortable position which will allow us to take it down pre-flop or post-flop with a c-bet.

I have always been unsure of what to do with AQ when a nit opens but MDoranD gave some pretty valid reasons to 3-bet. Even nits open up their range to some degree OTB. We won't end up dominating him when he calls or 4-bets but it is still very profitable because of how often he will fold pre-flop or post-flop when he calls to setmine and misses. Nits will most likely 4-bet hands that dominate us like AK, QQ+ and fold almost everything else. The profitability of calling to keep in dominated hands is insignificant because we will be playing OOP without the initiative.

Bet bigger when you are ahead of your opponent's range for value! Don't default to smaller bet sizes because you are scared to inflate the pot. Example: Hero has 6d6h in MP and opens. CO (44/28) calls and the flop comes 3h3d5d. What should our c-bet size be? Against this seemingly loose and somewhat aggressive player on a board where we expect to have the best hand a large percentage of the time, we should bet big. The CO can have a number of FD's, overcards and pocket pairs that will peel our flop c-bet. The pot is 7bbs, Hero should bet about 6bbs here and double barrel a number of turn cards that do not change the board texture too much.

Teaching Tommy: Episode 1

These are just some of the notes I jotted down while watching the video although there is a lot of very good stuff. This episode is definitely worth a re-watch when I go on a downer and need solid advice.

• Fish in the blinds means you can play a very wide range of hands even if the players behind you are loose. Until those loose players give you reason to tighten up, isolate and abuse the fish.

• Threads13 says that A3s is a good enough hand to call IP OTB vs a 21/17 CO open. I often just fold there, is that a leak? If these is a fish in the blinds, then calling is definitely profitable although I often fold all the same. Need someone to enlighten me on this matter. 25:00 A3s OTB, table 2.

• It is better to call with AK from the blinds then to 3-bet if our opponent's fv3b is high. Both plays are +EV but calling is likely to be more +EV. We make more money by keeping his dominated hands in and he value owns himself. A 3-bet will take it down often pre-flop but we could easily use a much weaker hand to do so. It is correct to start 3-betting AK when we know our opponent's calling range is wide.

• 3-betting from the blinds vs a UTG open. Threads13 does not 3-bet from the blinds much as it balancing is difficult to do and playing OOP versus a strong range is never fun.

• Always, always, always think in terms of equity: Pot Equity + Fold Equity. Make your decisions based on these two factors!

• As an extension of the post Pre-flop Raise Size IP vs Fish in Blinds, we should also make our 3-bet sizes bigger vs. fish when IP. Unless we feel the fish is adjusting their calling range by a lot based on our 3-bet size, a smaller 3-bet is leaving money on the table.

Coaching Kristy Episode 4

• Kristy sits down at a new table and immediately 3-bets 76hh OTB versus an unknown CO open. BW explains that if the CO is known to be a 4-bet or fold type of player then 3-betting 76hh would be good. Against an unknown at low stakes, we should assume that they tend to call too much which makes calling the open better than 3-betting.
• The BB cold calls Kristy's 3-bet and the CO folds. Flop comes 7s5h3d and the BB leads out $5 into a $11.65 pot. Kristy was lost on what to do in this spot and ended up calling the donkbet. BW explains that raising is better than calling here. Kristy almost always has 9 clean outs if she is not already ahead and she has a decent amount of fold equity versus better hands. Villain is not likely to put anymore money into the pot if he had a hand like AK or AQ that donked so raising will force him to fold his equity share. A raise will also sometimes force him to fold hands medium pocket pairs like 88 or 99 that he decided to donk/fold.
• MP raises to $1.75, folds to Hero in BB. Hero calls $1.25 with KhQs. Flop: Hero checks, MP bets $3, Hero raises to $8.50, MP calls $5.50. Turn: Hero? Board: Flop: 7s4h2h ($3.60) Turn: 9h ($19.75)
• This is a great spot to double barrel and maybe even triple barrel depending on the river card. The 9h improves our equity by giving us another 9 outs and we can credibly represent the turned flush. The river may be a good triple barrel depending on the villain's tendencies. If he is the type that will call the turn with JxJh or AhX and is likely to fold to a third barrel then fire away. Turn bet sizing does not need to be big since our value range is very strong on the turn so about half pot is enough.
• Hero raises UTG with AcAs to $1.75, MP raises to $6, folds to Hero, Hero calls $4.25. Flop: Hero checks, MP checks. Turn: Hero? Board: Flop: Qd2h7h ($12.15) Turn: Ad ($12.15)
• This is a mistake that I might be making too often. I will often times lead the turn once the flop checks through but the obvious play here is to check again. There are three types of hands the MP can have: weak showdown hand, air, monster. We maximize against air by checking the turn to allow the MP to bluff the turn by representing the Ad. Against his monsters, we will stack off by c/r'ing. The weak showdown portion of his range is difficult to extract value from regardless.

Flop Fundamentals Part 3

Playing OOP - Out of the Blinds

More often than not, you should be folding pre-flop OOP. We are playing without two major advantages when calling in the blinds and they are: Position and Initiative.

If you choose to continue:

1. Hands that hit many flops.
2. You have a bluffing plan.
3. You know your opponent's tendencies.
4. "High" implied odds.
5. Trapping hand.

To Bet or Check

Usually... Check! - This protects your "weak" checks.

• Lead out IF...
1. More +EV bluff.
2. Passive opponents.
3. Bad c-bet board.
4. Set up a 3-bet.

Check/Call or Check/Raise

• Consider the following:
1. Your whole range.
2. Do we want to re-open the betting?
3. Can you make good turn decisions?
4. Always keep in mind: opponent predictability, scare cards, hidden draws.

Destination: SSNL, Part 4

• Verneer concentrates on button play and when we should be calling or 3-betting. He goes over a bunch adamwil's HH in detail and explains his thought process.
• This video pointed out quite a few mistakes I have been making. I need to pay more attention to the blinds and whether I want them to come along or not. 
• A few things you can address to improve your redline:
• Picking up dead money:
• Stealing the blinds
• The button as the Gatekeeper
• Re-stealing vs. regulars
• Isolating fish
• The Button is a Gatekeeper
• If the CO opens, check the blinds:
• Weaker players: call more on the BTN vs the CO open.
• Stronger players: 3-bet more on the BTN vs the CO open.
• It's your BTN: Act like you own it
• Most fish slowplay sets for the same reason they slowplay AA; because it is very strong and hard to make.

Hand examples:

10NL 6max - MP fish (50/6) calls $0.10, CO LAG (62/37) raises to $0.20, SB fish (33/17), BB fish (55/4). Hero is OTB with ATss, Hero?

• If the blinds were regulars who can potentially squeeze, a 3-bet would be preferable to isolate the CO. In this case, everyone at the table is a fish and is not likely to 3-bet. We can call OTB and expect the SB, BB, and MP limper to come along with dominated hands. Our hands plays decently well multi-way and flops strong draws and good TP.

10NL 6max - MP fish (72/4) calls $0.10, CO regish (26/17) raises to $0.40, SB fish (35/9), BB fish (50/13). Hero is OTB with KTcc, Hero?

• This spot is similar to the one above except the CO is a regish player. The CO likely knows that he can isolate the MP limper wide which makes KTcc a playable hand. We have the option to 3-bet or call and a quick glance at the blinds indicate that a call may be more profitable. If we had a hand like A9o, a 3-bet is better.

10NL 6max - CO reg (16/13) raises to $0.30, SB fish (39/0), BB fish (49/5). Hero is OTB with AdQs, Hero?

• Again, with two fishes in the blinds, it is better to call and get them to come along. 3-betting AQ wouldn't be bad here but if the reg 4-bets us, we will have to fold.

10NL 6max - CO reg (22/18) raises to $0.40, SB reg (19/15, 3-bet 5%), BB regish (26/16, 3-bet 8%). Hero is OTB with AcAh, Hero?

• This is a pretty interesting spot. The Hero ends up 3-betting, but calling is also a viable option. In my mind, there is a long list of pros, but short list of cons.
• Pros to calling:
• BB has high 3-bet % and may squeeze.
• Deception.
• Strongest hand in nlhe, hand is more or less invulnerable.
• Keep CO's range wide and get value from that range post-flop.
• Can still stack his monsters post-flop most of the time.
• Cons to calling:
• Do not stack CO pre-flop the times he has a legitimate hand.
• Blinds might end up calling instead of 3-betting.

10nl 6max - CO LAG (36/26) raises to $0.30, SB reg (19/15/ 3-bet 5%), BB reg (20/15 3-bet 5%). Hero is OTB with ATcc, Hero?

• With two regs in the blinds and a LAG opener, 3-betting is probably better than calling. If the CO folds to 3-bets a lot, a call might be better to keep in his dominated hands. The blinds don't seem to be squeeze happy so thats not much of a worry.

10nl 6max - CO regish (26/21) raises to $0.30, SB reg (24/19, 3-bet 9%), BB reg (22/17, 3-bet 12%). Hero is OTB with KdJc, Hero?

• This would be a great spot to call with AA or KK because the blinds are very squeeze happy, but with KJo, a 3-bet to isolate the CO is better. We want to either get it HU or take it down pre-flop.

10nl 6max - CO nit (11/9) raises to $0.35, SB fishy (23/10, 3-bet 4%), BB TAG (16/15, 3-bet 6%). Hero is  OTB with QhJc, Hero?

• Learned a little something from this hand. I wouldn't fault anyone for folding in this spot, I would too, but it seems a 3-bet even against a nit is very profitable. Nits will play their hand face up by 4-betting the top of their range, calling with low-medium pocket pairs to setmine, and folding everything else. If we give a nit a poker stove range of 14.9% from the CO (22+,A8s+,KTs+,QTs+,JTs,ATo+,KJo+) and assume he continues with 7.4% of his range (22+,AQs+,AKo), he will fold to a 3-bet ~50% (should be slightly higher because I did not account for our Q and J blockers). 3-betting in a vacuum is not profitable, but we will win a lot pots post-flop when he misses his set.

Coaching Kristy Episode 3

• It is not a big deal to get bluffed off the best hand, but it is a big deal to pay off with a worse hand. This changes as you move up in stakes where people bluff much more often. 
• At the low stakes, even the most aggressive of players rarely bluff often enough to merit adjusting our strategy.
• When a good aggressive player starts to 3-bet us a lot. We should adjust by 3-bet/5-bet'ing with a range like AJ+, any pp and call with all the hands we don't want to stack off pre-flop.
• Against a 4-bet range of JJ+/AK and junk, TT and 33 are the same. If someone 4-bets you with a wide range but only stacks off to 5-bet with JJ+/AK, you can 5-bet shove 33. 
• Being OOP is a huge disadvantage. In spots where our equity range vs range is 50/50, positional advantage can tip the scale towards the player in position. A 50/50 situation can suddenly turn into a 60/40 or even a 70/30 in favor of the player in position. Similar theory can be used for skill advantage, but position is often more valuable.
• So even if someone is opening ATC on the button, it doesn't mean you can defend wide from the blinds. His positional advantage can and will tip even a 60/40 situation in his favor. That's why 3-betting is often better than calling when OOP, because it reduces the positional advantage by lowering the SPR and giving you the initiative.
• If a good aggressive player or bad aggressive player is 3-betting you with a unbalanced polarized range weighted toward bluffs, start calling them OOP with very strong hands and 4-bet more trash hands. Our card advantage will be so significant that his positional advantage cannot make up for it. We can do this until we get deep because then positional and skill advantage becomes more important.
• An extreme example is if we know someone 3-bets a hand like 72o, we should call with AA instead of 4-bet. Our card advantage is so great that we are not concerned about being outplayed. (This was not discussed in the video, but as soon as your opponent sees that you are flatting very strong hands, you need to re-adjust your strategy because your 4-bet range will become too weak.)
• Calling OOP with strong hands is also very dependent on exactly what type of hands they are 3-betting and if they will stack off light post-flop. 

Coaching Kristy Episode 2

• How does the button opening range change 3 handed versus 6 handed?
• No changes at all. It's the same as playing 6 handed with the first 3 positions folding. (Not sure I agree with this. If this is the case for 3 handed, then why not for HU?)
• Try to create as much passive dead money versus bad players as they will let us get away with. Against good players, this won't work because they will 3-bet us or raise us.
• Much thought needs to be put into 3-betting from the blinds versus a EP raise. Our perceived range is often very strong with a 3-bet which will force out all but the top of our opponents' range. If this is the case, calling may be better than 3-betting when we have a very strong hand to keep dominated hands in and extract value post-flop.
• You should be more apt to slow play when the board is dry, you can't be outdrawn, and there are very few turn scare cards for you and your opponent. 
• Example: 77 on J27r.
• Board is extremely dry and there are very few scare turn cards. Overcards could even improve opponent's range.
• Be in control of your game instead of getting into reg wars. The ones who move up through the stakes are the ones who don't care and try to play their best at all times. Getting tilted or trying to get back at another player is detrimental to your overall game.
• Polarized versus depolarized turn play in position. Against an aggressive player who will c/r our bets, we should polarize our betting range. Against a passive player who likes to call, we should depolarize our betting range. (what about when we are OOP?)

Coaching Kristy Episode 1

• BW seems to really like the idea of 3-betting Ax type hands, probably A7 or A8 and better.
• Don't stop being aggressive until your opponents GIVE you reason to.
• "Cross that bridge when you come to it"
• "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
• So don't stop raising, 3-betting or c-betting until your opponents play back at you by floating, c/r'ing, 4-betting, etc.
• Have a sense of urgency when there is a fish at your table. Imagine him with a timer over his head and every second and hand that goes by where you are not involved, that timer counts down until he loses all his money. With that in mind, it is OK to play more hands than normal and push thinner edges in an attempt to stack him. If he wins, then his timer increases, giving you yet more time to get your money back and some.
• Example from video: Bad Aggressive UTG with ~60bbs raises to $1.75, CO calls, Hero in SB with Ad8s raises to $7.50, Bad UTG raises All-in to $27.65, CO folds, Hero?
• Hero decides to squeeze a Bad Aggressive UTG open and gets 4-bet shoved on. She is getting 2:1 on the call at this point and this is a great spot to push our thin edge. The 3-bet squeeze in and of itself is profitable and getting 2:1 against a player who is capable of playing back with a wide range, a call here is mandatory. Even if she doubles him up, she will have future opportunities to stack him.
• Hero calls and UTG shows Q5o
• Folds to Hero in HJ with 87hh. Hero raise to $1.75, BTN (14/10) calls $1.75. Flop: Hero bets $3, BTN calls $3. Turn: Hero? Board: Flop: Ts5cTc ($4.05) Turn: 7s ($9.75)
• BW explains that by betting the turn we are denying the villain an opportunity to realize his equity which is another way in which we gain value. The villain's range on this flop will consist of a lot of floats, pocket pairs, some draws, and monsters such as Tx and 55. The 7 on the turn improves our hand to beat some pocket pairs, floats, 5x, and draws with high cards. By betting the turn, we deny our opponent odds to realize his equity and the opportunity to play perfectly and for thin value. Overcards have roughly 12% equity and draws have more. 
• Calling to keep the fish in vs. immediate value. Unless there is a very compelling reason to keep the fish in or if the situation in which your immediate value is very thin, you should always go for the immediate value. 
• Example: 3-betting ATo vs a loose player or calling to keep a loose SB fish in. If you had a hand like JTo, calling would be better since 3-betting would be too thin. ATo is too strong to flat and the immediate value is too great.
• Try things out early in the session to see if it works. c/r someone you think will fold a lot, raise a donk to see if they will fold, 3-bet someone to see how they respond, etc. Finding out early in the session allows you to play better later as you have valuable information on your opponents.

DrGiggy Eat My Reads Part 1

DG starts out the video playing a very fast and aggressive style. He 3-betted a lot to see how his opponents would react so that he could gain reads quicker. His goal was to build an image and use the meta-game to his advantage later in the session.

The session consisted of 3 tables and a notepad on the side to keep track of his mental notes on each villain's action and tendencies, however small or seemingly insignificant it may be. He was able to pick up a lot of tells and build a good aggressive image over a small sample of hands. Hopefully we will get to see him put that to use in parts 2 and 3.

One interesting hand that stood out to me:
Folds around to DG OTB with K6hh and he opens to $6, SB folds, BB calls with KQdd.
Flop: KT6ss. BB checks, DG c-bet, BB calls
Turn: Td. BB checks, DG checks
River: 8c. BB checks, DG bets, BB calls.

This hand was played in a very standard fashion by the BB but DG said something that made a lot of sense. He said the BB played the hand in a very straightforward manner and probably pot controls too much. When DG checks behind on the turn, he almost never has a hand better than KQ. BB should have c/r'd the river for value to rep a missed draw and get value. I would have taken the same line as the BB, but I like the line DG recommended much more.

It will be interesting to see how DG uses the read he gained on the BB to his advantage in the next video.

Cliff Notes

• Pay careful attention and take lots of mental or physical notes
• If you are comfortable post-flop, it is probably better to start off a session aggressive so that you are the one in control of the game flow and can build an image/dynamic.
• Aggressive game play can also yield you much more information on opponent tendencies than a passive/straightforward approach.
• Try to keep one level ahead of your opponents whenever possible.
• Having a color code system that separates mega fishes from passive fishes is very useful.