As always, work your way through the quiz, tot up your score, then go back to read the analysis for each problem.
GAME: NLHE CASH GAME $0.25/$0.50
YOUR STACK: $50
YOUR HAND: 9c-8c
1. This month’s quiz will see you taking on a $0.25-$0.50 NLHE game at Cake Poker. The game is ten-handed and you sit down with the full compliment of 100 big blinds which is $50. It is folded around to you in the cut-off and you have the 9c-8c. What is your play?
A) RAISE
B) FOLD
C) LIMP
1. ANALYSIS:
While it is certainly possible that limping could win you a big pot post-flop, it is unlikely. Everyone has folded around to you so as yet not a single person liked their hand. Also your limp implied weakness so you may even be opening the door for a player to your left to raise! If that happens then you really don’t want to be calling a raise with a speculative hand like a suited connector and especially in a heads up confrontation.
Much of your profit in these games comes from fold equity due to the overall tightness of the games and the fact that many players make huge post-flop deep-stacked errors.
So because you have a weak but speculative hand and it has been folded to you in late position then the clear choice is between raising and folding. If you decide to fold this hand then that is a decent enough play and keeps you out of trouble. I think that raising from position is slightly better as it also takes advantage of loose passive players.
Of course if this was me and I wasn’t playing on Cake Poker then I would be utilising my Poker Office software before I made a speculative raise like this. I would be trying to ascertain the looseness of the button and the blinds and also how aggressive they were at playing back and how often they folded to a steal. But since Cake Poker do not allow tracking software then you will have to go with a little less information than usual but that works both ways of course.
2. You decide to raise to $1.50 and you are pleased to see the button fold but both of the blinds call your raise so we have a three-way pot with $4.50 in the middle. The flop comes 6d-5s-2c giving you a gutshot straight draw with two over-cards. At this stage it is important to consider the stack sizes of your two opponents. The small blind has $31 left and the big blind has $9.50.
Both players check to you. What is your play?
A) BET
B) CHECK
2. ANALYSIS:
To decide on the proper course of action here you need to try and get into your opponents mindset. To players at this level, a pre-flop raise usually signals high cards unless they already know you to be somewhat aggressive from late position. Therefore it is difficult to get players to believe that you have connected with a board of that type.
For that reason I don’t like continuation betting in this instance ad especially when I can take a free card and hit a powerful hand. You also have a draw to your over-cards as well which can also make you the best hand. You can easily get yourself into a situation where your only way to win this pot is with a multi-barrelled bluff and this can get very expensive when your opponent is sitting there with a hand that they will not lay down.
Betting is fine of course and is why I have decided to award that points but I still feel that against two opponents and on that type of board then the better action is to check the hand back and take a free card.
3. You decide to check and the turn card is the 7d making a board of 6d-5s-2c-7d and giving you your straight. The small blind checks and the big blind bets out $2, now the action is on you, what is your play?
A) CALL - 10 - POINTS
B) RAISE - 6 - POINTS
3. ANALYSIS:
This lead by the big blind looks like a weak probing bet to me so I wouldn’t want to blow everyone out of the pot by raising with the nuts just yet. The small blind likely has nothing and with only one card to come and two opponents, you don’t have to fear an outdraw anywhere near as often.
4. You decide to call and so does the small blind. The pot is now $10.50. The river card is the Qd and both players check to you again. What is your play?
A) CHECK
B) BET
4. ANALYSIS:
You have a straight so you need to try and extract some value from your hand by betting as you cannot fear the flush. I would recommend a bet of between half to two thirds of the pot.
5. You decide to bet $5, the small blind moves all-in for their remaining $29 and the big blind folds. What is your play?
A) CALL
B) FOLD
5. ANALYSIS:
Believe it or not, folding can actually be considered here. In my experience at playing this level, when a player check-raises the river like this at NL50 and moves all-in for a sizeable number of big blinds then it is either the nuts or close to it. You have a problem in that the flush draw has been completed and the flop was checked so the small blind could have back-doored a flush.
But there are also several smaller straights that are possible and couple this with the fact that it is possible that the small blind could have been slow-playing a set then you really have to call as there are a few hands that you can beat in which your opponent could have check-raised on the end. Take an extra 10 BONUS POINTS for contemplating a fold but only if you deduced why and not because you were playing like a super rock.
You call and your opponent shows the Ad-10d for the nut-flush – a tough beat and one may argue that this makes betting the flop the correct play but success in poker is measured over many hands and not just one. Now it’s time to assess your score on our chart.
SCORES ON THE DOORS
1. A) 10; B) 7; C) 2
2. A) 5; B) 10
3. A) 10; B) 6
4. A) 0; B) 10
5. A) 10; B) 5
HOW DID YOU DO?
60 points - Only one word to describe that - WOW!
50+ points - Do me a favour, stay away from my table.
40+ points - Not a bad score but you need to be careful.
30+ points - NL50 may be a tad rich for our blood - drop down a level.
20+ points - Please sit at my table.
Less than 20 - Are you winding me up? |
