Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Playing big

Manage your position with pomp

By: Marco Carreira

Posted: 08/7/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 08/7/2011 11:37 AM | Updates

isaac brekken / the associated press Archives From left: Anton Makiievskyi, Samuel Holden and Pius Heinz compete at the World Series of Poker in July. Understanding stack sizes and playing to position can help to manage the table. (CP)

What's the best way to play a draw to the nuts while out of position? Well in poker there are several different ways to play the same hand, but there are certain factors you should take into account while determining your course of action.

For me, the most important thing is stack sizes. Knowing how much your opponents have in front of them is a key factor in determining my approach in the hand. In fact, not understanding stack sizes is one of the biggest leaks bad or inexperienced players have, in my opinion.

The reason this is important is if you are both deep stacked, then you will have more ways to win the hand even if you don't hit your draw. On the other hand if your opponent is short stacked, more often than not you are going to get him all in, which means if you don't improve you are probably going to lose the pot.

If you are in a hand and both of you are playing around 100-300 big blinds deep, knowing what type of player you are up against will help you make the best decisions during the hand. Is he loose, aggressive, tight or passive? Knowing how your opponent plays will benefit your play.

Imagine you call a raise from the hijack position with A 5 of spades and the flop is 10 8 3 with two spades. You have a few options. First, you can lead out. If your opponent folds, you win the pot right there but what happens if he raises you back? Well, you can call but when out of position I don't really like doing this. The reason is, what are you going to do on the turn? Check-call? If you do this and hit your flush on the river you are left in a weird spot. If you check the river hoping to check raise, it probably won't work as most good players will go ahead and check behind. If you lead, it is highly unlikely you will get paid off.

What I prefer to do if I lead and get raised is to raise them back. The reason is most players might raise you light, thinking that you are leading light. Once you go ahead and raise them back, more often than not you will get them to fold. If they don't, you still have at least nine outs or maybe 12 if your ace is live.

In the above scenario instead of leading you can opt for a check-raise. Continuation bets are so standard that by check-raising every so often you are going to win an extra bet on the flop. If you get called, you have two more streets to semi-bluff and bluff if you don't make your hand. Typically when I play my hand this way (and get called but miss my flush on the turn) I like to make a close to pot sized bet on the turn. Unless they have a really strong hand they are not likely to continue. By betting big you don't allow your opponent to have fold equity as you are committing yourself to the pot.

Playing nut draws out of position is never fun or easy, but by having an understanding of your options you will find yourself making much better decisions.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 7, 2011 B13

History

Updated on Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 11:37 AM CDT: Added to columnist listing

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.