Squeeze play Hold ’em

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/03/2010 (6006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In order to continue to improve as a poker player, you must put in an extreme amount of time and effort. Training sites are available that will allow you to improve. You can also go over hands with friends and, most of all, log in countless hours at the tables.

My goal is to maximize my profits when I play and in order to do so I must pay attention at all times or the game can very quickly pass me by.

Poker is always changing and the game has evolved so much since the first time I sat down at a poker table that if I were playing the same way I did five years ago, I would have no chance in today’s poker world. I am constantly looking for ways to beat the game and although the squeeze play is old news in the poker world, it remains a huge part of the game.

The squeeze play is a play where Player A raises, Player B calls and player C re-raises with any two cards. What it comes down to is this: if Player C manages to make Player A fold, there is a great chance he is going to take the pot as it will be very difficult for Player B to call or re-raise. The reason is that more often than not, Player B is calling with a marginal hand since he didn’t re-raise, so based on this knowledge, Player C can be comfortable knowing he will get very little resistance from player B (I’ll discuss the reverse squeeze play next week).

Now before you go out there and try squeezing every time someone raises and gets called, there are a few things you must understand first. In order to make a squeeze play successful, you must choose your opponents wisely. For example, the target for when to use this play is when your initial raiser is a loose or very active player as the likelihood of him having a hand is much less probable.

Also, stack sizes are extremely important as you must make sure there aren’t any really short stacks left to act behind you. The reason for this is that players on the short stack are much more eager to get their money into the middle, and seeing as you are making a squeeze with an irrelevant holding, you don’t want to give them a chance to double up through you.

The main thing to consider when you should squeeze is your own table image. If you are showing down several big hands in the last few orbits, or have a loose table image yourself, you might want to think twice as to whether or not you should make this type of play. Remember, your goal is to tell a story with your betting patterns and if you aren’t able to make opponents believe you have a monster, there is a good chance they aren’t going to believe you and may force you to fold.

Being predictable at the poker table is a sure way to never win and that is why mixing up your play is so important. The reason I’m a big fan of the squeeze play is that if executed correctly, it is a great way to win some money in a cash game or extra chips in a tournament with a hand you have no business betting on. Remember, you’re not going to see aces or kings every other hand so mix up your play and really keep your opponents guessing.