Why So Serious?

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
5 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($206.35)
Hero		($200.00)
BTN		($254.00)
SB		($307.55)
BB		($200.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 5 players) Hero is CO

1 fold, Hero raises to $7, 1 fold, SB raises to $26, 1 fold, Hero raises to $58, SB goes all-in $307.55, Hero calls $142

Flop: ($509.55, 2 players)

Turn: ($509.55, 2 players)

River: ($509.55, 2 players)

Final Pot: $402
Hero shows:
SB shows:

Hero wins $399 ( won +$199 )
SB wins $107.55 ( lost -$200 )


$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($214.75)
UTG+1		($186.80)
CO		($99.95)
BTN		($487.60)
SB		($197.40)
Hero		($246.15)

Pre-flop: ($3, 6 players) Hero is BB

UTG raises to $7, 2 folds, BTN calls $7, 1 fold, Hero raises to $28, UTG raises to $90, BTN folds, Hero goes all-in $246.15, UTG calls $124.75

Flop: ($468.90, 2 players)

Turn: ($468.90, 2 players)

River: ($468.90, 2 players)

Final Pot: $437.50
UTG shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $465.90 ( won +$219.75 )
UTG lost -$214.75
BTN lost -$7.00



$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($100.10)
UTG+1		($307.85)
Hero		($327.20)
BTN		($486.60)
SB		($193.60)
BB		($223.50)

Pre-flop: ($3, 6 players) Hero is CO

1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $7, Hero calls $7, 3 folds

Flop: ($17, 2 players)
UTG+1 bets $11.65, Hero calls $11.65

Turn: ($40.30, 2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $24, UTG+1 raises to $96, Hero calls $72

River: ($232.30, 2 players)
UTG+1 goes all-in $193.20, Hero calls $193.20

Final Pot: $618.70
UTG+1 shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $615.70 ( won +$307.85 )
UTG+1 lost -$307.85


Why so serious? It's only money.

Either that is the common mindset at NL200, or it's just that absolutely nobody is capable of giving any other player the slightest bit of credit for having a better hand.

One huge difference in NL200 compared to NL100 is how players react to 3betting. There are many winning regulars at this limit who open 50-60% or even more from the button but call close to 50% of all 3bets should someone in the blinds decide to 3bet. Further, they even open around 50% from the small blind into any big blind, even if the player in the big blind is solid.

The scary part is how they crush the players who play back at them, even while most try to do so in a bad way. For instance, if someone likes to call when they get 3bet from the blinds while they hold the button often, why are people still 3betting with a polarized range? Why do the cbet every single flop in 3bet pots?

The common mindset at NL200 seems to be that aggressive regulars already know how to adjust to people who 3bet light out of position, and they are incapable of folding often enough because they think they can outplay them postflop. So if people keep 3betting the wrong hands, and play predictable postflop, they just get crushed in these spots.

A hand like this should be a decent example on one way to adjust to them:


$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($433.80)
UTG+1		($243.00)
CO		($254.00)
BTN		($209.00)
Hero		($200.00)
BB		($133.70)

Pre-flop: ($3, 6 players) Hero is SB

3 folds, BTN raises to $7, Hero raises to $24, 1 fold, BTN calls $17



So what is the situation so far: I've sat at this table for an orbit or so, but villain is a regular and played often vs me. He knows I am capable of 3betting light from these spots.

What do we know about villain with a decent sample size:
• He plays 29/23, attempt to steal 33%
• He opens 50% from the button first in
• He calls 3bets 50% of the time on average, so even more when in-position.
• He 4bets 13% of the time

How does he play in 3bet pots?

So far he folded to 35% of the cbets in total, in 3bet pots I have not seen him fold to a cbet that often. It's a mix of calling and raising generally.

Now before making a decision here it's time to plan the hand. First of all, is 3betting or calling better preflop? Even while KQs is a great hand to call with in these spots, the situation changes vs a player who will call with worse, raise with better, and fold some total junk or unplayable hands like A6o.

Further, when I 3bet this player from the blinds and we get to see a flop, I will be missing the flop a decent amount of the time. So knowing how he reacts to cbets, I will need to checkfold some flops I miss with my range, cbet/3bet some decent boards, cbet/3bet some semi-bluffs, and check-call some hands. Cbetting every flop is just going to burn money vs him.

Another good way to play in this spot is to not 3bet light vs him at all. But even so, I still think KQs is a mandatory 3bet for value here.



Flop: ($50, 2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $28, Hero calls $28



Here my standard line is to cbet. The board is quite drawy, and I can earn tons of value from drawing hands and hands he'll float with to bluff the turn when checked to. So should I bet here, my standard play would be to check any blank turn to this player because I really want to earn two streets of value from his complete range.

But like I said earlier, I will be checkfolding a lot of flops vs villain also. If I check here, he'll bet with his complete range, and KQ is just a huge favorite over that range on this board. So I decide to mix it up and started out by checking TP to him on a drawy board, and just calling his bet.

In this spot I cbet most of the time, CR a decent bit, and check-call now and then.



Turn: ($106, 2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($106, 2 players)
Hero bets $63, BTN calls $63



Here I messed up. Like I said, I wanted to earn two streets of value vs his complete range. The line I took here only gets value out of second or third pair, since my play makes very little sense. I did manage to extract decent value from his holding, but my bet size here is terrible.

A much better betsize would be something that would make him realize 2nd or third pair has little to no showdown value in a spot like this, so villain could consider a bluffshove. Something like 1/3rd pot would make my hand stand out as something like AJ, and a player as aggressive as him and a competent hand reader would not let this spot pass often.


Final Pot: $232
BTN shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $229 ( won +$114 )
BTN lost -$115.00


Another example of not cbetting too often in 3bet pots is this one vs a certain red pro from FTP. With about 2k hands on her, she is an example of someone who really tries to abuse position, and makes a decent profit of it. Her attempt to steal from button is about 89%, and she opens around 38% of her small blinds.

How she reacts to 3bets falls under about a different category as the previous villain. She actually folds to 78% of all 3bets, but never 4bets. Meaning that instead of a very polarized range that would be needed should she be folding or 4betting, a wide range is needed to 3bet here: Hands that can be 3bet for value and are not dominated often, and hands that can hit flops decently. In short, hands like 67s are not a fold or call vs her from the blinds, but a good hand to 3bet. AQ is about the cutoff I would be 3betting for value vs her, AJ and KQ would just be a call, since she would not call 3bets with worse hands.

In theory any two cards could be 3bet vs her since she folds too often, but that would just wake her up. I want her to keep playing her own game on the 12-20 whatever amount of tables she was playing, and not draw too much attention to myself. If she's going to focus on me a bit more, she's just going to own my soul, which is something I try to avoid.

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		($439.75)
UTG+1		($151.90)
CO		($930.50)
BTN		($226.35)
Hero		($409.95)
BB		($201.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 6 players) Hero is SB

3 folds, BTN raises to $6, Hero raises to $22, 1 fold, BTN calls $16



Her call here makes her range quite strong, and I have to assume hands like AA/KK/QQ/AK are definitely a decent part of her range.

Flop: ($46, 2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks



I do not like to cbet here since I do not think it can extract much value from her range. Further, should she continue with her hand, I'll be seeing hands that crush AQ here quite often. So I decide to check and reevaluate what's going to happen.

Turn: ($46, 2 players)
Hero bets $32, BTN calls $32

River: ($110, 2 players)
Hero bets $67, BTN calls $67



Because she checked behind on the flop, I do not have to worry that much about being behind now. So the turn and river bets are quite standard here hoping to get called by worse.

Final Pot: $244
BTN shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $241 ( won +$120 )
BTN lost -$121.00


Another interesting example of NL200 vs NL100 is this hand:

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

Hero		($226.00)
UTG+1		($582.90)
CO		($205.35)
BTN		($202.25)
SB		($306.60)
BB		($105.95)

Pre-flop: ($3, 6 players) Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $7, 2 folds, BTN calls $7, 2 folds

Flop: ($17, 2 players)
Hero bets $11, BTN raises to $34, Hero raises to $72, BTN folds



This is an example of how people play at this limit. Villain in question plays 23/19/4, pretty solid player. Since I opened UTG, a raise looks very strong. What this means is that unless I hold AK/KQ/AA or a set, I am forced to fold the rest of my range.

But villain knows this too.

So here we are in a hand vs a villain who is solid, called preflop, and he makes a raise.

Only there are a few things to consider at this spot. Even while my complete range misses this board a decent amount of the time, villains complete range misses this board even more often.

The K is a good card for my UTG opening range, but the only hands villain can legitimately represent here are sets, nut flush draws, and perhaps KQ. He won't be raising a non-nut flushdraw or open ended flush draw vs an UTG opener simply because he does not want to get 3bet of his hand. Because villain is solid and knows how to play his decent yet not too strong hands, I have to assume the range he'll raise with on this board will only include a few real hands, but much more air and hands he turns into a bluff. And hands he'll be turning into a bluff will often be beating my Q high no draw.

That is why I decided to cbet relatively small to give myself a better price on a 3bet bluff. I would take the same line and betsize with AK/sets etc at times.

How is this different from playing vs NL100 regulars? At NL100 most the decent regulars would either call or fold a hand like 99 on this flop, and perhaps bluffraise some total air. At NL200 the regulars are better but play far more tricky, and they know they can fold out better hands with their marginal pairs, but do not want to call me down, so they bluffraise in spots which seem good for it.

I also think this hand is a good example on how to analyze the situations. If I am going to cbet/fold or check/fold in these situations instead of recognizing a good spot to rebluff, why would I be opening hands like QTs UTG again?



Final Pot: $85

Hero wins $120 ( won +$41 )
BTN lost -$41.00


So far I cannot complain about my results at NL200 yet. These are the results so far since the 30th of july: