Poker Plays With PokerPeaker - Forcing Mistakes From Your Opponents
I'm playing $.10/.25 NLHE on Bodog Poker. I have A-A. I don't remember the suits, but who cares, really? I have
A-A!I have the nuts!
Who-hoo!
I raise to $1.50. It's a big raise, but I like to raise bigger before the flop with a big pair in the hopes of narrowing the field or, even better, getting my hand heads-up. Remember, after the flop, all you have is a pair, and the odds that your hand is good are reduced a great deal even with just two others in the hand.
I get two callers. OK, not bad.
The flop comes 7♣-4♠-2♥
I shove on the flop. The pot is $5 at this point and my stack is $20 left. It's a pretty big bet. But I honestly don't mind taking the pot down here. And I'll explain why I shoved in a second.
Here's why: A guy calls me with 8♣-8♠.
More and more, on late nights, especially, I've found a big bet - what some call an overbet for value - gets paid more often than it doesn't.
It's a dangerous bet to make, for sure, because people will argue it's the kind of bet that will only get called by a hand that beats me.
I used to think that too. But I don't any more.
Too many folks have called that bet for me to think otherwise.
Why people usually think a small over pair is good here, I'll never know, but they usually do. Probably because by making such a big bet, they don't think you'd have a big pair like A-A. They think you're trying to protect a hand like A-7 in this case.
I've also noticed people just don't believe you. They don't want to get bluffed off a hand, and by shoving, people think you're just trying to buy the pot.
Shoving on a hand like this forces a mistake from your opponent. And by our opponents making mistakes, we make money.
P.S. I have made a lot of money flopping sets against over pairs and pushing with them. The difference here is I was the aggressor. If you're holding A-A and a guy shoves on you after you raise him on the flop, for example, you might consider folding.
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