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Implied Odds
The time now is 2010 Mar 14, 15:33
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KenP Posted on: 2006 Jan 21, 09:25
The difference between genius and insanity at a poker table can be a fine line. Most of the time solid-aggressive play makes the most money. In ring (and from a big tournament stack) an implied odds hand can be very productive.
Implied odds is a simple idea but very easily misplayed. And, it often forces a call in a drawing situation that is typically -EV. You are spending chips on the come or coming up with a nicely concealed hand on the flop. Too much of the this can be costly.
Who do we play this advanced stratedgy against?
1. A large stack that pushes top pair hard with premium hands and a contiuation betting propensity.
2. He has a tendency to pursue flops that he has overcards for with said contuation bet.
3. Has not been able to lay down 'a hand' and is aggressive nearing a fault.
4. He has a consistant betting pattern that give you a reasonable read.
As the 'advanced play' caller, you need to be the better post flop player. You are playing a non-premium hand on the come. These are connectors and one-offs that--worse case--may not even be suited. Or things that are normally limping hands from late position. These are the types of hands that play reasonably well in family style pot but you are playing against the starting pot odds that aren't good.
With our better on a class 1 hand the idea is to get 'our flop' on a board that looks innocent. Now we are hoping that he's even better than the AK we thought he might be on; we can often even hope his hand improve on the turn. Even if we are close and not made, the hope is he will be value betting those big cards and allow us to have at least semi-reasonable odds to continue in the hand.
I mentioned the difference between genius and insanity at the start. I have seen good players go with marginal calls and complete for a big win. But, that isn't very +EV; it is a play that a very aggressive player works with money that isn't going to damage his bankroll. The player must understand himself as much as the player he is up against and where he expects to get paid if he fills.
This is a hand that is well understood at big limit tables by the sharks. But, it is often ignored at the lower limits and can be equally productive. It isn't something to use in a random manner. You must know your opponent and he must have a stack that you can exploit. Ring is its natural home but it can be selectively used in tournament with a good stack and becomes handier in late, big-blind play. Negraneau is an example of its use. On low-limit, limit tables it is at its weakest because the payoff isn't going to max out profits.
I got involved in a long thread on Cardplayer that really became a cat fight. Traditional players never got the idea and called it a fool's game. I think the 'fool' took down a 1000+ pot. And the player did chase more than one normally would. But... Ken Prevo
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