Don’t Get Ranged At The WSOP
Written by: Chris ‘Fox’ Wallace. If you’d like to read more articles like this, go to patreon.com/checkitdown
If you have heard words like “range advantage” or “range balancing” they are often described in such dry terms that you never put them into practical use. So let’s try this another way. Let’s look at the simplest application of the idea, and let’s get a few things out of the way first.
Range advantages don’t always mean that one player has the best hand more often because of a “range advantage.” It’s not about that.
And a range advantage doesn’t mean that the player with the advantage should always bet.
And…
Using a range advantage doesn’t require your opponent to know the term, understand it, or have the worst in the range matchup.
Range advantages are a thing you simply come to understand and use when appropriate. There are no simple rules. But they can be incredibly powerful, and if nothing else then I hope this article helps some of you avoid being exploited at the WSOP by pros who are always looking to exploit range advantages.
Okay, I promised you that we would look at the simplest application, so here we go.
A tight player raises from early position in the mid levels of a tournament and you call to defend your big blind. You and your opponent both have over one hundred big blinds. Your hand doesn’t matter here, so we’ll assume you miss every flop.
First of all, we know that your opponent is going to have a strong hand. They are tight and they raised from early position. So let’s assume their range is something like 22+, A2s+, ATo+ and KQs. That one is easy to work with and fits a good percentage of players raising from early position.
Now, if the flop is AhJs3c, how often do they like that flop? And here’s another question, and this one is important because you are deep stacked. How often do they LOVE that flop? How often do they love it enough to put all their chips in?
The answer is some percentage of the time, maybe 25%, maybe more or less depending on how sticky they are. If they have an ace in their hand, which is a big percentage of the time, or a pair of jacks or threes, then they like this flop. But they only LOVE it with AA, JJ, 33, AJ or A3s. Most players will only put all their chips in with one of those hands.
If you’re thinking that this is a very small percentage of his total holdings, then we’re getting somewhere. You may not want to pick this spot to pile all your chips in every time, but there are definitely players where you can steal this pot the vast majority of the time if you’re willing to push hard.
Now, what if the flop is AckcJs? They are going to like that one fairly often, and they are going to LOVE it more often than the other. And, this is important, They are going to see the flush draw and if you push hard they may think you have the flush draw and call you down if it misses. Of course if this happens and the flush draw comes in you can usually push them off the hand.
What about 6h7h9s? How often do they like this one? If you are thinking “Oh, this one is MINE!” then we’re getting somewhere. Because your opponent might like this flop just fine if he has two kings, but he almost never LOVES it.
If you check-raise from the big blind and make a big bet on the turn, how often will he call? How often could you call if you were in his seat? He is going to be worried about everything. Sets, straights, flush draws, even two pair combos! If he bets that flop, those aces are going in the muck, at least if I’m the big blind.
This is the easiest way to understand the concept of range advantage. Your range can make a monster hand much more often than his, so, if you have the guts to put some real pressure on him, you are going to win the pot more than he is.
So what does he do about this? The first thing he does is to play all those suited aces and smaller pairs, which he is already doing. There used to be players who were so tight they wouldn’t even play hands that hit this board at all from early position, but those dinosaurs are mostly extinct now.
The second thing he does, and the most effective, is to check behind on any board where he is at a range disadvantage. Think about how this would screw up your plans to steal the pot. Now all you can do is lead the turn and the river and hope that you can put enough pressure on to make him fold. But, since he knows that he showed weakness, he is likely to call you down. He has really made your life simply by refusing to fire a continuation bet at this low, connected board.
Now you know how the attack works, and you also know the defense. So if you come visit the WSOP this year and play a hand with a strong pro, you can avoid them putting you in tough spots by checking behind when you don’t want to play a big pot.
This concept applies to all kinds of spots.
What about a flop of Ac6d3c and an opponent who is in position and bets the flop. You call with A5 and no club. They also bet the turn, which is a 4s, giving you a straight draw to go with your top pair. And then the river is the Jc.
Does your opponent have a flush? Almost certainly not. They bet twice in position, and the ace of clubs is on the board, so they can’t have both a strong made hand like top two or top pair with a good kicker AND have a flush draw. They can only have one or the other because the ace is part of the flush draw.
Since they bet twice, we can be fairly certain that they have a made hand, or possibly nothing at all. And they probably hate that Jc unless they are bluffing and it gives them a chance to fire a third barrel? Can you call a third barrel? It won’t be a fun decision for sure.
But if they never have a flush, then this pot might be yours. Don’t just check and hope to see a free showdown with your ace. You are never going to win a showdown, because they will check behind with any mediocre that beats your ace, and bet everything that doesn’t and some of the hands that are very strong. So if they bet, you’ll probably have to fold, and if they check you are going to lose. Basically, if you check here, you can almost never win.
But if you bet, your opponent is going to hate it. Calling a big bet will be really tough for him when you have played like you have a flush draw the whole way and are now betting out when the flush card comes. What else could you have?
You could really only call bets on the flop and turn with a strong made hand or a flush draw. Hands like your weak ace that turned a straight draw are a small portion of your range, and one they won’t expect to see very often.
So can they call a big bet on the river? I wouldn’t if I was them. And most of them won’t either. So your choice is clear: Check and lose or bet and win. I prefer the bet and win option.
That was a slightly more complicated bit of range advantage, but it works the same way. They can’t have a monster very often on the river, and you can. So you get to win.
Think on this for a while and use it while you’re playing for a month or two. Then we’ll talk about how this concept should affect your play earlier in hands. You may find yourself folding, calling, or raising in completely different spots once you consider how the range advantage is going to play out.
If you’d like to read more articles like this, go to patreon.com/checkitdown, where Chris ‘Fox’ Wallace writes every week or read previous articles Fox has written for RecPoker here:
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