How do you adjust preflop/postflop sizing against shallow players?
5/5
~$250 effective
SB – loose passive rec
UTG - loose passive rec
UTG limps, Hero(BU) K♠Q♦ raises to $20, SB calls, UTG calls
Flop($65) T♣ 7♣ 7♥
x x Hero bets $20, SB folds, UTG calls
Turn($105) J♦
UTG($200 left) checks, Hero - ?
Couple of questions:
1. How do you adjust preflop sizing against shallow players?
Usually, I open to $20 as a standard raise and add $5 for each limper. But when a player is shallow, should I change my approach?
Typically, we tend to raise or 3-bet bigger against deep-stack opponents and go smaller against shallow stacks, right?
For example:
50bb stack: opens to $20, Hero 3-bets to $60
100-150bb stack: opens to $20, Hero 3-bets to $70-$75
200bb+ deep stack: opens to $20, Hero 3-bets to $80-$100
I apply the same sizing for limpers. Does this sound like the right approach?
2. Postflop play:
If I bet 1/2 pot on the turn, the pot(OTR) will be $200, and he’ll have $150 left. He might be sticky and never fold his pair, so I’m essentially only pushing him off busted draws.
If I jam the turn, it feels like it’s not the most optimal play here.
Any thoughts?
3 Replies
1: I'm adjusting my range more than my sizing. My sizing will primarily only adjust if I'm in a situation where I am 3! and there is someone with a short stack who might jam - I want to 3! low enough that their jam reopens the action. It really sucks when you 3! to iso and a shortstack jams for $30 more and everyone, including grandma calls from the bingo hall, and you can't 5! ugh.
Otherwise, I keep my raises at game standard and instead skew my range towards the upper left corner. Goodbye A5s, hello ATo. Goodbye 56s, hello QJo. The higher unsuited portion of your range gains value, while the lower sc/gappers go down because you are going to gii with top pair with 50bb. And I want hands that I'm ok with calling off preflop for the short stack at least sometimes depending on my read/spidey sense.
2: Postflop I think the right play is to be more aggressive with your made hands, and back off betting your draws. Reason being that you lose a lot of fold equity because V will feel pot committed with weak top pair or even 2nd pair. They are more likely to call off when they have a piece because they don't have to fear the 100 bbs that might be coming on future streets. So the adjustment is to value bet wider and bluff more rarely with hands that are ok getting it in.
If you were H/U against short stack, this flop is a clear check back to me. But I get the cbet with the sb in there. OTT, check it, and realize your equity. An Ax FD doesn't even need to hit their hand to beat you. If you x turn, he might try to bluff a busted FD or if an AKQ9 hits, he might try value betting worse or he might call with a weaker pair. If you miss and he cks, you can try to bluff half pot on the river to clear out ace highs. You'll have more fold equity on a brick river than you have OTT.
Since a lot of his non-paired FDs are likely ace high, you don't really want to gii on the turn. He isn't folding much you beat, and his calling range is heavy with stuff that beats you if unimproved.
Usually, I open to $20 as a standard raise and add $5 for each limper. But when a player is shallow, should I change my approach?
It depends - in theory we decrease our size, otherwise villain can just come over the top with lots of hands and deny our equity.
But if you don't think they have much of a jamming range, then there is nothing wrong with going slightly bigger.
Depends on how short and other observations.
Like, do they play too many pots, even when they're short-stacked, calling off normal sized raises or even cold-calling 3B's, leaving themselves less than a PSB behind going to the flop?
Are they intentionally short-stacked, because they bought in short, or did they get chipped away to a short stack?
I'd generally avoid getting OOL if I see intentional short-stackers, because they're just looking for spots to jam with decent equity. If someone got short-stacked because they're just playing bad, I'm looking for spots to put pressure on them when they're obviously calling too wide.
Like, if they have 150BB's, and flat call a 3x-5x open, instead of 3B'ing, I'm going to be squeezing a lot with hands that are going to be indifferent to calling off the rest if they decide to take a stand - better AX combos, KQs, 99+, etc.
I'm not looking to get involved as much with low-middling PP's and SC's if we're going to be heads-up, but I don't mind over-limping or over-calling IP with those hands.
With a lot of the more marginal hands, like KQo, I think it's better to go polar with the raise size pre, like $25 or $30 - force them to decide how much they like a hand like ATo or J9s. I'd rather go bigger pre but not c-bet as often when they call and we miss.
The rationale is we're not looking to play a lot of pots against someone who's going to be jamming any time they have a piece of the board or it looks like a safe flop for their hand. I don't want these guys showing up with AT or AJ and jamming when we have two overs and pick up the OESD.
I'd rather they fold more pre, and if they call, I'm not going to put more money into the pot unless I'm willing to play for stacks. If someone shows up with 99, and makes a boat on the turn when we make our straight, okay, so be it. But I don't want them shrug-calling from pre to the turn, and not have enough left behind to feel real pressure to fold if we jam on a river brick.
