subject: Learn To Play Holdem And Dare Other Players Into Traps [print this page] If you play play free poker sites or if you play big cash poker some things remain constant, for example, Three-bets mean good hands (or good bluffs). 4-bets mean even better hands (or even better bluffs). I dare you!
But luck gives you the best hands of all. Here is a perfect example:
BLINDS 50k/100k, ante 10k
PREFLOP:
A has K-K, raises to 290k
A's hand is great but he keeps his raise sensible. He certainly plays K-K shrewdly. Many other players would play A-A or K-K weakly preflop for trapping later. A plays K-K as if it were any other hand.
B has A-Q, raises to 650k
A to call 360k
B's reraise is to try and find out if A has a decent hand or is just trying to steal. With suited connectors, A can call, but with K-K, A does better:
A reraises to 1.49m
B to call 840k
Now A plays his K-K in a more normal manner. He is enlarging the pot. It's like saying "I Dare You!" Had his reraise be small (like only a reraise to 720k) it would not be "I Dare You"; it will be "I Want a Call" and B may call, but A has nothing to fear if B calls unless an Ace falls.
But he does not want a call. It is OK if B folds (which is just expected if B had no hand, but he wants B to put him on a bluff and push him.
B, meanwhile, is thinking something. Because A's raises are from the cutoff, B may think that the second is a bluff (and good for A if he knows this is what B is thinking). So what does B do?
B moves all in
A to call 3.76m
Now B is the one daring A!
A could have thought any of these:
(1) Was B trying to bluff me out? (He can't, if he is. In fact, I want him to do that.)
(2) Did B trap me with a four-bet with the A-A? or K-K? (There is a small possibility.)
(3) How much will I invest? I had 10.7 million at the start and I am going to invest 5.3 million. About half my stack. But I am going to try to knock him out, anyway.
(4) Did B have A-x? (Most probably. They do it all the time. However, I'm quite uneasy if it's worth half my stack.)
But A didn't, because he instantly called. Moreover, A could have thought instead, "My ploys were successful. I trapped him. Now he's finished."
A calls 3.76m (Pot about 12 million)
Three-bets and four-bets almost always signify A-A, K-K or with some brave players, A-K or Q-Q. B had A-Q, which is not so good for a call (A may have figured out that B held A-Q, so he reraised instead of trapped; if he just called, then an Ace may fall and he may not continue with his K-K) but even worse for staying in a hand with plenty of raises and reraises.
However, luck has the last word in this hand.
The board ended up Js-7h-3s-Ad-Qd, which clinched B's win.
Conclusion
I know this may seem like a lot to take in all at once, the fact is though that while poker is an easy game to learn it is hard to be very good at, hence the crazy stupid "chip flinging" you will come across on many poker sites.
Ironically the fact that so many players inhabit this dumb donk zone is great news for you.
The reason why is that when you really learn how to play poker well you can turn mercenary and hunt them down in droves on free online poker sites and low stakes real money games sites and happily build your skills and bankroll!
As ever practice makes perfect so read, understand and play free poker online to learn to play poker free good and get your skills finely honed.
Learn To Play Holdem And Dare Other Players Into Traps
