To reveal weakness
We are constantly taught to play aggressively. We are taught about it in books, we learn it at Internet forums, and familiar players give such an advice to us, yes, everywhere anywhere we constantly hear: «Attack weaknesses». Another popular phrase: «Take away banks which are not necessary to another». The basic problem that we usually realize only importance of aggression, but, first, we do not know how to distinguish weakness, and secondly, how correctly to use it.
One thing I would like to tell at once, while we have not come too far to distinguish weaknesses, always watch closely a table. Good players know how to change the game and to give out force for weakness. You should know the opponent well enough to be able define, when his actions mean weakness, and when they show the latent force.
It is possible to allocate two types of weaknesses. There is an obvious weakness when your opponent does not undertake attempt to hide that fact, that he is weak. There is also a latent weakness when your opponent tries to hide the weakness, showing force. At first let’s discuss more obvious signs of weakness.
On pre-flop, it is limper. Limp itself not always means weakness. Actually, limp from an early position can mean quite a strong hand. However if the player comes into game with the limp after two have thrown off before him, I refer it to weakness. Beginning players usually do it with such cards: small and average pocket steams, average one-colored and weak Broadway combinations, type J-10 and Q-J.
Well, let us have limper from an average position how should we use its weakness? If stacks are deep, you can easy do raise and isolate it. I prefer to do it with button or cut-off. Sometimes I presume such game through one from button, but I never do it simply of an average position as there is a good chance to run into a real hand. Here I assume that we attack the opponent because he is weak, not because we have a good hand. If we have a good hand, we, obviously, bet on value, and the entire is not so important. With such spectrum of hands that we have assumed above, the player will sometimes throw off, but more often if you do raise of about four big blinds, he will answer, hoping to get in flop and to “undress” you on a stack.
So, to continue the analysis, suppose, that he calls your raise. Is that what you want? In an ideal, you wish to see flop with set of the big cards or a good mix of cards (K-8-2 a rainbow). You will do cont-bets on the majority of flops, and as his range of hands is that, that he will either fly by the flop more often, or receive something very serious, you will be simply convinced of simple true – the majority of hands flies by the majority of flops.
Be afraid of small, connected flops. For example, a flop 7-6-5 with two one-colored cards, would frighten me strongly enough as it just approaches to the range of hands of my opponent, in particular to average steams and one-colored connectors. Sometimes on such dangerous flops, I apply postponed cont-bet. In other words, I check in pursuit but if the opponent does not put on a turn, I attack. Weak players in such situations turn simply to a source of free counters as they constantly play limp-call with the subsequent fold on flop and hope, that as soon as they catch something serious, they will manage to win back all lost money. They won’t manage, because you will read them and will throw off, when they will show force.
On post-flop the most typical sign of obvious weakness is, probably, donk-bet. Roughly speaking, it takes place when the player does the rate on the size of less half of bank. Good players often do donk-bets with a strong hand to tempt opponents and to cause activity from their party, but bad players do it as they consider that they should put though a little, but are not assured of the hand and are afraid to put much.
Game against such type of weakness depends on the one who was an aggressor on pre-flop, and a position. If you have a position, and you attacked on pre-flop, donk-bet from your opponent usually means, that it has hooked flop, but is insufficiently strong. Raise of the decent size should remove all questions as he will think that you certainly have the monster, time you attacked both on pre-flop, and now. If it was a pre-flop-aggressor, the same principle works this time, as the opponent thinks, that if he did raise on pre-flop, he needs to put, but he is afraid to put much.
Out of a position you can try the check-raise and, probably, you will manage to take away bank already on flop. Still it is possible to try to play the check-call and to look, whether the opponent will attack on a turn. Such strategy ideally approaches against the players, ready to make only one attempt to steal bank. After all irregardless of everything they surrender.