Warkittens

Think they key is here that GTO is the optimal play vs a balanced strategy - that a lot of micro stakes players do not employ anyway. But as you mention then the ability to look through the optimal strategy and look on how to then exploit instead becomes interesting. By knowing the optimal it becomes easier to understand how to then deviate from this vs the population. It does not make sense to raise second pair good kicker on a low board vs NittyMcFitty who only bets the nuts in the first place and just jams all his valuehands - but good to know that we need to defend also weaker hands non made ones vs the rights villains.
But interesting topic for sure!

Preflop looks good and like the sizing. As mentioned we are OOP and really want to isolate CO as he is probably the fishy type, so getting as much in preflop is key here.
Flop is dry and even though villain will have more of the nutted combos (some 9x) we have all the OPs like QQ-AA the he probably wont. I like betting here as the board is dry, we have BD potential and likely 2 live OCs so a lot of good barrel prospects on the turn. I like smaller sizing as our range for betting would not need much protection anyway.
Going to the turn I believe it is a mandatory bet, as a check just caps our range signaling we do not have a strong hand and as you mention we will have a hard time getting value on the river if we complete. I would bet turn and looking into betting the river as well. We will be polarized here so 1/2 pot would look fine on turn. We unblock all his TT and JJ that will play this way anyway.
As played I think it’s close between checking and leading here on the river. Cannot see many bluffs in his range so either the nuts or SDV hands that often checks behind. So I often find myself leading in the smaller side to target the TT and JJ type of hands. Did not expect to see KTdd here betting pot as a bluff :)

It comes as well with a month of essential, so basically it is “only” 25usd. You get 30 modules of 12-20 minutes content (some even a bit longer) which is a lot of material for that price tag imo.
It is very well constructed and lays the theoretical foundation for when to bet and defend a balanced range. It starts out pretty basic, but then ramps up pretty fast though still keeping the level digestible for the micro stakes player.
I myself has started up playing again and I have gotten a lot from it. If you are looking for insight in the gto world with a guide then I would recommend it. And Peter Clarke also have a lot of videos on the essential level which build more on top of the course (Key Concepts) He is great a explaining and communicating the message. One should just remember not to blast through the course in one sitting, but take one subject at a time (or two if you can manage it) and implement it in your game.
Best of luck!

Interesting topic as I think a lot of micro stakes players try to to figure out how much software is “needed” to start out with to move their game to the next theoretical level.
Can you put a few words on why Power Equilab is better than flopzilla/HoldEQ?

Hey,
If your are playing on Stars then StarsHelper is a good option. The setup is pretty clean and the updates are really fast from the development team (in my opinion)
StarsCaption is also a good alternative. Think most use StarsHelper, fwiw

belrio42 - think including all Axs is stretching it a lot. A2-A5s is mostly either folded or 4b as bluffs. Same with defending A6s-A8s is just burning money in the long run by just calling. 54s-75s I would think is also questionable as calls even though he has position. It is of course a matter of opinion and skill/edge if you can turn a profit with mentioned hands. I just think that I might then be (too) tight and not skilled enough :)

This flop is, besides the FD, pretty dry. And we have all the high pair advantage which villain does not. I have not run this in FZ, but would have anticipated that we had a big range advantage here for why we would bet almost entire range? And with that range advantage I would start to shovel in some money now. Can you share the numbers you plugged in Equilab?

Think it is well played.
I like the betsizing that sets it all up for a river shove on blank runouts.
As you say the river is pretty awfull as the flush gets there together with AJ. Dunno if he blasts it off w. AT, but think it often gets checked back. That leaves the 76s, but only 3 combos compared to the load of value like 6x AJ's, some weird 8x and boats + the flushes. So he has significantly more value here compared to bluffs which does not live op to the roughly 30% potodds we are getting.

Would just keep it simple and go 50% on flop, turn and shove river - but flop is fine.
The only draw that is really out there is the FD which we block with Kd, so I am inclined to just bet simlar size as the flop and jam most rivers.
He looks fairly nitty, so probably sitting with and overpair to the board after calling the flop cbet. You do want him in the pot with his draws which he will miss anyway most of the times. Since this is a 3b pot we will end up AI on the river anyways. And you want him to charge his draws - not just prize him out because you fear the flush will get there.

You have to at 5nl, imo. As people do not bluff enough you can just fold when they show a lot of agression (do you have a read that says otherwise then follow that)
Balance is not that relevant as people do not notice it anyway. Keep your ranges tight and on the value heavy side of the spectrum.

Why would you start checking your strong hands in a 3bet pot being OOP? You would want to start building the pot right now. You risk villain checks behind and then losing value. I do not think we need to balance our betting range here with strong hands. Maybe occasionally too set or similar l, but the balance part, I believe, is a bit overrated at 5nl.
What turns do you expect to continue on besides clubs and what do you do if it bricks. If it is c/f every time you are burning money in the long run.

Also - do you 3b BB vs MP with 99? Is it then for value or as a bluff?

I think you are making it a bit more complicated than it is. Again - 3b pots play fairly simple and honest at the micros. Not saying that people do not bluff at all - have also seen crazy stuff. But most of the times it is pretty value heavy ranges

Try and focus on the facts - what does the population usually do? And try not to project a thought process in the heat of the moment that is maybe too “emotional” ;-)

Dunno if 3betting T8s from the blinds vs MP is gonna make tons of money. You will be OOP and have a hard time in a lot of flops.
What is your reason for check calling flop? Seems too loose to me. You only have BD potential here and you are OOP - so will probably end up lighting some money on fire here. The SPR is already low as this is a 3b pot which means you will have lower fold equity on the turn should you want to try and bluff him off a good hand. The turn is one of the best cards for you, but when raising AI you will get called by a lot as you do not really rep anything. I mean - how do you play all you strong hands AA/KK/QQ Ax FDs on the flop?
And try and leave out the results - tends to affect the analysis. Furthermore - please include some of your thoughts about the hand as well.

This is a 3bet pot where ranges are pretty tight and players are often honest - at least from the turn.
Do you believe that standard nl5 zoomie villain will call the flop with 67s or 78s w. BDFD and then goes bananas when you check to them?
Let’s say he goes for thin value w A5s and bluffs 67+78s. How many combos is that compared to the value hands that beat you? If villain shapes his range with almost only value - is it then a good play to bluff catch TPTK?

If you can share any of your thoughts up until the river then I think you will get better replies :)
If you start thinking of what hands you expect villain to call your 3bet with preflop then we can start shaping the range he came to the turn with. Assumed he does not 4b or jams anything else but AA-QQ and maybe AKs then a reasonable guess could be 88-JJ, som suitede connectors and AJs, AQo+
My assumption would be he ditches all the pairs and air as they are now 3rd pair or worse and continues with all his Ax combos.
AK = 6 combos
AQ = 6 combos
AJs = 2 combos
People tend to be pretty honest in 3bet pots - especially in the micros. So if you believe he can have worse Ax that he will essentially turn into a bluff on the turn or at least bet thin for value then it can maybe make a bit of sense. But vs the population this is just rarely a bluff. People will turn up with weird shi* sometimes, but would believe we at best chop here and not see an overplayed AT it or other Ax. Again - maniacs can just go overboard with any two, but yea - it would require some sort of read. Even if villain was calling light with a KTs for a gutshot and BDFD then he also caught up on the turn.
So - to keep it short. I would not call the river :)

His value hands are 6 combos of sets and 2 combos of 2 pair (considered he is not defending J4/J5s) which is 8 hands in total. We have TPGK and I see no reason for not raising the flop here l. This would not be an information raise, but a value raise. We let villain realise EQT with all his FDs and SDs and at 2nl people tend to overvalue their draws and weird 2nd pair type hands. The fact that we do not block any of the spades is a good thing for us at it gives more FDs in villains range.
I would def. lean towards raising flop and bet, bet on most runouts.

What is your reason for calling the 3b preflop? I can see a lot of better hands calling with here - and T9o is definitely not one of them. If he 3b too wide you punish him by expanding your calling range together with 4b wider for value. Cut away the trashy hands as they flop poorly and focus more on staying ahead of his range. You do not gain profit by trying to outplay him, but showing up with stronger hands and taking him to valuetown.
Would have been a disaster if he just snapped you off with a pair or similar where we at best are looking at 8 outs for the straight.
As played I would fold as we do not have the immediate odds to call and the shove only folds out A high bluffs etc. You force him to play perfectly as well, but I my opinion we should not have ended there in the first place :)
So - cut away the trash and expand the value part instead vs this guy.

I raise the turn - and depending on villains cbet stats could consider raising flop as well.
We want to build the pot to be able to get the rest in by the river.
There is scare cards on the river that can freeze the action and since you are OOP it makes it harder to extract value as you do not have the initiative.
He raises from the button why he will have all Kx making this a profitable punt for stacks.
As played - think about it for like 7-10 secs. and shove the river as villain will stack of with worse.

You gotta punt this in as he can have literally EVERYTHING here for reasons below:
- Not full stack
- Min 3b pre
- Aggro fish stats
- And bet he had a fishy name as well :)
You have a very strong hand and as a default fish do not think about being balanced or protecting their betting/checking ranges. And when he pots this can easily be Jx, straights, AA which is now two pair.
Yes he will show up with the stone cold nuts from time to time, but his range consists of a lot of other stuff as well that we beat. Try and use flopzilla/Equilab and see how his range plays vs. your holding and you will see you are ahead here.

Try and go through your database and see how often the avg. player eg. folds to 3bet from the different positions to get an idea of the default play.
In terms of adjusting I would take the opposite approach and go with my "normal" game and include both value and bluffs in my 3bet range- and adjust if I am given a reason to do so. In the micros up until at least nl10(z) people are folding way too much to 3bets... Including myself :(

Is this group alive - if so, very interested :)

Calling the 4b seems fine here also considering stacks as we will be crushed if he ships. UTG has close to zero bluffs here when 4betting from this position, so just call and realize your eqt.
Doubt that he will 4b 22-88, so think we are mostly looking at slowplays or QQ and AK.
River is pretty puke as he would often just check back eg. QQ and not turn this into a bluff. That leaves split pots with AK and slowplayed AA/KK and maybe some retarded holdings due to villain being unknown...
It is worth to consider having some sort of default game vs. unknowns and I believe in 10nl zoom people do not mess around in 5b pots 235 BB deep.
Probably end up folding the river before I write "Please show the bluff" in the chat...

Hi Colin,
just my 2 cents on this one - no expert, but here it goes.
Seems you are cbetting on the high side making you quite exploitable on the river if you most often c/f afterwards.
Try and think of what reasoning you have for cbetting (value, semi bluff or bluffing?) and how this then fits in your plan for potential turn and/or river cards. Look at how villains calling range in SB vs. BB can be quite different where BB is wider and can stand less pressure than an (often) tighter SB range why you can barrel more frequently on scare cards vs. BB.
I would much rather bluff the lower equity draws on the turn and try to follow through on good rivers as their showdown value is lower.

Most players do no check both flop and turn with strong hands without any dynamic as they loose value.
He is in the BB why his range can include more Jx and XsXs.
I sigh-call this and expect to be good most of the times due to the reason he is 1 tabling and probably a recrational player.
And yes - he can definitely shove worse than 99 and J9 :)

I would be surprised if villain shows up with Kx here since he checks the turn, but we can have all AK in our range. I would bet turn and follow through on most rivers. As the BigFiszh mentions an overbet on turn and river could be sexy as you target the part of his range bellow Kx and can apply max pressure here.

4b pot and we have an overair on a drawy board. Yes - he will have TT or QQ from time to time and it sucks that we have Ks as well.
But readless both KQs , AJs and AQ can be in his range. So valuebet small on the flop and rip it in on the turn.

Call turn to keep in his party hands and raise AI on most rivers as he is a maniac/fishy dude. Only 1 combo of 99 and 3 combos of 3's, so guess he is either bluffing or raising Ax for (what he thinks) is value.

When fish show this type of aggression I like to have seen some showdown hands before I call his AI shove.
If we call here I think we are flipping at best,so I would just fold and look for better spots. I know its not much of an answer, but without reads I pass on the ticket to the Variance Express.

Combo wise we should be ahead here as he can be jamming w. 77-JJ, as Kevin mentions, and OCs with FDs. I am always calling here even though the zoom player pool is somewhat nitty. But we have a strong TP in a 3bp, so I click call and expect to win most of the time. Again - we can be ahead of alot of hands he consider as value which is perfect for us.

SPrince - what hands are you checking on this board and are you calling a raise if we bet? I mean - our TP is not that strong and the straight is pretty obvious if it completes. It is not a hand that can get 3 streets anyway so why not just take a free card and protect our checking range?