Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?"If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles." - Sun TzuMarch 17, 2008 By Josh Arieh Bodog Nation Contributing Writer Pink is the new black, retro is the new old and squeeze plays are the new bluffs. A squeeze play in poker is when Player 1 opens for a raise, Player 2 calls and you put in a big reraise, most of the time with "air," to try and steal the pot. Player 1 then folds, because for you to raise into two players, your hand appears to be strong, and he still has Player 2 to act behind him. Player 2 also folds, and you have now "squeezed" the original raiser out of the pot. I was involved in one of the more famous squeeze plays that aired during the WSOP 2004 Main Event on ESPN. Dan Harrington actually talks about the hand in his book, Harrington on Holdem. The hand went down like this: I bet with K-9 offsuit under the gun. Greg Raymer called in middle position with A-2 of clubs. Harrington looked down at the mighty 6-2 offsuit and decided that he could steal this pot and makes a raise six times my initial under the gun bet. To further show the power of this move, David Williams folded A-Q offsuit behind Harrington before it came back around to me and Raymer. We both folded, giving Harrington free money. BodogPoker is a very popular online Sports/Poker/Casino website which offers a great player points system along with many free-roll tournaments! Are you ready to win a seat into the World Series of Poker or World Poker Tour? BodogPoker has built the Best Reputation for Online Gaming by nailing four key service points; offering quick and simple depositing methods, instant upfront cash bonuses, fast payouts, and the most impressive customer service department in the industry! Join BodogPoker today! Now, the squeeze play is risky, and shouldn't be done every time someone flat calls a raise in front of you and your in position. There are many factors to consider before deciding to risk your chips in this spot. Harrington first realized that I was actively playing in many pots, so my starting hand range, even under the gun, was very wide. Next, he had to consider Raymer's play as well. He had seen enough hands from Harrington to know that he was an aggressive player, and would raise any decent holding in the spot and wouldn't smooth call my bet with a big hand. Then Harrington had to consider his image at the table. He hadn't been involved in many pots at this point, and he definitely had a tight image at the table at that time. He knew that a raise from him in that spot left us thinking he had the goods, and he timed that play right. Finally, Harrington had to look to his left and notice the stack sizes and skill levels of Williams and the rest of the players. Win your seat into the 2008 WSOP Main Event through a World Series of Poker Freeroll Tournament right now! Someone with too short of a stack might have just looked at all this money getting pushed into the middle and decided to make a stand to try and pick it up. Also, a donkey might be too green in poker to recognize a play that screams of strength, so Harrington might not have gotten the respect he deserved in this spot. A pro in this spot might have also picked up on what Harrington was trying to do and in position, might have tried to resteal from him. Harrington figured out that the stacks behind him were deep enough that they wouldn't be calling here with garbage, and the level of skill was just right that this play could succeed. This hand is a perfect example of the squeeze play as well as a seasoned pro picking the right spots at the right time. The squeeze play has a big risk factor attached to it and should only be used when the money is right in the pot (the blinds and antes are worth a steal) and the players involved are active in many pots but know how to lay down when facing resistance. The squeeze play is a key tool to add to your playbook, but use it with caution, as it can hurt you as much as it helps if it doesn't work out. --- by Bodog at 1800-sports.com on March 27, 2008
Online Poker - Online Poker Rooms - Online Poker Betting
Featured
|
|
© 1800-Sports.com
1998-2008. All rights reserved.
Information contained in this Web site is intended for recreational purposes only. Access to information contained in this Web site is void where prohibited