Today, we’re going to talk about some of the biggest punts that come up at the World Series of Poker and how you can avoid them.
Look out for these mistakes, and you’ll be much more likely to last, even if you’re fatigued going into the dog days of summer.
Calling down the triple barrel
There are people who are capable of triple-barrel bluffs. But for whatever reason, a lot of people are not.
If you are working with solvers, they might have you convinced that you are supposed to call with the second pair that blocks the nuts every single time against someone who is proficient.
In reality, a top pair with a decent kicker is something you need to consider folding against most of the field.
Take a look at the people at your table and ask yourself, “Do I really think this person is capable of a triple-barrel bluff?”
If it is a barbecue, dad, or a recreational player in town for the series, it is not that likely. If it is an aggravated guy talking about how bad he is running, then sure, that is more likely to be a bluff. You can consider calling down against that person.
But do not blindly do it.
The average player is not finding enough triple-barrel bluffs, especially deep in a live tournament.
Calling raises multiway
This is one of the biggest punts you will see in any tournament series.
The vast majority of the population is afraid of raising multiway with mediocre draws and one-pair hands. That means their raising range multiway is usually going to be sets and two pair.
This allows you to make really thin bet-folds.
If you lead with a top pair that is not terrific, four people have seen the flop, and someone raises the size of the pot, that is often a good situation to let it go.
It does not matter that your hand looks pretty. What matters is what their line represents. And most people are simply not attacking multiway pots with enough bluffs.
Calling river raises because you are mad
This is another huge leak you see deep in the World Series of Poker.
Someone has had a number of hands get run down, and they are just angry about it. They refuse to accept that it might have happened again. They bet a set on the flop, bet the turn, bet the river, and then get jammed on.
It is very likely their opponent hit a straight or was slow-playing a better set the entire time. It is also very unlikely that this opponent is pulling a huge bluff.
But the player calls anyway because they are frustrated.
Obviously, you are going to make bad calls on occasion. There is nothing you can do about that.
But not even thinking through the situation is a recipe for disaster.
The vast majority of the public cannot raise the river as a bluff. You should give them quite a bit of credit before you decide to call.
What is truly awful is when someone with just top pair top kicker decides to call a massive river raise because they are mad their hand got cracked again.
That hand is almost never good.
Saying, 'This pot is big enough'
You see a lot of people do this after they get a couple of weird river check-raises that frustrate them.
Many players act as if the worst thing that ever happened to them is that they might have been bluffed.
After that, they are not interested in ever possibly getting bluffed again. So they start checking back rivers when they likely have the best hand.
Then they say, “This pot is big enough.”
No.
Until you have all the chips in the tournament, no pot is big enough.
This is one of the biggest punts you can make. When you most likely have the best hand and worse hands can call, you should bet the river.
A lot of people act like it is obligatory to call on the river. They might even hold their cards above the muck and say, “I just have to see it.”
Let them see it. Bet your hand.
Not taking a day off when you need one
This is one of the largest punts you can make whenever you are playing a lot of poker.
You know you are fried when:
- Every single thought you have has a negative connotation.
- The folds you made easily early in the series become frustrated cold calls.
- You are afraid to hit the gas when you think there is a possible bluff available.
- You are calling out of frustration instead of logic.
That is when you need to call a timeout and get out of there for a while.
A person needs to know what gets them back in the game. Maybe it is a day by the pool. Maybe it is a day of hiking at Mount Charleston. Maybe it is a day of watching old ’90s action movies.
Whatever you need to do, do it. At that point, you are essentially injured. You cannot get back on the field until you get your mind right.
Refresh yourself before you go back out there. If you just play tilted for the rest of the series, you and your pocketbook are going to regret it.
I hope you find these tips beneficial to you and your game.
Best of luck to you on the felt.
Alex Fitzgerald is a best-selling author published by D&B Poker. Check out Alex’s most recent book, ‘How to Beat Players Who Never Fold.’
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