Now I'm going to sit down at the 200 zoom tables and try to play in a strict GTO style – so that if my hands are checked in the GTO Wizard program, there will not be a single mistake in them! Let's see what comes of it.
Standard raise from the button. We have two streets of value on this flop. We only c-bet with a small sizing, but we can also check. I'll bet a quarter.
Ten is a great card for us. I'm only using an overbet here, but you can play smaller sizings as well. It also makes sense to check – as I said, we're interested in two streets of value... You know, I'll check.
After our opponent checks, we have the simplest bet. The king suits our range very well, so we are well protected.
Opponent folds.
I will 4-bet – it is made here with a very high frequency. Sometimes you can call and even fold.
On this flop, I think we can bet our whole range. I'll start with a quarter.
With blockers on and flush I will continue. I'll choose the same sizing that I would bet with strong overpairs – about a third of the pot.
Opponent folds.
With sevens, you can mix 3-bet and call. I see the opponent has notes, let's see. "Crazy Phone", um, then it's better to play a big pot with it!
3bets to 7bb, Villain folds.
I have a good amount on Broadway cards, and I have a lot of nut flushes, but my opponent has more flushes in general. I'll make the minimum bet just to fold out the weakest part of his range.
Opponent folds.
With tens, you can check or make a small bet. I like to bet a little more to get him to fold some of the overcard hands – jacks-high and queen-highs, which have equity against us.
I can still barrel on the turn, but I don't have three streets of value and I have to check quite a lot of my range, so I decide to check tens as well. A big bet from the opponent looks quite dangerous, as it represents an ace. Smaller sizing could mean a nine or six. However, we have a very easy call – we can still be ahead, and if behind, then there are two clean outs to win.
On the river we have an indifferent bluffcatcher – folding and calling are equal. We block the straight, but it doesn't matter since Villain is showing an ace here.
Villain checks and loses with .
Preflop we called a small 3-bet from the BB. We will float on the flop with the nuts gutshot. At some point, we will try to knock out the opponent .
Now that's disgusting. The board suits us better, but he continues to barrel. In practice, there is always a hand, but in the world of GTOs, with implied odds, this is a clear call.
If he checks now, I have a mandatory GTO bluff. I really hope he pushes all in and saves me the trouble of making this bluff because in a real game, I'm not likely to see a lot of bet-bet-check-folds. In 3-bets from the big blind, the value fraction is heavily outweighed.
Villain bets all-in, Steffen folds.
Tens is a mix between calling, folding, and 4-betting. I'll call.
We will call the continuation bet.
We can have leads on fives, but the strategy will be mixed, so I like to play from a check – it's safer that way.
After he checks the turn, we have a draw against weaker pairs and A-high. A quarter of the pot is enough.
Villain calls with A8o.
Easy Money!
The flop was checked on a mono board. On the turn, he bets an oversized delayed c-bet, all I can do is call.
On the river, calling and folding are equal, good bluff catchers will have a heart. Villain's range is not capped, I can fold even in the GTO world. Yes, it's a fold.
3-bet pot, Villain shouldn't have many sets of twos and fours, so I'll try to maximize value against overpairs from nines to jacks. Half pot is probably a more standard sizing, but greed speaks to me – too many turn cards are scary! Five of Spades, Ace, King – these are all rather unpleasant runouts.
I can keep barreling on this turn, I don't plan to fold to a shove because I don't block any flush draws. If he calls, the river might get interesting.
What am I losing to? he shoves the turn leaving 98s, that's only two combinations. And in general, against a small lead, I have to push myself. After all, against a check, I would bet all-in, and a small lead does not change anything, since it does not represent an eight.
Pushes all-in, opponent folds.
You can either c-bet a little or check, both are fine.
Villain bets 1.5bb.
Or you can call the donk bet! A raise is also possible, by the way, but calling is clearly preferable.
Another little donk bet. This is a good board and I can't throw it away. I think on the river this sizing will also have to pay. If there's an ace, so be it.
This time I preferred to call with sevens preflop. The flop is good. I can check-raise. Sizing, given the depth, should be increased compared to the standard.
Check-raise to 8.9bb.
The king is a great card for me, and not a bad one for him either. We must continue to ship, I'll just bet the pot.
Opponent folds.
We squeezed with AQo and all three players decided to see the flop! The first of them has a lot of suited broadways and middle pocket pairs in his range, the next has mostly small pocket pairs, and the third can have anything. I think it's a great opportunity to bet 1/5 of the pot. I'm incredibly strong on this board. The cutoff is forced to fold all the pocket pairs immediately because of the players behind him. If he calls, I'm obviously in danger.
The player closing the action called, so he could try to push some pocket pairs. In this case, I will bet the second barrel. All the I would play the exact same way.
Opponent folds.
Aces here are a mix between shoving and calling, but the larger his sizing, the more profitable the shove becomes. He immediately 4-bet from UTG, which is a pretty strong line. I'll go all in. Hopefully, the board comes out with a king or an ace, because that would mean we won more EV than if we called.
Perfect.
I bet a small continuation bet on the flop and checked the turn. On this river with tens, we should call, and we block value.
Calls and wins .
I 3-bet with 87s and could have called, but I like 3-bet a little more. On the flop, all options are possible for us, I will focus on c-bet in half the pot.
There was a clear check on the turn. After he checks on the river, you need to think: he should have bet big with and block bet with eights, nines, and tens. With my hand, the solver will probably play a mixed strategy, yet my opponent may have traps, but I like to be greedy.
Villain calls with .
Good hand.
GTO Wizard on this texture prefers large sizing. I will follow its recommendations.
Villain check-raises to 13bb.
Since our ten cannot be considered a full out, it's just a fold!
I can bet small or check, both actions are correct.
I check to call one bet unless there is a big overbet. Such sizing is forced to pay.
River check – check, there is QJo. Great.
Standard 3-bet preflop in the small blind against a hijack. Tens and eights fit his range well, but jacks are still very strong, of course. I'll bet half the pot.
Bad turn. I can block bet by lowering the sizing, or check, hoping for a check next. I like block bet more, we get it with , , . On the river, it will be possible to check or put another block for something like 10% of the pot.
Villain check-raises to 39.5bb.
An interesting play. In the real world, it's always , , , . I said that today I will play GTO, but here I will still retreat and fold jacks with spades. It's a clear call by the solver, but I can't help myself – I don't believe that my opponent will find enough bluffs at all. Okay, fold, once you can.
In these positions, AQo usually folds or 4bets, but against such a small sizing I think calling is the best play.
I hope to beat the jacks. True, this bet of his does not look like jacks. It's a clear call.
With a GTO strategy, I should call again. Okay, I'll do that, although I don't think Villain's range is correct.
He checks. Check it too, hope you win!
Opponent loses with .
On this texture, in response to the check, you need to use a large sizing to attack it , and weak . T6s with two backdoor straight draws and a backdoor flush draw looks like a great candidate for a long bluff.
The flush hit, Villain checks, and I'll bet big even though I don't have any blockers... Oh no, I promised I wouldn't play an exploit. We'll have to check next, as the solver would do.
Oh, now I can bluff again. My got there, and no longer a bluff. Solver would bet!
Bet 12.8bb. Opponent folds.
With AKs, I 3-bet the short stack that opened in first position and c-bet the flop. I think I should continue to barrel a small size, attacking his pockets, about a third of the pot. However, the check also looks good. Perhaps even better. The only thing is that you don't want to get a push.
Checks. Villain bets 15.3bb.
A simple check-call since he has , .
has gotten there. Of the bluffs left , , and backdoors like . It looks like a call – with such pot odds, you don't need to win very often, it should be enough.
Now that was nice!
I think this session has shown that sometimes it's good to play the GTO, even when the instincts are to deviate. So don't stop working on theory!
