Big Blind Defense - What Is Your Approach?

[CRStals]

Recently in our CardsChat Learning Series, we covered off big blind defense - link to the article is here --> Big Blind Strategy in Poker: How to Defend Smarter and Lose Less

In that article we talked about how to approach being in the big blind and facing raises from various positions. So here's the question:

You are in the big blind and are facing a raise from middle position at a cash game table where everyone is 100 big blind + deep. Middle position you have characterized as an aggressive player that opens almost every time they have the opportunity to. Rarely does the highjack, cutoff, button, or small blind come along. This is the seventh orbit in a row that you are facing a raise from them in a row when they opened from middle position.

• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

Explain your answer!

 

[Sunz of Beaches]

I would defend my hand basically with every suited hand, most connected hands and every Broadway hand. I would not defend low connected hands and complete garbage.

When playing micros/freerolls I would only 3-bet Premiums because this kind of player mostly call the 3-bet anyway and we are out of position. On higher limits I would consider 3-betting lighter but it really depends.

I put this type of player on a very wide range, basically the same as my defend range.

 

[Toruk Makto]

Recentemente, em nossa série de aprendizado CardsChat, abordamos a defesa do big blind - o link para o artigo está aqui --> Estratégia do Big Blind no Poker: Como se defender de forma mais inteligente e perder menos

Naquele artigo, falamos sobre como abordar o big blind e enfrentar aumentos de várias posições. Então, aqui está a questão:

Você está no big blind e enfrenta um aumento em posição intermediária em uma mesa de cash game onde todos têm 100 big blinds ou mais. Em posição intermediária, você se caracterizou como um jogador agressivo que abre quase sempre que tem a oportunidade. Raramente aparecem highjacks, cutoffs, botões ou small blinds. Esta é a sétima rodada consecutiva em que você enfrenta um aumento deles quando eles abrem em posição intermediária.

• Como você abordaria essa mão?
• Qual é o alcance que você está colocando no jogador da posição intermediária?
• Com qual intervalo você consideraria fazer o call?
• Você consideraria fazer uma three-bet com eles?

Explique sua resposta!

My first hand would be in defense range. And after all those hands he was probably sick, he would make the call based on his aggressiveness, without fear of playing my game, and so a three-bet could fit 👍

 

[Rmi]

You must say what hand you have to know how to act

 

[Marcwantstowin]

@Rmi

All the information you need is in the question.

1. He is an aggressive player
2. He has raised every time he has had the opportunity.

So the question is

1. What range of hands would you need to have to get involved in the hand with him?
2, Can you work out what sort of hands he maybe raising with?

 

[SL-247]

You need to look not at the big blind, but at your opponent's playing style.

 

[najisami]

• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

Based on the given info, I would consider playing back at him. His range is kind of wide, so I'd call with most broadways and suited connectors 67 and better. With pairs JJ and better, AK, AQ, KQ, KJ Suited, I'd 3-bet.

 

[Tero]

• How would you approach playing this hand
  I have to agree with @Rmi that this question lacks vital information. Knowing my hand (and especially) opponents raise size would certainly have an effect in my decision. But based on opponents raising frequency I would say he is pretty wide with his range.
  
  
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
  He is playing maybe 40% of hands.
  
  
• What range will you consider calling with
  Depending on the call size 15-30% of top range.
  
  
• Will you consider three-betting them?
  It is a possibility.

 

[ironduke11]

ever so often consider a three bet to keep them honest and see what their risk tolerance is...

 

[YLAN]

This is the seventh orbit in a row that you are facing a raise from them in a row when they opened from middle position. This tells something about the player's game that he's playing a wide range in MP. Would play ~25% top range & 3X bet.

 

[perrywh]

I put him all in! If he wins I reload with double his stack and take him to school!

 

[Goggelheimer]

As almost there is missing information. Do we play shorthanded or full ring cashgame?
Wait 7 orbits wow, what a thight BB player.
Explain the approach?

Defending the BB is essential to have a decent winrate, 7 orbits not defending the BB is costly.
Even if the MP OR Range may be thight, this player looks like a bit too loose in his MP approach.
7 Orbits same pattern: he pretends to have always a hand to open raise with, a bit questionable.

1. Approach is here is to have a calling range and a 3-betting range in the BB.

2. The range MP opens can be like this for 6 Max


And a bit wider for full ring


3. The BB Calling range could look like this:



4. The BB 3-Betting range could look like this:

 

[neverbluff0799]

• How would you approach playing this hand
  It really depands of our history vs each other also.From those 7 time he raise how many time we call or3 bet? Lets say i was folding everytime well our image is probably ppretty nitty so i would consider taking an agressive approach with a very wide set of hands.
  
  
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
  7 time in a row he obviously open any 2

• What range will you consider calling with

I usually like to see flop vs that kind of players so eveything who connect even a bit ( 107 for example) and any descent hands

• Will you consider three-betting them?

i will definitly prefer to enter that hand as the agressor so ill 3 bet a lot to take the initiative and play with my image.

 

[mattiebumpo]

• How would you approach playing this hand - I would defend my BB very wide because I do not give them credit for having a strong range
• What range are you putting on the middle position player - I put them on a very wide range that includes all pairs, almost all suited hands, and unsuited hands down to 78
• What range will you consider calling with - I would call with a very wide range very similar to the range I put them on
• Will you consider three-betting them? - I would consider 3-betting them with any pair and suited connectors 9T+ and maybe some junk hands, too

 

[yuriko oyama]

I would just call with low suited connectors, and 3-bet with aces with good kickers and suited broadways.
If I had a really strong hand I would 3-bet really big.

 

[BillyR23]

• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

1) The opponent seems LAG and apparently tries to 'bully' us(7th time in a row they open when we're in big blind), so we'll have to fight back eventually and try to make him stop opening with pretty much any two, so we can have easier time making decisions in the future against him- both preflop and postflop...

2) MP Range is usually about 25%, but I think this player is looser- maybe close to even 50% of hands...

3) Against this player, I'd start defending very wide- probably around 40% of hands- like any Ace/ pair, Q9o+ and pretty much any suited hand...

4) I usually prefer to control the pot size OOP against this kind of tricky opponent, so I wouldn't 3bet often- most likely with just the premium hands...

 

[RALF_AK]

...given the situation, I wouldn't let my opponent open 7 times to intimidate me... on the 3rd time, I would already make 2 plays... with any card in my hand... on the first call in the raise and on the flop check raise, especially with low cards on the board... or 3 bet and possibly a 4 bet... even if it didn't work out, but in his next plays I would already think before making another raise.

 

[s0ftdumps]

Recently in our CardsChat Learning Series, we covered off big blind defense - link to the article is here --> Big Blind Strategy in Poker: How to Defend Smarter and Lose Less

In that article we talked about how to approach being in the big blind and facing raises from various positions. So here's the question:

You are in the big blind and are facing a raise from middle position at a cash game table where everyone is 100 big blind + deep. Middle position you have characterized as an aggressive player that opens almost every time they have the opportunity to. Rarely does the highjack, cutoff, button, or small blind come along. This is the seventh orbit in a row that you are facing a raise from them in a row when they opened from middle position.

• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

Explain your answer!

Out of position and deep-stacked, with loose MP villian. I like to fight aggression with aggression. Assuming I have been playing tight I would loosen up and play aggressively, looking for a bluff if I don't catch. If I get caught in the bluff I would tighten up and be super aggressive when good cards arrive.

 

[pirateglenn]

Recently in our CardsChat Learning Series, we covered off big blind defense - link to the article is here --> Big Blind Strategy in Poker: How to Defend Smarter and Lose Less

In that article we talked about how to approach being in the big blind and facing raises from various positions. So here's the question:

You are in the big blind and are facing a raise from middle position at a cash game table where everyone is 100 big blind + deep. Middle position you have characterized as an aggressive player that opens almost every time they have the opportunity to. Rarely does the highjack, cutoff, button, or small blind come along. This is the seventh orbit in a row that you are facing a raise from them in a row when they opened from middle position.

• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

Explain your answer!

I would strongly consider three betting them depending on the hand strength i possessed - whilst they are regularly opening, it doesn't disguise the fact that they may be holding a strong hand and trapping for the 3 bet raise, i would consider that effective stack, the position of the tournament, if i am 3 betting, i am playing to make sure that i have a plan B as any re-raise or jam has to be part of my initial thinking. I am considering all ranges for this player, probability indicates that often they are floating a pot with a minimum open and could be stealing blinds on the cheap, i always play with an intention to make my opponent "pay to play" to extract maximum value.
I will vary my play - i may also look to value bet this player to see how far they are prepared to chase their hand, usually on CC i have a strong note based system on players who play marginals, those who like to bet to the river, those who are out and out bluff players and their strengths lie in the bluff and those who play similar to me or me to them.
I am considering all ranges for myself too - often set mining is something i see a great deal on CC, especially players with 22, 33, 44 up to 99 as a pocket opening pair and generally its a sliding rule as to how they bet or dont bet.
In summary, i am playing my hand with counter aggression based on multiple variables or i am floating back to trap myself to to extract maximum value knowing the villain is likely to keep betting out, this can be a risky strategy as some players do not know where the fold button is!

 

[pentazepam]

What we know is that his range is super wide (loose). It can be any two cards that aren't unsuited crap if he opens almost every time. All pairs, connectors and brodways and probably all Ax (especially suited) plus most connectors. So hard to put him on anything specific pre-flop. But the range is too wide, so we can exploit him.

I 3-bet him with a polarized range if he folds often to 3-bets.

I 3-bet him with a linear range if he calls my 3-bet often.

I also call A LOT if I get a good prize in the BB.

If he is really bad postflop, I can widen my calling range and get a lot of money if he calls - or bluffs - too much postflop.

It also depends on how much he raises when he opens, but I suppose we can assume a normal raise of 2.5x to 3x the blinds, unless otherwise stated.

The chart below is two charts for BB versus MP (the first is for a smaller raise). You usually do a lot of calling against a "normal" player. Against this player, you should probably 3-bet more.

The first chart is closer to how I would start before I got a read on the player.

The second chart is if you want to play it "safe".

 

[drogus]

I think the crucial parts for me would be:

* do I have an image of playing tight or loose? do I have an image of playing agressively, too?
* is the player also passive? there are players who are extremely aggressive until faced with aggression, for example they would c-bet very widely, but often fold to a check-raise

Depending on that info I might play a bit differently, but in this situation I would either defend very widely or 3-bet bluff with pretty much any hand. It is possible that the villain hit a very good hand even though it's 7th raise in a row, but more often than not they will hold a hand that will fold to a 3-bet.

 

[hobojim1247]

1. if I did not 3 bet preflop, I would consider using Scotty's strategy, Call the preflop raise then Check/Call, Check/Call, Shove the River.
2. he plays ATC
3. ATC
3. 3 bet any hand I would open with from the HS, any2 royal cards, any pair,

 

[ScooperNova]

As with any strategical question in poker, the first part of the answer is that everything is situational. While we have a fair amount of information here to work with, we don't have everything. In a cash game, the "flow" of the game is very important. I am also a player who firmly believes in "switching gears" and I would not approach this hand the same way every time.

I'm not going to assign much of a range to an overagg maniac, but I'd just assume a mean of mid strength for purposes of decision making.

Sometimes I would consider calling with literally anything and perhaps teaching the player what making a skilled move looks like. I would say many times I would look for pairs over 8 and TJ suited or better. Sometimes, I'm just letting maniacs pick up blinds and waiting to pop them real good. How is the player with reacting against aggression? This is the most important information we are missing.

I would absolutely consider 3 betting but I'd likely be strong. AJ at worst. 88 or better pairs.

Cash games are king!!!

• 
  
• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

Explain your answer!

 

[hobojim1247]

I put him all in! If he wins I reload with double his stack and take him to school!

I'm with you and follow that up by shoving the next time he is in the
BB without looking at my cards. Make him fear me... lol

 

[margmilo44]

Recently in our CardsChat Learning Series, we covered off big blind defense - link to the article is here --> Big Blind Strategy in Poker: How to Defend Smarter and Lose Less

In that article we talked about how to approach being in the big blind and facing raises from various positions. So here's the question:

You are in the big blind and are facing a raise from middle position at a cash game table where everyone is 100 big blind + deep. Middle position you have characterized as an aggressive player that opens almost every time they have the opportunity to. Rarely does the highjack, cutoff, button, or small blind come along. This is the seventh orbit in a row that you are facing a raise from them in a row when they opened from middle position.

• How would you approach playing this hand
• What range are you putting on the middle position player
• What range will you consider calling with
• Will you consider three-betting them?

Explain your answer!

Gotta play tight. If the villain is betting heavy all you can do is fold and punish with a strong range