Poker Video: No Limit Hold'Em by blah234 (Micro/Small Stakes)

Time Link to 00:08:26

Why do you think it's such a bad play for him to lead the river with 33? Obviously he's a fish and doesn't know this, but you shouldn't really have a lot of better hands in your range, other than maybe 88,99, because I'd assume you'd probably barrel your Tx, 7x and overpair hands and not cbet pairs under 88 (?). And you're isolating from MP so you're gonna have a decent amount of Ax hands that can call. I guess he's just clicking buttons, but he's actually making a decent vbet here IMO, not merging like you said.

Time Link to 00:12:16

Would you barrel any river cards here? I think It's a very good spot to fire basically any river because he never has Kx+ if he c/calls the turn and you can have a lot of broadway cards in your range, when you check back that flop, that hit the K and are two barreling for value.

You said that you can rep thin value bets on the turn, are there really any hands (worse than Kx) that you check back on the flop and now vbet the turn with? I assume you'd cbet your 9x or better hands, because of the texture, so are you vbetting something like 88, 78s, A7s here, and why?

HUD Layout

VP/PFR/ST/3B
F3/FST/RvFCB/AF%
FCB/TCB/FvFCB/FvTB

Why do you think it's such a bad play for him to lead the river with 33? Obviously he's a fish and doesn't know this, but you shouldn't really have a lot of better hands in your range, other than maybe 88,99, because I'd assume you'd probably barrel your Tx, 7x and overpair hands and not cbet pairs under 88 (?). And you're isolating from MP so you're gonna have a decent amount of Ax hands that can call. I guess he's just clicking buttons, but he's actually making a decent vbet here IMO, not merging like you said.

for a vbet to make sense he has to have more than 50% equity vs my range not be ahead of some hands in my range. If I'm calling with A high then I'm also calling with 44+, he doen't have 50% equity vs my overall calling range.

Would you barrel any river cards here? I think It's a very good spot to fire basically any river because he never has Kx+ if he c/calls the turn and you can have a lot of broadway cards in your range, when you check back that flop, that hit the K and are two barreling for value.

You said that you can rep thin value bets on the turn, are there really any hands (worse than Kx) that you check back on the flop and now vbet the turn with? I assume you'd cbet your 9x or better hands, because of the texture, so are you vbetting something like 88, 78s, A7s here, and why?

yes I would barrel any river. It's perfectly reasonable to check a weak 9x hand like 97 on the flop because villain will not give himself a free card so he will bet the turn with a draw. He will not fold a draw so he will c/r or c/c flop bet with a draw anyways. If the draw hits he will win vs my 9x hands regardless if i bet the flop or not. Betting flop and turn may get more value from his draws instead of turn and river but you may also get c/r and have to fold. 9x is only a 2 street hand max so reasonable to check flop. Those hands you listed would be in my turn and river range.

Time Link to 00:12:16

Actually he has to have more than 50% equity vs your calling range, I think he's definitely ahead of the whole range you get to the river with, and if you call with A8, I think fish expect people to call with Ax here a lot, he's making a decent vbet. Here's a stove:

Board: 2h 7d Ts 7c 7h
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 34.426% 34.43% 00.00% 252 0.00 { 88-77, 55-44, A8s+, JTs, A8o+, JTo }
Hand 1: 65.574% 65.57% 00.00% 480 0.00 { 33 }

I even gave you some pairs and Tx

Edit: the timelink is wrong, don't know how to remove

Seems like great video, I like that your'e not spending too much time to discuss one single hand. Will watch the rest of it and post more Qs later.

One suggestion though, if you haven't recorded footage for the next 3vids already, would be to turn on auto center, would make it much easier and less confusing to follow the action. Unless it makes you uncomfortable to play that way obviously.

for a vbet to make sense he has to have more than 50% equity vs my range not be ahead of some hands in my range. If I'm calling with A high then I'm also calling with 44+, he doen't have 50% equity vs my overall calling range.

Are you implying that you check 88-99 and Tx on turn a lot and/or that you barrel a lot of AX hands ott?? because if not his bet is a clear cut value bet if he expects you to call A high by any definition. And he beats 2x too which he can expect will cbet and check turn some of the time

Are you implying that you check 88-99 and Tx on turn a lot and/or that you barrel a lot of AX hands ott?? because if not his bet is a clear cut value bet if he expects you to call A high by any definition. And he beats 2x too which he can expect will cbet and check turn some of the time

How would he or anyone for that matter know my barreling frequency or my actual range?

Actually he has to have more than 50% equity vs your calling range, I think he's definitely ahead of the whole range you get to the river with, and if you call with A8, I think fish expect people to call with Ax here a lot, he's making a decent vbet. Here's a stove:

Board: 2h 7d Ts 7c 7h
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 34.426% 34.43% 00.00% 252 0.00 { 88-77, 55-44, A8s+, JTs, A8o+, JTo }
Hand 1: 65.574% 65.57% 00.00% 480 0.00 { 33 }

I even gave you some pairs and Tx

Edit: the timelink is wrong, don't know how to remove

this is a more accurate range

board: 2h 7d Ts 7h 7c

Hand 0: 43.26% {99-44, A7s+, JTs, T7s+, A8o+, JTo }
Hand 1: 56.738% { 33 }


I've said in the video that calling with Ax should not be your standard and probably slightly -EV. He cannot assume that I will call with all combos of Ax and I'm more likely to call with better than Ax so the range has to be slightly weighted.

I'm sure no one can figure out that he's got 7% advantage over my range even if we're not weighing the combos differently. It's very reasonable to check more Tx hands on the turn for pot control where you don't think you can get 3 streets of value. Maybe not vs this guy but I'm fairly sure his thought process won't be "He knows I'm a fish because I limped so he must value bet thin on the turn -> he can't have a Tx hand on the river so I can bet 33 for value"

How would he or anyone for that matter know my barreling frequency or my actual range?

They play against your perceived range and make assumptions. If his assumption is that you will call A high his value bet is only wrong if you check behind a lot of made hands and/or barrel with A high ott a lot

They play against your perceived range and make assumptions. If his assumption is that you will call A high his value bet is only wrong if you check behind a lot of made hands and/or barrel with A high ott a lot

This is true but the way you asked your original question sounded like you are talking about my actual range. I don't imply anything about my actual or perceived range vs this player because I don't know. All I can say is that I have not done anything for villain to have that assumption of me. If I later find out that's his default assumption of unknown players then I can adjust. It's ok to lose pots as long as we can adjust.

You will see that I made a few incorrect assumptions or marginal plays thoughout this video (and in later videos) but I adjusted and used those reads to be more profitable later.

Clearly this is what we want to think like vs a good player but the villain in this hand probably doesn't have "perceived range" in his vocabulary.

Time Link to 00:28:24

Lol seems like you didn't notice you had a double belly buster, not a gutshot ! Plus a backdoor FD, it is an easy c-bet now, isn't ?

Lol seems like you didn't notice you had a double belly buster, not a gutshot ! Plus a backdoor FD, it is an easy c-bet now, isn't ?

Yep I miss read the board, should of been a cbet. But it worked out in the end glad I didn't cbet.

yeah he was just clicking buttons for sure this is just theory crafting and once you know how he clicks them you can click them a lot better than he does. And unknowns at these stakes always have bullshit in their range, it's not like we are paying $7.75 to get a read more like $1-$3 max

Time Link to 00:01:30

You iso on bu with KQs, chk AKxss, and then bet Ao on turn. Why? I don't see too many hands that will give you two streets of value and it seems very likely that villain doesn't have anything at this point. I think max-ev line would be chk back turn as well and hope he hits a pair on river against which you could vbet.

edit: timeline in wrong spot. Spot found @10:30

You iso on bu with KQs, chk AKxss, and then bet Ao on turn. Why? I don't see too many hands that will give you two streets of value and it seems very likely that villain doesn't have anything at this point. I think max-ev line would be chk back turn as well and hope he hits a pair on river against which you could vbet.

edit: timeline in wrong spot. Spot found @10:30

all Kx hands should pay off 2 streets once the turn A came, I would of bet river too if he called the turn. He can also have a draw which will call turn but not call river, such as GS, FD etc.

all Kx hands should pay off 2 streets once the turn A came, I would of bet river too if he called the turn. He can also have a draw which will call turn but not call river, such as GS, FD etc.

so a similar spot @59:30 on table #1 with AJo on A55r, 2s

The board doesn't rly change at all, what hands do you expect to get value from?

so a similar spot @59:30 on table #1 with AJo on A55r, 2s

The board doesn't rly change at all, what hands do you expect to get value from?

not much except a small pp. He wasn't going to bluff so might as well make him fold. This one could be higher EV to check and hope he spikes something on the river. Checking turn is better in this hand than the KQ one for sure.

Time Link to 00:43:07

It would be useful if you could develop a name for these questionable calls, and made sure each one is flagged.

Maybe the phrase "video call" would work?

Time Link to 00:19:28

Maybe I'm wrong, but you don't have to be >50% against his range to be able to valuebet, because it's related to your betsize, isn't it? For example, if you valuebet $6 into a $10 pot, you only have to win 6/(10+6)=37,5% of the time against his calling range.

Time Link to 00:10:42

do you see people 3betting you more when you iso a lower amount as midstakes?

I know it's pretty backwards as they win less money and ranges are simmilar, but at NL50-100 you often see people 3betting and calling behind significantly more when you iso (or generally raise) to a small size.

If you know that they are doing that I guess you would just keep your isos big right?

Time Link to 00:10:55

here delay cbet on XXX drawy K.
1) Do you barrel two here on rag rvrs a lot?
2) In villain's spot, do you bet at the King or a Queen after checking flop with air a lot (you sort of implied that you do by noting that he didn't and chuck check folded).
3) If you'd know that villain likes to lead there a decent amount when you check behind flop with pretty much everything in his range including midpairs, Kx, draws and a somewhat significant amount of air do you play back a lot on this card or a Queen, and if you do, do you prefer to peel one or raise on this particular board?

Time Link to 00:15:19

What's your default line with
1) AJw/o heart
2) AJ with heart
3) naked Ah like A5hh
4) sets

on this board and why? I know you said no specific questions, but this spot comes up sooo often and villains are largely unkown, I usually take a bet fold approach with all of the above but maybe I am missing something, it feels just weird especially with sets where you got tons of equity to bf

EDIT: In the HH pulled on the 527sJs board 3way when you cb flop oop and it's still 3w on turn

What's your default line with
1) AJw/o heart
2) AJ with heart
3) naked Ah like A5hh
4) sets

on this board and why? I know you said no specific questions, but this spot comes up sooo often and villains are largely unkown, I usually take a bet fold approach with all of the above but maybe I am missing something, it feels just weird especially with sets where you got tons of equity to bf

EDIT: In the HH pulled on the 527sJs board 3way when you cb flop oop and it's still 3w on turn

bet the turn maybe except AJ with a heart. You should not think in terms of hands but ranges. If you take different line with different hands then all you do is isolate your range and make it super easy for villain to hand read you.

here delay cbet on XXX drawy K.
1) Do you barrel two here on rag rvrs a lot?
2) In villain's spot, do you bet at the King or a Queen after checking flop with air a lot (you sort of implied that you do by noting that he didn't and chuck check folded).
3) If you'd know that villain likes to lead there a decent amount when you check behind flop with pretty much everything in his range including midpairs, Kx, draws and a somewhat significant amount of air do you play back a lot on this card or a Queen, and if you do, do you prefer to peel one or raise on this particular board?

1 yes

2. He should have a bluffing range, I would start stabbing vs unknown as a default

3. If villain autobet when check to then I will have a air heavy cbet range and raise the turn with my entire value range.

Maybe I'm wrong, but you don't have to be >50% against his range to be able to valuebet, because it's related to your betsize, isn't it? For example, if you valuebet $6 into a $10 pot, you only have to win 6/(10+6)=37,5% of the time against his calling range.

No I suggest you watch WoT's math series. Your math is for villain bluff catching not as the player betting.

do you see people 3betting you more when you iso a lower amount as midstakes?

I know it's pretty backwards as they win less money and ranges are simmilar, but at NL50-100 you often see people 3betting and calling behind significantly more when you iso (or generally raise) to a small size.

If you know that they are doing that I guess you would just keep your isos big right?

People isolate raise same amount no matter how big or small you make it. If anyone can think of ranges then all you do is put more money into the pot for them to take down and not bet size. If people are not 3 betting you then you should raise big to isolate.

Thanks a lot for this video series blah234! Seriously... this is one of the best series on DC imo. Just one request to make my OCD happy.... could you make your seat preference one specific seat on all the tables and can you add chips to the table so it isn't just a number. I got used to it by the time the video ended, but it took a good 15+ mins or so.

Thanks again for the awesome series and looking forward to more vids!

been eagerly awaiting the live play vids! thanks Nan!

Nan, congrats on great series! I also see that a lot of other people like it too, which is really cool. You are indeed a very thinking player and a very good coach.

However there is one thing confusing/bothering me a bit.

A lot of these concepts you are explaining here are not never-seen-before at least not to members of Improva's (Oliver) Poker Puzzle Forum where also you were and still are very active. True that this videos are sort of light weight version of the videos on Puzzle, where he is explaining about range construction vs. different opponents/scenarios. In one of his videos he was actually helping you with range construction for defending against 3bets if I'm not mistaken.

Of course there's not much sense in trying to define My/Your/His knowledge or ideas.
But somehow i feel that ideas which Improva so selflessly shared with us (in form of short videos, forum threads answer, etc.) should probably not be used for your own promotion/series.

Of course I might be totally wrong since you might have asked Oliver for permission/opinion and he agreed and I'm barking up at a wrong tree. But i had to let it out.

No hard feelings and wish you all the best at the tables,

Andrej

Nan, congrats on great series! I also see that a lot of other people like it too, which is really cool. You are indeed a very thinking player and a very good coach.

However there is one thing confusing/bothering me a bit.

A lot of these concepts you are explaining here are not never-seen-before at least not to members of Improva's (Oliver) Poker Puzzle Forum where also you were and still are very active. True that this videos are sort of light weight version of the videos on Puzzle, where he is explaining about range construction vs. different opponents/scenarios. In one of his videos he was actually helping you with range construction for defending against 3bets if I'm not mistaken.

Of course there's not much sense in trying to define My/Your/His knowledge or ideas.
But somehow i feel that ideas which Improva so selflessly shared with us (in form of short videos, forum threads answer, etc.) should probably not be used for your own promotion/series.

Of course I might be totally wrong since you might have asked Oliver for permission/opinion and he agreed and I'm barking up at a wrong tree. But i had to let it out.

No hard feelings and wish you all the best at the tables,

Andrej

I don't claim to have invented any poker concepts. Most of these concepts or ideas have been expressed in other videos/forum posts/articles/books etc in one form or another. I've also been taught these concepts by my coaches such as Improva, Balugawhale. Ideas in this series are my own interpretation of how the concepts fit together and how to apply them. Another person with the same information will not have the same interpretation and apply concepts the same way, otherwise everyone coached by the same coach will play exactly the same, which is clearly not the case. For example, both of us and grindcore was coached by Improva but the 3 of us don't play the same way. I fact my graph looks the opposite of grindcore's except for the green line.

Poker at the fundamental level is just of battle of ranges and constructing your ranges better than your opponents is what makes poker +EV. Any poker instruction content will just repeat that same concept over and over, showing each instructor's own personal interpretation on how best to do that.

If any of my coaches think I've mis-represented their concept or claim some of their original concepts as my own, feel free to contact me.

bet the turn maybe except AJ with a heart.

you say in the video that your value range expands on that card, but don't you also have a wide bluffing range on that board, meaning that QQ is a value bet?

You should not think in terms of hands but ranges. If you take different line with different hands then all you do is isolate your range and make it super easy for villain to hand read you.

Also, the above statement seems somewhat contradictory to some things you've espoused in the past. In other words, it seems fine to me to take different lines with different hands if a) we don't have enough history with the villain for balance to matter at all, so taking the highest EV line for our hand would be best, even if that is a different line than we'd take with the rest of our range or b) we are exploiting our opponent/manipulating our perceived range to maximize our EV.

Taking different lines with different hands seems absolutely fine if you adjust it based on gameflow, and I'm pretty sure you've asserted this in the past (in the forums) as well.

you say in the video that your value range expands on that card, but don't you also have a wide bluffing range on that board, meaning that QQ is a value bet?

how did you come to this conclusions? Why should you have a wide bluffing range where your value range expands?

Taking different line with individual hand is good when you have a good read on the villain who isolate part of their range so you can exploit them to the max. I said this in one of the previous episodes too. Vs unknown you should not do that because there's not way for you to know how to play each hand differently as in playing made hands one way and semibluffs another way is more +EV so best to play your range.

how did you come to this conclusions? Why should you have a wide bluffing range where your value range expands?

well I mean when the turn brings a flush, that's usually a good spot to barrel (scare card). i.e. you'll probably be bluffing there a lot, or at least be perceived to be bluffing there.

well I mean when the turn brings a flush, that's usually a good spot to barrel (scare card). i.e. you'll probably be bluffing there a lot, or at least be perceived to be bluffing there.

I don't know about other people but I don't bluff multiway alot especially when both players called and flush got there. Only fairly strong semibluffs are in my turn betting range as a default. You should not bluff where people are repping a strong range like when they call with a player left to act or overcall when someone already called telling you loud and clear that "I have a hand"

Some players like to be a sicko and try to make people fold strong hands but I prefer to bluff when people's ranges are weak.

ahh i misread the action. didn't see the flop was multiway.

Thanks for the great series. I started breaking even lately and this series helped me to get rid of some tunnel vision

I don't claim to have invented any poker concepts. Most of these concepts or ideas have been expressed in other videos/forum posts/articles/books etc in one form or another. I've also been taught these concepts by my coaches such as Improva, Balugawhale. Ideas in this series are my own interpretation of how the concepts fit together and how to apply them. Another person with the same information will not have the same interpretation and apply concepts the same way, otherwise everyone coached by the same coach will play exactly the same, which is clearly not the case. For example, both of us and grindcore was coached by Improva but the 3 of us don't play the same way. I fact my graph looks the opposite of grindcore's except for the green line.

Poker at the fundamental level is just of battle of ranges and constructing your ranges better than your opponents is what makes poker +EV. Any poker instruction content will just repeat that same concept over and over, showing each instructor's own personal interpretation on how best to do that.

If any of my coaches think I've mis-represented their concept or claim some of their original concepts as my own, feel free to contact me.

I dont have access to the video because I dont subscribe anymore, but I always read the threads to see if anything can be picked up from them. This is the best post I have seen in ages. Thanks for pointing this out blah234

Time Link to 00:11:01

How do you get that read from this hand when turn is a King ? King hits your percieved range pretty hard so most players will not stab air. Same as if a ace hit the turn, anyother cards he is obv way more likely to bet. Can you explain about the note given that card..

Time Link to 00:33:42

seems like a pretty easy raise fold here in this spot... if you take this line. Given the reads on villian, Why do you say you probably have to call here when u raise and he jams? You said it yourself when he jams you are usally beat. I do not believe you are commited. He also has 2P and JQ in his range that you did not mention.. not to nit pick just saying. I sometimes will just call vs a villian that has a strong DB range, is that bad? I just feel theres alot of turns were not really happy to commit with. IE any Diamond Q, J 10,
guessing thats about 16 cards. Great vid so far and sorry if none of this makes sense its almost bed time lol. Awesome vid BTW!

Time Link to 00:36:05

You say you should not be rasising his donks much anymore because he had MP. Can i ASK why? Most players that are bad enough to DB Mps usually call with them. Sorry for so many? sir Im just curious

How do you get that read from this hand when turn is a King ? King hits your percieved range pretty hard so most players will not stab air. Same as if a ace hit the turn, anyother cards he is obv way more likely to bet. Can you explain about the note given that card..

I don't see how a K hit's my perceived range, A maybe but not a K. No many players check a K on the flop for showdown value. When I don't bet this flop my perceived range is super weak because its low and wet. Also, pretty hard to hit any given card when you started out with a 60% preflop range so any card should of not hit my perceived range much if villain is thinking on that level.

all Kx hands should pay off 2 streets once the turn A came, I would of bet river too if he called the turn. He can also have a draw which will call turn but not call river, such as GS, FD etc.

I agree but dont you think checking back can be better since most villians will bet when they have K themselves as well as most of there draws... pretty much leaves villian with air alot here checking has alot of merit imo not only can he hit a pair but when check twice he can assume we are giving up and he can stab with his 9 high Do you think this maybe a better line assuming villian will bet most of his draws on the turn vs check calling them?

seems like a pretty easy raise fold here in this spot... if you take this line. Given the reads on villian, Why do you say you probably have to call here when u raise and he jams? You said it yourself when he jams you are usally beat. I do not believe you are commited. He also has 2P and JQ in his range that you did not mention.. not to nit pick just saying. I sometimes will just call vs a villian that has a strong DB range, is that bad? I just feel theres alot of turns were not really happy to commit with. IE any Diamond Q, J 10,
guessing thats about 16 cards. Great vid so far and sorry if none of this makes sense its almost bed time lol. Awesome vid BTW!

Depends on what range you assign the villain for shoving. Without a read I'm going to assign him the range of KQ+ which includes all other made hands like 2 pair and straights, then NFD and combo draws like 87, 67, jx of diamonds. Vs that range I'm fairly sure I'm priced in to call or very close. Villain can always have a random head explosion hand in his range as well. Feel free to do the pokerstove dance and confirm for yourself, don't believe everything I say.

If you've watched the previous episodes of this series, I've said that I'm of the opinion that you should stick as much money into the pot as possible when villain is repping a strong range that you're ahead of instead of slow playing. No everyone agrees and this is my own interpretation.

You say you should not be rasising his donks much anymore because he had MP. Can i ASK why? Most players that are bad enough to DB Mps usually call with them. Sorry for so many? sir Im just curious

Most coaching videos, especially the ones from micros recommend raising donk bets with air because donk bets are weak. Vs this player you should not because he's not donk/folding second pair.

Time Link to 00:55:44

So why did you decide to 3B K10o vs a guy who is calling us with a depolarized range? Isnt that bad esp. with the somewhat awkard stack sizes? Also i sorta get confused in these spots when I check, would you call 3 streets if he 3bareled and all the draws miss? Also what is the btm of your range for Cbetting here? One more/? Do you still bet a ACE turn here? Thank you.

I agree but dont you think checking back can be better since most villians will bet when they have K themselves as well as most of there draws... pretty much leaves villian with air alot here checking has alot of merit imo not only can he hit a pair but when check twice he can assume we are giving up and he can stab with his 9 high Do you think this maybe a better line assuming villian will bet most of his draws on the turn vs check calling them?

Calling is only better if you know that villain will bluff ALOT because you are giving him the chance to see free cards if he doesn't bluff. My default is to bet vs unknown then adjust if I think checking will be higher EV once I have an idea how he plays.

So why did you decide to 3B K10o vs a guy who is calling us with a depolarized range? Isnt that bad esp. with the somewhat awkard stack sizes? Also i sorta get confused in these spots when I check, would you call 3 streets if he 3bareled and all the draws miss? Also what is the btm of your range for Cbetting here? One more/? Do you still bet a ACE turn here? Thank you.

How did you come to the conclusion that this villain is calling with a depolarized range? It's impossible for him to have a range where KTo is crushed given how often he's calling a 3 bet in relation to his preflop open range. I will call 3 streets with K if i checked otherwise I will bet it myself. Bottom of my range for cbetting here is of course pure air. I will bet an A on the turn if I decided to bet the flop.

Depends on what range you assign the villain for shoving. Without a read I'm going to assign him the range of KQ+ which includes all other made hands like 2 pair and straights, then NFD and combo draws like 87, 67, jx of diamonds. Vs that range I'm fairly sure I'm priced in to call or very close. Villain can always have a random head explosion hand in his range as well. Feel free to do the pokerstove dance and confirm for yourself, don't believe everything I say.

If you've watched the previous episodes of this series, I've said that I'm of the opinion that you should stick as much money into the pot as possible when villain is repping a strong range that you're ahead of instead of slow playing. No everyone agrees and this is my own interpretation.

How can we be so confident that were ahead of so much of his range here when there are a decent amount of combos he can have that easily have us beat. JQ,K10, 910,JQ,9s, all come to mind which are all in his range since we know his donks are strong. Not to mention combo draws which were close to flipping with. Maybe im wrong but I rarely will see a villain felt with KQ on this given board you can easily have AK JQ or K10.

How did you come to the conclusion that this villain is calling with a depolarized range? It's impossible for him to have a range where KTo is crushed given how often he's calling a 3 bet in relation to his preflop open range. I will call 3 streets with K if i checked otherwise I will bet it myself. Bottom of my range for cbetting here is of course pure air. I will bet an A on the turn if I decided to bet the flop.

Sorry I assumed he was calling depolarized because you said in the vid he was calling a decent amount of 3bets but you didnt say whether it was depol or with a polarized range... sorry for making a incorrect assumption I just assumed he seemed half way decent with his stats.As for my other comment maybe I should have been more specific and stated what is the bottom of your CBetting value range here... clearly im good enough to know that air is at the bottom of your cbetting range And how would you proceed with say 10s on this board vs this villian. BTW ty for answering all of my ?s so quickly this is awesome!

Most coaching videos, especially the ones from micros recommend raising donk bets with air because donk bets are weak. Vs this player you should not because he's not donk/folding second pair.

Well clearly we know his donking range is for value you stated that in the video so why would we ever raise his donks with air? That obv seems spewy. We clearly just raise w/e range we think is ahead of his, I only asked this ? because in the vid you said we should not raise his DBets much anymore I wasnt sure where u were going with that as in your just gonna call with TPDK or what. I think 99 percent of players sorta of understand that if a villian shows us a strong hand when he is donking theres no reason to bluff him... not sure why u mentioned that in the post. Sorta feels as if your read on me is that im a very low level thinker lol... might be the case but not that low!

How can we be so confident that were ahead of so much of his range here when there are a decent amount of combos he can have that easily have us beat. JQ,K10, 910,JQ,9s, all come to mind which are all in his range since we know his donks are strong. Not to mention combo draws which were close to flipping with. Maybe im wrong but I rarely will see a villain felt with KQ on this given board you can easily have AK JQ or K10.

Assign him a range and do the poker stoving. In these spots you will never figure out the math exactly. I estimated that I have enough equity vs his range to stack off given the money already in the pot. The estimation comes from doing math off the tables. You don't have to believe everything I say which is why you should do your own calculations. No one is a super computer and can come up with exact range and equity before they time out on the poker table. Ability to estimate equity in spots like this comes from doing math away from the tables, and the key word is estimate.

The EV of the raise doesn't come from calling villain's shove same way that the EV of 4 betting preflop with AK doesn't come from calling a 5 bet. It comes mostly from villain's calling range and vs his shoving range I estimated that I can call given my equity.

Sorry I assumed he was calling depolarized because you said in the vid he was calling a decent amount of 3bets but you didnt say whether it was depol or with a polarized range... sorry for making a incorrect assumption I just assumed he seemed half way decent with his stats.As for my other comment maybe I should have been more specific and stated what is the bottom of your CBetting value range here... clearly im good enough to know that air is at the bottom of your cbetting range And how would you proceed with say 10s on this board vs this villian. BTW ty for answering all of my ?s so quickly this is awesome!

Range for calling a 3 bet is never polarized or depolarized because people only call with the top x% of their range most of the times. The more someone calls the weaker their range will be because they're defending with a wider range. Again, like I said in a post before, vs unknown I will not isolate my ranges. My checking behind range on this flop are some total air, decent bluff catchers that can comfortabily call a bet from villain. My cbetting range would be fairly polarized to stuff that can't really call a bet say like AQ and value hands.

TT is a between hand and I will sometimes bet it and sometimes check.

Well clearly we know his donking range is for value you stated that in the video so why would we ever raise his donks with air? That obv seems spewy. We clearly just raise w/e range we think is ahead of his, I only asked this ? because in the vid you said we should not raise his DBets much anymore I wasnt sure where u were going with that as in your just gonna call with TPDK or what. I think 99 percent of players sorta of understand that if a villian shows us a strong hand when he is donking theres no reason to bluff him... not sure why u mentioned that in the post. Sorta feels as if your read on me is that im a very low level thinker lol... might be the case but not that low!

Not raising much means don't riase with air. Most people don't flop too many value hands. I'm 100% sure less than 99% of the people can come up with the proper adjustment for every situation even at high stakes, otherwise I wouldn't be winning as much. I'm sorry if I said something in the video that's too obvious for you but I'm sure some other people can benefit from it.

Assign him a range and do the poker stoving. In these spots you will never figure out the math exactly. I estimated that I have enough equity vs his range to stack off given the money already in the pot. The estimation comes from doing math off the tables. You don't have to believe everything I say which is why you should do your own calculations. No one is a super computer and can come up with exact range and equity before they time out on the poker table. Ability to estimate equity in spots like this comes from doing math away from the tables, and the key word is estimate.

The EV of the raise doesn't come from calling villain's shove same way that the EV of 4 betting preflop with AK doesn't come from calling a 5 bet. It comes mostly from villain's calling range and vs his shoving range I estimated that I can call given my equity.

I never said Im taking your word to the bank, theres not many guys that can say something once and I will just assume its 100% true. Im just trying to learn here and im pretty sure asking ?s is a good way to start. Sorry if Im bugging you but if I dont understand something someone is doing I normally ask.

I never said Im taking your word to the bank, theres not many guys that can say something once and I will just assume its 100% true. Im just trying to learn here and im pretty sure asking ?s is a good way to start. Sorry if Im bugging you but if I dont understand something someone is doing I normally ask.

Of course asking questions is the way to understand things and it's good you don't believe people just because they got the coach tag under their name. My first post explained the range I assigned the villain and the way to figure out in these spots is to just use poker stove and some basic math. If you don't agree with the range I assigned the villain then assign him your own range find the best play for yourself.

I've said in the very first video in the series "There are no bad plays only bad assumptions" If you disagree with my assumption in any of the hands then you will naturally disagree with my play as well since the plays are chosen based on the assumptions. if you agree with the assumptions then you can prove the EV of the play with math for yourself. This is the way everyone should be watch every coaching videos.

Assign him a range and do the poker stoving. In these spots you will never figure out the math exactly. I estimated that I have enough equity vs his range to stack off given the money already in the pot. The estimation comes from doing math off the tables. You don't have to believe everything I say which is why you should do your own calculations. No one is a super computer and can come up with exact range and equity before they time out on the poker table. Ability to estimate equity in spots like this comes from doing math away from the tables, and the key word is estimate.

The EV of the raise doesn't come from calling villain's shove same way that the EV of 4 betting preflop with AK doesn't come from calling a 5 bet. It comes mostly from villain's calling range and vs his shoving range I estimated that I can call given my equity.

Just to make it clear, raise/calling with AK in this sptot would be very bad:

Simulated 400000 Holdem Hands (Monte Carlo)
Simulation by Slice - The ev++ Equity Calculator :: http://sliceeq.com/
Board :: kd9dts

Player Equity Win Hi Tie Hi Range

1 28.1 22.4 11.5 AsKc
2 71.9 66.1 11.5 99-TT, AKo, KQo, KTo, QJo, AKs, KQs, KTs-K9s, QJs, T9s, AdQd, AdJd, AdTd, QdTd, JdTd, 8d7d, 7d6d

Just to make it clear, raise/calling with AK in this sptot would be very bad:

Simulated 400000 Holdem Hands (Monte Carlo)
Simulation by Slice - The ev++ Equity Calculator :: http://sliceeq.com/
Board :: kd9dts

Player Equity Win Hi Tie Hi Range

1 28.1 22.4 11.5 AsKc
2 71.9 66.1 11.5 99-TT, AKo, KQo, KTo, QJo, AKs, KQs, KTs-K9s, QJs, T9s, AdQd, AdJd, AdTd, QdTd, JdTd, 8d7d, 7d6d

we need around 43% to make the call, my estimation is we have around 40%

Board: Kd 9d Ts
Dead:

equity
Hand 0: 34.489% { AsKc }
Hand 1: 65.511% { TT-99, AdQd, AdJd, AdTd, Ad9d, Ad8d, Ad7d, Ad6d, Ad5d, Ad4d, Ad3d, Ad2d, KQs, KdJd, KTs-K9s, Kd8d, QJs, QdTd, Q9s, JTs, Jd9d, T9s, 9d8d, 8d7d, 7d6d, AKo, KQo, KTo, QJo }


Call is -EV given the range I assigned him. The call becomes +EV if you add in some random head explosion combos or pair + straight draw or KJo so I still think this spot is fairly close between call or fold. This just to show that even coaches can make -EV plays during the video and not many people can come with with the exatly math during the hands.

we need around 43% to make the call, my estimation is we have around 40%

Board: Kd 9d Ts
Dead:

equity
Hand 0: 34.489% { AsKc }
Hand 1: 65.511% { TT-99, AdQd, AdJd, AdTd, Ad9d, Ad8d, Ad7d, Ad6d, Ad5d, Ad4d, Ad3d, Ad2d, KQs, KdJd, KTs-K9s, Kd8d, QJs, QdTd, Q9s, JTs, Jd9d, T9s, 9d8d, 8d7d, 7d6d, AKo, KQo, KTo, QJo }



Call is -EV given the range I assigned him. The call becomes +EV if you add in some random head explosion combos or pair + straight draw or KJo so I still think this spot is fairly close between call or fold. This just to show that even coaches can make -EV plays during the video and not many people can come with with the exatly math during the hands.

Been studying the game over 5 years and I still make mistakes almost every session... poker is indeed a sick beast. I really hope you make alot of these live videos cause if there anything like this one Im gonna be one very happy camper Thanks Blah.

Time Link to 00:27:47

With the QJs hand. How about betting even bigger on turn?

Since he is almost never folding right away there, by betting larger, you blow up the pot and win more with a large bluffbet on the river.

Thoughts?

With the QJs hand. How about betting even bigger on turn?

Since he is almost never folding right away there, by betting larger, you blow up the pot and win more with a large bluffbet on the river.

Thoughts?

reasonable adjustment given your assumptions if you think you will win at the river enough. 1 problem with betting big on any street in a 3 bet pot is that it gives villain good odds to shove with any amount of equity but that particular turn card should of not changed his equity much.

5:23 (KK) - What cards r u barrelling on turn? Then shoving river? (except K obv)
10:14 - Betting turn w/ TT-QQ?
31:00 - If villain called on turn, would u always bet river? Which cards u r checking back otr?

Nice vid

5:23 (KK) - What cards r u barrelling on turn? Then shoving river? (except K obv)
10:14 - Betting turn w/ TT-QQ?
31:00 - If villain called on turn, would u always bet river? Which cards u r checking back otr?

Nice vid

1. nothing without history
2. Not sure which hand you're talking about
3. Betting every river.


next time please use the timestamp from the replayer. Difficult to find the hands you're asking about.

Time Link to 00:13:19

The bottom right table, is this not a good spot to isolate the fish who limps utg? or do you consider your hand to weak?

The bottom right table, is this not a good spot to isolate the fish who limps utg? or do you consider your hand to weak?

Hand is boarder line, you would be making much of a mistake if you raised in that spot.

Time Link to 00:27:48

what would u have done on a river J or Q? would u have checked or bet for value?

Time Link to 00:33:34

Why not just call him here? He could very well be balanced and bluff for half pot as much as he does for value. Raising seems to fold out a lot of stuff he might lead with and cuts down on worse hands that can call doesn't it? If he has air and you call you might get 3 streets of value from pure air if the flush doesn't come in and the board stays relatively benign.

what would u have done on a river J or Q? would u have checked or bet for value?

are you talking about the KK hand? I'd jam the turn no matter what the card is.

Why not just call him here? He could very well be balanced and bluff for half pot as much as he does for value. Raising seems to fold out a lot of stuff he might lead with and cuts down on worse hands that can call doesn't it? If he has air and you call you might get 3 streets of value from pure air if the flush doesn't come in and the board stays relatively benign.

Villain has a bet sizing tell which we seen a few times earlier in the session which contradicts your assumptions.

Great series and i definitely learning a lot from your vids.Just a few doubts:

7’09
Bottom right table KTo hand:When we cbet there into a 3way pot on J55 our plan if called was to barrel on all hearts,Q+ right???

At 20 min
Bottom right table KJo hand on a Ks9s9Q6 board call half pot bets on all 3 streets.Did you call because the fd was present.Without that would you fold to the turn barrel???If yes then are we folding to a 3rd half pot sized bet on river had it been a spade???

At 47 min
Top left table villain in BB calls with KJo.Shouldnt we note that he calls with offsuit broadways in MW pots and thus shouldn’t multi street bluff him in the future on boards that hit broadway cards???Because calling pre there was definitely a mistake imo.

At 50 min
In bottom right table with JTo,our plan after c/c flop was to bluff river if turn goes check-check but the T hits on the river.So why did we bluff when we now have a hand that has showdown value??You said that you wanted to see what he has so you lead but a c/c too does that job.Also you say that you were trying to rep an A hi (so villain would call you lighter imo).However if we indeed had A hi there then we are betting as a bluff there right??If yes then we shouldnt bet there now??

Thanks in advance.

Great series and i definitely learning a lot from your vids.Just a few doubts:

7’09
Bottom right table KTo hand:When we cbet there into a 3way pot on J55 our plan if called was to barrel on all hearts,Q+ right???

probably c/fing unless we have a read that villain peels multiway light

At 20 min
Bottom right table KJo hand on a Ks9s9Q6 board call half pot bets on all 3 streets.Did you call because the fd was present.Without that would you fold to the turn barrel???If yes then are we folding to a 3rd half pot sized bet on river had it been a spade???

yes fold to a spade because villain's value range becomes much wider and KJ moves down from our bluff catching range, we can have a flush as well.

At 47 min
Top left table villain in BB calls with KJo.Shouldnt we note that he calls with offsuit broadways in MW pots and thus shouldn’t multi street bluff him in the future on boards that hit broadway cards???Because calling pre there was definitely a mistake imo.

calling off suit broadway isn't that abnormal. How can we say we should never bluff him on broadway boards? We have no read that says he doesn't call SC or pp so we have no idea how he constructs his calling range after we see this hand. IMO calilng KJ is better than calling like 67s if you've watch episode 4.

At 50 min
In bottom right table with JTo,our plan after c/c flop was to bluff river if turn goes check-check but the T hits on the river.So why did we bluff when we now have a hand that has showdown value??You said that you wanted to see what he has so you lead but a c/c too does that job.Also you say that you were trying to rep an A hi (so villain would call you lighter imo).However if we indeed had A hi there then we are betting as a bluff there right??If yes then we shouldnt bet there now??

Thanks in advance.

we did not bluff we were value betting also I was proving a point about the OOP float. I'm fairly sure I said that in the video. Just because he CAN call with A high doesn't mean he does or will all the time. No better time to find out when we hit a pair.

Time Link to 01:05:56

Love the series, but this hand makes no sense to me, and I don't understand your explanation, so I hope you can elaborate?

As I see it:

We don't know anything about the utg raiser, so we have to go by some default assumption. At this limit I think it's best to go with the assumption, that an utg raise reps a very strong depolarized range.

At best V's range is: TT+ , AJ+

Against this range AQo 42%.

Another default assumption I think we can make about V at this level is, that he dosen't fold to much.

This means:
- We can't raise for value because we have like 42% ev at best.
- We can't raise as a bluf because V isn't going to fold.

So I think calling is the best option, because if we are right about V's range, there's a good chance we can take it away from him post flop.

The only other +ev option is to just fold.

Love the series, but this hand makes no sense to me, and I don't understand your explanation, so I hope you can elaborate?

As I see it:

We don't know anything about the utg raiser, so we have to go by some default assumption. At this limit I think it's best to go with the assumption, that an utg raise reps a very strong depolarized range.

At best V's range is: TT+ , AJ+

Against this range AQo 42%.

Another default assumption I think we can make about V at this level is, that he dosen't fold to much.

This means:
- We can't raise for value because we have like 42% ev at best.
- We can't raise as a bluf because V isn't going to fold.

So I think calling is the best option, because if we are right about V's range, there's a good chance we can take it away from him post flop.

The only other +ev option is to just fold.

Raising for value or as a bluff is not a good reasoning for raising since it does not take into account postflop and positional advantage or the EV of your play.

Assuming villain raises more than 12% which is pretty tight by any standards then if villain folds down to TT and AJ he's folding enough for my 3 bet bluff to show a profit. Sure villain's TT and JJ have slightly over 50% equity assuming he calls, but the person in position have more chances to make the one OOP incorrectly fold their equity share.

AQo is in the top 5% of hands in NLHM and you shouldn't fold it without a very good reason. People's UTG ranges are not that tight, average villain will still open about 15% hands there.

Okay, that makes good sense. This might be a spot where I'm to tight against unknowns. I'll try working a little with this.

Thanks

Time Link to 00:15:32

When u say that he is not value betting thin enough, do u believe that onde the board paired, wouldnt he be value cutting himself if he bet there? I mean he has a strong made hand but if he bets, what worst will call him ?

When u say that he is not value betting thin enough, do u believe that onde the board paired, wouldnt he be value cutting himself if he bet there? I mean he has a strong made hand but if he bets, what worst will call him ?

Once I check my range is capped without a flush so his flush is the nuts.

Time Link to 00:53:28

I really like this series also, a lot of very interesting comments and well explained thougts!

Here on table 3, what is your plan OTR when are your draws miss? I guess we will barrel again most of the time. How much do you plan to be OTR when you miss? Any overbet?

I really like this series also, a lot of very interesting comments and well explained thougts!

Here on table 3, what is your plan OTR when are your draws miss? I guess we will barrel again most of the time. How much do you plan to be OTR when you miss? Any overbet?

I don't usually overbet in spots where I polarized range and have a bluff. We will barrel sometimes and not always based on what range of hands both players see the river with.

I generally only use overbets to exploit capped ranges otherwise overbet is just a normal bet where we can easily calculate the EV of the bet. Overbet bluffs will work more often since so we can have a higher bluffing frequency but it doesn't change the EV of the play since it's more expensive hence needs to work more often as well.

Time Link to 00:34:55

You said that, now when the Q came, we were trying to get value from K9-KQ, but we are behind K9 and KT also before the nasty Q-river?

Thx..

You said that, now when the Q came, we were trying to get value from K9-KQ, but we are behind K9 and KT also before the nasty Q-river?

Thx..

I never said we get value from anything specifically. Might of mention we can get called by KJ KQ as examples of Kx hands. anyways getting value from a portion of someone's range is a flawed thought process. There are way more combos of Kx hands than boats, we don't need to be ahead of every hand in villain's range, just need over 50% equity vs his range.

I never said we get value from anything specifically. Might of mention we can get called by KJ KQ as examples of Kx hands. anyways getting value from a portion of someone's range is a flawed thought process. There are way more combos of Kx hands than boats, we don't need to be ahead of every hand in villain's range, just need over 50% equity vs his range.

more that 50% equity vs. Villians calling range right?

more that 50% equity vs. Villians calling range right?

yes. Obv we don't care about equity vs the range of hands villain folded.

Time Link to 01:03:45

I disagree about the comment that he doesn't need a 4bet bluffing range, shouldn't have one, or whatever

If he wants to get value from his hands UTG despite playing nitty he has to be capable of bluffing some small percentage of the time or else people wouldn't pay him off .... especially in early positions. Once they see a bluff in that spot it increases his profitability just like when a LAG shows down a strong hand, people will give him more credit and fold more (or rebluff less often). Yes, he has a lot of value hands in his range so at first it seems weird that he's folding, but there are still a decent amount that open UTG that aren't capable of 4bet/calling nor are they profitable to flat 3bets OOP with. At the same time he's going to get so much credit with his 4bets that its probably very profitable for him to 'bluff' with hands he can't continue with otherwise. AJ would probably be a good candidate, but there are definitely others depending on the opponent. I just think its a smart strategy to actually have the occasional 4bet bluff in your range when you're that tight... you have to take advantage of your image somehow, whether you are TAG or LAG.

I disagree about the comment that he doesn't need a 4bet bluffing range, shouldn't have one, or whatever

If he wants to get value from his hands UTG despite playing nitty he has to be capable of bluffing some small percentage of the time or else people wouldn't pay him off .... especially in early positions. Once they see a bluff in that spot it increases his profitability just like when a LAG shows down a strong hand, people will give him more credit and fold more (or rebluff less often). Yes, he has a lot of value hands in his range so at first it seems weird that he's folding, but there are still a decent amount that open UTG that aren't capable of 4bet/calling nor are they profitable to flat 3bets OOP with. At the same time he's going to get so much credit with his 4bets that its probably very profitable for him to 'bluff' with hands he can't continue with otherwise. AJ would probably be a good candidate, but there are definitely others depending on the opponent. I just think its a smart strategy to actually have the occasional 4bet bluff in your range when you're that tight... you have to take advantage of your image somehow, whether you are TAG or LAG.

Make no sense. 4bet bluffing is either +EV or it's not. So we should either do it decent amount or 0. If 4bet bluffing is -EV because villain doesn't fold enough then doing it 1/10000000000000 is still -EV so makes your range more -EV. UTG doesn't need a 4 bet bluffing range to protect a wide opening range because it's not that +EV to open lost of hands. Bottom of that range will be -EV if facing lots of 3 bets. 4 bet bluffing will not make that range more +EV unless villain has poorly constructed ranges.

Make no sense. 4bet bluffing is either +EV or it's not. So we should either do it decent amount or 0. If 4bet bluffing is -EV because villain doesn't fold enough then doing it 1/10000000000000 is still -EV so makes your range more -EV. UTG doesn't need a 4 bet bluffing range to protect a wide opening range because it's not that +EV to open lost of hands. Bottom of that range will be -EV if facing lots of 3 bets. 4 bet bluffing wll not make that range more +EV unless villain has poorly constructed ranges.

First of all, who said we were talking about -EV opens? We're not "protecting a wide range" here. What I am TRYING to say is that he has hands that are +EV opens but once he gets 3bet he cant *flat* OOP profitably (even a 13% opening range has hands that can't flat a 3bet OOP... its just too hard to deal with). His options are then to 4bet or fold. My argument is that in these cases it is sometimes better choice for him to turn his hand into a 4bet bluff because his image makes it better than all his other options. As I said in the first post, AJ is a good example of such a hand...... its profitable to open UTG, but may not be profitable to flat OOP vs a 3bet, and we certainly can't 4bet/call it off, so we're down to just 4bet bluffing and fold. Under the right circumstances it could be a good spot to 4bet/fold because of his image and outside factors like how his opponent is playing (here he gets 3bet by a guy with a 15% 3bet), plus AJ has good blocker potential. In the video you essentially say that shipindollas should never be doing this which is what I disagree with.

But there is more to it than that which I was suggesting in my post. Let's just say for arguments sake that him 4bet bluffing here is actually -EV for this particular hand (in a vacuum or w/e). That does not mean that it is -EV overall in terms of his general strategy. It could in fact improve his profitability overall (usually because it appears to be a -EV play), making it +EV in the long run.... this is why its hard to ever really know the true EV of a decision. The most obvious example is playing a hand like 72 in a pot just to show your opponents a big bluff....... either you tilt them, change your image, or whatever... it makes them play worse against you, so +EV for you. So my point is that he still should consider it some nonzero percentage of the time even if its not a great option for this particular hand because of the impact it could have on his EV in the future. I mean, that's all assuming his 4bet fold here has a big impression on his opponents.... but it did seem to have one on you at least.

First of all, who said we were talking about -EV opens? We're not "protecting a wide range" here. What I am TRYING to say is that he has hands that are +EV opens but once he gets 3bet he cant *flat* OOP profitably (even a 13% opening range has hands that can't flat a 3bet OOP... its just too hard to deal with). His options are then to 4bet or fold. My argument is that in these cases it is sometimes better choice for him to turn his hand into a 4bet bluff because his image makes it better than all his other options. As I said in the first post, AJ is a good example of such a hand...... its profitable to open UTG, but may not be profitable to flat OOP vs a 3bet, and we certainly can't 4bet/call it off, so we're down to just 4bet bluffing and fold. Under the right circumstances it could be a good spot to 4bet/fold because of his image and outside factors like how his opponent is playing (here he gets 3bet by a guy with a 15% 3bet), plus AJ has good blocker potential. In the video you essentially say that shipindollas should never be doing this which is what I disagree with.

But there is more to it than that which I was suggesting in my post. Let's just say for arguments sake that him 4bet bluffing here is actually -EV for this particular hand (in a vacuum or w/e). That does not mean that it is -EV overall in terms of his general strategy. It could in fact improve his profitability overall (usually because it appears to be a -EV play), making it +EV in the long run.... this is why its hard to ever really know the true EV of a decision. The most obvious example is playing a hand like 72 in a pot just to show your opponents a big bluff....... either you tilt them, change your image, or whatever... it makes them play worse against you, so +EV for you. So my point is that he still should consider it some nonzero percentage of the time even if its not a great option for this particular hand because of the impact it could have on his EV in the future. I mean, that's all assuming his 4bet fold here has a big impression on his opponents.... but it did seem to have one on you at least.

Is villain 3-betting you so much with the intend to exploit your UTG open? If the answer is no, then what's the point of 4-bet bluffing. Why was 3-bet bluff invented in the first place? it was to counter wide LP openers because in theory their hand range is weak and should have to fold often. To counter wide 3 bettors the 4-bet bluff was invented because in theory the guy 3-betting wide should have a lot of trash he can't continue with in his range. What's the next step in the evolution? People start 5-bet jamming more hands vs aggro 4-bettors.

So before you think about 4-bet bluffing, ask yourself is the guy 3-betting you a ton to exploit your UTG range. If the answer is no, then just fold all your non stack-off range, and move on. I think fighting back too much is a common mistake among most SSNL reg. If you open 13% from UTG, you need to be defending ~30% to not get mathematically exploited. So that's a range of 99+, AQs, AK. But if the guy is not trying to exploit you and just playing his range like most people do at SSNL, there is really no reason to play anything but your premiums from UTG vs 3b.

You ask how you get paid playing so tight? Your image is villain's perception of your looseness and aggression. There are much better ways of changing that perception then by lighting money on fire 4b bluffing a guy who is not actively trying to exploit you. Be the guy that picks fights with other people. If someone folds too often to 3b (most do), 3b them with atc. One of 3 things happens, a) villain doesn't adjust, which is your license to print money or b) villain over adjust and spew uncontrollably or c) villain adjusts his range correctly to counter your aggression. From my experience playing up to 200NL, a/b happens wayyyyyyyyyyy more often then c. Vs people that don't adjust to aggression, you're never gonna get paid. But to most internet heroes your aggression threatens their manhood and they are going to show you who is boss, and that translates to far beyond the standard battle spots. Sure you can 'build your image' by 4bet bluffing -EV spots, but you can do it much cheaper by opening a ton and 3betting a ton of +EV or neutral EV spots.

There's no reason to make -EV plays no matter what it will reduce the EV of our overall range.