---

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

Nice vid Aaron!

I have a question about the betsizing tell you mentioned, which was part of your decision to shove over his 2nd 4bet:
Isn`t it a rule of thumb that a higher 4 bet is indicating hands that want to create more foldequity? Or am I totally wrong and people just want to make their bluff 4bets cheaper...?
I remember coaches saying in several videos that people likely 4bet AK higher than KK+, because they wanna give people more rope to shove.

Nice vid Aaron!

I have a question about the betsizing tell you mentioned, which was part of your decision to shove over his 2nd 4bet:
Isn`t it a rule of thumb that a higher 4 bet is indicating hands that want to create more foldequity? Or am I totally wrong and people just want to make their bluff 4bets cheaper...?
I remember coaches saying in several videos that people likely 4bet AK higher than KK+, because they wanna give people more rope to shove.

The tell i mentioned was more of a function of what his started started off as and what it changed to, more so than me assigning it to $24 means this hand and $22 means that hand. I know tom is a pretty good heads up player and I'm sure he's balance conscious, but sometimes in the heat of the match it's hard to consider how a change in your strategy will look to someone else. Or, maybe he just misclicked the first or second time so the change in bet size was purely coincidental and I got lucky? Hard to know for sure...

I can't speak for what the other coaches have said about people who 4bet different sizes with different hands. I'm sure that happens somewhat, but it's not something I encounter at the high stakes too much...so I can't really call it a rule of thumb for me, but it's certainly possible that at some micro full ring nl or 6max games that it could be a rule of thumb. I think it's dangerous to apply specific bet size numbers to specific hands to people in a general sense, but I think it is easier (ie less error prone) to instead examine the CHANGES in bet sizes that people make, and try to look for extra information there.

I hope that helps and makes sense.

WoT

The tell i mentioned was more of a function of what his started started off as and what it changed to, more so than me assigning it to $24 means this hand and $22 means that hand. I know tom is a pretty good heads up player and I'm sure he's balance conscious, but sometimes in the heat of the match it's hard to consider how a change in your strategy will look to someone else. Or, maybe he just misclicked the first or second time so the change in bet size was purely coincidental and I got lucky? Hard to know for sure...

StayHomeTom here

My first 4bet was a bluff and I didn't think about sizing correctly or I would have made it $20-22... Been playing fish who flat too much lately and juiced it for value (I was 4bet/calling AQo the first time). Second time I had K7s and didn't want to screw it too much, so you owned me there for sure.

Clicking it back on either of my turn/river raises to your donks would have been sick as I had air each time and just figured "I think he'll think I have mainly 7x or 5x here".

I wish I would have slowed down on the JJQA hand. I had KT and was thinking "overbetting is cool!", but had I thought about the turn more I would have c/red for sure... I think it'll come up again in video two where I c/r a turned KQxA with the nuts and you end up folding and then I c/c a turned KQxA again and you overbet the river putting me in a gross spot w/ KJ... Really hoping you had air on the later as it would have been a sick read from how I played the hands up to this point.

FWIW I didn't have a HUD on me as I was playing on my mac up at the coffee shop during this match, but I definitely would have been more cognizant of how I was playing. It's kinda of funny the 92o hand went to showdown as I instantly remember going "wtf I can't open 100% vs WOT" and I think ended the session opening ~70% from the SB.

All in all I was super excited to play this match. Thanks again for doing this video Aaron. Can't wait for the second series.

My first 4bet ***wasn't*** a bluff...

and didn't want to ***skew*** it too much

/typos

Time Link to 00:34:29

T1 with the 77, if he bets the river after checking back turn, do you call?

T1 with the 77, if he bets the river after checking back turn, do you call?

probably would end up folding. I would just make the default assumption that if he was going to bluff he would start his bluff on the turn. That isn't how some people play, and my thought process isn't how many villains think. So I would be careful taking that line as a bluff vs someone who is just a mediocre player... but bluffing like that definitely does work against some tough players as long as everyone is on the correct level for it.

So depending on the player, you can either value bet QT in Tom's shoes there or you can delay your bluff with QJ there... it just sort of depends on the player and knowing which you can get away with is hard w/o trying it. I've definitely tried the delayed bluff vs players i thought were good and they snap me off with like T8 there, which is either a huge head explode or they thought I was on that level.

probably would end up folding. I would just make the default assumption that if he was going to bluff he would start his bluff on the turn. That isn't how some people play, and my thought process isn't how many villains think. So I would be careful taking that line as a bluff vs someone who is just a mediocre player... but bluffing like that definitely does work against some tough players as long as everyone is on the correct level for it.

So depending on the player, you can either value bet QT in Tom's shoes there or you can delay your bluff with QJ there... it just sort of depends on the player and knowing which you can get away with is hard w/o trying it. I've definitely tried the delayed bluff vs players i thought were good and they snap me off with like T8 there, which is either a huge head explode or they thought I was on that level.

if he bets the river would c/r'ing be an option or do you expect him to snap that off with any Tx?

That line would be pretty tough to balance so to pull that vs a good player would require him to kind of level himself into folding.

I know for me, when I'm faced with a c/r in a spot where it seems somewhat unlikely that I'm going to bet in the first place, I get reallllly curious and cally

That line would be pretty tough to balance so to pull that vs a good player would require him to kind of level himself into folding.

I know for me, when I'm faced with a c/r in a spot where it seems somewhat unlikely that I'm going to bet in the first place, I get reallllly curious and cally

so would taking that c/r river line with say KK for thin value be good vs you, or do you have Ax hands in your check back turn range?

also, if you lead the river after Tom checks back, do you expect him to call with any Tx that he'd bet the river with himself?

btw thanks for the discussion/vid, Aaron

Nice vid guys!

so would taking that c/r river line with say KK for thin value be good vs you, or do you have Ax hands in your check back turn range?

also, if you lead the river after Tom checks back, do you expect him to call with any Tx that he'd bet the river with himself?

btw thanks for the discussion/vid, Aaron

I have some Ax hands in my turn checking range, but perhaps not enough to make river value checkraising KK vs me a mistake or -EV...so it could be a pretty sick line vs me. I don't think I've seen that before. Don't tell anyone lol

I'm not really sure if tom calls with Tx. I think bet/check/bet line as the pf 3bettor is kind of strong, at least in comparison to his turn checking behind range... mostly strong enough to be better than most second pairs. I think vs most it's a fold on the river but again it depends on what level each player is on and also potentially his kicker. I think it's a lot easier for him to value bet good Tx when checked to on the river than it is to call a river bet after he checks behind the turn.

Time Link to 00:43:07

WOT... I find it very frustrating to play against people that play lots of hands OOP and then they never fold on the flop. What would be the best strategy against them ? Delayed cbetting ? Because when I check, I usually get lead into. 2 or 3 barelling ? Checking back the turn with 2-street-value hands (like TP no kicker) ?

Like it is, I feel like i'm just burning the money on fire. C-betting and then giving up isnt much fun. I usually then start checking back the flop with no equity hands, and thus making my 2-3barell range stronger, but I'd like to hear others thoughts.

WOT... I find it very frustrating to play against people that play lots of hands OOP and then they never fold on the flop. What would be the best strategy against them ? Delayed cbetting ? Because when I check, I usually get lead into. 2 or 3 barelling ? Checking back the turn with 2-street-value hands (like TP no kicker) ?

Like it is, I feel like i'm just burning the money on fire. C-betting and then giving up isnt much fun. I usually then start checking back the flop with no equity hands, and thus making my 2-3barell range stronger, but I'd like to hear others thoughts.

Certainly your some of your adjustments seem reasonable... but the looser they are oop the more you have to stay in tune with which hands they are 3betting pre and which hands they are willing to c/r on the flop, so you can further narrow down their range and poke at the weak spots. Also you can consider sizing your cbet down to give yourself an even better risk/reward because the looser they are, the more often they will have air on the flop. Keep in mind board texture... how many Ax combinations are they c/c'ing the flop with? how many gutters? how does the turn effect those types of hands? can we move them off air?

People say you can't bluff loose players they always call etc, but you have to shift your mentality to thinking about just winning the pot with your air vs their air and looking for special circumstances to get them off "non-air". Delay cbet with your worst equity hands, barrel more liberally when their flop calling range is going to still be air a lot on the turn, try to get them off pairs on the scary turns/rivers.

Also your comment about 2 street value hands doesnt make sense to me vs a loose opponent. The looser they are, the more inclined you should be to try to go for 3 streets with hands as weak as second pair, depending on board texture/situation/checkraise ranges.

A lot of people do burn money by betting flop and then giving up when called. Don't make their loose flop peels more profitable by allowing them to bluff you on the river when the turn checks through.

Let me know if you'd like me to expand on any of that

I think it's a lot easier for him to value bet good Tx when checked to on the river than it is to call a river bet after he checks behind the turn.

so if he is smart enough/on the right level to realize that, can't he expect you to check the river to him with most of your stronger hands that you didnt bet the turn with? if so, then doesn't that give you some credibility when you c/r the river as a bluff?

so if he is smart enough/on the right level to realize that, can't he expect you to check the river to him with most of your stronger hands that you didnt bet the turn with? if so, then doesn't that give you some credibility when you c/r the river as a bluff?

yea provided everyone is on the correct level, I'd agree with that

Another great HU vid Mr Wilt, thx and keep em coming!

Was minraising or 2.5x pre something you would do vs someone 3b this often? i was surprised it was 3x throughout although i guess he was folding a lot postflop so you win more money when he saw flop to a 3x, perhaps thats why you stuck with the 3x, as well as made more money with your 4b, etc. i guess in general maybe discuss what you think is best to start out pre vs a reg, vs a fish, vs someone u ptr that 3b %22, %12 etc

Time Link to 00:30:10

Why did you decide to defend 45cc here on the left table at this time? It seems like he hasn't 3betted you all that often in the last 4-5 orbits and 45 seems to do really poorly against tom's 3bets as a bluff say with weak ax/kx and his 3bets for value.

On a slight tangent
What kind of ranges would you start to initially defend against players who are showing frustration against your opening range? Are you trying to make top pairs against this opponent or are you trying hit something with equity that you can raise with on later streets? or both? What would be the worst hands you'd play in that situation on the btn? I feel this is a spot where I'm comfortable calling the top of my range and letting my opponent bluff (unless I am likely to cooler my opponent or that we've been having a 4b 5b dynamic). But I'm unsure where the bottom of my defending range can be against good to decent players that are fed up with my btn opens.

Thanks in advance, quality explanations. Can we watch you play jk3a sometime? Or would that be useless to the public since you two must know so many specific things about each other's games. It would be cool for the both of you to have audio and explain your leveling wars with one another.

Time Link to 00:15:28

When you are 5bet shipping here, are you doing it with any two cards based on the read you have or are you going to do it with something that at least has some equity (suited, high card, small pairs?)

Was minraising or 2.5x pre something you would do vs someone 3b this often? i was surprised it was 3x throughout although i guess he was folding a lot postflop so you win more money when he saw flop to a 3x, perhaps thats why you stuck with the 3x, as well as made more money with your 4b, etc. i guess in general maybe discuss what you think is best to start out pre vs a reg, vs a fish, vs someone u ptr that 3b %22, %12 etc

My general rule is to change my open sizing when I feel like I'm getting owned by 3bets. Getting owned might mean different 3b% vs different players. For some, if they play super bad, i'll just keep 3xing it even if they are 3betting 30% because I can either take the pots away postflop more often or just 4bet them and make more $ that way. Vs other guys, maybe I switch to minraise when they are 3betting 18% if I feel like I'm getting run over a bit too much when defending to the 3bets. I realize this isn't a great answer to your question since it's not a very clear cut answer, but I think the more HU experience you get, the more you will be able to tell.

In general though, I think minraising is the best strategy reg on reg. I know it's the strategy that gives me the most trouble in general. It forces you to play more hands out of position unless you want to get exploited by folding too much. Playing looser oop means more opportunities to make mistakes vs good hand readers when they are in position.

I think starting off with a minraise strategy against everyone would be perfectly fine because it's harder for them to really mess with you and make you regret it. Perhaps your edge starts out smaller because of it, but you can adjust accordingly. If you always open 3x vs anyone, there will be some ppl that will take advantage of it for a while until you adjust, so you open yourself up to more POTENTIAL problems and until you make the switch they can be profiting from you. A lot of euro guys like 2.5x, which could be a good middle ground, i just don't have much experience playing that way so it's hard for me to comment whether or not it's so much better than 3x or 2x, although I will say that generally I prefer playing against guys who 3x or 2.5x, which makes me tend to think that by extension opening 2x is best because it's harder for me to play well against it.

Why did you decide to defend 45cc here on the left table at this time? It seems like he hasn't 3betted you all that often in the last 4-5 orbits and 45 seems to do really poorly against tom's 3bets as a bluff say with weak ax/kx and his 3bets for value.

On a slight tangent
What kind of ranges would you start to initially defend against players who are showing frustration against your opening range? Are you trying to make top pairs against this opponent or are you trying hit something with equity that you can raise with on later streets? or both? What would be the worst hands you'd play in that situation on the btn? I feel this is a spot where I'm comfortable calling the top of my range and letting my opponent bluff (unless I am likely to cooler my opponent or that we've been having a 4b 5b dynamic). But I'm unsure where the bottom of my defending range can be against good to decent players that are fed up with my btn opens.

Thanks in advance, quality explanations. Can we watch you play jk3a sometime? Or would that be useless to the public since you two must know so many specific things about each other's games. It would be cool for the both of you to have audio and explain your leveling wars with one another.

his overall 3bet was 35% at this point (small sample) so even if he didn't do it in the last several hands, I think defending 45s is fine. If you want to still fold it, i won't complain too much, but I did want to get some hands in there to defend against him since I had been folding a lot.

As for your second question, yes, mostly hands with high card strength where you can make some pairs and get to showdown. Certainly the suited connectors and gappers are fine to defend as well so we can have some hands to semibluff with and also try to flop some bluff catchers. It's hard to know exactly how light you can defend vs each player until you get some better reads...such as how thinly they value bet? how relentless are they in their barreling? How often are they pot controlling their medium strength hands on the flop? The answer to these 3 questions and more will tell you a lot about what sort of hands you can defend and how lightly you can call down with them because it will tell you how polarized he is. In general though, vs a guy 3betting in the 30s early in the match I think defending any good suited connector and suited one gapper plus all of the broadway hands and pocket pairs is reasonable (and choosing to 4bet small some bluffs and medium pocket pairs and maybe 4bet shoving the small pocket pairs).

Let me know if you'd like me to expand on any of that.

When you are 5bet shipping here, are you doing it with any two cards based on the read you have or are you going to do it with something that at least has some equity (suited, high card, small pairs?)

Yes, any 2 cards. Most of the hands I am 3betting in the first place will qualify for your second point though... high card, suited, small pair etc

Great vid aaron!

Time Link to 00:19:31

Hey great video so far. Got a question about the spot on table 1. You say you would want to check a hand like A4 on the river, because you expect your A high to be good most of the time. You also say, you expect your opponent to fold Jx here, when betting your 87s. So while I agree that A high would likely be the best hand by the river, don´t you think betting it to make villain fold Jx or 2x is better than checking?