Any poker player can win a flip or wake up with pocket aces when their opponent has pocket kings. The great ones, however, find ways to win even when their back is against the wall.
In spots where so many of us check and give up or fold, the best players seek opportunities to turn their airballs and showdown-value hands into bluffs. But where do they find these bluffs? And how do they ensure a bluff fits into the story they’ve told throughout the hand?
PokerStars School has been on the case, so read on to find out how.
One factor that goes into pulling off a successful bluff is the Stack to Pot Ratio (commonly known as SPR). You’ll also find an introduction to SPR below.
THIS WEEK:
- Finding bluffs where others don’t
- An introduction to Stack to Pot Ratio (SPR)
- Spin & Go Reloaded – Exploiting loose-passive players
- New strategy videos
- All the latest promotions
Finding bluffs where others don’t
PokerStars School’s Pete Clarke explores how you can begin to find bluffs in spots where most players simply don’t bluff enough.
“The biggest reason for people ending up with value heavy ranges is that they do not get imaginative fast enough,” he writes. “A skill well worth practising is identifying when your hand is close to the bottom of your range in terms of showdown value. When this becomes the case, if you never use that combination as a bluff, you will end up betting a predictably strong range.”
Read ‘Finding bluffs where others don’t’ here.
An introduction to Stack to Pot Ratio (SPR)
“Stack to Pot Ratio, or SPR for short, is a tool for helping to plan your hand around commitment decisions. In short, by providing a quick, easy framework for relating the size of the pot to the remaining effective stacks, you’ll be able to more easily determine if your hand strength warrants playing an all-in pot or not.”
In this article, Dave Roemer explains how you can calculate SPR with easy-to-follow examples showing you how you can start applying it in-game right now.
Check out ‘An introduction to Stack to Pot Ratio (SPR)’ here.
Spin & Go Reloaded – Exploiting loose-passive players
Nick and James from OP-Poker are back this week with another Spin & Go strategy video.
Here they take look at how to exploit loose-passive players.
New strategy videos
The good folk at PokerStars School put together new strategy videos every week to help all of us improve.
This week Federico Sztern continues his ICM Review. ICM (Independent Chip Model) is a crucial part of tournament poker as it helps you make the most money from your deep runs.
Check it out below.
Missed Part 1? You’ll find it here.
Pete Clarke has also been busy on the Pot Limit Omaha streets, putting together parts 3 and 4 of his PLO: Beyond the basics series.
Part 3 (below) looks at the options to three-bet or call.
And Part 4 (below) is all about defending the big blind.
If you missed parts 1 and 2 you can watch them here.
More from PokerStars School:
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NL100 Zoom Cash Game with Pete Clarke
