When is it ideal to open push flop?

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When is it best to push flop? In the self research study series Barry Carter reveals you how he attempted to resolve a poker issue then seeks advice from a coach or solver to

get feedback on his approach. I just recently played a hand where I had KK on a Jack high board and the solver informed me, remarkably, to push flop for 3x the pot. It seemed like a huge waste of a hand like KK, so I was figured out to find out why, and what scenarios we must do this in.

As soon as once again utilizing my preferred function of GTO Wizard, the aggregate reports, it was simple to recognize the areas to do it in. I attempted at a range of stack depths and situations, the one listed below is BTN vs SB, 3-bet pot, with 60BBs reliable. I filtered for hands where there was a great deal of pushing on the flop as the very first action, in this circumstances a push was 2.5 times the pot, and it was clear the best sort of boards to do it:

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Click to expand You can’t see all of them it was constantly boards with a flush draw and 2 linked cards in between a Q and a 9. Areas where it was possible for a great deal of broadway hands to make a straight and/or a flush on the turn. Hardly ever would you see this on low-connected boards with a flush draw.

To dig even more, let’s take a look at the J ♦ T ♥ 6 ♥ board where it takes place the most, 24.2% of the time. This is the SB wagering variety, with the darkest red hands being the pushes:

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Green=check, Red=Bet The actually strong hands like sets choose to inspect behind. It is constantly strong however susceptible hands, like KK, QQ and AJ that pushed. These are hands that might rapidly diminish in worth if a 3rd heart or a linked card comes, not to discuss an Ace. Maybe most importantly, if your hand enhances it may bring the other guy a straight. You are not caring life with KK if the turn brings the K ♥.

This is what we call a vibrant board in poker, comparable to a damp board, where a great deal of turn cards can alter the fortunes of the gamers. To get more insight, this is what the BTN does when the SB does push:

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Green= Call, Blue =Fold Of all, a lot of hands that do not beat leading set leading kicker call, so that is great for our worth. This is since we had the ideal mix of bluffs and worth in the push variety (The bluffs are high straight draws with flush draws, hands like K ♥ Q ♥ and A ♥ Q ♥). We get a lot of hands we would dislike to offer a complimentary card to fold. This is primarily weak straight draws like AQ, KQ, Q9, Q8, 98, 97 and 87.

I likewise utilized the node locking function in GTO Wizard to see what occurs when we require the SB not to push and utilize the smaller sized bet sizes rather. This is what takes place, for instance, when the SB bets 33% pot:

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Green=Call, Blue=Fold, Red=Raise The BTN continues with more hands and can raise a great deal of them. They raise all the great worth hands and bluff with the gutshot-type hands we made fold formerly. We get put in a more uneasy position and we allow hands that have equity versus us. Usually the SB makes 11.33 BBs in GTO World, however in this node-locked example, they just make 11.06 BBs. That might not sound much, however not pushing is a 27 BB/100 mistake long-lasting.

An useful method to summarize the scenario is that on linked broadway flops with a flush draw, the preflop assailant is frequently ahead, however the protector strikes the board a lot. There are a great deal of bad turn cards for the preflop assailant, consisting of ones that turn their made hand into 2 set or a set. The method to get worth from the lots of one set hands that will call while evaluating the weak draws that have equity is to push the flop.

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Barry Carter

Barry Carter Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy &, PKO Poker Strategy & the brand-new book Endgame Poker Strategy

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