We analyzed how to defend as a preflop caller on ace-high boards and high-card flops, and today we will examine defending on low-card boards.
In this article, we will delve deeper into dry and connected flops after we call a raise preflop while holding position against our opponent.
Playing on Dry Low-Card Boards in Position – 9s6d2c
Firstly, let’s go over dry board textures when we are sitting at the button and call the CO raise preflop.
Key assumptions:
- The hand is played 100 bb deep
- The cutoff is opening the pot
- We call his preflop raise from the BTN
- We face a c-bet on the flop
If we look at a very dry flop of 9s6d2c, you might be surprised that the CO is only c-beting around 21% of the time and checks the rest of the hands.
The solver suggests that the player in the cutoff should pick big sizing in almost all situations when they c-bet, so we will stick to analyzing this spot and build a counter-strategy against it.
When we face a two-thirds pot size bet from the CO, we will be continuing with 72% of the range, calling in almost all situations. According to PeakGTO, our raising range should be around 1%, but you can safely assume that it is fine to call all of the hands you continue with.
In this spot, we are calling any pair, strong ace-highs, and even most of the overcards to avoid being exploited.
On the other hand, if the CO player checks as they should in most cases, you will take initiative in the hand and bet yourself over 61% of the time.
The solver suggests sticking to a small bet sizing versus a missed c-bet and mixing your bets throughout your entire poker range.
Key takeaways
- Defend 72% of your range when facing a c-bet from the CO.
- Do not have a raising range and call with all of the hands you continue with when facing a c-bet on a dry low-card board.
- Bet over 61% of the hands if your opponent missed a c-bet, and stick to one-third pot size bets.
Defending on Connected Low-Card Boards – 9h8d6d
We have an entirely different situation if we see a connected low-card flop, since the CO will not be c-betting on these boards. Therefore, we will look into the situation where cut-off checks and the action go to you.
Key assumptions:
- The hand is played 100 bb deep
- The cutoff is opening the pot
- We call his preflop raise from the BTN
- CO checks to us on the flop
Let’s take a look at an example of 9h8d6d.
In this situation, the CO only bets 2% of the hands, making it a situation that you will probably not face much in real games. If you face a small bet, you should defend around 80% of the hands based on MDF, but let’s concentrate on an example where the CO checks, as he will do in almost all cases.
Since this board favors a button range, we can bet it quite aggressively and use a larger sizing.
Game theory optimal strategy suggests betting this board around 51% of the time. From these hands, betting 37% of the hands big a two-thirds pot size bet and 14% of the time picking a smaller sizing of one-third pot size bet.
With a mixed betting strategy and a range advantage, you will put your opponent in many tough spots on the flop and put yourself in a good position to keep your aggression on later streets.
Key takeaways
- The CO should be checking almost his entire range on connected low-card boards
- You should bet over 51% of the time and mix your bets throughout your entire range when the CO checks on the flop.
- You should mostly use big bet sizing of two-thirds of the pot when you decide to bet.
