How to Punish Poker Pros — 4 Step Guide

01 Jul 2024

Are you beating the fish in your games but struggling against the pros? I'm going to give you a four-step guide on how to crush poker professionals. But first, let's start with something that often gets overlooked: how to play pre-flop against pros.

In short, we want to do a lot of calling. Why? Because we want to let the fish into the pot. Fish are going to make giant mistakes post-flop, whereas pros generally play well. So, we want to be doing a lot of calling. However, we can't just never three-bet a pro when they open, so what do we do?

We want to play what's called a polarized three-bet strategy. This means we three-bet our very best hands and our very worst hands. Now, this doesn't mean we're three-betting absolute garbage. When I say worst hands, I mean the worst hands that we would continue with in that specific configuration.

Let me give a couple of examples. Suppose a pro opens from under the gun, and we are also in early position. Our three-bets for value might just be the very top of our range here; we want to three-bet the hands that can absolutely crush their opening range. So, it might look something like this: pocket aces, pocket kings, and ace-king suited. We don't have many raises for value here, so we also don't need a ton of bluffs.

Here, we may want to three-bet as our bluff with the bottom of our continuing range, such as our worst suited Aces, like Ace-5 suited, and our worst suited Broadways, like King-Jack suited, Queen-Jack suited, and Jack-10 suited. Everything in the middle would be a call: Ace-King off, Ace-Queen suited, Ace-Jack suited, Ace-10 suited. All of these hands would just be calls here. So, our range versus an early position pro open might look something like this.

Now, let me give an example of how this shifts as we get to later positions. Let's say a pro opens from the cutoff, and we are on the button. Now, we're going to raise wider for value. Our value range may look something like this: pocket Jacks, Ace-King suited, Ace-King off, and maybe Ace-Queen suited. The three-bet bluffs would come from the bottom of our continuing range, such as our worst suited Kings that would continue, like King-10 suited, and our worst suited Aces that would continue, like Ace-2 suited and Ace-6 suited.

Remember to let the fish into the pot, and as you can see, the middle of our range shifts as we get to later positions. Now, all these pocket pairs can call, and we can obviously call much wider when the cutoff opens than when an under-the-gun player opens. Maybe these 9x hands would be worked in as three-bets as well. So again, the green hands are calling, and the red hands are three-betting. This is what a polar three-bet range looks like when a pro opens cutoff and we are on the button.

Now that we've got pre-flop out of the way, let's jump into it. Here are the four guiding heuristics I use when playing against pros:

1. What would I do (WWID) vs this line? It sounds simple and maybe even a bit silly, but just put yourself in their shoes. Whatever action you're about to take, ask yourself what you would do if this line was taken against you. If you're about to check-raise on the river, think about how you would react if you were facing the check-raise. This can guide you to the most profitable action time and time again.
2. Delayed gratification when bluffing. You don't always have to bluff right away. Sometimes, being a little more patient or waiting a bit longer will actually increase your fold equity.
3. Play your bluffs like they play value. When you're playing against live pros, you'll start to notice that certain lines are massively over-bluffed, while others are massively under-bluffed. As you gain more experience, you'll recognize these patterns. Essentially, you want to put a lot of your value in the lines that are over-bluffed and use the under-bluffed lines for your bluffs — that’s where you want to put a lot of your bluffs. 
4. Finally, number four, which is the inverse of the last one: simply play your value like they play bluffs.

Alright, I know it's a lot of words, but let's jump into examples. Hopefully, these four guiding heuristics will start to click.

Example for Step #1:

We're playing $5/$10/$20. You'll notice Hold'em Manager 3 says it's a $10 and then a $10 ante, but it's just incapable of doing three blinds, so ignore that. This is $5/$10/$20. The villain in the hand is going to be the pro here under the gun, who is going to open to $60. A fish calls on the button, a fish calls in the small blind, and we are in the third blind with a suited king. We're going to come along as well from the $20.

The flop comes Ace-King-3, so we flop bottom two, which is pretty good for us. We're going to check it over and flow to the pro. The pro is going to bet $110 here. The fish on the button folds, the fish in the small blind folds, and now it's back to us.

First, let's think about what the pro's range is for c-betting on this flop. It's probably going to be pretty strong, right? Because he bet four ways, he’s betting into three other people, including two fish, so he's probably got to realize here he just doesn't have much fold equity. So what's he going to have? Well, for value, at worst, he's probably going to have a pretty strong ace: Ace-10, Ace-Jack, Ace-Queen, something like that.

He could certainly have two pair or sets as well. As for his semi-bluffs, he's probably going to be drawing from hands that have a ton of equity, like combo draws (Jack-10 of spades, Queen-Jack of spades). Remember, he opened under the gun, so he probably doesn't have many weak suited connectors. He either has a flush draw, a strong ace, or a hand that we lose to.

Now that we've come up with this range, let's think about what we would do versus his line. Let's put ourselves in his shoes. If we were in his position and c-bet on this flop four ways, how would we respond to a check-raise from another pro in the third blind? Well, if we had a hand like Ace-Jack, Ace-10, or Ace-Queen, we might call on the flop. But personally, if I got check-raised with a hand like Ace-Queen in his shoes, I would already be feeling a little bit squeamish. 

Let's say we called with Ace-Queen, the turn is a blank, and the pro in the third blind (which is us here) bombs again on the turn. If we have Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, or Ace-10, we would just be folding because this is a spot that's massively under-bluffed. So check-raising with a hand like King-3 doesn't seem all that good if the pro is going to be folding on the turn with hands like Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, or Ace-10 at a pretty high frequency.

Now let's think about what we would do versus this line if we got called. If we're the pro under the gun and we have a hand like Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, etc., what are we going to do on the turn? We're going to keep betting for value, trying to get called by a weaker ace or by draws. If we get called on the turn and the river is a blank, well, with Ace-Queen or Ace-Jack, we're probably going to bet again. In this situation, the pro is likely to bet thinly for three streets if the board runs out blank. Also, if he has a bluff, he's probably going to continue bluffing across most turns.

So again, what would I do versus this line? If we're the pro and get check-raised with a hand like Ace-Queen or Ace-Jack, we're probably calling once and folding the turn. If we get called when we c-bet the flop as the pro, we're probably going to continue barreling for value and continue bluffing.

Alright, let's move on to step number two: delayed gratification when bluffing. This example is from a 10/20/40 game. Unfortunately, Hold'em Manager 3 just can't display three blinds, and nobody really knows why. 

So, a pro opens from under the gun to $110. We're in the $40 blind with Jack-9 suited, and we decide to call. We go to a flop of 10-5-4, all clubs. We're pretty much done with this hand, right? If he c-bets on this flop, we're just folding — we have nothing going on. So we check, but he checks it back. We go to a turn, and now the turn is a five. We have complete air here, and most players' intuition in this spot with Jack-high would be to start a bluff. But in my opinion, that is not the best play. 

Let's discuss why delayed gratification is so good. What is his range when he checks back this flop? He could have some showdown value, like Ace-Queen or Ace-King. He could have some pocket pairs, like pocket eights or pocket nines. He might even have an overpair without a club, like red pocket queens or pocket kings. He has quite a lot of showdown value here. If he had air, he'd probably bet himself. If he had a strong value hand on this flop, being in position and relatively deep, he'd probably bet himself. 

If he has a hand like red pocket kings and we bet this turn, he's going to call. If the river is not a club and we bet again, he's probably going to call. So, we're just going to get called quite a bit by the top of his range. 

If he has a hand like Ace-King with the King of Clubs, he may call the turn once and fold the river. But the problem is we're just going to get called here quite a lot when he shows up with Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces. By just going bet-bet, sure, we get some folds, but we don't get all the folds.

Now, let's think about what happens if we check. He's going to start betting if he has a hand like red Jacks, Queens, or Kings. If we check the turn, we're giving him the chance to bet his entire range, including hands that would call our bet. This way, we allow him to bluff with hands that he would have folded to our bet and value bet hands that would have called our turn bet anyway.

By delaying our bluff, we increase the chances of him betting with a wider range, which includes hands that we can get to fold later on the river. This way, we maximize our fold equity by being patient and waiting for the best moment to bluff.

If he has red Queens at this point, he’s certainly got the green light to start betting for value. He’s probably not going to check back again. Most players in position aren't going to check back nutted hands like an ace-high flush or a set here. When he bets now, we kind of just have carte blanche to check-raise and blow him off whatever he has. We can check-raise huge, and he’ll call with pocket Jacks or Queens. 

Then we can bomb the river. What does it look like we have? It looks like we have a monster, either a full house or an ace-high flush. If he has a hand like ace-high, he might check back again, but we can blow that hand off on the river when it comes to a blank. Now, we can bet big and get the ace to fold.

We check, he checks back, and then the river is an ace. What does he have when he checks back twice? He probably has a hand like Ace-King, Ace-Queen, or Ace-Jack. He checked back twice, right? If he had an overpair, he’d probably bet on the turn.

If we bet here, what’s he going to do with a strong hand like Ace-King or Ace-Queen? He’s going to call. But if we check here, what’s he going to do with those hands? He’s going to bet, and now that opens the door for us to maximize fold equity. 

Pros bet thinly for value, which is something they do much differently than fish. They will bet thinly for value. So if we check here and he has Ace-King or Ace-Queen, he’s going to bet. But let’s say he has some type of whiff, like King-Queen of hearts, that decided not to bluff on the flop or turn. 

If we check, that hand is also going to bet, whereas if we bet, that hand would fold. By checking, King-Queen of hearts is going to stab, and we get the stab from King-Queen of hearts, the value bet from Ace-King or Ace-Queen, and we get to check-raise and fold all of that.

So we check once again for the third time. He bets $80, and we check-raise to the big boy size, just disrespectfully, to $540. He shakes his head, mutters a few words under his breath, and folds. We just smile and say, "Oops, I guess we got a little bit too greedy," and rake in the pot.

All right, next hand here, and this is one of my favorites because it illustrates a couple of concepts. Most importantly, it illustrates playing your bluffs like they would play value.

We’re playing $10/$20/$40, with the third blind being $40 here. A pro opens from the hijack. We’re in the cutoff with 8♠7♠. This is going to be one of our polar three-bets, as we discussed earlier. We three-bet to $350, and it folds back around to the pro, who makes it $1,000 with a four-bet. 

The flop comes A♠6♠4♠, and we flop a gutshot. He comes out and bets $400 into $2,000, a very small bet, just about 20% pot. In position with the gutshot and the backdoor flush draw, we have enough equity to continue here. There’s no real reason to raise on this board — raising doesn’t accomplish anything. He can still have Aces, Ace-King, etc. So we call.

Now, we’re going to the turn, and look at that sweet baby there — we pick up additional equity and are open-ended. Surprisingly, he checks to us. This is where the crux of this heuristic comes into play.

All right, next hand here, and this is one of my favorites because it illustrates a couple of concepts. Most importantly, it illustrates playing your bluffs like they would play value.

We’re playing $10/$20/$40, with the third blind being $40 here. A pro opens from the hijack. We’re in the cutoff with 8♠7♠. This is going to be one of our polar three-bets, as we discussed earlier. We three-bet to $350, and it folds back around to the pro, who makes it $1,000 with a four-bet. 

The flop comes A♠6♠4♠, and we flop a gutshot. He comes out and bets $400 into $2,000, a very small bet, just about 20% pot. In position with the gutshot and the backdoor flush draw, we have enough equity to continue here. There’s no real reason to raise on this board—raising doesn’t accomplish anything. He can still have Aces, Ace-King, etc. So we call.

Now, we’re going to the turn, and look at that sweet baby there — we pick up additional equity and are open-ended. Surprisingly, he checks to us.

Remember, play your bluffs like they would play value. First, let's walk through what happens if he has a hand like pocket aces or Ace-King and we bet on this turn. He's going to call, and then we'll go to the river with eight high if we miss our straight draw. He will likely check again, and we'll end up bluffing into a range that will snap us off.

If he has a hand like Kings or Queens and checks to us on the turn and we bet, that hand is going to fold, which is great. However, we can be a bit more efficient. Think about what happens if we check back this turn. Say the river is a blank, an offsuit Deuce. What's he going to do with Kings and Queens? He's going to check again. At this point, we have the green light to bet and get Kings and Queens to fold at nearly 100% frequency.

Also, if he does have Aces, Ace-King, or Ace-Queen suited hands, what's he going to do after we check back the turn? He's probably going to bet the river for value. If he bets the river and we don't get there, we can just fold. By checking back the turn, we lose zero future streets if he has the top of his range like Aces or Ace-King, and we get Kings and Queens to fold on the river no matter what.

Now, you might be wondering how this heuristic, "play your bluffs like they would play value," comes into play. Think about this situation: if we got to this spot with a hand like Ace-Queen or Ace-Jack suited, what would we do on this turn in a four-bet pot? It's a way-ahead, way-behind spot, and we would probably check back this turn with our value hands.

When we check back the turn and he checks to us on the river, why would he fold Kings and Queens to just one bet from us? Because it looks like we have showdown value when we check back the turn. If we had a bluff, most players with eight high here would get impatient and start bluffing on this turn. By checking back, it looks like we have an Ace that checked back the turn. When he checks the river to us and we bet, it just looks like we're betting for value.

How would most pros play value here with an ace? They would check back unless they had Ace-King or better. Even sometimes with Ace-King, most pros would check back on this turn. So, we check back this turn with eight high. 

Now the river is a queen, and a lot of good things happen here. If he comes out and bets this river, we just snap-fold. He can have Aces, Ace-King, or even a hand like pocket Queens. If he bets this river, we have an easy snap-fold. We lost $400 post-flop, but who cares?

However, if he checks this river, most of his range now looks like pocket Kings. He might check this river sometimes with Ace-King because the river's a queen and he gets a little squeamish. So, I ask myself simply on this river: what size do I need to bet to get pocket Kings to fold? It doesn't need to be that big. So, I actually go $1,200 here. I think you could probably go a little smaller, maybe even $1,000. He tanks and tanks, and finally, someone calls the clock. He shows an ace and says, "You have no bluffs in this spot. I can't find any bluffs," and then he folds. He later told me he had Ace-Deuce suited, so he was just four-betting as a bluff here. 

Alright, last one here, and this is play your value like they play bluffs. This is the inverse of number three. 

This hand is from one of the players we coach for profit, and he is playing $5/$5/$10. He has pocket Jacks here in the third blind. A pro opens on the button to $35, and he is in the third blind. He's going to three-bet, a slam dunk three-bet, versus the button open to $165. The pro on the button calls. 

In this hand, our student opts to check, while the pro makes a small bet of $135 on the flop. The hero decides to call, and everything seems to be going smoothly. Moving to the turn, a harmless Deuce of diamonds appears. We check again, and the button checks back. Now, we reach the river, which brings another Deuce.

In this critical moment, we recall the guiding principle: play our value hands as if they were bluffs. Let's analyze the situation. The button opened from the button, called a three-bet, continuation bet the flop, and checked back the turn. What could his range be? It likely includes some showdown value hands like 8X, Ace 8, 8-9, 10-8 suited, and 8-7 suited. He might also have some weaker hands or bluffs, such as pocket 9s, pocket 10s, or even hands like king-queen of diamonds that tried to steal on the flop but backed off when called. Strong hands like flushes or sets would probably continue betting on the turn, so his range here is mostly showdown value or air.

Considering our options, betting here could lead to us being called by his showdown value hands like nines, tens, or eights, and possibly sevens. However, if we bet, we risk folding out his air hands that might fold to a reasonable bet size. On the other hand, checking gives the impression that we might have Ace King or Ace Queen with a heart, aiming for showdown value. If he has thin value, he might bet, and if he has air, he might bluff. Thus, checking here seems prudent, allowing us to control the pot and potentially induce bluffs.

If we consider our current situation: we initially three-bet preflop, checked the flop after calling, proceeded with another check on the turn, and now we're opting to check on the river. Our opponent is likely to put us on a strong hand such as Ace-King or Ace-Queen with a heart. 

If we check the river and they hold a thin value hand like pocket nines or Ace-suited, they are inclined to bet frequently. This is a common strategy among skilled players who make thin value bets when they believe their opponent has a weaker hand.

But what if our opponent has nothing (air)? If they gave up on the turn with a hand like King-Queen of Diamonds, they'll often bluff at a high frequency when faced with another check from us on the river. From their perspective, it looks like we consistently hold Ace-King or Ace-Queen, making it appear profitable for them to attempt to bluff us out of the pot.

In this scenario, the optimal decision for us is to check. Suppose our opponent bets, say 300. It seems like a slam dunk call. We're ahead of all their value hands and can confidently beat their bluffs as well. Therefore, calling here is indeed the correct play to make.

Now, let's thoroughly consider all our options. What if we decide to raise instead? Let's revisit the scenario step by step. Imagine you're in their shoes: you hold pocket nines, and the river shows a blank. They check again, and you decide to bet for value with your pocket nines. Suddenly, they check-raise. This move doesn't seem logical because you'd expect someone with a flush to have bet earlier, or possibly check-raised on the flop. If the turn was checked through, they might bet the river themselves.

Similarly, someone with an overpair might have bet the flop or check-raised it. So, what does this check-call, check-check, check-check-raise pattern suggest? It often indicates that the opponent in the blind might hold a hand like Ace-Queen or Ace-King with a heart, which initially appeared to have showdown value but is now being turned into a bluff.

Now, let's analyze what we should do with pocket Jacks in this situation. Essentially, we're in a position where we're freerolling. It might be strategic to consider a check-raise here, mirroring their bluffing behavior. Let's opt for a check-raise and go all-in. Consider the size of the check-raise: let's say we check-raise to 1,700, leaving 5 behind. This aggressive move could potentially unsettle our opponent, as it challenges them to reconsider their hand strength. Note, however, that the exact amount may not align with standard poker rules, but variations exist.

In summary, this strategic approach aims to leverage our strong hands and exploit opponent tendencies effectively. I hope this detailed guide on handling such situations helps you sharpen your poker skills and elevate your success rate against seasoned players. Thank you for reading, and may your gaming sessions be rewarding.

And always remember, that in the end — poker is a game of balancing risk and reward, so you should consider the specific dynamics of the hand and your opponent before making your move. Good luck at the tables! If you have more poker scenarios or strategies to discuss, feel free to ask.