Tournament Floating Part 2

Part one of this series on floating can be found here.

Last time around I began looking at the float play, and outlined some of the factors that should be considered when making this play. In this article, I will complete this analysis before looking at some effective counter strategies.

We can start this by looking at the type of hand you need to float. Since you are not looking to take your hand to showdown, your actual holding appears irrelevant. But this logic doesn’t take account of the fact that some of the time your opponent won’t pass to your turn bet.

If we try to select the occasions where our hand has at least some potential we can find our opponent has a very big hand, and then manage to make some obscure gutshot that no one would be able to see. Of course, this play should be used whenever most of the conditions appear right, but by refining your choice of spots to favour potential back door opportunities you may enjoy an element of additional success in the long term.

When deciding whether to float, you should be taking into account the size of your opponent’s flop bet and whether the pot is laying you a decent enough price to attempt the play. If you can factor in the possibility of making one of these obscure hands then you can make allowances for the implied odds you have.

Types Of Flops

One of the final factors that we haven’t yet considered is the type of flop that has been dealt. Again, while we are not looking to take our hand to showdown most of the time, we should not ignore the hands we are representing to our opponent when we attempt to execute this play. A smooth call on certain boards means different things than on other types of boards.

For example, if you call a bet on a flop of Jc-9c-6d, then it is not unreasonable to think that many opponents will put you on some type of draw. While this is good if the obvious draws hit on the turn, most of the time they won’t. When this is the case your opponent is going to be less inclined to release his hand.

For this reason, think about the texture of the flop when deciding whether or not to go for the float. A dry flop such as Js-2c-2h or Kc-8d-4h gives a much higher chance of success due to the increased strength that a flat call on these flops represents.

Floating Frequency

Now we have this play properly armed, it should definitely be in our armoury, however we must not open fire with it relentlessly, or else its effectiveness will be severely damaged. We must recognise that general awareness of the float has increased tenfold. The majority of intermediate players will have heard of it and all but the most basic of players will quickly catch on if you try to abuse it within a short space of time.

Use the play sparingly, not only to lessen the suspicions of your opponents but also because it is a high variance play. Depending on the level of the blinds, you are putting a chunk of your stack at risk and cannot afford for it to fail too many times. After having called the pre-flop raise, you might be calling a two-thirds pot bet on the flop. The credibility you earn through your selective use of creative plays like these, will increase their success rate significantly.

Defending A Float

I’ve mentioned the increased awareness that players now have for this play and for this reason many of your opponents will try to execute this play against you. Fear not, because for every strategy exists possible counter strategies. That is what makes this game so much fun.

When facing a particular opponent for the first time, even if you spot then making a play which you suspect might be a float, you should usually give them the benefit of the doubt. Remember that people are allowed to make hands and don’t be too quick to assume that someone is necessarily making a play.

Try to pay attention to the types of players they appear to be making these moves against. Are they the same targets you have in mind? After the same player has either made a couple of qualifying plays or one of his hands has gone to showdown in such a spot you can safely conclude that this player has the float in his armoury.

Counter-Float Strategies

If this play is based on your opponent betting the turn when you show weakness on the flop, there are several ways you can look to counteract this. The first is the most intuitive and that is to follow your flop bet through with a second barrel on the turn, even if you have no hand. This solution is preventative, in that you prevent your opponent from completing his float.

Most opponents will fold to this turn bet, as the weakness they were looking for did not materialise. If you do get called here, then it is likely your opponent has picked up some kind of hand, and you will be in a difficult spot on the river. If there is a draw out there and it hits on the river, you will probably have to check-fold. If the draw doesn’t hit, however, you are in a really tough spot if you end up seeing the river with no made hand.

You could fire a third barrel, but this will really be down to the reads you have been able to develop at the table. If the board is dry and the river hasn’t changed much, you may want to consider giving up, as the likelihood your opponent is going to call another bet is too high.

Take Advantage

The second option is to check-raise the turn. This strategy is exploitative. It doesn’t serve to prevent the float, rather it looks to take advantage of it. Even if your opponent isn’t actually floating with no hand, you put so much pressure on them making this play that they will likely fold all but their very strong hands. If we have identified our opponent correctly, the chances of him having a hand capable of withstanding this heat will be very small.

The main advantages of this play are that you gain an extra bet from your opponent and it serves as a warning to the table that a check from you should not be taken as a sign of weakness. Of course it’s not always that straightforward. When we do walk into either a very strong hand, or some very strong stubbornness we’re going to lose the maximum number of chips.

The key point therefore is to use this particular defence very selectively. Reserve it for when you find yourself against an opponent you know is particularly keen on the float play.

Our next option is to check-call our opponent’s turn bet. This is also an exploitative strategy. To make this play, you need a hand that has showdown value. It helps to have some knowledge of your opponent’s tendencies and if he will fire again on the river. This play is better reserved for weaker opponents with a tendency to give up when called as they will present you with fewer difficult river decisions.

Preventing The Float

The final counter strategy that I’m going to discuss is preventative. Here you remove the middle stage of the float play by failing to make a continuation bet on the flop. This serves to confuse some opponents, who start to wonder if you have flopped a very strong hand. When you check the flop, your opponent will obviously either check behind or bet himself.

If he checks, then a delayed continuation bet on the turn will sometimes cement this thought in your opponent’s mind and he will pass while giving himself a mental pat on the back for not falling for your cunning trap. You also of course give yourself a chance to make your hand on the turn with the free card. If your opponent does bet the flop, you now have the same options as above. You can check-raise or you can check-call.

A check-raise here shows great strength and will likely win you the pot, assuming you haven’t overused this play already and eroded your credibility. If your hand has sufficient showdown value then you can check-call and re-evaluate on the turn, turning your hand into a bluff catcher.
None of these plays should be used exclusively but if we mix up our play sufficiently our opponents will likely choose to target their floats at their less advanced rivals on the table.