Weakest links

In last issue’s article I talked about attacking weakness in the small no-limit cash games. Before we move on to higher stakes games next issue, we’re going to take a break from cash games and spend some time looking at weakness in tournaments.

If anything, it’s even more important to identify weak players in a tournament setting. With blinds escalating and antes often coming into play, it’s imperative that you find ways to take down some pots without the best hand. With that in mind, let’s look at a few simple ways of identifying and attacking weakness in tournament opponents.

THE SQUEEZE PLAY

This is a highly effective yet very risky play that has become widely known in recent years. In essence this is how it works: one player raises pre-flop and another one or two players call; the squeezer then re-raises big enough to take the pot down. The players who have just called the raise are showing weakness by not re-raising.

They are saying that their hand is good, but not great. This play works best when the original raiser is a bit loose-aggressive, but not a maniac. A maniac will often call you and then you’ll actually need to have a real hand. Generally, if you get the re-raise past the original raiser, you’ll get the other players to fold as well.

THE COUNTER-SQUEEZE

While the squeeze play is a good trick to make occasional use of, watch out for tricky players who are adjusting to a table full of squeezers. In last year’s WSOP, the squeeze play was being used on me so often that I changed my play a bit. I don’t usually slow-play big hands in tournaments, but at one particular table I encountered an opponent who just lived for the squeeze play.

To counter his strategy, I called a raise with K-K hoping he’d re-raise behind me. Sure enough he went for the bait, and when I fired the four-bet he knew he was done for.

ATTACKING LATE LIMPERS

Some players like to limp in early position with big hands, but generally if someone limps in late position they are showing weakness. To attack this is quite simple – you should put in a big enough raise to take down the pot pre-flop. If two or three players limp in, I’ll raise with a wide range of hands – anything from 5-4 suited to A-A. If I raise with 5-4 I might even show so that I can trap later on.

ATTACKING CONTINUATION BETS

This is an interesting play because it really depends on who you’re playing against. As we know, the flop will miss you and your opponents far more often than it will hit. So, if your opponent is always making continuation bets, you know they can’t always have the goods. However, knowing your opponent has missed and knowing how best to attack it are two entirely different things.

Against some less experienced players it’s best to call their continuation bet, check the turn and try to take the pot away with a river bet in the absence of a scare card. If the flop comes 7?-7?-2?, the turn was a 9? and your opponent checks, he probably has big cards so beware if the river is an Ace.

Against solid players, a check-raise can work really well. One thing I like to do is check-raise on a flop that doesn’t have any obvious draws such as Q?-7?-3?. If you check-raise here, it’s tough for your opponent to call unless he has at least a Queen. I don’t like check-raising on a flop like Q?-J?-9?, because if I get called I don’t know if my opponent is on a draw or what he’s drawing to.

ATTACKING WEAK PLAYERS’ BLINDS

This should go without saying, but pay attention to your table and look for the weakest players. Who doesn’t defend their blinds? Who might defend, but almost always checks and folds? Who plays very predictably? These are the players you should be attacking. They are your lifeblood. As the blinds increase, they will keep your stack from dwindling while you wait for your next big hand.

PUNISH PLAYERS TRYING TO MAKE THE MONEY

As far as you’re concerned, you should be focused on the hand in front of you rather than worrying about bubbling. But a lot of players don’t think this way. They are often acutely fearful of the bubble and concerned only with making the money or the next payout bracket. Because of that, you need to be aware of when the bubbles are. If you’re paying attention you’ll notice the guys who are just interested in scraping into the money.

These are the players you should be attacking. When you get near the final table, you’ll notice the same players just trying to hang on. Those chips are yours for the taking – attack once again.

A good friend of mine (and a hell of a poker player) told me that last year at the WSOP main event, he was able to raise without looking at his cards because there were three medium stacks who were only interested in making the money. I can’t blame someone for trying to hang on for a $10,000 payday, but if you can take advantage of their weakness you really ought to.

ATTACK FIRST-LEVEL PASSIVITY

The larger the buy-in, the more likely it is that your opponent doesn’t want to risk his tournament life during the first level or two. I’ve noticed that some players are extremely cautious at the start of a tournament. This is generally my philosophy too, as you can’t win a tournament in the first hour. I won’t take large risks, but I do look to get involved because the weakest players are still around during the first level or two. If you pay attention to your table, you should be able to add chips to your stack without taking any real risks.

SUMMARY

Don’t get so caught up with attacking weakness that you lose track of playing a generally solid game. You don’t need to be the chip-leader after the first level, but if you’ve added a few chips here and there it’ll make it that much easier for you to play poker later on. I’m a big fan of being patient in a tournament and waiting for the right opportunity to pounce. Staying aggressive and attacking weakness when you see it is just one weapon in your arsenal.

Having said that, if you want to win a tournament you’re going to have to take some calculated risks and be prepared to go to the rails on occasion. Last February, I was playing in the L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino. We were down to four players and I was in the small blind.

My opponent on the button raised and I just knew he was weak. Everything, from the amount he bet to the way he put the chips in was screaming weakness. I moved all-in. Unfortunately it was my last hand of the tournament because the player behind me in the big blind woke up with Aces. By the way, the guy on the button folded his 10-8 face up.