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Hand Selection: Fish vs. Regs

• 30.06.2025 6:59 pm
• Helen
• 0 Comments

Static hand charts are things that do not exist as far as No Limit Hold'em is concerned. The nature of this game gives room for a wide range of play styles to realize profits.

There are however, some sorts of hands that perform better versus a given type of opponents. Knowing the specific hands of profitability against what opponents is what distinguishes an outstanding player from an above average one.

Sincerely speaking, regardless of who your rival happens to be, the top most portion of the range you've got remains constant. You are going always to raise AK-AJs, AA-TT and so forth.

These specific hands are very strong such that raising them in any six-max game is always going to be profitable.

Playing Versus Fish

Asking yourself where your profit is likely to come from is the first query you have to ask yourself. Playing versus a fish, the profit comes the moment opponents call you with weak hands, something they do often.

That is simply what earns them the fish title. They always play without respect for position, and calling before flop and then taking their hands a bit too far after flop is something they do all the time.

Profit will also come after you make top pair or even better, and value bet without resting. Versus a fish, there is need for adjusting by adding additional hands that have top-pair value. This in short means the specific hands that have a superior kicker than your rival's and make top pair.

Hands like AT-A6, KJ, KT, QT among others become raises the specific moment fish are likely to make a call. This singularly is because they are still playing hands you already dominate.

Fish always make mistakes regular players will not. They will make raises using and happily call some three streets on any ace-high board.

To be precise, the moment your rival chooses to play a bigger range of hands that are dominated, you should be ready to widen your own dominating hands range.

Playing Versus Regulars

Regulars are a completely different nut to crack. You won't profit from them calling with dominated hands, because they won't do it often.

No regular will end up calling the entire three streets on the ace-high board using the same . It's possible to get a single value street from that weak ace you have, but incase of action on any second street, you are perhaps beat.

To get profit from a regular you have to make him fold his best hand.

Playing versus a regular, the top-pair hands literally depreciate in value and the direct opposite happens to the bluff-implied odds you've got. If you want to plat effectively against regulars, use suited connectors. The moment they happen to hit, they make outstanding hands- the best hands for countering stacks with.

The most attractive part in regard to suited connectors is that the flop or turn draws effectively, and are unmatched when it comes to multiple barrels firing.

An example:

$1/$2 effective stacks $200. is what you've got in the cut-off, then you raise $7. A call from any regular in the big blind.

The flop then comes . You bet $12 after he checks.

(A regular in this situation will peel probably any pocket pair, because they know c-betting is what you'll be doing regularly.)

He calls, and with the turn coming . He proceeds to check and then you fire $25.

Is it possible for him to call profitably? He is completely in the dark whether you possess an eight, an overpair, a ten and so forth. He simply knows that the board isn't getting better for him.

You have registered an improvement on your side.  You possess the gutshot straight-flush draw, additionally, if you happen to be called, it's possible to hit one of the 12 outs you've got and end up winning the hand.

This is what makes all suited connectors outstanding multi-barrel hands. Most of the time, they end up improving on the turn.

If you've got a single card of the suit on flop, on the turn, you will pick a flush draw I in every 4.7 times. Where the equity you've got is as much as nine outs, it is usually a quality chance for firing a second barrel.

Add to this the fact that overcards are what you will be   barreling. The rival player will at all times be forced to make difficult decisions.

This is singularly bluffing with equity, not just doing it as the word suggests.

The moment you turn equity, it is always the best time to fire your second barrel, since the opponents will be folding a great deal. Where they do not, there is the option of you hitting your hand then win the stack or miss. Make them fold by firing once more to win.

Bluffing where equity is available is at all times better compared to bluffing without it. This simply gives you a quality escape hatch. You are waiting to pounce on them folding, but the moment they call, they will not find your unawares because hitting is still possible.

Whereby fish would happily stack off with any dominated hands, regulars will not. Regulars won't call the three streets with any dominated hands, and if they do, most likely it will be a cooler.

Making money from the regulars with coolers is something you can not bank upon. In the long run, all of you will cooler each other to the same extent.

Fire multiple barrels to make them fold using their best hands regularly compared to how he makes you do the same. It is the only way you can end up being better than them.

Suited connectors play this role perfectly well.

It's simply a Game of numbers

It is impossible to tailor your game perfectly well each time, but in regard to how the table looks like, tweaking your game to play in respect of the position of the button is possible.

For instance, you happen to be in the cut-off, and there is a tight opponent on the game's button, and in the blinds are two fish. Open a bigger number of top-pair hands.

If you happen to be in cut-off and in the blinds are two regulars, open a higher quantity of suited connectors and the direct opposite of inferior top-pair hands.

This is a game of adjusting and re-adjusting. All you need is look around that table and try to find out the specific style appropriate versus which rival, and then play appropriately. This is not a complicated adjustment to effect, and it's certain to improve significantly your results.