Playing what has become known as “big little” combinations carry with it its own very unique set of problems in big limit hold ’em games. I am going to be looking at the holding of A2 in the big blind facing an extremely aggressive button stealer who is open raising on a much wider range than what most other players do in that position. I think that these types of hands present many players with problems judging by how many questions I see on the forums regarding these issues. The hands in question take place at the $150-$300 level and the game is six handed.
I think that one of the first things that you need to assess with regards your big little combination is if the hand has showdown potential and how aggressive the steal raiser actually is. Having showdown potential is key to how you play the hand not just pre-flop but also post flop as well in many situations. A second key element to consider is the flop texture as it will be much easier to get to the river on certain types of boards than others.
The importance of accurate blind defence is accentuated in the higher limits for the simple reason being that you will be attacked with greater frequency than you would in the lower limits. Here we are looking at a steal raiser who is open raising with around of 50% of their starting hands namely,
(22+,A2s+,K2s+,Q2s+,J5s+,T5s+,96s+,86s+,65s+A2o+,K6o+,Q7o+,J7o+,T8o+).
In terms of equity, A2 against a totally random hand has around 55% equity. However, we are not dealing with a totally random hand since the villain in this instance is open-raising with about 50% of their total range. While being very aggressive from the button, he is still showing an element of selectivity in his play.
Despite the problems of playing big little hands post flop and the reverse implied odds that you may be incurring, you have more than enough equity against your ultra aggressive opponent’s range to get involved with a hand like this. Folding is out of the question in a six handed game at this level.
LEVEL: $150-$300
POSITION: I am in the big blind and it has been folded around to the button who raises. The small blind folds and I call with the A
2
getting decent pot odds and good equity against their range.
THE FLOP: J7
3 giving me ace high.
Here this flop is actually not all that bad for me. It is broken with no possible flush or eight out straight draw available. This leaves me in a decent post flop position. Based on my opponent’s range, it is still possible that my ace high is the best hand.
This example illustrates the difference between low limits and high limits. Leading out here would generate good fold equity in low stakes games but this is clearly not the case in the bigger limits. A weak lead is unlikely to take this pot on the flop and could even serve to get me moved off the best hand.
You must take advantage of situations like these and pick off your opponents bluffs because doing so balances out the instances where you suffer due to your reverse implied odds.
I check, my opponent bets and I call. The turn card is the 3
which is another good card since the ace high is still ahead if it was ahead on the flop. I check, my opponent bets again and I call. The river card is the 10 making the board:
J73310.
I check, once again and my opponent bets and I call. My ace high takes the pot against my opponents K9.
But let us take a look at the factors that are at work here in why I selected this particular line of play and why I think check calling all the way to the river was the preferred play.
My opponent was very aggressive from the button and raising with 50% of his range. That means that their post flop play will likely be aggressive also.
The flop was broken and so my chances of still having the best hand are increased.
The A2 has showdown value and can win pots without improvement.
Games at this level are populated by trickier and aggressive opponents who will make pressure plays and attempt to move you off the best hand more often with aggressive play. They also have the advantage of superior position in the example quoted.
You will get to extract value from all of the occasions where your opponent bluffs
Now we will take a look at a second example where calling down is not the preferred play. Here we have the exact same hand but with a totally different board. The subtle difference here is that the button is not as aggressive as in the first example and does not see the river as often.
LEVEL: $150-$300
POSITION: Once again I am in the big blind and it has been folded around to the button who raises and the small blind folds. I call with the same hand A2.
THE FLOP: 952 giving me bottom pair with an ace kicker.
Many players lead out here but I think that this is the wrong play. I think that a check-raise not only generates more respect but it also has more fold equity with less aggressive opponents. This indicates then that I think that check calling all the way to the end is also the wrong play.
The key to selecting the proper line in both of these examples is in how often your opponent will see the river. If they are very aggressive and see a lot of showdowns then you are not going to create fold equity by trying to move them from the hand anywhere near as often.
In this hand, merely leading out with bottom pair against the player that we faced in the previous example is not going to take this pot at this stage as your lead will likely get either called or raised or your follow up turn bet will get raised. The effect of this will be that you will either have to concede the pot or go to the river with bottom pair in an escalated pot.
Quite often you will notice that a particular opponent will pay respect to a certain line of play over another. Here for instance, a flop check raise against a less aggressive player will fare better than simply leading out on the flop and then firing another barrel in the event that you get called on the flop.
Plus, because your opponent in this instance is not only less aggressive but will also go to the river less, the need to simply check call down is not as great and can actually cost you the pot in many instances.
I will emphasise once again the importance here of having the correct opponent, the correct type of hand and the correct type of board before you can consider making these plays part of your arsenal. These are specific types of play that are very effective against a certain calibre of player in certain situations at a certain level.
When you take these lines of play for the very first time, there is no doubt that you will be placed in many uncomfortable situations. Success in any form of poker involves having the correct tools in your bag but getting hold of those tools can be a long drawn out process that can take many years.
Playing big little hands in limit hold ’em does present its own set of difficulties but these are problems that can be overcome and with enough thought and planning. There is no reason why you can’t increase your profit potential in these types of situations.
Carl “The Dean” Sampson is sponsored by Pokerheaven and can be seen at www.pokerheaven.com/thedean