Ch1 The Preflop Warmup Flashcards
At a 9-handed full ring table, how many early positions (EP) are there?
3, the first 3 positions after the big blind (BB).
At a 9-handed full ring table, how many middle positions (MP) are there?
2, the next 2 after the early positions.
At a 9-handed full ring table, how many late positions (LP) are there?
2, the last two positions before the blinds, cutoff (CO) and Button (BUT).
What is the stoplight method of viewing a table and why is each position placed at it’s respective color?
Red - EP and the blinds are red. We want to play our tightest/strongest hands there because the chances of being out of position (OOP) are large.
Yellow/Orange - MP is in “yellow/orange.” This is because we still have a chance of being OOP if we play a hand from here and get action. From here we can play some more hands, but we still want to be selective. The hi-jack (HJ) is in “yellow.” This is because the HJ can sometimes be considered an MP or an LP. How we approach the HJ is really a function of table dynamics.
Green - Late position, the CO and button, are in “green.” This is because we want to treat them as our “go” positions. We want to play more hands from here than anywhere else. We have chances to steal, to isolate, and be in position in the event that we go postflop. Because of the positional-advantage, and the fundamental fact that there are less players to contend with, that these positions offer us, we play more hands from here.
What player type is this/
These are super tight players. They generally have very tight VPIPs (VPIP is a stat that measures how often a player voluntarily puts money into the pot preflop) and low PFRs (PFR is a stat that measures how often a player raises preflop). They are notorious for only getting involved in large pots with the the nuts or the effective nuts. They are usually straight forward and understand position, but don’t attack much when stealing or 3-betting.
Nits
What player type is this?
These players tend to have tight, yet slightly looser than a nit’s, VPIP and PFRs while keeping relatively small gaps between the two stats. They are much more aware of position, and steal more aggressively. They will also resteal and defend their blinds more often. They will bluff a little more postflop, as well as float, but still tend to maintain a “big pots with big hands” mentality
Tight/aggressive (TAG)
What player type is this?
These are effectively TAG players on steroids. They steal more, 3-bet more, use more aggression, and don’t hesitate to run bluffs in good spots. Their VPIP and PFR are going to be looser than a TAG’s, and they retain a small relative gap between them. These players can present lots of trouble, especially when they are good and solid players of this type.
Loose/aggressive (LAG)
What player type is this?
These are bad players that have massive VPIPs. The fact that they are aggressive usually means they will have PFRs that are a bit higher, especially in relation to the P-Fish. These players will get involved in big pots much more liberally, and have varying levels of play. We have to be prepared to loosen up our hand strength standards postflop, and remember to use preflop to set ourselves up for good spots.
Aggressive Fish (A-fish)
What player type is this?
These are also bad players, but they tend to be much more passive, both preflop and postflop. They tend to have massive gaps in their VPIP and PFR, and usually have a VPIP higher than 20 and PFR less than 12. These players make many more calling mistakes than betting mistakes, and thus should be value bet constantly. However, we need to make sure we heavily reconsider our hand strength if/when they raise us. Overall, approach these players in a very straight forward way.
Passive Fish (P-fish) ((loose passive))
What player type is this?
These are players that we don’t have any stats or information on. Usually, we just want to treat these players as P-Fish until they fall into a category. We play the most straight forward against P-Fish, and also give them the most respect on their raises, thus why we like using that as a default player type. Always make sure we are paying attention on the tables though, to ensure that we can make more informed and correct decisions for our plays.
Unknown
What is the stack-to-pot ratio (SPR)?
How many times the pot size there is left in the effective stack.
What are the differences between 0-2, 3-6 and 7+ SPRs?
0-2 SPR: We are comfortable stacking off and usually do.
3-6 SPR: The odd zone where we have some flexibility, but whether we stack off or not is very opponent and board dependent.
7+ SPR: We have lots of maneuverability and really only stack off if we have a very nuttish hand.
