Masterclass: Daniel Negreanu

Question 1

Understanding Position

Answer 1

OOP = defense, minimize & protect, fewer tools, no initiative

IP = offense, you can often win pots based on sheer aggression even when you have the 2nd best hand

Question 2

Adjust ranges based on player type

Answer 2

• if you’re up against an aggressive player, tighten up

- if you’re up a tight player always folding the blinds then loosen up

Question 3

Strive to identify range, not specific hands

Answer 3

• narrow down your opponent’s range by tracking & evaluating their patterns of play. You can even pinpoint their exact hand if they always make the same action with that specific hand.
• start your estimate wide then narrow it down as it goes on
• then you just need to decide whether or not your hand is good enough to beat the value hands or if they’re bluffing based on combos.

Question 4

Build a mental database of your opponent’s range on the felt

Answer 4

Make a mental note if they’re playing too tight UTG, loose on the button, if they’re a maniac that is way too loose, etc.

Question 5

As betting grows, ranges become more polarized

Answer 5

Ranges get more and more narrow with each raise preflop; only unchecked maniacs will risk 4betting with nothing but napkins.

Question 6

Keep your range balanced

Answer 6

If you always bet/check in certain situations you will soon become readable and exploitable. Reason why you need to understand range vs. range equity

Question 7

Be more aggressive when you the range advantage

Answer 7

If you have it then you should be the one driving the action so bet more often than you check.

Question 8

Factor play tendencies into range advantage

Answer 8

For example, if you have a tight player with an even tighter calling range then you might be at a disadvantage if you opened too loosely. Conversely, if a loose maniac opens up too wide then you’ll probably have the advantage.

Question 9

Make adjustments to your ranges based on perception

Answer 9

• What this means is that if players are seeing you play loose in certain situations and spots, and tight in others, you might need to mix it up and keep them guessing
• You also need to make adjustments based on any changes at the table, for example a good TAG has had nothing but bad beats and coolers and is now tilted playing each hand aggressively.

Question 10

Calculating Fold Frequency (and common fold frequencies)

Answer 10

$Bet / ($Pot + $Bet)

eg. $100 bet / ($100 in the pot + $100 bet) = 50% (fold 50% of the time)

100% pot = fold 50%
75% pot = fold 43%
66% pot = fold 40%
50% pot = fold 33%

Question 11

Consider possible runouts

Answer 11

• a runout is a combination of cards that can either help you, hinder you, or make it blank
• you have to plan your strategy in the event of any bad/good/neutral runouts

Question 12

Have a plan for the turn/river

Answer 12

• think several moves ahead so you’re not clueless
• cbets should be backed up with an understanding of how you’re going to proceed on the turn/river
• ask yourself what the reasons are for your cbet. If you can’t come up with any good reasons as to why it makes sense then don’t do it!

Question 13

5 factors for cbetting

Answer 13

• board texture
• number of opponents
• position
• table image
• reads on your opponent

Question 14

Factor in range advantage when cbetting

Answer 14

• accurately assess the ranges of all players in the hand
• have an understanding how well their ranges connect with different board textures so you can determine who has the range advantage (you or them?)
• if you see there are more negative factors in your range vs. your opponents, delay that cbet

Question 15

Increase cbetting frequency with monster draws

Answer 15

• stronger the draw, higher the cbetting frequency
• medium strength should be checked more often
• weak gutshot inside straight draws can be used as a bluff (if they raise you, give it up and move on)

Question 16

2 ways to win when betting on your draws

Answer 16

(1) Your opponent will fold anyway

(2) You get the best hand that can’t be beat

Question 17

How to deal with getting 3bet? (2)

Answer 17

(1) Player’s tendencies: aggressive players are too wide meaning that they may 3bet with napkins so go ahead with 4betting AQs (if they 5bet then back down); tighter players will only raise premiums and best to let them have it
(2) Position: call more often IP than OOP

Question 18

Account for stack depth when facing a 3bet

Answer 18

• if a player is short-stacked then be willing to play for the rest of his stack
• conversely if you’re deep-stacked then go ahead and call with a wider range of speculative hands, especially when IP
• later stages in tournaments you should be tighter, but in cash games you shouldn’t let liberal 3bettors get away with it

Question 19

Balance 3betting from all positions

Answer 19

• 3betting is better is better on the BTN or closer to it
• you should be tighter when 3betting someone from UTG as the opponent’s range is tighter
• you should also 3bet wider from the blinds when facing a bet from the button as button’s range is wider

Question 20

Line check

Answer 20

You have to ask yourself if the story that this person is trying to tell you all adds up. You look back at the lines to see if his story is credible or not

Question 21

When facing a third barrel…

Answer 21

• Count the combos of value hands & bluffs (still in his range) THEN compare it to the size of the bet on the river to make a mathematically-based decision.
• also incorporate any tells, reads, and also a line check

Question 22

What conditions have to be present for an overbet to be a possibility?

Answer 22

You have to have your opponent’s range as very strong, but your range is slightly stronger

Question 23

Multiway pots

Answer 23

• Bets become more polarized
• players are more honest, and if you have a good hand you can be more honest too.
• incorporate semi-bluffs (ie draws)
• capitalize on the opportunity to bluff when IP especially if everybody checks (if somebody had something they would have bet already
• value of speculative hands such as suited connectors and baby pairs go up in value. High cards and Broadways go down b/c people hold on to them too much.

Question 24

Mixed strategy

Answer 24

Vary the way you play the same hand as to make you hard to read. You will have to make plays that are considered suboptimal to create a mixed strategy. Switch and randomize between calling, folding, 3betting depending on your opponent and prevent your opponent from reading your hand.

Question 25

Increase board coverage with hands that have some postflop potential

Answer 25

Incorporate speculative hands such as suited connectors and baby pairs. They may not be the strongest but if they hit the board they’ll become the strongest surprise hand.

Question 26

Where are the biggest decisions? Why is it important?

Answer 26

The biggest decisions are the ones where the pot size is larger and therefore will have a big impact on your yearly earn rate.

Question 27

Which ones will thrive in the long run? What should you be asking yourself?

Answer 27

The player that has the better ability to make GOOD decisions on the turn and river are the ones that will thrive in the long run. At the river all the equities have been realized, it is then that you should simply ask yourself “do I have the best hand or not?”