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WPT Poker takes a look at an online concept to help you improve your game. This month – the Squeeze Play.
Becoming a better online poker player doesn’t come overnight. From the moment you set up your online account and experiment in your first sit and gos, there’s a wealth of information out there which can bring your game on leaps and bounds. This month, WPT Poker looks at a preflop move that can add vital chips to your stack – provided you have the right conditions.
Example 1:
Game: $0.05/$0.10 NL Hold’em Cash Game (6 Players)
Hero’s Cards: Ks 7s
Villian’s Stats: VPIP = 38%; PFR = 34%
Stack Sizes:, UTG: $7.44, MP: $9.51, CO: $2.24, BTN (Villain): $13.08, SB: $10.61, BB (Hero): $11.68
Situation: The under-the-gun player folds, leaving the middle-position player to make a standard opening raise to $0.30. The cut-off folds and the button and small blind make the call. With $1 now in the pot, Hero raises to $1.80.
Analysis: The above scenario is a play that should be staple to any thinking short-handed player’s arsenal. In a six-max cash game, the MP raiser is likely to open with a fairly wide range of hands and the given the button is putting money into the pot 38 percent of the time, his call does not necessarily exude strength either. The small blind, meanwhile, is now getting 3:1 on their money and may simply call for the pot odds.
All players are around 100 big blinds deep, so no one is overly committed to their hand yet and–even though a squeeze play can be made largely irrespective of cards–the Hero’s hand has some implied value in the form of nut or second-nut flush potential. All in all, this scenario adds up to a decent spot to squeeze in.
Example 2:
Game: $20 + $2 NL Hold’em tournament–t100/t200 blinds (9 players)
Hero’s Cards: 10c 8c
Villain # 1’s Stats: VPIP = 22%, PFR = 19%
Villain # 2’s Stats: VPIP = 39%, PFR = 13%
Stack sizes: UTG t3,995, UTG + 1: 5,16, UTG + 2: t5,985, MP1: 2,538, MP2 (Villain #1): 10,828, CO (Villain # 2): 11,996, BTN: 13,598, SB (Hero): 1,750.
Situation: The first four players fold and Villain #1 raises to t438 from middle position. Directly after him, Villain #2 calls from the cut-off and the button folds. Hero now attempts to squeeze by moving all-in for 1,750.
Analysis: This scenario is typical of a player who misunderstands the key factors required to execute a successful squeeze play. Here, Villain #1’s stats indicate he is a fairly solid player and is unlikely to be opening with air, while Villain #2 is a loose-passive opponent who is prepared to call a raise with a wide range of hands. When you couple this information with the fact that an all-in raise to 1,750 means that either player will have to put in 1,312 to win 2,726 and–even if they lose–have plenty of chips leftover, it’s almost unthinkable that such a raise will get through in this scenario. Having zero fold equity and a hand that’s very easily dominated and likely to be 50/50 at best means this a terrible situation to attempt a squeeze play.
Live Example:
Dan Harrington’s Squeeze Play at 2004 WSOP
This now infamous example of a perfectly-executed squeeze play occurred in the 2004 World Series of Poker when poker pro and esteemed strategy writer Dan Harrington used his rock-like table image to put the hurt on his opponents.
With Josh Arieh opening from middle position and picking up a caller in Greg Raymer, Harrington looked down to find a monster 6-2os and decided to pull the trigger. One raise of half his stack and two insta-folds later, Harrington’s perceived style of play and appreciation of his opponent’s stack sizes had won him a pot with nothing but six-high and introduced a generation of poker players to the beauty of a well-timed squeeze play. They don’t call him Action Dan for nothing.
What is…?
VPIP: Voluntarily Put Money In Pot
A good indicator of whether a player is loose or tight. This represents the percentage of times a player enters a pot preflop. Checking the big blind is not included – that’s considered a forced bet.
PFR: Pre-flop Raise
This stat shows the percentage of pots players are playing by coming in for a raise. Calling is not included in this figure so, used in conjunction with the VPIP figure, it can show you if a player is a calling station or one who likes to play aggressively. |
