Opening two boards in poker. What are the regulars who switched to partypoker unhappy with? Board texture rating depends on skill level
In the game of poker, there are situations when two or more players divide the pot between themselves. This occurs when each person has the same combinations. Splitting a pot is referred to as a "split" in poker.
When does a split occur?
The probability of several players having the same combination is 1 percent out of 100. After the bets on, the cards are shown. If he sees two identical “hands”, then a split in poker is declared. I can match anything: from (the same highest card in my hands) to (from five community cards on the table). There are two types of splits in poker:
- Matching pocket cards in the hands of several players.
- Community cards on the table.
Examples of splits in poker
Several split situations in poker:
- Example No. 1. Two players have an ace in their hands. The cards on the table were two, three, four, five and nine. Both players have a small from Ace to Five. The dealer announces a bank split.
- Example No. 2. Both players have pocket (77 and 55). The table reveals an ace, king, queen, jack and ten. There is a straight from ten to ace on the board, which belongs to both players. The dealer announces a split in poker.
- Example No. 3. Two players have low cards of spades (two, three and four, five). The table opens with a spades of king, queen, ace, seven and eight. Suited cards in players' hands no longer produce flushes, since they are much lower. A split is announced with a common flush on the table.
- Example No. 4. Two fives, two tens and a queen were revealed on the table. Two players have a king in their hands. At the showdown there will be a section of the pot with two common pairs and the same kicker (the highest card is the king) in hand.
Split pot in poker
Split pot is splitting the pot between some players upon opening. Sometimes after the river two banks are formed: the main one and the side one. A side effect occurs when one player with a small number of chips goes all-in (bet all his money). After such a bet, he cannot raise any more. However, other players continue to raise bets and a second pot is formed. The player who went all-in when winning takes only that part of the money from the players that was equal to his last bet. The rest of the pot is taken by the player with the second highest combination.
Probability of split and impact on it
Split occurs only in 1% of cases, is quite rare. The manifestation of such a situation does not depend on the person and on previous actions. Split occurs completely randomly and cannot be influenced. It is impossible to turn this situation to your advantage or get any benefit from it. Split in poker should be perceived as random circumstance.
Game strategy for a possible split
If there is a showdown on the river and a split is detected, then the pot division cannot be influenced in any way. However, before the split is discovered, you can influence the game and try to take the entire jackpot yourself. Let's consider example:
On the table there is a straight from six to ten, cards of different suits. Each player has a straight at the table. When opened there will be a section of the bank. However, a player can go big and make it clear that he has a jack. In this case, he imitates a straight from seven to jack. Opponents cannot be completely sure of the division of the pot and will fold their cards. Thus, you can avoid dividing the bank and take all the sweat yourself.
When there are a large number of opponents, you need to bluff with caution. There is a chance that one of the players will actually have a jack. Then the street will not be common and Split in poker is canceled in this situation.
Bluff against the aggressor with the possibility of splitting
There is a ready-made high combination (, straight or flush) on the table. On the river, an aggressive player makes a big raise. If you suspect a split, you need to pull the initiative to your side. You can go all-in and stump your opponent. Even if he calls, you will split the pot. However, 80% of the time, an aggressive player will fold due to fear of a higher hand, even with a high probability of a split in poker.
Continuation of the strategy on correctly assessing the texture of the board. From this part you will learn about what types of dry boards you can find when playing poker, as well as the dependence of the evaluation of community cards on the type of opponents and the limits at which you play.
5. Weakness is relative
Let's continue. One of the wettest boards I can think of myself is 7-8-9 with two suited cards.
In reality, even this flop may not be as bad as it seems at first glance. If we take the hand history of a nit miner for analysis, we will find only 6 hands that would strongly connect with the table, for example, 66-TT. And on such a flop, believe me, the set miner will very quickly and clearly give himself away; he will not risk receiving a bad turn card, which will simply ruin all his efforts.
But in a game against a more experienced opponent, the 7-8-9 flop may not be so wet. Our opponent either missed or simply made a superb addition on the flop, so our continuation bet with such cards can only mean one thing - a damn strong move. In your opponent's eyes, your hand range will be limited to flush draws with at least overcards. Therefore, the same board can look completely different for different players, even in the same hand.
Of course, community cards are relatively easy to divide into “wet” and “dry”, but the main fiddle here is still played by the type of opponent or opponents we are playing against with such cards.
6. The texture of the flop depends on the preflop
I'll give you a fairly simple example. You're playing with a 130bb stack out of position against a tight opponent whose 3-betting range almost certainly includes only JJ+/AQ+ . You're in middle position with KK, raise and get a very strong 3-bet from this tight opponent. You are confident that a 4-bet from you will force him to definitely fold cards like JJ/AQ+, QQ 85% of the time, KK+ never. So a 4-bet has very little value, it will force you to bluff on the turn and maybe end up folding your hand, losing all your money. You decide to just call.
An A-Q-J offsuit flop opens. Every single one of the hands you've previously considered to be in your opponent's 3-betting range beats your pair, and the worst hand he can possibly have is TPTK. I bow to those who managed to win the pot against a 3-bettor in such a situation.
In the same situation, but with a 7-8-9 board with two suited cards, the community cards would seem a little wet.
7. Board texture rating depends on skill level
In general, if you play at micro-stakes, where the skill level of your opponents leaves much to be desired, then the range of hands for calling can be very wide.
For example, Stars 2NL, any flop with an Ace can be called wet. Most players at this limit won't be able to afford to fold if they also have an ace - the only question then is who will win with the best pair or two on the river. At higher limits, aces will no longer pose such a serious threat.
What is a dry flop?
There are four flops that can become a straight on the turn: K-8-3, K-8-2, K-7-2 and Q-7-2. If these flops are offsuit, then they are dry. With two suited cards, such flops can be called a little wet.
There are several other flops that can covertly add to someone's draw - 9-4-2, Q-6-3, 10-5-2, and so on. Objectively, from such community cards it follows that if most opponents with speculative hands called such a flop, it can be considered dry.
There is one more noteworthy, last category of boards that would be good to recognize. Look at the range of hands for potential cold calls and overcalls; remove aces from this list and leave everything else. Note that most hands that match wet flops have a range biased to 8-J.
All paired flops can generally be called dry, but all flops between 88x and QQx are actually very dry. When two cards of the same rank appear on the table, it is less likely that one of the opponents received one of the two remaining such cards in the deck. Well, the queen is probably the worst card in a draw, and any nut draw with a queen is simply obvious and you can rarely get a reward for it. In addition, the fact that someone will collect trips from queens is unlikely.
Instead of a conclusion
There is another, very specific type of flop, which can be called both the wettest and the driest - JТx. It complements a large number of one-way draws, complements combinations to a pair, two pairs, a pair+draw and everything else you can think of. However, if someone 3-bet in a hand with such a flop, it is very unlikely that the flop completed the hand, so many will be happy to float for at least one street with such community cards.
Although I personally am very against the use of the word “never” in relation to poker, I would make an exception for micro and low limits: never, never, never c-bet with complete garbage on a JTx flop out of position.
Give a regular a good VIP program, and he will remain in your room forever. It turns out it doesn't work that way. When PokerStars introduced chests, partypoker introduced 40% rakeback. Hundreds of players left Stars, party traffic increased 3 times, almost every day more than 2,500 cash players simultaneously play at partypoker during peak times - it seemed like a poker idyll.
But the regulars still remain dissatisfied.
Dissatisfaction #1 - Software
A poker player's worst nightmare is a connection loss in the middle of a gaming session. It would seem that in 2017 there were no people left with poor Internet, and disconnection as a phenomenon should have become a thing of the past along with dial-up, CRT monitors and floppy disks. But partypoker regulars are complaining about poor connections.
Freezes during multitabling
The second stumbling block for regulars at partypoker. According to players who have been online since 2007, worse multitabling was probably implemented only in Ongame. Window lags and inability to make a move. A partypoker regular will once again think about whether it is worth loading an extra 2-4 tables so that the software does not hang during the session.
Inconvenient design
This point may seem subjective, but players complain about the appearance of the client. If after the updates there don’t seem to be many complaints about the lobby, then few people like the tables. Therefore, players have to resort to third-party software - install PartyCaption and configure their standard table appearance in the “black table on a black background” style. Instead of tearing up the clearing and earning money, players spend their time customizing the software design. But why can't you make a custom table design by default in the client?
Problems logging into the client
VPN is a three-letter abbreviation that has become a regular part of life. But due to VPNs, anonymizers, and extensions, players experience problems logging into the room.
Discontent #2 - Strong field
After PokerStars introduced a new VIP system with chests, and partypoker introduced 40% weekly rakeback, regulars rushed to the room in flocks. In their subconscious the memories of the “power” of the old field were still alive.
That’s how partypoker spontaneously turned into a room of raked regs. If you believe the observations of regulars, there are no fish in Fastforward (analogous to Zoom). What about regular cash tables?
Let's talk in the next paragraph.
Discontent #3 - “Anonymity” in the cache
Cash tables at partypoker are built on the principle of anonymity. That is, in the general lobby you cannot see the nicknames of players at the tables. You can only find out the names of your opponents by sitting down at the table in person. After the first hand played, the names of the players are revealed, but nicknames in HM2 and PT4 are not displayed (instead “Anonym_1”, “Anonym_2”, etc.). So it turns out that statistics can be collected only for one gaming session and only for its duration.
Discontent #4 - Double currency conversion
Almost all regulars know about the feature with double currency conversion. The default withdrawal currency on Neteller is the Australian dollar. That is, the money is first converted into Australian dollars, and then back into the regular dollar. With such a conversion you can lose 7.5-10% of the output. They know about this feature, but for some reason they forget, which is why complaints appear. On the other hand, in other rooms this problem does not arise.
The author of the article personally suffered from this brilliant idea of partypoker. Indeed, if a person deposited from Neteller to partypoker in US dollars, having an account in Neteller in US dollars, played in the room on U.S. dollars, it is logical to assume that most likely he will need exactly Australian dollars. Joking aside, all the poker forums have been shouting about this problem for years, and partypoker simply does not notice it.
Dissatisfaction No. 5 - Structure of the finals of turbo tournaments
On the gipsyteam forum, "NoMoneyNoParty" expressed his dissatisfaction with the structure of the final table in the PLO8 turbo tournament.
Average stack at partypoker turbo final table 7.5bb (at level 25)
On PokerStars, the average stack at level 25 is 16.3 bb. Feel the difference.
Let’s add some minor shortcomings to the list (in my subjective opinion):
- Problem with displaying notes in tournament lobbies - solved using PartyCaption
- Lack of information about the number of tables played in fastforward (analogous to Zoom) - previously this kind of information was available
- Problems with tournament tickets and customer support. For example, a ticket for a specific tournament expires on the 26th, but after the 24th there are no such tournaments in the lobby. Logically, this is a jamb of the room, and you need to meet the player halfway, change the ticket for a similar one. But the support says that you need to be more careful and check for an available tournament yourself in the lobby of the poker room.
So what should I do?
The regulars' complaints are justified. There is no point in sitting and waiting for problems to resolve themselves. The only good thing is that partypoker positions itself as a room that is ready for criticism and cooperation. There are chances that the management will listen to the complaints and suggestions of players and improve the room.
The poker industry is very dynamic. Whoever was the first to switch to partypoker after changing the VIP program collected the most cream of all. And if in the summer partypoker was the sweet spot online, now the field has strengthened and it is becoming more difficult to make money as before.
To earn more, you need to follow new offers from all rooms. If you're having a hard time keeping up with the competition at partypoker, take a look at other options.
TigerGaming is a room of the Chico network where Americans and Canadians play
- There are not as many regulars as at partypoker
- No anonymous tables: you can choose who to play with
- Ability to display statistics on opponents through a special converter
Rupoker is a room with a weak field, where players mainly play from Russia
- Rakeback up to 40%
- First deposit bonus up to $2500, which gives a 10% return
- Reload bonus up to 5,000 rubles and SuperBonus 150% for a deposit of 5,000 rubles.
- A complete ban on the use of third-party programs. Application usage is strictly monitored and accounts are banned.
PokerStars - return to Stars and open chests
P.S. Of course, partypoker management can continue to spend money on signing top regs. Olivier Busquet, Timofey Kuznetsov, Erik Seidel and many, many others still remain unsigned, but you can take an easier path and improve the software. It's cheaper, and it will be more useful.
Have questions? Write to us.
If you rake less than $500 per month:
In 2013, PokerStars introduced the . Offline cash game regulars have probably known about this feature for a long time. But for online players, Run it Twice was a real discovery: many were greatly surprised when the board suddenly began to be laid out in two rows. So, for, let's try to figure out what Run it Twice is and whether it should be used.
Run it Twice means dealing the second board. When the players have put all their chips into the bank, then, by agreement of both players, the remaining cards are laid out twice, and the bank is divided into two parts, the first of which goes to the winner of the first board, and the second, respectively, of the second. To enable this function, you need to check the appropriate field in the PokerStars lobby in the settings menu. However, it will only be used if the other players participating in the hand have enabled this feature.
Should I use RunItTwice?
There is probably no universal answer to this question. The main argument that proponents make is variance reduction. It's like you're being put into a coin twice. Obviously, the more coins you flip, the less likely it is to deviate from the norm. However, not all so simple. In the case of fielding far ahead, Runittwice, according to poker theory, becomes very disadvantageous for the owner of the best hand. For example, when putting aces into kings, the probability of winning on one board is 82 percent. But if you enable the second board to be dealt, then the probability of your complete victory is reduced to 67 percent. So is it worth giving an extra chance to catch the king? However, if the bankroll is not entirely comfortable, then experts from poker videos advise that RunitTwice is still worth turning on. After all, after a couple of trips on one board, your money will run out, and there will be no way to get it back. Also, do not forget that weak players usually have no idea about this function, so you cannot avoid the dispersion of placing aces at 72.
Not long ago, PokerStars introduced a feature to enable a second board at tables. That is, on each table you will have the ability in the lower right corner to turn RunItTwice on and off in real time on each table. I recommend using this function, turning it on when you think there will be a coin and turning it off when it seems that you are far ahead of your opponent.
In the next article we will look at implied odds and tell you how to use them.
Coordinated boards are very important in Hold'em. Boards like Q-10-9, 6-4-2, 8-7-6 suit many hands and offset the advantage of preflop premium hands like KK, which remain strong on many other boards. In this article, renowned poker player and author of many poker books, Ed Miller, will give three tips on how to approach the game on boards where many players tend to play many hands incorrectly.
Not all coordinated boards are created equal. Boards without holes such as 10-9-8 and 7-6-5 change the distribution of hand equity the most. A hand like AA will be very weak on a J-10-9 flop. However, on leaky coordinated boards, this shift in equity is less noticeable. AA on a J-9-7 flop retains much more value than on a J-10-9 flop.
And in fact, it is often much better to attack coordinated boards with multiple holes. Many hands will hit these boards, but only a few will be the nuts. For example, hands K-Q, Q-J, J-10, 10-9, 9-8, 8-7 and even 7-6 are hooked onto a board like J-9-7, as well as pocket pairs 10-10 and 8- 8. When players with these hands see a flop like this, they likely think they have a very playable hand.
But each of these hands will be far behind a strong hand like top pair KJ. For example, the odds of 10-9 with a pair and a gutshot are about 1 in 2 against KJ.
10-9 is not only a weak hand in itself, its small number of outs are also hidden. If a ten or an eight comes, the player with KJ will know that he is likely beat and can fold his hand. Even hitting the second nine will change the action and most players with top pair will be wary.
So calling the turn bet with 10-9 against top pair would be a big mistake, as you'll be way behind and if something goes wrong, you're unlikely to be paid enough for your hand to justify the call.
However, despite the fact that this hand is clearly weak, many players will happily call it on both the flop and the turn. Thus, this becomes a very profitable value bet situation for a player with top pair or overpair.
So if I find myself on a 10-8-6 flop with a hand like KK, I'll bet big value bets on the flop and turn and reconsider if I get a raise or if obvious scary cards come up.
Tip #2: Bluff the fourth card to a straight on the river.
Let's say you opened with K-Q and got two calls. The flop comes out J-9-7 with two crosses. Your opponents check, you bet, and one of them calls.
The turn comes with a 3 out of suit. Your opponent checks, you bet, and he calls.
River 5 is not in the suit. Your opponent checks.
This is a great situation to bluff. Most of the time your opponent will call with a pair plus something, these are hands like J-10, 10-9, 9-8, J-8, 8-8 and the like. After blanks on the turn and river, these hands won't be pleased to see a big bet on the river. In this situation, most players will quickly fold their hand to the third barrel.
The bluff will be even more profitable if an overcard comes on the board, for example, K after a flop of 9-7-5. But an overcard is not necessary to be a good bluff against most tight players. Likewise, if a flush draw is hit, your bluff will sometimes fail when your opponent has a flush, but in general this is a good bluffing situation.
This logic also works on boards with one or no holes if nothing closes on the turn or river. So if you bet on a flop of 8-7-6 and the turn and river come up with a 3 and a Q, respectively, feel free to bluff.
Tip #3: Be wary of set straights on coordinated boards without holes, as opposed to boards with multiple holes.
Another important difference between boards with no holes and boards with several holes is that made straights are more likely to be possible on the former. When the flop comes J-10-9, your opponent may already have a straight with KQ, Q-8 and 8-7. All of these hands, both suited and offsuit, tend to be played frequently by many players. If you see this flop along with other players, there is a high chance that someone already has a straight from the flop.
Now compare this board to J-8-7, a board with two holes. There is only one straight possible on it - from 10-9. And, accordingly, the likelihood that someone has a ready-made straight is much lower. Most likely, someone will have hands like J-10, 10-9, J-9, 9-7 or the like.
Let's say you raise preflop and get three calls. The flop comes out J-10-9. You c-bet and someone raises. On this flop and in this situation, you have to assume that the raiser may actually have a ready straight on the flop. This doesn't necessarily mean you should fold to a raise, but the possibility of a straight is there.
Now imagine the same situation, only on the flop 8-6-4. You c-bet and someone raises. On this flop you can worry less about a ready straight, since here it can only be with 7-5, and while suited is still very rare, but possible, then with 7-5 offsuit many players would not call a raise preflop. In this case, the player can raise with hands such as A-8, 10-10, 8-7, 7-7 or 9-7.
I often test my opponents on these boards, especially those with deep stacks. Many of them are not willing to continue playing with these hands in a big pot that they themselves have bloated after I call their flop raise and the turn is a queen.
conclusions
Coordinated boards help many hands that are typically played preflop, so it's very rare that you can c-bet a flop like this and immediately take the pot. But the action on flops without holes is different from those with several holes. Holeless boards turn hand equity on its head, often giving hands like 10-9 and 8-7 a clear advantage over premium pairs like KK.
On the other hand, boards with two holes do not change the distribution of hand equity as dramatically, but many players do not see this important difference between these textures. They consider coordinated hands to be strong on both boards with no holes and boards with multiple holes.
This provides a good opportunity for bluffs on holey boards. When you bet the flop and turn on a two-hole board and get called both times, quite often you will have a relatively weak hand on the river unless the draw hits, and you can use these blank rivers as good bluffing situations.
Additionally, aggressive opponents often overplay their coordinated hands on holey boards by bottoming or raising cbets on the flop. This aggression is often unnecessary, since multi-hole flops usually do not strengthen coordinated hands. If you can identify such players, you can punish them for this excessive aggression and easily take their money.
