Articles/Tips on Optimal re-steal ranges from the blinds

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bbiase

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If you are fairly deep in micro/low stakes tournaments (35 BB+) or microstakes cash games, and you face this kind of situations.

Full Ring.

Action folded to CO/BU. CO/BU raises 2.5-3.5 BB (depending on wheter it is cash games or STT SnG/MTT).

CO/BU has VPIP of 25-30%. PFR at about of 20-22%. Fairly aggressive, and probably opens up his range to VPIP 40-45%, PFR to 28-40% on the CO/BU. Probably most of the times he opens at this position, he is trying to steal. With hands like suited connectors, high cards like J8+, Q8+, K6+, Ax, small PP, it's an easy raise for him. He folds to 3-bets something like 50-60%.

What is the optimal range to 3-bet him? How often should we just flat call and play the flop out of position (is it really profitable to flat the BB at all)? How often is the best just to shut down at the flop, instead of continuing? What should be an optimal 3-betting ratio from the BB? And, for the sake of analysing the villain, how often it is a +EV play to 4-bet from the CU/BU?
 
Fknife

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You can get those parameters from basic preflop pot odds and then came up with some ranges based on them (and a bit of common sense) but you can't really know whether they are THE optimal ranges or not because we dont know how those look like yet (and when we finally do, there wont be any point in playing poker any longer).

(BB's and SB's 3betting ranges are polarized (obviously) and SB would usually "want" to flat a rather narrow range because...a) he can end up OOP in a 3 way pot b) he can get squeezed the f*ck out by BB)
 
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bbiase

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You can get those parameters from basic preflop pot odds and then came up with some ranges based on them (and a bit of common sense) but you can't really know whether they are THE optimal ranges or not because we dont know how those look like yet (and when we finally do, there wont be any point in playing poker any longer).

(BB's and SB's 3betting ranges are polarized (obviously) and SB would usually "want" to flat a rather narrow range because...a) he can end up OOP in a 3 way pot b) he can get squeezed the f*ck out by BB)

I get what you're saying, I understand and I kind of agree. But I ask you to try to help me in these specific situations where I have trouble with.

Situation 1.

Sit and Go $2.5 dollars, regular speed. 9 handed.

First hand of the game. Everyone 75 BB deep. Action folded to CO. CO is a regular mid-range aggressive player. He likes to harass the blinds early and mix things up in mid tournament where he gets tricky in strenght spots so he can get action when he has big hands. He worships position. He plays only 10% of the hands he gets from befor the HJ position, but plays all sorts of trash with position. He has 30% VPIP and 23% PFR. He seems to be above everyone else in his level when it comes to post flop play, yet, he calls something like 25% of 3-bets against him, since he likes to play small pots, and likes to be the aggressor. He 4-bets 8% of this kind of situations. This is a guy who plays with an edge pre flop (aggression) or an edge post flop (position). Really dangerous guy to get involved early in a tournament.

CO raises 3 BB.

BU folds, SB folds.

Action on Hero (BB). Hero looks down to A9o. Hero believes he can't outplay CO villain without position. Hero believes he has over 50% equity heads up against CO most of the time, given 25% of the time, CO is gonna flat the three bet and float. The rest of the time, he's folding or 4-betting.

What is the worst hand it's profitable to make a 3-bet here in the long run? I do believe, if there's not a single answer, what kind of things do I need to consider before deciding wheter flat or 3-betting, or even folding? Hero's objective is play to win and not just to min cash.

Situation 2.

Sit and Go 2.5 dollars, 9-handed, regular speed. Average stack size is 40 BB, down to 6 people left.

Action folded to BU (45 BB).

This guy is tight aggressive. He doesn't get involved in 3-bet/4-bet battles without the goods. He opens pretty wide in the button for his whole range. He plays at 20% VPIP, 15% PFR. He is just as good, as a TAG player as anybody and can mix things up, he is just more selective in these mix up spots than the rest of the people. He probably puts 35%-40% VPIP at the BU, which is tight-ish.

BU raises to 2.25 BB.

SB folds.

Hero looks down to 77 (40 BB). Hero is the same guy from situation 1. He is looser, and has a good understanding of the game, but he doesn't think he's a better overall player than this TAG BU villain. This Villain can pull sick bluffs using his tight image at some point. When he floats you, you are dead. Means, overcards = you are a dead man on the river. Effective stacks not that great to set mining.

Hero would be glad if the hand ended right there because he doesn't have good history against

Flat? 3-bet? Fold?
 
Fknife

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Oh sh*t, you're talking about SnGs :( I've never read even a page of a book about tournaments/SnGs so I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with this one... For me, in a > 100bb cash game, both hands (A9o and 77) are easy flat calls from BB against a LP open although with eg: 77 you should be ready to try to realize more of its equity then only when you flop a set ('cause you know, it has like 55% equity against a typical LP range so...if you're only calling to setmine you might be better off just giving up that 1 BB).
 
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bbiase

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Oh sh*t, you're talking about SnGs :( I've never read even a page of a book about tournaments/SnGs so I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with this one... For me, in a > 100bb cash game, both hands (A9o and 77) are easy flat calls from BB against a LP open although with eg: 77 you should be ready to try to realize more of its equity then only when you flop a set ('cause you know, it has like 55% equity against a typical LP range so...if you're only calling to setmine you might be better off just giving up that 1 BB).

That's a good tip anyway.

Thanks.
 
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